Yeah I can't tell the difference. I own like 6 Strats and have gone through multiple sets of pickups on each and honestly, I've found that the easiest way to make my guitar sound better is to practice.

@fragtagninja1633

4 жыл бұрын

Changing pickups doesn't usually make your guitar sound better. Usually just make it sound different. Better is a matter of opinion.

@melvynobrien6193

4 жыл бұрын

@@fragtagninja1633 You won't be able to tell any difference playing live in a club. Changing pickups is a waste of time and money.

@melvynobrien6193

4 жыл бұрын

Bryan Sim: You got that right.

@DaveDexterMusic

4 жыл бұрын

+mel obrien Oh, please. If that was the case I wouldn't have a couple of guitars that simply sound better than all my others, that hit the amp in the right way. If that was the case there wouldn't be an enormous industry and many manifest examples of the difference between pickups. I've changed pickups because a guitar didn't sound good, and then it sounded good.

@prestonwoods8197

4 жыл бұрын

I can tell the difference under a controlled environment but I do agree that player's touch makes MUCH bigger difference and it's not even close.

Not to flex but I can make a fender sound like a squier and a squier sound like a first act

@boopsnoot2807

3 жыл бұрын

Not to flex, but I can eat a whole bowl of wheaties.

@themassterful

3 жыл бұрын

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

@michaelg.294

3 жыл бұрын

@@boopsnoot2807 A whole bowl? Yeah, you'd be flexing something alright! (Your sphincter. I'm saying you'd be flexing your sphincter, is what I'm saying.)

@TheSecretOfNem

3 жыл бұрын

Awesome!

@waxxy8447

3 жыл бұрын

My death metal band only plays first act instruments. Yah, we get bitches.. u jelly..

In every blind test I actually preferred the Squier.

@tejjensen9402

3 жыл бұрын

Me too.

@benjorino

3 жыл бұрын

yup me too! They were all very similar but I slightly favoured the squier every time

@Giggiyygoo

3 жыл бұрын

Same here. Not huge differences, but the cheap pickups sounded ever so slightly better to my ears.

@paolosalgo6987

3 жыл бұрын

were opposite. i always choose the warmer ones

@peterelmer9114

3 жыл бұрын

I did too.

Darrell as usual you are spot on. It's not the name on the headstock that matters it's the time spent on playability and how a guitar makes you feel and play.

@UCS0608

4 ай бұрын

True. However, changing the pu's doesn't change the feel of the guitar. So just changing the pu's doesn't make a cheap guitar play like a more expensive one...

Moral of the story: Buy a good amp

@filippo8495

4 жыл бұрын

Yep.

@landocalrissian6778

4 жыл бұрын

shadowtechn9ne orange

@NBGTFO

4 жыл бұрын

Yes. And if you want a guitar than sounds just like a Fender, then buy a damn Fender. Don't buy stupid parts to make money for the KZread clickbaiters. Use your brain for a change.

4 жыл бұрын

@shadowtechn9ne old fender tube amp. Super Reverb

@oos9759

4 жыл бұрын

Yabba Dabba well buddy I understand that not everyone has the money to buy an authentic american strat, but these are good options in order for them to get a better sound quality, I thank these “clickbaiters” ‘cause they help people out but maybe that’s something you wouldn’t understand

Mind blown!!! I actually liked the Squier better on all 3 blind tests. 🤯🎸

@Johnscompany

4 жыл бұрын

Yeah thats squier sound so very good

@gp85hkg

4 жыл бұрын

Same here adam...the squire had more clarity even, to my ears.

@debajitpalchoudhury1571

4 жыл бұрын

Same here

@Ndlanding

4 жыл бұрын

I agree completely.

@SaxJockey

4 жыл бұрын

I also liked the Squier with A5 pickups! Position 2 & 4 sounded nice on the Fender, but that might be partly due to different pots/caps. I have a Squier Standard (A5), great guitar for the money. It has good pickups and a floating 2 point tremolo, I have no desire to change to a VM or CV (older 6 screw tremolo).

Great video Darrell, would have liked to hear the difference between the guitars using the Squier with original pick-ups just to hear how much improvement there was to the sound.

@harrymagooslum5770

4 ай бұрын

Precisely. How noticeably worse was the Squire prior to the pickup upgrade??

bruh the final test between those two guitars really sold me, I've played guitar and various other instruments for 10 years to build up the trained ear I have now and the amazon pick ups under that gain setting has the perfect amount of crunchy bits in the harmonic values as well as just being such a cleaner sound in the first place. Buying a few sets of them RIGHT NOW

What would have been interesting is to hear the differences between the old pickups and the new pickups on just the Squier.

@roychristopher5014

4 жыл бұрын

good shout

@vincents.6639

4 жыл бұрын

It should be squier original pickup x squier new pickup x fender

@R4F4ELLO

4 жыл бұрын

It would be also interestig how the fender souds like with Chinese pickups.

