Squier Classic Vibe 60's Strat Full Setup // We make this $399 guitar play like a $2500 guitar!

In this video Brian does a full setup including some fret work on a brand new Squier Classic Vibe 60's Strat.

Here are links to the materials used:

Table of Contents:
00:00 - Intro and opening thoughts
02:09 - Adjusting the neck relief (truss rod)
08:47 - Adjusting the string height (action)
13:41 - Setting intonation
15:48 - Setting the pickup height
18:30 - Adjusting the bridge (floating the bridge)
29:12 - Shaping the fret ends, rolling the edge board, and polishing the frets
32:46 - Conditioning the fretboard
39:04 - Fixing the nut issues (making the guitar stay in tune)
42:42 - Final thoughts

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Our vision is that every church in the world would experience worship that is both excellent and authentic. We are here to help you make that happen.

CURRENT GEAR (this is the stuff I currently use to create videos)

Cameras:

Lenses:
For the Blackmagic Pocket 4k:

For the EOS R:

Drones:

Lighting:
The Sun :)

Acoustic Guitars:

Capos:
G7th Performance Capos

Cables:

Amps/Pedals:

Bass Guitar:

Recording Interface:
Universal Audio Apollo 8

Microphones:

Software & Virtual Instruments
Recording software: Apple Logic Pro X
Video editing software: Adobe Premiere CC
Video editing - color correction: Davinci Resolve

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[yourdogtrainer]

I was two minutes in and I was like, darn I know this guy but I couldn’t place it. Then it hit me, it’s Brian who used to lead worship at my local church. Small world and great content sir.

[williamlee]

I’ve watched a million of these videos, as I’m trying to get into doing regular setups and repairs myself, and NONE of them were as thorough as yours. Great confidence boost for me! Thanks!

[stopthink]

One important note on truss rod adjustment: righty-tighty, lefty-loosy from the perspective of looking down the neck from the headstock to the bridge on a headstock located rod like this one. I believe he showed the opposite.

[rigobertoruiz]

This is the most underrated setup video on YouTube! Thanks for putting this together!

[mercurial_cyclist]

I'm a complete novice with a guitar, both at setups and playing, but following this video has made such a difference to my Squier. Thorough and well explained without detail overkill. Liked, subscribed and this video saved for future reference!

[richg]

As a beginner I'm so happy this video came up. It's awesome for giving one the mechanical aspect for creating a tonal sound. Thanks for posting this terrific learning video.

[jimodell]

Brian, I have that very same 60's Classic Vibe Squier Stratocaster (in Lake Placid Blue) which I bought from Sweetwater earlier this year! I did all of the same setups which you did in your video, plus I swapped out the vintage tuners to help on the tuning issues. I picked up a nice inexpensive set of locking vintage tuners on Reverb: That plus a little Big Bend's sauce and some graphite like you suggested did the trick. Now I can dive bomb (although usually it's just little vibrato warbles for me) without any tuning issues. Great job on your video. Nicely presented as always and appreciate all that you do!!!

[caddiganfilms]

This video couldn't have come at a better time - just ordered a 70's CV strat today!

[garybowman]

Mine was straight out of the box, almost spot on. I really like it, for a higher end of the squier range, it's really nice.

[DavidHBurkart]

Thanks Brian. Cover those pickups with painters tape to provide a barrier from metal frags. You can do the same with painters tape in between the frets as you shape the fret ends. Protects the fretboard.

[pjo]

My CV 60's Strat is Candy Apple Red. I had it fully set up and a fret job and now it's my favorite out of all the guitars I own.

[daniels.]

Brian, I am so pumped for this video. First off, you did such a GREAT job of explaining a basic setup process and showing it. You are a master at coverting mystery into lamens. We are lucky to have you and get to watch videos like this. I'm also pumped because like you, I have some stellar guitars but I also have a pair of the classic vibe 60s strat and the classic vibe 60s tele and I can't wait to see how you upgrade it. Really excited for the future content on this!

