Making An $85 Guitar Play Like A $1000 Guitar
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- Опубліковано 25 січ 2018
- In this video, we'll be taking an $85 Squier Affinity Stratocaster we got off Craigslist and setting it up to play like a $1000 Fender American Stratocaster. All the things we do in the video are things you can do at home with a few tools.
Sometimes, a used guitar can have some issues that'll make it feel a lot worse than it is. In this guitar lesson, Nate Savage and Andrew Clarke will cover the things to look out for when buying a used guitar, and also some important tips for making your used guitar sound and play amazing!
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Nothing new here, I can make any $1000 guitar sound like a $85 one.
This is such an underrated comment imo XD
B Snyder not really underrated when it’s top coment
I can make new guitars sound like broken ones.
Wow. That’s the most original joke I’ve ever heard
only 753 likes? let me make it 754
Making an $85 guitar sound like a $1000 guitar: plug into a really nice amp.
Whats funny is I plugged into my cheap Crate amp after upgrading the pickups and heard a night and day difference.
@@kilgoretrout321 too bad it wasnt a 2 nights and 2 days difference..
@@LPJMagicmusic so funny bro
@@diogomanteu7148 dude thank you so much! I worked for forever on that joke, glad it worked out😂
Don’t be THAT guy…
Best Tip: remember FFF for intonation, if Fretted note is Flat, move saddle Forward!
if you fall FLAT you typically fall FORWARD. If you were to touch something SHARP you BACK away.
Good one, dude
If its SHARP you STRETCH the string more helps as well
tune to F to pay respects
What i learned is if its sharp like a knife you move back or if you fall flap you fall forward or something like that
"I'm going to play the same riff on both guitars"
-proceeds to play fancier on the more expensive guitar-
Exactly what i immediately thought, i was like mmmm yeah thats a really fair comparison there, you can tell he definitely played at a more stop and start way on the Squire and then played fancier and cleaner on the Fender
Yea
Either way they do sound a little different, most likely just pickups and pots
@@yobrethren The Fender sounded more articulate and full, probably because the Squier had pickups with ceramic bar magnets under the pole pieces whereas the Fender had pickups with AlNiCo pole pieces.
@@jimthethirdprobably Mexican silver
You can buy a fully loaded hot Texas picgard for about $350+ a tusq nut for about $13. Then the squir will sound better! Ask SRV!! He played one a lot. There are pics and videos of it!
I enjoy talking guitars all the time. At 75 yrs of age, I have learned over the decades that the amp and the guitar player
are as important as the guitar itself.
The player is more important. Because you can have a great player on a shitty amp and he will sound better than a mediocre player on great equipment.
rbagel55 eh, no
@@iang6243 yea? how can you even deny it, I've played some good shitty amps, cheap, but got good tone, these days cheap amps can still sound good and a great player on a cheap amp will sound better than the bad player on a perfect, $1000 amp
It's the Indian, not the arrow.
Ok boomer
It’s 2020 and I’m feeling nostalgic watching this dude just walk up in a stranger’s house without a face mask
Back when I was your age, we would walk into stores WITHOUT a face mask, shake the hands of strangers, and hug people. Yeah! You little whippersnapper, I said HUG, now GET OFF MY LAWN...
Sheep
Then just say no!
It's back to no mask here in England. It went from "you can't hug your gran" to "bring in a Ukrainian family" just like that. In a blink of an eye.
It’s 2020 and I’m feeling nostalgic watching this dude write a comment about strangers without a face mask.
0:46 "so i worked at a G--, one of the largest.."
Nice cover for the sake of the legal department lol
@@brianwalendy3735 There's nothing wrong with saying where you worked at, even in a video like this.
learn2law
@@TankdozerCavalry unless you're being slightly disparaging about the place. Why, then, did he not say the whole name? Also...
Learn2human,asshole
Brian Walendy
Learn2notcare
@@imaremi351 wow
I bought a used Starcaster years ago, did everything you mentioned here with the addition of swapping out the wiring for lower gauge (thicker) wire. It had a loud buzz if stood within 6-8 feet of the amp, but increasing the thickness of the wiring eliminated it completely!
Should be called "Putting new strings and doing a basic setup on an $85 guitar"
well
not to put too fine of a point on it
the overlap is significant
EOHRyan it is the title is making an 85 dollar guitar sound like a thousand dollar guitar, it says it all in the title so I don't know what your talking about, and the title you thought it should be is the process of making the guitar sound like a 1,000 doller guitar.
You might want to take another look at the title there. "Play like" and "sound like" is a big difference, eh?
So you believe that doing a basic quick setup on an $85 guitar makes it play like a $1000 guitar?
I was replying to cshoen1. In retrospect, I don't know why that felt like a good idea. But I'll bite.
That really depends on the relative qualities of the guitars. Some $85 guitars play better than some $1000 guitars of the box. Overall, cheap guitars these days don't normally come with huge flaws these days, and midrange guitars don't normally have the bells and whistles that make a big difference in feel (like rounded frets, satin finish, scalloped fretboard, custom neck profiles etc.).
If the cheap guitar isn't a lemon with a warped neck or sharp fret ends, then yes, proper neck relief, action, and intonation after a basic setup will pretty much get you there. Of course, IF it isn't a lemon ...
This video is bogus anyway. A used guitar is almost guaranteed to need fretwork, cheap or not.
The taking a buddy or two on a craigslist run is good advice... I always take my bros, smith and Weston...
You mean Wesson?
@@juanantoniocruz2937 - I thought he meant Edward Weston. 🤷🏻♂️📸
wesson, buddy
Smith and who?
