Squier "Perfect Fit Replacement Parts" Mega thread

[Clifford Lee]

I only needed to route a truss rod access channel in the body as it is at the heel rather than at the headstock.

Wouldn't it be more practical if you cut out an acess to the truss rod on the pick guard as well?

 

[eastcoasteddie]

Wouldn't it be more practical if you cut out an acess to the truss rod on the pick guard as well?

It would be...but that can be done at any time...routing the body was more important...
so far, after over a year of use/ownership (installed Nov 2018), I tweaked the truss rod once, about a week after initial installation.

 

[Sub-hoo-fer]

Hi all. I have read most of this thread and a bunch of other posts on upgrading an Affinity. What I am walking away with is the impression that “close” is about what I can expect in terms of after market parts matching an OEM Affinity. also, buy from places with good return policies for big misses.

Do I have that about right? I rolled the dice on a cheap Affinity P that turned out to be a 2009 CD model that maybe came from Taiwan(?!?). So on the off chance anyone has experience with that OEM I would Appreciate advice. I am planning on new pup, guard, and bridge. Neck and tuners might come later but seem surprisingly good.

 

[ejaggers]

Hi all. I have read most of this thread and a bunch of other posts on upgrading an Affinity. What I am walking away with is the impression that “close” is about what I can expect in terms of after market parts matching an OEM Affinity. also, buy from places with good return policies for big misses.

Do I have that about right? I rolled the dice on a cheap Affinity P that turned out to be a 2009 CD model that maybe came from Taiwan(?!?). So on the off chance anyone has experience with that OEM I would Appreciate advice. I am planning on new pup, guard, and bridge. Neck and tuners might come later but seem surprisingly good.

What is a "CD" model?

I bought my AFN P because the neck was excellent.
So my question is, "if it's good why would you want to change it?"

The only original parts on my mod is the neck and body,
but then it was my 1st mod and I went waaayyy overboard.

I don't like my Gotoh 201 bridge better than the original because the saddles are too big,
and my action cannot be lowered as much, but it was cheap and is better looking.
If I had it to do over, I'd pass on the bridge and just use an ashtray.

057912

 

[Sub-hoo-fer]

What is a "CD" model?

I bought my AFN P because the neck was excellent.
So my question is, "if it's good why would you want to change it?"

The only original parts on my mod is the neck and body,
but then it was my 1st mod and I went waaayyy overboard.

I don't like my Gotoh 201 bridge better than the original because the saddles are too big,
and my action cannot be lowered as much, but it was cheap and is better looking.
If I had it to do over, I'd pass on the bridge and just use an ashtray.

057912

In terms of the neck, I think it depends on how stable it is. My intent was to replace it with a jazz neck but I like it so far.

CD are the first two letters of the serial number. All I could find is that This means China and maybe Taiwan. With any luck I have hit the bass guitar equivalent of finding an original copy of the Declaration of Independence in the frame of a picture of dogs playing poker. But I kinda doubt it.

where did you source your pickguard? That is what I am working on at the moment. Thanks!!!

 

[Sub-hoo-fer]

As promised - more pixs.............................



This is a CORT - the tuners are nickel plated, not chromed. They are also pretty large as related to the standard Indonesian tuners.

View attachment 3029002

View attachment 3029003

Notice the capstans (barrels) are large and not tapered, but straight sided.

View attachment 3029005

And a side-shot of that thick/heavier bridge. I am using some camper-to-truck bed insulating foam as a mute. Deeper and deeper! (Gads - the dust shows pretty bad here)

Aha!

@SurferJoe46 I just founds a CD990XXXXX model like yours! So it is a Cort?

Any help you can provide on replacement parts would be greatly appreciated!

 

[ejaggers]

In terms of the neck, I think it depends on how stable it is. My intent was to replace it with a jazz neck but I like it so far.

CD are the first two letters of the serial number. All I could find is that This means China and maybe Taiwan. With any luck I have hit the bass guitar equivalent of finding an original copy of the Declaration of Independence in the frame of a picture of dogs playing poker. But I kinda doubt it.

where did you source your pickguard? That is what I am working on at the moment. Thanks!!!

The worst thing about the AFN is the PG in my opinion.
I got mine so long ago I don't remember where from, probably from Jeannie's.

