Rhett, I am absolutely blown away dude. I don’t even know where to begin. You and Tilly becoming family so quickly is something I will cherish forever and this guitar and video will constantly remind me of these past few months and the beautiful moments we’ve shared from eating delicious ribeye with our hands in my kitchen to producing a live recording of 7 artists in 24 hours in my bike shop. Thank you just doesn’t seem to cut it. I’ve been so busy I didn’t get to watch the whole video until tonight and I literally had no idea you were sending me the Jazzmaster until it was at my home and in my hands. Love you and Tilly forever. Can’t wait to play this guitar with you soon. ❤ Now I got me a Jazzmaster!!! Thank you my friend. I’m speechless and that doesn’t happen ever.
This video went from being a techy gear head video to sentimental pretty quick. I kinda sniffled a lil bit when Rhett went into the story of why he was doing this. Such a cool thing to do.
Well that is because you lack the nerdy insecurities of most guitarists. Guitar buyers often buy to make up for something they see as lacking in their own self. Guitar seller's take full advantage of this and often without realizing it because it pays for their lunch and that clouds their ability to be honest, even to themselves. Welcome to one of the most over hyped consumer products ever invented, sold mostly to folks who couldn't strum Happy Birthday even if I told em it was a I, V, I IV progression.
That's because hes playing through a great amp. Also squiers dont sound bad, they just dont sound great either. More expensive guitars/ pups have that oompf that you can't quite express in words
@@maxvanderhoning8375 I find that a good amp ( I do not know great amps but most valve amps and many solid state amps sound pretty good with decent guitars and the speakers make the biggest difference to me. Yes PUPs can sound muddy, but I find the speakers and setting contribute a lot to the muddy sound or loss of definition. Yes I have various teles from MIM MiJ to US special and The neck had the most lame. also the MIJ switches failed on me and costs the most to repair. The MIA texas specials were really lame sounding. I ordered a Classic Vibes and I will see what the deal is. I will have saved enough euros to buy new pups if I need. PUP is most important to me. I am not guitar tech or claim to be an expert. but I have played since 1971. I am also considering Harley Benton, because of price and ease of attaining them in Europe. The most popular players did not play the most expensive guitars Ask Marc Farner or Brian May or Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix.
I wouldn't say you're off to a bad start, squiers aren't bad guitars. It's mostly hardware that feels cheaper on them particularly the trems as Rhett said. The pickups did sound a bit more sterile to me but you could definitely EQ it out.
If I had to choose between a thousand hours of practice or a $5000 guitar, I'll take the practice. A good player will sound good on a decent guitar, a bad player will still sound bad on the best guitar on the planet.
@@Charlesbabbage2209i'd take the 5000 guitar in a heartbeat. The fun of playing guitar is getting better. I'd rather put in the 1000 hours myself and work for it, than to have those skills handed down to me
Just wanted to note for anyone who feels that the custom shop model sounds a little “warmer” than the upgraded squier… the custom shop has been using 250k pots in their jazzmasters as of late. It’s not true to the original design, but many people prefer the sound. So it’s another switch worth considering if you find your jazzmaster a touch too bright. All that said, great video on some truly transformative and affordable upgrades Rhett! Keep it up!
"the custom shop has been using 250k pots in their jazzmasters as of late. " Blasphemers... The key to the offsets and their 1 meg pots is that they should live on 8 - which is real close to a 500k pot. Lets you dial it up to full blast if you want or a couple more down and you're basically at 250. The biggest knock on the linear 1 meg pots is that they aren't great if you want to use the volume knob to clean up an amp but they still work fine with a pedal that cleans up like a Fuzz Face.
I have the same Squier in the video and put 250k pots in the main circuit and 1meg pots in the rhythm circuit. 95% of the time I’m on the 250k pots but if I need some thin sparkly stuff I have the option to switch. The 250k pots were a real game changer for this guitar, and a cheap change.
Interesting. I thought the Squier sounded too bright and harsh both before and after the upgrade, so that's probably why. Could have saved quite a bit of money by just changing the pots first and seeing if that tamed the harshness. If so, no need for new pickups.
@@gazzie12000 My Affinity had 500k pots, after stratifying the electronics I decided I really liked the stock pickups so they got new black covers and stayed in place, sounds great now with the 250k's.
I think that this stuff is more about specificity than good v bad, tonewise. Any fully-functioning guitar can be part of many musically-useful signal chains, but a given player’s style and workflow might dictate that a certain output (whether it be from pickups or surrounding electronics) gets closer to their dream tone with less effort. The biggest tone difference comes from a happier player who is having their desired physical and psychoacoustic experience.
The sound difference didn't seem drastic, but he looked much more relaxed on the Custom Shop, appeared to be digging in harder to coax the sound out of the Classic Vibe. Possibly a responsiveness that's more felt than heard.
I was exacting my lunch and looked up a few times and hadn’t realised he’d changed guitars… both sounded pretty good to me at home on my iPad speakers 🤷♂️
“Custom Shopping” a guitar is almost all about psychology and how the guitar makes the player feel rather than it having to do with any drastic sonic improvement. Giving it a proper set up (with any needed fret work and fretboard rolling included) will make the largest noticeable difference pertaining to playability and comfort which is a HUGE factor as well. Long-winded way of saying that gaining a better tone is one of the least observable effects of upgrading a guitar.
Having built a few guitars with my Dad I'd take doing a custom job all day. You can make it EXACTLY what you want it to be. The bigger thing to me though is because you are doing all that stuff yourself, it really makes the guitar feel like it's yours. The ones we've built will never EVER be sold. The personal connection we have to them is something you just can't replicate and I love it.
Hey Rhett, I am a guitar technician in Los Angeles Ca, this video solidifies what can be done to “most” less expensive guitars. I say most cause some cheaper guitars are cannot be deemed playable due to a severely warped neck, frets although frets can be serviced and be very good. All in all, with a little $$ even cheap guitars can be made to play and play very well.every once in a while one slips through and only needs pick ups and there are so many aftermarket pickup brands that you can purchase pickups south of $100.00 and you be hard pressed to hear the difference. Thanks Rhett. Tim Russell Guitar.
Yeah what’s crazy is sometimes all a cheap guitar needs is a good setup. I think for me that has to be one of the most important parts regardless of the price of the instrument
When I was touring, I used to do this to my Squiers. Obviously, money was always tight. So, finding quality guitars at affordable prices was impossible. You used to be able to find pawn shop deals and hotrod them to make useable stage instruments. I haven't been in a pawn shop in decades. So, I don't know if that is still true. My last "build" was a Squier standard Tele. I put in Custom Shop Texas Specials and added a middle Strat pup. I didn't have a router but careful use of a wood chisel worked just as well. I also replaced all of the wiring, pots, caps and replaced the 3 way switch with a 5 way. I could have installed a push/pull tone pot to get a ton of pickup selections but I chose to wire the 5 way with my own preferences of pickup combinations. Most of my pawn shop builds found homes with young and promising pickers that couldn't afford a decent guitar. My last Squier Tele build, I kept. I still drag it out occasionally. It still plays and sounds great. 😊😊😊
I used to cruise pawnshops for good candidates for customizing even 5 years ago. Got a few this way. But now pawnshops in my area have jacked the prices up considerably since the plandemic. Used guitars, even cheap ones, seem to have gone up in value bcuz of the higher cost of new guitars.
@scramblesthedeathdealer yea I did the same for my Yamaha RGZ 321. Wanted a Floyd Rose ended up buying the guitar for $189 and dumped $300 more into new SD pickups. So worth the upgrade
I do these too, I call them my Primo Cheapos and they definitely are a blast to play. Sadly used Squier prices shot up during the Pandemic so I moved in to newer Import guitars that pretty much straddle the Affinity and Standard lines for Squier. When I mod my Primo Cheapos they tend to add weight as all the new pots, switches, pickups and parts weigh more than the Chinese pot metal parts. Gives them more of a familiar Fender style heft when playing.
What I love about Squire specifically, is you don't even have to go through all the trouble with the fretboard/frets if you don't want to, you can just buy a new Fender neck which typically fits right in. You get the Fender branding, and (hopefully) a well set up neck/frets/nut.
To me the Squier sounded more neutral and more like every other Jazzmaster I've ever picked up. I guess if you're paying extra bucks for a custom shop guitar you want to be able to hear a difference, but that to me sounds designed to give your dentist something to brag about while you're trapped in his chair. If I buy a Jazzmaster I want it to sound like a Jazzmaster. If wanted a fatter sound I guess I could see dropping some Novaks or Lollars in it, but I think I would have to either hate the way every other guitar felt or only have room in my life for one guitar. What do I know, plenty of people have done it and they're probably better guitarists than me, better with their money, or both.
100% what I do. Have a standard tele, an old Epiphone 335, and a player Strat that have all been “custom shopped”, and I always get tone compliments every show. Also, Ben is the 🐐
18:29 I did this trick with my 1998 Epiphone Les Paul. Every few years, I break out the 0000 steel wool and make about 4 passes over the back of the neck to make it less sticky! 😊
I did this to Harley Benton TE-62 Telecaster. Replaced pickups with custom wound ones, replaced electronics, had a proper setup from a good luthier and some smaller neck adjustments. It sounds amazing and it is not as heavy weighted as everybody is saying. The biggest difference of course was in pickups, but the rest also does it's a part more or less. If you don't have a budget for expensive Fenders, Gibsons etc., try this. It definitely can work, you just need to find a cheaper guitar that "rings". In other words, that is made from decent piece of wood. If that is the case, these mods can take the instrument to a really good place. :)
Les Paul player detected at 22:26 :P The comparison in the end... I can keep listening to it for all day long, awesome!!! To me, low end is something I believe cannot be achieved in a cheaper guitar no matter which component is upgraded. This is what I noticed not only on this video, but on other similar ones. Cheers
Great job and killer gift for the Bike guy! I enjoyed watching you and Josh in the video of the gravel race and gig. The bike guy will definitely love this guitar.
