Agile Renaissance 8X - the better multiscale guitar option?
This might be the better option for those thinking about getting a multiscale guitar.
Why? Easy answer: It's an electric-acoustic.
Take the Agile Renaissance 8X. It has 8 strings and fanned frets. The body and sides are mahogany and the top is spruce, meaning yes it will project properly.
My standard complaint with electric multiscale guitars is that the bass strings sound awful. The reason they sound bad is because multiscale pickups aren't voiced for bass strings, so you end up with this nasty, farty sound.
With acoustic however, that's a different story. Now we're in a territory where everything can sound right. Acoustic instruments are far better at handing more range. Both the treble and bass strings sound right in their "space", so to speak.
Go play one and you'll understand why an acoustic multiscale might be the better option over the all-electric. Every note can be heard on any string played. And that's important.
Squier FSR Bullet Telecaster in Surf Green
Yep, I bought one.
It's my tradition that whenever I get a guitar, one has to go. The one that went was the 2012 Squier Bullet HH. It was traded out. I pretty much never played that thing, so nothing was lost there.
This is my third attempt to get along with a Telecaster, and this time this just might be the one. Maybe. I've not decided just yet.
Why the Bullet Telecaster and not another Bullet Strat?
I hinted recently that I was considering getting another Bullet Strat. But the Bullet Telecaster was the better option.
Did I special order my FSR Bullet Telecaster? No. I got lucky, which I'll explain in a moment.
"FSR" is Fender Special Run. The reason this Telecaster is FSR is simply because of the color, Surf Green. While a nice color, that's actually not the reason I wanted it. I wanted it because it was a Bullet and not an Affinity series because there are distinctive differences between the two guitars.
Here's a quick list of the differences:
- Affinity requires pick guard to be removed to adjust height of the front pickup. Bullet has screws in the pick guard itself for front pickup height adjustment just like the Fender Standard Telecaster.
- Affinity has "top hat" pickup selector switch tip. Bullet has "barrel" switch tip, again just like the Fender Standard model.
- Affinity nut width is 1.60". Bullet nut width is 1.65".
- Affinity is a top-loader, Bullet is a thru-body.
- Affinity does not have a walnut "skunk" stripe on the back of the neck, the Bullet does (redundant since it has a rosewood fingerboard but whatever.)
Bullet Telecasters are rare birds
If you know Squier Telecasters at all, you've seen Classic Vibe, Vintage Modified and Affinity. But the Bullet Telecaster isn't seen that often. Heck, the Bullet series isn't even mentioned at all on Fender's own web site, yet it exists.
In addition, a longstanding complaint of mine is that even here in Tampa Bay Florida where there are several high-volume guitar stores, Squier Telecasters really don't have a presence. You can find Strats easily but with Teles you really have to hunt around to actually try out different Squier models.
How I bought my Bullet Telecaster
Just by chance I went to the Guitar Center web site and saw the rare bird. Bullet Telecaster. Brand new. Cheap. And the GC web site stated the guitar was in stock. I knew right then and there that if I didn't go try to get that guitar right now, I'd never be able to buy it since Squier Teles are only in GC infrequently at best.
I wrote down what I wanted for the Bullet HH trade-in and what I was willing to pay for the Bullet Telecaster, and off I went.
After arriving, I soon found out why nobody had bought the FSR Bullet Tele yet. It wasn't even on the showroom floor and was still in the back of the store, new in the box.
I played the guitar for a few minutes and it seemed okay. GC was able to match the price I wanted to pay with trade-in, so I bought the guitar and took it home...
...but will I keep it?
Too soon to tell. The guitar plays nice but it has a much different character compared to the Jazzmaster.
What I can say about it so far is this:
- Everything works and nothing appears broken or assembled improperly from the factory.
- The tuners are about average, which is to say they work. Not the best but not the worst.
- The rear pickup sounds great. The front pickup, not-so much, but that may be a blessing in disguise.
- Pickup selector switch is a bit stiff. Might need a shot of DeoxIT D5, which I do have (technically a cleaning solution but does lubricate, and I feel more comfortable spraying DeoxIT into a guitar instead of WD-40.)
- Weight of the guitar is just right. The combo of basswood body + maple neck works really nicely here.
- Surf green color is a bit on the light side but looks nice.
- Pick guard is parchment 3-ply white-black-white and definitely the right color.
And the most important thing:
- This is the first Telecaster I've ever played that "speaks" to me.
There are very few guitars where I play them and think to myself, "Oh yeah, this is good. This is real good." My sonic blue Jazzmaster is one of those guitars. I'll sit there, strum, play and when I put the guitar back on the stand I just have a moment of being wowed by just how good that guitar is.