@baumfr

4 жыл бұрын

Agreed. The original ceramics vs the new alnicos would have been a great comparison.

@arnauddubois5664

4 жыл бұрын

Absolutely

Make your Squier sound like a Fender for under 20$: print a Fender sticker and put it over the "Squier" name on your guitar

@angusseletto1511

4 жыл бұрын

Pietro Rossetti hahaha like it

@bobwallace9814

4 жыл бұрын

99.9% would not be able to tell the difference.

@ivanradovani

4 жыл бұрын

i actualy did that

@potassiumchloride2542

4 жыл бұрын

Guitar value: *increased by 50%*

@mitkobomba

4 жыл бұрын

ik its a joke but he said sound

I purchased a set of these pickups and installed them on a Strat I built last year. With CTS pots, a CRL switch, vintage waxed cloth wiring and .33 NOS Bumblebee caps, I preferred them to the set of early 2000’s Fender Noiseless, and the new set of Fender Tex Mex pickups, I compared them to. They were surprisingly really, really, good. Only issue was finding staggered covers for the odd 48/50/52 widths. You also must take into account that the pickguard will need modifying, as the holes for the pickups aren’t going to be staggered either. Not a huge deal, but it’s something to consider.

7:10 - In the third test, I most definitely liked the sound of the Squier with the pickup upgrades. It had more clarity and growl in it.

Hi Darrell, it would have been good to hear the Squire PRIOR to you changing the pickups, and then after.

@alfrednorris1895

3 жыл бұрын

But what if we just realized that even THAT change didn't matter?

@aiden_macleod

3 жыл бұрын

It sounded like a stock Squire maybe? You DO know what one sounds like right?

@itzrenzohd8551

2 жыл бұрын

@@aiden_macleod ......

@myask5463

2 жыл бұрын

Agree, for all you know it may not even need a replacement after all and save yourself the time and 17 buck.

@bobsaturday4273

2 жыл бұрын

what for ? they sound like cr@p , you've never heard them ?

I own Fenders and Squiers, a Squier is no joke.

@kirkscobey3031

4 жыл бұрын

Droog II I actually prefer the Squier!! Too much money for a Fender just to modify!

@j_freed

4 жыл бұрын

Buy an old Japanese one and I'll agree. They can be found.

@DayRider76

4 жыл бұрын

I have an early 90's Squire standard strat. If it didn't say Squire, you wouldn't know the difference between it and an American standard.

@theonlyrobot

4 жыл бұрын

@@j_freed The newer Classic Vibes match the old Nippon Squiers. That is, if you can handle the super skinny neck. Also worth mentioning is the Squiers that were made in Corona, CA around 1989-90. I had one of those for my first guitar, and sold it. I've been chasing that neck for 25 years. I'm about to break down and Reverb one, but they're so pricey.

@byronofcalgary6985

4 жыл бұрын

- how to buy a Squier - > avoid "Strat" + "Tele" Decals - buy the "Stratocaster" + "Telecaster" decal models - - it's that simple and that easy to spot - - when it comes to Mustang, Jaguar + Jazzmaster just avoid Affinity + buy Standard - that rules out ALL the junk bodies... and google Squier Master Series Telecaster

This was one of the best squire / fender guitar shootouts I have ever watched! You did this right! Not to long, not too wordy and best of all you his the guitars. I have been playing pro for thirty years and I honestly could not tell the difference. Well done! Signed, Mr Jommins!

The only guitar that I’ve owned that got a spontaneous ovation when I simply took it off the rack on stage, was an Indonesian Squier Strat that had the Ritchie Blackmore colour-way. It had a nice neck and decent pickups, and felt really solid all the way around.

I think those no cover pickups are kind of steampunk - I like them.

@Ndlanding

4 жыл бұрын

My ancient Tele has all three (yes, three) pickups uncovered, cos someone thought it was a good idea way back then. Sounds great, but sometimes a string catches under a bobbin.

@scottmantooth8785

4 жыл бұрын

thought thr same thing myself

@Bramble451

4 жыл бұрын

Lol. "Steampunk" is exactly what came to mind the second I saw it! It does make the guitar look a little cooler!

@Supperconductor

4 жыл бұрын

Ndlanding I hadn’t thought about the string catching. Good to know, I won’t attempt “mod” my pickups.

@padywac1970

4 жыл бұрын

Yeah, I’m liking those.

I hate when people hate on squier guitars I had one for 3 years and I love it alot

@tabbyjamil2300

4 жыл бұрын

I'v had fenders usa Japanese and Chinese and the squires are almost as good sometimes even better once pick ups nut and tunning keys are changed over ... I'v got a Mexican usa and Chinese squire affinity strat with cheap £21 scratchplate alnico5 already in it ..from e bay ... and my Affinity actually plays and sounds better than the USA ... .. as long as your squire is set up nicely and has the mods mentioned it's an amazing guitar.