Cheap guitars so much better than they were decades ago. I am almost reluctant to admit that a $90 Squire P-Bass I bought to travel with sounds almost as good and plays as well as my Rick 4001. The quality of fretwork and finishing is leaps ahead of a cheap guitar I bought 20 years ago for similar reasons, where the neck was not capable of proper adjustment and the frets were sharp on the sides. I also got a $99 Fender acoustic guitar on a trip (for something in the hotel room) and was stunned to find the intonation and string height was exactly what I wanted with no adjustment - also, traditionally, a weak spot of cheap guitars. So computer-aided manufacturing is showing its benefits in consistent quality, I guess.
@BWM Wow, such hostile response. Maybe those poor humans shouldn't have gotten away with shoddy craftsmanship for decades. I don't mind people losing their jobs if they do crappy work to begin with. I agree with James, computerized or not, cheap guitars are way better nowadays than they were just 30 years ago.
Setting Intonation: "Always" set intonation with the guitar in the playing position. Hold it like you are playing it . Many guitars, especially bass guitars are "position sensitive". So if you set the intonation with the guitar flat on a table the intonation may read quite different in the playing position. Also....the most overlooked adjustment on setting up a fender style "screw on neck" is before you do anything else to the guitar you have to check those 4 neck screws. Even right from the factory they are usually loose. Tighten them. All the other set-up steps are useless if the neck screws are loose. I've been a Guitar Repairman in the Boston area (since 1974)
Good to know, thanks!
Thanks Inkey2. What is your opinion when comparing the $85 and $1300 guitars???
@@guitarino1 To R. Herbert: well, it's like anything else be it "electric" guitars, drum kits, clarinets, flutes etc. Below a certain price point it is nearly impossible to get something "new" of lasting playable, repairable, quality. The difference between a $1300. guitar and an $85. guitar should be huge in just about every aspect....the pickups, the wood quality, the fit of the parts, the finish, the machine heads, bridge, and the most critical thing.....the volatility of the neck. Really cheap guitars use low quality wood so as to whether the neck will "stay in adjustment" or even close to staying in adjustment is the big issue. I always pushed customers towards a good "used" higher quality guitar. The best bang for your buck in a guitar is to find a "used" 10 year old "Mexican made" Fender Stratocaster or Telecaster. I was blown away by how close the quality was to the expensive American models. So much so I own one as my main, keep forever guitar. Just change the pickups....in fact you might even like the sound of the Mex Strat and keep the guitar "as is". They can still be had for about $375. There are lots of them on ebay but buying a guitar without playing it first is like getting a mail order bride. Look in the want ads, craigs list or even go into a music shop. They will be asking around $500. but will usually settle for $375. ish....if it has a hard shell case then more. But the worst thing of all about a cheap instrument is that the new player is not getting the very best chance for success. They often think that they just can't learn this instrument, just too hard.....when in fact 50+% of the problem can be the instrument is just no good and won't stay in adjustment. I taught guitar for 12 years and saw this a lot. I could write tons more about this but I think I covered the crux of the issue without going into excessive detail.
@@inkey2 Thanks much inkey2... :-)
@@guitarino1 you are very welcome. I've spent years as a music shop manager/service manager/buyer, guitar teacher and had a private business where I serviced elec guitars, classical & folk guitars, violins, banjos, ukes, autoharps, zither harps, etc for other shops, schools and individuals as well. It's been a "long and winding road". I am semi retired but still do some work for friends. If you have more questions.....just ask.
I’ll save you some time. They just clean it and change the strings. A basic setup.
Didn’t change a thing.
some fret leveling is needed on 99% of cheap guitars, basic setup will not fix the fretbuzz and dead frets unless you raise the bridge and create a gap as thick as a thumb
EZ Assegai new bridge, nut, tuners, fretwork(like you said). New pickups. A lot goes into an actual overhaul which they didn’t do. I’m about 95% done with a MXN strat that plays awesome now and it was a bit more than they did.
@@eyeout
yeah Im sure they wanted to keep it as cheap as possible, which is good.
I have done a very minimum of changes to my epi les paul, thicker gauge, lowered the action, intonated to the 12th fret but intentionally slightly sharp to make all of the neck sound right with chords even up to the 15th fret.
oiled the fretboard and the biggest gamechanger of all, took a pencil and lubed the nut, now the guitar will stay in tune like crazy and the intonation is just 10/10
Joe Casson says you. It’s a ‘95 MXN which means it was made well and was only $400 in ‘95. So I already owned the thing.
$250 for a Floyd rose rail tail which is far superior to an American bridge. $70 for locking tuners. $150 for the EVH humbucker.
So for $870 I have a guitar that will play circles around a stock American strat.
And when I’m not playing that I’ll play my les Paul with a 60’s neck or my music man majesty.
The hard part is deciding whether I should plug into my Mesa boogie ‘65 reissue twin reverb or original silver face twin reverb 100watt.
But don’t discount that MXN strat. Van Halen spent less on his guitar...
yeah i know. wtf. just "play" like a 1000 dollar guitar....
Thank you so much, guys! A friend just gave me a cheap old guitar and I love the feel of the bodystyle and the tone of the pickups. It just came with all the little issues you showed me how to fix. This info is valuable (local shop wanted to charge 85 to do that stuff, but I love to tinker, just didn't know how). P.S. I'm a happy guitareo paid subscriber. Thanks for making your free content high quality too.
why buy a nice guitar? JuSt TiGHteN tHe sCrEwS
and don't forget about nut sauce
and do not overtight them
I've had guitars in my life for decades. I think you guys just taught me more then I've ever learned in just a few fun minutes! Thank You both.