This surf green Telecaster has the potential to be one of those guitars. I am already getting tones out of it that are "very Telecaster" that only a Telecaster can do. Spanky, twangy sounds in the rear, softer sounds in the front. It plays great, sounds good and reminds me why I love single-coil pickups so much.
I've been having a dry spell with songwriting lately, but this Telecaster cured that real quick. It's definitely the better songwriter's guitar simply for the fact there's no distractions. Single circuit, no whammy bar, two pickups, two knobs and that's it.
The guitar is great so far, so hopefully this one will stick around.
Replacement tremolo block options for the Squier Bullet Strat
This part should be easy to get, right?
Wrong.
If you know Strat trem systems at all, Squier trem blocks look nothing like what goes into the Mexico or American Fender Stratocaster models. What goes in a Squier is shorter to fit the slim profile body of the Squier, tapered, and thinner.
If you have no idea what a tremolo block is, this is the thing that attaches to the underside of the bridge and what allows the tremolo system to do what it does. It is held in place by screws at the bridge and claw springs on the other side. The six holes present in one are the channels that the strings go through.
A common problem with these blocks - and I've gone through this myself - is that after about 15 to 20 years, the zinc alloy literally starts crumbling apart. There is no fix for this. Once a block starts to crumble, there is absolutely no way to restore it.
What makes the block crumble? Natural erosion from stress. You cannot prevent this erosion. All you can do is delay it. And the only way to delay it is to not use the tremolo system. This is an alloy block, meaning it's not like wood where you can treat it with solution. The block will crumble. It will happen.
Years ago, a crumbling tremolo block was not a problem simply for the fact there weren't Squier Strats that were over 20 years old. But now there are, and this problem is now common.
How do you get a replacement block?
This is where things get weird.
The first thing you must do is grab a tape measure and get the dimensions of your block. After that, you need to measure the spacing between the string channel holes. Then you need to start shopping around for a used block that is not over 10 years old, or the block will crumble apart just like the old ones do.
It is probably true that your string spacing will be 10.5mm. What you have to watch out for is the screw pattern.
You must get the right screws. And they must fit your existing Squier bridge as well. If either doesn't match, you're out of luck.
But then there's the screw pattern as well to take into consideration. This pattern also must match what your bridge has, or once again, you're out of luck.
Assuming you can find a block that has the screws and matches the screw pattern of your bridge, I've only seen a few places that sell replacement Squier Strat trem blocks. No matter where you get it from, I don't recommend getting a block that's even close to $40 or more. That's simply too much to spend for any one part for a Bullet Strat by Squier.
Why do block screw patterns and sizes vary from Squier to Squier?
Answer: Different manufacturers.
Anyone that has played Squier Strats knows they're made by different companies in different countries. Some are made in China (like Classic Vibe series) while others are made in Indonesia (like Vintage Modified series).
Unfortunately, none of the blocks for sale in most places state what series of Squier the block fits to, so you just have to take the risk, buy the block that looks right and hope that it fits.
What about just buying a whole replacement trem system?
I looked into that. What I found is that yes, you can buy an entire replacement tremolo system that will fit the Bullet Strat, but... it doesn't come with the one thing you wanted in the first place, the block. The system comes with everything except that.
This is a good argument for getting a Mexico made Fender Strat instead
While I do love Squier Strats, the one thing about a Mexico made Fender Strat - even if it's just the body - is that you can very easily buy replacement parts that will fit and are readily available. The Mexico Strat does in fact have the same body and pattern measurements as the USA Fender does.
Am I saying the MIM Fender is more mod and repair friendly? Absolutely. Squier Bullet Strats are cheap, no question about it, but when that block crumbles, it's tough to find a replacement.
If you do happen to find a replacement block, it will be used and cost around $15 to $20 USD. Yes, that's expensive for a Bullet, but I've not seen blocks that sell for any less than that.
Why does the Fender FA-100 guitar pack sell so well?
How can something so simple be such a hot seller?
Let's find out.
In the entirety of the Amazon web site, the only major brand guitar that shows up is the Fender FA-100 Acoustic Guitar Bundle. This bundles comes with the guitar, gig bag, strap, strings, tuner, instructional DVD and polish cloth. When you want a guitar pack that comes with everything you need, this is it.
Now of course, one of the major selling factors is price. It's cheap. But fortunately, the FA-100 is cheap and good. It's also designed right.
Scale length is 25.3", fingerboard radius is 11.81" on a 20-fret neck, nut width is 1.65", fret size is described as "vintage style," truss rod is dual-action, bone nut is compensated (this keeps the guitar in tune better across more chords,) tuners are die-cast and chromed. The back and sides are basswood but the top is spruce, giving the guitar a "snappy" tone that's bright and projects well enough.
