A little tip for stringing up. Measure back from string tree to first fret, start wrap with that amount of extra and your wind will be perfect. No more guessing. Works for every string too. You're welcome! lol Great channel man!

@j-man9457

29 күн бұрын

That's how I do it! Works well for sure! 😄 Thanks!

Nice job!!! Crazy good playing there! I think Jimmy left the building, and J-Man took the bull by the horns!! Lmbo!!!!😂😆🤣😁👍 Lol!!!

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Hahaha thanks!

This is one of the few rare times I’m glad you played extensive clean tones … as there is nowhere to hide blemishes behind spanky twanky clean Strat tones! Sounds amazing! I’m sold 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Thanks man! 😊

That fretboard really popped when you oiled it, beautiful grain!

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Yeah it did! Super nice grain! Love it! 😍

@brittboyette461

Ай бұрын

@@j-man9457 you did a nice job on that guitar. That's exactly the type of things I like to do with cheap guitars, I find great joy in making blah guitars become something you don't want to put down!

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

@@brittboyette461 Thanks Britt! Yeah it turned out super nice!

Nice wrap-up video... I think you enjoy playing as much as I enjoy listening-Thx!!

@j-man9457

18 күн бұрын

Hahaha thanks Mark. Well it's a fun guitar to play for sure!

I bought a 40th anniversary Strat in '95. High dollar for me back then at 1 grand. Even so, I had to replace one pot and have intonation set. Here it is '24 and it sat mostly unused for 8 years and I had a Lutier go through and work it back to spec. now it plays as good for me as it did in '95. Opinion: No guitar, or instrument for that matter, will be the best out of the box that it possibly could be. Unless, as you said, it was built as a custom for the individual that plays it. I enjoyed watching you honestly go through every aspect that needs to be addressed and make the needed adjustments to make that guitar sound as good as a top name, top of the line instrument.

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Thank you very much! 😊

Really interesting and satisfying to watch ! Thank you !

By 17:17 it’s fairly clear that you got yourself a solid player axe there! And don’t sell yourself short on being a “Tele-Only” player… you have solid well rounded skills! 👍🏻 Thanks for doing these in-depth breakdown vids!

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Ahhhh thanks so much man! Very kind of you to say. And I'm glad you found these vids helpful! 😁

Thanks for the review, your talent and workmanship. Sounded great !!

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Ohhh thanks man! Much appreciated!

I really enjoy you honestly and your process of making guitars better.

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Thank you sir! Much appreciated! ☺️

Great video series.

@j-man9457

24 күн бұрын

Thanks... Great guitar in the end haha. A few quirks to work out for sure but not bad for their first attempt at an S-Style guitar!

Great job sounds great.

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Thanks Denis! Great guitar, it was just badly put together from factory hahaha

you made that west creek sound like a frekin 63 fender! great job on your licks i really found your playing very enjoyable.

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Ahhh thanks! Great guitar once the issues are addressed!

Thank you again J-Man! Another great video and some very nice playing. So happy to hear you cut loose over a jam track! I have learned quite a bit from the 3 videos for this guitar. I think I’m going to purchase some additional guitar maintenance tools and get brave with some of the older guitars I have (like my Univox Les Paul…my very first guitar back in ‘78 😊). May God bless you.

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Right on thanks man! Yeah doing your own set ups is rewarding! Enjoy and let me know how it goes! 😁

Well, well, well, that is a fine piece of work you’ve done there!! If you have time, let me know what strings you prefer. Playing is Awesome, the sounds are Awesome, and yes You Sir are Awesome!! Now get back to work!! I like that finish, it would really stand out if it was topcoated with a layer of candy, any color!! Better start painting 😆💥💪

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Hahaha no refinishing here! But I know a guy.... Hahaha 😉 Turned out great in the end. It's a player for sure. It would sound great in your capable hands! I have been using DR pure blues strings or Dr Dragon skins 10-46 if down tuned 1/2 step down but 9-42 if tuned standard😉

I knew those markers would pop after getting the factory soot off the board. Nice!

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Yup looks classy! 🤩

You got the MOJO brother. Hahah. You touch them a few minutes and make them sing. Westcreek has to be happy you found them. Hahah

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Hahaha not sure they'll be happy once I tell them everything they have to fix with this thing! Hahaha

Great work! Your playing is killer too.

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Ahhhh thanks. Much appreciated!

Duuude... you built yourself a nice axe. I'm kind of impressed you didn't need to do anything to those pickups. These new low-end guitars are really getting pretty nice. I looked this one up on Amazon, currently $219.99 USD. That's a freaking awesome price, though as you noted it will need TLC to make it playable. Love that tremolo block!. This was a great series!!!! I've got to go to bed. 6:00 AM comes early. It's 2:00 AM. I guess that's why they call me the working man.

