Black Friday / Cyber Monday PAS Deal: Squier Classic Vibe 60's Strat Project (Pic Heavy)

J

Joben Magooch

Well-known member
So, like many others, I too managed to snag a good deal in the great PAS Black Friday/Cyber Monday Squier Blowout (whatever we are calling it...).
Kind of a roundabout process for me, though. I wasn't very familiar with PAS as a company at first, so I decided to buy through their eBay store to have some additional protections. I bid on both a Lake Placid Blue and a Candy Apple Red 60's Strat with what I thought was a pretty low offer. I expected to haggle up from where I'd started...but they actually accepted both. Not wanting to take a ding on my account or whatever I went ahead and bought both.

Initially my plan was to try them both out and then sell whichever one I liked less. Truthfully neither was a standout clear winner, so I figured I'd just list both for sale and keep whichever one didn't sell. Well, someone locally made me an offer for both. I wasn't really trying to "flip" them for profit but it was an "offer you can't refuse" type of thing, so I took it and sold both...and then turned around and ordered another one in CAR (I decided I liked its color a bit more after seeing both in person).

So here you have it.

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It was listed as "open box," but like others have found it almost seems like they literally just opened the box so that it could be listed as such. I don't know man, weird. No scratches or wear anywhere that I can see, all the protective plastic's still on it...even a "floor" or "demo" would typically show a little more wear. It seems brand new to me. The neck is a pretty decent shade if you ask me. I've said it before but I don't typically mind laurel fretboards unless they're super light, then it doesn't look right to me. But this one's not a bad color IMO.

You may recall earlier that of the two I originally ordered the CAR was MUCH heavier - the LPB weighed in at 7lb 11oz and the first CAR weighed a whopping 9lbs 2oz, which seemed just crazy heavy for a Strat to me. This second CAR is much lighter at a svelte 7lbs even. Pretty nice!

If I'm being really, REALLY picky there are just a few minor flaws I've noticed (and even "flaw) seems a bit harsh. A little bit of plastic left under the neck plate screws. What looks like some polish or buffing compound or something on the jack plate, bridge, etc. The trem arm threads' machining is not perfect. Frets could use a polish. But otherwise, it's really very clean. Like I said, seems brand new to me! I'm really pleased overall. Hopefully that's adequate for your introduction, now it's time to tear it all apart. :P
 
Now I should preface by saying that I don't think any of what I'm about to list are really "needs". I'm just a bit of a compulsive tinkerer/modder and have no qualms about fixing something that isn't broken or changing/modifying/adding/removing something to make it more "mine." So keep that in mind; I'm not saying that these CV's need any of this work done, it's just fun for me.

First thing is the electronics and pickguard. It comes stock with a somewhat aged white plastic guard. Not bad honestly but a bit boring to me. I'm always partial to tortoise so went that route. The stock wiring is a more "modern" style with a bridge tone control. It uses mini-pots, they're "Jin Sung" brand which I believe are Korean made and actually I think have been found in some "real" Fenders, too. I was pleasantly surprised to find it uses a somewhat decent "open" style 5-way switch. I always have bad luck with the "Box-type" switches which I had kind of expected to find here. The wiring is of course nothing to write home about and there's just a tiny bit of shielding in the control area. I liked the one tiny piece of cloth-covered wire between the tone pots. :P

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I wanted to set up the guitar with "7-way" wiring. This can be accomplished a couple of ways but typically it involves adding in a switch that lets you toggle in either the neck or bridge pickup as desired. In this particular instance, it's done with a push-pull pot (volume in this example, but I don't know that it matters) and adds in the neck pickup. With the push-pull down it's your typical 5-way wiring: Neck, neck+middle, middle, middle+bridge, bridge. Oh, and I should add that it's wired with one tone to neck+middle and one tone to bridge. With the push-pull engaged/up, you get neck, neck+middle, middle, neck+middle+bridge, and neck+bridge. It's just a little bit of extra variety; I don't know how useful it will be to me honestly but I like the options. I think I used a .022 tone cap; I believe .047 is more "vintage-correct" while .022 is more common today it seems. Honestly I may give a .015 a try too, I think that's what Fralin recommends and as I understand rolls off (comparatively) very little all the way through the range.

