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Hello-
I picked up a "crafted in China" Squier Affinity strat this weekend
for next to nothing. Of all of them in the store, it was the one that
actually felt decent, had a straight neck, and sounded pretty good.
I've been trying to find setup information on the web, there doesn't
seem to be much as pertains to surf sounds (like there is for
jaguars).
I got this guitar to have a cheap spare dedicated to surf as I save up
for a nicer one. Are there suggested "mandatory" mods? Is it worth
replacing pickups? Can I teach myself to set the action and
intonation, or should I find a guitar tech (suggestions around Long
Beach? )? Is a cheap guitar like this even worth messing with?
It seems that having the pickup selector all the way down, that is,
only the bridge pickup, and both the tone knobs all the way "up"
produces the surfiest tone. Any other ideas here?
It sounds really nice, but I already notice it doesnt stay in tune
very well, especially after (very light) tremolo use. I suppose the
nut is cheap plastic and that is a major culprit. Oil it? File it?
Replace it? The tuners are probably junk too, though they do claim to
be made of "die cast metal".
Came with fender strings, which seem poorly reviewed. Suggestions for
replacements? Daddario flatwounds seem well-regarded. Opinion on
guages for a cheap strat like this?
I've had a few electric guitars in the past but never learned to
properly set them up, they were always fine for me. I would like to
learn to do it on my own, so I guess I wonder if I should have it done
by a pro to know what is "right", or if I should just tinker with it
on my own.
Sorry for the 101 questions, seems like this list is really
SurfGuitar501!!! (thats a complement)
Thanks yall
rob
long beach
Hey man, I don't wanna crap in your canoe but the
Affinity Strat that I had a long time ago wasn't much
good. It sounded really thin and never stayed in
tune; and it was a hardtail. It's probably not
exactly the same as your current one though. To be
honest, unless a guitar is a keeper, I don't think
it's worth it to invest in aftermarket parts. A good
setup will probably do you good though, and it's worth
the price (or trouble if you do it yourself) of a good
setup to see what the guitar's really like. You can
read up on how to do it on Fender's Mr. Gearhead site.
Basic setups are not hard to do. You won't be doing
a perfect job but you won't be spending $40 either.
Get a little graphite or some petroleum jelly (or
both) and lube the nut and the witness points at the
saddle for the strings. Heavier strings always stay
in tune better but I wouldn't go past 11's to start
with.
Richard
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