I have one of these Squiers and after polishing the frets, adjust a few fret ends, filing down the Tremolo base plate for a smoother working trem, put a shim in the neck pocket for a better break angle, filing the nut for 011 strings, lowering the pickups, and removing some laquer from the back of the neck this guitar plays like a dream. Cost.. €15 (steelwool, sandpaper and the 0,5 degree shim). It's totally not necessary to do this upgrades. Now it plays on par with my USA Jazzmaster. The only thing that I would do to make it road worthy is changing the pots but the originals are still doing fine. Totally not necessary to upgrade all the parts
I did the exact same upgrade. Put in Antiquity IIs in a lefty antique white CV Jazzmaster. Got a Staytrem bar. Kept stock saddles and trim they work fine (lefty trim as an aftermarket part from Fender not available). Got frets leveled. Plays a dream. BIG THING NOT MENTIONED. Noticed the demos in video the CV sound was had more top end than CS. This is because the replacement wiring harness has 1 meg pots. That's the classic Jazzmaster sound but many players today are backing away from that much top end in a Jazzmaster, in the old days you'd reach for the tone control on the guitar to tame it. Today many Jazzmaster players either put in 500k (or as someone here said even 250K they believe to be standard in CS Jazzmasters today) OR buy Antiquity I pickups that have Alnico II magnets instead of the Alnico V in the Antiquity II. Rhett didn't say which Antiquities he put in his redo, that makes a world of difference. My advice is 500K pots with Alnico V Antiquity IIs it's the goldilocks zone of emphasized top you want in a Jazzmaster, plenty of nice bite and chime but you're not instantly and forever using the tone pot to tame it. If you want a mellower sound go with the Antiquity Is with Alnico II it's the sound of a late 50's Jazzmaster that is more mellow. Alnico II with 1 meg pots will sound in the zip code of the CS guitar in the demo. For jazz as designed :). But I suspect Fender may have moved to Alnico Vs in the 60's when they couldn't sell enough guitars to jazz players but the surf guys were buying them like hotcakes for "that sound." The key balance and interaction here is magnet type vs. pot spec. These two factors have the highest impact on the warm/bright characteristic of your guitar. Not going into body wood or fretboard here, but definitely pots and magnets are the key. For a brighter guitar use 1 meg pots or Alnico Vs. 1 meg + Alnico V will tear your head off but maybe that's what you're after. 250k + Alnico II will be the most warm mellow sound but IMHO doesn't sound like a Jazzmaster it sounds almost like a Tele to me. 500k + Alnico Vs to my ears is that "ah, that's better" moment where you stop managing the top end. And for the Squire CV Jazzmasters with poplar bodies which some say are snappier than Fender alder Jazzmasters this helps moderate that factor as well.
I bought a Squier Stratocasters vintage 70s and it is the best feeling strat I ever owned. I did replace the pickups to the Cradle Rocks and the tuners to what is on Robin Trower strat. It is now a beast.
My main guitar for years was a highly modded Squier ‘51 I bought at a pawnshop for $80. I put new pickups in it, Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge and a single coil size Seymour Duncan ‘59 in the neck, string through mod, locking tuners, fretwork, fender string through bridge with 60s style saddles, custom paint job, and professional setup. It’s my favorite guitar with a lot of memories. I wish I could upload a photo in the comments…it’s beautiful…at least to me lol.
Big house guitars is awful. I tried to buy a guitar from them and the dude just trash talked saying I couldn’t afford it, never ever. Don’t mess with them!
I just did this to my Jay Mascus Jazz But I also replaced the neck, put in Fralin hum canceling Jazz PU's, and soldered in all new electronics,put a bridge from an American professional Jag on it and a new tremolo Guitars spectacular now. Nice Video Rhett.
This is by far one of your best videos Rhett. Bravo!!! really great integration of guitar parts, other professionals and informative subject matter. Cheers!
I feel like it's the most overlooked things of any jazz/jag/stang modding adventure, but a shim is basically essential for these. You mentioned the saddles can pop out due to the shallow break angle, and shimming the neck along with raising the bridge will fix that issue. You picked the graphtech saddles which are great, but only if you use bushing inserts on the posts to immobilize it, otherwise it can't rock back and forth as the vibrato/bridge were designed. Still a fantastic feature, I think for all you've done, the Squier is clearly a fantastic choice for testing different parts and pickups. For someone who wants the most traditional option, a used Vintera I is not far off the price of the CV modified. Being an owner of a few custom shop pieces, I'm well aware of how fantastic the work is and so I may personally lean towards a vintage correct CS option.
I was in the market for a Jazzmaster and after watching your earlier video, I went with the Squier (from Sweetwater). It looks and sounds great. Such a great value. I do need to knock the edges of the frets back a bit, and I love the steel wool-to-the-neck idea. I like the pickups through my set up, and I have no intention of "upgrading" them or the wiring. Maybe the bridge will get swapped out for a Mustang bridge if I have trouble with it, but so far, so good. And since I rarely even think about using the tremelo, that's going to stay Squier stock. But I've been pleasantly surprised at the quality of the "budget" instruments on the market these days. My Jazzmaster is light years better than the Squiers of my youth. Thanks Rhett. I've watched you sporadically for a while, but I'm now hitting subscribe!
Hi Rhett. Don't know if you're aware, but EMG has a new set for Jazzmasters called the JMaster set. They are amazing and have a couple of tricks in the upper control panel. Rather than Vol/Tone for the neck PU, as in stock Jazzmasters, there is an EXG, that gives you a fuller, clean tone, and a SPC, which EMG originally intended to make single coils sound like Humbuckers. Although it doesn't exactly do that, it does give VERY useful tones. I use them in all my Turbocaster J-style guitars, including my own working guitars, and LOVE them! They also have the whole setup in a loaded pickguard as well. BTW, I also love those GraphTech saddles, in Mustang bridges. And another thing is I ALWAYS use Hipshot Locking tuners in ALL my guitars, but for sale and personal, and even acoustics and my archtops!
Nice tip I learned from a luthier: use red scotchbrite pad instead of steel wool to knock down the finish. Same result and less to clean up without the little bits of steel wool everywhere.
Same, but I’ve been using the green pad instead of red. Takes a little bit longer but it slows me down enough that I don’t overdo it. Steel wool and pickups can be a disastrous combination!
I'm a sucker for an upgraded guitar, so the Squire would be my choice. Word of advice for those thinking of using the 0000 wire wool treatment at home - tape up your pickups, those wire wool fragments get everywhere and getting them completely off of your pickups is a long, nigh on impossible task
One of the great joys of my life now is what I've learned by slowly upgrading my Standard Tele that I got as a gift in 2011. What I haven't changed or fixed up is a very small list. I've really loved learning how to solder and sand and file and whatever else.
Rhett, get a MIJ Fender Strat 62 reissue from the 1980’s or 1990’s, change frets, pickups and electronics, give it a setup and you’re off to a huge surprise.
I “upgraded” my Squier Contemporary Jaguar HH with Graphtech tuner/nut, Babicz bridge, Fishman Fluence Classics and I absolutely love it. The neck is glorious and it’s a guitar I can’t currently buy from Fender with a roasted maple neck and sculpted heel. Plays amazing, sounds amazing and looks unreal!!
Great video. there is also a case to be made for doing the wiring loom before the pickups; the improved pots jack etc will show what your stock pickups are really like, they may be ok enough to live with while you take time to choose. If you aren't brave enough to go for wire wool(or you are heavy handed ) start with plain paper, it's a very mild abrasive
About a month ago I had 30th St Guitars in Manhattan install Elvis Costello’s custom spec Lindy Fralin Noiseless Pickups on my CIJ Jazzmaster along with the Black Bobbin wiring harness swapped for 500k pots and I couldn’t be happier. The guitar is a machine now. I had the antiquities for a while but they just weren’t doing what I wanted.
A few months ago I bought a Squier Affinity Jazzmaster that had sat in my local store for over a year..I loved the burgundy mist finish and I knew I could do a little mod to improve the guitar. I swapped out the pick ups for Vintage Fender 65’s and swapped out the white pick guard for a tortoise shell..Didn’t upgrade the electronics..But I might look to do that later down the track. Also just treated the neck with Monty’s Instrument food which has made a vast difference! Had a good set up and I’ve had nothing but complements on the videos I’ve posted using it! Best thing I ever did for this guitar! 🤓🤘🏻
I got a Squier J mascis Put on a Mastery bridge Series switch instead of rhythm circuit Lots of fret work It’s one of the best playing guitars I own It plays and sounds great
Squier CV 60 are great guitars for an update. On mine, I changed strings, tremolo system for a fender one, and pickups for Fender pure vintage 65. And now i own a killer guitar, whit a real sixties sound !!!
To fix the shallow string angle, you just have to shim the neck. A shallow angle will always remain whether you change the saddles or not. New saddles will decrease the chance of strings popping out, but changing the angle of the neck will fully fix the issue.