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My copper shielding isn't 1000% mm-perfect but I think it's adequate. Truthfully (as has been discussed) I don't know that it actually makes that huge of a difference in the first place. Verdict is still out for me. But it looks fancier, so... haha. I'm also just now realizing that I never actually shrank that heat-shrink on the wires leading to the switch... D'oh!
I don't know if there's any issue with running ground and live wires in such close proximity? Maybe it is less than optimal. But I don't know for sure. It's pretty quiet in testing so far.

I purchased a pickguard from "Musiclily" on Amazon. Generally I have had good luck with their products and this one was pretty nice too. Overall it's quite well-made and comparable to much more expensive ones. However I did run into a few small gripes. First is that the pickup screw holes aren't countersunk. Minor thing and only took a couple of minutes to remedy, but worth noting. All of the other ones were. The alignment is...decent. The bottom-edge of the pickguard near the bridge rubs, it's like the bridge cutout is very slightly too low. Probably could've "pulled" it into place okay but was a bit worried about rubbing/binding so I did trim the guard ever so slightly. It's not totally perfect but also not something you'd notice unless you were really looking. Also the top-middle screw hole is in a different location entirely. I don't know if this is a one-off or something I've missed...the other 10 holes are pretty much bang-on, just that top-middle one is about a half-inch off or so from stock. At this point I was pretty well committed to the project and wasn't about to wait to get a new guard or something sent and wired up so I just taped it off and carefully drilled a new hole. Of course you won't even notice unless the guard is off.

And here's the finished product (for this step, at least):

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You can see there where the pickguard is right up on the bridge. This is pre-trimming. Obviously the jack isn't wired in yet either...not quite ready for that yet. Oddly enough there was some sort of "Batting" or something in the jack route....almost like fiberglass insulation or something, but like it had been painted over. Kind of weird, not sure what that was about.

Anyways, that's enough for now. Next steps soon.
 
Now it's time to finish shielding the body and getting everything all buttoned up.

I've been meaning to try out conductive spray one of these days. I know @MichaelW has spoken highly of it a time or two. But for now it's just good old copper tape. You get lots of nice micro-cuts on your fingertips and it's a blast. :D

I tried to be fairly neat this time around. Usually I just slap a bunch of tape all around the cavity and it gets totally covered but it's also a bit wasteful and can be sloppy looking. I saw a neat tip elsewhere where a guy used routing templates to cut out exact cuts for his shielding tape and it was super clean. But of course I don't have Squier's routing templates on hand. Neat idea though.

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Like I said, not perfect, but coverage is good with no gaps and it should make a nice cage once the guard is back on. I also learned recently that apparently if you shield your cavities/pickguard then you DON'T want to have jumper-grounds between your pots as it can make a ground loop, I guess? So we're experimenting with no jumper wires this time. As before, it's very quiet, so I guess I'm doing something right.

On a side note, am I wrong in questioning what this factory ground was doing? It was initially also connected to the star ground on the back of the volume pot. The body cavity doesn't appear to have been shielded from the factory so it seems like it's more or less just going into straight wood (there's a separate tremolo ground). I guess technically it's metallic paint but I doubt that's particularly conductive in any meaningful way. Wouldn't the body cavity need to be shielded or something for this to really do anything?

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Last step (for now) is a bit of cleanup and some small tweaks.

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I'm trying out these "Raw Vintage" tremolo springs. Seems like 75% of people say they're awesome and worth every penny and a great upgrade while 25% say they do absolutely nothing and have no noticeable effect whatsoever. First impression is that it's not a particularly pronounced night-and-day difference but it does feel quite nice and smooth on the whole. I don't know if I notice any "acoustic" differences but the action is smoother and they're definitely much lower tension. All five of these is about the same as three factory springs. They are relatively cheap so not too bad to try out overall. And you get some mojo points of course.

