MODDING A MINI!...(Strat, that is!)

[Alex_SG]

My awesome son Liam has decided, since I'm off work with another injury, that I need something to do in my spare time.
He's decided he wants me to have his little strat to mod! He's a generous little soul!
I told him I'd buy him a full size neck for it, but he is adamant that he wants me to have it.
I'm going to mod the heck out of it, and present it back to him when I'm done.
So... What first? Tuners, pickups, wiring and pots/caps?
I'm not going to spend hundreds of dollars on a $99 guitar, so I'll be buying pre-owned pickups.
I have a supplier who can supply decent pots and caps and wiring, so that's not going to be a huge expense.
If the scale length is compatible, a new neck will definitely be in the pipeline too.
I've re strung it with a set of 10s that I had lying around (new strings that came off my Gibson SG - I took them off as soon as I got it home, and re-strung it with new Brite Wires).
I think 9s would be optimal, so I'll have to get some when I get out of the house tomorrow.
Anyway, here's a pic for your perusal.



It actually plays nicely now I've put new strings on and given it a setup!
The pickups are quite bright and articulate, but lack bottom end. The neck pickup is a bit muddy, and I have noticed that the one tone knob lacks a capacitor, so that may be the first mod.
Anyhoo, let's see where this leads...

 

[DonP]

I find these cheap Strats to be really nice guitars. I have one - not a mini - that has just about the best Strat quack I've ever heard. But new electrics generally are never a bad idea - that is one of the major areas of penny-pinching in low end guitars.

Lack of bottom end though? That should be fixed with new pickups. It sounds like these just aren't wound with enough turns. That will fix any excessive brightness at the same time.

So yes, do the electrics, but I'm not sure that a full-size neck is a possibility. If you are really into this, see if a three-control pickguard is a possibility to get the second tone control. Looking at it, I think it's possible. Certainly a 5-position switch, though.

 

[gasket]

Your boys first guitar that he's out grown.
Clean it up, lock in in a hard case and let him open it when you've left planet earth.
It's a little Squire, not a lot of money to lock away but valuable family history.

 

[Inspector #20]

My awesome son Liam has decided, since I'm off work with another injury, that I need something to do in my spare time.
He's decided he wants me to have his little strat to mod! He's a generous little soul!
I told him I'd buy him a full size neck for it, but he is adamant that he wants me to have it.
I'm going to mod the heck out of it, and present it back to him when I'm done.
So... What first? Tuners, pickups, wiring and pots/caps?
I'm not going to spend hundreds of dollars on a $99 guitar, so I'll be buying pre-owned pickups.
I have a supplier who can supply decent pots and caps and wiring, so that's not going to be a huge expense.
If the scale length is compatible, a new neck will definitely be in the pipeline too.
I've re strung it with a set of 10s that I had lying around (new strings that came off my Gibson SG - I took them off as soon as I got it home, and re-strung it with new Brite Wires).
I think 9s would be optimal, so I'll have to get some when I get out of the house tomorrow.
Anyway, here's a pic for your perusal.
View attachment 1913


It actually plays nicely now I've put new strings on and given it a setup!
The pickups are quite bright and articulate, but lack bottom end. The neck pickup is a bit muddy, and I have noticed that the one tone knob lacks a capacitor, so that may be the first mod.
Anyhoo, let's see where this leads...

See if you can find a Virtual Vintage Solo. Mine was given to me by Seymour, and I want to say it was marked DP402. It's around 10k IIRC.

OR....

Any of the GFS Tru Coils. Both are dead quiet and have very good tone...plus a 100% drop in replacement for stock single coils....

 

[Six String]

I've only had one guitar mod'ed (adding rather then replacing) and it was an great improvement. Not being a big fan of modding, I have learned one thing. It's your guitar and you have to be happy with what you do to it. IMHO

 

[Biddlin]

I think you might run into intonation troubles. The mini is a 22.75" scale. I also don't know about the neck pocket size on a mini. Way back a couple of years ago, I saw a thread on TDPRI where a guy did this with a mini-tele, so you might want to look for that. Pickups and caps would be my target.

 

[Alex_SG]

Thinking about it practically, maybe you guys are right.
A new neck is going to cost minimum $150 - $200 new, and probably $50 - $100 used. It probably doesn't make a lot of sense for a guitar I paid $100 for.
Also there is the possibility of intonation problems to consider, and another thing, the extra weight... It may cause some serious neck dive problems.
So at the moment, I'm just looking at components...
I'm not completely abandoning the neck replacement idea, but just seeing what i can do in the meantime to make it a better 7/8 size guitar.
I stripped off the pick guard and strings this morning, and added a .47uF ceramic cap to the tone pot, and re-strung it with a set of EB super slinky 9s, and it has made a huge difference.
The highs are still bright, but not shrill, and the lows are now, shall we say, a lot more pleasant on the ears. The neck pickup is also less muddy.
There is a guy who advertises on "Gumtree" (an online buying and selling site like Craigs List) who often is selling second hand pickups, guitars, amps, pedals etc. and he's in my local area.
I'll keep my eyes open for a decent but cheap set of pickups, and see what they do for the tone of this thing. It sounds "reasonable" (better than it did) at the moment, but I think it could sound a lot better.
I think I'll also keep my eyes out for a decent pre-owned full size Squier Strat which I can clean up and give Liam so he still has a Strat to play.

 

[Six String]

I was going to mention considering the amount you would put into a guitar that doesn't start out really high cost....

It reminds me of a joke I use at shows........... " I have a pair of John Lennon's glasses. I've only had to change the lens twice and the frames 3 times... but they are the same glasses!"

 

[gasket]

I was going to mention considering the amount you would put into a guitar that doesn't start out really high cost....

It reminds me of a joke I use at shows........... " I have a pair of John Lennon's glasses. I've only had to change the lens twice and the frames 3 times... but they are the same glasses!"

A infamous Australian bushranger (outlaw) by the name of Ned Kelly ...
The same old joke goes, "This is Ned Kelly's axe, just had 3 new handles and two new heads".