A Squire51 Primer

allthumbs · #1 November 13th, 2006

For anyone considering buying one of these. Here is a vid I found of the tones available to give you an idea of what you can get out of it. Pretty good for a cheapo axe that goes for 99-150 bucks. You would still have to try several since the build quality can be erratic. He got a good one unmodded. Hope you find this helpful. Played dry- no effects.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIb0nUuQ03c

krissovo · #2 November 13th, 2006

That is one very cool piece of playing and you can get the amp and the axe for less than $500 together!!!! I paid more than that for my Epi LP custom and I am still looking for that tone!

I had a look at his web site and there is loads of very good vids and great tone using "cheap" guitars and amps

http://www.dolphinstreet.com/video_clips/video-1.php

Stratrat · #3 November 14th, 2006

Really goes to show that "tone" is in the hands - not the equipment!

As you said, Squiers can be a decent deal if you take the time to sort through them. I bought a Squier Tele that was one of the good 'uns - no jagged/protruding frets, etc., and it plays real sweet. I've heard a lot of nightmare stories about erratic quality control on the Squiers, so didn't want to buy mail-order....I wanted to be able to hold and play it before I plunked my money down.

Stratrat · #4 November 24th, 2006

Update - MF and GC are offering the Squier '51 for $99 with free shipping. It seems to be an almost universally liked guitar among those who've played or bought it. Neither of the GC's within driving distance of me had any in stock, so I disobeyed my own suggestions and ordered one online a little while ago. GAS strikes again!!! If nothing else, for 99 bucks it'll be a good "project guitar".

allthumbs · #5 November 24th, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stratrat

Update - MF and GC are offering the Squier '51 for $99 with free shipping. It seems to be an almost universally liked guitar among those who've played or bought it. Neither of the GC's within driving distance of me had any in stock, so I disobeyed my own suggestions and ordered one online a little while ago. GAS strikes again!!! If nothing else, for 99 bucks it'll be a good "project guitar".

The good news is that with those guys you can keep sending them back till you get a good one.

scotty_b · #6 November 24th, 2006

That sounded awesome.

allthumbs · #7 November 24th, 2006

They are blowing the 51s out the door so they can sell the new improved 51s at a highrer price.

scotty_b · #8 November 24th, 2006

I followed the link through to that guys website
http://www.dolphinstreet.com/music
Some nice playing there

Stratrat · #9 November 25th, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by allthumbs

The good news is that with those guys you can keep sending them back till you get a good one.

In a way, I'm almost hoping that I don't get a perfect one.....it would be a great guitar for honing my setup skills, and at that price I won't be as shy about it as I would be on a more expensive axe.

OldG · #10 November 25th, 2006

It would make a great project for upgrade at that price too.. I find myself hankering after one but with 11 guitars in the house, and no lefties available - I can wait till they get really cheap here. love that hybrid Fender thing though.

OldG · #11 November 25th, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by scotty_b

I followed the link through to that guys website
http://www.dolphinstreet.com/music
Some nice playing there

bookmarked

allthumbs · #12 November 25th, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stratrat

In a way, I'm almost hoping that I don't get a perfect one.....it would be a great guitar for honing my setup skills, and at that price I won't be as shy about it as I would be on a more expensive axe.

By good one, I mean no fret sprouts, the pups and bridge are aligned in the right places and no blems. You would still want to do a setup though.

Stratrat · #13 November 30th, 2006

I just received my 51. The frets are a wee bit sharp on the edges (bearable, but I'll probably play with cleaning them up), the intonation is off on 4 of the 6 strings, and the action is set a little bit high. OTOH, the finish is perfect (the sunberst looks way better in person that it does in pictures!), all the hardware is tight and in good shape, the tuners are smooth, and the bridge is aligned perfectly. I played it a bit after tuning it up - nice variety of tones through the different pup settings. Overall, it's a heckuva good deal for 99 bucks.....you're getting a lot more guitar than the price tag would indicate. I'll post a photo of it in the gear section later.

allthumbs · #14 November 30th, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stratrat

I just received my 51. The frets are a wee bit sharp on the edges (bearable, but I'll probably play with cleaning them up), the intonation is off on 4 of the 6 strings, and the action is set a little bit high. OTOH, the finish is perfect (the sunberst looks way better in person that it does in pictures!), all the hardware is tight and in good shape, the tuners are smooth, and the bridge is aligned perfectly. I played it a bit after tuning it up - nice variety of tones through the different pup settings. Overall, it's a heckuva good deal for 99 bucks.....you're getting a lot more guitar than the price tag would indicate. I'll post a photo of it in the gear section later.

You got lucky. A friend of mine had to send his back. It had so many flaws. A great deal if you dig for the right one.

Stratrat · #15 December 3rd, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by allthumbs

You got lucky. A friend of mine had to send his back. It had so many flaws. A great deal if you dig for the right one.

Yep. I knew I was gambling by going mail-order, but I figured it was worth it to throw the dice for a hundred bucks. Heck, my wife and I went out of town for our wedding anniversary this weekend and I spent that much for a hotel room the first night!