The Squier Bullet Mustang - Modded, upgraded and ready to rock
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- čas přidán 26. 08. 2024
- The Mustang is back! It's fixed, modded and hot-rodded
Squier Bullet Mustang:
www.thomann.de...
I play through the same songs as in the first demo video plus a few more.
It's now gone from a Short Scale "beginners guitar" to a really usable instrument.
All the settings are the same as in the first video and I've tried to capture everything as close to the first video as possible.
I hope you're enjoying the Mustang if you have one and please see my other videos for help on modding them.
Notable Mustang players include
Bilinda Butcher (My Bloody Valentine)
Azusa Nakano (Houkago Tea Time)
Matthew Healy (The 1975)
Adrian Belew.
Kurt Cobain (Nirvana)
Rob Buck (10,000 Maniacs)
David Byrne (Talking Heads)
John Fogerty (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
Gear used
Fender Hot Rod Deluxe Amplifier
Boss DS-1
Arion SCH-Z Chorus (MODDED)
MightySound M3 Fuzz
Shure SM57
Audient ID22 interface
Mac running Logic Pro X
For more information go to
shop.fender.com...
So this is what Napoleon Dynamite is up tot these days
Unknown Reject vote Pedro!
TheGuitarGeek nice comeback
I hope Unknown Reject replies. I want to know if 'tot' is a typo or a reference to the film. If it's a reference, this guy is a genius.
TheGuitarGeek heheheh yeah awesome guitar btw
TheGuitarGeek Lol yea it is a shitty pun
3:55 You are correct, the Mustang and the Strat are 'one fret' length difference. You can turn your Strat into a 24" scale guitar like the Mustang by capoing at the first fret, and tuning down half a step.
Don't lie, you didn't use the same pick. No way you didn't lose it in a week.
I promise I did. I stowed it away. The pick fairy had no chance
I also use those
Make more of them modding series videos on different mods with different guitars. Really informative, really enjoyed them.
Cheers Zachary. I am just in the planning stages of the next guitar mod series actually :)
Sweet, Looking forward to it!
Whatguitar would u keep if u could only have one?
Would have to be my Gibson SG
Really impressed on how much clearer it sounds just by properly shielding it and changing the cap
Simple things man, just the time taken that they cant do in the factory for the price
Was the ambient temperature the same? Was the time of day the same? Was the amount of fluids you ingested the same?
I think I had ingested slightly more fluids. Sorry...
🐉 smoke crack
Now that's a proper comparison! Same tune on each setting on each instrument! the big players on YT could learn a thing from you. Great vid. I think you are helping to sell a few of these £115 delivered!!!
Hey James, I should have bought stocks in Squier before making these videos. There will be more on the way. Just to confirm, I'm not affiliated with any companies so I can give an honest opinion
I have a bullet and I love it it's better than some of my more expensive guitars no lie, the action on it is crazy, the feel is perfect and the sound through a 100w combo amp is more than ample and I'm not in a band just play to myself and along to my favourite tunes
The entire series for this guitar is brilliant. It clearly illustrates and explains how only a few very simple mods can turn a bargain guitar into a solid player.
Thank you MD.
I love how you put Azusa Nakano as notable mustang player, good anime
How could I not!? !
If he played a Les Paul would he put Yui Hirasawa?
new subscriber, great video, i have a 51 tele custom shop which i gig with professionally and this squire with your mods is equal, mine cost me about 20 times more , Wow, really good learning experience, i will order this same squire and it is the sound that matters after all, thanks from Manhattan, New York City, usa!
HELLO MANHATTAN!
Hey Oliver, that's awesome to hear that the mods have made SUCH a difference. Let me know if I can help you any further.
I have one, and I quite like it. I’ve done a lot of the same mods. I loved your series on modding this guitar.
Good work Fella ! My Mustang is coming tomorrow. Really like your videos, came across your channel whilst I was researching for a new amp . Ended up getting a Boss Katana 50 . Your review had a big influence as it has with the purchase of the Mustang. As affordable as it is I'm not sure I am brave enough to mod it my self. Have read on Squier forum that the guitar now comes out the box with shorter screws in the bridge to it can be set up properly. Keep up the good work. :)
Peter Latham hi Peter. welcome. That's really cool about the Katana, I'm still enjoying mine. I can't believe squier have owned up to the problem. Maybe they saw my videos?
