Anyone Use Guitar Fetish Hardware?

[James299]

I just joined this forum and I have a question for you all. I'm planning on doing some major upgrading to my mexican strat and I was looking at hardware (trem bridge, tuners, pickup and electronic parts) on guitarfetish.com and it seems to be very cheap, and I was just wondering if any of it's worth getting. Anybody here use any of it? What do you guys think?

 

[ZMAN]

I have not used any of their parts but I think that if you went with their stuff it might be a step down. I would say that the MIM hardware would be at least equivalent to, or better than their stuff. What year is your Strat?
If it is 2006 or newer it will have a lot of upgrades already. If you are going to replace hardware I would say you will be wasting your money unless you go to better quality hardware or electronics. The MIMs are pretty well equipped from Fender.

 

[Bloozcat]

Welcome aboard James299! How about dropping by The Fret Players forum to introduce yourself to everyone and post a short bio.

I've used quite a bit of GFS stuff over the last few years. It runs from very good/good deal to just ok and even not worth buying depending on what the item is.

The tremolo with the steel block that would fit your MIM Strat is just ok (I tried one on an SX guitar). Other than the steel block it comes with, nothing else is really what I'd call an "upgrade". IMHO, you'd be better off just buying the steel trem block for $20.99 and the SS bridge saddles for $11.95. This way you'd be getting better saddles than either tremolo has, and the steel block that is the real upgrade in the GFS tremolo. The Wilkinson Vintage style tremolo w/steel block is a very good tremolo and a great deal, however, it won't fit the string spacing on your MIM Strat. I have 3-4 of these trems.

The Wilkinson/Kluson style tuners are very good and look great as an upgrade for that "vintage" look. You can also get the Kluson/Gotoh vintage style tuners for around the same price as the Wilkinsons from Warmoth.com.

The GFS pickups run from pretty good to fair depending on which set you're looking at. Many people swear by them, but that has to be taken in context. They're definitely well below real custom wound pickups and just a tier below many of the top name after market pickups...although some GFS pickups will give the Big Boys a run for their money (and some even sound better?). Good bang for the buck, but there are others in that category too like Tonerider, Nico, Artec/Giovanni (if you can still find them).

I wouldn't recommend the GFS 3 or 5-way Tele/Strat switches. You're better off with CRL or Oak Grigsby. The ALPHA pots that GFS sells are good pots but most here (myself included) prefer CTS.

I can direct you to sites where the mentioned parts/pickups can be found for you to look at.

 

[Eric]

I think Blooz covered it pretty well. I'm always tempted by GFS parts, and once in awhile there's a good deal there (e.g. their Marvel strap locks are cheaper than some places), but mostly it's a lot of bluster and impressive descriptions for average stuff.

I decided a little while ago that, outside of pickups, I don't think I'm going to order much more from guitarfetish. They're a good consolidated resource for stuff you might need, but when I get the items, while they're usually OK, they don't quite live up to my expectations.

I say all of this as a true-blooded cheap *** too, just so you know.

 

[Commodore 64]

I've used a lipstick pickup from GFS, their strat rewire kit, a wilkensen vintage compensated tele bridge, a tele switch, and a pickguard.

Lipstick Pick-Up: Seems fine, but the thin film protective coating on it was so hard to remove. I mean MADDENLY hard to remove. I mean so hard to remove what I wouldn't buy another one. Seriously.

Strat Rewire Kit: Seemed fine to me. A lot of folks don't like the PCB type switches. They don't bother me.

Wilkensen Bridge: As advertised. Can't get my A string even close to intonating though, had to split the difference between the E and A.

Tele Switch: Black plastic switch cap doesn't stay on for ****. Annoyed.

Mint Green PG: Looks nice, very happy with the color. The control plate route was off. Could just be my guitar, and it was an easy fix with a dremel (stuck the new PG to original with double sided tape and then used a grinding drum to match the contour).

