I've got an old Squier Strat that a friend gave me...I know, beginner guitar, but I love it. It's a very solid guitar and it's been dialed in perfectly; the action is better than any guitar I've ever played and the neck and fretboard are very fast. The only advantage I'd get by buying a better guitar is better sound, obviously. Not that it is a bad-sounding guitar by any means, but most of us are familiar with those crappy single-coil pickups they come with.

So instead of shelling out for an expensive guitar I've decided just to get some new pickups. I use my electric mostly for metal styles, so I figured I'd just get an HB bridge pickup. My question to you is this: should I get one that is designed to fit in the old Strat single-coil slots, or should I get a new face plate and go with the more standard hum buckers? My friend told me that Carvin sells face plates already fitted with HB pickups, all I'd have to do is solder the new connections to the jack and screw the sucker on.

Any recommendations for good pickups and pickup setups I could use for this guitar would be much appreciated.

8/9/2006 2:29:28 PM

quadruple humbuckers

8/9/2006 2:45:10 PM

sure, if someone wants to sponsor some future talent and buy them for me

8/9/2006 2:45:54 PM

don't waste your money, it's a squier.

8/9/2006 2:45:59 PM

i know, i know

but honestly...i've played a lot of better guitars and i really do prefer the feel of mine. maybe i'm just used to it, but my friend that gave it to me spent a lot of time on it and i've maintained it since...it's a great playing guitar, and i don't really want to abandon it. besides, i don't really have the money for a new guitar, pickups will suffice for now

8/9/2006 2:47:56 PM

also, while i've got noone's attention, what's a good metal distortion petal? I have the pretty standard Boss Metal Zone mt-2, which I like, but I'm looking for another sound to change it up a little.

8/9/2006 2:56:05 PM

chord------------------>amp

8/9/2006 3:01:41 PM

my amp distortion is awesome as well, but it's a little harder to press a channel button while playing than it is to step on a pedal

8/9/2006 3:02:31 PM

Most amps have an optional footswitch you can buy to change channels, distortion, etc.

8/9/2006 3:15:43 PM

true.. point being, i want a new pedal

8/9/2006 3:19:42 PM

I'd get the mini-humbucker.

It's a Squire.

8/9/2006 3:20:28 PM

8/9/2006 3:22:17 PM

who cares about it being a squier? People who are stupid love to get snobby about retarded shit. if the feel is perfect for you, the only other thing that's wrong with it will be the factory pickups. The fact that it's not handmade using the most select pieces of wood isn't going to affect the sound so long as the neck is level and the action is set properly.

Also, if you go for a standard HB, a faceplate may not be enough depending on how old the squier is. I think the new ones come pre-routed to fit either the single coil or a humbucker, but if not, you'll have to do some woodwork to make it fit.

They do make humbuckers that have the same form factor as a single coil, but they don't have that meaty sound you get with a wide HB.

8/9/2006 3:49:38 PM

i recommend digitech pedals. i currently screw around with an rp-80 that i picked up second hand for $30. its nothing high tech, but its got enough effects on it for it to be practical for practice. the rp-300 is a great pedal if you're looking for more professional stuff.

[Edited on August 9, 2006 at 6:08 PM. Reason : ^]

8/9/2006 6:08:10 PM

Man don't sweat playing a squire. If you like it, you like it.

A Seymore Duncan Hotrails humbucker will fit right into the bridge position with no cutting. It'd take you 20 minutes if you know how to use a soldering iron already. 30 if not.

8/9/2006 7:14:00 PM

yeah, just get one of those stacked single coil humbuckers

win-win

8/9/2006 8:00:21 PM

Here's a question: how do you wire a humbucker in where a single-coil went? It has two outputs instead of the one.

8/9/2006 8:07:47 PM

i agree, if you like the guitar and it keeps you playing, who cares what thet headstock says.

does the squire line only come with a 3 position switch? if so, and you want to save a little money, you can put in a 5 postition switch. that will allow you to play the neck and middle pickups at the same time and the middle+bridge at the same time. it still won't sound like a les paul, but it will sound meatier and buck most of the hum, depending on how well its shielded.

can't comment on the pedals. been playing ~15 years and with the exception of a wah, never got into the effects pedals.

8/9/2006 11:17:21 PM

full size humbucker beats a mini bucker any day (my opinion). get a full size JB in the bitch. was the squire made in japan or korea? i have a korean telecaster that sounds like shit but im working on it, but my japan squire(1997ish) is decent if not great. ask layton. pedal wise i just got a new toneworks multi that suits me quite well. if not go with boss anything.