Peter Latham good to know ! I'm waiting on mine Sweetwater here State side was out of stock . I got the blue one back ordered. Excited 😊
mine came set up from factory with perfect intonation of course the tuning was out when it arrived but after I tuned it up and checked for intonation it was perfect! I was shocked lol I changed the action a little bit on the 2 e strings and lowered the humbuckers a little bit and this guitar is perfect, I'm thoroughly impressed by the quality. the only thing I'm changing is the tuning machines and the pick ups to some high output humbuckers. and ive already bought everything to polish the frets and im thinking of staining the neck and headstock a walnut brown color then finishing with tung oil.
Bananas for "weight" scale was a witty touch... well played.
Been a blast watching you work on this bad boy, thanks for being super informative and look forward to the future of your channel!
Hey Kevin, thanks so much! Means a lot as even though I enjoyed it, editing the video was a lot of hours. I'll be back with a pedal demo next but I'd welcome any suggestions for future videos.
Awesome job sir, keep it up, that Mustang is sick.
CrisKG125 thanks man, I can certainly recommend the wallet friendly mustang
I've never considered an offset but you've made the prospect much more appealing, especially considering the price point. Great video!
Edit: Oh, and thank you for the previous mod videos as well.
John Montgomery go for it John, it is a great fun guitar and with a few simple upgrades, it can be a serious instrument
I fully intend to as soon as I've worked off my penance to the wife for all the gear I purchased for my partscaster project last month.
hello ,i have the same guitar ,squier bullet mustang same color ,i customise the guitar ,i change the tuners ,i put wilkinson ez lock tuners not expensive only 24 $ for 6 in line ,and i buy a blank black pearloïd fender mustang pickguard ,and i cut hole on the pickguard with dremel ,it's just perfect ! pickup are very dirty for grunge or punk sound ,and sound very good with metal configuration !!! it's a very affordable good guitar ! i love it !
nikkoberserker that's good to hear. It's a perfect guitar for this stuff.
nikkoberserker ez lok are great tuners I have them on my strat and Tele. Stays in tune for hours
Man, looks like a Jim Root Mustang with black/white, want to get one ! rad vid as always Andy ! Tony EJB
i don’t think there’s a need to mod it but i’m glad you did because you upped the cool effect by 200 points
Thanks 🙏
now that i just bought the Mustang i guess i will gonna get a DS1 :D Thank You so much 4 the inspiration, i just love the look and sound of this guitar
Thanks man. Glad it inspires you! I have about 5 DS-1 pedals... be careful of that rabbit hole!
Interesting Lithium method. Sounds damn good! on both!
Thank you
absolutely, just matter of actually having time, i know that should be a big improvement right out of the gate
Thanks, really enjoyed the series. I saw the squire jazzmaster in a shop in black with black pickguard and fell in love with the simplicity. The mods you did were exactly the same mods I was going to do with my new purchase. Thanks for the heads up on sanding down the neck. I've never really been a strat or tele guy, mostly Gibson, but really like how easy it is to customize these guitars. Even the necks are easy to bolt on and off. Enjoy your new guitar!
Thank you, I love it to pieces.
I brought a Mustang HH to a audition once, people were amazed. I adjusted the instrument, but no mods.
The guitar looks and sounds nice! It's impossible not to think of the early 90s, Nirvana and the Smashing Pumpkins just looking at a Mustang for me. Love the videos showing the work you've done to improve the instrument!
Hi Ronny, I was so excited when I heard Squier were releasing this. Still great guitars and worth every penny even without the upgrades and TLC. Do you have one?
I was looking for a guitar to play some Smith songs, some Blur, and Nine Inch Nails songs. After seeing your review, I'm definitely getting the Mustang. Thanks.
Sounds great!
Thanks!
You mentioned in an earlier vid that u were concerned about hitting the selector switch while playing. You can trim down the tip of the switch quite easily. It makes the switch quite stubby, but it'll still work fine. I took about 5mm off mine. Just use a small junior hacksaw or razor saw and smooth it with a file. (Obviously you trim the hole end, not the rounded end). I've done this with loads of guitars, notably my original MIJ Squier Supersonic (blue sparkle!), which is similar to the Mustang in many ways. I don't have a problem hitting the selector switch inadvertently anymore.
