Just got another one...lol
Posted: Fri Mar 01, 2024 7:17 pm
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.
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.