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Next we will do a bit of fret polishing. Overall the frets are in good shape. I couldn't find any noticeable high spots or really any "work" needing to be done but they could use cleaned up and smoothed out. I'm sure there are a million different compounds that would work just fine; I see some people even just use toothpaste as a mild abrasive. I use this Mother's polish. It's pretty gentle and a tub is about $4 and should last you a lifetime of guitars. I mask the fretboard to be safe, but honestly I'm not sure if it's even necessary. This stuff's super mild and I think you'd really have to be trying to do any noticeable damage. But I digress... I use a small felt wheel in my dremel and the job's done in just five minutes or so.

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My fretboard oil of choice at the moment. I'm sure plenty of others will work just fine, too. I read someone recommending this stuff YEARS ago and bought a bottle for cheap and it's still got plenty left. It does about what you would expect any fretboard oil to do, I guess.

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Straplock buttons are installed. I already have plenty of straps with the locks themselves so figured I could save a fair bit by just ordering a set of buttons. It was only like $6 for the buttons alone vs about $18 for the whole set. I'm honestly not too picky on straplocks but most of my guitars have Dunlops already so I've stuck with them for consistency/interchangeability. My one gripe is that the screws that come with them are so soft. I don't know if it's to prevent stripping out what but they get chewed up SO easily. You really need to pre-drill your hole out a bit or you will probably strip out the screw before getting it seated all the way.

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And finally some strings! It came from the factory with 9's. I usually play 11's and have been a D'addario guy for as long as I can remember. Maybe it's nonsense but I didn't want to jump straight from 9's to 11's so I figured I'd put on a set of 10's to "acclimate" before moving up to 11's and tweaking the setup. But Amazon just happened to be out of D'addario 10's and my local shops all charge like double or triple for a pack of strings, so I just ordered the cheapest 10s I could find via Prime. Here's the result. They sound...like strings. Hahah. I've never really been one to notice a ton of tonal difference between different string formulations. Nickel wound vs pure nickel vs coated or whatever doesn't do much for me. I can tell a difference between the sound of various sizes (though I suspect that has as much to do with EQ/setup/pickup distance/etc) and some seem to last longer than others but I don't notice any big difference between brand new strings of the same size when it comes to sound/tone. They're fine. I have a long-running subscription for D'addario 11's and that's what will ultimately wind up on here.

Overall I am really pleased with the guitar and after fiddling a bit around with it I like it even more! I can't say enough for the value of these Classic Vibe models at the moment. Honestly I have wondered if the CV's aren't in part responsible for Fender making the MIM's into the "Player Series" and upping the price because at the old MIM prices I think the Squier CVs were simply a flat-out better instrument. Makes me wonder if they weren't cannibalizing their own sales a bit and so tweaked the lines/ranges to make it seem more distinct (or to make the higher price have you thinking you're getting a lot more instrument. I don't think the CVs are far off from current Player Series, either).

As far as what's next? I need to do a proper full setup. It's not bad but as above was set for 9's so will need some work for 11s (and probably even 10s, tbh). I may throw on some locking tuners. It's not a "need" and I don't mind the vintage style ones but locking sure are convenient...
Maybe see about changing out the tremolo block. That's another one that seems like some people say it's a huge difference and others say it does nothing. Going to sit on it a while before that one. Same with the saddles. Otherwise though...not a lot left to be done but play it!
 
Oh, that does remind me. I got a set of cream colored plastics, legit Fender brand and everything. The knobs/trem arm/switch tip/back plate all fit fine but the pickup pole piece holes are WAY off. I don't know if these Squiers have a different string spacing or something than "typical" Fender? I think the aged white stock plastics look okay overall though.
 
Joben Magooch said:
Last step (for now) is a bit of cleanup and some small tweaks.

View attachment 37636

I'm trying out these "Raw Vintage" tremolo springs. Seems like 75% of people say they're awesome and worth every penny and a great upgrade while 25% say they do absolutely nothing and have no noticeable effect whatsoever. First impression is that it's not a particularly pronounced night-and-day difference but it does feel quite nice and smooth on the whole. I don't know if I notice any "acoustic" differences but the action is smoother and they're definitely much lower tension. All five of these is about the same as three factory springs. They are relatively cheap so not too bad to try out overall. And you get some mojo points of course.