A short wouldn't make it crackle. A short is when the positive wire comes into contact with ground. In something that is using high voltage, well beyond the millivolts the guitars pickups generate, it can cause an electrical fire. On a guitar this would cause it to go silent. But it shouldn't make a crackling sound. That would be caused by an open. An open circuit is when there is a tear in the positive or negative wire, and if it's an intermittent signal it can cause a crackle sound. In either case the wiring should be replaced. This is much more common that an actual short. Good luck!
Agreed. I've had a crackle with two Strats. One was a weak solder and the other was a frayed wire. Easy fixes.
the "crackle" sound is the rapid connect and disconnect of the short. The same sound you could expect if the positive lead opens intermittently. Expect a loud buzz if the ground opens.
Solder joint is lose, dust in control pots... If there was amateur solder work that maybe had too much excess tends to break off the connections or gives any bare wire something to touch. make sure to clean old work up then do clean soldering, use plenty of light, space and have time so you do not rush and then mistakes...
If you know of a website that details your understanding of this in a helpful way, I'd love know about it.
Well done guys although the title of the video seems to be a bit misleading for some viewers. But I get your point. Pretty much exactly the same procedure I have used to set up and tweak a used guitar for nearly 40 years! And it just so happens the "Peavey Classic 30" is my current amp of choice after owning dozens of all brands and models over my 45 years of playing guitar. It's lightweight, powerful, decent tone...win, win for me.
what guitar is on your profile pic?
It's a 1999 Fender American Standard Stratocaster. That teal green metallic color was only available for 2-3 years I believe. It was a one owner. I bought it used on eBay 10 years ago for a steal!
stringbender57 really misleading. No fretwork? Seems to me a good fret job and of course quality pickups/tone woods r the biggest difference between $85 vs $1000.
DantheMan - I believe the objective of this video was to make an $85 guitar play like a $1000 guitar. Not to make it SOUND like a $1000 guitar. I didn't take them literally. I think the general point was that an $85 guitar can be setup to play much more like a $1000 guitar. I applaud their efforts.
I was wondering if you run any effects through your Peavy. I have the same amp which I love although I get a really great "clean" sound. Is there a way to get a raunchier or more distorted sound out of it without going crazy with the volume? As you know this little amp can be super loud. Thanks.
Ahh, my guitar's intonation was off. Now I fixed it! Thanks!
One tip: I use scotch brite on my frets to prevent the steel filings from the steel wool getting on the pickups. I saw you taped them off to avoid this, but each way works.
I'd also mention fingerboard height at the body joint. Not a common adjustment, but its another way to get the action dialed in. Pretty good video I must say; supports my argument that setup is everything!
One thing that everyone seems to forget is to check the action at the nut... On many if not most cheap instruments, the string slots are not cut deep enough. Sometimes this can be corrected by removing the nut and sanding the bottom to remove some overall height (if the radius between all the slots is correct), sometimes it will require the deepening of one or more slots (if the radius isn't ideal). I usually take it to a local guitar shop to have it done properly; any good tech will easily be able to do this properly. This step probably has contributed most to improving playability on almost every cheap instrument I've ever owned. Of course it should be followed by a proper set-up.
Please note that raising a bridge saddle while the string is tuned up can (won't always, but can) give enough resistance to strip the Allen screw. If you're fighting them or the wrench is getting stuck, you probably should slack off a string before you attempt to raise its saddle.
Also, feeler gauges are pretty cheap and eliminate a lot of guesswork. You can do without, but it will go faster and you'll be more confident about your setup being ideal if you have them. _Don't_ get a cheap business card sized printed gauge from some random source. If the printing is a bit askew (and it often is) then the gauge will be worse than useless because it will lead you in entirely the wrong direction. Cheap feeler gauges just rust and have to be replaced, which isn't going to induce bad setups.
If you're being super cheap, picks can be used as feeler gauges, but you should confirm their thickness with calipers ($10 at Harbor Freight) rather than assuming they are exactly as marked, if they are marked at all.
When doing the first/last fret check for neck relief (I actually use the 16th fret which marks the beginning of the neck pocket rather than the 20th or 21st fret), a feeler gauge is much better than guessing. At .010" of relief on my kit build, I get fret buzzes, particularly on the low E string. At .012", I don't. Those are rather difficult to tell apart without a gauge. If you don't have a capo handy and are wondering how one person can hold both ends of the string _and_ work a feeler gauge, (1) put the guitar safely on the floor (use a rug or blanket if you think you should), and (2) take off one of your shoes and use your big toe to hold the string at the first fret. You don't need a whole lot of dexterity, just a third hand. Of course you can ask someone to help you, but what's the fun in that? ;)
Big toe... now that is a funny visual 😁 Seriously, what guitarist does not own a capo, even a cheap one off the internet is easier to use than having to take off your shoes and socks. But I like your thought process here, and you have given some very good advice to the uninitiated.
Just adjusted the intonation of my cheap guitar. It was HORRIBLE! Almost 1 full note off. Now it sounds so much better
good job
Thank you, Guys! I've learned a few different Intonational techniques but your method has been the quickest, simple and effective.
I'd say you achieved your goal. Honestly, I like the $85 better and the sound is smooth as butter. Good job guys.
I wish I could play an $85 guitar. I have a $2000 guitar and it sounds just as bad when I play it.
By world guitar playing standards, I suck big time. However, I enjoy playing the guitar, esp. with my friends. I have found that, while having an expensive instrument helps, it's more to do with the playing/skill, rather than the instrument itself. My most expensive guitar is 350 NZD. I have collected a lot of cheap guitars and learnt to set up - I am not good with the electronic area, but a friend of mine who's a bit of guitar freak/god really likes playing with my guitars - he said the set up is good; a compliment to me, as he likes playing with my cheap guitars as much as his JS and Schecter, etc! Set up correctly, it's more the player than the instrument. But at the end of the day, make the most with what you have (although I am scared of adjusting anything worth that much!). And, if you're happy when playing, that's all that matters - never get put down by the judgements from others. IMHO, those who judge others are NOT masters. A real master (in anything) is very, very humble!!!
