As a beginner i thought it might be helpful to share my experience with a similar build. I've been learning to play via online instruction since the pandemic shutdown my normal pastimes. After playing a cheap acoustic I bought in highschool I read in multiple places that an electric was easier to play and better for beginners. Without being able to go to music stores to try electric guitars, I wanted a cheap example to decide if that was better for me. This video inspired me to buy this very guitar with midset that I would either decide I preferred acoustic, or I could upgrade it if I liked electrics. I bought the guitar and was surprised by how much easier it was to play, but didn't care for the sound. Fast forward a few weeks and I felt I was sticking with and enjoying the guitar enough to upgrade it. Since I didn't have spare parts laying around I bought genuine fender tuners (used), fender Tex pickups (new), and new set of cts pots, an upgraded capacitor, and an upgraded input jack. At the same time I replaced the strings with ernie ball's. I thought I might not notice the difference as a beginner with issues in my technique but the guitar sounds so much better, to the point where I can hear my mistakes (and correct them) much easier than before. I thought the poor sound might be my fault (and it certainly is at times) but the upgrades made a huge difference, even as a novice. Thanks for the advice Darrel, It was nice to be able to try a cheap guitar, and have a fun project when I decided I liked playing enough to spend the extra money.
Nicely done. Just decided to try to pick up guitar again myself a couple months ago. Had a Peavey strat from 06 I bought for $100. Bought an Emerson 250k pot and switch kit, new shielded pick guard, guitar madness single coil pickups (seymour-duncan influenced sound), sanded and painted body. There's something about learning on a guitar that you built yourself. Sounds SOOOOOO much better than the stock Peavey now. went from a $100 sound guitar to a $300-$500 guitar sound. Scored a Peavey Vypyr VIP 3 for $150 from guitar center.
- 0:52 - Replace the tremolo, springs, claw - 5:51 - Upgrade the pickups and electronics (potentiometers) - 11:31 - Upgrade tuning heads Thanks Darrell! I just might become a guitar luthier all b/c of you, lol!
Now I need a custom logo or graphic on the headstock. Any Suggestions? Too bad I'm not a Seahawks fan; their logo would be perfect on the headstock! Trem mod - 0:52 Pickups - 5:51 Tuning Machines - 11:45 Tone comparison - 17:17 To find quality used parts check your local online classifieds. Also, join local facebook guitar groups, and local forums. There are always great deals to be found, and they are not always on ebay :) If you want to buy new affordable parts, Ive had good luck with Guitar Fetish, and Solo Music Gear: www.solomusicgear.com?ref=1931 Gotoh or Wilkinson both make tuning machines that should attach without modifications Enjoy :)
You should have a Darrell Braun Guitar logo you can put on the headstock. Design a nice one, print it up on waterslide decal paper, and there you go. And you'll be able to use the logo wherever else you want.
My Suggestion is To sign it. Maybe a stylized logo with initials. Whenever I have a blank canvas of a headstock on my builds, I like to sign it. "Approved"
Darrell, fantastic follow up! Thank you! Logo thoughts: Brauncaster. Or Braunder. Or even Bender? Lol. On mine I use Fikester, since last name is Fike. Take care! Al
I have modded scores of guitars, and I paid close attention to the neck and body on that blue Indio. The body is full Fender depth, nicely finished, and cleanly routed. It is excellent, IMO. The neck appears to be straight, well finished also, and is a very nice piece of maple wood. If you only got the bare body and bare neck, that guitar is a bargain at $100.00. That kind of guitar is a modders dream. Great job on keeping the cost down, and quality up.
I completely agree. Shocking really. I just ordered a Firefly ES 335 on Amazon for US $140, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed for it to be at least as good as this guitar.
@bookmarkthis I buy complete guitars from reputable sources, like Rondo music. I then strip out virtually everything and replace that stuff with better stuff. Many vendors offer loaded pick guards, for example, and there are tons of tuning machines available. Do a Google search, but be warned---buy NOTHING directly from Chinese vendors.
@bookmarkthis If I strip a part, it's because I consider it inferior, so I usually just junk most of those parts. I few I keep to repair low end guitars for people that ask me to repair on a budget, etc.
If you don't want to take the finish off the headstock and just want to remove the raised black letters common on cheaper guitars like this one or the Squire Bullet series just use acetone. Try the pure stuff and not nail polish remover. It will come right off and not harm the finish.
Megan A Hi, I just did what you recommended, with pure acetone and nothing happened. I used a clean rag dampened with the acetone and scrubbed vigorously but, nothing came off (maybe I am missing something).
Great mod, but i was impressed by how similar the stock sounded to the final product. I’m sure the playing experience was much better, but I hardly heard a difference in the tone.
Yeah, it's really hard to hear the difference. Changing pickups usually makes a good change but the tuners, bridge, and electronics don't affect the sound much.
Darrel's the Man!! He inspires me so much He keeps on experimenting with his guitar and proves to us that we donot require a 1000$ guitar to become a good guitarist. Just a couple of mods can make the guitar sound and feel like Heaven! Lots of Love From India!! Keep inspiring Sir
I made the same exact mods to my 2005 Squier Affinity 'STRAT' (Indonesian), except I put Fender Chrome 'F' Staggered locking tuners ($41), and Fender American string guides ($9) and with the slim body, I had to file the MIM sustain block down to 38mm to clear the back cover. I put in a recessed 6 hole stainless steel shim ($5) under the bridge fulcrum point, with PC7 slow cure epoxy, on bare wood, to prevent tuning problems and wear. I have the identical pickups in it, just had to replace the crappy mini pots with standard 250K and chuck the green ceramic cap for an Illinois IC .022uf 250V (which now makes it part American/Midwest too..). I also obtained a used pearl pickguard already drilled with a 7 -way push switch. It sounds amazing, I saved it ten years ago from a pawn shop from a fate worse than death, complete with rusty strings, a thick layer of dust, for only ($90). I have played many regular Mexican Strats in my searches, and this 'Indy' blows any of them (from the same year at least) away, in tone and sustain. (The Indonesians made a better "Fender" Strat than most people realize, and only now is it getting it's due... or perhaps they get better with age... I now have the Strat I have always wanted, without having to go broke.
We must say that cheap guitars are much better than 20 years ago. You can actually play and learn on them, and easy upgrade them. Good shot! Cheers from Italy!
Yes! I just bought the Wilkinson EZ-LOK tuners from Guitarheads in NY and I'm really looking forward to swapping them in. Sad to say, I've been unable to find a Wilkinson vibrato system that's the right spacing for the Indio (which wants string and screw spacing of 2 1/16"). Gonna have to spend the extra bucks; unless I can get a used MIM part locally. I'm not optimistic on that score.
From what I can see, the holes in the Mexico pick guard were lining up before the material was removed from the neck cutout. I think he should have removed material from the bridge end of the pick-guard, since he had just changed the bridge and so that was the source of the non-fit problem, and he would not have needed to drill new holes in the body for the screws. He said he had decided to swap the Mexico parts to the Monoprice pick-guard for that exact reason, but instead he uses the Mexico pick-guard and drills new holes in the body. Crazy. Should have checked to see how the holes lined up before he dremeled away the neck end of the Mexico pick-guard. I was like "No, don't do it that way!" But he just wouldn't listen. I would have thrown something at the screen but he still probably wouldn't have listened. I think the Mexico pick-guard did look to be better-quality though, laminated with a black layer sandwiched in the middle. OK now back to the video... :)
I ordered an Indigo Classic for $109.00 this past Saturday. I was delivered 3 days later and straight out of the box it was cosmetically perfect, tuned up easy and most of all plays, feels and sounds almost like a real Stratocaster. You won't have to do all the things that are being done in this video. It's an awesome value!!
Awesome vid!! My OCD goes nuts whenever you do any soldering. Folks, please put a rag under whatever you are soldering if you solder over the guitar like that. The last thing you want is hot solder dripping on your finish! One other thing is be SUPER careful with that tightening the tuning pegs trick with Fender tuners. If there are no holes there, that is a good method to know where the holes need to go to drill out, BUT there have been people online who have cracked their headstock doing it that way if not careful. Go slowly and make sure you don't over tighten.
Hey Darrell, I watched both of your videos on this Indio guitar and really appreciate you putting these up. I am in the Philippines and working with church worship teams to help bring them up to their full potential. With open air buildings (no air conditioning) their instruments are in bad condition, so this is a great way to get them into good instruments on an extreme limited budget. Watching your video, I feel like I could do these upgrade modifications myself with little to no experience. Thanks again!