Great video. I've modded a few guitars, and in my opinion the nut is the main secret sauce of a good guitar. It is the hardest to get right and to have the skill to correct it. Everything else you can work around. But if the nut is not right, if the neck is not right... do not spend the money to buy and much less upgrade it. I've learned some cool tricks with this video, so thanks a lot.
Hahaha I just did the same: compared my Epiphone '59 Les Paul reissue with eight mods including upgraded electronics and Faber bridge and tailpiece with the Gibson '59 LP reissue head-to-head. Numbers are also very similar: I have ~ $1050 into the Epiphone whereas the Gibson was tagged at $4750 used. Came out grinning like the Cheshire Cat. They look and sound identical, the only difference is a VERY slight difference in neck feel. This video offered me some suggestions on how to improve that, too. In addition to improving the tone, I buffed out the entire top with Maguire's automotive scratch remover and rubbed walnut stain into the Indian Laurel fretboard to make it look like rosewood, which worked well. I do NOT pine for a Gibson :o)
Thinking about the overall quality of the Fender products that have been outsourced overseas, the quality has gotten a lot better ... over the years. I got a used 50th Anniversary Squire P-Bass (China Made) and it was VERY good. Great neck profile and feel. I knew that I could do better with some higher quality pickups ... and yes it was. I installed a hip-shot style bridge and that was an improvement. For what I have invested in that bass, I am very satisfied. I've played many new Squire Tele's and Strat's that were almost unplayable out of the box. To get those guitars into "playable "shape would have been a big project. Thanks for another great vid.
I know nothing about how Jazzmasters are "supposed" to sound, but being a Tele fan, I think I enjoyed the brighter sound of the Squier to the warmer sound of the custom shop. As others have mentioned.. that may have just been a difference in the pot values. Very interesting, thanks!
I knew something was off on the tremolo. Now I know why. It's as you said, I wasn't able to get good tapering, or modulation with the stock tremolo. I couldn't match the more aggressive tremolo bends in songs I was applying it to. Thanks for this. It really is a bang for your buck guitar.
I did a very similar thing to my Squiers. I got anodized aluminum pickguards, complete with hardtail plates, Joe Barden pickups, CTS pots, Switchcraft jack, the whole works. In total, I probably spent the equivalent of a Mexican Fender, but I now have a "Custom Shop" Jaguar and Jazzmaster, to my specs. Those are now my tour guitars. That said, specifically, Classic Vibe and Vintage Modified are PERFECT right out of the box. But, if you do decide to modify it, at least you are not destroying a $2000 USA Fender.
I customized a 72' Squire Thinline and it is now one of my favorite guitars, (but I added a sick custom Warmoth neck too) and I have a Relic'ed 62' Custom Shop Strat. Nothing wrong with doing this and we all love a good project if it can become a cool toy later. Thanks again Rhett, another great vid.
I did not expect to see Bobby Wintle in this video. I've known him since around 2010. He lived in my hometown and I bought a mountain bike from him when he worked at a local bike shop.
I did something similar to my Epiphone Les Pauls. My 1993 Korean Cherry Burst is a champ now. The Seymour Duncan Saturday Night Specials in it sound phenomenal through my Vox VTX 100. Gear doesn't have to be very expensive to sound great. A lot of the budget gear we have today is as good or better than a lot of the classic gear was in its day. Most problems with these budget guitars could be solved with a real set up and some fret & neck work. The rest is for those who are passionate enough to do it.
Excellent vid, Rhett. I did a few similar modifications to my J. Mascis Squire Jazzmaster although I decided to keep the stock pickups because they actually sound pretty great. Swapped-out parts: Staytrem Bridge, TUSQ nut, Fender OEM Tremolo, 00 steel wool to the back of the neck, and added copper shielding tape in the control cavities for better noise rejection. Now, it's one of my favourite guitars and when you see my collection, that's saying something. Next, I'm going to try rolling the edges along with a few passes of 320 grit sandpaper and see how it feels. (Excellent tips, BTW). Cheers!
Im not a tech either Rhett but i do the same basic things to my guitars. Electronics and pots get replaced, fret board rolled the same way (its an old carpenter trick i learned buildings houses and cabinets). A new Graphtech nut, completely intonated and adjusted, and frets dressed. Saved me lots of money, and now i do it on my friends guitars too.
I'm actually in the process of doing a similar upgrade with my own classic vibe jazzmaster. So far I've done a bunch of setup, replacing the trem for the Fender AVRI trem, and I've sanded the back of the neck to remove the gloss. Planning on throwing some gotoh tuners in, replacing the bridge with a staytrem, and replacing the pickups with a set from Sunday Handwound
Same! This is hilarious for me to see. A couple years ago I took a metallic purple Squier Classic Vibe JM and did the exact same. Duncan Antiquity pickups (I went for Antiquity II as I desired the abrasive highs for this surf machine), and added a 920D custom harness. I also replaced the trem but I went with the Femder AVRI instead of the panorama. Turned out to be a great guitar. Enjoy!
Such a great mod. You are a great friend Rhett, giving him a one of a kind top notch, better than new Squier. The tones were so so good from each of those JMs.
My favorite guitar is a Squier 70's Classic Vibe ($399) with a 920D loaded pickguard with the Seymour-Duncan Hot-Rodded Humbucker HH 4-wire pickup set ($259). The guitar is light, the neck is great, and it sounds great. The guitar had an HSS setup originally, so I just had to router out the neck pickup cavity. I did everything myself. I had looked and tried the Mexican Strats, but most of them had neck profiles that I didn't like, and were heavier.
Great video!! I learned a LOT from this one!! I really appreciate the time you take to show how someone can make a "Budget" instrument feel and play like something that was custom built.
To answer the question at the end of the video, I 100% go with the modded guitar, ten times out of ten. There is no guitar on Earth worth $6k to me unless it has some historic value - it was Hendrix's, or Clapton played it or something that adds collector value. It's why my absolute max is $2k, and I try to stay around $1,200 or so US. Not bashing people who like to spend on those pricier guitars - to each their own. But for me to pay a high sticker price, it's gotta do something different or be somehow really unique - Aristides comes to mind immediately. But this video is a great exemplification of how much you can do to a less expensive guitar to make it really hit hard and, in a lot of cases, compete with guitars that are waaaaay more expensive. Not sure a Squier (which I have one currently, and I love it) is ever gonna feel like a Murphy Labs or an Ibanez Prestige, but you can make an affordable guitar into a great instrument that'll do everything you need and keep you happy. In fact, I just recently snagged a used MIM Tele, put a Gotoh classic bridge, Fender USA tuners, a compensated nut, and an EMG Tele set into, and I have to be honest - I grab it just as often as my US Fender. There's just something about it. Anyway, awesome video. New to the channel, and I plan on sticking around. Cheers.
Great video. The tip about using 0000 steel wool on the back of the neck was really helpful. I was going to chime in and say - why not get an MIM Jazzmaster, swap the pickups, and then do the setup. Then I checked the prices of new MIM Jazzmasters and realized the guitar alone is more than the Squier plus all the enhancements.
I have both the Classic Vibe and the J Mascis Squier JM. With some upgrade (pickups, tremolo, bridge, neck shim) and the right setup these instruments are great touring and recording guitars, so they worth more than a 5K custom shop (for me at least). Great video Rhett, thanks.
I did something similar, but bargain bucket. I 'Squired' my Harley Benton. It's my backup Tele for my main Tele, a Fenders 50s modified Vintera. I swopped out the pickups for the Tonerider Vintage Plus (similar to the Squier but more vintage/lower output), upgraded the electronics & knobs, bone nut, Grover locking tuners, brass tuning compensated saddles, removed the HB decals, and a good setup. It's better than the Squiers I have now, but I do still prefer the Vintera pickups, neck and overall look and feel. But, for $400 in total ($150 for the original guitar), it plays more like double that now. Originally, I had bought a Squier, but had to return it - neck was great, but it had other issues with the finish.
Definitely in love with that custom shop… I followed your links and looked up the specs. It appears that that custom shop guitar modded the pots to 250k ones, which give it a darker tone. So that’s the difference we’re hearing between the CS and the upgraded Squier. I’m sure if you put in similar pots they would sound almost identical. As is, the Squier comes across brighter.
I changed the electronics in a Squier Tele for an Obsidian Wire solderless kit with a treble bleed built in. It made a tremendous improvement in sound.
I customed my cheap gretsch ( the less paul version) everything other than the guitar body. ( neck stayed the same, but had fretwork and adjustments... My favorite guitar..my number 1
Great vid, got here from the Jazzmaster shootout. My only quibble is that you only play the same "jam" and thus the tone comparison is a bit one dimensional. The guitars sound different but to say one sounds better or worse just depends on the song. I am a total Fender guy, mainly strats, and have a bunch of squires in my collection, you really just need to try them until you find one with good natural tone/resonance and upgrade the electronics. My tendency has been to build a guitar that fits the band I am playing in so rather than choosing pick ups that sound "authentic" I look for tones that blend well with what is going on around me. I have everything from stock vintage single coil to massive humbuckers and everything in between. Make that board sound good and fit your style and the band you play with, that is what music is all about!!
Antiquity pickups are so underrated. People overlook them because they’re not the most unique, but if you just want really great pure Jazzmaster tone you can’t beat the Antiquities.
Good call on the thread pitch, but it is also good to turn the screw counter-clockwise until it drops into the thread that is already in the wood before screwing it in.