@drammisgiuseppe3933

4 жыл бұрын

I knoww man are so awsomeew

@shadowhunter388

4 жыл бұрын

Hell my Chinese Fender with a bit of raised action sounded better than my Mexican strat. Like day and night difference. I think the only difference is body/paint quality.

@mikemonopoli120

4 жыл бұрын

Squier standard strats have been coming with alnico5's for years.

@walterkersting1362

4 жыл бұрын

I got one for ten bucks, after a set up it’s comparable to a much more expensive guitar with out the heart break that comes when anything happens to an heirloom guitar.

Ok man, that is the FIRST demo I have seen, and I buy and sell so I look at a LOT of them, that was really helpful and possibly even worth more than the several minutes I spent watching. thanks and yes I did suscribe.

@jeffpepin

4 ай бұрын

Wanted to hear the middle pkup

Would be nice to add a "before" demo of the Squire for comparison.

@gergemall

3 ай бұрын

So true . I’ve got too many guitars and love Them all ‘ can never have enough

I like to use a hotter middle pickup so that the 2 and 4 positions don't drop in volume.

@STAY-GOLD-VINYL

3 жыл бұрын

Nice tip Dr Groovy!

@saintrhoads3375

3 жыл бұрын

I actually like the volume drop in the 2 and 4 positions because I usually like to use those positions for cleans

@denniswalsh8476

3 жыл бұрын

Check the pickup heights. Position 2 and 4 are mixing "normal" pickups (bridge or neck) in parallel with the middle reverse (magnetic) polarity, reverse wound (RPRW) pickup so there is some cancellation (and Strat Quack) but the volume should be okay.

@jon9536

3 жыл бұрын

Also, some people set the middle pickup lower, to avoid hitting it, so a slightly hotter middle pickup makes sense, for those applications.

@natearchuleta2003

3 жыл бұрын

A1 comments, y'all are appreciated.

“i’ll be back in a snap” *snaps* *half of the guitars disappear*

@wildeasage

4 жыл бұрын

Thanos Braun Guitar

@pablomorales6187

4 жыл бұрын

This coment has not had the love it deserves

@martinhroch344

4 жыл бұрын

Mr. Fender, I don't feel in tune...

@zakp93

4 жыл бұрын

I see what he did there lol

@muaythaiisfun4404

3 жыл бұрын

Martin Hroch :()

A surprisingly close match! The Squier sounded a just little bit less brilliant (or ever so slightly darker) with those inbetween positions but I could hardly hear any obvious difference with the single pickup comparisons. I'd really like to watch and hear such a comparison with a "mid to high endish" Fender Tele and a Squier Tele as I'm really not sure if replacing the pickups in my 50s Vintage Vibe Series Tele will actually make an audibly discernible improvement...

very interesting indeed. Thanks for this Darrell.

This is nuts. The Squier sounded better to me

@thehound5794

4 жыл бұрын

Me too!

@lassivaatamoinen5468

4 жыл бұрын

It's not really nuts. You can get cheapo guitars which sound great, like shown, rather easily. The other thing is the finish work. You *might* find a totally diamond piece finish-wise from a cheap instrument, but most probably the finish is off, in one place or the other, or several. Take it to a service guy, and you're good to go - but already spent anohter $300-$500. And then the other question is, how well will the cheaper instrument run against the test of time? If you need an instrument as a daily driver, 40hrs a week for five years, you're probably better off with a more expensive instrument. If you make 40hrs a year as an occasional home player, then the cheapo will be just good.

@oskarileikos

4 жыл бұрын

@@lassivaatamoinen5468 how so is an expensive guitar going to be more durable? Okay if we are not talking about 90-120 euro guitars that have bridges made out of molten beer cans, but affordable guitars as in 250-500 euro Squiers, Epiphones and Ibanezes. How are they less durable than Gibsons or Fenders? I don't see any reasoning behind that.

@NBGTFO

4 жыл бұрын

I own a Fender strat as well as a couple of strat copies. In every case, the copies sound better than the Fender, which has retired to my closet. Modern name-brand guitars are mostly crap nowadays. You can buy really nice guitars for under 1K and you'll probably be happier.

@samiam9059

4 жыл бұрын

Affinity ? lololol

Do "make your fender sound like a squier" next!