My son wanted a guitar, so I found a Squier mini strat on Craigslist. I didn't like the pickups and pots so I got to work. I used some Lace Sensor California pickups that I had, Fender USA pots and changed the saddles to Fender bent ones. I had to cut one spring for intonation and installed heavier strings. Good thing my son lost interest..heh heh.
Maybe it's just me and my inexperience with working on guitars speaking, but wouldn't it have been better for the holes to line up on the new pick guard to dremel out a bit around the bottom where the trem was hitting? Taking off some around the neck and then sliding it up shifts all the holes and that's just to get something on the bottom to fit, but it seems like, in theory, grinding a bit around where the trem was hitting would've done the same for fitment and not shifted the screw holes. Either way, I'm digging this build and considering eventually doing one myself. Keep up the good work!
Thanks for the video. I believe the 19-1 Wilkinson tuners will be a drop in and line up with the side screw holes. They are about $25 a set if a man does not have used Fender parts laying around.
Good call on the differing trem mounting screws! The smooth ones are a better idea, for sure. I note that they're notably longer than the originals. Whoever made the design decisions on this guitar did customers a favour (actually 2) by specifying full body thickness and the swimming pool routing. Leaves us with plenty of options.
The lesson is to upgrade the boring parts that actually improve the guitar - the tuners, trem, nut, and electronics - and don't worry about the flashy parts like pickups since those are a matter of personal preference.
Alexander Timofeyev I agree but upgrading the pickups can be one of the best upgrades for your guitar maybe his choice of pickups wasn’t the best but I would have made the same choice to upgrade to new pickups
You inspired me to finally do a guitar upgrade so I purchased a Wine Red Cali Classic. Wanted Blue Burst, but not available for several months. I believe my guitar was built in Aug, 2019 and they updated the 6 screws on the tremolo - they now have the smooth top on the screws instead of threading all the way up to the head. I essentially did the same upgrade you did, except I installed a used 2016 American Standard HH loaded pick guard. Was a fun project with my son and we will be posting our upgrade soon. Thanks for the inspirational videos!
I bought this same guitar and a couple others that you show on your channel and did the same mods plus put on locking tuners and these guitars are great!!! I really enjoy your channel and learn a lot and look forward to more! As an old guy in my 60's, I am really enjoying this part of my life, so thank you.
Dude, this is just fantastic. I mean, you put together a $200 guitar that I want and would not be embarrassed to show to people! Your notes about how good an entry-level guitar is these days is spot on too.
Darrell, I purchased 1 of these about 2 hours ago and am excited to start learning. 59 years old and looking forward to retiring and playing my moded out Strat. Thanks.
Yeah, getting used parts for this kind of video is unrealistic, it's impossible where i live too, used mexican strat are ~650$ here and no loaded pickguards on second hand market.
Best place for me is local online classifieds (and facebook groups). If you're patient, there are guys with tons of old parts they are willing to get rid of for cheap :)
Here in the UK I'd be better getting all New Wilkinson stuff off eBay. Could get tuners, pickups and solid block bridge for around £90. Most folk are looking for £80 + for a mim loaded plate. Though tuners and bridge often come up for sub £30 each
Just got back into guitar and I'm super on a budget, I got kids now so I am upgrading my old hamer slammr. Those obsidian electronics are really nice BUT a good terminal box will act the same. Little life hack for possible future budget build.
Decent milled steel, brass (or graphtech but they're darker sounding) are better than bent steel. Cheap cast zinc blocks are awful. I like the Wilkinson stainless saddles. Their bridges are decent upgrades to cheap strats and I use their two-point ones on my builds.
@@detroitfunk313 they sound better than cheap cast parts. And milled steel looks enough like cheap cast zinc for them to put people off. Particularly as a magnet doesn't stick to most stainless steel saddles so they get confused for cast zinc by people that don't know enough metallurgy.
Thank you so much for NOT angling the outer trem springs, rendering the center spring useless. Because physics. I appreciate people that know what they're doing. 👍🤘
Darrell, for the tuning machines, drop 'em in the hole, straighten them, then crank the nut on the mounting to create depressions, and screw into them. Yeah, I've done some of this myself. First thing with a new guitar is Gotoh tuners. Been playing 35 years, do everything myself except fretwork, and works for me.
I saw the previous video and was probably expecting the mods to be mostly the tuning machines and the nut; both to ensure tuning ease and stability. If I have to be honest the sound of the older pick ups didn´t seem bad compared with the new ones Darrel put.
I kinda like this recycling and upgrading idea 👌 getting a MiM, upgrade the parts, getting a cheap guitar like this with a good neck and frets, putting the MiM parts in and selling that to a beginner who can't afford a MiM You make a beginner happy and make some money back on your own upgrade investments... If you're handy enough you can use the left over useless parts to make a guitar clock or some cheesy artwork or just melt the metal parts down to make something else... Nothing really goes to waste and you just helped save the planet 😋 I just might start doing these projects myself... Seems like fun!
Hey Darrell, Not bad. I did a similar thing with a Starcaster I picked up for $50 and replaced the pups with GFS Texas Overwound set, new saddles, springs and trem block, new tuners, new graphite nut, roller string T's, upgraded to Sprague tone caps with Bourns pots and knurled knobs. I also sanded and oiled the neck and leveled/crowned/polished/edge-dressed the frets, then did full setup and intonation. Finally set the pickup height to what sounded full. All in I think I was around the same number as you...$200. I'm surprised you didn't swap out the plastic nut for a graphite or bone. Those plastic nuts tend to bind. Also, nothing about the condition of the neck, fretboard and frets? Those are my first areas of attention since this is where all the feeling goes into the guitar...the link between musician and instrument. I'll send you some artwork for a logo concept.
Enjoyed the Vid. Just my 2 cents, A brass block and string savers for the bridge, and a nut. Were the tuners that bad. My SX was branded (by UA-cam) to have terrible tuners. Turned out the nut was tight and after a week of tuning, It's great. Same tuners. I think the Electronics needed a bigger bite. Use the old Guard and put in 1 or 2 good pups. Shielding is easy. Maybe it would have been a little more than $100 even using used, buy might of made a better finish. Last, I would have liked to hear the guitar clean and also wet. Distortion is all individual, but pups can be quite an upgrade. There''s lots of way to go and your's was good too.
Found this older video about replacing a inexpensive Vintage Strat Tremelo and was very pleased. I have just found a a great Chinese Clone of the Fender Jazzmaster Performer brought to American by a now defunct Revv/Reville reseller out of Indianapolis. I had been struggling with a really nice Partscaster Strat with good parts but just wasn't comfortable. Being older I saw the Jazzmaster offset body a better choice. So I sold my Strat and all three Fender Amps (don't ask) to get a Jazzmaster. But they were all so expensive. Being retired I had to keep my cost down too. So i just started surfing the web to see what was out there. I stumbled across a Reville machine they named the Q90. Well the list price for this machine was $225. It had P90s Pickups, Vintage Strat Tremelo, offset body and simple Tele-like controls. And it was discounted to $189, I looked it over but decided to try a Squire Mini Jazzmaster 1st. Well that did not fair well. Pretty, white on white but no tone and felt like a toy guitar and for $130. Then I saw an ad for the Q90 discounted to $149 closeout sale. I had my local guitar tuner order one and set it up for me. I just received it yesterday. I am very very happy. The tone is great on my Hammond dual 6V6 organ Amp modified for Guitar with its little 8 inch Celestion. The feel of the neck and frets is great, but, as you point out in your $100 Strat there are weak areas. The Tremelo a Vintage Strat in appearance simply does not work well at all. It has about 1/2 of downward trem movement????? The tuners have a dead spot in the middle that you must go back and forth to really set the tension. The Pots seem to work but do not have the Notable Grease Bucket circuit as on the Jazzmaster Performer. So i began looking for fixes. You whole idea of higher quality take off units is a terrific method. Yes half the cost of new or better and we can upgrade the weak spots pretty cheap. I am looking for an improved Tremelo but will investigate the action on the one i have and metal thickness, spring tension ect. Maybe Springs, Screws and adjustment will get me closer at first. Tuners are pretty bad so i need those then maybe higher quality strings. I learned the Grease Bucket is simply resistors applied to the pots so i can handle that. And while there investigate the pots to see if better pots and pickup switch are in order as well. So yeah, for maybe $150 plus another $150 I should be all set to restart my music career. Your video triggered many good ideas with the used high quality parts grab. Great input and I am excited to get started on my Jazzmaster Performer Clone Upgrades. Thank you, D
I just picked up a 70’s white with cream binding Aria Les Paul copy. I just ordered the $13 fleor pickups and 4 push pull pots for the Jimmy Page wiring. Should be a cool one when I’m done.