The best selling point of the FA-100, other than price, is that this is a genuinely well-built instrument that can take a beating. The dual-action truss rod will keep the neck bow set, the die-cast tuners will hold tune properly and the compensated nut will make just about every chord played sound the way it's supposed to, more so than other acoustics in the FA-100's price range.
My only complaints about the guitar are very small ones, and not really complaints.
The string gauge installed to the guitar from the factory is 12-52, which for my fingers is too heavy even though it's billed as "light" gauge. Fortunately this is very easy to change as I would just take off the strings and install the "extra light" 10-48 Fender 60XL set instead. Easy enough.
The guitar does not come with a string cutter nor string winder with peg puller. The string cutter is easy to understand as you need something to clip strings when changing them. The winder with peg puller is something that most beginners don't know they need. In order to change the strings, you need to physically pull the white pegs (also known as bridge pins) out of the body once the strings are clipped. Doing this with fingers can be done but it's very annoying to do it that way. A winder with the peg puller is much easier and the proper way to get those pegs out so you can change strings.
Other than those two very minor complaints, I can totally understand why the FA-100 guitar bundle sells as well as it does. It's a genuinely good dreadnought acoustic that's built well and priced right. In fact, it's priced so well that it's actually better than buying used.
Easy Squier Bullet Strat mods
I've talked about Strat mods before but I figured it was time to talk about mods for this very specific guitar.
The Squier Bullet Strat, while cheap, is the best low-cost traditional Strat you can buy. And like I said just recently, "traditional" means the old-style 6-screw bridge and no tone control wired to the rear (bridge) pickup.
Things to know about the Squier Bullet Strat
Slim profile body. The Bullet is thinner than a standard Strat is.
Differently sized potentiometer posts. In my experience they're slightly wider.
"Barely there" pick guard shielding. The Bullet only uses the absolute minimum shielding necessary to reduce single-coil hum.
Sealed tuners specific to Squier. The Bullet tuner does not use a nut to hold it to the headstock but rather screws in the back. In addition, the headstock holes are smaller than standard Fender Stratocaster tuners.
Mods that are not easy or not possible for the Bullet Strat
Because of the slim profile body, you cannot upgrade the tremolo block due to the fact the block will stick out of the back of the guitar. With the Bullet you have to stick with the trem block that it comes with.
A tuner upgrade of any kind will most likely require cutting away wood and drilling new holes. This is a doable but not easy upgrade.
You may find it difficult to find replacement control knobs that fit right. I actually suggest purposely seeking out the cheapest knobs possible because as crazy as this sounds, those have a better chance of fitting correct. If they fit too tightly, the easiest way to make them fit is by filing down the inner plastic using an emery board (the thing you use to file your fingernails with.)
Also know that if all you want to do is darken the white knobs for a vintage-like slightly brown look, you can do that with a coffee stain. Make a cold cup of coffee, submerge the knobs for 15 seconds, take out and dry. If the stain isn't dark enough, repeat the stain as many times as necessary until you get the look you want.
Mods are are easy to do
Pick guard replacement. The Bullet has a 1-ply white pick guard. Replacing with a 3-ply white-black-white is simple. However, you do have to remember to shield it with proper copper tape. You also have to remember that if the screw holes don't line up, that's a very common issue that even happens on regular Fender Strats. For whatever reason, people who make pick guards seem to have a really difficult time drilling screw holes that actually fit the guitar properly, so if you have to pilot a new hole or two, that's normal.
Electronics replacement. The Bullet has plenty of room under the pick guard to throw in pretty much any replacement pickup you want and rewire the whole thing if you like.
Wiring in tone control to the rear (bridge) pickup. I wrote a tutorial on this a while ago. All it takes is soldering in a 1-inch wire. If you can wire in a pickup, you can do this. Really easy.
Staining the front of the headstock. This is done using brown shoe polish. The maple portion of the neck is urethane coated. If you polish over the urethane, yes this does work but you'll have to re-stain every once in a while to keep the color. To permanently keep the color you have to lightly sand off the urethane, then stain, then apply a clear sealant. The only part you have to be careful of is to try your best not to sand off the Squier logo.
If you want that really nice browner color, you will have to sand the headstock completely including the logo, stain and seal. If that's the way you want to go, just get a custom waterslide decal made to replace the one you sanded off. It is okay to put the decal over the sealant as Fender themselves did that at one point for years (and maybe still does?)
Replacing the tuner buttons. Easy to do. Take out the old tuner buttons, put some wood filler in the holes, let that set, then thread in your new tuner buttons.
Replacing the string saddles. From my experience, any set of regular Strat saddles will fit the Bullet. You can even get roller saddles on the cheap these days (this does help keep the guitar in tune a little better.)
Happy modding!