Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2012 3:05 am Post subject: Squier Strat Upgrade
Joined: 07 Feb 2012 Posts: 15 Location: Kuantan
Part I: Shielding
The guitar shown here is a Squier California Series Strat.
Materials Used
Diamond Heavy Duty Aluminium Foil
3M Spray Mount Artist's Adhesive
Dunlop GP General Purpose Contact Adhesive
Thinner
Singer Sewing Machine Oil
Razor Blade
Body cavities.
Tremolo cavity.
Checking the continuity of the body cavity shielding.
Checking the continuity of the output jack cavity shielding.
Shielding the pickguard.
View from the top.
Pickguard shielding all trimmed to fit. _________________ Bluesguy62's Blog
Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2012 3:39 am Post subject: Squier Strat Upgrade
Joined: 07 Feb 2012 Posts: 15 Location: Kuantan
Part II: Electronics & Components
This is the 2nd stage of the upgrade job on the black Squier California Series Strat. These are the completed mods at the time of writing:
1. Aluminium foil shielding.
2. Three CTS 250K pots.
3. Fender 5-way selector switch.
4. .022µF and .047µF capacitors.
5. Three Fender Tex-Mex pickups.
6. Switcraft output jack.
7. Additional ground lug from volume pot to body cavity shielding.
8. Vaughan-Wacker Strat Wiring Mod.
9. Additional [two] tremolo springs.
10. Blocked tremolo.
The Vaughan-Wacker Strat Wiring Mod incorporates two wiring schemes: the Fender Jimmie Vaughan Stratocaster and "Gibson ‘50s wiring on a Stratocaster," the brainchild of guitar guru Dirk Wacker. To view an image of the Wacker mod, please click this link, courtesy of Roger Eberlin. By the way, I've decided to go with a .022µF cap for the neck pup tone pot and a .047µF cap for the bridge pup tone pot. Now, on to the pics.
Wiring Diagram for the Vaughan-Wacker Strat Wiring Mod.
Fender Strat 5-Way Switch.
CTS 250K Pot.
The new 5-way switch and pots all wired in.
Closer view of the switch and pot wiring.
Fender Tex-Mex Pickups.
The Tex-Mex pickups have been wired in.
Closer view of the Tex-Mex pickups.
Tex-Mex pickups have been wired to the 5-way switch and grounded to the volume pot casing.
Switchcraft output jack.
Added a ground lug from volume pot casing to body cavity shielding. The Switcraft output jack has also been wired in.
Added two more tremolo springs and blocked the tremolo with a chunk of hardwood.
Need new knobs because the stock Squier knobs do not fit the CTS pots. Awaiting one set of Fender Aged White knobs from Bentley.
Knobs have arrived from Bentley.
Comparing the knobs (top view).
Comparing the knobs (bottom view).
A perfect fit
This baby is good to go _________________ Bluesguy62's Blog
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