Squier parts vs Fender parts...

knockbill

Lunatic Member
Do Fender Strat parts,,, neck plate,,, pick guards,,, bridge assembly,,, tuners,,, PUPs etc, fit Squier strats? Seems body and neck can be different...
I'm curious after I replaced the whammy bar arm on my IC Strat with a generic Squier arm... It took some "reworking" to get it to fit...
Thanks...
 
That was my guess also, but the Fender whammy bar is different thickness and thread than Squire,,, It was cheap, but I don't want to mess with more expensive parts if they won't fit or work right...
 
In many cases they are intentionally NOT interchangeable. Some of the imported Teles back in the day wouldn't even except the full size potentiometers from the US guitars without hogging out wood AND enlarging the holes in the control plate.
 
That's what I was afraid of,,, Not sure if Fender tuners are the same size(hole bore), extra screw holes etc?? I have my buddy's Jap Squire Strat HSS here, but its been modified, not much stock left on it... I think the pots and controls are the same size, tho... This one is SSS but is routed out for 2 humbuckers...
I'm more curious than anything,,, not expecting to put much money in this one, but its good to know what can exchange...
Seems a work-around for cheaper Squire tuners is to block the tremolo and eliminate the tremolo function... I tried it, and it stays in tune better...
 
I can tell you from experience that the majority of tuning problems are caused by improper string installation (including manually stretching the strings after installing), friction/binding in the nut slots, and on Strats in particular, poor machining /fit in the bridge-block/top-plate interface and at the saddles themselves.
Tuners are very rarely the culprit as backlash is nearly non-existent in modern worm-gear assemblies. A good, experienced set-up guy can take care of ALL of the above issues in between a 1/2 hour and a couple of hours. Generally the amount of time it takes is inversely proportional to the price of the guitar when new...
 
I've blocked the trems on Strats for people, and it's fine, but I think it loses some of the Stratocaster magic. I even like the 5 springs setup with the bridge plate tight to the top of the body (spring claw tightened down) better than the wood-blocked trem sound. All about what works best for your sound though, once the tuning issues are out of the way. Only a 1/2 dozen bands that can make out of tune work for my ears : )
 
You know,,, I've found that about the block also,,, this one is good for set up practice!!! I originally had it set up with the bridge tight but no block, and it had more sustain... I loosened it a little to try the tremolo but I really don't need it and find the bar gets in the way for me... Blocks' coming back out!! Thanks for the input!
 
Most Fender parts are interchangeable with Squire parts. Pickups and pots are no problem. Some Squier models are slightly thinner and won't accomodate a full size tremolo block but there are some aftermarket ones that will fit. The pickguards, sometimes but not always, have different screw patterns but you can drill and fill for that.

The cool thing about a Squier is that it's pretty easy to mod them into a pretty nice guitar. :thumbsup:
 
Last edited:
It really varies by series of guitar and by year sometimes, then there's also the oddball.

Tuners, terms and term bars are a crap shoot.

Not all Fender parts work on all Fenders, esp tuners.
 
I have a spare pick guard with a humbucker PU on it,,, That may be a trial project one day,,, but I'd like to see how good this one can sound before major mods... The only fault I see so far, is the 1,3, 5 switch positions have a little hum, not excessive, bit not welcome, either!!! 2 and 4 are summed with the middle (reverse wound??) PU so they are quiet... other than using a humbucker I haven't been able to filter it out...
 
Not much you can do about the single coil hum in those positions. Maybe move further away from the amp.
 
Yeah,, that's been my experience with any guitar and my amps,,, at first I thought it was the amps (homemade clones),, but after enough guys played them I figured it was the single PUPs,,, Just play louder and drown it out, I guess!!!
 
Yeah,, that's been my experience with any guitar and my amps,,, at first I thought it was the amps (homemade clones),, but after enough guys played them I figured it was the single PUPs,,, Just play louder and drown it out, I guess!!!

You can paint the control cavity with shielding paint and line the back side of the pickguard with copper foil shielding tape. It can make a significant difference. Also, while you're in there, install a 600V film cap between the string ground and the shielding (remove the existing ground wire). this will prevent electric shocks from microphones or reverse polarity wiring.
 
This one has a coat of shielding paint in the PU and control cavities, and alum tape/foil on the pick guard,,, however, I did think of copper tape in the cavities and pick guard... Copper tape is pretty expensive, so I put it off til I found out what I have here first,,, may be worth it!
Cap sounds like a death cap!! I'm a retired electrician,,, my amps don't get plugged into untested outlets!!!
Best upgrades I made on this so far was replacing cheap output jack, and noisy 5way switch... Its a slow process,, learnin as I go...
Thanks again for the input/help...
 
This one has a coat of shielding paint in the PU and control cavities, and alum tape/foil on the pick guard,,, however, I did think of copper tape in the cavities and pick guard... Copper tape is pretty expensive, so I put it off til I found out what I have here first,,, may be worth it!
Cap sounds like a death cap!! I'm a retired electrician,,, my amps don't get plugged into untested outlets!!!
Best upgrades I made on this so far was replacing cheap output jack, and noisy 5way switch... Its a slow process,, learnin as I go...
Thanks again for the input/help...

Sounds like the shielding is taken care of.

The cap protects against OTHER peoples stuff being wonky, even if your stuff is right. Like PA's at bars or bad XLR cables on mics. I played with a bass player that used to get a kick out of asking me to turn his amp up. Aluminum knobs on the amp... : ) Good times...
 
Update,,, Still playing with this guitar,,, not sure if its gettin better or I am,,, but all the guys that played it like it a lot...

I revisited the "new" whammy bar I got for it, as the original was rusty,,, found it to have a bit of thread slop in the block... A bit of research shows that the real Fender Strats, have a stiff little spring and a ball bearing in the block hole to keep the whammy bar where you set it, but easily re positioned... Rather than ordering a sack of springs and the balls,,, I used a piece of insulation off a wire (8-10 gauge or so), and dropped it in the hole to snug up the lever,,, seems to work well so far,,, if I find a proper size ball bearing, (maybe a BB would work), it can go between the lever and the insulation...
Nice little guitar, fun to play and work on!!!!!
 
Last edited:
Back
Top Bottom