Mark Gavin I've used this in the past and I've never managed to grab the switch with my stupid fingers. I may try it out though. Thanks again
P.S loved this video keep up the good work
Thanks Andy 😊🎸
I would put a seymour duncan jb4 for the bridge pickup and a Bill lawrence for the neck pickup.
That would sound pretty nice.
so much kurt vibe in here. Thx for a demo with GRUNGE. Suscribed already, good videos man, cheers from Argentina!
Thanks! HELLO ARGENTINA! I have a few more mods to do to the Mustang so I hope you'll enjoy the Nirvana on that video too :)
You are right about the intonation on that bridge. I have that axact guitar and the intonation is all over the place. I am now at a point where i am nearly at the back end with no more rooom to go on the bridge. BTW....short scales are not "beginner" instruments. They serve a purpose. If you have broken fingertips that are angled at the tip, like mine, then this guitar is a god sent as it still allows you to play a guitar as opposed to not playing or doing a iommy with 2 fingers compromised.
I really want this guitar. For some reason I fell in love with it. Damn I wish I had money on me right now
What is the chance you might do a video on swapping out the stock pickups for humbucker sized P90s???
It's a bit of curiosity for me because I really do like the stock pups (as do you). As soon as I got the Mustang home I plugged into an Orange Dark Terror running through an Avalon cabinet loaded with a 12" Celestion G12M Greenback and was kind of amazed. Nevertheless, I don't have a guitar with P90s and want to try them on some recordings.
I should also mention that your video series on this guitar is what pushed me over the edge. When I started calling around for ones "in stock" I was surprised, however to find out that there were only two of these with rosewood fingerboards remaining in Southern California. Luckily, one was close by.
Great guitar thanks you made me want to buy this although I won’t be changing the pickups they sound great as they are. 🙏 thanks
I still have the original pickups
You single handedly convinced me to get one of these and mod it similarly to yours. I picked up one of the new Surf Green models : )
Cool video as always!
MIDSHIPMEN thank you. I love this guitar
My brother went to USA and bought the Bullet Mustang, but i wanted a VM Mustang. He doesn't understang about guitars and got the wrong Mustang. I was pretty sad, but watching your videos and some reviews i saw that Bullet Mustang i'ts very good!
I was worried about the construction of it, but seems to be well done.
I'll upgrade the guitar with a JB Seymour Duncan in the bridge position. =)
Thanks for helping!
Hey congratulations on the bullet mustang. Even though its the "wrong" guitar, it's still pretty cool! I hope you get lots of fun out of it.
Hey, how are you?
Saturday my brother came at my house and brought me the Mustang HH color white.
Well, comparing whit the Squier Jagmaster (my old guitar) i noticed a lot of changes.
The neck is flat and the humbuckers sounds quite different too.
My Jagmaster has a Seymour D. Invader on the bridge and i intend put the Seymour JB in the Mustang.
The strings came with the guitar and i don't know what's the brand. Maybe if i change it and use new strings (D'addario 0.10 it's my favorite) i think the sound would be better.
By the price, the Mustang sounds great!
I will not lie, i'm half disappointed to my brother didn't bought the Mustang Vintage, but that's ok. As soon as i can i'll' buy it. Heheh.
Thanks for a really helpful video.
You’re welcome, Ken!
Nice one GG. Great mods Andy lad. Looks sweet. Sounds killer.
I've only recently found your channel and I'm really enjoying what videos I've seen so far! One, I love Gibson Les Pauls, and so looking forward to your update on the 90s Studio you are working on! Second, my 14 year old daughter has talked about wanting to play as well and the Mustang seemed like a good beginner guitar, but I was concerned about the quality of the Squier Bullets until I saw this. Obviously, it would require some work to make it more playable, but I'm impressed by it for being so affordable! Thanks!
Oh dude..i came back here just for the memories and i read the description and i saw azusa nakano of the anime k on and i just laughed out loud..i guess we do have more in common
Very good review
I agree entirely on the combo of both pickups. I would probably leave both permanently on and just remove the switch, lol. I've been following your work on this guitar. Really cool stuff. Cheers!
