Tig
December 23rd, 2009, 08:30 PM
OK, new to me, anyway. I've been GASing for an HH Tele style guitar lately. I ran across this beat up Squier Tele Custom HH that had a $179 price tag :rolleyes: , but was 50% off for Christmas. Everything was loose... the input jack, the knobs, and the selector switch was inside the chamber with tape holding the nut and washer in place (see photo). It looked like a basket case. I was about to walk away when I spotted the Seymour Duncan pickups.
OK, let's plug it in to a Champ they had and see if it works at all. Yep, the pots and switch work, and after a bit of tuning, the tone was pretty good, even if the old strings are black from corrosion. I tell the clerk that $85 still seems high since everything looked so messed up. She tells the manager, and they drop it to $50, but with no return policy. I'm playing my best poker face, knowing that all the guitar needs is some TLC, and "reluctantly" agree to the price.
After tearing it down at home, I tighten the tuner peg nuts, cleaned up the nut, tightened the pots and jack, reinstalled the selector switch, inspected the wiring, and replaced the strings and pot knobs. I cleaned up the body and fretboard, and find only a few deep buckle rash scratches in back and pick wear on the guard, plus the usual small nicks. I still have a little fine adjusting to do, but it sounds great now and feels very solid! It is a 2003 Indonesian Squier, per the serial number.
Oh, and those Seymour Duncan's are SH-6 distortions, which run about $75 each new. They are too hot for my needs, so I'll consider trading them for some PAF style pickups. Merry Christmas to me!
Before:
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_4LGtZ4Gf_RQ/SzLJANMKmhI/AAAAAAAAAIo/w_KyntvwNgk/s512/SquierTele-before1.jpg
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_4LGtZ4Gf_RQ/SzLJAqnU-3I/AAAAAAAAAIY/xcJj2mUX-uw/s400/SquierTele-before2.jpg
After:
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_4LGtZ4Gf_RQ/SzLJBxUMk2I/AAAAAAAAAIg/UP9TVcedGqQ/s512/SquierTele-after2.jpg
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_4LGtZ4Gf_RQ/SzLJBJaqHlI/AAAAAAAAAIc/z7xFLdC8xBU/s512/SquierTele-after1.jpg
OK, let's plug it in to a Champ they had and see if it works at all. Yep, the pots and switch work, and after a bit of tuning, the tone was pretty good, even if the old strings are black from corrosion. I tell the clerk that $85 still seems high since everything looked so messed up. She tells the manager, and they drop it to $50, but with no return policy. I'm playing my best poker face, knowing that all the guitar needs is some TLC, and "reluctantly" agree to the price.
After tearing it down at home, I tighten the tuner peg nuts, cleaned up the nut, tightened the pots and jack, reinstalled the selector switch, inspected the wiring, and replaced the strings and pot knobs. I cleaned up the body and fretboard, and find only a few deep buckle rash scratches in back and pick wear on the guard, plus the usual small nicks. I still have a little fine adjusting to do, but it sounds great now and feels very solid! It is a 2003 Indonesian Squier, per the serial number.
Oh, and those Seymour Duncan's are SH-6 distortions, which run about $75 each new. They are too hot for my needs, so I'll consider trading them for some PAF style pickups. Merry Christmas to me!
Before:
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_4LGtZ4Gf_RQ/SzLJANMKmhI/AAAAAAAAAIo/w_KyntvwNgk/s512/SquierTele-before1.jpg
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_4LGtZ4Gf_RQ/SzLJAqnU-3I/AAAAAAAAAIY/xcJj2mUX-uw/s400/SquierTele-before2.jpg
After:
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_4LGtZ4Gf_RQ/SzLJBxUMk2I/AAAAAAAAAIg/UP9TVcedGqQ/s512/SquierTele-after2.jpg
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_4LGtZ4Gf_RQ/SzLJBJaqHlI/AAAAAAAAAIc/z7xFLdC8xBU/s512/SquierTele-after1.jpg