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Awesome man thanks! Yup no pickup issues here! Super nice axe... They just need to fix their QC on these and watch out fender haha! 😆

J-Man, I'm telling you, you do not need lessons my friend. You totally amaze me every time I watch you play. The guitar sounds amazing, the sounds are crisp and clear. I love it. If I could play like you I'd be in heaven let me tell ya. You do such good work on your guitars. Super, super, super. Can't wait for the next one.

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Thanks my man! 🙏 Much appreciated always!😊

I like watching reviews because I always learn something new and yours was no different. Very informative as well as entertaining! West Creek should take your recommendations to heart for improvements to the next run. Thank You!

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Thanks man! 👍

Ok… here’s the vid we’ve been waiting for! 😂

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Hahahaha maybe not lol

Tele-only player? What does that mean - Teles are and have been used in every genre of music since 1951! You are a guitarist, with no restrictions except what you chose to make for yourself. Great video. It doesn't look like a Strat, it doesn't sound like a Strat. If you want it to - buy a Strat!

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

I only play hard tail Teles as a guitar of choice! The simpler the better.... Is what I meant!😄 These are cool guitars but I don't gravitate towards S-Style guitars... And yes when it comes to playing, as you've heard here, I have many restrictions hahaha!

Nice job!

Seems the design is good what they need to do is tighten their quality control and improve the parts list for hardware.

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Yup 100%

RE the frets, I think a LOT of these necks are getting them machine pressed in at a SET amt of pressure so they all go IN level, to the depth of the cut slots. Hand pressing will give more variance! This is what I THINK is going on anyway! Less HAND labour, so cheaper again! (& MORE consistent!)

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

I'm good with that!👍😉

@DMSProduktions

Ай бұрын

@@j-man9457 Yeah eh!

Sounds great. One of the advantages of this guitar is I think the neck depth is very close to Fender. Most of the cheap guitars out there on Amazon have larger necks for some reason..

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Not sure, but this neck is fantastic.... After a good fret polish lol!

Hey, J! Hey, I really liked your playing style. Oh, btw, I asked Fesley why they haven’t made a tele yet. They responded very cool to my email, but they omitted an answer to that question and a couple others. Anyway, great video with a great sounding guitar -nice work you did. I hope you let WC know all the world that you had to do. I have to admit, especially after your critique on sellers, uh… I’m kinda losing my shine for WestCreek. I feel like they’re starting to get lazy. I’m feeling good about Fesley. Sean at Scarred Guitar, and Dave at 6strngstanger are on board too. Not that Fesley is their number one, but they do like them a lot. Great clarity about your mission, stores that only sell, anticipation of serious setup no matter what people buy, just a real good articulation of the diy budget guitar biz. Thanks for that. It’s a good idea to do that every now and then.

@j-man9457

19 күн бұрын

Hey sorry for the late reply... Can't comment on Fesley as I can't get them here... However when I watch the vids of them, the bones are good but they have all of the cheap throw away electronics that other budget brands do. Again I can't speak for those, but with Westcreek for example, I can Guarantee they are gigable guitars out of the box with minimal work.... Yes these new Fender style guitars have problems, but it's only their 1st run and they have been, up till now, a Gibson copy company. I think once they iron out these issues, these will be killer guitars... And yes I did let them know of the work I did and of all the short comings I found. They were appreciative and said they would address all of these issues as they fine tune their QC. Time will tell if that's the case hahaha! Cheers!

great series! Its funny, I see a guitar on Amazon and I immediately check out your vids. I was itching for one of these westcreek strats but I think i may hold off. Fingers crossed that Musi plans on releasing more guitars as, in my opinion, you still cant beat them for quality. keep rocking!

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Thanks Matt... Yeah once they tweak these they will be awesome!

I really like the look of it, and the HSS set. Neck looks like it's not too thin as well. Sounds right, it's naturally SRV sounding which is my favorite. I got to go back see what you did and try to find one.

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

It's great but check out vid 1 & 2. For a first run, there was alot of QC and set up issues with this. All good now! ☺️

Great tweaking! It just goes to prove that budget guitars can be just a great (if not better?) than any major most known brands out there. With all the videos uploaded from many KZread channels such as yours. If one wants to learn to tackle these tweaks. One can enjoy the fruits of their labour without breaking too much efforts, time and money… Great job on making this a gem and kudos on your playing and content I’ve been enjoying from discovering you recently. Cheers! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Thanks man. Love sharing findings and info 😉

Really like the tone of those pickup/wood combo, I saw the already have one of the red ones on an Amazon return for 55 bucks off, unfortunately I have spent too much money on car parts lately

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Ahhhh bummer. I like that red one!!! 😍

@No1414body

Ай бұрын

@j-man9457 heck if a deal, it is just a return, it needs to be setup most like thus video series. I might buy it myself this week

Great review J-MAN, Great playing and a great job you did to that guitar, but yah 8 hours work is a lot of time, if you consider how much money that would cost you to get a luthier to do the work that you did their plus the cost of a few extra parts. I think I am going to stay away from that particular West Creek guitar. Hey have you checked out all the new High End Strats that Harley Benton just came out with? These Strats are very high end with all the specs on them, the prices for these new ones range from $498-$559 Canadian. If they were Fender Strats, you would be paying between $1500-well above $2000 for a fender. Anyways great review, I always enjoy watching your videos.

