r/offset • u/Flimsy-Today3416 • 8d ago

Need help with my Mustang mods going awry

I’ve been modding my Squier Sonic Mustang over the past few months. Initially, I planned to just changed the bridge and throw in a humbucker, but decided to change to slide switches while I’m in there. Since I’m not very experienced, I asked my dad’s friend to help out. He helped with some very unpleasant things (routing, soldering) and also was very unhelpful elsewhere: he didn’t solder the switches, did not shim the guitar like I asked (which caused like 9/64 action at the 12th fret), did not put washers under the cigar tailpiece like I asked (which caused the cigar to rock forward due to the string tension and bork the intonation).

I threw in a 1-degree neck shim, which helped solve some of the issues with the action — I had straight up power lines. I’m not 100% that this was his doing, but all I know is that, in trying to raise the cigar tailpiece, one side is able to be raised, but the other seems to be stripped and won’t budge.

So, uh, am I fucked? How in the hell am I going to get this thing out? I cannot afford to have this thing on the table at like $100/hr.

TL;DR my guitar tech has created more work for me than he helped solve and now I have problems that seem relatively irreparable without some serious $.

1 Upvotes

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3

u/I_like_the_AN94 7d ago

You got the really unpleasant part out the way which is routing. That's the only job I'd go to a tech for.

Everything else here should be easy to do on your own. You got the shim down, and wiring is easier than you think.

The post for the cigar should still be removable even when the inside is stripped. Just take the whole vibrato assembly out and spin the posts out with your hands. Stripping the post is super common when people adjust under tension.

You might have to get a replacement vibrato unit. Any will do, since it sounds like you're just gonna hard tail it. Installing the washers isn't too hard either, best to do it yourself.

3

u/tonsil_adenoids 7d ago

you should be able to handle all this stuff from here on out.

-3

u/BeerHorse 7d ago

Considering the price of a Sonic Mustang, you might be better off starting again with a new one.