Perfect timing, I *just* bought a CME FSR Player Jazzmaster like last week with the intent of doing some upgrades! Definitely gonna be taking notes from this vid
I did this exact process to my Squier FSR Silver Sparkle Jaguar. I installed an AVRI Vibrato and put in some EPCustom Jaguar pickups. This guitar can totally hang with my AVRI Jaguar and I actually like the EP Custom pickups better.
Great work, I've been working on a Squier Jazzmaster some years ago for a similar project and tried the Antiquity pickups but wasn't satisfied. Still to bright and harsh in my opinion. I found the definitive answer in the Mojo UK pickups 58-64 (I bought from them the complete preassembled harness kit too, very good quality). Super amazing. Those pickups transformed the cheap Squier in one of my main guitars that I still play with my band every week.
I have a Squier Classic Vibe Strat with upgraded bridge that sounds good and with a good setup is a lot of fun to play. It's the best $300 I've spent. My more expensive Strats have better wood, hardware and electronics but sound and play only marginally better. I love having a good playing and sounding guitar that I dont have to worry about getting damaged or stolen.
Guitars sound sick, and your playing is so good! Difficult to get that Custom Shop feel, however, sonically its pretty close after upgrading the pickups.
I agree with Rhett on this build, everything here will get you 90% of there way there to a great playing Jazzmaster. Notice how I said 90% though. I have done the same exact things to my CV Jazzmaster and the one thing that still bothers me is how cheap the guitar will always be. These mods will make the Squier significantly more playable but beware if you prefer how your guitar feels. My main issue is the poplar body on my guitar is light and not very resonant, leaving the guitar to sound dull, sad, and cheap and feel dull, sad, and cheap when playing. The light body doesn't translate to the amplifier however you are constantly reminded of how cheap and little heft the guitar provides when playing chords/sustains. Couple that with the Squier neck which will never feel as awesome as a Fender neck or custom neck. Sure you can play it in but I'm just saying as a guitar that you should modify greatly to improve, you should have that in mind. After all of my modifications and barring some that I can still do, I paid around $450 new for this guitar and dropped approximately $275. $725 for a Squier! There are some modifications that I may do in the future but considering the money I spent I probably will not and have some regret not paying a little more for a Fender Jazzmaster. Those mods include: wiring/electronics, tremolo system, professional set-up, fret work, and nut-filing. If I did those the price of my Squier is looking to be around $1000. $1000 for a fully customized Squier to compete with Fenders! While maintaining that cheap wood/general craftsmanship from the factory. This isn't even including a Mastery/Staytrem system which would increase the overall price to $1200-1350.
Very cool demoof how to get the best out of what've got. The issue I run into is here you've spent $1,189 on your guitar, which doesn't include: the setup, fret work, and possibly the electric work if you don't know how to solder. That can turn into a total price closer to $1500 depending on the luthier. Yet you still have a squire body made of Poplar, with an Indian Laurel fret board. Ignoring those added costs and staying at $1,189, for $60 more you can buy a new Fender Vintera II 50s Jazzmaster with a Alder body and slab Rosewood board. That comes standard with the Fender tremolo bridge & after investing the same undisclosed amount of money on a proper setup is going to be much more inspiring guitar to play and show off, because as superficial as it is... it says fender on the headstock. What's even crazier is if you add the potential money spent on the guitar tech and inch up near that $1,500 mark, you're in second hand American Jazzmaster territory. I literally just checked, there's a white American Performer Jazzmaster for $890 on Reverb that includes a hardshell case (a little over $100 more than the parts here). Lastly thing is resale value - no one is going to pay anything close to $1,000 for a Squire no matter what's "under the hood." That $890 American Performer I referenced, you'll pretty much never lose money on a purchase like that, if you decide to sell it. These videos are fun to see whats possible and they did a really fantastic job! The reality of evolving as a musician however is, DO NOT DO THIS! Unless you're sponsored by Sweetwater and it's all just to see what's possible, in that case please do it; it's awesome content! Though as your musicianship progresses over time, the day will come where you'll want your gear to reflect your skill level and the countless hours that got you to where you are. Keeping in mind a top tier instrument is not going to make you a top tier guitarist, but a well made, great feeling, great sounding guitar will inspire you to play it more. So make of that what you will. TLDR: If you can hold off on a purchase to save up a little more money to afford the higher end instrument do it. With simple upkeep & maintenance it'll last forever, whether your playing arenas or jamming alone you'll have the right tool.
I don’t know if its just me but Rhett looks a little more inspired jamming to the squier than the Fender CS. Hitting it harder too😂 I don’t know, to me the SCV sounds very good and feels very good right off the factory since I currently own a SCV Strat 70’s. I haven’t done anything to it maybe just lower a tad bit the string action. I do understand Rhett though and that’s because I think we suffer from the same syndrome… 😂 nothing feels better than a used guitar that has well over 20 years of beeing well played and broken in. Great video Rhett and keep em coming. Rock on🎸
I love doing this type of upgrade work to inexpensive guitars. My favorite budget-conscious approach is to buy an SX guitar for under $200 brand new and upgrade the pickups and harness with gear from GFS. It’s possible to end up with a REALLY good instrument for around $300.
Ben is my hero! I wanna make him a living space in my home, feed him dinner, give him whatever he wants and ask him to tech all my guitars. LOL. Perfect vid for what I needed today. Thanks Rhett. 🎶🎶🌅🎶🎶
Hey Rhett, Great video. I did this to my Squier Classic Vibe JM. I was nervous to do it myself, so I sent it to Shelby at Black Bobbin. Dude does amazing things and couldn't be a nicer human being. He has a special set of pickups from Lollar with Alnico 2 magnets. Have you tried those yet? To my ears they got rid of that "harshness" you were talking about. I'd recommend giving them a whirl. I feel like I have a JM that punches well above it's weight now. Thanks for the content.
I bought a new Squier Jazzmaster (but in dented or chipped condition on the body so it was cheaper) about a year ago because I liked the wide neck and thought it had P90 pickups and i liked the sound of them. Turns out, they look like P90s but are Jazzmaster specific pickups. I still like them. Thanks for the video---will have to play this guitar some more and determine what upgrades I can afford and will be valid in my situation! It definitely is a different guitar to play compared to Strat and hollow body guitar model styles I also play.
as a totally amateur guitar builder, pickup winder, gear geek modder, and player... let me say that almost all modding videos are helpful. even if you do not like the mod in question. ya still get to learn... one thing i have learned, ditch the sandpaper AND the steel wool, scotchbrite is your friend. really... thanks for another video Rhett !
I agree to a point. When he installed the new bridge with the shorter screws, he showed the audience how to make a mistake. There is a risk of damaging the guitar itself now (long term) with the shorter screws. The new bridge came with screws that suit the tolerances it was designed for.
Although the stock Squier sounds pretty good, they are a wee bit harsh and bright. I agree with you there. I take pictures of the current saddles, then adjust the new ones to match. That gives me a starting point on the new setup.
Thanks for this - got my daughter a Squier & she plays out so we started upgrading by replacing the tuners and nut, but the bridge is an issue as well. Going to try these further recommendations.
Instead of taking individual components off the Pickguards, I think a better idea is remove the entire Pickguards as a unit. Then replace it with a Pickguard "loaded" with all the new components. If you put a "Quick Connect" at the Jack location, you can swap out the entire thing in under 10 minutes, and have it ready to put swap back in if you change your mind or want something different. This will allow to objectively hear which you prefer, compare them, and have a whole new tonal palette in just a few minutes without any soldering.
Rhett, I am absolutely blown away dude. I don’t even know where to begin. You and Tilly becoming family so quickly is something I will cherish forever and this guitar and video will constantly remind me of these past few months and the beautiful moments we’ve shared from eating delicious ribeye with our hands in my kitchen to producing a live recording of 7 artists in 24 hours in my bike shop. Thank you just doesn’t seem to cut it. I’ve been so busy I didn’t get to watch the whole video until tonight and I literally had no idea you were sending me the Jazzmaster until it was at my home and in my hands. Love you and Tilly forever. Can’t wait to play this guitar with you soon. ❤ Now I got me a Jazzmaster!!! Thank you my friend. I’m speechless and that doesn’t happen ever.
Enjoy that thing! That’s a great friend you’ve got!
This video went from being a techy gear head video to sentimental pretty quick. I kinda sniffled a lil bit when Rhett went into the story of why he was doing this. Such a cool thing to do.
That’s so wholesome
brotherhood.
I'm off to a bad start: I can't hear anything wrong with the stock Squier.
Well that is because you lack the nerdy insecurities of most guitarists. Guitar buyers often buy to make up for something they see as lacking in their own self.
Guitar seller's take full advantage of this and often without realizing it because it pays for their lunch and that clouds their ability to be honest, even to themselves.
Welcome to one of the most over hyped consumer products ever invented, sold mostly to folks who couldn't strum Happy Birthday even if I told em it was a I, V, I IV progression.
your bad start is cash in the bank, why create non-existing problems
That's because hes playing through a great amp. Also squiers dont sound bad, they just dont sound great either. More expensive guitars/ pups have that oompf that you can't quite express in words
@@maxvanderhoning8375 I find that a good amp ( I do not know great amps but most valve amps and many solid state amps sound pretty good with decent guitars and the speakers make the biggest difference to me. Yes PUPs can sound muddy, but I find the speakers and setting contribute a lot to the muddy sound or loss of definition. Yes I have various teles from MIM MiJ to US special and The neck had the most lame. also the MIJ switches failed on me and costs the most to repair. The MIA texas specials were really lame sounding. I ordered a Classic Vibes and I will see what the deal is. I will have saved enough euros to buy new pups if I need. PUP is most important to me. I am not guitar tech or claim to be an expert. but I have played since 1971. I am also considering Harley Benton, because of price and ease of attaining them in Europe. The most popular players did not play the most expensive guitars Ask Marc Farner or Brian May or Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix.