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Thanks.... Yeah a lot of figuring out how to fix and upgrade... The next one won't take near as long... I have not checked out the HBs 🤔

@j-man9457 Once again you showcased your talent in both your mechanical skills and your guitar playing. What makes you stand out from others is your humor, your candor, your truthfulness and your kindness. Humanity needs more people like you. Westcreek Guitars received honest, and also priceless feedback on their product without feeling like they were run over by a bus and left for dead. What others can learn from you is that it’s not necessary to be rude or nasty or condescending, but rather truthful with candor and kindness. Besides watching your next level intuitive mechanical skills, you display how to be a good person in all things. One can be a skilled mechanic at their craft but if they are not so skilled with how to be a good human being then no one will want their advice. Keep being you. Your videos make a difference in more ways than just how to modify a guitar.

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Ahhhh thanks so much man! This made my day right here! 😄

@RetiredSubmariner.and.VanLifer

Ай бұрын

@@j-man9457You’re welcome!

A thick block in the cavity reduces the dive down range and doesn't add anything worthwhile. Tighter springs, on the other hand, reduce the loss of high end inherent in a floating bridge.

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

No issues with this block. Moves freely and trem works great 😃

koool brother! so the outer is left on....nice!! im thinkin the inner coil is actually off but being theres the cover making it seem like its still on....my uncovered humbuckers on some of my guitars are actually off on 1 side when split... i bet if you put the 2 stock springs back the bridge will be pulled more flat.....keeping the other 3 of course haha!! one more tiny mod your ax needs...a tiny toggle switch for the david gilmour vibe...plus you get the neck n bridge like a tele!

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Hahaha nah, I have Teles for that haha. I think the 2nd coil is on as the Humbucker out put reads 15ish K But when split it's more than half 8.6ish... should only be a little over 7k if both coils are even and 1 is off shouldn't it?

@birdman316

Ай бұрын

@@j-man9457 sounds about right... my very 1st coilsplitting project was on a monoprice "mini strat" and i still have that guitar... pup came from a peavey raptor...i have a "on/off/on" switch for true coilsplittability... its like 3 pups in one!

Well J-Man it looks like you made it into a decent player but 8hrs labor is a lot. It’s a good concept but WestCreek has some work to do to keep their reputation as one of the highest value budget guitars, at least for this new bolt on neck stuff. The neck is the star especially after you oiled yer up & polished the frets. I hope WestCreek is watching & reading. PS; I would loose the graphics in favor of your recommended alterations to save a little cost.

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Thanks... I will send them all 3 videos and my findings! Hope for the best!

Gotta give it to you, you know how to review a guitar!!

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Well thanks man! Much appreciated! 😊

Pickin and Grinnin!

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Hahaha always!

Looks pretty natural in your hands. Maybe Westcreek just wanted to see what you would do. 8 hours! A lot of the stuff you do is not hard. However, you do need some specialty tools and some skill. I noticed you don't adjust the bridge. I have watched a bunch of intonation videos. It seems if someone is doing a guitar setup. They either don't touch it or adjust the bridge last. I don't understand this. On a Strat' particularly. I take out the spring on the number 6 string. Sometimes I even grind the back of the saddle a bit. So I can push the string as far back towards the tail as possible. That is the only way I have been able to get it to tune to the same note played open and on the 12th fret. Then I adjust the saddle on the first string as far forward towards the head as I can. Then I adjust all the other saddles to an even line in between. 1 and 6 will not be perfect, but that is as close as you can get with a typical Strat bridge. I have even considered removing that chunky Philips screw on the first string position of the bridge and countersinking for a bevel screw so the number one strings saddle could be adjusted overtop of the screw hole and go even farther towards the head. That should get the intonation of the first string near perfect. I haven't done it yet, but I probably will on my next setup.