I can't play well enough to have another person in the house. Let alone another musician. Still, it occupies my time and keeps me out of trouble.
I don't know what skill level is but I suggest either join a music class or if not available, there's always places like Yousician or UA-cam, of course! Forgive me if what I am about to say is condescending; I suggest: practise with a metronome (there are lots of apps) and learn the three memories associated with learning the guitar (piano, etc. as well): ear, eye, and finger/muscle memories. Most importantly, you MUST have the desire to succeed ... having the desire means you're half way there, everything else is both techniques and lots of practice! Having fun, which is bonus, is a by-product of realising you're making progress.
When I retire in 670 days, I will take lessons, until then My schedule is only set the day before, so I can't schedule regular lessons. I use free youiscian and I have a wind up metronome. I have been practicing for about 5 years, self taught. I average about an hour a day, six days a week.
I have completed 2 hal leonard basic books and two classical guitar lesson books.
I just find that I have no muscle memory or innate ability and every new thing is a struggle. This also applies to athletics and typing, every day, it is like learning the same motions over again.
Additionally, the books never teach you to go beyond the fifth fret, and just presume that you can figure out the note/fret positions for your self.
I know all of the major/minor/6th/7th/dim open string chords but have great difficulty switching between them In a musical fashion. Improvising is non-existent as well as memorization. I am OK with music in front of me in either standard notation or tab. I am clueless on how to play the mentioned chords further up the fretboard.
Still, it keeps me out of trouble and occupies my morning time before I go to work.
As someone who is self-taught and practiced with no knowledge of theory for years with poor results, I can recommend to figure out how scales work and how to build chords from the names. Jazzguitar . be has a great tutorial on how chords are built.
Once you get an understanding of why things are called what they are, you will remember things. I had the same problem, but rote learning isn't effective at this. You need to know why.
always adjust your gutar on play position and not on the table!
Yes!
Great video thanks. I just bought a Jackson Soloist SLX, where I thought I had a great guitar with a great price. Was pretty disappointed when I realized it sounded like crap. Thought I should have spent 2k more and get a USA Select. I did try to set it up, without really knowing how. So I've watched quite a few videos, including yours, I was on the right track. I like things simple, and you made it quite simple and easy to understand for everyone. My SLX (from Indonesia) now sounds just as great as a USA Select (almost). No buzz, in tune all the way, perfect string height and pick-up height. It was a guitar on the floor at the store, therefore I took those strings out, cleaned my fret board, put new strings, and it honestly feels great. Thanks for taking the time to make that video. Cheers!!!
what about fret leveling? change pickups? tuners?
Fret levelling would be the most important factor in making it play better, since the whole rest of the setup kinda revolves around it.. Then upgrades such as nut, string trees, locking tuners, graphite saddles... They would soon see how it fairs against a $1000 guitar if they tried to use the tremolo with the stock hardware, especially those cheap sticky plastic nuts.
Cheap nut and tuners are not made to be used with a tremolo...changed out tuners and nut on my knock off Strat and it stays in tune pretty nicely...unless I divebomb like a mad man
Thank you for posting this video. I'm a Strat player, and my wife found a Squire Affinity, in mint condition, exactly the same color as the one you scored, in a Goodwill store for $75. I love how it feels and sounds. And I'm looking forward to getting it set up.
Azul bonito. Nao sei como se chama essa azul.
Great watch for me. I never knew how to set the intonation in my guitar, I never even really knew that was a thing. It makes perfect sense now
Awesome thank you for the step by step, I think it's super important no matter what you spend on a guitar, to be able to make it sound as good as possible. Well done gental men.
How to make a 85$ dollar guitar play like a 1000$ guitar= Be good at playing the guitar
Simple as that
Veeti so real
+1
if the guitar isnt even intonated properly , you will sound like crap
That’s true with every instrument but cheap secondhand guitars like that almost always have these kind of problems. You just won’t have those with the more expensive ones because that’s what you pay for lol all this work is already done to them.
A crappy cheap guitar will still sound crappy though to someone who knows guitar sounds. But it only really matters in recordings.
That's a great instructional video. Thankfully Squiers are very well constructed and assembled nowadays, so we can get a pretty decent guitar for a few bucks, specially if it's used. Cheers!
I actually watched the video and appreciate the nuance instruction on the saddle and on the bridge. This is something that beginners don't get to know. Also kudos on the neck adjustment; stressing the point of going slowly...quarter turns and then re-check. It builds a sense of 'being one with your guitar. Good Job guys!
Wish we had guys like you to give tips 20 years ago! Thanks for sharing!
The intonation tip was awesome thanks
Thanks for the video. I have often found that using a capo at the first fret, depressing the last fret and measuring at the 8th fret with a feeler gauge (Should be between .010 and .012) is much more accurate than your finger depressing technique.
Yes, and if you don't have a capo handy, use your foot to hold the string at the first fret.
I agree. Capo on one, finger on 21 or 22. Then I set at .011 on the seventh fret. No idea why I use the seventh and you use the eighth. Just how we learned it, I guess.
I use the eighth fret because it happens to have the greater clearance of the two. If this neck had the seventh fret lowest, I'd use that.
Glenn, your method is the proper one.
Great video, guys! Thanks for the tips. I can never remember all these steps when I'm giving my guitars the once over. I think this video will be my checklist from here out.
Thanks for this video. These are some really easy fixes that anyone can perform. I especially like the section on setting up string height and intonation.
