Did a Squier Strat SE ever have 22 frets?

[JACK G]

Firstly Christmas Greetings to you all.

I am considering buying what I believe is Strat SE - it has thick body, Squier branded tuners and no serial number.

I know some have a skunk stripe although this one does not - and this has 22 frets which I have never seen before.

Did Squier make a 22 fret SE?

 

[bigbagoong]

I believe some of the ones sold outside of the USA had those specs.

 

[jefffam]

Some European SE''s have 22 frets. Also red was only available in Europe. Many of those in the U.S. are jealous of the availability of red in Europe.

 

[shingh2002]

Hey @JACK G Merry Christmas!
Yes, my SE serial CA has 22 frets and no skunk stripe. The serial is stamped on the back of the neck however.

 

[shingh2002]

Other similarities are the Squier stamped tuners, 11 hole 3-ply pickguard, 6 point bridge and those block saddles.

 

[JACK G]

Thanks for your responses guys and it looks like I have another project for £50 - but can't pick it up till lockdown ends.

From what I can see it has a DiMarzio bridge pickup but cannot tell if the other two are the same.

Thanks again guys. Jack

 

[shingh2002]

Great price!

 

[belfegore]

Great find! I had one of those, had one of the best necks for my liking.

Changed nut and PUs, but gave it away unfortunately, been looking for another one ever since!

Firstly Christmas Greetings to you all.

I am considering buying what I believe is Strat SE - it has thick body, Squier branded tuners and no serial number.

I know some have a skunk stripe although this one does not - and this has 22 frets which I have never seen before.

Did Squier make a 22 fret SE?

View attachment 186018 View attachment 186019 View attachment 186020

 

[JACK G]

Would the neck on this be interchangeable with a 21 fret SE?

 

[belfegore]

Would the neck on this be interchangeable with a 21 fret SE?

I tried and the neck on the 22 fret Strat SE was slightly wider and wouldn’t fit.

I don’t know how consistent the measurements are, on what is, after all, the cheapest full scale Stratocaster available, but I would be very careful when putting interchangeability to the test.

having said that, the number of frets is not a factor in interchangeability. The extra fretboard sticks out above and beyond the neck cavity and won’t affect the guitar body.

(From memory I think it needed cutting out a bit of the pickguard though. )

there is a thread discussing the overhang of the fretboard here: https://www.squier-talk.com/threads...t-22-frets-neck-overhang-or-block-end.182072/

 

[JACK G]

I tried and the neck on the 22 fret Strat SE was slightly wider and wouldn’t fit.

I don’t know how consistent the measurements are, on what is, after all, the cheapest full scale Stratocaster available, but I would be very careful when putting interchangeability to the test.

having said that, the number of frets is not a factor in interchangeability. The extra fretboard sticks out above and beyond the neck cavity and won’t affect the guitar body.

(From memory I think it needed cutting out a bit of the pickguard though. )

there is a thread discussing the overhang of the fretboard here: https://www.squier-talk.com/threads...t-22-frets-neck-overhang-or-block-end.182072/

Thanks for the link and I'm probably jumping the gun a bit on this.

I already have two 21 fret SE Starts both with a skunk stripe, which I like, so was just thinking if a swap was possible.

 

[jefffam]

Thanks for the link and I'm probably jumping the gun a bit on this.

I already have two 21 fret SE Starts both with a skunk stripe, which I like, so was just thinking if a swap was possible.

Depending on the date of the 22 fret model, especially with no skunk stripe, it might be closer in relation the the YN/NC's from Yako in the mid-nineties, (Taiwanese/Chinese, absent skunk stripe, full American{?} spec body depth) which are a wider neck, being 43.2mm at the nut and around 56mm at the heel, which generally prohibits interchange of YN/NC necks with other lineage/models.