@michealgray533

3 жыл бұрын

Have a line 6

@Sammy_Jar

3 жыл бұрын

just hand it to me

@shaqeelzainalabdeen231

3 жыл бұрын

@@Sammy_Jar haha

“I did the same test with a charvel so cal and a fender Stratocaster of similar model and my friends couldn’t tell the difference. So I though huh let’s try testing the so cal (£1400) and the strat (£999) and the squire (£159) and the difficulty my professional musician / producer friends had telling them apart made me realise we really have gone nuts in the gear snobbery department over the last 50 years. Let’s be fair, the most expensive strats nowadays emulate the first strats ever made. Back in those days they were made with cheap parts due to being new / mostly still experimental in its infancy. So we’re paying premium for parts that sound like cheap parts. Get the guitar you enjoy the feel of. Plug it in. Play it. “ - Andrej Tchaikovsky 2018

The new squier pickups actually seemed to have better separation and clarity, maybe due to those staggered pole pieces. In some cases, the fender sounded more "cohesive" and "vintage", but I liked the squier better for most tests

Been playing for 45 years and have collected lots of guitars. In this vid, I prefer the sound of the squier. Sounds fuller and more lively. Any tone difference I hear can just as easily be attributed to string brand, string height, pot differences, or microscopic changes on the tone pot. With that said, I would have liked to have heard each guitar played with a more Hendrix or Vaughan tone and with some different amps.

@unabrazoatodoslosbuenos

Жыл бұрын

I found a 99 inffinity made in taiwan squire in the garbage. Put some locking tuners on it, and set it up. Plays great. Squires have an inherent problem with backround noise. It can't be near any mobile phone or it hisses savagely. In a professional setting without shielding the squire is totally unacceptable. Use a noise gate and cleans up but loses lots of it's bang. Mine is strictly a practice guitar. The action on it is insane. It stays in tune because I completely blocked the tremelo by jamming a cork between the block and the body. Other than that it's too unstable noise wise to use at a gig with high wattage. My corona strat however is another ball game. It's as quiet as my carvin. Thought I'd put in my two cents. Cheers.

@EbonyPope

Жыл бұрын

Though wood night influence it a tad tonewood is mostly a scam. It's important for acoustic instruments but mostly irrelevant for electrics. I have done Harley Bentons that really sound outstanding.

@jimparsons2600

Жыл бұрын

So many variables come into play with tones as someone here said, from the actual players touch and picking to the materials the guitar is made from ect ect ect

@russelltrabakino1314

Жыл бұрын

Just think about the late great Jeff Healey Oh he did was changed the pickups Is in probably change the block Is 2A way better one

@micsayre

Жыл бұрын

@@russelltrabakino1314 What?

I think the squiier is a little brighter, the fender has a little more warmth almost a little richer tone but for $17pups its phenomenal similarity and I actually like the squier more when he added overdrive and gain

Was surprised I could tell the Fender each time, even on my MacBook speakers (one is busted/rattling even). That said, I think the squier sounded fine. An A/B of the stock vs new pickups in the squier would be good.

@deanlindholm8663

2 жыл бұрын

This is the most accurate commentin the entire thread. You could 100% tell the difference, every single time. If you can't tell the difference, then you need to listen harder. That being said, what sound are you looking for? Are you looking for a start sound or a tele sound? I mean seriuosly, check out Brian Mays guitar, it's literally it's a matle piece him and his dad tur ned into a guitar....

@guitareMTL

Жыл бұрын

I heard wrong only one time, I think I got distracted, I can definitly tell when I hear the Fender. It became extremely easy with positiin 2 and 4. The only thing I wonder is how much of the difference is coming from the bigger block tremolo on the fender?

@michelboucher1417

Жыл бұрын

Idem

Another great video Darrell. I've just spent ages trying to improve a cheapo Strat neck [not a Squire]. I tried everything in my armoury, but achieved little. The problem seems to be that the materials used and the basic physical set-up, plus the intrinsic poor quality properties of the cheaper neck means that they can never be improved beyond a sort of basic 'just about playable' level. I've never been all that bothered about pick-ups - as long as they work and sound ok. It's all about the feel of the neck [with a hint of tuning and intonation issues] for me. If I get any fatigue/frustration after a couple of minutes of trying one, I just put it down.

Really love this channel. The way Darrell describes the tones is the most accurate I've heard and makes sense to me. Thank you Darrell!! Makes me want to get a copy and start swapping!!

TheDooo, a popular guitar KZreadr, played a regular red Squire Stratocaster for basically half of his life until he decided be wanted to buy a new guitar. Listen to his song Ascend. It didn't matter if he had a low-end guitar. It sounded amazing.

@spicysisig1651

3 жыл бұрын

Wow, haven’t heard of that name in years. That doood inspired me to play the guitar.

excellent! as always! i like the look of the pickups with the B&W Squire. the sound speaks for its self! haha

They sound so close! Very nice demo! Sounds as good as my MIM and the trem system is superb!