 

[FrankenFretter]

Welcome! As has already been said here, GFS stuff is a bit hit and miss. As Eric said, their strap locks are actually Marvel locks, and they work great. For $10 that's hard to beat. I've had decent results from the pickups, but nothing too outstanding. I have a set of their Power Rails in my Schecter, and they sound pretty darn good. Good meaty low end, but still bright enough for me. I also have their VEH (Vintage Extra Hot) pickups in my Agile LP. I don't think they're quite the pickups they're hyped to be, but they do sound good. I'd say average good though, not noticeably fantastic. The Strat pickguard I bought from them is still sitting on my workbench waiting for me to install it in my SX Strat; I need to rout out the control cavity a bit to compensate for the larger pots. In said pickguard are the GFS Texas Premium pickups. I have yet to hear what they sound like. I did install a set of Wilkinson tuners on that same SX Strat, and it was a big improvement over stock. Their cables also seem pretty decent, although I only have the short pedal board jumpers.

Hope that helps!

 

[hubberjub]

I've never ordered anything from them but I hear the owner of the company is an excellent person to deal with. Very customer service oriented.

 

[street music]

Most of everything that I have bought from GFS has been at least as good or better than what comes in most Fender SQuiers , so that being said it is good for what money you pay.

 

[James299]

Thanks

Thanks guys. I think I'll look at higher end stuff. Anyone have any recommendations for places or brands? I don't want to spend too much, somewhere between $150 and $200 would be great. I already have Lace Sensor Gold (SSS setup) pickups, but I want to change the bridge to a humbucker so I can a better van halen sound. I'm mainly looking to change the tuners, sustain block, trem and nut, since my guitar does not stay in tune at all, the stock tuners are absolute trash and the nut pinches really badly, even after I filed it. I was looking at the "VEH" pickup guitarfetish has and people seem to like it for the most part, but maybe there's something better. Plus I need something that compliments the Lace ones nicely, so I don't know. Thanks for all the help guys, you saved me some disappointment.

 

[Commodore 64]

You might check Wymore guitars. THey are going out of business, but historically have been a good supplier. You might get a decent discount.

http://www.wymoreguitars.com/

 

[Bloozcat]

Thanks guys. I think I'll look at higher end stuff. Anyone have any recommendations for places or brands? I don't want to spend too much, somewhere between $150 and $200 would be great. I already have Lace Sensor Gold (SSS setup) pickups, but I want to change the bridge to a humbucker so I can a better van halen sound. I'm mainly looking to change the tuners, sustain block, trem and nut, since my guitar does not stay in tune at all, the stock tuners are absolute trash and the nut pinches really badly, even after I filed it. I was looking at the "VEH" pickup guitarfetish has and people seem to like it for the most part, but maybe there's something better. Plus I need something that compliments the Lace ones nicely, so I don't know. Thanks for all the help guys, you saved me some disappointment.

You'll have to check for which value pots are best for the Fender Lace Sensor's. If you add a humbucker to the mix, you'll have to decide which value pots you're going to use for your volume and tone. Then it also depends on the wiring scheme you use as well. If you move the middle pickup tone control to the bridge pickup (where it's more useful), you can use a 500k pot for that tone control and a 250k pot for the other tone pot that's on the neck pickup. If you do this then the one capacitor that's on both tone pots in a std. wiring scheme, can be split to provide seperate caps for each tone control that are better suited for each pickup (like a .022uf for the bridge and a .010uf for the neck). Some people choose to go with a 500k volume pot, but some go with a compromise volume pot at around 333k-ohms (achieved by soldering a 1-meg resistor across the two outside terminal on a 500k-ohm pot).

Sounds complicated, but it really isn't. Especially when you see it drawn out.

I'd still recommend going with the GFS steel trem block and their SS bridge saddles. Gets you what you need at a bargain price.