I wouldn't say you're off to a bad start, squiers aren't bad guitars. It's mostly hardware that feels cheaper on them particularly the trems as Rhett said.
The pickups did sound a bit more sterile to me but you could definitely EQ it out.
The main take away is that what really makes a guitar sound good is the person playing it.
@@burningjoe Yeah, I once saw blues-legend Magic Slim play a Squier through a.. wait for it: Roland Jazz Chorus solid state amp. Sounded killer!
For the most part, yes. Every guitar I play sounds like me. Every drum set I play sounds like me. Every keyboard I play sounds like me.
If I had to choose between a thousand hours of practice or a $5000 guitar, I'll take the practice. A good player will sound good on a decent guitar, a bad player will still sound bad on the best guitar on the planet.
@@Charlesbabbage2209i'd take the 5000 guitar in a heartbeat. The fun of playing guitar is getting better. I'd rather put in the 1000 hours myself and work for it, than to have those skills handed down to me
It is just so much easier to watch a video and talk about guitar and type some comments than actually LEARN and practice on a guitar.
Just wanted to note for anyone who feels that the custom shop model sounds a little “warmer” than the upgraded squier… the custom shop has been using 250k pots in their jazzmasters as of late.
It’s not true to the original design, but many people prefer the sound. So it’s another switch worth considering if you find your jazzmaster a touch too bright.
All that said, great video on some truly transformative and affordable upgrades Rhett! Keep it up!
"the custom shop has been using 250k pots in their jazzmasters as of late. "
Blasphemers...
The key to the offsets and their 1 meg pots is that they should live on 8 - which is real close to a 500k pot. Lets you dial it up to full blast if you want or a couple more down and you're basically at 250.
The biggest knock on the linear 1 meg pots is that they aren't great if you want to use the volume knob to clean up an amp but they still work fine with a pedal that cleans up like a Fuzz Face.
brass bridge, hate graphtec saddles
I have the same Squier in the video and put 250k pots in the main circuit and 1meg pots in the rhythm circuit. 95% of the time I’m on the 250k pots but if I need some thin sparkly stuff I have the option to switch. The 250k pots were a real game changer for this guitar, and a cheap change.
Interesting. I thought the Squier sounded too bright and harsh both before and after the upgrade, so that's probably why. Could have saved quite a bit of money by just changing the pots first and seeing if that tamed the harshness. If so, no need for new pickups.
@@gazzie12000 My Affinity had 500k pots, after stratifying the electronics I decided I really liked the stock pickups so they got new black covers and stayed in place, sounds great now with the 250k's.
I closed my eyes during the initial comparison and really listened. Before you did anything both sounded great in their own way anyway.
I think that this stuff is more about specificity than good v bad, tonewise. Any fully-functioning guitar can be part of many musically-useful signal chains, but a given player’s style and workflow might dictate that a certain output (whether it be from pickups or surrounding electronics) gets closer to their dream tone with less effort.
The biggest tone difference comes from a happier player who is having their desired physical and psychoacoustic experience.
The sound difference didn't seem drastic, but he looked much more relaxed on the Custom Shop, appeared to be digging in harder to coax the sound out of the Classic Vibe. Possibly a responsiveness that's more felt than heard.
I was exacting my lunch and looked up a few times and hadn’t realised he’d changed guitars… both sounded pretty good to me at home on my iPad speakers 🤷♂️
I think the bigger question is, with the cost of the mods, is the guitar any better than say a US Standard which is probably the same cost…
“Custom Shopping” a guitar is almost all about psychology and how the guitar makes the player feel rather than it having to do with any drastic sonic improvement. Giving it a proper set up (with any needed fret work and fretboard rolling included) will make the largest noticeable difference pertaining to playability and comfort which is a HUGE factor as well.
Long-winded way of saying that gaining a better tone is one of the least observable effects of upgrading a guitar.
Having built a few guitars with my Dad I'd take doing a custom job all day. You can make it EXACTLY what you want it to be. The bigger thing to me though is because you are doing all that stuff yourself, it really makes the guitar feel like it's yours. The ones we've built will never EVER be sold. The personal connection we have to them is something you just can't replicate and I love it.
Exactly 👍
Hey Rhett, I am a guitar technician in Los Angeles Ca, this video solidifies what can be done to “most” less expensive guitars. I say most cause some cheaper guitars are cannot be deemed playable due to a severely warped neck, frets although frets can be serviced and be very good. All in all, with a little $$ even cheap guitars can be made to play and play very well.every once in a while one slips through and only needs pick ups and there are so many aftermarket pickup brands that you can purchase pickups south of $100.00 and you be hard pressed to hear the difference. Thanks Rhett. Tim Russell Guitar.
Pro detected
@@JeremyAndersonBoise ??
Yeah what’s crazy is sometimes all a cheap guitar needs is a good setup. I think for me that has to be one of the most important parts regardless of the price of the instrument
@@SStudiopro He is saying your comment indicates you are a professional.
@@altjacobs Oh, ok thank you so much for the clarification.
When I was touring, I used to do this to my Squiers. Obviously, money was always tight. So, finding quality guitars at affordable prices was impossible.
You used to be able to find pawn shop deals and hotrod them to make useable stage instruments.
I haven't been in a pawn shop in decades. So, I don't know if that is still true.
My last "build" was a Squier standard Tele. I put in Custom Shop Texas Specials and added a middle Strat pup. I didn't have a router but careful use of a wood chisel worked just as well. I also replaced all of the wiring, pots, caps and replaced the 3 way switch with a 5 way. I could have installed a push/pull tone pot to get a ton of pickup selections but I chose to wire the 5 way with my own preferences of pickup combinations.
Most of my pawn shop builds found homes with young and promising pickers that couldn't afford a decent guitar.
My last Squier Tele build, I kept. I still drag it out occasionally. It still plays and sounds great.
😊😊😊
I used to cruise pawnshops for good candidates for customizing even 5 years ago. Got a few this way. But now pawnshops in my area have jacked the prices up considerably since the plandemic. Used guitars, even cheap ones, seem to have gone up in value bcuz of the higher cost of new guitars.
I picked up a nice Ibanez RG7421 7-string for $250 at a pawn shop recently... put more than that into upgrades, but I love that guitar so much now!
@scramblesthedeathdealer yea I did the same for my Yamaha RGZ 321. Wanted a Floyd Rose ended up buying the guitar for $189 and dumped $300 more into new SD pickups. So worth the upgrade
@@mikewithers299 Nothing wrong with that, now it's your custom model 👍
I do these too, I call them my Primo Cheapos and they definitely are a blast to play. Sadly used Squier prices shot up during the Pandemic so I moved in to newer Import guitars that pretty much straddle the Affinity and Standard lines for Squier. When I mod my Primo Cheapos they tend to add weight as all the new pots, switches, pickups and parts weigh more than the Chinese pot metal parts. Gives them more of a familiar Fender style heft when playing.
What I love about Squire specifically, is you don't even have to go through all the trouble with the fretboard/frets if you don't want to, you can just buy a new Fender neck which typically fits right in. You get the Fender branding, and (hopefully) a well set up neck/frets/nut.
I closed my eyes while listening to the sound comparison and every time i preferred the squier
To me the Squier sounded more neutral and more like every other Jazzmaster I've ever picked up. I guess if you're paying extra bucks for a custom shop guitar you want to be able to hear a difference, but that to me sounds designed to give your dentist something to brag about while you're trapped in his chair. If I buy a Jazzmaster I want it to sound like a Jazzmaster.
If wanted a fatter sound I guess I could see dropping some Novaks or Lollars in it, but I think I would have to either hate the way every other guitar felt or only have room in my life for one guitar. What do I know, plenty of people have done it and they're probably better guitarists than me, better with their money, or both.
100% what I do. Have a standard tele, an old Epiphone 335, and a player Strat that have all been “custom shopped”, and I always get tone compliments every show.
Also, Ben is the 🐐
18:29 I did this trick with my 1998 Epiphone Les Paul. Every few years, I break out the 0000 steel wool and make about 4 passes over the back of the neck to make it less sticky! 😊
I did this to Harley Benton TE-62 Telecaster. Replaced pickups with custom wound ones, replaced electronics, had a proper setup from a good luthier and some smaller neck adjustments. It sounds amazing and it is not as heavy weighted as everybody is saying. The biggest difference of course was in pickups, but the rest also does it's a part more or less. If you don't have a budget for expensive Fenders, Gibsons etc., try this. It definitely can work, you just need to find a cheaper guitar that "rings". In other words, that is made from decent piece of wood. If that is the case, these mods can take the instrument to a really good place. :)
great sounding guitar.....also, gotta love the "pinche way" street sign behind Ben at 13:54 !!!!
Les Paul player detected at 22:26 :P
The comparison in the end... I can keep listening to it for all day long, awesome!!!
To me, low end is something I believe cannot be achieved in a cheaper guitar no matter which component is upgraded. This is what I noticed not only on this video, but on other similar ones.
Cheers
Great job and killer gift for the Bike guy! I enjoyed watching you and Josh in the video of the gravel race and gig. The bike guy will definitely love this guitar.
Honestly, the stock Squier sounds pretty great.