The reality is, more and more professionals are steering away from the big brand, big budget offerings. We have reached a point where a $500 guitar can play as well and sound as good as guitars that previously cost $1000 and over. Competition has exploded and the big names have fallen behind, both in terms of value and quality. The best strat will always be a fender and the best Les Paul will always be a Gibson but the problem is, neither would be a new instrument. Now we pay through the nose for dated tech, poor QC (Gibson, I don't have any experience with new Fenders). Don't get me wrong, I loved my Fender Strat, it was a '68 and beat to hell but damn she played nice. I sold it for $100 before "reliced" was a thing. I picked it up for $50 and spent about anther $50 on it for a used Trem block and 2 knobs that were missing. This was in the 90's and it was worth nothing then, now I could have gotten 10 times my investment back, or more. It isn't more valuable, people just got dumber. Squires are great, cheap, playable and, with a few upgrades, every bit as good as a Fender. The same can be said of many ST and T type clones. Epiphone I am not a fan of, just personal preference though, not because they are flawed in some particular way. For Gibson style instruments I look at either the copyright era vintage clones or, for a cheap project base, something like a Harley Benton SC 450 or DC XXX. The vast majority of pros I know (earn their living in the industry) use Ibanez, Jackson, ESP etc. In fact, the only pro I know that regularly actually plays Fender or Gibson is a blues guy who has a killer 90's Les Paul Studio and 70's Tele (also a gem). He is also the oldest of the guys I know in the industry and has had both his axes from new. My brother would play the heck out of a Gibson Les Paul or a Fender USA Strat if he had them but as an expense, he would never pay the money they are asking for something that isn't actually any better than many guitars coming in at as little as a quarter of the price and vintage demands and even higher premium. I love how Darrell always advocates buying what feels good to you. Go to a store, pick up everything in your budget and have a good noodle then pick what made you smile the most. Don't let past stigma and nonsense snobbery decide for you.

@glowstick7453

4 жыл бұрын

wow you spent a lot of time typing that comment out but your speakin facts

@Scottocaster6668

3 жыл бұрын

RIGHT ON!! Well said 😀👍

@Ndlanding

3 жыл бұрын

" It isn't more valuable, people just got dumber." _

@BOBANDVEG

3 жыл бұрын

Technology advances sometimes work in our favor. Most of todays starter guitars are better than jimi Hendrix could of dreamed

@bohma7519

3 жыл бұрын

Spot on mate!

The moral of the story is, Fender is ripping you off

@davemanone3661

4 ай бұрын

You get what you pay for!

@shawnmayhew8481

2 ай бұрын

​@@davemanone3661 no you don't stupid people get what they pay for

@Unity116

Ай бұрын

Certainly not, the price for the expensive guitar is to compensate for the higher quality materials, finishes, hardware, etc. which all do affect sound, but most importantly affects the way it plays You can get a really good sound out of a 200 dollar guitar easily with the right amp and cab, but it just won't play like a 500-1500 dollar guitar. They certainly sound different, and I generally think the higher quality material guitars have more interesting character to the sound, but that is all opinion based anyways, but for someone who just wants to play music and have fun they can certainly use a cheaper guitar and still get a great sound

Surprised I preferred the squire in all the blind test great video I’m tempted to have a go at building a parts bin strat

This has been banging around in my head but my Squier is white. I found pickup covers for the 48-50-52 pickups in both white and black for under like $6.00 USD. So now you can make it sound great AND still look pretty.

I love Squires, you can mod them, make them to your liking without feeling nervous by maybe ruining your thousand dollar or whatever priced expensive Fender. I've owned 6, have one now that I play more than my Wolfgang. I picked it up at a Yard sale for, ready... $5 bucks!. Did some work to it, making it to my liking, and it plays awesome. Strats are more comfortable to me. Once again, Thanks for the video Darrell 😉

Darrell, I bought the same color Affinity Strat from a pawn shop last year for $60. It was mint with the plastic cover on the pickguard. I installed Tusq string trees, a steel tremolo block and a GFS prewired pickguard. The trees were $ 8 , block and pickguard $ 48 . Less than $120 and I have a great guitar I can take anywhere with a Blackstar Fly. Thanks.

A really fun challenge Darrell! Thanks a lot!

I'm an old dude but I can remember a time when everyone called a squire a fender. You want to know why? Because it is a fender. If fender cant make a good sounding squire by now they should quit making guitars.

@iamanovercomer3253

2 жыл бұрын

Back in the day- Fender was 🇺🇸 made only

@ws8080

2 жыл бұрын

Agreed. Squier is a Fender product, says so right on the box....

There's something so relaxing about coming home from work and sitting down with my dinner to watch your latest video. They're always just very well put together and informative.

As the owner of a few Squires myself, this is definitely the kind of video I'll need! Always appreciate the gear and tech lessons and content man! Great work!

@DarrellBraunGuitar

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much RC!

@RC32Smiths01

4 жыл бұрын

@@DarrellBraunGuitar Ahhh it is always my pleasure man! You are welcome!