I don't get it, you've cleaned it and set it up as it would come out of the shop if it were new. How's that make it play like a $1000 guitar? The title should be "how to setup a guitar"
No way are those frets level
Some how a setup makes it play like a 1000 fender. Yeah right.
yeah, i was hoping to see some work done on the frets
Exactly, just what I thought.
Play like. Not sound like.
Plug an electric broomstick into a really nice amp and itll sound like a $1000 guitar
Jack Mosher lol dude go cry in your bedroom, this place isn't for you
While yes a good amp will make a guitar sound arguably better than a cheap amp, a cheap guitar will typically have a factor that is the weak link, and no matter the amp, will simply not sound as good as a nicer guitar. Not to say it won’t sound good, it just won’t sound AS good
Hungry Harb it's the truth tho
@@espenfarstad1697 I didn't want to be mean. Thing is that is a really cry baby comment, without anything true. He was the one being mean to these guys who made a great tutorial for a set up, for guys who don't know Jack about guitars.
If you think his statement is true then why do you even bother buying a great guitar? Just buy a super crazy amp right? Wrong! Amps can improve the sound of your guitar, but it can't make it sound good. Plus you can only feel a difference with a really expensive and big amp if you play it very loud and in a really big or open space. So his comment is totally nonsense.
There's a guy amazing guitarist plays a shovel..so this comment is on the nail..obviously the expensive guitar sounded way better rich and beautiful the cheap sounded cheap tinny at least to my ears. All comments have value don't be quick to criticism take time to think if your reply is hurtful we are musicians and better than that..hurtful words to make ourselves seem big..that's for the government's of our various countries..ha ha ha
Thanks for the tips, guys. I usually get someone to adjust my guitar, but now i can do it myself.
That little jam at the end was really nice, the info in this video is invaluable!
Most important is height of string in the nut. Not even a mention.
true, but at the end of the day its a cheap guitar. lol
The $85 Squier Affinity Strat sounded louder to me than the $1,000 Fender Strat. Nice and brash! A little TLC on a "cheap" guitar, good strings and amplifier and a good musician, no one could tell the difference nowadays.
Great job guys! Thanks for the simplicity and straightforwardness. The Rosewood neck does and will sound more mellow and fuller than the maple as they are known for their brightness and twangy sound.
The headline is accurate, but inadequate. This video is a really clear, complete, and comprehensible introduction to guitar troubleshooting and setup. I wish I had seen this when I was in high school with my first guitar. For those of us who are more experienced, its obvious stuff, but for someone starting out who really wants to understand the setup process (especially, what order to do the adjustments in), this video is a great reference for knowing how to set up or clean up a guitar - and IMHO every player should strive for at least the level of expertise shown in these steps. There is also strong evidence presented of significant 'vanity pricing' in guitars. ;)
A couple spring loaded capos make setting the neck flat easy
Great vid, gents. Thanks very much for sharing it with us. Now, the next video should be the same guitars going through various overdrive & just 'muddied up' a bit. Even increasing the preamp/gain would, perhaps, show how much of a difference there is between the pickups in those two. The Squier sounds great CLEAN, but would probably feedback & scream when the signal they put out gets pushed. I’d love to be wrong, (& I’m aware that it’s possible to clean up the cheap pups by turning the guitar's Volume down), but it’s super if all you want to play is CLEAN...& there’s nothing 'wrong' with whatever style a guitarist plays.
dude the fact you guys are from abbotsford is AWESOME finally another western bc guitar channel
My question is, how did the cheap guitar feel when you played it? I bought a squire strat from guitar center back in 91. After trying about a bunch of floor models I found one that when playing an open A cord it would vibrate straight through my chest. Still have it to this day and love it. I believe it's true, when you have a "live" guitar or one you are excited about your tone and playing gets better.
0000 steel wool is typically referred to as "four ought", like shotgun shells.
I like it. Double ought is my shotgun shells, and Four Ought will be my steel wool.
Since you were basically doing a setup, I think you should have shown how to “stretch the strings”, or pull on them until they are well seated on the tuners and bridge. It’s one of the most important things beginners don’t know about doing... and in turn makes them say things like, “this guitar won’t stay in tune”. Ha ha🧐😳🤦🏻♂️
It's not just seating. It's also the metal stretching until it work hardens to the point where it supports the string tension.
Luke Wren Not s believer in that, but I know it’s the normal understanding. Thanks!
Nah, just put Evertune bridge and forget about that shit. Easy setup, forever in tune
Jan Ro Evertune? Easy setup? You gotta be kidding me!
Bill Shaver do you have one? Just check out information or learn how to use. Is very very easy. Or what will you say? Floyd Rose is easier?
If you're not using a tuner, you can do intonation using the harmonic at the 12th fret and comparing it to the string fretted at the 12th fret. It's a lot easier to hear differences that way and I've found that I can get the intonation tighter with my ear than with most tuners.
So much knowledge to be soak up from this video. Thank you I feel more comfortable picking up a used guitar now
7:40 didn't know that they had on-the -counter nut sauce. That legal?
*!¡*
I'm not sure this is really a fair title. This isn't an $85 guitar. It's a guitar for which you paid $85. There's a subtle, but significant difference. You buy $85 guitars in the quasi-music section at Best Buy, and they don't have a Fender logo (even Squier) on them.
Not disagreeing with you.....but you definitely can find used squire strats and teles for that price all day long on CL, Reverb, Ebay, etc. I think I see more used squires than any other guitars in any category.
But yeah, new they do range from around $125 all the way up to $400 depending on which squire model!
Even new, the Squier is only $130 US
It's a Squier, a cheap ass guitar.