I have one of these Squiers and after polishing the frets, adjust a few fret ends, filing down the Tremolo base plate for a smoother working trem, put a shim in the neck pocket for a better break angle, filing the nut for 011 strings, lowering the pickups, and removing some laquer from the back of the neck this guitar plays like a dream. Cost.. €15 (steelwool, sandpaper and the 0,5 degree shim). It's totally not necessary to do this upgrades. Now it plays on par with my USA Jazzmaster. The only thing that I would do to make it road worthy is changing the pots but the originals are still doing fine. Totally not necessary to upgrade all the parts
Getting the plastic wrap off in one piece - so satisfying
Ah, the simple things in life.
I did the exact same upgrade. Put in Antiquity IIs in a lefty antique white CV Jazzmaster. Got a Staytrem bar. Kept stock saddles and trim they work fine (lefty trim as an aftermarket part from Fender not available). Got frets leveled. Plays a dream. BIG THING NOT MENTIONED. Noticed the demos in video the CV sound was had more top end than CS. This is because the replacement wiring harness has 1 meg pots. That's the classic Jazzmaster sound but many players today are backing away from that much top end in a Jazzmaster, in the old days you'd reach for the tone control on the guitar to tame it. Today many Jazzmaster players either put in 500k (or as someone here said even 250K they believe to be standard in CS Jazzmasters today) OR buy Antiquity I pickups that have Alnico II magnets instead of the Alnico V in the Antiquity II. Rhett didn't say which Antiquities he put in his redo, that makes a world of difference. My advice is 500K pots with Alnico V Antiquity IIs it's the goldilocks zone of emphasized top you want in a Jazzmaster, plenty of nice bite and chime but you're not instantly and forever using the tone pot to tame it. If you want a mellower sound go with the Antiquity Is with Alnico II it's the sound of a late 50's Jazzmaster that is more mellow. Alnico II with 1 meg pots will sound in the zip code of the CS guitar in the demo. For jazz as designed :). But I suspect Fender may have moved to Alnico Vs in the 60's when they couldn't sell enough guitars to jazz players but the surf guys were buying them like hotcakes for "that sound." The key balance and interaction here is magnet type vs. pot spec. These two factors have the highest impact on the warm/bright characteristic of your guitar. Not going into body wood or fretboard here, but definitely pots and magnets are the key. For a brighter guitar use 1 meg pots or Alnico Vs. 1 meg + Alnico V will tear your head off but maybe that's what you're after. 250k + Alnico II will be the most warm mellow sound but IMHO doesn't sound like a Jazzmaster it sounds almost like a Tele to me. 500k + Alnico Vs to my ears is that "ah, that's better" moment where you stop managing the top end. And for the Squire CV Jazzmasters with poplar bodies which some say are snappier than Fender alder Jazzmasters this helps moderate that factor as well.
you got a lot of knowledge
I bought a Squier Stratocasters vintage 70s and it is the best feeling strat I ever owned. I did replace the pickups to the Cradle Rocks and the tuners to what is on Robin Trower strat. It is now a beast.
My main guitar for years was a highly modded Squier ‘51 I bought at a pawnshop for $80. I put new pickups in it, Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge and a single coil size Seymour Duncan ‘59 in the neck, string through mod, locking tuners, fretwork, fender string through bridge with 60s style saddles, custom paint job, and professional setup. It’s my favorite guitar with a lot of memories. I wish I could upload a photo in the comments…it’s beautiful…at least to me lol.
That screwdriver trick on the fretboard edges is great. Just transformed my unbound BFG Les Paul neck.
Agreed. I just did that to a couple of Franken tele builds of mine that needed a little fretboard rolling. Worked great
Big house guitars is awful. I tried to buy a guitar from them and the dude just trash talked saying I couldn’t afford it, never ever. Don’t mess with them!
I just did this to my Jay Mascus Jazz
But I also replaced the neck, put in Fralin hum canceling Jazz PU's, and soldered in all new electronics,put a bridge from an American professional Jag on it and a new tremolo
Guitars spectacular now.
Nice Video Rhett.
This is by far one of your best videos Rhett. Bravo!!! really great integration of guitar parts, other professionals and informative subject matter. Cheers!
I feel like it's the most overlooked things of any jazz/jag/stang modding adventure, but a shim is basically essential for these.
You mentioned the saddles can pop out due to the shallow break angle, and shimming the neck along with raising the bridge will fix that issue.
You picked the graphtech saddles which are great, but only if you use bushing inserts on the posts to immobilize it, otherwise it can't rock back and forth as the vibrato/bridge were designed.
Still a fantastic feature, I think for all you've done, the Squier is clearly a fantastic choice for testing different parts and pickups. For someone who wants the most traditional option, a used Vintera I is not far off the price of the CV modified. Being an owner of a few custom shop pieces, I'm well aware of how fantastic the work is and so I may personally lean towards a vintage correct CS option.
I was in the market for a Jazzmaster and after watching your earlier video, I went with the Squier (from Sweetwater). It looks and sounds great. Such a great value. I do need to knock the edges of the frets back a bit, and I love the steel wool-to-the-neck idea. I like the pickups through my set up, and I have no intention of "upgrading" them or the wiring. Maybe the bridge will get swapped out for a Mustang bridge if I have trouble with it, but so far, so good. And since I rarely even think about using the tremelo, that's going to stay Squier stock. But I've been pleasantly surprised at the quality of the "budget" instruments on the market these days. My Jazzmaster is light years better than the Squiers of my youth. Thanks Rhett. I've watched you sporadically for a while, but I'm now hitting subscribe!
Hi Rhett. Don't know if you're aware, but EMG has a new set for Jazzmasters called the JMaster set. They are amazing and have a couple of tricks in the upper control panel. Rather than Vol/Tone for the neck PU, as in stock Jazzmasters, there is an EXG, that gives you a fuller, clean tone, and a SPC, which EMG originally intended to make single coils sound like Humbuckers. Although it doesn't exactly do that, it does give VERY useful tones. I use them in all my Turbocaster J-style guitars, including my own working guitars, and LOVE them!
They also have the whole setup in a loaded pickguard as well.
BTW, I also love those GraphTech saddles, in Mustang bridges. And another thing is I ALWAYS use Hipshot Locking tuners in ALL my guitars, but for sale and personal, and even acoustics and my archtops!
Nice tip I learned from a luthier: use red scotchbrite pad instead of steel wool to knock down the finish. Same result and less to clean up without the little bits of steel wool everywhere.
I am partial to Bronze Wool, but it is fairly hard to find and pretty spendy. Scotchbrite is nifty, all the different colors for different uses!
Same, but I’ve been using the green pad instead of red. Takes a little bit longer but it slows me down enough that I don’t overdo it. Steel wool and pickups can be a disastrous combination!
I'm a sucker for an upgraded guitar, so the Squire would be my choice. Word of advice for those thinking of using the 0000 wire wool treatment at home - tape up your pickups, those wire wool fragments get everywhere and getting them completely off of your pickups is a long, nigh on impossible task
Bronze Wool doesn't do that, but bring plenty of cash to the Hardware Store.
One of the great joys of my life now is what I've learned by slowly upgrading my Standard Tele that I got as a gift in 2011. What I haven't changed or fixed up is a very small list. I've really loved learning how to solder and sand and file and whatever else.
Rhett, get a MIJ Fender Strat 62 reissue from the 1980’s or 1990’s, change frets, pickups and electronics, give it a setup and you’re off to a huge surprise.
These more tech/mechanical videos are pretty cool. They’re all cool, but obviously I enjoy these ones. Thanks, dude.
I “upgraded” my Squier Contemporary Jaguar HH with Graphtech tuner/nut, Babicz bridge, Fishman Fluence Classics and I absolutely love it. The neck is glorious and it’s a guitar I can’t currently buy from Fender with a roasted maple neck and sculpted heel. Plays amazing, sounds amazing and looks unreal!!
Great video. there is also a case to be made for doing the wiring loom before the pickups; the improved pots jack etc will show what your stock pickups are really like, they may be ok enough to live with while you take time to choose. If you aren't brave enough to go for wire wool(or you are heavy handed ) start with plain paper, it's a very mild abrasive
About a month ago I had 30th St Guitars in Manhattan install Elvis Costello’s custom spec Lindy Fralin Noiseless Pickups on my CIJ Jazzmaster along with the Black Bobbin wiring harness swapped for 500k pots and I couldn’t be happier. The guitar is a machine now. I had the antiquities for a while but they just weren’t doing what I wanted.
A few months ago I bought a Squier Affinity Jazzmaster that had sat in my local store for over a year..I loved the burgundy mist finish and I knew I could do a little mod to improve the guitar.
I swapped out the pick ups for Vintage Fender 65’s and swapped out the white pick guard for a tortoise shell..Didn’t upgrade the electronics..But I might look to do that later down the track.
Also just treated the neck with Monty’s Instrument food which has made a vast difference!
Had a good set up and I’ve had nothing but complements on the videos I’ve posted using it!
Best thing I ever did for this guitar! 🤓🤘🏻
Love that street sign behind Ben.
PINCHE way !!
😂🤣😂
I got a Squier J mascis
Put on a Mastery bridge
Series switch instead of rhythm circuit
Lots of fret work
It’s one of the best playing guitars I own It plays and sounds great
Squier CV 60 are great guitars for an update. On mine, I changed strings, tremolo system for a fender one, and pickups for Fender pure vintage 65. And now i own a killer guitar, whit a real sixties sound !!!