@jeffeverhart6942

4 жыл бұрын

If u own several Squiers u should know how to spell Squier.

@jeffeverhart6942

4 жыл бұрын

@Kaptain Kid Hey I didn't mean to tic you off Kap. I get your point. Rock on!

My Squier I got 14 years ago came with Seymore Duncan Alnico 5 pups, it is a first series Vintage Modified Stratocaster. Still love everything about it....

Man I just love the way those clear pickups look!

This was close. They both sounded really good to me. Today it's really about preference, and "ego" because as a mix engineer, I can tell you, if you can play well, in the context of a song/mix no one will even care what guitar you used. How many of you remember the guitars we used to get out of the Bluechip Stamp booklet back in the day? LOL ...yeah .. I know .. Im old..er LOL

@mv235

3 жыл бұрын

We had S&H Green Stamps. And yeah, you're old. Old guys rule!

@stevenrwilson181

2 жыл бұрын

@@mv235 s&h had a store right next to Piggly wigglys in the town I grew up in

I actually liked the squire more PD: You should try Tele Bridge pickup in Strat

@orvilfarley7861

4 жыл бұрын

I agree!

@kirkscobey3031

4 жыл бұрын

Oscar Corpas Reverend has one like that !

@dlux703

4 жыл бұрын

Why not? I have added a Tele neck pickup to my Les Paul junior and it plays well with the P90. A whole new way to get what I need from a guitar I love playing.

@ErinBlueBird

4 жыл бұрын

I mean take your fav Strat and put a tele bridge pickup not pick a guitar with that setup.

@louiehamel7675

4 жыл бұрын

I don't think they are the same size though. The tele pickup is slightly smaller in the space between the screws. But if you got a custom pickguard maybe... That would be epic.

Well thank you so much!!!! I'm studying guitar, like how to play and build then and you're helping me a lot !!! ty so much

I just upgraded an old Strat copy with a set of these Alnico pup's, they are great! I got the ones with the cream covers and took the silly logos off them. I've linked to this video as your sound tests are much clearer and better than mine (I used my cam's mike, I should have used the line out) Cheers mate!

**puts bad 20$ pickups in american strat** "Now they sound exactly the same!"

@cazimircouble

4 жыл бұрын

just kidding lol.. i actually preferred the modified squier.

@cazimircouble

4 жыл бұрын

@Kaptain Kid i am fully aware; it was a joke. thanks for the insight, though :)

@Bazzah999

4 жыл бұрын

lol

@shawnwright5332

3 жыл бұрын

Exactly all your paying for is good propaganda buy a good wood guitar buy excellent electronic and have a Luther set it up and bang 3-500.00 guitar is as good as any pro guitar excluding fantastic paint job if you're in to vanity nothing wrong with that I'm in to the sound and playability but paying 2000.00 for a fender or a Gibson is fools Gold! As far as I am concerned.The only good thing is some fool will give you back close too what you paid for it maybe more and I'd be lucky too get my 300 bucks back for modded guitar but who cares I am only 300 bucks in if it's robbed catches on fire playing Hendrix who cares!!!!!!

@kyriakosxanthopoulos3468

3 жыл бұрын

@@cazimircouble I prefered the modded Squier too!

Wish i coulda heard it before pickup change

@georgegibson3389

3 жыл бұрын

50

I bought a roached squier 5 year back as a project changed everything from the tuners down kept the neck (love the neck) and body i put in a knob to give me neck and bridge together for a Tele sound now it's a great guitar very comfortable to use and sounds great i prefer it to my G&L Tribute Legacy it just feels right.

The "Vintage" sound is when the magnets on the pickups start getting a little weaker over time. That is what the fellow who designed the Stratocaster stated when interviewed a few years ago. I bought a Squier a few years intending to mod the pickups & put a Graphtec Hexaphonic kit in it, was I ever surprised when I got home & discovered the body was too thin for what I wanted to do to it.

I bought the same pickups when I built my son's Strat. They came with covers though. These pickups really did bring that guitar to the next level.

I liked the Squier better. Still had the Strat chime and just a hint fatter.

@fezmey6117

4 жыл бұрын

I had the same thoughts. I'm not too familiar with the Fender original pickups' DC resistance, but it sounds like they have a lower DC resistance than the cheap (inexpensive) Chinese pickups. The Chinese ones being between 8-9.5K on the DC resistance would account for the tone difference. Not bad China! I'm becoming more and more impressed with certain Chinese products, but they still have a long way to go to pull their entire reputation out of the dumpster.

@franknada8235

4 жыл бұрын

It was round and nice. Especially better for solo performances.

@drandau79

4 жыл бұрын

And the clean sound was cleaner.

I wonder how the old pickups would have compared? Regardless, the Squire does sound pretty nice! Another helpful video, good job.

Thank you! Awesome work!