Oh I hadn't thought of that! I might need to buy a second one ;)
Not only did I watch all 13 videos back to back, I watched the ads too. Now that’s hardcore!
Wow thanks for that sweet sweet ad revenue
TheGuitarGeek it was my pleasure. Really enjoy your channel
Thanks very much. Any future video requests?
Very nice mods you have done with this mustang.
Thanks Adam!
he really put azusa as a notable mustang player! good choice. k on was one of the main things that made me wanna play guitar lmao
Thanks, I would love to put a pearl pick guard on mine when it arrives , can’t find one cut for the humbuckers.
I started playing playing guitar a few months ago and wasnt really sure if i should buy this guitar over a squier strat. But since im really into Nirvana and i really like the sound of the mustang im gonna buy this one. Good job on showing the guitar and how you can upgrade it!
Welcome to guitar playing! Thanks a lot. Good guitar for the price but as I've shown, it can be great with a few little alterations.
I love how you mentioned Azusa from K-On in your description. Made me laugh really hard
Well she's a relevant player in the world of Mustangs! I'd quite like a Candy Apply Red Mustang.
well I finally got to pick up the squier and my saddle screws have ample clearance, the mustang sounds pretty badass btw!
That's brilliant. welcome to the club!
I’m getting ready to mod my Squier Bullet. Your videos have been very informative. Thanks.
Hi. You're welcome! Have fun
If I may ask, I’m pondering replacing the pickups. I use the guitar in my studio for demos (I’m really a bass player). Tonal variety, given that this is an Indonesian axe, is what I’m after. Do you have suggestions? I’m looking at these: www.amazon.com/Wilkinson-Single-Pickups-Strat%C2%AE-MWVS/dp/B015Y1TOO2/ref=pd_sbs_267_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B015Y1TOO2&pd_rd_r=a6e4c5ae-8911-11e8-8c50-7bcf6a096853&pd_rd_w=9COSl&pd_rd_wg=6SHOx&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=5825442648805390339&pf_rd_r=R8KP9W3WQ13H3TMSGZ01&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&psc=1&refRID=R8KP9W3WQ13H3TMSGZ01#customerReviews
That sounds like a great idea. I like the wilkinson stuff. Check out www.guitarfetish.com/GFS-Guitar-Pickups_c_7.html too
Thanks for this! I’d never heard of those! Cool idea!
You're welcome
great review, honest opinion given by the presenter.
Fantastic video series! Just bought this guitar. Doing the mods. Thanks!
You're welcome dude. Enjoy the guitar
cool sound! i ordered one just like that one youre playing. good vids!!
How do you sort the bridge out on a guitar?
You managed to turn borderline firewood into something very useable and in fact quite an upgrade from the box offering. This is how every kid should get their first guitar and I bet a good 50% more keep on playing!
Well done sir!
Thank you Matt. I hate the term "beginner's guitar". A beginner should have at least a medium standard instrument so that they don't have to fight with it. I know there are budget constraints but I always think it's worth buying something a little decent for a beginner. Or getting a budget guitar like this and getting a real service.
Wow I didn't think that Nirvana sound was so related to the short scale jags and mustangs Kurt played.
Amazing the difference is makes isn't it.
Bought the Kurt Edition Fender Jag.. it instantly became my favorite guitar.
I'll get one one day
TheGuitarGeek so worth the money. But then you mod so you can make any guitar badass. Even like a Squier Jag. Lol
It's a project for much much later
I found I didn’t need to polish the frets. After a couple of weeks playing, the scratchiness disappeared.
I didn't change my pickups either, and i like the neck pickup for most of my neck pickup applications. My secret is i use the bridge for country chords and lics, and for grunge stuff down the neck. I use the neck pickup for blues solos up the fretboard like past the 12th fret. Middle i use wherever i want a mix of those two sounds. But this guitar does it all stock. It screams for metal and grunge, but if you clean it up and use yhe bridge pickup, it'll do country as good as any telecaster which doesn't make sense to me that you can get that sound without a single coil.
Could you please do a comparison of this and the vintage modified squier mustang... really want a mustang but unsure as to which one. And I don't care for the new fender mustang unfortunately. Thanks
I'd love to. I'll see if I can get my hands on it. Feel free to send one my way ;)
Me too 😉
JE 123 yeah that would be cool if he threw a dimarzio super distortion s in the bridge, would be great for nevermind tones!