To fix the shallow string angle, you just have to shim the neck. A shallow angle will always remain whether you change the saddles or not. New saddles will decrease the chance of strings popping out, but changing the angle of the neck will fully fix the issue.
Great video. I've modded a few guitars, and in my opinion the nut is the main secret sauce of a good guitar. It is the hardest to get right and to have the skill to correct it. Everything else you can work around. But if the nut is not right, if the neck is not right... do not spend the money to buy and much less upgrade it. I've learned some cool tricks with this video, so thanks a lot.
We need “today I AM a guitar technician” merch 😂
a "subtly nervous" technician 😜
Hahaha I just did the same: compared my Epiphone '59 Les Paul reissue with eight mods including upgraded electronics and Faber bridge and tailpiece with the Gibson '59 LP reissue head-to-head. Numbers are also very similar: I have ~ $1050 into the Epiphone whereas the Gibson was tagged at $4750 used. Came out grinning like the Cheshire Cat. They look and sound identical, the only difference is a VERY slight difference in neck feel. This video offered me some suggestions on how to improve that, too. In addition to improving the tone, I buffed out the entire top with Maguire's automotive scratch remover and rubbed walnut stain into the Indian Laurel fretboard to make it look like rosewood, which worked well. I do NOT pine for a Gibson :o)
Thinking about the overall quality of the Fender products that have been outsourced overseas, the quality has gotten a lot better ... over the years. I got a used 50th Anniversary Squire P-Bass (China Made) and it was VERY good. Great neck profile and feel. I knew that I could do better with some higher quality pickups ... and yes it was. I installed a hip-shot style bridge and that was an improvement. For what I have invested in that bass, I am very satisfied. I've played many new Squire Tele's and Strat's that were almost unplayable out of the box. To get those guitars into "playable "shape would have been a big project. Thanks for another great vid.
I know nothing about how Jazzmasters are "supposed" to sound, but being a Tele fan, I think I enjoyed the brighter sound of the Squier to the warmer sound of the custom shop. As others have mentioned.. that may have just been a difference in the pot values. Very interesting, thanks!
I knew something was off on the tremolo. Now I know why. It's as you said, I wasn't able to get good tapering, or modulation with the stock tremolo. I couldn't match the more aggressive tremolo bends in songs I was applying it to. Thanks for this. It really is a bang for your buck guitar.
I did a very similar thing to my Squiers. I got anodized aluminum pickguards, complete with hardtail plates, Joe Barden pickups, CTS pots, Switchcraft jack, the whole works. In total, I probably spent the equivalent of a Mexican Fender, but I now have a "Custom Shop" Jaguar and Jazzmaster, to my specs. Those are now my tour guitars.
That said, specifically, Classic Vibe and Vintage Modified are PERFECT right out of the box. But, if you do decide to modify it, at least you are not destroying a $2000 USA Fender.
Right on! Classic Vibes are perfect out of the box in terms of components. All they need is a setup but that is true for every instrument.
What band do you tour with?
I love all episodes with Ben!
Cool upgrade and sound soo better and closer to the custom!
I did this exact same thing, only I used a Squier JMJM neck and a Fender Vintera JM body.
Totally worth it.
Cool offset tip to keep the strings from slipping out of the saddles, shim the neck so you can raise the bridge/ increase the break angle
I customized a 72' Squire Thinline and it is now one of my favorite guitars, (but I added a sick custom Warmoth neck too) and I have a Relic'ed 62' Custom Shop Strat. Nothing wrong with doing this and we all love a good project if it can become a cool toy later. Thanks again Rhett, another great vid.
I did not expect to see Bobby Wintle in this video. I've known him since around 2010. He lived in my hometown and I bought a mountain bike from him when he worked at a local bike shop.
I did something similar to my Epiphone Les Pauls. My 1993 Korean Cherry Burst is a champ now. The Seymour Duncan Saturday Night Specials in it sound phenomenal through my Vox VTX 100. Gear doesn't have to be very expensive to sound great. A lot of the budget gear we have today is as good or better than a lot of the classic gear was in its day. Most problems with these budget guitars could be solved with a real set up and some fret & neck work. The rest is for those who are passionate enough to do it.
Excellent vid, Rhett. I did a few similar modifications to my J. Mascis Squire Jazzmaster although I decided to keep the stock pickups because they actually sound pretty great. Swapped-out parts: Staytrem Bridge, TUSQ nut, Fender OEM Tremolo, 00 steel wool to the back of the neck, and added copper shielding tape in the control cavities for better noise rejection. Now, it's one of my favourite guitars and when you see my collection, that's saying something. Next, I'm going to try rolling the edges along with a few passes of 320 grit sandpaper and see how it feels. (Excellent tips, BTW). Cheers!
My PRS ZM. Hot rodded to the 9s with Cremas, ratio tuners, rewired and switchcraft parts. Been my number 1 since 2018.
Im not a tech either Rhett but i do the same basic things to my guitars. Electronics and pots get replaced, fret board rolled the same way (its an old carpenter trick i learned buildings houses and cabinets). A new Graphtech nut, completely intonated and adjusted, and frets dressed. Saved me lots of money, and now i do it on my friends guitars too.
I'm actually in the process of doing a similar upgrade with my own classic vibe jazzmaster. So far I've done a bunch of setup, replacing the trem for the Fender AVRI trem, and I've sanded the back of the neck to remove the gloss. Planning on throwing some gotoh tuners in, replacing the bridge with a staytrem, and replacing the pickups with a set from Sunday Handwound
Same! This is hilarious for me to see. A couple years ago I took a metallic purple Squier Classic Vibe JM and did the exact same. Duncan Antiquity pickups (I went for Antiquity II as I desired the abrasive highs for this surf machine), and added a 920D custom harness. I also replaced the trem but I went with the Femder AVRI instead of the panorama.
Turned out to be a great guitar. Enjoy!
Such a great mod. You are a great friend Rhett, giving him a one of a kind top notch, better than new Squier. The tones were so so good from each of those JMs.
The clear pickguard was cool too.
That clear pickguard is begging to be stickerbombed
My favorite guitar is a Squier 70's Classic Vibe ($399) with a 920D loaded pickguard with the Seymour-Duncan Hot-Rodded Humbucker HH 4-wire pickup set ($259). The guitar is light, the neck is great, and it sounds great. The guitar had an HSS setup originally, so I just had to router out the neck pickup cavity. I did everything myself. I had looked and tried the Mexican Strats, but most of them had neck profiles that I didn't like, and were heavier.
Great video!!
I learned a LOT from this one!!
I really appreciate the time you take to show how someone can make a "Budget" instrument feel and play like something that was custom built.
To answer the question at the end of the video, I 100% go with the modded guitar, ten times out of ten. There is no guitar on Earth worth $6k to me unless it has some historic value - it was Hendrix's, or Clapton played it or something that adds collector value. It's why my absolute max is $2k, and I try to stay around $1,200 or so US. Not bashing people who like to spend on those pricier guitars - to each their own. But for me to pay a high sticker price, it's gotta do something different or be somehow really unique - Aristides comes to mind immediately.
But this video is a great exemplification of how much you can do to a less expensive guitar to make it really hit hard and, in a lot of cases, compete with guitars that are waaaaay more expensive. Not sure a Squier (which I have one currently, and I love it) is ever gonna feel like a Murphy Labs or an Ibanez Prestige, but you can make an affordable guitar into a great instrument that'll do everything you need and keep you happy.
In fact, I just recently snagged a used MIM Tele, put a Gotoh classic bridge, Fender USA tuners, a compensated nut, and an EMG Tele set into, and I have to be honest - I grab it just as often as my US Fender. There's just something about it. Anyway, awesome video. New to the channel, and I plan on sticking around. Cheers.
Great video. The tip about using 0000 steel wool on the back of the neck was really helpful. I was going to chime in and say - why not get an MIM Jazzmaster, swap the pickups, and then do the setup. Then I checked the prices of new MIM Jazzmasters and realized the guitar alone is more than the Squier plus all the enhancements.
Your content has really been next level lately man! 🔥🔥🔥
I took a similar approach with my Epiphone Sheraton. Took the guts out of a 335 and swapped em in. Massive upgrade for a fraction of the cost.
I have both the Classic Vibe and the J Mascis Squier JM. With some upgrade (pickups, tremolo, bridge, neck shim) and the right setup these instruments are great touring and recording guitars, so they worth more than a 5K custom shop (for me at least). Great video Rhett, thanks.
Thanks A lot Rhett! Now everyone gonna be a guitar tech:)
I did something similar, but bargain bucket. I 'Squired' my Harley Benton. It's my backup Tele for my main Tele, a Fenders 50s modified Vintera. I swopped out the pickups for the Tonerider Vintage Plus (similar to the Squier but more vintage/lower output), upgraded the electronics & knobs, bone nut, Grover locking tuners, brass tuning compensated saddles, removed the HB decals, and a good setup. It's better than the Squiers I have now, but I do still prefer the Vintera pickups, neck and overall look and feel. But, for $400 in total ($150 for the original guitar), it plays more like double that now. Originally, I had bought a Squier, but had to return it - neck was great, but it had other issues with the finish.
I would honestly rather have a Harley Benton than a Fender for 2-3k. Fender guitars are awful.
Definitely in love with that custom shop… I followed your links and looked up the specs. It appears that that custom shop guitar modded the pots to 250k ones, which give it a darker tone. So that’s the difference we’re hearing between the CS and the upgraded Squier. I’m sure if you put in similar pots they would sound almost identical. As is, the Squier comes across brighter.