@@rticle15 I concur. I bought a Squire several years ago, cheap without being the worst quality, just for practice not for concert quality sound. My first guitar ever was also a Squire iirc, from a yard sale, $20. It had a bad nut making one string buzz all the time.
What I especially love about what you did here is, you didn’t overhaul the guitar with pricey new parts, you just did a full, thorough cleaning and setup.
I’m a novice guitarist, though I’ve been a musician all my life, been playing six weeks so far on a ‘Selder’ stratocaster I bought in a thrift shop in Japan for $30, done a little work on it both just to try to DIY a few things, and to reduce the cost of taking it in to get professionally set up. Cleaning the guitar, cleaning and moisturizing the fretboard, and changing the strings, these are things anyone can do. Beyond that though, for a novice like myself, I’m happy to know what needs to be done and how it’s done, and it’s worth at least trying to do them myself, but ultimately I know it’s best to have a pro do it.
Bottom line is, you didn’t do this setup with a bunch of special tools, and again you didn’t change out any of the parts, so this video was extremely helpful.
Thank you for the info, NEEDED the part about setting intonation
String gauges are personal taste.
Not a rule.
eeeeeh kinda nope
The nut designates the string gauge
@@joseaburto1641
Well if you are using thicker gauges for standard e then its your own fault.
I'm no expert, but I agree with Kevin. I play both a Squier Strat and an Ovation super-shallow T-357. I like the strings to feel the same, so I've been using .011-.048 sets on both guitars for years without any problems. My Strat, by the way, has been with me since 1986, so if .011 strings were going to do any damage, it would have showed up by now.
I play either .008 or .007 I don't care what anybody says I can make my guitars sound like death metal guitars if I so choose with those small strings. It's all about the attack
This video was very helpful because I just recently got a $100 guitar!
You paid $15 bucks too much (according to these Canucks)
I love hundred dollar gits. Have fun!
Thank you :) I'm new and now I will be more confident when bringing my guitar to play with other musicians
I found a $65 strat at guitar center once. Only issue was the pickups were destroyed. I put a loaded HSH pickguard and a Floyd rose on there along with doing a bunch of neck work. I set up the action, truss rod, and intonation, and painted it in a chameleon blue to purple color. Pickups were painted purple, and all the knobs and switches were gold. I finished it off with a gold fender decal for the headstock. This is such a nice guitar and only costed me around $500 for the whole build. Go for it for anyone who is wanting to do a build
Love that dark blue color
I enjoy playing my Ibanez gio. That's all I have to say besides thank you for some new info.
Ibanez rocks !!!!
Nicely done guys! Good info and an easy style delivery!! Kudos to you!
Visual & audio quality of your Video is top class. Very coheirant dialogue stayed on subject. Helpful tips for sourcing and Inspecting a used guitar.
I don't play but I am going
start learned as Soon as I buy a guitar n amp. It's going to be challenging and rewarding but I'm confident that in 6 weeks I'll be playing with my teeth and behind my Back.
As someone who puts their own guitars together and winds their own pickups, my vote goes to buying cheaper guitars and fixing them up the way you want. My vote also goes to buying more expensive guitars and fixing them up the way you want ;)
One of the most important factors is a well-cut bone nut: one that maximizes the string spacing while, at the same time, not remotely risking the strings slipping off the edge of the frets; that has a perfectly equal distance between each string, and has the lowest possible first-fret action without any hint of buzzing or rattling when the strings are picked hard. The improvement in playability with a well-cut nut is staggering. And I scarcely see any stock guitars that would not benefit from a better-cut nut, whether they're $100 or $1,000.
Whatever route you go, you gotta pay somehow. Time and money...just pick which one you can spare more of. You gotta either get the skills (and tools) yourself, or get the money to get the guy with the skills (and tools) to do it for you. It all depends on how far you want to take it.
Bone nut, setup, fretwork...that's par for the course for playability, and done right, there should be no difference (playability-wise) between a cheap and expensive guitar.
So yes. $85 guitars can *play* like $1,000 guitars. With a solid set of pickups and electronics, they can sound like $1,000 guitars too. And in my experience, it takes the same amount of work to get either one of them playing at full capacity, which you're not going to find them doing off the shelf.
But branding/status is very real. No shame in that. There's a lot of smoke and mirrors with the guitar business, as there is everywhere else....no need to hide behind it. People want an American Fender because it's an American Fender. And it looks like an American Fender. That's all there is to it. And there's nothing wrong with that. I like bringing guitars I put together to gigs, and I like telling people I put it together myself when they ask me what kind of guitar it is. Not really any different from people liking to show off gear they bought. We just like different brands.
Brian May's Red Special is a 100% homemade guitar, and that's been his thing from the beginning. Then you have guys like Jimi Hendrix who were just fans of a straight up, stock, classic Fender Stratocaster. And that was his thing. Whether it's DIY or a big name, brands are the name of the game. Everyone's got their signature.
A pink and white handgun with Hello Kitty on it would shoot just the same as a handgun in traditional black. How many people would honestly say they wouldn't care what other people thought about their gun, because they knew it functioned just the same as any other gun?
I did a lot of work on a Batman guitar that my friend won at some booth at Six Flags. It played as well as any other guitar I've played in my life when I was done with it, and it sounded good too. It was still a Batman guitar from Six Flags. Not good or bad, just what it is. I wouldn't take it to any serious jams or gigs unless I was trying to get a laugh out of people, even though I know it's the same as any other guitar as far as playability goes.
Squiers and the like are not jokes like the Batman guitar, but it just goes to make a point. Looks and branding do matter. And that's OK.
It's all good.
I've played $2000+ guitars that felt and sounded like absolute shit... And played $80 guitars that were amazing... The planets have to line up with the build... All the parts have to come together to make something worth playing. So I agree. If you custom build or mod... You make the planets bend to your will... To match your style... It's pretty fuct up actually...