Would be cool too put a JB Seymour Duncan on the bridge, don't you think?
love your videos especially the moding stuff all of it is just really good keep it up
Weeblord 69 hey thanks man. I'm really enjoying meeting cool people through the channel. Thanks for stopping by
Clean tones are bad ass my friend. She’s a black beauty for sure.
Thanks man
thanks for the videos I watched them all and am thinking about modding my old affinity strat or my aria bass now :)
You're welcome, that's a great modding platform!
Amazing! Thanks very much for the tone comparison between the different scale lengths and this series.
As a suggestion for a next guitar, maybe an Epiphone VE. As I went browsing the other day I found it for about €130 and people seem to be enthusiastic about it.
ultrafloss492 hey thanks. This mustang is a great little guitar. You can get some very authentic tones.
I'll take a look at the Epiphone. Thanks for the suggestion
1. How much did the mods cost? 2. Given the price of the guitar - was the price of the mods worth it or on reflection would you have been better off buying a more expensive guitar? 3. To me the guitar sounds better and more articulate than before you modded it. Would the orange drop cap have something to do with that? 4. Think you mentioned at one point the pots were 250k. Shouldn't you have 500 k pots for humbuckers. If the guitar had 500 k pots would it sound brighter or darker? 6. Do you do this work commercially?
didn't know Napoleon Dynamite played guitar... flippin' sweet.
Gosh!
Great series. Just bought one for my son’s 13th birthday so now I know what to mod 🤓
Cool! Wish him luck and fun on his guitar from me
I’d live in the bridge pickup w this guitar.
Damn love the dirty tone!
Me too mate
Nice work! Being meticulous pays off
:D :D
"not very scientific, this.... but there"
I want to use this quote in an argument so badly
If you’re unable to get the bridge taken care of right away will at least getting the authentic Bone nut And getting Locking tuners will help for the meantime? Please answer back as I plan to pick mine up today. Thanx 🎸🎸
Hi, the locking tuners and some nut sauce would be enough.
These are a bargain. Quick fret job & you got a great guitar. Hated the pickups in mine... it's like they have a fuzz circuit built in. Just terrible. But these bullet Mustangs have the most comfortable neck I've ever played.
thanks bud... from the cart to check out it is for me then..... hopefully I'll post some nirvana playthroughs later. have a great day.
That’s awesome dude! Enjoy it
thanks bro....... I got the black one..... 🎸 a mustang at 150 usd..... oooh yeah...
considering graph tech saddles to, I have them on the other guitar I built but get this done and see. those super 250 strings that come on these guitars are in my opinion horrible be nice to get the Ernie Balls on. hope to get this done over weekend
I think replacing stings on a new guitar is necessary regardless of what strings come on there. If I'm not modding the guitar, I at least always change the strings.
Just almost perfect Nirvana tones!
Thank you Daniel! Sounds a lot better in the room. My microphone technique was not exactly on point in this video
@@TheGuitarGeek maybe, but no doubt when that was thrown on the bridge In Bloom and Breed were spot on! Although i will say Heart shaped box was done nicely but it almost sound in the wrong tuning?
Heart shaped box was not right... I was just jamming about
How does it stack up against the duo sonic? Looking to get one in the next couple of weeks.
Well done! Definitely a thumbs up!
Denis Krasovsky thanks mate
TheGuitarGeek If you're going to review some pedals, maybe you'll check some usable tubescreamer clones? Like, without busting the bank :)
So if you were to change the saddles which ones would you use?
These can be use on a Fender Hardtail or a Trem.
www.dragonfireguitars.com/Bridge-Tremolo-Roller-Saddles-Color-Choice-6-String-or-7-String-2028.htm
Here is a quick review of them. czcams.com/video/StesYnSHKZM/video.html
Most people change pups but the stoke ones are so dirrrrrty!!!
Did you ever change the saddles out? If so can you give me a recommendation as to what saddles would be best? Thank you, great review...mines is in the mail. :)
Hey there , my Stang arrived a few days ago , I’m disappointed I’m having a heck of a time getting it tuned and into intonation. I’m going to change strings for some heavier ones , any help would be appreciated, new bridge ? Tuners first?
