2020 Squier Bullet Strat HT Revisited - Can I Fix the Neck?!

We revisit the Squier Bullet Strat and see if I can fix the horrible neck! If not, it will need to be replaced!

00:00 Intro
00:40 Tightening the Tuners
02:43 Bonus! Under the Pickguard
05:14 Removing the Neck
06:25 Identifying the Problems
07:21 Hammering Loose Frets
08:15 Sanding the Fret Ends
11:05 RANT - And Comparison to Other Budget Guitar Necks
16:11 Replacement Neck Removal
16:56 2008 vs 2020 Bullet Strat Neck and Hardware Comparison
20:52 BREAK TIME!
21:16 Swapping the Neck and Tuning Peg Swap Attempt
25:44 Lubricating the Nut and Cleaning/Polishing the Fingerboard
28:34 Bullet Strat HT Sound Demo - Redemption?
34:22 Final Thoughts

[johnbrady]

Nice little work bench there, Jake. I see you're using a fret leveling block to try to solve the sharp fret problem. I bought a cheap knock off Music Man 4X2 neck for a recent Strat Frankenstein build. It had the same problem. The fret ends were sticking up and hammering would not keep them down. So I made a caul from a piece of scrap wood. I have a pair of woodworking clamps that come in handy for guitar work. So I put a drop of superglue under each end of the fret and clamped them down. Solved that. A good fret level, crown and polish, voila!

To get back to the fret ends, using a fret leveling block will just square off the frets. You're almost there. You still need a fret end file to put a hemispherical (rounded) end on the fret. You can get these from a luthier supply. But I just happen to have a 4", #4 swiss cut file. I put a safe edge on it by sanding the sides smooth on my sharpening stone under slow running water and I use that to round off the fret ends. Nice and smooth.

Of course any new guitar is subject to fret sprout when the seasons change. The wood shrinks in cold dry weather, but the metal frets don't. Dress them one season change and you never have to do it again.

Best Regards, John...

[PTRK]

I bought a strat bullet HT and the fret ends were bad but not awful. I filed the sharp fret ends and once it got used to the humidity in my room (which is between 45%-50%) it got better and i have no problems anymore. I think humidity plays a huge role in this, atleast from my experience. But Squier should be ashamed of themselves for making bad guitars, even though they're cheap and i guess thats why and by that i mean the bullet series. Luckly i dont have loose frets.

[danjones]

Great video! That that strat looks and sounds killer now! As much as I love Squiers, you speak some painful truths here dude. There does seem to be a drop in overall quality lately. I bought a classic vibe around the same time my partner bought an Aria Pro II strat(bullet price range) and I was blown away by how much better the frets were on the Aria at less than half the price! Those Arias are great value.

[__aythami]

The shielding or conductive paint needs to be grounded to be effective, if not its just cosmetic

[decaenofficial]

Jay Turser/Jet Guitars has such a nice neck, it feels like a Fender compared to the Squier Bullet that I bought. Sharp frets aside, the neck is so dry and horrible, you can use all the lemon oil in the world, it just plays bad..

[johnpike]

2 grounds = likely HB'r not wired in series or parallel to the 2 SC;s (as in separate) likely noise or power differentials.

[johnpike]

Somebody shoot me....I bought a brand new in the box Squire Tele (kind of a custard color, I like it; the color...)
A recently built fresh wood (re. the neck) is very likely to Sprout Frets.
My new one was a Chainsaw?
I spent a little time with a sanding block careful not to (dress down the playing surface of the frets??)
Scored some Metal Polish taped out the neck and applied (so so results) but it's fun.
Splurged for a wireless X Vive they're great but really not nec. in the bedroom.
Had the entire series (over the decades) of ME. 6, 8, 10 and now the GT 100.
Fender "Frontman 10G" amp and clock radio.
Snark tuning device. oh yeah, single loop Boss gizmo, Audio-Technica Head Set.
Using a rock hard guitar pick, much better. (you'll get used to it and then love it).
The real American Fender neck comes with Jumbo frets and for me, that's the answer.
I find u pretty well have to "Get Right Up on the Fret" with those darning needle frets in the Squire series. just sayin'
Thx for the like I dig your channel