Fleor pickups are pretty awesome. I have gotten a few different sets, humbuckers and p90's. I had a gold top les Paul copy and they sounded way better than the original ceramic p90's. The humbuckers sounded pretty good too. I only used the neck pickup on a micawber style tele I made but it was too dark for my taste.
The tremolo and tuners swap definitely seem worthwhile. After the comparison, the stock pups are find enough for the sounds I go for from strats. Its great they do universal cut outs.
Good work, as always DB. These are my favorite types of videos. I gotta say I kinda dig the headstock. It’s like a cross between a strat and a Washburn.
Not speaking about low quality guitars here, but on the topic of upgrades - I've replaced pretty well everything except for the pickup guard on a Fender American Performer Strat, as well as a Gibson ES-339. Tuning stability was the concern due to the Strat having a Trem & the ES-339 having a "Les Trem II" installed. The most effective part I got for each guitar that totally resolved tuning issues, was about $10. Replaced the nut on both with GraphTech XL nuts. I was p*ssed off about the nut replacement thing because I tried it last. I thought it'd be major surgery due to the fact I had to knock out something that was glued to the neck. It was simple for each - though it took a while to file the new nuts down. All parts I installed, approximate cost in CDN dollars: Stratocaster: Floyd Rose Rail Tail ($400+), Fender Locking Tuners ($95), Graphtech XL nut ($11), Ernie Ball strings 9.5 - 44 gauge ($9). Gibson ES-339: Les Trem II ($140), Schaller Roller Bridge ($100), String Butler ($80), Grover locking tuners ($100), Graphtech XL nut ($11), Ernie Ball strings 10 - 46 gauge ($9). If you're confident you can pop out the stock nut & install a new one, I would suggest doing that FIRST before you spend money on tuners or a different bridge. Darrell does this for a living & his advice far outweighs mine, but this is just to let you know the cheapest course of action. The bridge might be cheap, but it might be just fine. I got a super expensive bridge & trem system & it still wasn't stable, but for a $10 part. Both the guitars above came with 'real' bone nuts, yet they were the main cause of tune instability. I even did the same on my 3rd guitar (Fender Tele Deluxe) - replaced the nut and installed a Schaller roller bridge. No trem on it, but I find it's in tune pretty well every time I pick it up - no adjustments needed. I know you can file down the original nut slots so they're not a problem, but why not just replace the nut & no longer have to put 'Nut Sauce' or other graphite lubrication on it. Note: don't use gorilla glue for the nut, just plain carpenter's white glue is enough.
Markle2k so what I’m saying is won’t it somehow help having just the pickguard shielded? Because IF that in itself solves hum issues, then I guess that’s why he didn’t apply more grounding tape
@@mick851998 It will do _something_ That something won't always necessarily be positive. If the source is behind you it could act as a reflector. Even in front of you, it doesn't prevent diffracted waves from getting to the pickups. The best option is to tape or paint while you have everything out of the guitar.
thanks, I`m an acoustic player for the most part but several friends have given me cheap electric guitars similar to the one you`re fixing up, so far, I`ve taken the best body-style and am now swapping and mixing the bits and pieces. Your vids have helped alot so far I`m getting a nice feel for whats going on, thanks. Now it`s a matter of going from acoustic (30years) to electric, lol
When I was in high school I bought a Jackson JS32 Dinky (24 fret super strat w/ dual buckers and a licensed Floyd) for about $300 (new) and fitted it with Seymour Duncan pickups and their Triple Shot mounting rings for coil splitting capabilities. The result was an all in one axe with rock solid stability and killer tone for less than $600, I would hold it up as against any Charvel Pro-Mod or Jackson pro series of similar spec and those cost about $1000 now. Worth putting in the work to build an instrument for yourself (especially at the entry level)
I bought a First Act Guitar for $20 6 string Electric 1 dual coil Bridge pickup single volume single tone I swapped out the inferior pickup with a Seymour Duncan 1959 replica zebra. Change the whole dynamic of the sound like night and day. Then I decided to do some custom modification and with an old pedal laying around not working I repurposed some parts out of took a miniature three way toggle soldered three capacitors on to it then rounded it through the tone potentiator. The center position of the switch has a 0.104 the bottom position has a 0.223 and the top position has the appropriately recommended capacitor for the humbucker pickup I installed 0.447. So what the flick of a switch beside the tone knob you can have your choice of Fender Stratocaster tone Gibson standard tone and I'm not too sure of there being a guitar using a 104 capacitor but the center position hardly bleeds any of the treble away and gives us guitar a wide range of tone sounds variety. $20 for this First Act and very little cost in parts to upgrade and this is up there with any Jackson or Peavey or better as far as play ability after I properly adjusted and sound... the price you couldn't beat it considering the sound it now produces.
It's the same here in the UK Darrell. A MIM Fender Strat goes on average between 350 - 400 pounds. The Squire Strats with the gold decals go for silly money here for some reason, i know they are better built than the average Affinity but not to the point were there is a significant price difference.Why would that be Darrell? I am a subscriber, so thanks for all the content and thanks for continuing to keep me inspired. I had real problems when i first started on Guitar, i am left handed but have been forced to play right handed. I've often thought of stringing up a Strat the other way round but it's a ball ache (sorry) as you have to then have the Nut turned around, your going to have your pots working in reverse, jack plug in your chest and armpit area and i think the pups might have to be turned also. Maybe you know some tips and tricks to accomplish this. I wouldn't even think it on a Gibson or guitar with a slanted bridge. I know it's just easier to buy a cheap lefty and upgrade, but what if that is not an option would you know of any cheats, tricks or tips to carry out said task? Again great channel.
I agree.. was skeptical but tried one out at my local guitar shop.... man are they awesome.. have better paint job than my much expensive guitars.. fret ends are smoother than a 400 $ epiphone.. Tuning heads need a replacement thought.. but thats done for 30 bucks.. so in all great value guitar.
Bought the telecaster version. Other than some sharp fret ends it’s the best &100 I’ve spent. Action is spot on, in tune, neck is sweet & has the tele twang. Blows the squier out of the water!
I've been looking at buying one of their Tele copies as a project guitar, so this is perfect timing. EDIT: Okay, to everyone insisting I go with a Squier instead, I appreciate it, but if I have my reasons for wanting to go the Monoprice route.
please forgive me for obsessing - get any Squier with a Rear Striped Neck - gain a Fender headstock + Fender pin-type tuners [ newer "affinty series " are striped ] - any Squier with a full name "Telecaster" decal gets a 1-3/4" THICK body like Fender Mex + USA [ Strat + "Tele" decal gtrs don't - if you got a Squier Standard or Deluxe Series you would be way ahead - thrilled even...
I gotta agree with the first reply guy. Going with Squier as a mod base opens you up to all kinds of aftermarket parts and suppliers who cater to people upgrading their Squiers. You're less likely to run into situations like 'screws not lining up/different size', 'tuner routs different', etc. Plus you'[re at the mercy of an lesser-known's quality control. You might chuckle at that considering I'm recommending Squier, but I've upgraded a lot of lesser-known brand guitars, and some of them have absolutely no QC: guitars can have miscut pickup routs, mis-alignments, corkscrew necks, etc. Just a can of worms that I don't have time for anymore; I find it's much easier to drop into my local music shop and just try a bunch of inexpensive Epi's and Squier's until I find one that feels good.
Years ago I played a lot more and had several electric guitars; a Sears sunburst "strat" that I (poorly) modded, a 2000 Ibanez s7420 and two Ibanez RG models. I gave them away to people I don't really speak to anymore and regret it. Got back in to playing about a year and a half ago on the two Fender acoustics I kept. I keep finding reasons not to buy a new electric, mostly financial. Pulled the trigger on one of these (red with "maple" board; always like the maple on strats) yesterday with the intent to mod it. We'll see how it goes.
Another great video. I got a strat copy on Ebay. No reserve. I bid $20. Won the bid. Another $20 shipping. $40. Total. There was No picture. I had no Idea what was coming. Well...a brand new strat copy came with a thick heavy natural wood body. Decent neck. I have a "spare guitar parts" box from mods I have done. This video inspired me to go ahead and improve my forty dollar guitar. Thanks for the information, and inspiration. All Positive, roballen2
This may sound weird but I actually liked the stock crap pickups a bit better.. The mexi's sounded a bit to round and flat to me.. Then again it could just be the recording. I have some parts here at the house and may have to pick one up for shits and giggles.. but I think I'll get the red one :)
onefatstratcat i know what you mean, but trust me, when you play live, you don’t want bright and thin sounding pickups. U need full/round and a bit flatter sound coming through the mix in a live setting. It’s sounds much more pleasant when your in the auditorium
I use a washer on the tuners so that the two stubs barley touch the neck when you tighten the collars. That makes the alignment almost exact. Use black marker on the stubs. when you tighten them down they leave a mark. They will also leave a dimple without a marker then drill with a pin vise. I have done may guitar necks like that. very tight fit and precise.