I changed the electronics in a Squier Tele for an Obsidian Wire solderless kit with a treble bleed built in. It made a tremendous improvement in sound.
I customed my cheap gretsch ( the less paul version) everything other than the guitar body. ( neck stayed the same, but had fretwork and adjustments...
My favorite guitar..my number 1
Great vid, got here from the Jazzmaster shootout. My only quibble is that you only play the same "jam" and thus the tone comparison is a bit one dimensional. The guitars sound different but to say one sounds better or worse just depends on the song. I am a total Fender guy, mainly strats, and have a bunch of squires in my collection, you really just need to try them until you find one with good natural tone/resonance and upgrade the electronics. My tendency has been to build a guitar that fits the band I am playing in so rather than choosing pick ups that sound "authentic" I look for tones that blend well with what is going on around me. I have everything from stock vintage single coil to massive humbuckers and everything in between. Make that board sound good and fit your style and the band you play with, that is what music is all about!!
I did a similar thing to my MIM strat, Texas special pickups, upgraded the harness, bone nut locking tuners. Very happy with the result. 😊
I upgraded my Squier Jaguar. Fender locking tuners, Graphtec nut and saddles, USA pickups and Japanese tremolo. It’s great
Antiquity pickups are so underrated. People overlook them because they’re not the most unique, but if you just want really great pure Jazzmaster tone you can’t beat the Antiquities.
Great job on this. Sounds great. Not as warm as the Fender but still holds its own. Fantastic luthier tips as well. Thanks Rhett.
Dude this video is insanely good!! I am in the midst of this EXACT project!! Thank you so much for this! You rule!
Good call on the thread pitch, but it is also good to turn the screw counter-clockwise until it drops into the thread that is already in the wood before screwing it in.
Perfect timing, I *just* bought a CME FSR Player Jazzmaster like last week with the intent of doing some upgrades! Definitely gonna be taking notes from this vid
I did this exact process to my Squier FSR Silver Sparkle Jaguar. I installed an AVRI Vibrato and put in some EPCustom Jaguar pickups. This guitar can totally hang with my AVRI Jaguar and I actually like the EP Custom pickups better.
I love the video--lots of actionable insights. I got a great sound with a Mastery trem and bridge--lots of options these days for JMs.
Great work, I've been working on a Squier Jazzmaster some years ago for a similar project and tried the Antiquity pickups but wasn't satisfied. Still to bright and harsh in my opinion. I found the definitive answer in the Mojo UK pickups 58-64 (I bought from them the complete preassembled harness kit too, very good quality). Super amazing. Those pickups transformed the cheap Squier in one of my main guitars that I still play with my band every week.
I have a Squier Classic Vibe Strat with upgraded bridge that sounds good and with a good setup is a lot of fun to play. It's the best $300 I've spent. My more expensive Strats have better wood, hardware and electronics but sound and play only marginally better. I love having a good playing and sounding guitar that I dont have to worry about getting damaged or stolen.
Guitars sound sick, and your playing is so good! Difficult to get that Custom Shop feel, however, sonically its pretty close after upgrading the pickups.
I agree with Rhett on this build, everything here will get you 90% of there way there to a great playing Jazzmaster. Notice how I said 90% though.
I have done the same exact things to my CV Jazzmaster and the one thing that still bothers me is how cheap the guitar will always be. These mods will make the Squier significantly more playable but beware if you prefer how your guitar feels. My main issue is the poplar body on my guitar is light and not very resonant, leaving the guitar to sound dull, sad, and cheap and feel dull, sad, and cheap when playing. The light body doesn't translate to the amplifier however you are constantly reminded of how cheap and little heft the guitar provides when playing chords/sustains. Couple that with the Squier neck which will never feel as awesome as a Fender neck or custom neck. Sure you can play it in but I'm just saying as a guitar that you should modify greatly to improve, you should have that in mind.
After all of my modifications and barring some that I can still do, I paid around $450 new for this guitar and dropped approximately $275. $725 for a Squier! There are some modifications that I may do in the future but considering the money I spent I probably will not and have some regret not paying a little more for a Fender Jazzmaster. Those mods include: wiring/electronics, tremolo system, professional set-up, fret work, and nut-filing. If I did those the price of my Squier is looking to be around $1000. $1000 for a fully customized Squier to compete with Fenders! While maintaining that cheap wood/general craftsmanship from the factory. This isn't even including a Mastery/Staytrem system which would increase the overall price to $1200-1350.
Very cool demoof how to get the best out of what've got. The issue I run into is here you've spent $1,189 on your guitar, which doesn't include: the setup, fret work, and possibly the electric work if you don't know how to solder. That can turn into a total price closer to $1500 depending on the luthier. Yet you still have a squire body made of Poplar, with an Indian Laurel fret board. Ignoring those added costs and staying at $1,189, for $60 more you can buy a new Fender Vintera II 50s Jazzmaster with a Alder body and slab Rosewood board. That comes standard with the Fender tremolo bridge & after investing the same undisclosed amount of money on a proper setup is going to be much more inspiring guitar to play and show off, because as superficial as it is... it says fender on the headstock. What's even crazier is if you add the potential money spent on the guitar tech and inch up near that $1,500 mark, you're in second hand American Jazzmaster territory. I literally just checked, there's a white American Performer Jazzmaster for $890 on Reverb that includes a hardshell case (a little over $100 more than the parts here). Lastly thing is resale value - no one is going to pay anything close to $1,000 for a Squire no matter what's "under the hood." That $890 American Performer I referenced, you'll pretty much never lose money on a purchase like that, if you decide to sell it.
These videos are fun to see whats possible and they did a really fantastic job! The reality of evolving as a musician however is, DO NOT DO THIS! Unless you're sponsored by Sweetwater and it's all just to see what's possible, in that case please do it; it's awesome content! Though as your musicianship progresses over time, the day will come where you'll want your gear to reflect your skill level and the countless hours that got you to where you are. Keeping in mind a top tier instrument is not going to make you a top tier guitarist, but a well made, great feeling, great sounding guitar will inspire you to play it more. So make of that what you will.
TLDR: If you can hold off on a purchase to save up a little more money to afford the higher end instrument do it. With simple upkeep & maintenance it'll last forever, whether your playing arenas or jamming alone you'll have the right tool.
I don’t know if its just me but Rhett looks a little more inspired jamming to the squier than the Fender CS. Hitting it harder too😂 I don’t know, to me the SCV sounds very good and feels very good right off the factory since I currently own a SCV Strat 70’s. I haven’t done anything to it maybe just lower a tad bit the string action. I do understand Rhett though and that’s because I think we suffer from the same syndrome… 😂 nothing feels better than a used guitar that has well over 20 years of beeing well played and broken in. Great video Rhett and keep em coming. Rock on🎸
I love doing this type of upgrade work to inexpensive guitars.
My favorite budget-conscious approach is to buy an SX guitar for under $200 brand new and upgrade the pickups and harness with gear from GFS. It’s possible to end up with a REALLY good instrument for around $300.
Ben is my hero! I wanna make him a living space in my home, feed him dinner, give him whatever he wants and ask him to tech all my guitars. LOL.
Perfect vid for what I needed today. Thanks Rhett. 🎶🎶🌅🎶🎶
Hey Rhett, Great video. I did this to my Squier Classic Vibe JM. I was nervous to do it myself, so I sent it to Shelby at Black Bobbin. Dude does amazing things and couldn't be a nicer human being. He has a special set of pickups from Lollar with Alnico 2 magnets. Have you tried those yet? To my ears they got rid of that "harshness" you were talking about. I'd recommend giving them a whirl. I feel like I have a JM that punches well above it's weight now. Thanks for the content.
I bought a new Squier Jazzmaster (but in dented or chipped condition on the body so it was cheaper) about a year ago because I liked the wide neck and thought it had P90 pickups and i liked the sound of them. Turns out, they look like P90s but are Jazzmaster specific pickups. I still like them. Thanks for the video---will have to play this guitar some more and determine what upgrades I can afford and will be valid in my situation! It definitely is a different guitar to play compared to Strat and hollow body guitar model styles I also play.
as a totally amateur guitar builder, pickup winder, gear geek modder, and player... let me say that almost all modding videos are helpful. even if you do not like the mod in question. ya still get to learn... one thing i have learned, ditch the sandpaper AND the steel wool, scotchbrite is your friend. really... thanks for another video Rhett !
I agree to a point. When he installed the new bridge with the shorter screws, he showed the audience how to make a mistake. There is a risk of damaging the guitar itself now (long term) with the shorter screws. The new bridge came with screws that suit the tolerances it was designed for.
the rolling fingerboard edges with a screwdriver or similar tool is no joke. So worth it
Although the stock Squier sounds pretty good, they are a wee bit harsh and bright. I agree with you there. I take pictures of the current saddles, then adjust the new ones to match. That gives me a starting point on the new setup.
Thanks for this - got my daughter a Squier & she plays out so we started upgrading by replacing the tuners and nut, but the bridge is an issue as well. Going to try these further recommendations.
Instead of taking individual components off the Pickguards, I think a better idea is remove the entire Pickguards as a unit. Then replace it with a Pickguard "loaded" with all the new components. If you put a "Quick Connect" at the Jack location, you can swap out the entire thing in under 10 minutes, and have it ready to put swap back in if you change your mind or want something different. This will allow to objectively hear which you prefer, compare them, and have a whole new tonal palette in just a few minutes without any soldering.