Is a Korean Squier worthy of BK Mothers Milks?

[Andy B]

I have recently acquired a second hand Korean Squier Strat from a friend who gave up trying to play. I already have a nice 12 year old  MIJ '62 reissue strat with BK Apaches which I love, however I was thinking that the Squier could become my backup guitar when playing live. However, the guitar needs some work - the components are cheap - so some new hardware, starting with the pickups - I was thinking Mothers Milk, however, I am cautious about spending good money on some nice pickups - would I be wasting money placing good quality pickups into a cheap guitar in an attempt to make it sound better - ie. how much better could I make a cheap Squier sound? Your thoughts please!

[Transcend]

Some squiers can sound awesome.

And even if it doesnt work well you will always have the pickups for your next (backup) guitar that your purchase

[Fourth Feline]

An interesting dilema, but I once had a Japanese Squier Telecaster that gigged well after ( pre B.K.P ) upgrades - as it set up beautifully - and bear in mind that my Jazz 'Number 1 ' guitar - is a cheap 'Vintage' brand Chinese copy, with a few small hardware upgrades and a set of B.K.P 'Manhatthans' that cost about 75% as much as the guitar itself !

However , again  it set up beautifully, settled in tonally sweet - and all together , for under £500 - I have a treasured instrument that feels and sounds gorgeous through a variety of rigs, from my trusty Roland Micro-Cube , right up to a Henriksenn / Raezer's Edge rig. I am not saying it would be mistaken for it's £2 - 3,000 equivalent visually, but tonally - no one who has heard it, can tell what could possibly be improved. It even gets to be my avatar on the left there, such is my affection for that 'build' / combination.

Also ( as T.K rightly pointed out )  even if I did ever buy an expensive archtop, the Manhattans would be there  - and ready for onward transplantation , as it is they that are at the core of my current rig / sonic signature.

So ; no regrets in both of the above cases.  :D

[Telerocker]

My brother installed my original Fender American Telecaster-pickups in his Squier and he has a very nice tone now. So, MM's will improve the sound, I think, as are quality-pots.

[Sifu Ben]

My personal guide is that the pickups shouldn't be worth more than the guitar.

[Telerocker]

My personal guide is that the pickups shouldn't be worth more than the guitar.

Ok. But when you like the Squier, the woods are ok and the neck feels great, why not? It really improves your sound. By the way, you don't get BKP's on cheap guitars anyway. And I say, BKP's are special.

[BigB]

I have recently acquired a second hand Korean Squier Strat from a friend who gave up trying to play. I already have a nice 12 year old  MIJ '62 reissue strat with BK Apaches which I love, however I was thinking that the Squier could become my backup guitar when playing live. However, the guitar needs some work - the components are cheap - so some new hardware, starting with the pickups - I was thinking Mothers Milk, however, I am cautious about spending good money on some nice pickups - would I be wasting money placing good quality pickups into a cheap guitar in an attempt to make it sound better - ie. how much better could I make a cheap Squier sound? Your thoughts please!

How much you paid for the guitar is (mostly) irrelevant IMHO - cheap or expensive, you'll find good wood and cr@p at almost any price tag. One of the worse guitars I ever played was a recent Gibby LP that sold for €2500+, and either plugged or unplugged, it wasn't worth our singer's cheap (€500-) korean LP copy.

Now does this Squier sound good unplugged ? Is it made of real wood ? If you answer yes to both questions, then better pups (and better hardware) will definitly make it sound better. Else, you're probably wasting your time and money.

[Lew]

If you get a complete new harness with top pots caps etc etc as well as the bkps then you can just unscrew the guard and swap it back round if you sell it, the beauty of the strat

[Spiteface]

If the guitar is a well-made piece of kit, and feels good to play, why the hell not?

If however, it's a guitar that will need a lot of work before you even think about new pickups, you're better off getting a new guitar.

Supposing for this Squier strat, you're getting your set of Mother's Milks in a pre-wired pickguard.  That's like £220/£230, and how much would a guitar significantly "better" sounding than a Korean Squier strat actually cost?

That's something I realised to a degree when buying my black Epiphone Dot.  Cost me £320 brand new with case.  Set of chrome covered Bare Knuckle Riff Raffs set me back around £200.  Buying a Gibson ES 335 would set me back at least £1400 (there's a second hand one in Gamlins in Cardiff) before I even start.  I like the feel of my Dot, and now I have an improved tone thrown in.

In short: GO FOR IT!

[PhilKing]

I upgraded a Richwood Explorer that I bought for £110.  I put all new metal work (bridge, tuners, tailpiece), all the electronics and pickups.  I had a lot of things around, so I didn't need to buy anything but the pickups.  I put a Warpig/MQ set in it and loved it.  Is it worth it to have pickups which cost twice as much as the guitar?  YMMV, but for me I got an Explorer that plays and sounds great for less than £400, so I think it was.

[Telerocker]

I souped up a vibrant and wellplaying Yamaha Pacifica 311ms. Graphtec saddles, Schaller-tuners, bone nut. Plus Dimarzio's (Tonezone T and Paf in the neckpos.) Big improvement. Since I play BK's in my other guitars I will replace the Dimarzio's in time. Thinking about Piledriver and VHII in the neckposition.
The Korean Squiers are way better made than the Chinese and Indonesian ones, so an investment in BKP's would be sensible.

[gwEm]

make sure the body isnt plywood

[Andy B]

Thanks for all your advice - is it Plywood? How do I tell? It is a Korean Squier so this is better than Chinese or Indonesian? - what is the order of quality dependant on where the Squier is made (US/Jap/Mex/Kor/Ind/Chi?) - It sounds good not plugged in - has a bit of resonance so maybe the body is good.

[Telerocker]

Some are basswood, some are  ply, I read. Remove the pickguard to have a look at the wood inside. Not all plywood guitars sound bad, some sound quite nice. When body and neck are vibrant and give a decent tone, and the playability is ok, it might be worth to change pickups.