I bought a 'Strat" from Monoprice . I mean. 69.99, why not. Took it home, Did basically the same stuff you did, with the exception that I added a metal face plate that killed every bit of 60Hz hum. The damn thing sounds at least as good as my old '63 I got when I was a kid from a pawn store for about the same price. Spending money does not always equal better sound. That's just being psyched by hype, if you pick wisely.
My first guitar is a "Les Paul" (Dr. Evil "air quotes") from Monoprice for $160, which I later found online for $100. D'ohh. It had a dip in the neck at the point where the neck leaves the body. I was really new to guitars, so I had a guitar tech straighten the neck and do the usual setup stuff. I put in a set of SD Antiquities. They sounded awful at first, no treble. Guitar tech didn't solve that. I solved it when I discovered a bad tone pot when I rewired it with all new CTS 500k pots, wires, and Sprague orange drop capacitors. Now it's set up with 50's style wiring and a treble bleed mod. Last thing I solved was tuning instability, which was due to the crappy plastic nut. I have upgraded to a TUSQ nut, Tone Pros roller bridge, and Kluson Deluxe tuners, but the nut was the main issue. I've also upgraded the switch and jack to Switchcraft parts.It's now an 800 dollar Chinese Gibson. I should have just started with a non-chambered Gibson Studio. But it was a good learning experience.
Bought a TV Yellow "Tele" from Monoprice for $65.00. I was actually impressed/suprised by the hardware that came with it.
@@JohnShalamskas Should have just bought a thousand dollar guitar lol
I also bought a strat from monoprice. about $69 dollars. It was an Indio sunburst. Two things I did to it made all the difference. First, out of the box it was just awful. IT WOULDN'T STAY IN TUNE!! Turns out the the 4 bolt neck needed tightened. Yup, almost a full turn clockwise before they tightened. A world of difference that made. Second, the nut was way too high. This affected intonation due to the fact I was actually stretching the strings to fret them in the first few frets. It is now a wonderful guitar and a pleasure to play. These two fixes were not even mentioned in this video. Setting the string height at the nut should be the starting point of any inexpensive guitar setup. Tightening the neck bolts is a whole lot more important than tightening the 1/4" phone jack. Is your 1/4" phone jack loose? Yes? then tighten it. Now does you guitar play any better?
After hearing these comments on Monoprice guitars I'm actually considering giving their $99 5w tube amp combo from Musicians Friend.com a try.
Some really nice tips, especially useful was the tip of smoothing the frets, that really makes a difference in the playability.
Great clear explanation and concise too. The FFF intonation tip is new too me, never adjusted the saddles for that before. Thanks!
Good video - couple of small points.
I don't like steel wool - little bits break off stick in the fretboard and then in humid conditions they will rust - ugly mess - you can use a green nylon pot scourer instead - works just as well.
The Linseed oil thing - dispose of the oily rag carefully - these are infamous for catching fire spontaneously - either put it in a ziploc bag (exclude the oxygen) or throw it on the barbie and burn it under control.
Can I use a blue pot scourer instead of green?
Kevin Bercier What are you, crazy??? Everybody knows you can only use green.
😂
When I adjust my intonation, I tune the 12th fret natural harmonic, then I pluck with my finger on the 12th fret. It’s easier to hear when the fret is flat/sharp relative to the harmonic.
That's the most accurate method, both sonically and by a chromatic tuner.
it doesnt always provide good intonation though, from my experience guitars with 24.75 scales are more accurate in the higher register when you intonate slightly sharp to the 12th fret.
sounds great! thanks for all the great info!
Fantastic walkthrough of the basics guys. All you need is a bottle of oil and some new strings. Strings are so important. When I’m looking for a new guitar I get to last two or three, and ask the shop owner if I can change the strings. I pay for them, the guy watches me for the first string and is happy. He gets one or two guitars with new top quality strings on & I get to play & hear the instrument at it’s best.
Most of the time I get either the cost of the strings I’ve paid for, or a couple of extra sets thrown in. It’s a win win for all involved.
Thanks for a great video.
“Hey mom! i gotta buy some of Big Bens Nut Sauce!”
I know, son. There was still some on my face this morning. Ha, I couldn't resist, bro. You walked right into that.
In summary: You won't get a $1000 squier. Basically, clean, setup and a fret dress and you will have a properly working guitar, like all guitars should.
Of course. The majority of players get a cheap guitar and just assume it's the thing that's holding them back from improving. But putting in some time setting up the guitar properly will give you something that's perfectly giggable. No, it doesn't magically become a $1000 guitar... But it does narrow the gap between cheap and expensive guitars significantly. :)
I agree :) really don't like those affinity squiers though.. Too much effort is needed to make it a decent playing guitar IMO. But its good that you have a video showing how a few easy things can make it better. But if you're someone who is not handy, it's not worth taking it to a guitar shop and dropping $. Better just to buy a better guitar.
For this cheap, you might be right since a set-up costs around $50 in most places.
Not all "expensive" guitars are good though.
Chris W right, expensive bc rich models for example suck ass lol
Great video. Something you did not mention was the tremelo arm. A lot of strat owners"park" the bridge with a block of wood whilst others add 3 more springs to give extra tension thus negating the guitar going out of tune when the bridge is rocked.
What is your preference?
Great tutorial! Usually in these sort of videos people buy a cheap guitar and then they replace almost everything (except the body and neck) with pricey parts and then guitar will sound great but it's not cheap anymore. You completely avoided that and gave very useful information how to make a cheap guitar sound good. Thank you!