8/9/2006 11:38:11 PM

the japanese squiers are the best squiers you can get. They actually have more value than mexican strats. I think the cheapest (shittiest) squiers are the ones made in china.

8/9/2006 11:52:37 PM

the humbuckers on my Peavey T-40 are pretty awesome...they give me alot of variety, especially paired with the control scheme



the top switch is a 3-way pickup selecter switch (neck/both/bridge)

the four knobs are a tone and volume control for each pickup

the bottom switch is a phase switch that throws the bridge pickup out of phase...it comes in handy sometimes with certain effects



also, i can switch the pickups from humbucker to single coil mode with the tone control.....from 1-3 is single coil, and 4-10 is humbucker

BRILLIANT


if i remember correctly, the Peavey T-60 guitar has pretty much the exact same setup

8/10/2006 1:03:01 AM

I'm probably going to go with something like, if not exactly, this: http://www.carvin.com/products/single.php?ItemNumber=AG2P&CID=GTR/K

i get some good carvin components and the full size bridge humbucker, and it all comes pre-fab The C22B is also a good choice for me, it's got a fat bottom-end response as well as some high-end definition.

[Edited on August 10, 2006 at 1:14 AM. Reason : specs http://www.carvin.com/pickups/]

8/10/2006 1:12:25 AM

dont the pickups descend into the body a little bit? if they do, that humbucker wouldnt fit without some body routing

what about one of these bad boys?


[Edited on August 10, 2006 at 1:23 AM. Reason : s]

8/10/2006 1:21:23 AM

Have you taken the pickguard off before? It's possible that since it's a cheap Squier it's got a full rectangular rout underneath instead of three single coil slots. If so, I'd go with a Duncan JB. It's simple pickup that sounds great. Duncan might make a single coil-sized JB, but I know for a fact that the Duncan Hot Rails is a nice pickup that will fit in that slot. Personally, I gave up on humbuckers a few years ago and use P-90s almost exclusively. If you don't mind routing out for the full size humbuckers, you can try the Gibson P-94 or the DiMarzio Bastard, both of which are decent humbucker-sized P-90s.

8/10/2006 3:02:33 AM

yeah, it's got a large area cutout under the pick guard, so fitting any size/combination of pickups won't be a problem (only issue will be shaping the guard itself). I'll look into those pickups, thanks for the suggestions

why the switch from humbucker to p90?

8/10/2006 3:12:07 AM

Compared to P-90s, humbuckers, even the hottest ones, are tame. I love the grit and sparkle you can get with a P-90 that just doesn't happen with a humbucker, even a clearer one like the JB.

I don't use P-90s exclusively, but the only other pickups I use regularly are Danelectro lipstick tubes and the OEM pickups that came in my beat-to-shit '66 Mustang. The Mustang has a really transparent sound for an electric, and the Dano pickups just roar.

8/10/2006 3:34:27 AM

I might just get that carvin setup to begin with and see how I like it. that price isn't bad at all for that stuff, and later on I can replace the bridge humbucker with something like a p90 if I'm not satisfied with it. I'm not a pro or anything, so I'll just go a step at a time and grow with it.

8/10/2006 12:01:26 PM

If you're not particularly fond of the stock pickups, there's no reason not to go with one of the drop-in Carvin pickguards. I did forget to mention, however, that the one guitar I still use that has a humbucker in it is an SG that only has a JB in the bridge, a volume knob, and a kill switch. I ripped everything else out because the JB is a pretty dynamic little pickup for most uses.

8/10/2006 12:34:13 PM

Quote :

"who cares about it being a squier? People who are stupid love to get snobby about retarded shit. if the feel is perfect for you, the only other thing that's wrong with it will be the factory pickups. The fact that it's not handmade using the most select pieces of wood isn't going to affect the sound so long as the neck is level and the action is set properly. "

thats simply not true. the sound comes from more then just the pickups. wood, design, and craftsmanship do play into the sound of a guitar.

im not saying he should buy a new guitar, im just saying that more goes into a guitar's sound than pickups.

[Edited on August 10, 2006 at 12:36 PM. Reason : g]

8/10/2006 12:34:25 PM

^ While that's true in theory, unless you've seen this particular guitar there's no comment to be made. In the '80s and early '90s, the Fender guitars made in Japan were vastly superior to those made in America. I remember going into the Music Loft when it was still just off of Wake Forest Road and playing practically every Strat in the place...the one with the nicest sound and feel was Korean.

8/10/2006 12:36:54 PM

how does the type of wood affect the sound in an electric guitar?

From a physics perspective, I don't see how.