On the in between 2 and 4 positions the Squier had clearer dynamics that to me are more classic. Both were very nice tones. One thing I did notice, was the playing was more relaxed when playing the Fender, showing there is far more going on than the Pickups. But may be simple enough to sort without spending any further money.

honestly i think the bulk of the difference is in the feel and how far you can push it. different pickups would react differently to your amp and effects setup. the end sound might not be that different to a listener, but as the player, you should be able to feel the difference. how much force you use to pick the string to get a certain tone will definitely vary depending on the pickup.

@iFireender

Жыл бұрын

yeah, nah. Pickups are some magnets with some wire around them. There's NO reason why they should cost more than 20$ a set. If you slapped a 300$ price tag on the chinese set and called it a 'special series', you'd like the chinese set more. A lot of musicians get lost in 'instrument voodoo' when they don't understand the technicalities of instruments and go down a similar rabbit hole that audiophiles go down (hurr durr cable risers for accurate sound transmission!) With active pickups, this is a bit of a different thing; EMGs use 'normal' pickups but have their circuit after them, Fishman fluences have the coil as an actual PCB. If you cloned the PCB and/or electronics after that; same sound, more or less.

Loved it!- there's barely anything between them sound wise. Personally I marginally preferred the Squier in the blind tests. Aaaand .. that is before we've 'got on to' discussing the other supposed variables such as cast saddles, small alloy block vs full size / brass etc , full size pots, orange sprague caps - unicorn hair wiring insulation (!) etc etc .. If a player gets a decent (enough) guitar, and gets to know it. Magic can happen. I've had a couple Squires, and played a bunch more and I have to say , they are generally excellent or only a light tweak away from excellent. But, that said - my early model Squier CV50 Tele was great for a while but the fret wire must have been made of chocolate as it was worn right down a year :P

thanks for the comparison video. it changed my perspective about guitar.

The Squire looks great without the covers. Kinda "Strat meets Mad Max" industrial looking. Great video. Keep up the great content. Good to see a review of a low-cost upgrade.

Makes you wonder why Squier doesn't just use those $17 pick-ups.

@jarrusjenkins

3 жыл бұрын

probably because if they can save even $1 per guitar.... they will since its a budget instrument and considering how many of them theyre knocking out... $1 per instrument is a massive saving.

@darthlynx5792

3 жыл бұрын

The squiers are a 100$, $17 pickups are simply too expensive

@jarrusjenkins

3 жыл бұрын

@@darthlynx5792 yep

@anthonyroberts7641

3 жыл бұрын

dont want to compete with themselves ;)

@ReelSpider

3 жыл бұрын

They buy the current ones in bulk, and get them for closer to 4 bucks a set...

Great vid! Thanks!!!

Fascinating! Thanks! :-)

Thanks, an interesting little experiment; they did sound similar. Would have been interested to hear the Squier with it's original pickups as well.

For $7 I upgraded the nut on my affinity to a bone but and that helped it noticeably. Great comparison video!

@Ndlanding

4 жыл бұрын

Just how did it help? Playing cowboy chords or lots of open strings? Or maybe with the trem not going out of tune? I'd honestly like to know.

@15569903

4 жыл бұрын

Ndlanding it helped in keeping tune, and it helped in a brighter crisper tone too. It was a very easy swap and made for a noticeable improvement for low cost. I highly recommend, I just ordered off of amazon, a two pack for like $7, for was perfect and the slots were cut accurately.

Man that Squier looked cool with the clear bobbins. REALLY liked that look. And sounded so close to the Fender, the average listener would never notice.

This was a fun video to watch. For each of the blind tests I picked the Squier as the better sound, and then when watching both guitars being played, I still thought the Squier had the better sound. I think the difference between playing these two guitars will be more obvious to someone that has played Strats over other guitar styles, as they will be much more familiar with the sound of the Strat. I learned to play on a Les Paul copy and have always preferred the shape of the same thickness throughout the body style of guitar. This includes Ibanez with a Strat-shaped outline, but still one thickness for the entire body. Strats feel a little off to me because of this preference, as the body contour would take some getting used to.

I put some headphones in and didn’t look at the screen on the blind test. I didn’t even know you changed guitars.

@vibora9509

3 жыл бұрын

i was looking at myself in the mirror while hearing the video and afterwards he was like “so those are the two guitars” i was like whAT ? *rewinds*

@cameronneal4

3 жыл бұрын

@ Nice

I don’t even play guitar... but I love how customized squires look and sound, over the American made ones

@toto_shreddito5196

4 жыл бұрын

Then you're all set up to start playing! Just need a used Squier, maybe some help to set it up properly and you're ready to shred!

@westerling8436

4 жыл бұрын

@@toto_shreddito5196 don't patronize him

Very useful, thank you.