View attachment 37637

Next we will do a bit of fret polishing. Overall the frets are in good shape. I couldn't find any noticeable high spots or really any "work" needing to be done but they could use cleaned up and smoothed out. I'm sure there are a million different compounds that would work just fine; I see some people even just use toothpaste as a mild abrasive. I use this Mother's polish. It's pretty gentle and a tub is about $4 and should last you a lifetime of guitars. I mask the fretboard to be safe, but honestly I'm not sure if it's even necessary. This stuff's super mild and I think you'd really have to be trying to do any noticeable damage. But I digress... I use a small felt wheel in my dremel and the job's done in just five minutes or so.

View attachment 37638

My fretboard oil of choice at the moment. I'm sure plenty of others will work just fine, too. I read someone recommending this stuff YEARS ago and bought a bottle for cheap and it's still got plenty left. It does about what you would expect any fretboard oil to do, I guess.

View attachment 37639

Straplock buttons are installed. I already have plenty of straps with the locks themselves so figured I could save a fair bit by just ordering a set of buttons. It was only like $6 for the buttons alone vs about $18 for the whole set. I'm honestly not too picky on straplocks but most of my guitars have Dunlops already so I've stuck with them for consistency/interchangeability. My one gripe is that the screws that come with them are so soft. I don't know if it's to prevent stripping out what but they get chewed up SO easily. You really need to pre-drill your hole out a bit or you will probably strip out the screw before getting it seated all the way.

View attachment 37640

And finally some strings! It came from the factory with 9's. I usually play 11's and have been a D'addario guy for as long as I can remember. Maybe it's nonsense but I didn't want to jump straight from 9's to 11's so I figured I'd put on a set of 10's to "acclimate" before moving up to 11's and tweaking the setup. But Amazon just happened to be out of D'addario 10's and my local shops all charge like double or triple for a pack of strings, so I just ordered the cheapest 10s I could find via Prime. Here's the result. They sound...like strings. Hahah. I've never really been one to notice a ton of tonal difference between different string formulations. Nickel wound vs pure nickel vs coated or whatever doesn't do much for me. I can tell a difference between the sound of various sizes (though I suspect that has as much to do with EQ/setup/pickup distance/etc) and some seem to last longer than others but I don't notice any big difference between brand new strings of the same size when it comes to sound/tone. They're fine. I have a long-running subscription for D'addario 11's and that's what will ultimately wind up on here.

Overall I am really pleased with the guitar and after fiddling a bit around with it I like it even more! I can't say enough for the value of these Classic Vibe models at the moment. Honestly I have wondered if the CV's aren't in part responsible for Fender making the MIM's into the "Player Series" and upping the price because at the old MIM prices I think the Squier CVs were simply a flat-out better instrument. Makes me wonder if they weren't cannibalizing their own sales a bit and so tweaked the lines/ranges to make it seem more distinct (or to make the higher price have you thinking you're getting a lot more instrument. I don't think the CVs are far off from current Player Series, either).

As far as what's next? I need to do a proper full setup. It's not bad but as above was set for 9's so will need some work for 11s (and probably even 10s, tbh). I may throw on some locking tuners. It's not a "need" and I don't mind the vintage style ones but locking sure are convenient...
Maybe see about changing out the tremolo block. That's another one that seems like some people say it's a huge difference and others say it does nothing. Going to sit on it a while before that one. Same with the saddles. Otherwise though...not a lot left to be done but play it!
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Those are my GOTO strings....Ernie Ball Rock N Roll regular slinky's. Excellent strings and pure Nickel wrap as opposed to most other strings in the this price range which are nickel plated steel (E.g., GHS Boomers, Dadarrio XL's, etc). Pure Nickel wound is a tad warmer sounding and a tad smoother feeling out of the package, they have less brilliance and "snap" as plated strings, but they work for me on just about any of my guitars. I buy them by the dozen and it doesn't break the bank. They also seem to last longer for me than plated strings.
 
