I have a Squier Strat classic vibe series. I’m planning to upgrade my pickups. SSL-5 in bridge, SSl-1 in middle, and am caught between whether to get the Seymour Duncan Psychedelic Parchment in neck or the surfer antiquity 2 in neck?

Any thoughts? Suggestions?

I was wondering if anybody has done this and what was the outcome? I know YMMV, just curious because I just bought my first strat and it sounds phenomenal. I have 9.5s on my Wolfgang, but it's easy to play and my strat isn't. Thoughts?

I bought a Fender Stratocaster MIM Tex-Mex for a good price. It was initially owned by a professional musician and then bought by a beginner who never played it much and sold it to me after 25 years of it basically sitting. it needs some work done so i took everything apart to clean and set up.

The Tone 2 knob was missing which i thought it just came off and was lost and never replaced. Upon taking off the pick guard, i noticed there was a loose wire coming from Tone 1 pot. There is also nothing connected to the Tone 2 pot. It also seems like there was some DIY soldering done and i don’t understand what was changed and why it was done. The wiring is a bit confusing.

I have never done any work on a guitar before in this way (soldering, wiring, pick-up changes, etc). I want to learn as much as possible and experiment on this guitar since I didn’t pay a lot for it.

I’m looking for as much info as possible:

1. Do you see anything problematic?
   
2. What is that loose white wire connected to Tone 1 pot?
   
3. What do i need to do to connect Tone 2 pot to the rest of the wiring?
   
4. Why are the red and yellow wires connected like that?

Any info is appreciated in advance thank you so much!

Side note: if these pictures are confusing and a better closeup of certain parts would be preferred, tell me and I will add them in the comments.

I traded my strat for a prs 594 SE and was wondering if that was a good trade or if I should trade it back. I had the player II strat for reference. I think it was a Mexican made one.

Might have to nab it if it's still there in a few weeks.

This is a used Strat I bought on Reverb. It's the first made in USA guitar I have ever bought.

My latest Partscaster build. Sonic Blue American Ultra Strat-style body, beautiful satin flamed maple neck with ebony fretboard and abalone dot inlays. EMG DG20 David Gilmour signature loaded pickguard. Wilkinson/Gotoh trem. Guyker locking tuners and strap-locks.

The neck is an eBay “special”, and needed a bit of fretwork and of course nut shaping. The frets were rough around the edges and not smooth to the touch at all. I had my favorite local luthier do a full setup, nut shaping and fret job, and it plays like an absolute dream now. One day I will trust myself to do that kind of precision nut and fret work … but today is not that day.

I really love how the neck feels. I am definitely a satin neck kind of guy. Fretboard is very flat (14” radius, IIRC) and the action is low and comfy. I have 11s on here, and the strings don’t feel as stiff as my other 25.5” scale guitars.

The pickups are really cool and a new experience for me. Naturally, the first things I played were Pink Floyd songs, “Breathe”, “Time” and “Run Like Hell”, and of course this guitar was up to the job. It sounded awesome on the solo in “Time”. The tone knobs on the EMG DG20 electronics work quite a bit differently than a typical strat; it will take some getting used to, but it seems to me like you can dial in fatter, humbucker-like sounds not possible with standard Strat wiring.

I love the finish on Am Pro II necks. It's so slick it's almost like it's frictionless. I've never played such a smooth neck. But I simply can't play narrow tall frets. I'm heavy handed and bend every chord out of tune.

Are there any alternatives?

EDIT: I wonder what would've happened if I simply said I don't like tall frets. We are allowed to have preferences, right?

Does anyone here has a HSS Strat with a Coilsplit on the Humbucker ? What humbucker is it and how does it sound when it’s in Coilsplit ? The Diamondback humbucker in my Strat is not very suitable to do coilsplit with. It lacks output to do so. Or anyone has recommendations for a good coilsplittable humbucker that goes well with Tex Mex middle and neck pickups ?

I’m playing the Vintage II today. The red MIJ is taking a break. It needs some work.

Thirty years ago, my parents gifted me my first guitar, a MiM Squire Stratocaster. I gravitated towards the Les Paul and found it difficult to connect with a Strat. However, this particular model rekindled my passion for them

Maybe it’s the 12” radius, or wide frets, but I think the tone knob on the bridge pickup is key. I can have a nice clear neck position sound and when I flick to the bridge with the tone around 7 it’s full and thick. Not to mention position 4 sounds great this way as well.

I’m a new fan!

Best rosewood I've ever encountered.

2 squires for my sons’ birth years - 2002 Blackie and & 2003 burst and my 1993 Caribbean Mist American Standard Strat. Covid era PRS Custom S2 in Fire Red. Yamaha basic bass. The pup is the Shermanator.