Yeah I was thinking the old pickups sounded very clear, and the new ones seemed like they may have captured or added more overtones and volume(?) but overall sounded more muddy, or so it seemed...
Darrell I just bought an Indio cali classic hss pickup config. I changed out everything except the switch. Now it plays pretty darn good and sounds loads better. I put Dragonfire hot rails and a quad rail in it and they sound damn good. Plus a face lift with new pearloid pickguard, new knobs ect. Total cost for guitar and upgrades 280 bucks. Thanks for the heads up on this one you crazy canuck.🎸🎵👍
@@cardgamecoffin1087 Yeah I'll make it soon. Started a new job this year so I've been fairly busy. I'll try to get it up in the next couple of weeks or so
Original pickups sounded noticeably better to me than the Fenders, but the rest of the mods were fab. I've done a lot of these over the years and it's so satisfying to boost the level of a humble guitar without spending a fortune. Nice one.
Excellent. It proofs again that expensive guitars are not necessary the best, equilibrated cheap guitars can make the difference. Thank you for the demonstration. Very good...
Hey Darrell! Thanks as always for exploring all aspects of the instrument. I was inspired by this video, so I found a T- style Indio Classic for about 100 bucks. All I did to it was to replace the tuners with Fender MIM non locking tuners and a set of pickups pulled out of a MIM Tele. The whole thing cost me about $170 US and it sounds amazing. I was impressed with how much they focused on the neck. The tuners were crap, but the neck was bang on and the fret finishing was way better than expected. I was going to cut the beak off it, but I kind of dig it now. Thanks for the inspiration!
Use the block saddles over the bent steel. Get some M3x6mm height adjustment screws so they are all countersunk in the block saddles. Smooth-ass feel on your palm. You will love it. (I have tried cutting the longer screws down to size but it is difficult to get the cut perfectly even and the saddle will pump up and down as you adjust it...just buy the short screws!)
Just plug the tremolo with a piece of plywood and it'll hold the tune. Stock saddles are just fine for intonation adjustment. Wiring... eh, leave it untill it breaks if you like the sound, but some foil on the pickguard would definitely help. Good tuners - completely agree, the stuff they put in stock is horrifying, any tele-style closed tuners are a noticeable upgrade.
You don't even need 50c. You just hang around Guitar Center, wait for a kid to walk out with his brand new guitar then beat him up and take it. Caveat: I am joking, do NOT do this. (TOTALLY do this.)
I tried the bent steel string saddles, big loss of sustain, and the height adjustment screws would loosen themselves from vibration & hand contact. Not enough metal to paint or loctite. I now use the block style saddles with stainless steel screws on all similar fender tremelo & fixed bridges. My perspiration was dissolving the adjustment screw heads! Why staggered pickup pole heights on a 12" radius neck? Make sure to check their radius curve. How does one achieve proper pole to bottom of string height with uneven poles👼🤘😈💥
You only forgot the most expensive item in your budget. LABOR! at $60.00 an hour, (typical guitar tech rates in my part of NZ) it would cost $20.00 just to watch this video.
As a beginner i thought it might be helpful to share my experience with a similar build. I've been learning to play via online instruction since the pandemic shutdown my normal pastimes. After playing a cheap acoustic I bought in highschool I read in multiple places that an electric was easier to play and better for beginners. Without being able to go to music stores to try electric guitars, I wanted a cheap example to decide if that was better for me. This video inspired me to buy this very guitar with midset that I would either decide I preferred acoustic, or I could upgrade it if I liked electrics. I bought the guitar and was surprised by how much easier it was to play, but didn't care for the sound. Fast forward a few weeks and I felt I was sticking with and enjoying the guitar enough to upgrade it. Since I didn't have spare parts laying around I bought genuine fender tuners (used), fender Tex pickups (new), and new set of cts pots, an upgraded capacitor, and an upgraded input jack. At the same time I replaced the strings with ernie ball's. I thought I might not notice the difference as a beginner with issues in my technique but the guitar sounds so much better, to the point where I can hear my mistakes (and correct them) much easier than before. I thought the poor sound might be my fault (and it certainly is at times) but the upgrades made a huge difference, even as a novice.
Thanks for the advice Darrel, It was nice to be able to try a cheap guitar, and have a fun project when I decided I liked playing enough to spend the extra money.
hope u progress through with it man
wishing u luck
Nicely done. Just decided to try to pick up guitar again myself a couple months ago. Had a Peavey strat from 06 I bought for $100. Bought an Emerson 250k pot and switch kit, new shielded pick guard, guitar madness single coil pickups (seymour-duncan influenced sound), sanded and painted body. There's something about learning on a guitar that you built yourself. Sounds SOOOOOO much better than the stock Peavey now. went from a $100 sound guitar to a $300-$500 guitar sound. Scored a Peavey Vypyr VIP 3 for $150 from guitar center.
I am also a beginner and I totally agree with what you said. Thanks for the tip
I’m thinking of upgrading my glarry
Its amazing how doing these builds really makes you appreciate and learn the guitar.
That stratocaster is now an EL STRATOCASTRO
calvometal underrated comment
As a Mexican 🇲🇽
I approve
I'm pretty sure Mexicans would call it "la stratocaster" and pronounce it "estratocaster."
LA CREATURA
@Lakienphat La LA LUZ ESTINGUIDO
Whether the world ends in fire or ice, it will be survived only by cockroaches and Daphne blue budget Stratocasters.
And Keith Richards
And Ozzy
and boss pedals lol
All the picks that disappeared when dropped will come out of the pick dimension and join with the Daphne Blue budget Strats.
And the pieces of broken string, at the site of the break, that seem to disappear.
- 0:52 - Replace the tremolo, springs, claw
- 5:51 - Upgrade the pickups and electronics (potentiometers)
- 11:31 - Upgrade tuning heads
Thanks Darrell! I just might become a guitar luthier all b/c of you, lol!
Now I need a custom logo or graphic on the headstock. Any Suggestions? Too bad I'm not a Seahawks fan; their logo would be perfect on the headstock!
Trem mod - 0:52
Pickups - 5:51
Tuning Machines - 11:45
Tone comparison - 17:17
To find quality used parts check your local online classifieds. Also, join local facebook guitar groups, and local forums. There are always great deals to be found, and they are not always on ebay :)
If you want to buy new affordable parts, Ive had good luck with Guitar Fetish, and Solo Music Gear:
www.solomusicgear.com?ref=1931
Gotoh or Wilkinson both make tuning machines that should attach without modifications
Enjoy :)
You should have a Darrell Braun Guitar logo you can put on the headstock. Design a nice one, print it up on waterslide decal paper, and there you go. And you'll be able to use the logo wherever else you want.
Haha, I was trying to think of what the heck it reminded me of! Seahawks! It does. Lol Great video
FrankenCaster
My Suggestion is To sign it. Maybe a stylized logo with initials. Whenever I have a blank canvas of a headstock on my builds, I like to sign it. "Approved"
Darrell, fantastic follow up! Thank you!
Logo thoughts: Brauncaster. Or Braunder. Or even Bender? Lol.
On mine I use Fikester, since last name is Fike.
Take care! Al
I have modded scores of guitars, and I paid close attention to the neck and body on that blue Indio.
The body is full Fender depth, nicely finished, and cleanly routed. It is excellent, IMO.
The neck appears to be straight, well finished also, and is a very nice piece of maple wood.
If you only got the bare body and bare neck, that guitar is a bargain at $100.00.
That kind of guitar is a modders dream. Great job on keeping the cost down, and quality up.
I completely agree. Shocking really. I just ordered a Firefly ES 335 on Amazon for US $140, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed for it to be at least as good as this guitar.
@bookmarkthis I buy complete guitars from reputable sources, like Rondo music. I then strip out virtually everything and replace that stuff with better stuff. Many vendors offer loaded pick guards, for example, and there are tons of tuning machines available.
Do a Google search, but be warned---buy NOTHING directly from Chinese vendors.
@bookmarkthis If I strip a part, it's because I consider it inferior, so I usually just junk most of those parts. I few I keep to repair low end guitars for people that ask me to repair on a budget, etc.
