2004 Squier Mini Stratocaster Electric Guitar (Nashville Tuning)




So, why did I even bother picking-up a filthy, warped-neck (at the time) 3/4 size Squier Mini when it walked in the door for sale? Because -- I don't know, why not? They have their uses and in this case I figured that if I could get the neck back to rights I'd string it up "Nashville" style and if I couldn't get it right I might stick a normal long scale neck from the parts bin on it (yes, they're interchangeable, amazingly) and put it in some other weird tuning.

Fortunately, after unbolting the neck and letting it hydrate near the humidifier, it settled back into functionality (and straightness with a working truss rod) after a few days. The rest of the work was just cleaning, a new set of Gotoh tuners, and setup.

It's now playing bang-on and working as it should, though I've gone a little extra and strung it up in re-entrant "Nashville" tuning with the EADG strings an octave higher than normal. String gauges are 26w, 16, 11, 8, 13, 10 -- pretty light for the extra-short scale length -- but I wanted jangle and low tension on the neck.

Scale length: 22 3/4"
Nut width: 1 5/8"
String spacing at nut: 1 1/4"
String spacing at bridge: 2 1/16"
Body length: 16 3/8"
Lower bout width: 11 1/4"
Waist width: 8"
Upper bout width: 9 1/2"
Side depth at endpin: 1 1/2"
Body wood: plywood
Neck wood: maple
Fretboard: rosewood, plastic nut
Bridge: hardtail Fender-style
Neck feel: slim C-shape, ~10" board radius





I like how all of the plastic parts have aged to various creams and yellows. This must've sat in someone's barn or shed for a long time as it was pretty gross when it got here. I was actually surprised that the electronics worked perfectly, though. Cleaning goes a long way...





These Minis have terrible tuners on them "as stock." I popped a set of Gotoh sealed units on it and they're a breath of fresh air (and ease of use).



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