Great demo for showing how uncomplicated it is to set up a guitar and save yourself some money
I have that Squier Strat same color and everything
Mine was also used but the one in the video was a lot nicer than mine
Deven Jenkins same!
It's clickbait, he wants the views. So $1000 guitar sounds more impressive.
Awesome video for beginners fellas. Much appreciated and keep up the great work.
I liked this. Very straightforward. I just bought a$50 Laguna and set it up. Plays great.
"...use something like this, which they call nut sauce..."
okay, I'm out
It's very important to keep your nuts from binding. :P
Seriously though, a bone nut is around $5 and will reduce the binding problem as well as providing a more even sound between open and fretted strings compared to a plastic nut. You could go with a graphite nut and never have the problem again, but the open strings will then be a bit brighter than the fretted notes and you may not want that. I switched from graphite to bone because bone and fret wire just seem to be more similar in the way they interact with the string than graphite and fret wire are.
Bone nuts can still benefit from the pencil lead (which is really graphite) trick, but for obvious reasons, you'd be wasting your time applying graphite to a graphite nut.
My gf loves nut sauce on the daily.
I know.
Okay, I admit it. I laughed out loud.
Scott Sakurai
----Joke------>
Head
Never, i say NEVER use steelwool. Tiny steelwool particles WILL come of, and the magnets in your pickups will catch them. From there they WILL distribute themselves all into your electronics, and you definately don't want them in your pots and switches... Also they will scratch up your paint.
You're right. You do need to be careful. That's why we taped off the pickups. :) Steel wool is an industry standard and has been used on guitars for a long time. :)
Steel wool is also no good for your fret board. Over time it can scratch and wear the surface. I don't recommend it to my clients.
It's a heavily divisive topic, using steel wool. I'd say, do it, but not often, or have a pro do it
Also, if you have stainless steel frets, you will destroy them. the steel wool will leave behind bits of metal which will cause the frets to rust, and there's no fixing it... this goes for anything stainless steel.
Great job, guys. Appreciated your take on the setup of guitars, longtime player of cheap guitars!! I love them!!
Great Video - very informative. Can't wait to try these adjustments out. Thanks very much!
I mean... they could have at least talked about replacing pickups and machine heads...
There's nothing wrong using 10s on a 25,5" scale, it's a matter of taste
i use 13s haha
I like 9s on the plain side, but prefer 10s on the wound side. It takes some of the flab out of the bass strings, particularly the low E, and especially when using Drop D. Fortunately, a lot of other people like this combination as well, which is why Ernie Ball has the Hybrid Slinky set and Elixir has Custom Light, and other manufacturers offer similar options. My kit-built Strat copy is much happier with 10s, but my left hand isn't, so we compromise. :)
Scott Sakurai I go a step further than this for my RG lol! I use the wound strings from a 10-52 set and the light strings from a set of 9s. Looks pretty wierd but it makes for a great rhythm and lead guitar!
magic biker boy, true that. I'm a bigtime string bender and found that the D'addario 9.5's get a slinkier feel on my Gibsons and less slinky on my Fenders.
+Jake McB
I may well try a .009" high E with an otherwise stock set of 10s. I just want to keep the _difference_ in bending between the B and E as small as I can. At .009/.011, the effort that gets me a full bend on the B string only gets me a slightly sharp half bend on the E string. If I claw the B string the way I have to claw the E string, I end up in 1.5 and double bend territory. I'd just like them to behave in a more similar manner, partly so it's one less thing to worry about and partly so when I bend them both at the same time, they don't diverge wildly. The standard B in a set of 10s is .013", so it's a fairly considerable difference. The other option would be to try .008" on the E string, but I break them enough as it is.
Great video guys! I sold all my expensive guitars due to critical illness but recently I found a $80 Fender Squire chocolate burst Strat and spent time adjusting and setup, now it’s my favorite go to axe. Soon after I got a Epiphone Les Paul II for $75 and was in great shape but someone raised the bridge too high and the neck was bowed forward. After tweaking it to perfection and 9 gauge set of strings it is a sweet piece and sounds great! Both guitars were cosmetically mint so no issues there. To make things better I found a Line 6 15 watt amp on Facebook marketplace for $50 and I get some great tones on all my guitars. Thanks for this post as it should help guys out to shop economy guitars and get great sounds.
I’m a new sub so I’ll keep watching for your notifications. You guys are awesome!
Great video guys! Thanks for pointing out why a guitar that costs more is way less hassle! That gold Strat looks so sweet! Cheers!
First time I've seen a video from you guys and I've got to say very well explained and demoed.. I've found others over complicate things.. This video is great..
Cover your pickups when using steel wool otherwise you can short your windings
Just got my hands on a Maestro by Gibson LPJ
battered, abused and neglected.
swapping out the bridge for an adjustable wraparound, swapping out the nut for a bone nut, Wilkinson locking tuners and a shit ton of fretwire work .....and that's now one nice guitar. Love playing it as much as my SG ... maybe even a little bit more.
I got some value on the truss adjustment thing. Best changes are clean, truss adjustment, saddle bridge adjustment, fret flattening and crowning, a replacement bone nut [properly installed], pickups...in that order.
Note it says play like a $1000 guitar, not sound like one, you will need to upgrade the pickups for that.
Davman - And all of the electronics
And the neck
or just dump a bunch of effects on it
That's the funny part...some noobs will spend all this money on a guitar/amp setup...then get carried away with rack gear...and in the end, a cheapo guitar, and tube power amp and some nice speakers in a 2x12 cab would actually sound exactly the same. For 1/10 of the cost.
You guys are a wealth of good knowledge, thank you for this video.
11:42 This helped me alot, My guitar came shipped with the pickups flush so i played around with them and got really nice tone out of it! Thank you!