@@perihelion7798 Not even pickguards? My friend got a chinese pickguard and he said it worked great
@bookmarkthis maybe make a cigar box strat? Or do a shovel guitar?
If you don't want to take the finish off the headstock and just want to remove the raised black letters common on cheaper guitars like this one or the Squire Bullet series just use acetone. Try the pure stuff and not nail polish remover. It will come right off and not harm the finish.
Great tip, thanks Megan! 🤘😁
Oh man, thank you!
Excellent tip! Thank you very much! Have a nice day!
Acetone = lacquer thinner. I don't have any nail polish remover for some reason.
Megan A Hi, I just did what you recommended, with pure acetone and nothing happened. I used a clean rag dampened with the acetone and scrubbed vigorously but, nothing came off (maybe I am missing something).
I love how polite Darrell is. It’s a pleasant experience every time I see his videos.
He is Canadian, so not unexpected.
LOL!
Great mod, but i was impressed by how similar the stock sounded to the final product. I’m sure the playing experience was much better, but I hardly heard a difference in the tone.
Yeah, it's really hard to hear the difference. Changing pickups usually makes a good change but the tuners, bridge, and electronics don't affect the sound much.
@@joeking433 The stock was slightly tingier but other than that, yeah not much difference.
@@zaka9862 I prefer the stock actually, and it sure as hell sounds a lot better than my low end Cort!
It makes me happy to see such a humble guitar getting so much love :)
its a quality piece, it deserves every bit of it
"I hope you are having a great day today" I actually feel he means that, every time.
Darrell was my guitar teacher this guy is a legend! One of the nicest dudes I've ever met!
Darrel's the Man!!
He inspires me so much
He keeps on experimenting with his guitar and proves to us that
we donot require a 1000$ guitar to become a good guitarist. Just a couple of mods can make the guitar sound and feel like Heaven!
Lots of Love From India!! Keep inspiring Sir
Thanks for the kind words :)
@@DarrellBraunGuitar Yes, indeed ....thank you for being such a cool guy ! Keep posting these type of videos !!!
@@DarrellBraunGuitar💝 You Deserve It
@@rajdeepbharali2279 He's the best Guitar channel on YT
I made the same exact mods to my 2005 Squier Affinity 'STRAT' (Indonesian), except I put Fender Chrome 'F' Staggered locking tuners ($41), and Fender American string guides ($9) and with the slim body, I had to file the MIM sustain block down to 38mm to clear the back cover. I put in a recessed 6 hole stainless steel shim ($5) under the bridge fulcrum point, with PC7 slow cure epoxy, on bare wood, to prevent tuning problems and wear. I have the identical pickups in it, just had to replace the crappy mini pots with standard 250K and chuck the green ceramic cap for an Illinois IC .022uf 250V (which now makes it part American/Midwest too..). I also obtained a used pearl pickguard already drilled with a 7 -way push switch. It sounds amazing, I saved it ten years ago from a pawn shop from a fate worse than death, complete with rusty strings, a thick layer of dust, for only ($90). I have played many regular Mexican Strats in my searches, and this 'Indy' blows any of them (from the same year at least) away, in tone and sustain. (The Indonesians made a better "Fender" Strat than most people realize, and only now is it getting it's due... or perhaps they get better with age... I now have the Strat I have always wanted, without having to go broke.
that sounds amazing... you got a demo?
We must say that cheap guitars are much better than 20 years ago. You can actually play and learn on them, and easy upgrade them. Good shot! Cheers from Italy!
Awesome work as always Darrell.
Thanks Brad!
The Wilkinson locking tuners from STRATosphere on eBay for US $25 will drop in on this guitar with no modification needed. 19:1 ratio and work great.
thx, bro!
Used a lot of Wilkinson stuff for mods.The pups and bridges are good also,and not too pricey,Even on Amazon,the value is great.
Thank you very much for the Tip!
Are these the ones? *NEW Wilkinson 6 In Line EZ-LOK Locking TUNERS 19:1 Chrome WJN07-CR (EZ POST). Thank you for your help. Have a nice Sunday!
Yes! I just bought the Wilkinson EZ-LOK tuners from Guitarheads in NY and I'm really looking forward to swapping them in. Sad to say, I've been unable to find a Wilkinson vibrato system that's the right spacing for the Indio (which wants string and screw spacing of 2 1/16"). Gonna have to spend the extra bucks; unless I can get a used MIM part locally. I'm not optimistic on that score.
From what I can see, the holes in the Mexico pick guard were lining up before the material was removed from the neck cutout. I think he should have removed material from the bridge end of the pick-guard, since he had just changed the bridge and so that was the source of the non-fit problem, and he would not have needed to drill new holes in the body for the screws. He said he had decided to swap the Mexico parts to the Monoprice pick-guard for that exact reason, but instead he uses the Mexico pick-guard and drills new holes in the body. Crazy. Should have checked to see how the holes lined up before he dremeled away the neck end of the Mexico pick-guard. I was like "No, don't do it that way!" But he just wouldn't listen. I would have thrown something at the screen but he still probably wouldn't have listened. I think the Mexico pick-guard did look to be better-quality though, laminated with a black layer sandwiched in the middle. OK now back to the video... :)
3:43
original trem: lame skinny boi.
Mexico made trem:
E X T R A T H I C C
I don't think skinny blocks are lame
Bar Goldstein but e x t r a t h i c c
@@koffieverslaafde627 this guy gets it
@@leandhernandez5260 if he can't install it in 10 minutes ITS FREE!
Absolute *chad* trem
I ordered an Indigo Classic for $109.00 this past Saturday. I was delivered 3 days later and straight out of the box it was cosmetically perfect, tuned up easy and most of all plays, feels and sounds almost like a real Stratocaster. You won't have to do all the things that are being done in this video. It's an awesome value!!
Thank you for that, Anthony. I'll be keeping an eye out for that guitar most definitely
Awesome vid!! My OCD goes nuts whenever you do any soldering. Folks, please put a rag under whatever you are soldering if you solder over the guitar like that. The last thing you want is hot solder dripping on your finish! One other thing is be SUPER careful with that tightening the tuning pegs trick with Fender tuners. If there are no holes there, that is a good method to know where the holes need to go to drill out, BUT there have been people online who have cracked their headstock doing it that way if not careful. Go slowly and make sure you don't over tighten.
Hey Darrell, I watched both of your videos on this Indio guitar and really appreciate you putting these up. I am in the Philippines and working with church worship teams to help bring them up to their full potential. With open air buildings (no air conditioning) their instruments are in bad condition, so this is a great way to get them into good instruments on an extreme limited budget. Watching your video, I feel like I could do these upgrade modifications myself with little to no experience. Thanks again!
Instructions Unclear
drilled the new bridge on the headstock
My son wanted a guitar, so I found a Squier mini strat on Craigslist. I didn't like the pickups and pots so I got to work. I used some Lace Sensor California pickups that I had, Fender USA pots and changed the saddles to Fender bent ones. I had to cut one spring for intonation and installed heavier strings. Good thing my son lost interest..heh heh.
More guitars for you! 😂😂😂
Change those string trees to rollers. 99 cents on ebay...
Yep, the stock bent steel ones can be pretty dire and snag the strings on some guitars.
Did that on a couple of mine and it made a big difference!👍😎🎸🎶
I tried to tell him on the original vid :P
Or $3.99 for Fender style trees with the 'locating' pin that helps stop lateral rotation of the tree.
or graphtec tusq ones a bit more expensive but worth it
Anyone else just really like the way he talks? So smooth and soothing and positive!
"let's see of this MIM trem will line up with the Indios six screws" *cuts off to ad* OMG THE SUSPENSE!
Haha I thought the same AND was on your comment RIGHT as this happened🤣
What add? Don't get them for some reason.
Maybe it's just me and my inexperience with working on guitars speaking, but wouldn't it have been better for the holes to line up on the new pick guard to dremel out a bit around the bottom where the trem was hitting? Taking off some around the neck and then sliding it up shifts all the holes and that's just to get something on the bottom to fit, but it seems like, in theory, grinding a bit around where the trem was hitting would've done the same for fitment and not shifted the screw holes.
Either way, I'm digging this build and considering eventually doing one myself. Keep up the good work!
Uh yea, exactly
Thanks for the video. I believe the 19-1 Wilkinson tuners will be a drop in and line up with the side screw holes. They are about $25 a set if a man does not have used Fender parts laying around.
Does anyone else smell a soldering iron when they see a video of someone using one?
Lol
Who does not? ;-) I´ve been soldering since the 70s. I miss the old solder smell.