MichaelW said:
Those are my GOTO strings....Ernie Ball Rock N Roll regular slinky's. Excellent strings and pure Nickel wrap as opposed to most other strings in the this price range which are nickel plated steel (E.g., GHS Boomers, Dadarrio XL's, etc). Pure Nickel wound is a tad warmer sounding and a tad smoother feeling out of the package, they have less brilliance and "snap" as plated strings, but they work for me on just about any of my guitars. I buy them by the dozen and it doesn't break the bank. They also seem to last longer for me than plated strings.
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+1
 
Damn, looks great. You really went to town on yours. I got the same strings for my LPB CV Strat, and I’m going to just change strings and set up the neck for now as I overhaul my Jazzmaster.
 
MichaelW said:
Those are my GOTO strings....Ernie Ball Rock N Roll regular slinky's. Excellent strings and pure Nickel wrap as opposed to most other strings in the this price range which are nickel plated steel (E.g., GHS Boomers, Dadarrio XL's, etc). Pure Nickel wound is a tad warmer sounding and a tad smoother feeling out of the package, they have less brilliance and "snap" as plated strings, but they work for me on just about any of my guitars. I buy them by the dozen and it doesn't break the bank. They also seem to last longer for me than plated strings.
Click to expand...
You guys should check out throbak's pure nickel strings! The only other pure nickel set I've compared them to is the ghs nickel rockers. I'll grab a set of the ernies to compare next! The throbaks feel way nicer and have a nice presence but no harshness.
 
Just realized in the pic of my cavity shielding you can see the pickguard hole I had to drill. There's two somewhat close to each other; on the right is the factory position and on the left is the additional hole.

I guess I will have to take a closer look at these EB nickels if so many are speaking highly of them. Like I said, I've had a subscription (it's just thru Amazon subscribe and save) for D'addario XL's 11s for as long as I can remember. They work fine for me and have never felt any need to change. But you never know...
 
kweefthief said:
I was planning to get a tort pickguard for my CAR strat too : D
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I'm a sucker for tortoise, man. Just about every guitar I think about adding a tort guard to...to the point where I have to force myself to try other colors just so I don't have all tortoise guards on everything :P
 
Joben Magooch said:
I'm a sucker for tortoise, man. Just about every guitar I think about adding a tort guard to...to the point where I have to force myself to try other colors just so I don't have all tortoise guards on everything :p
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Do you usually use the musiclily ones? Is there a place to get them from that u recommend? I never thought to put a tort on red until I asked my gf what I should swap it to.
 
Yeah, so I have ordered a handful from Musiclily on Amazon and generally have had good luck. Got a guard for my Tele and J-bass, both perfect. Strat one was pretty good with a few small issues as noted above. Overall they are good for the money I think, just not perfect. I've got some other stuff from them too and it's been good as well (switches, nuts, random plastics).

I think the best aftermarket pickguard maker I have used would be WD Music but they are a lot more pricey. I'd really like to try some from Decoboom but they are pricier still...

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But I mean...how cool is that!!
 
Joben Magooch said:
Just realized in the pic of my cavity shielding you can see the pickguard hole I had to drill. There's two somewhat close to each other; on the right is the factory position and on the left is the additional hole.
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So, I was looking more into this. I don't think it was anything wrong with the Musiclily pickguard, nor anything wrong with the holes as drilled from Fender/Squier factory.

I was looking at the WD Music strat pickguards and paying attention to the screw hole locations....and just so happened to notice they sell an "Old Style" pickguard for the 1962 AVRI Strat that's 11 holes...but it's got the top-middle screw in a slightly different location than almost all the other 11-hole Strat guards they sell.

Well, the stock holes and pickguard in the 60s CV Strat seem to use the same pickguard and holes as the '62 AVRI. I guess it is period-accurate! The Musiclily guard uses the "modern" 11-hole layout. So they are both "right," just slightly different.

So, perhaps that can be some future reference - it seems like the 60's CV Strat uses the same pickguard/hole layout as the '62 AVRI Strat.
 
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