There’s a video series on my channel in which I mod my mustang. Enjoy the guitar!
I was amazed that the setup was dialed right out of the box on mine. I thought there was no way the intonation would be set, but it was dead on! Stays in tune fine too. I felt the stock pickups sounded kind of meh. Not bad, just meh. I had an old Duncan JB laying around that I stuck in the bridge, and that woke it all the up. Other than that I just polished the frets. I also have a Fender Duo Sonic, and I think I might just like this one better.
I just ordered the imperial blue squire bullet mustang. I really like your mod videos and the comments you make on each mod and that you did not change the pups. I am not a modder, unfortunately. I just play what I get. I do have a tech buddy that will makes changes for me, does not charge too much. The saddle thing worries me, but the saddles on the imperial blue look different than on the black model, at least in the on line videos.
Hi! That's really cool. The mods I did are fairly easy to do. Can you set the intonation on a guitar?
The bridge is identical on both guitars.
Had my tech friend set the intonation tonight and sounds much better. He mentioned the saddle screws touching the strings was really poor design and he can't believe that they would release an otherwise pretty good guitar with that bridge. I guess if all i have to do is have the screws shortened, that should not be too hard to do.
Om Prakash hey congratulations. cutting the screws shorter is not hard at all. it seems not at the mustangs had this problem
Hey man! I found your channel yesterday so I'm pretty new and I know fuck all about this technical side of guitars, I'm just the regular guy with a cheap strato copy who just wants to plug it in and play :D But I've been wanting to deepen my knowledge for a long time and this series gave me some pretty great ideas on how to boost my guitar. I'm excited to try to do the things with the neck you did, I'm really curious whether it'll make a difference. Anyways, I just wanted to thank you and tell you that it was a very informative series, keep up the good work! :)
Sounds ideal for punk music (or a punk).
I agree
i subbed because you listed azusa from K-on!
Classic mustang player!
can i change the pots to 500k?
Yeah you can, I'm guessing that many people might. The sound will get a little brighter. If that's what you're looking for then it's a cheap way to make a subtle change.
Will the standard old school mustang tuning heads work for this one?
Sure!
Before i start great video but i have a question
So I just got this guitar but I was thinking about changing the bridge to Seymour JH-4 Pickups ( just like Kurt)
but I want to know what neck pickup you recommend
By the way this is my first mustang and want to make it sound like Kurt
Put an "humbucker sized" P 90 in the neck (Seymour Duncan Phat Cat or Di Marzio Bluesbucker) it will change your game.
I'm dead 😂🤣wasn't expecting the bananas . I almost woke my family up laughing but restraint was necessary since it's early . Have this guitar, but in surf green . Hate the color but trying to learn to like it the more I research mustang. Color makes sense. On the fence about refinishing it down the road. Guess I need more time to respect the vintage aspect of it. Great video, information. Jokes, ect.
Well done dude, next step pickup upgrade? Would be curious to see how far you can take the guitar as an upgrading platform.
Hey Marco. Thanks. I will keep the original pickups unless someone donates pickups for testing. The pickups do exactly what I want them to do and I honestly think changing them at this point is not worth me spending the money. As I said, if I were to acquire some pickups, I'll do it!
I'm broke but if I win euro millions tomorrow I'll hook you up.
Hahaha, I'll hold you to that :)
I live in Brazil (third world country hehe). Unfortunately i can't help you with the pickups. haha
I'm late to the party, but can u check out bacchus guitars? i have a bacchus mustang and it's sounds pretty good with nirvana tones. i really want u to compare it to the bullet
ps Black tuners and string tree look good ,I may do that myself and a black Tusq nut .I'll be chucking loads of Monty's relic wax on the fret board to darken it and bring the grain out .Other than that I'll take your advice and stick with the stock pick ups for now .Do you still have it 6 yrs on ?and if so does it get lots of play?
I would also recommend for beginners a used squire standards which are pretty much everywhere on ebay or pawnshops all I did to mine is hard tail it and polish the frets but only because they were old cause I bet when it was new they were great.
That's a great point. I think the Mustang is attractive because it's a bit different.
Cool vids, now I have an idea what I need to do to mine!
Yeah do it man, the guitar is screaming to be modded.