@@countblue glad to know in not crazy. There's something addictive about the fumes.
Yes, if there’s one nearby 😄
That is very true, it's this weird eye to nose brain thing. I think smells are very closely associated to memories.
Go with Gotoh tuners. Cheap and they are good quality. They will fit that screw location.
That's basically what the unbranded ones are knockoffs of.
Good call on the differing trem mounting screws! The smooth ones are a better idea, for sure. I note that they're notably longer than the originals. Whoever made the design decisions on this guitar did customers a favour (actually 2) by specifying full body thickness and the swimming pool routing. Leaves us with plenty of options.
Change the nut to a graphtech nut and change the stock trees to roller string trees
And for a higher budget - get staggered post locking tuners to kill two birds with one stone.
Yeah. I’m surprised the nut was ignored.
(That’s what he said)
Bone nut. I tried graphite first, and it was just too bright. I didn't want my open strings way twangier than the fretted notes, and switched to bone.
@@mal2ksc i might have to try bone then...i get a small twang out of the graphteq nut.
@surfitlive you are excused...for now.
i listened the comparison test starting at 17:17 with my great headphone and surprisingly i found that the original sound better!
Apparently a matter of taste, but I think I agree :)
Agreed
The lesson is to upgrade the boring parts that actually improve the guitar - the tuners, trem, nut, and electronics - and don't worry about the flashy parts like pickups since those are a matter of personal preference.
confirmed
Alexander Timofeyev I agree but upgrading the pickups can be one of the best upgrades for your guitar maybe his choice of pickups wasn’t the best but I would have made the same choice to upgrade to new pickups
Update . Just received this guitar . Your review is spot on . An amazing deal for $99 bucks shipped . Now time to order some parts .
You inspired me to finally do a guitar upgrade so I purchased a Wine Red Cali Classic. Wanted Blue Burst, but not available for several months. I believe my guitar was built in Aug, 2019 and they updated the 6 screws on the tremolo - they now have the smooth top on the screws instead of threading all the way up to the head. I essentially did the same upgrade you did, except I installed a used 2016 American Standard HH loaded pick guard. Was a fun project with my son and we will be posting our upgrade soon. Thanks for the inspirational videos!
Oh I did have another question... any good videos on how to properly set up a guitar? Going over tools and how to do each task.
I bought this same guitar and a couple others that you show on your channel and did the same mods plus put on locking tuners and these guitars are great!!! I really enjoy your channel and learn a lot and look forward to more! As an old guy in my 60's, I am really enjoying this part of my life, so thank you.
Surprisingly little difference in the pickups. The MIM's were louder/higher output, but you could just turn the amp up to get the same result.
Dude, this is just fantastic. I mean, you put together a $200 guitar that I want and would not be embarrassed to show to people! Your notes about how good an entry-level guitar is these days is spot on too.
The sky blue burst is gorgeous.
Darrell, I purchased 1 of these about 2 hours ago and am excited to start learning. 59 years old and looking forward to retiring and playing my moded out Strat. Thanks.
Damn. Where I live I could never get a mexican trem, loaded pickguard and tuners for 100$...
Yeah, getting used parts for this kind of video is unrealistic, it's impossible where i live too, used mexican strat are ~650$ here and no loaded pickguards on second hand market.
a number of companies offer loaded pick guards - GFS and Dragonfire are two that immediately come to mind.
Best place for me is local online classifieds (and facebook groups). If you're patient, there are guys with tons of old parts they are willing to get rid of for cheap :)
@@DarrellBraunGuitar Yeah, this actually is a good point, local fb groups and forums.
Here in the UK I'd be better getting all New Wilkinson stuff off eBay. Could get tuners, pickups and solid block bridge for around £90. Most folk are looking for £80 + for a mim loaded plate. Though tuners and bridge often come up for sub £30 each
Just got back into guitar and I'm super on a budget, I got kids now so I am upgrading my old hamer slammr. Those obsidian electronics are really nice BUT a good terminal box will act the same. Little life hack for possible future budget build.
I prefer the solid block saddles over the bent-steel saddles - both in look and feel.
Decent milled steel, brass (or graphtech but they're darker sounding) are better than bent steel. Cheap cast zinc blocks are awful. I like the Wilkinson stainless saddles. Their bridges are decent upgrades to cheap strats and I use their two-point ones on my builds.
@@detroitfunk313 they sound better than cheap cast parts. And milled steel looks enough like cheap cast zinc for them to put people off. Particularly as a magnet doesn't stick to most stainless steel saddles so they get confused for cast zinc by people that don't know enough metallurgy.
Thank you so much for NOT angling the outer trem springs, rendering the center spring useless. Because physics. I appreciate people that know what they're doing. 👍🤘
One idea for making it more reliable in the long run would probably be raplacing the output jack for a higher quality one.
Darrell, for the tuning machines, drop 'em in the hole, straighten them, then crank the nut on the mounting to create depressions, and screw into them. Yeah, I've done some of this myself. First thing with a new guitar is Gotoh tuners.
Been playing 35 years, do everything myself except fretwork, and works for me.
I saw the previous video and was probably expecting the mods to be mostly the tuning machines and the nut; both to ensure tuning ease and stability. If I have to be honest the sound of the older pick ups didn´t seem bad compared with the new ones Darrel put.
I kinda like this recycling and upgrading idea 👌 getting a MiM, upgrade the parts, getting a cheap guitar like this with a good neck and frets, putting the MiM parts in and selling that to a beginner who can't afford a MiM
You make a beginner happy and make some money back on your own upgrade investments... If you're handy enough you can use the left over useless parts to make a guitar clock or some cheesy artwork or just melt the metal parts down to make something else... Nothing really goes to waste and you just helped save the planet 😋 I just might start doing these projects myself... Seems like fun!
I am a brand new old guy getting into guitars 🎸 and I'm quickly seeing how it becomes an addiction 😂.
Its never too late 😂🤘🏽
I just started playing last year and I own 6 guitars 😂 definitely worse things you can be addicted tho is how I look at it
Hey Darrell,
Not bad. I did a similar thing with a Starcaster I picked up for $50 and replaced the pups with GFS Texas Overwound set, new saddles, springs and trem block, new tuners, new graphite nut, roller string T's, upgraded to Sprague tone caps with Bourns pots and knurled knobs. I also sanded and oiled the neck and leveled/crowned/polished/edge-dressed the frets, then did full setup and intonation. Finally set the pickup height to what sounded full. All in I think I was around the same number as you...$200.
I'm surprised you didn't swap out the plastic nut for a graphite or bone. Those plastic nuts tend to bind. Also, nothing about the condition of the neck, fretboard and frets? Those are my first areas of attention since this is where all the feeling goes into the guitar...the link between musician and instrument.
I'll send you some artwork for a logo concept.
Taking from the front of the pickguard misaligns the screw holes, better off trimming the back where you had clearance issues
I've always liked the six screw trems on both my MIM Strats. You made that Daphne Blue Burst beauty even better, Darrell!
I did a complete budget build on a starcaster strat and I love that guitar.
Enjoyed the Vid. Just my 2 cents, A brass block and string savers for the bridge, and a nut.
Were the tuners that bad. My SX was branded (by UA-cam) to have terrible tuners. Turned out the nut was tight and after a week of tuning, It's great. Same tuners. I think the Electronics needed a bigger bite. Use the old Guard and put in 1 or 2 good pups. Shielding is easy. Maybe it would have been a little more than $100 even using used, buy might of made a better finish. Last, I would have liked to hear the guitar clean and also wet. Distortion is all individual, but pups can be quite an upgrade.
There''s lots of way to go and your's was good too.
Now take the Dremel and get rid of that pointy thing on the headstock.
But i like pointy....
@@linkinpark9281 After he's through he can give you the pointy parts.
Lmao love it
This.
What pointy thing?
