Squier '51 Reflections

[marnold]

Since I'm modding my Squier '51, I was perusing the old posts from when I first got mine. I also came across the thread where Robert first got his. I know that quite a few Fretters got one back in the day. How many still have theirs? Have you "modded" it in any way?

The serial number on mine indicates that it was assembled in July of 2005. Seems hard to believe that it will be 8 this summer. Almost vintage!

 

[Eric]

Why was everyone saying these were the deal of a lifetime in those other threads? I quit reading some of the banter, but there was a lot of hype about the value on this guitar.

Maybe I'm overlooking something, but what's the deal? It looks like another guitar from where I'm sitting. I suppose it could have very nice construction or something, but...what's the deal?

 

[marnold]

Remember that this was before (or the beginning of, my memory is a bit sketchy) the Squier Vintage Modified era. I think we're kind of used to Squiers now being pretty nice guitars for the money. That you could get something that was good for $150 (later $129 and $99), was rather surprising. Lots of people used them as modding platforms, spawning the Squier '51 modders' forum which had a lot of activity back in the day.

 

[Eric]

That makes sense. Stuff is becoming cheaper and better all of the time.

 

[Spudman]

Still have mine. Other than having all of the Black Crowes sign it, I have added a chrome humbucker ring. If I didn't have all the signatures on it I'd play it more often.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

I remember them, and a super duper blow out deal I missed. Seems like a long time ago now!

 

[markb]

I had one but only ever used it for one number where both pickups together had just the right sound. I sold it to a guy on tdpri. A nice concept though and good to see Fender doing more than reissuing their past.

 

[guitarhack]

I have mine, which was already modded with tele pickups by the previous owner, but came with the originals and the case. I still play it pretty often.

 

[cebreez]

I gave mine to my son after swapping the white pickguard for a black one on the burst. Didn't care for it. Didn't like the dry fat neck. Prefer mine thin and polished. Never got a very good range on the pickups. They were pretty loud though. And the body is made from some kind of MDF. Good platform for honing your modding skills or playing with different aftermarket addons but other than that it never saw even 5 minutes of rehearsal time much less gigging with it.

All that being said!!!!! I do like it and other than giving it to my son I would not let go of it.

 

[marnold]

The bodies aren't MDF. They're solid basswood. Several people have stripped them down completely. I can see a tiny bit of the typical odd colored basswood wood grain through my finish.

 

[cebreez]

<RANT ALERT!>

Sorry marnold. When it comes to a guitar body it might as well be MDF. I can't stand basswood either. I'm sure its probably just me but I swear I can hear a distinct difference in the way they sound. To me they feel cheap and sound cheap. Like I said probably just me. I have been building furniture for many years and the brief time I had the pickguard off I would have swore it was MDF but then again it was way too light for plywood.

<END OF RANT>

I really do not mind it being basswood either. I knew it was cheap when I bought from MF for $99. It really surprised me when I got it. Plays and sounds much better than I expected.

 

[marnold]

You don't have to apologize. Basswood is probably one of the most polarizing woods in guitar building. Some despise it because it just says "cheap" to them and it is very soft. I can't imagine making furniture out of it--at least furniture that you wanted to last. The grain is usually pretty ugly too. However, a good number of the high-end shredder guitars are made of basswood. It's probably not my favorite wood because of how soft it is. The weight varies a lot, though. Normally it's quite light. My old Fender Showmaster was feather light. On the other hand, my Charvel Model 7 weighed a ton. It was by far the heaviest guitar I've ever owned.

From what I understand, basswood grows quickly and is readily available, which makes it a good choice for guitar bodies, especially if sustainability is a concern (which it almost assuredly will be).

FWIW, I just had to do the toothpick and glue trick where the control cavity screws into the body. The screws did not want to screw in tightly anymore. Oddly enough, all the pickguard screws go in and stay in just fine. To my ears, my '51 sounds better and louder acoustically than my alder-bodied Jackson does. The Jackson's floating licensed Floyd probably has more than a little bit to do with that. The Jackson's neck is also much thinner.

 

[Eric]

I think poplar is also a real fast-growing tree, so that might be seen more in the future if sustainability becomes of a concern. I'd like to see bamboo too - I think first act made a bamboo guitar once.

 

[cebreez]

Yeah but with "basswood" I cant do this!

And I really want to do this!!

 

[cebreez]

I think poplar is also a real fast-growing tree, so that might be seen more in the future if sustainability becomes of a concern. I'd like to see bamboo too - I think first act made a bamboo guitar once.

I don't mind poplar. May lack the resonance claimed with basswood but climbs the durability scale considerably. Nice even grain that handles a finish well. Not the prettiest grain but you can luck up on some nice pieces. Just has to be worked before it gets too dry. Becomes unworkably brittle. The only bamboo I ever used was in blinds and seen some in some tiki furniture. "Would like to see what could be does with compressed epoxy impregnated cork." (Just thought I'd throw that out there) :digit