Wow! The sounds are really close! I couldn't tell the difference! Great comparison, thanks!

for the neck pick up I liked the Fender more, it had more clarity, BUT GOD DAMN IM SURPRISED, for the bridge pickup the bought coils sounded so much better to me!

I have many guitars. I play my inexpensive ones all the time. Two are Squier Strats (not Affinities), and they are excellent.

Excellent video! Wow :)

Thanks for the video! I agree with your conclusion.

Blind test, I picked squire each time... would have liked to hear the squire original sound added in too.

@jamess1265

4 жыл бұрын

Yes good idea

"let's find oat"

@scottmantooth8785

4 жыл бұрын

oats are good for you

@Exterminate265

4 жыл бұрын

@@scottmantooth8785 💩

@forester057

4 жыл бұрын

😂😂😂

@getenlightened

4 жыл бұрын

*meal

@Zguitar1

4 жыл бұрын

"What's this all aboot Eh?"......I'll shut'up now.

. Got the exact same pickups about a month ago but they did come with covers, very nice bronze metal covers. Very pleased with them as they replaced Seymour Duncan's at more than five times the price. .

Great video! Those cheap strat pickups sound great! I got a set of Guitar Madness Alnico pickups on reverb for cheap that sound awesome as well!

I loved the Squier better every time with headphones and multiple listens.

I just bought a Squire and love it

Great demo.

My Squier affinity has always been the most comfortable, best sounding guitar Ive ever played. All 24 years I've had it.

@billb6886

2 жыл бұрын

My 2007 Affinity sounds and plays better than my '68 rosewood and '74 maple neck Strats and stays in tune better! Of course, I sold those and am glad and don't worry about the Squier getting stolen.

@cmcapps1963

2 жыл бұрын

I have a fender mim strat but want another to leave tuned down a half step w/heavier gauge strings for some blues rock stuff. Tempted by the affinities. Do y'all know if the ones they make now live up to the older ones y'all have?

@macuse2008

2 жыл бұрын

@@cmcapps1963 I don’t think so. The older ones have alder bodies and real rosewood.

@Crabfather

Жыл бұрын

@@cmcapps1963 better off getting a classic vibe, really. Affinities are a bit.. mmmm

I can definitely tell the difference when testing in the 2 and 4 position. The Fender sounded janglier than the squier, like what a Fender is known for. I couldn't tell the difference in the first set of tests though.

It would be nice, if the test were made with an amp, and no post editing! With some multi effects or emulators, all guitars tend to sound almost the same! Thanks for the demo!

I’m a bass player who has jumped to the Squire line. Went to GC, $1200 budget, looking for a 4 string bass. Played every Fender/Squire bass in the store, ended up buying a new surf green Squire 70’s vintage bass, w/discount cost me $399, added a Seymour Duncan quarter pounder pickup, $90 installed, so for about $500 I bought a great sounding bass that played better than other Fender bass guitars for hundreds less. Have played it professionally for over a year now, still love it. Squires Rock!

@MikeDBZ

5 ай бұрын

what kind of discount is that!? did you steal it LOL

i use the two adjustment screws to make the strings in the right place over the poles as well as the distance from the edge of the neck, same height and by turning the screw higher to witch side you need to move to, then the bridge piece moves to where it should be, every time you change your action ,i found it can become out of center if your not looking for where it sits ,this is a part of really knowing how to set up a guitar,

I actually like the lookuncovered. Its unique

Pretty amazing how well the Squire holds up here. I bought a Squire Contemporary series HH, put a DiMarzio SD for the bridge and a GFS Crunchy Pat for the neck and it sounds amazing. Was totally blown away by the QC on it as well, not a single fret end needed to be sanded down or anything. Only thing was the skunk stripe on the back was a little raised compared to the rest of the neck, just needed some light sanding and that was it. Your money goes further than it ever has with guitars these days, now I just gotta stop myself from buying more of them

@larrysentelle1244

3 жыл бұрын

Change out your wiring harness, lose the low quality pots, and switch. Put a Pure Tone output jack, great mod for like $10 bucks. Graphtech bridge saddles would be great. Locking Fender tuners should fit with no drilling, and you'll be very pleasantly surprised.

Swapping from ceramic to alnico was a positive move for a cleaner, classic stat sound. I'll only add that any good guitar player can make virtually any guitar sound at least decent.

On the blind test I actually preferred the Squire... but on the 2 and 4 the Fender had the better tone. Would like to have heard the Squire before the pup change just for comparison. ❤️🎶

I love my Squire as is!

I would have like to have heard the original squire pickups comparsion

For first 3 comparisons I had picked the Squier consistently LOL... but for positions 2 and 4 I liked the Strat... For the cost, I think I would buy 3 Squiers in different colors as opposed to one strat.

I’m super surprised! The Squire actually sounded great. I liked how it sounded like the squire has a bit more low end. Nice!