Found this older video about replacing a inexpensive Vintage Strat Tremelo and was very pleased. I have just found a a great Chinese Clone of the Fender Jazzmaster Performer brought to American by a now defunct Revv/Reville reseller out of Indianapolis. I had been struggling with a really nice Partscaster Strat with good parts but just wasn't comfortable. Being older I saw the Jazzmaster offset body a better choice. So I sold my Strat and all three Fender Amps (don't ask) to get a Jazzmaster. But they were all so expensive. Being retired I had to keep my cost down too. So i just started surfing the web to see what was out there. I stumbled across a Reville machine they named the Q90. Well the list price for this machine was $225. It had P90s Pickups, Vintage Strat Tremelo, offset body and simple Tele-like controls. And it was discounted to $189, I looked it over but decided to try a Squire Mini Jazzmaster 1st. Well that did not fair well. Pretty, white on white but no tone and felt like a toy guitar and for $130. Then I saw an ad for the Q90 discounted to $149 closeout sale. I had my local guitar tuner order one and set it up for me. I just received it yesterday. I am very very happy. The tone is great on my Hammond dual 6V6 organ Amp modified for Guitar with its little 8 inch Celestion. The feel of the neck and frets is great, but, as you point out in your $100 Strat there are weak areas. The Tremelo a Vintage Strat in appearance simply does not work well at all. It has about 1/2 of downward trem movement????? The tuners have a dead spot in the middle that you must go back and forth to really set the tension. The Pots seem to work but do not have the Notable Grease Bucket circuit as on the Jazzmaster Performer. So i began looking for fixes. You whole idea of higher quality take off units is a terrific method. Yes half the cost of new or better and we can upgrade the weak spots pretty cheap. I am looking for an improved Tremelo but will investigate the action on the one i have and metal thickness, spring tension ect. Maybe Springs, Screws and adjustment will get me closer at first. Tuners are pretty bad so i need those then maybe higher quality strings. I learned the Grease Bucket is simply resistors applied to the pots so i can handle that. And while there investigate the pots to see if better pots and pickup switch are in order as well. So yeah, for maybe $150 plus another $150 I should be all set to restart my music career. Your video triggered many good ideas with the used high quality parts grab. Great input and I am excited to get started on my Jazzmaster Performer Clone Upgrades. Thank you, D
I just picked up a 70’s white with cream binding Aria Les Paul copy. I just ordered the $13 fleor pickups and 4 push pull pots for the Jimmy Page wiring. Should be a cool one when I’m done.
Fleor pickups are pretty awesome. I have gotten a few different sets, humbuckers and p90's. I had a gold top les Paul copy and they sounded way better than the original ceramic p90's. The humbuckers sounded pretty good too. I only used the neck pickup on a micawber style tele I made but it was too dark for my taste.
i really like warman pickups, they do pretty much every style of pickup and they compete with duncan or dimarzio for a third of the price
The tremolo and tuners swap definitely seem worthwhile. After the comparison, the stock pups are find enough for the sounds I go for from strats. Its great they do universal cut outs.
Good work, as always DB. These are my favorite types of videos. I gotta say I kinda dig the headstock. It’s like a cross between a strat and a Washburn.
Shaun carter I’m diggin that headstock too! Looks pretty sweet! Only if Fender first made it lol
Not speaking about low quality guitars here, but on the topic of upgrades - I've replaced pretty well everything except for the pickup guard on a Fender American Performer Strat, as well as a Gibson ES-339. Tuning stability was the concern due to the Strat having a Trem & the ES-339 having a "Les Trem II" installed.
The most effective part I got for each guitar that totally resolved tuning issues, was about $10. Replaced the nut on both with GraphTech XL nuts. I was p*ssed off about the nut replacement thing because I tried it last. I thought it'd be major surgery due to the fact I had to knock out something that was glued to the neck. It was simple for each - though it took a while to file the new nuts down.
All parts I installed, approximate cost in CDN dollars:
Stratocaster: Floyd Rose Rail Tail ($400+), Fender Locking Tuners ($95), Graphtech XL nut ($11), Ernie Ball strings 9.5 - 44 gauge ($9).
Gibson ES-339: Les Trem II ($140), Schaller Roller Bridge ($100), String Butler ($80), Grover locking tuners ($100), Graphtech XL nut ($11), Ernie Ball strings 10 - 46 gauge ($9).
If you're confident you can pop out the stock nut & install a new one, I would suggest doing that FIRST before you spend money on tuners or a different bridge. Darrell does this for a living & his advice far outweighs mine, but this is just to let you know the cheapest course of action. The bridge might be cheap, but it might be just fine. I got a super expensive bridge & trem system & it still wasn't stable, but for a $10 part.
Both the guitars above came with 'real' bone nuts, yet they were the main cause of tune instability. I even did the same on my 3rd guitar (Fender Tele Deluxe) - replaced the nut and installed a Schaller roller bridge. No trem on it, but I find it's in tune pretty well every time I pick it up - no adjustments needed. I know you can file down the original nut slots so they're not a problem, but why not just replace the nut & no longer have to put 'Nut Sauce' or other graphite lubrication on it. Note: don't use gorilla glue for the nut, just plain carpenter's white glue is enough.
No shielding paint? In the last video you were getting a lot of hum.
Artie Fischel the newer MIM pickguard itself was already shielded
@@mick851998 The body isn't shielded. A one-sided Faraday cage isn't.
Markle2k so what I’m saying is won’t it somehow help having just the pickguard shielded? Because IF that in itself solves hum issues, then I guess that’s why he didn’t apply more grounding tape
@@mick851998 It will do _something_ That something won't always necessarily be positive. If the source is behind you it could act as a reflector. Even in front of you, it doesn't prevent diffracted waves from getting to the pickups. The best option is to tape or paint while you have everything out of the guitar.
Markle2k hey I learned something new. Thanks!
thanks, I`m an acoustic player for the most part but several friends have given me cheap electric guitars similar to the one you`re fixing up, so far, I`ve taken the best body-style and am now swapping and mixing the bits and pieces. Your vids have helped alot so far I`m getting a nice feel for whats going on, thanks. Now it`s a matter of going from acoustic (30years) to electric, lol
Nice job! Kind of surprised you didn't replace the nut while you were at it, though.
Thanks!
Nut will be next week :)
@@DarrellBraunGuitar tusq xl is your friend!!
@@DarrellBraunGuitar Hi, what NUT would you recommend (as an Upgrade) for the Indio Cali classic ? Thank you for all the great advice.
When I was in high school I bought a Jackson JS32 Dinky (24 fret super strat w/ dual buckers and a licensed Floyd) for about $300 (new) and fitted it with Seymour Duncan pickups and their Triple Shot mounting rings for coil splitting capabilities. The result was an all in one axe with rock solid stability and killer tone for less than $600, I would hold it up as against any Charvel Pro-Mod or Jackson pro series of similar spec and those cost about $1000 now. Worth putting in the work to build an instrument for yourself (especially at the entry level)
I'm a drummer, and I'm enjoying watching this...
you are literally everywhere saying the same exact thing. we get it, buddy.
Same
Tbh I wish I was a drummer first before going to guitar. That rythm instinct is something I am jealous of.
I bought a First Act Guitar for $20 6 string Electric 1 dual coil Bridge pickup single volume single tone I swapped out the inferior pickup with a Seymour Duncan 1959 replica zebra. Change the whole dynamic of the sound like night and day. Then I decided to do some custom modification and with an old pedal laying around not working I repurposed some parts out of took a miniature three way toggle soldered three capacitors on to it then rounded it through the tone potentiator. The center position of the switch has a 0.104 the bottom position has a 0.223 and the top position has the appropriately recommended capacitor for the humbucker pickup I installed 0.447. So what the flick of a switch beside the tone knob you can have your choice of Fender Stratocaster tone Gibson standard tone and I'm not too sure of there being a guitar using a 104 capacitor but the center position hardly bleeds any of the treble away and gives us guitar a wide range of tone sounds variety. $20 for this First Act and very little cost in parts to upgrade and this is up there with any Jackson or Peavey or better as far as play ability after I properly adjusted and sound... the price you couldn't beat it considering the sound it now produces.
OMG! So, happy you didn't cut the headstock! Very nice! Great video!!!
The headstock looks pretty sweet! I like it better then fenders
It's the same here in the UK Darrell. A MIM Fender Strat goes on average between 350 - 400 pounds. The Squire Strats with the gold decals go for silly money here for some reason, i know they are better built than the average Affinity but not to the point were there is a significant price difference.Why would that be Darrell? I am a subscriber, so thanks for all the content and thanks for continuing to keep me inspired. I had real problems when i first started on Guitar, i am left handed but have been forced to play right handed. I've often thought of stringing up a Strat the other way round but it's a ball ache (sorry) as you have to then have the Nut turned around, your going to have your pots working in reverse, jack plug in your chest and armpit area and i think the pups might have to be turned also. Maybe you know some tips and tricks to accomplish this. I wouldn't even think it on a Gibson or guitar with a slanted bridge. I know it's just easier to buy a cheap lefty and upgrade, but what if that is not an option would you know of any cheats, tricks or tips to carry out said task? Again great channel.
Dude, sounds great - there's something about using a socket wrench that is so satisfying, like bending the laws of physics or something
Try SX stratocaster this close to MIM fender!
