Just got another one...lol

[RavenCrest]

So this wasn't a planned purchase, but the deal was too good to turn down. This had everything wrong with it.
Strings: Rusty
Wiring: torn apart
Body: Grimy
Scratches: Few but a couple of somewhat repairable without any spraying. Just needed some 2000 wetsand, rubbing compound, and polish
Pickups? No idea if they worked. Seller didn't have any way to test it since the wiring was cut.
Final death blow: SQUIER.
Extra Final Death blow: MADE IN KOREA.

I was like NOPE. 1. I don't like Squiers for a handful of reasons, and I know there are going to be some fanbois out there that say this and that and all the things Squier lovers say. I had never owned one, never wanted to own one, so I was like Nah.

But then...something caught my eye as I was half assed lookin it over just to placate the seller.

This body....was ash. NOT plywood.

Scratching my head, I ran the serial number and of course...nothing came up

Not giving any thought to the headstock or how nice the neck looked and how the frets had minimal wear I looked closer at the end of the headstock
"Pro Tone series"
I had no clue wtf "pRo tOnE" was but I looked it up.

Not a ton of info aside from a fuzzfaced article dated unknown.

I verified that the body was ash.
This model sold from 1996-1999 and they had to stop making it because it was outselling the Ensenada made guitars and I guess Fender couldn't allow that.

"Vintage" Alnico staggered poles

Then the seller made me an offer I couldn't refuse if I agreed to fix it myself.

So I bought it. Got it home, disassembled it. Neck pocket date of "Februrary 1997"
Translucent Green color but they called it Sapphire blue...I guess the color picker fella was color blind? *shrug*

I assaulted the guitar with 2000 grit and wetsanded it with relatively light pressure and there was an "almost" gouge just behind the vibrato/bridge like someone violently removed strings. That was the hard scratch.

3 hours of wetsand, compound, wetsand compound wetsand compound polish, westsand compound, polish. The scratches vanished.
Now that poly finish gleamed like crazy.
Hand polished all the gold hardware, tuners, neck plate, jack plate...all came out VERY nice.


Now on to the electronics. Ground wire to the spring pocket... gone. Go get some black wire.
The wiring in the pickguard was there, but stuff was not right. The wires for the jack were ripped out. Ok break out the soldering gun, etc
Got all that wired up correctly. Plugged in the amp to test the pickups, we have signs of life.

Strung it up.

Tuned it.

Plugged it in....



These pickups are what I'd consider "hot" But VERY bright, glassy, and take to overdrive VERY smoothly.

Damnit, I now own a Squier.

[BoringPostcards]

I was at the end of high school when these came out. I remember trying some at a guitar store.
I remember they came out around the same time as the Vista series.
Squier did their own thing back then in regard to paint colours and appointments. They used to use gold hardware, pearloid guards, and transparent finishes. Stuff like that. Nowadays they just stick to the traditional Fender set ups and colours. Kind of boring in comparison.
Take a look at any catalogue from back then. Squier were doing some interesting stuff.

Anyhow, congrats on the Squier.

[RavenCrest]

I was at the end of high school when these came out. I remember trying some at a guitar store.
I remember they came out around the same time as the Vista series.
Squier did their own thing back then in regard to paint colours and appointments. They used to use gold hardware, pearloid guards, and transparent finishes. Stuff like that. Nowadays they just stick to the traditional Fender set ups and colours. Kind of boring in comparison.
Take a look at any catalogue from back then. Squier were doing some interesting stuff.

Anyhow, congrats on the Squier.

So you’re basically my age. I graduated HS in ‘96 went to college in ‘98. The “new”
Fenders were always out of my range so I spent lots
Of time in pawn shops buying trading etc. there’s a
Few guitars I still wish I had.

Fretless Jazz all black
Lace sensor MIJ black over white guard Stratocaster
Of course the ‘59 two tone burst JM with the original tweed case that was stolen
A 3 bolt neck late 70s natural Stratocaster that weighed like 11 lbs but had a cool sound.
A Sovtek Mig50 head
A bare wood ‘61 batsman head
Early 70’s “super twin”
And a handful of other bits n bobs

That was a long time ago