2000s Squier SE Stratocaster Electric Guitar

Squier SE Stratocasters came in "Strat Pack" starter kits (guitar, gigbag, and amp) back in the early '00s. I'm guesstimating this at about 20 years old and more than likely made in China at the AXL plant due to its big, '50s-style, chunky, C-shaped neck profile. It has a little wear and tear and my first impressions were a little mixed, but after I gave it the needed fret level/dress, cleaning, and setup I was pretty impressed by its performance.

I bought this one to help out a local -- I usually avoid buying or receiving low-rent guitars in trade -- and it turned-out more fun than I expected. The pickups aren't "classic Strat" clean-and-twang in sound but they do have a good, full, chunky sound to them with enough crisp edge to make them interesting. I can't say the same for the million and a half Squier Bullet Strats that have graced the shop looking for setups...

It's completely stock except that I replaced all of the saddles with very similar ones from my parts-bins. The originals had height adjuster screws that were rusted into one position and so not very useful. I also "blocked" the whammy with a cherry shim so the bridge effectively works as a "hardtail" unit. The springs are still in there, though, giving it some of that Strat "liveliness" when plugged-in. I "blocked" it because someone actually managed to break-off a whammy bar's threaded section in the bridge, thus making the whammy completely non-functional. I have my own Strat setup the same way (it lives near my recording space and gets used a lot) and so I have to admit I'm a fan of "blocked" Strats.

Other benefits of the SE models aside from the bigger neck, though? The body is full-depth and the tuners are sealed units. Truss rod access is also (thankfully) near the heel, too.

Repairs included: fret level/dress, replacement saddles, restring, setup.

Body wood: basswood

Bridge: modern Strat

Fretboard: rosewood

Neck wood: maple w/mild figure

Pickups: 3x original Squier single coils

Action height at 12th fret: 1/16" overall (fast)
String gauges: 46w-10

Neck shape: medium-bigger C

Board radius: ~9.5"

Truss rod: adjustable

Neck relief: straight

Fret style: medium

Scale length: 25 1/2"

Nut width: 1 11/16"

Body width: 12 3/4"

Body depth: 1 3/4"

Weight: 7 lbs 14 oz

Condition notes: it has some wear and tear throughout -- especially pickwear on the pickguard -- but is fairly clean despite that. The pickguard has aged into a nice cream color. The saddles are replacements (but almost identical to the originals). The whammy-arm for the bridge was broken-off inside the tremolo block, so I "blocked" the whammy with a wooden shim (effectively making it a hardtail instrument).