I agree.. was skeptical but tried one out at my local guitar shop.... man are they awesome.. have better paint job than my much expensive guitars.. fret ends are smoother than a 400 $ epiphone..
Tuning heads need a replacement thought.. but thats done for 30 bucks.. so in all great value guitar.
Bought the telecaster version. Other than some sharp fret ends it’s the best &100 I’ve spent. Action is spot on, in tune, neck is sweet & has the tele twang. Blows the squier out of the water!
I've been looking at buying one of their Tele copies as a project guitar, so this is perfect timing.
EDIT: Okay, to everyone insisting I go with a Squier instead, I appreciate it, but if I have my reasons for wanting to go the Monoprice route.
please forgive me for obsessing - get any Squier with a Rear Striped Neck - gain a Fender headstock + Fender pin-type tuners [ newer "affinty series " are striped ] - any Squier with a full name "Telecaster" decal gets a 1-3/4" THICK body like Fender Mex + USA [ Strat + "Tele" decal gtrs don't - if you got a Squier Standard or Deluxe Series you would be way ahead - thrilled even...
Some of their Telecasters have very nice colors and finishes 👍 Quilt and Flame tops look very nice. Wish they had lefties like that. Dam it 💩
i bought an harley benton for 100 and put fender tuners, toneride alnico 3 pickup and potentiometers and she is a beast
I gotta agree with the first reply guy. Going with Squier as a mod base opens you up to all kinds of aftermarket parts and suppliers who cater to people upgrading their Squiers. You're less likely to run into situations like 'screws not lining up/different size', 'tuner routs different', etc. Plus you'[re at the mercy of an lesser-known's quality control. You might chuckle at that considering I'm recommending Squier, but I've upgraded a lot of lesser-known brand guitars, and some of them have absolutely no QC: guitars can have miscut pickup routs, mis-alignments, corkscrew necks, etc. Just a can of worms that I don't have time for anymore; I find it's much easier to drop into my local music shop and just try a bunch of inexpensive Epi's and Squier's until I find one that feels good.
GoddessIn Triptych that’s so true. I’ve played some really crappy squires and some really nice squires, just gotta find a good one.
Years ago I played a lot more and had several electric guitars; a Sears sunburst "strat" that I (poorly) modded, a 2000 Ibanez s7420 and two Ibanez RG models. I gave them away to people I don't really speak to anymore and regret it. Got back in to playing about a year and a half ago on the two Fender acoustics I kept. I keep finding reasons not to buy a new electric, mostly financial. Pulled the trigger on one of these (red with "maple" board; always like the maple on strats) yesterday with the intent to mod it. We'll see how it goes.
Of course, everyone has some random Fender tuners lying around the house! 👌
Another great video.
I got a strat copy on Ebay. No reserve. I bid $20. Won the bid.
Another $20 shipping. $40. Total.
There was No picture. I had no Idea what was coming.
Well...a brand new strat copy came with a thick heavy natural wood body. Decent neck.
I have a "spare guitar parts" box from mods I have done. This video inspired me to go ahead and improve my forty dollar guitar.
Thanks for the information, and inspiration.
All Positive,
roballen2
This may sound weird but I actually liked the stock crap pickups a bit better.. The mexi's sounded a bit to round and flat to me.. Then again it could just be the recording. I have some parts here at the house and may have to pick one up for shits and giggles.. but I think I'll get the red one :)
onefatstratcat i know what you mean, but trust me, when you play live, you don’t want bright and thin sounding pickups. U need full/round and a bit flatter sound coming through the mix in a live setting. It’s sounds much more pleasant when your in the auditorium
I use a washer on the tuners so that the two stubs barley touch the neck when you tighten the collars. That makes the alignment almost exact. Use black marker on the stubs. when you tighten them down they leave a mark. They will also leave a dimple without a marker then drill with a pin vise. I have done may guitar necks like that. very tight fit and precise.
Is it just me or did the original pickups sound better? Agree that the original trem + tuners looked flimsy.
Yeah I was thinking the old pickups sounded very clear, and the new ones seemed like they may have captured or added more overtones and volume(?) but overall sounded more muddy, or so it seemed...
@@dougselsam5393 Samd here
same
Darrell I just bought an Indio cali classic hss pickup config. I changed out everything except the switch. Now it plays pretty darn good and sounds loads better. I put Dragonfire hot rails and a quad rail in it and they sound damn good. Plus a face lift with new pearloid pickguard, new knobs ect. Total cost for guitar and upgrades 280 bucks. Thanks for the heads up on this one you crazy canuck.🎸🎵👍
for custom logo try woodburning, you can find cheap soldering/woodburning tools on amazon or aliexpress and you do it easily by yourself
You've mentioned your reticence about the Indio logo, and I have to agree wholeheartedly...it makes it look cheaper than cheap.
You should do this with different price ranges. Like 200$ guitar w/ 200$ mods and so on
I have a 600 dollar guitar with about 500 dollars worth of parts you can see it directly to the right of this comment. Shall I make a video?
Josh Besson for shure
@@lucaschibler2631 Will do, I'll try to have it up by the end of next week! (Out of town for work currently)
@@Grooove_e is that vid still coming? I was kinda excited
@@cardgamecoffin1087 Yeah I'll make it soon. Started a new job this year so I've been fairly busy. I'll try to get it up in the next couple of weeks or so
Original pickups sounded noticeably better to me than the Fenders, but the rest of the mods were fab. I've done a lot of these over the years and it's so satisfying to boost the level of a humble guitar without spending a fortune. Nice one.
actually the original pickups sounded better
Glad I'm not the only one that who likes the original pickups
Yups me too
I think so too, but was too scared to post it first 😊
I also like the sound of the original pickups but everyones ears are different
I agree.
Excellent. It proofs again that expensive guitars are not necessary the best, equilibrated cheap guitars can make the difference. Thank you for the demonstration. Very good...
Do a Tele version! Great vid as always Darrell. \w/
Hey Darrell! Thanks as always for exploring all aspects of the instrument. I was inspired by this video, so I found a T- style Indio Classic for about 100 bucks. All I did to it was to replace the tuners with Fender MIM non locking tuners and a set of pickups pulled out of a MIM Tele. The whole thing cost me about $170 US and it sounds amazing. I was impressed with how much they focused on the neck. The tuners were crap, but the neck was bang on and the fret finishing was way better than expected. I was going to cut the beak off it, but I kind of dig it now. Thanks for the inspiration!
pro tip for beginers: invest more on your first amp than on your first guitar
It matters way more for the sound, but the guitar matters more when it comes to comfort of playing
Use the block saddles over the bent steel. Get some M3x6mm height adjustment screws so they are all countersunk in the block saddles. Smooth-ass feel on your palm. You will love it. (I have tried cutting the longer screws down to size but it is difficult to get the cut perfectly even and the saddle will pump up and down as you adjust it...just buy the short screws!)
50% amp 30% string 20% guitar body & electronics
Just plug the tremolo with a piece of plywood and it'll hold the tune. Stock saddles are just fine for intonation adjustment. Wiring... eh, leave it untill it breaks if you like the sound, but some foil on the pickguard would definitely help. Good tuners - completely agree, the stuff they put in stock is horrifying, any tele-style closed tuners are a noticeable upgrade.
Proper title:
Turning cheap strat into a MIM Strat
Use the old pickguard to trace the larger trem hole on the new one, and then dremel it out. Don't shift the pick guard, the holes won't line up.
The Next Video: How to make an american stratocaster with 50 Cents
You don't even need 50c. You just hang around Guitar Center, wait for a kid to walk out with his brand new guitar then beat him up and take it.
Caveat: I am joking, do NOT do this.
(TOTALLY do this.)
I tried the bent steel string saddles, big loss of sustain, and the height adjustment screws would loosen themselves from vibration & hand contact. Not enough metal to paint or loctite. I now use the block style saddles with stainless steel screws on all similar fender tremelo & fixed bridges. My perspiration was dissolving the adjustment screw heads! Why staggered pickup pole heights on a 12" radius neck? Make sure to check their radius curve. How does one achieve proper pole to bottom of string height with uneven poles👼🤘😈💥
WHY did you take off the "Indio" brand man? It was the coolest part!
I just learned how to upgrade a guitar! Nice Vid!
You only forgot the most expensive item in your budget. LABOR! at $60.00 an hour, (typical guitar tech rates in my part of NZ) it would cost $20.00 just to watch this video.
😄True!
That's why you buy a couple really cheap guitars - they are perfect to practise some basic mods and setup skills on :)
DIY dude, its hardly brain surgery, and its a ton of fun!