Birthday Guitar Gear!

D-Dawn · #1 October 11th, 2006

Ok so hubby and I finally broke down a bought an electric guitar and amp for our soon to be 14 year old's upcoming birthday

Squier® Standard Stratocaster Electric Guitar (Cherry Sunburst)
and a
Fender G-DEC amp

The guitar looks nice, but I know NOTHING about electric guitars...I played around with it a bit and the only thing I can see being a problem is that this morning when i put it on the stand, the high E string caught on one of the frets

I dunno if this is anything to worry about, or an easy fix or should I trade it in for something else???

I only paid $199 USD for the guitar.

The amp sounds good to my untrained ear...with all of its cool drum effects etc...pretty loud too for in the house...I think we shelled out $269 USD on this...too much? or is it Ok??

I hope we've done ok, but I still have 28 days to return and exchange if we goofed!!

Help?

Thanks!!

I just want to be sure this is a decent set up for his first guitar and amp

Rockerbob · #2 October 11th, 2006

Sounds like it needs a little fret work. It might not be much of an issue, but it's hard to tell from here.

It's probably fine. The action is probably most important on a beginner's guitar. It looks good.

D-Dawn · #3 October 11th, 2006

Well the action feels just right...in fact I have been playing with it all morning and will have to get it put away before he gets home from school (shhhhh....

I've never played electric before, but I am finding that it is fun to say the least)

My problem with having fret work done is that this is brand new...i want it to work well..lol..I'm picky that way! Do Squires usually have these types of problems?

Rockerbob · #4 October 11th, 2006

Inexpensive guitars usually have mediocre fretwork, at best. It's worth a few bucks to have someone who know how dress the frets, and perhaps check the overall setup.

D-Dawn · #5 October 11th, 2006

Thanks Rockerbob!

fly135 · #6 October 11th, 2006

He should be one happy camper. You can hear a demo of the amp here. This guy makes it sound amazing.

http://www.fender.com/products/gdec/gregkoch.php

D-Dawn · #7 October 11th, 2006

Cool link fly! thanks

We played around with this amp in the store..it was loud enough that his dad is considering getting him headphones for it LoL. i don't mind it loud

For $500 he better be a happy camper!!

allthumbs · #8 October 11th, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by D-Dawn

Do Squires usually have these types of problems?

Squires are notorious for having that problem with fret ends. Some are good and some not so good. It is a relatively easy fix that entails the use of a file and a lot of tape to protect the neck. Ask UGB in the tech forum for details.

randomaire · #9 October 11th, 2006

When you say caught on the fret, does this mean like a gouge on the fret? Never had this problem, so I'm kind of curious what exactly that meant. Looks good to me though, I'm sure he would love it. And if he doesn't well you alrdy have a fondness for it lol.

SlickCat · #10 October 11th, 2006

Wow wish my first guitar setup was that nice ! He will be one happy camper

On many cheaper guitars the frets can be uneven or just rough. Most music stores have a tech who can level the frets, bevel the ends and buff them to perfection. Sounds to me like the ends of your frets just need to be beveled a little.

D-Dawn · #11 October 11th, 2006

The string seemed to catch on the very edge (outside) of the fret..like you could stick the end of your fingernail under the edge of the fret...I am hoping this is an easy fix...there are 3 frets that seem to be lifted at the edges like this. (not lifted so much that one could see it lifted, just by the feel ...)
It sure is a pretty guitar and the sound is really nice for the price. I didn't want to pay much more (besides the fact I couldn't afford to and Christmas will be here before we know it!) in case he decides guitar is not for him. Right now it is all he wants tho

allthumbs · #12 October 11th, 2006

Yup, time for the file and tape.

D-Dawn · #13 October 11th, 2006

Quote:

It is a relatively easy fix that entails the use of a file and a lot of tape to protect the neck. Ask UGB in the tech forum for details.

LoL ok I'm going to go ask!! Thanks again!

D-Dawn · #14 October 11th, 2006

Found he had answered this before!

Quote:

Dressing the end of the frets is a job for a file and some steel wool. Make sure you cover your pickups so the tiny metal shavings and fragments don't get stuck to the magnet poles in your pickups. If I were doing this for the first time, I'd use masking tape to cover the wood on either side of each fret around the edge of the fretboard.
__________________

Lcjones · #15 October 11th, 2006

Hey D,

Just so's ya know it's out there.... just in case ...

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Fretting..._crowning.html

And the offspring should be quite a happy camper!

**
Les