[jackprice]

Brian wanted thank you so much for posting this setup video. I have always done my own intonation and action adjustments. I was always apprehensive about venturing into neck adjustment land. I have a PRS CE I bought and used on worship teams for many years. I take care of it and always kept it in the case. However as you know over time the best of guitars can lose their ability to stay in tune and can lose the string consistency across the neck. I just gave up on using it since I have other guitars. I decided to try out the neck adjustment. Wow! It actually worked and I am now using it in worship again. I always loved the pickups, the warmth, and chimeyness of my PRS. Thanks to you I am able to use it again.

[clintyoung]

Nice work! Couple of things I do personally:

1) May need to check your intonation again after either floating or blocking your trem.
2) I always change out nuts with Tusq nuts. They’re only like $15 and usually fix tuning issues. If you don’t want to do a swap, sharpen a pencil and rub a little graphite in the slots. It can stain the nut so be careful.
3) if you don’t have feeler gauges, just test each fret to see if you have any fret buzz. If you do, raise the saddles, if not, lower them.

Sorry if any of this was already mentioned, didn’t watch the whole vid.

[neilbeauchamp]

For floating the bridge use a 2mm shim under the back edge of the bridge and tune the guitar to pitch. Then tighten the claw until the shim drops out from under the bridge. Then finally adjust each claw screw until the guitar is in tune. If you adjust the screws carefully you will not need to retune as the guitar will settle into tune. Another tip is to do your fret work and polishing as well as the fretboard treatment before you do the setup. I never use steel wool on a guitar without first masking the pickup to prevent steel wool fibres getting magnetically attached to the pickups. Better to use a soft cloth to spread the fingerboard treatment. One thing you didn't check was the nut hight. It can have a serious impact on the note on the first fret as a too high nut will cause the note at the first fret to be sharp. Good video for beginners as these things are all easy for a beginner to do with care and patience.

[cars_and_coffee]

Videos like this are what make Youtube great. Going to take a couple hours out of my day soon and do all of these steps to my new Squier. They are really making great instruments now. Thumbs up and thank you for making this video!

[jessejafrnd]

I would advise against saddle height adjustment under tension.
I had to change out an American Vintage saddle recently because the threads started locking after adjustment under tension. It damaged the saddle not the screw.
I understand this is not an American Vintage but I would at least detune to a nice flop.

Also I would float the bridge where I want it, tune to pitch, check and then adjust the saddles to the 1000th of an inch. If you set your action first you've just changed it by rising the bridge.

[rockersrockers]

Eucalyptus oil removes dried dirt and skin that builds up on the frets and fingerboard. Lemon oil will condition the fingerboard. I put a tiny dot of Vaseline between the string and the saddle. This helps the string slide and return to where it is needed.
I watched a Luthier from Fender Custom Shop make adjustments to the saddles and the Nut so that the strings would move freely allowing the tremolo to be used with force and the guitar to remain in tune. The slot of each string only came up to just above halfway of the gauge height of each particular string. The top of each slot is slowly reduced using small narrow files til it sits just above halfway of the string. The strings moved easily in the nut keeping everything in tune.
Even diving the strings while using the tremolo didn't cause the strings to jump out of the nut/slot even whilst string bending and vibrato being used.

[rdmkeytohwy]

I have a Squier Affinity strat with a sunburst finish and a maple board with a slightly bigger ‘70’s style headstock that feels pretty good and plays reasonably well. I have swapped the pickups out and put in Texas Specials which was an improvement in the tone. I feel like the last step is filing the frets and polishing them. I know from watching interviews with the guys at the Fender Custom Shop that what separates their guitars from the cheaper models is the fret work and details like that. Little things take time but make a big difference in playability. I was concerned about doing this myself until I watched this video. Great examples and explanations throughout. I so appreciate what you and the other guys do for all of us and the great info you give us on gear and worship. Be encouraged, you are making a positive difference in our lives and helping us all be better at what we do. At the end of the day, is there anything better than nerding out on guitars? 😆😁😂👊🏻👍🙌🏻

[SpringerOwl]

Many years experience playing. As others have said, this is a great and simple explanation. I appreciate it.