Guitar Fetish solid steel tremolo block $20.95
http://store.guitarfetish.com/upstandbrtrb.html
Guitar Fetish Upgrade SS bridge saddles $11.95

Tuners are your choice, both are good and reasonably priced.

http://store.guitarfetish.com/upststsafitr.html
Wilkinson Fender style (Kluson) tuners $26.95
http://store.guitarfetish.com/wiklstnitusi.html

Gotoh/Kluson Vintage style tuners, $30.00
http://www.warmoth.com/Gotoh-Vintage-Style-Tuners-C728.aspx

Where I buy my pots, switches, hardware, etc. Mostly AllParts stuff, but at a discounted price. Hank at IMS has always been great to deal with in my experiences.

http://www.internetmusicsupply.com
CTS 250k pot # EP-0085-000 $3.94
CTS 500k pot # EP-0086-000 $3.94
https://www.internetmusicsupply.com/Cat3a_list.asp
CRL 5-way Switch for Strat EP-0076-000 $8.59
Oak Grigsby 5-way switch for Strat EP-0478-000 $7.52
https://www.internetmusicsupply.com/Cat3a_list.asp

I forgot to mention capacitors. For standard applications on Fenders, I use Sprague Orange Drop 715P's, usually in .022uf and .010uf as previously mentioned. Get the lowest voltage rating you can to keep the physical size at a minimum ((around 100v). I buy them several at a time when I'm placing a general electronics order from here:
http://www.mouser.com

 

[Tig]

I'll recommend their brass tremolo block for Stratocasters. I also like the roller string trees they sell.

 

[sumitomo]

I'll second the trem stuff and I've used the neck plate/screws and I also buy cases of strings and they work/sound great.Sumi

 

[ZMAN]

As I mentioned before, if the guitar is from 2006 to date, the MIM has and upgraded larger solid block. What year is the guitar?

 

[Bloozcat]

As I mentioned before, if the guitar is from 2006 to date, the MIM has and upgraded larger solid block. What year is the guitar?

Solid, yes, but are you sure it's not still zinc? I have a solid block at home that looks just like the steel ones, but it's zinc.

That would be great if it is steel. From what I understand the MIM now come with the CTS pots. I don't know about the 5-way switch.

 

[DeanEVO_Dude]

You might check Wymore guitars. THey are going out of business, but historically have been a good supplier. You might get a decent discount.

http://www.wymoreguitars.com/

Hey, thanks for the link... Just ordered some OrangeDrops from them. Got several of each value they had left, to test out. Preparing to rewire my Strat with a 3-ply, fully shielded one (has 1-ply, cavity-shielding now).

 

[deeaa]

Won't make any difference if its zinc or or whatever. At least I won't believe it does until I get real proof on the contrary.

 

[Bloozcat]

Won't make any difference if its zinc or or whatever. At least I won't believe it does until I get real proof on the contrary.

Hearing is believing, and I've heard it. More than once, too. Same guitar, same everything...except a steel trem block in place of the zinc block.

Now as to the "whose steel trem block is the best sounding" arguement, I'm dubious that there is much if any difference. Cold rolled, 1018, lead free steel is all pretty much the same. Not exactly the same as the molecular structure can differ from one batch to another, but it's all close enough as to make no difference in relation to the tone of a trem block. Maybe a dog could hear a difference in frequency, but a human? I doubt it.

 

[Commodore 64]

Hey, thanks for the link... Just ordered some OrangeDrops from them. Got several of each value they had left, to test out. Preparing to rewire my Strat with a 3-ply, fully shielded one (has 1-ply, cavity-shielding now).

Did you get the discount code? You can get 30% off. I just ordered 18 orange drops, an SD Hot Rails Bridge PuP, an allparts vintage tremolo (with full size block)and a PG for less than 90 bucks, shipped.

 

[deeaa]

Ok, if you say so, I'll believe it has an effect, but still dubious of how large one...yeah, I'd love to A/B as I have a couple of strats and never even checked the block with keen eye, but I'm quite sure they're zinc alloy. At least they are quite matt and dull gray, not shiny or clean. Maybe I'll try one myself...and make sure I record plenty clips and tests both before and after.