But you can easily find them on ebay, unless you want something custom.
Okay so "CD" is part of the serial, not the model, the model is Affinity.
I believe yours is a 2009 probably made by Yako (Taiwan).

057912

 

[Luminair]

I have a 2003 CY Affinity Precision Bass that I've started working on.

It has closed back tuning machines that I'd like to upgrade to something a bit less cheap. Any recommendations? I'd like drop-in, but can fill 'n drill if needed. I have a black Hipshot KickAss High-mass bridge coming in, so my preference is black tuning machines as well.

Pickups would be nice as well. Thoughts on EMG GZR P? Seems like a popular swap.

 

[Malak the Mad]

I have a 2003 CY Affinity Precision Bass that I've started working on.

It has closed back tuning machines that I'd like to upgrade to something a bit less cheap. Any recommendations? I'd like drop-in, but can fill 'n drill if needed. I have a black Hipshot KickAss High-mass bridge coming in, so my preference is black tuning machines as well.

Pickups would be nice as well. Thoughts on EMG GZR P? Seems like a popular swap.

It really depends on how aggressive a sound you want. When I first started playing nine years ago, I was frequently chasing a very aggressive sound. Based upon this demo…



…I would've jumped on something like this for my P/J's. Over time, I've gravitated to something a touch more mellow than that. To "graph" it out on a scale of 1 (warm & mellow) to 10 (bright & grindy), I fall somewhere around a high-6/low-7 area.

Of course, that player is using heavy gauge, stainless steel Bootzillas, so obviously that'll shape the sound in particular ways. Your choice of strings will likely have a similar impact. (Just out of curiosity, what's your weapon of choice as far as strings go?)

The tuners might be trickier. I had a similar MIC Affinity Jazz and the only problem I had with it was the weak-ass tuners. They were creaky and required retuning more frequently than the open-backed Squiers and MIM Fenders come with. I, for one, don't know if there are reputable brands that make direct, drop-in tuners like that. If there aren't any, especially ones with a black finish, you might need to drill out the peg-holes to accept something wider.

This begs the question of those of you who are in-the-know, what's the diameter of the peg-holes on the skinny, closed-back tuner pegs?

If I still had that Affinity Jazz, and I was determined to upgrade the tuners, I'd probably have them bored out to accept Hipshot Licensed (LIC) Ultralites (so far, they've worked just as good to me as the USA-made ones) with 3/8th inch posts to minimize the amount of wood removed.

 

[Malak the Mad]

I have a 2003 CY Affinity Precision Bass that I've started working on.

My bad…I forgot to say, "Welcome to TalkBass, oh bringer of light!"

 

[Luminair]

It really depends on how aggressive a sound you want. When I first started playing nine years ago, I was frequently chasing a very aggressive sound. Based upon this demo…



…I would've jumped on something like this for my P/J's. Over time, I've gravitated to something a touch more mellow than that. To "graph" it out on a scale of 1 (warm & mellow) to 10 (bright & grindy), I fall somewhere around a high-6/low-7 area.

Of course, that player is using heavy gauge, stainless steel Bootzillas, so obviously that'll shape the sound in particular ways. Your choice of strings will likely have a similar impact. (Just out of curiosity, what's your weapon of choice as far as strings go?)

The tuners might be trickier. I had a similar MIC Affinity Jazz and the only problem I had with it was the weak-ass tuners. They were creaky and required retuning more frequently than the open-backed Squiers and MIM Fenders come with. I, for one, don't know if there are reputable brands that make direct, drop-in tuners like that. If there aren't any, especially ones with a black finish, you might need to drill out the peg-holes to accept something wider.

This begs the question of those of you who are in-the-know, what's the diameter of the peg-holes on the skinny, closed-back tuner pegs?

If I still had that Affinity Jazz, and I was determined to upgrade the tuners, I'd probably have them bored out to accept Hipshot Licensed (LIC) Ultralites (so far, they've worked just as good to me as the USA-made ones) with 3/8th inch posts to minimize the amount of wood removed.

Well thank you very much for all of this for all of this information! I'm grateful for the link to the demo, that actually is exactly the sound I am looking for. The Hipshot Ultralites looked excellent, so I'm glad to hear an endorsement for them.