 

[jasper]

I have a UK Squier SE Strat for which I paid the princely sum of £10.00 to someone selling it on Gumtree back in 2019. It clearly needed some TLC having been abandoned in a damp loft for a number of years but apart from very rusty strings and thick layer of dirt and it was in far better condition than I expected and buying was a no-brainer. It has no number so I'm guessing it to be maybe in the region of 15-20 years old from what the seller told me.
I suspect that they are not the original pups as they sound quite Tex Mex but I never bothered stripping it to find out as it had no switch or pot issues so saw no point in opening it up.
My original intention was to fit genuine fender Strat pups if I got it playing well but quite honestly I like it the way it sounds.

It too has a 22 fret neck with no skunk stripe and the double octave markers are closer to the edge of the neck as opposed to other models. The body is full thickness which gives it a substantial feel and after I spent time on it dressing frets etc, although I've never been a Strat fan it actually plays really well so it was well worth buying and only recently I've actually been using it with which to record in my studio where the Strat 'quack' or 'jangle' is required and I'm quite enjoying playing for the sounds it produces.
From what I can gather the SE specs are dependent upon the region of the world in which one lives so they will vary from region to region. I'm just guessing but I suspect they were probably assembled as and when required using surplus parts at the time of assembly which would account for the variations.

This is the neck of my Squier undergoing surgery..

 

[jasper]

Firstly Christmas Greetings to you all.

I am considering buying what I believe is Strat SE - it has thick body, Squier branded tuners and no serial number.

I know some have a skunk stripe although this one does not - and this has 22 frets which I have never seen before.

Did Squier make a 22 fret SE?

View attachment 186018 View attachment 186019 View attachment 186020

The guitar neck in your image is exactly the same as mine with the double octave fret markers close to edge of the fretboard with no skunk stripe. It too has 22 frets with no identity number but mine doesn't have Squier stamped on the tuners. I guess that would be down to what was available on the day they built it.
If mine is anything to go by it's a guitar with a meaty feel so it doesn't feel cheap and plays well when set up so if the price is right I would say go for it.
I've just this minute compared my Squier to a Westfield Strat which I bought to leave at my caravan during the summer so that I had something to play and it's quite decent to play too but the pups on the Squier are far superior which is why I reckon they are Tex Mex or the likes.

Given the variations and specifications I suppose the SE could be considered almost an early direct from the factory Squier partscaster.

 

[dpang2836]

The guitar neck in your image is exactly the same as mine with the double octave fret markers close to edge of the fretboard with no skunk stripe. It too has 22 frets with no identity number but mine doesn't have Squier stamped on the tuners. I guess that would be down to what was available on the day they built it.
If mine is anything to go by it's a guitar with a meaty feel so it doesn't feel cheap and plays well when set up so if the price is right I would say go for it.
I've just this minute compared my Squier to a Westfield Strat which I bought to leave at my caravan during the summer so that I had something to play and it's quite decent to play too but the pups on the Squier are far superior which is why I reckon they are Tex Mex or the likes.

Given the variations and specifications I suppose the SE could be considered almost an early direct from the factory Squier partscaster.

Nice, but an old Post? 🤪

 

[jasper]

Nice, but an old Post? 🤪

Just realised! Duuuh.
Mind you someone will come along at some point and ask questions about the SE so hopefully it will help them!

 

[jtcnj]

I think it is fine to add useful info to old threads as it adds to the database.

 

[dpang2836]

Yes, I learned that most 22 Fret Strat Necks have no Lip (overhang) like a Tele! Must mess with Intonation should you swap to a 21?

 

[Las Palmas Norte]

Yes, I learned that most 22 Fret Strat Necks have no Lip (overhang) like a Tele! Must mess with Intonation should you swap to a 21?

The scale is still 25½" regardless of the fret count (21 or 22). I have not noticed any without the fretboard overhang.
Here's my Standard.

 

[VealCutlet]

The scale is still 25½" regardless of the fret count (21 or 22). I have not noticed any without the fretboard overhang.
Here's my Standard.

View attachment 256873

This looks odd, assuming there is no overhang. If you drop a 21 fret neck into this pocket, wouldn't the 21st fret be pretty much where the 22nd one is in this photo? To be a 25.5" scale, wouldn't Fret 21 need to be in the same place with both necks? If the 12th fret is the octave - exactly halfway between the nut and saddle - I have to think they fiddled with the scale length.