Squier Cyclone hardtail swap

[Bit Confused]

I’m back, and with another strange question.

I have a 2020 Squier Cyclone that has a strat tremolo bridge that I don’t really like. I mostly play punk and don’t actually use the whammy bar, ever, I’m also having problems with strings breaking at the saddles and getting stuck in the string-thru when trying to change them.

Wondering what my options are for changing to a hardtail to make string changes easier. My ideal would be a duo-sonic style bridge but I’m concerned about the existing trem cavity.

Any ideas?

[robsmith]

It's not many months since I did something similar.
There are plenty of hard-tail bridges out there so that's not an issue. The hard part is filling the void left by the tremolo. I chose to make the plug out of two parts, one for the upper area and the other for the smaller bit that goes through the body. Shaping and fitting was a grade one pain, so I ended up using more filler than I really wanted to. I used a couple of bits of random hardwood (old factory floor boards!) that were to hand. I'll have a dig and see if I've got any pics of the work in progress, but I can' recall taking any so don't hold your breath on them appearing.

[Bit Confused]

Alright thanks, I didn’t really plan on doing a full mod but I’ve asked a few forums and that seems to be the only option.

[fender3x]

Alright thanks, I didn’t really plan on doing a full mod but I’ve asked a few forums and that seems to be the only option.

Is there a reason you don't want to just block it? Just curious.

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[Bit Confused]

It’s my first time doing any kind of modifications and I want to keep the guitar looking fair clean and tidy to look at.

[McCreed]

It’s my first time doing any kind of modifications and I want to keep the guitar looking fair clean and tidy to look at.

I'm pretty sure fneder3x means physically "blocking" the vibrato so it doesn't have any upward or downward movement.
This can be achieved by a number of ways. The simplest being adjust the spring claw so it pulls the bridge plate flat against the body (you can also add more springs to increase the tension).

As for string breakage, I'd look at other issues rather than the vibrato bridge being the root cause. If you're playing punk, I'm guessing you're playing pretty aggressively. Any string is going to break if it gets the s**t banged out it repeatedly.

[fender3x]

I was referring to what McCreed is suggesting. I've never done it myself. My only strat is a hard tail. But I'd probably gravitate to what McCreed says with adjustment, or using a literal small block of wood on one or both sides of the metal tremolo block under the bridge. Lots of YouTube on this.

My preference is for reversible mods whenever possible. It's also cheap and easy. The mod holy trinity for me ;-) If it works great! If not, maybe try changing the saddles...or string guage or material. I'd probably be inclined to try all of the above before making some sort of piece to fill the trem cavity.

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[fender3x]

This video has a different purpose, but shows the three approaches to setting up a strat Bridge:

https://youtu.be/Lng0kCKW9YU

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[Bit Confused]

Cheers for the effort, really appreciate that.

I'm actually thinking of retiring the Cyclone from most Punk ventures and building a DMS-1 based Musicmaster copy.

Just awaiting a reply from the pitbull team on whether a Musicmaster Pickguard will even fit the guitar.

[McCreed]

Just awaiting a reply from the pitbull team on whether a Musicmaster Pickguard will even fit the guitar.

FWIW, no genuine or even aftermarket Fender parts are going to be a drop-in fit with any F-style PBG kit. It's not to say that they can't be retrofitted to work with the kit, or the kit retrofitted to accommodate the parts, but either way requires alterations to one or the other.

The DMS-1 kit is actually closer to a late model Duo-Sonic than a Musicmaster because of the two pickup configuration, the selector switch position and 24 inch scale length.