8/10/2006 12:39:19 PM

here's a pretty indepth guide to different woods and sounds...it touches on some of the physics about it:

http://www.jemsite.com/jem/wood.htm

Quote :

" While that's true in theory, unless you've seen this particular guitar there's no comment to be made. In the '80s and early '90s, the Fender guitars made in Japan were vastly superior to those made in America. I remember going into the Music Loft when it was still just off of Wake Forest Road and playing practically every Strat in the place...the one with the nicest sound and feel was Korean."

i agree...and like i said, im not telling him to get a new guitar. i was just pointing out that the sound of a guitar comes from a number of different factors...not just pickups. i personally love the sound of my 73 fat head jap strat.

[Edited on August 10, 2006 at 12:43 PM. Reason : df]

[Edited on August 10, 2006 at 12:44 PM. Reason : df]

8/10/2006 12:43:22 PM

yea fuck the haters

ive had a squire strat for years and it feels better in my hands than the $700 ibanez i have

swing by harry's guitar shop and talk to one of the techs....they will get you set up right

8/10/2006 12:47:46 PM

^^

now this one is pretty badass:

http://www.kettering.edu/~drussell/guitars/index.html

[Edited on August 10, 2006 at 1:23 PM. Reason : ag]

8/10/2006 1:22:38 PM

Quote :

"Swamp Ash"

8/10/2006 1:28:18 PM

^^^when i went to Harry's everybody in there were assholes and seemed like they just wanted to shoot the shit about how they rocked out in the 70s.

8/10/2006 1:36:52 PM

yeah, i was never found of Harry's when I lived in raleigh.

8/10/2006 1:39:47 PM

Everyone has their own opinion about the techs around here. Personally, I like both Pee Wee and Greg at Harry's and Mike at Fat Sound (if he's still there, haven't been in quite some time). Find a guy you like and trust and roll with him, no matter which shop he's at.

8/11/2006 3:18:32 AM

Quote :

"how they rocked out in the 70s"

[Edited on August 11, 2006 at 3:34 AM. Reason : ]

8/11/2006 3:34:25 AM

harrys is good. there is another guy locally that works out of his basement that is amazing and cheap. i forget his name atm >.<. Our lead guitarist drops anything off that we need done and i just pay him back since its right near his house.

i can try and find out his contact info. he installed my EMGs and did a great job. and has done all of the work on our bands amps, guitars etc

8/11/2006 5:53:17 AM

^yea, if you could find his contact info, that would be great. I think it's about time I need to take my Marshall for a service. Haven't got it serviced in like 4 years.

8/11/2006 8:08:50 AM

I need to get the action lowered on my acoustic... Harry's or Fat Sound or someone else?

8/11/2006 10:19:07 AM

^what kind of acoustic?

8/11/2006 12:00:03 PM

takamine G series, forget the exact model.

8/11/2006 12:02:09 PM

Quote :

"^^^when i went to Harry's everybody in there were assholes and seemed like they just wanted to shoot the shit about how they rocked out in the 70s."

The people at Harry's have been, in my experience, the nicest guys at any music shop in Raleigh. They don't all reek of douchebag like the people at Guitar Center.

8/11/2006 12:15:16 PM

guitar center is the best buy or circuit city of musical instruments.

its staffed by people who really don't know what they are talking about.

8/11/2006 12:35:11 PM

Quote :

"guitar center is the best buy or circuit city of musical instruments. its staffed by people who really don't know what they are talking about."

i agree

try this:
http://www.indoorstorm.com/
the guy who runs this shop is the same guy who used to run the music loft back when it was on wake forrest road (and for a while after they moved to capital). i think his name is eddie. i haven't been in the market for a guitar in a long time, so i never went by his new store after they sold the music loft to guitar center. but i remember he was a great guy and was genuinly interested in help you out.

8/11/2006 7:10:07 PM

^they've got some nice shit in that store

8/11/2006 7:15:36 PM

Fuck all this nonsense. Just buy Guitar Hero.

8/11/2006 11:59:48 PM

sam ash and indoor storm are both decent options for talking to people. our drummer has worked at both :p

The guy's "store" is Mad Science. I will try and get his contact info. You could at least give him a call and get a pricecheck. I give my word hes a pro and usually goes the extra mile when needed without excessive charge.

edit: Mad Science Works - 919-848-8257 I found that number off of harry's site (harry's recommended this guy to our lead guitarist one time for something extensive he wanted done on his custom ibanez)

if that number isnt current i can let you know sunday when im back in town probably. he has done everything from install pickups in my guitar that needed a lot of body work to completely taking my amp head apart and repairing it

8/12/2006 12:33:05 AM