 

[sumitomo]

Deeaa it truly does make a difference,I'm a witiness,I put a steel one in my SX strat and I can play it unplugged and hear it,where before it sounded muffled and it does carry that trait plugged in too.Sumi

 

[Tig]

Deeaa it truly does make a difference,I'm a witiness,I put a steel one in my SX strat and I can play it unplugged and hear it,where before it sounded muffled and it does carry that trait plugged in too.Sumi

Going from the stock small zinc to the full sized brass tremolo block made my CV 50's Strat much louder unplugged, and a slight bit more sustain plugged in. I suggest everyone who has a Squier do the same.

 

[DeanEVO_Dude]

Did you get the discount code? You can get 30% off. I just ordered 18 orange drops, an SD Hot Rails Bridge PuP, an allparts vintage tremolo (with full size block)and a PG for less than 90 bucks, shipped.

No, I didn't... Wish I had, but still, only ordered caps ($17 shipped), got some Alpha pots and some Kluson tuners for my Stagg commin' from a few sellers off eBay. Gonna rewire the Strat and gotta replace my pots in the Dean. Gonna have the soldering iron out next weekend :thumbsup and play!

 

[deeaa]

Going from the stock small zinc to the full sized brass tremolo block made my CV 50's Strat much louder unplugged, and a slight bit more sustain plugged in. I suggest everyone who has a Squier do the same.

Well that does it...I simply must try it now. And will make clips and tests too. The only problem is...do they vary a lot? Is there a standard to how the block is attached?

Because I have absolutely NO idea what are the trems in my strats, nada. I'm pretty sure the Squier Classic Vibe has a standard trem that belongs to it, but absolutely no idea about the other one. It most likely has all the parts from different tremolos too so there's no telling what it is.

So I think I need to go look for what options do I have...any ideas welcome!

 

[grungeiceman]

thx

Awsome links by the way there going to come in handy

 

[deeaa]

Hm, seems hard indeed to figure out what kind of a block might I need. Doesn't seem like there are any options for regular vintage style bridges....although the bridges themselves come in various widths, maybe the blocks are always the same.

If I understand correctly, an Allparts steel block costs $55 though, plus freight plus custom...that's like almost what I paid for the whole guitar

I really do doubt however it'll make a hundred bucks worth of difference. If it doesn't really make a much of a difference if I let the tremolo float or wedge it down tight with a big piece of iron or wood, how could changing just the material of the block affect the sound so much? I don't know. I just doubt it still. But in any case I need to find one cheaper locally to try it, no way I'll shell out a hundred bucks for one...especially since I'm not all too sure if it will fit my axe OK.

 

[Tig]

The sizes vary, so measure twice!
For my Squier CV, I used the Import 10.5 mm, which works perfectly except for the arm alignment of the block and tremolo plate don't line up. I don't use the tremolo much, so it doesn't bother me, but I'll machine the plate's hole if I want to attach the arm.
Maybe the MiM 10.5 might line up better, but I'd confirm that before ordering.

 

[deeaa]

Thanks for the excellent pics!

Luckily it can be measured without dismantling anything. Mine seems to be 11.3 so the 'USA' variety. Good, so now just need to start asking around where to get one.

I don't care about the trem arm either, actually mine broke in 2 years ago, never bothered to try and pry the bit out so in that sense it can only improve

 

[deeaa]

I found a place where I can score an usa-spaced steel block for roughly forty bux. I'll get it when I get the next paycheck, provided I can pay off my Visa debt by then

The more I think about it the more sense it makes for the block to make an actual difference, dubious as I always am. It is after all one of the end points of the string, and I always believed just about the biggest effect to an electric's string sound comes from anything directly attached to the strings, i.e. string angles at both ends, scale, saddle and nut material&cut bridge type in general...so now I'm starting to expect some differences actually.

 

[Bloozcat]

Here's a place that has the AllParts USA spaced steel trem block for $28.64 USD. Of course, there's the shipping cost, import duties, and whatever:

http://www.internetmusicsupply.com/

The AllParts steel trem block is made like the original 50's/60's Fender trem blocks with the shallow recess holes for the string ends.