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Of course I set the intonation. I just don't show it because it's easy, most know how to do it and it's boring to watch somebody do that on video hahaha I have 3 Strats and my saddles are nowhere near the back of the bridge on any of the strings. Bridge placement has to be off on yours🤔 8 hours was from the unboxing to the final playing in this video.... That is 3 videos. 2 before this one (hence part 3). Lots of issues on this first run. I had a lot of options on which approach to use to fix it. Turned out great. The only issue with this guitar now is my playing hahaha! Bridge is semi floating and still holds tune accurately. All good 👍

Not bad!!! Hopefully Westcreek will correct these issues on their upcoming production runs, and send you a TT-20 for all your efforts-I think you deserve it… THAT is the model that I’d be most interested in personally, along with the 333! 😂 This one definitely sounds like an HSS Strat should… I’ve never really bonded as much with Strats as with Teles personally, although I still totally get why people love Strats. That jam you played was AWESOME, by the way… As I always say, you seem to be one heck of an instinctive player, for someone who claims to know nothing about music! 😂 Maybe I missed it, but was the action okay after you cleaned up the neck pocket? Or did it need a shim?

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Thanks man! Great playing guitar now for sure! Needed a small shim in the very front of the pocket to avoid having to lower the saddles too much!😉

I had 14 high frets that had to be done so it was a full fret leveling

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Holy crap! Really? 😯🥺

@TechnoRiff

Ай бұрын

Jeez... I wudda returned it and tried another sample.

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

@@TechnoRiff I got it directly from WestCreek... They wanted me to hash out the QC issues so that they can address them as more models are released!😉

@TechnoRiff

Ай бұрын

@@j-man9457 Sure I got that from your vids. I was reacting to 2bikemike's "full fret leveling" which you guys might be up for - that would just be too much work for myself!

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

@@TechnoRiff ahhhhh sorry! I should have read more closely haha!

Ha e you done a review on the RACER SG model? I bought 2 of these and yet to dig into the altering of them.

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Yup but it really didn't need much. It was excellent! Here is the vid: kzread.info/dash/bejne/c2uEp6Shpc2cqbA.htmlsi=ZBsvrDV2_KwAGw5o

Which guitar do you like better from Westcreek? The Strat or the Explorer? Are the pickups Alnico or Ceramic?

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Hey Alnico pickups! Those are like comparing apples to oranges... They are totally different beasts altogether. I like the strat-style better because it suits my style better. The Teles are my weapon of choice though haha! The Revenge was wayyyy better as far as fit and finish goes set up and hardware... Just depends on what you like. :-) After the work I did on these, they are both ready for a gig! Great guitars, but WestCreek definitely needs to improve their QC on the Strat style for sure!

If I keep watching these videos I might eventually lose my fear of truss rods.

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Hahaha! Nothing to fear there right= front bow, rear = back bow 😁

@billyjoejones3596

Ай бұрын

@@j-man9457 Thanks, but naw. And I've been playing for 50 years.

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

@@billyjoejones3596 haha!

Do you sell these guitars after? seem to have a lot lol

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

I'll probably give this one away on the channel... Stay tuned!

I like the guitar I receive to be better than this one out of the box. Amazon is the platform, so it has to be better set up out of the factory. The price point kind of dictates a hurried build. Nice picking!

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Yup WestCreek has to take measures in correcting these issues or they will be getting lots of returns! Hahaha

@calbrockocat8728

Ай бұрын

It's too bad they rushed this model.

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

@@calbrockocat8728 yeah I know....

Mine waS crap . Sold it

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Check out video 1 and 2... This one was bad as well! However it came together nicely... Was alot of work though!

What are you using for crowning and polishing of the frets?

@j-man9457

21 күн бұрын

For crowning I'm using a mini diamond centered Z file from Stewmac, 300 grit. And for polishing I use these sanding foam pads from Amazon 18 Pcs 320-2500 Grit Sanding Sponge, Ultra Fine Sanding Sponges Pads, Soft Foam Sand Block Wet Dry Sandpaper for Model Drywall Metal Wood Furniture Polishing a.co/d/0f7a4cax

@MattSchmitt

21 күн бұрын

@@j-man9457 Thank you!

Hey J, I forgot to ask where did you get that fretboard level? Cheers!

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

You mean the notched ruler? It's the musicnomad notched ruler I got it from Amazon.ca MusicNomad Tri-Beam 3 'n 1 Dual Notched Straightedge & Precision Straightedge for Acoustic and Electric Guitars including Fender, Gibson, PRS (MN821) a.co/d/hYvOTon

@guitarzan0515

Ай бұрын

@@j-man9457 Thx J!! No, You Rock, and Blues, and mostly Country, and combine them all quite Well!💥👍💪

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

@@guitarzan0515 thanks buddy!

You shield the cavities but you don't shield the pickguard? 😳

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

The pickguard has the silver shielding tape on it😉

where did you get your fret rocker and neck tools ?

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Amazon... Skyscraper fret rocker and musicnomad neck ruler 😉