Regarding the tuning machines, I pulled one last night to get some measurements. Here's what I came up with - hopefully it's easy for everyone to decode. Reminder that this is for a 2003 CY Affinity P-Bass:

Tuning holes:
12mm diameter hole, measured from back
10mm diameter hole, measured from front
28mm peg height
34mm distance between top and bottom screw holes
12mm distance between left and right screws
41.5mm x 20mm are the dimensions of the footprint with the tuner cover

Appreciate the warm welcome!

 

[Luminair]

Apologies for the double post, but could use a little more advice.

Seems to be conflicting info online about this. Still working on my 2003 CY Affinity P-Bass, but how has nut compatibility for everyone? I know new nuts always need sanding and some work to get it to fit, but I'm curious if there's anything that's near drop-in. I'm particularly interested in a Graph Tech Black TUSQ XL.

Installed a Hipshot Kickass bridge today, went on like OEM. Looks like a beast. I have Ultralite Tuners in the mail along with some EMG Geezers, so I'm looking forward to finishing this build up.

 

[Scott Loveless]

Hi, folks. I have a VM fretless jazz. It's the older one with "Duncan Designed" pickups. I'd really like to add a pick guard, but I'm not seeing anything out there that says it will specifically fit. Anyone know if the pick guards designed for American or MIM basses will more or less fit? I don't mind doing some slight modifications to the guard, and the bass doesn't have screw holes in it, so I'll have to drill them anyway. I did skim this thread, and I apologize if it's been asked an answered. If it has been discussed, I'd sure appreciated a link to the specific post. Thanks!

 

[Fun Size Nick]

Hi, folks. I have a VM fretless jazz. It's the older one with "Duncan Designed" pickups. I'd really like to add a pick guard, but I'm not seeing anything out there that says it will specifically fit. Anyone know if the pick guards designed for American or MIM basses will more or less fit? I don't mind doing some slight modifications to the guard, and the bass doesn't have screw holes in it, so I'll have to drill them anyway. I did skim this thread, and I apologize if it's been asked an answered. If it has been discussed, I'd sure appreciated a link to the specific post. Thanks!

Standard jazz PG fits, but there’s a small gap between the PG and the control plate. It doesn’t look terrible, and the width of the gap is a uniform distance across

 

[Harper]

I just picked up a Chinese Affinity P Bass for $75 bucks. Not bad! I am looking to replace the dreaded enclosed tuners…does anyone know of a direct drop in?

 

[leonvdb]

Harper, the holes are smaller than standard ones, so some widening is in order I’m afraid if you want some standard open gear tuners to go through the headstock.

 

[Scott Loveless]

Standard jazz PG fits, but there’s a small gap between the PG and the control plate. It doesn’t look terrible, and the width of the gap is a uniform distance across

The kiddo gave me this pickguard for my birthday. Sorry about the LED strip lights. It snapped right down into place. I will literally have to drill the holes for it and that's it. Thanks for the help!

 

[Malak the Mad]

The kiddo gave me this pickguard for my birthday. Sorry about the LED strip lights. It snapped right down into place. I will literally have to drill the holes for it and that's it. Thanks for the help!

View attachment 3915810 View attachment 3915812 View attachment 3915813 View attachment 3915814 View attachment 3915816

First off, that classic sci-fi pinup pickguard is awesome!

Secondly, I have some suggestions before you start drilling. You might want to loosen the screws on the plate to give it a little wiggle room. Then slide the guard up against it to find the ideal placement...not just in relation to each other, but where the guard sits on the horns and against the neck.

Lastly, once you find your ideal placement, secure the pickguard in place with several pieces of painters tape or low-adhesive artists masking tape. And don’t be stingy...it’s just tape. Once it’s secure, drill, baby, drill!

 

[The Jar]

Woah, nice, hahha.

The kiddo gave me this pickguard for my birthday.

 

[John Le Guyader]

I just picked up a Chinese Affinity P Bass for $75 bucks. Not bad! I am looking to replace the dreaded enclosed tuners…does anyone know of a direct drop in?

I just bought a 2000 crafted in China Affinty P bass. I’m installing hip shot lollipop ultra lites on mine, but that’s not such a cheap option. The hole for the tuning peg is 1/2” with the stock closed back tuner. Also going with a tusq nut and already put a tort pickguard on as pictured.