Squier Sonic Esquire H Review and Demo
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- čas přidán 9. 05. 2023
- This is not a sponsored review. Have you been wondering if the Squier Sonic Series is any good. Maybe thinking about the Esquire H as an option? Before you buy one, watch my video as I break down the good, the bad and the ugly. Thanks for watching.
#squier #squiersonicseries #esquire - Hudba
3 way switch mod with Seymour Duncan JB- czcams.com/video/mh-iwrbohZc/video.html
3 Way Rotary Mod with Seymour Duncan JB- czcams.com/video/cVJuqjf0EaM/video.html
Thanks for taking the guard off, this answered my only question about it.
I like the idea of getting cheap "beginner" guitars and showing how good they can be with a decent setup and maybe a few basic mods.
I don't do this as often as I used to, but this was a fun project and the mods came out great!
First video of yours I’ve seen. Instant like/subscribe. Quality content.
Thank you!
Thanks, hit all the boxes, good review demo!
One thing I forgot to mention is the shape of the saddles. They're very blocky, like a stainless one and not like anything I've seen on a squier before. I'll send you a pic.
i’ve just bought one as a backup if my #1 goes pop while gigging (a Squier Starcaster with a habit of breaking strings over the bridge) and I can’t wait to get hold of it. I think it’s looks super cool.
great video. thanks.
Excellent review, and analysis of this affordable and versatile (modding-wise) guitar. Good advice and overview. Thanks!
Thanks. I've modded it and done a little setup work on the neck and fretboard and I'm loving this guitar!
@@Guitarnivore I think Squiers, in general, are good deals. I have 4 of them - White Classic Vibe 70s (HH) Tele, Lake Placid Blue Bullet Tele, (SS) Sienna Sunburst Affinity Strat (HSS) and Burgundy Mist Affinity Strat (HH). Even with tuners and (Seymour Duncan) pickups upgrades, on all but the Classic Vibe, the most I spent on any of them is $650. And all now are very good in feel, fit and finish, sound and playability. And, last, but not least, I've learned a little about how to do set-ups/repairs/adjustments in the process - which also has a $$ value.
The only Squier I've owned that was disappointing (I ended up selling it) had the most expensive base price - a black & gold Squier 40th Anniversary Tele. Its neck pickup was very muddy and despite getting a professional setup on it from my luthier, it kept having intonation and buzzing higher frets issues. A nice guitar, but not worth the $599 original list price, IMHO. My modified Bullet tele ended up being a superior guitar, for much less money.
I love my Squiers too and have several others. I think I'm up to 9 now. Some I've modded and some I haven't. Like you, one of my biggest disappointments was the 40th Anniversary Jazzmaster I paid almost $600 for when it first hit the market. But I did swap out the pickups for some hotter ones and it's growing on me.
Awesome video, just subscribed. Been eyeing this guitar since it was released and after this review I’m definitely ordering from Sweetwater.
Thanks!. If you get a chance, check out the mods I did to it. It came out great and I love playing it even more. I think the next one will be the Squier Paranormal Esquire Deluxe.
Been curious about the cavity under the Vol/Tone plate. I'm definitely going to add the Eldred mod along with a coil split when I get my own.
I did a three way switch mod with a Seymour Duncan JB. It switches series, parallel, and split (slug side). Check out that video for sound samples.
I like this guy. Good content, good delivery. I'd have a beer with this guy.
Well, thank you!
Hey man, I've tested this one also and overall yeah, it needs a bit of fretwork (as many other Squiers in this price range), the one I've tested had a scratchy volume pot and the machine heads are meh, but for this price range I would recommended it to a beginner that wants to mess around with fretwork, setup and upgrade a guitar. And thank you for showing whats under that pickguard, not a second I thought it could be routed for another pup :)
Yeah, those machine heads were jankier than I expected. A bit of crownwork and polish and the frets will be nice. I did NOT expect it to be routed at all either. The pots are kind of shitty, but I'll probably reuse them. I have a Seymour Duncan JB I'm going to drop into it. I did some measuring and the neck is almost a full mm in width and girth at the fifth fret, compared to my other Squires. Typical bullet neck though.
I have the h black Strat ,
And I waited and waited and that shirt stayed on and I got what I wanted to hear and see
they should have a Tele with SS with this lovely colour 😢
Awesome video. Keep up updated on the mods if you ever do them.
I've completed a couple and I'm satisfied for now. Tuning machines need to be upgraded. I'll try to get a video done this week on the main.kod that I did that is a great upgrade for this little guitar.
@Guitarnivore I can totally vouch for how accurate your assessment of the squier sonic Esquire is, I did exactly what you recommended with the guitar before I even saw your video.. excellent, honest review and It's nice to run across videos like this that are straight to the point and accurate. Much appreciated for sure 👍👍 i basically did a simple polishing of frets, had a couple that needed to be tapped in slightly, smoothed out edges, adjusted truss rod, had some higher quality saddles so I put those on and set saddle height, pickup heighth and off to the races. The squier line all the way from the bullet (now sonic) up to the classic vibes and all points in between are really great values and great players. A little bit of time and a cheap handful of some parts and this guitar will hang with the big boy's no problemo! They really Will, maybe not quite as nice of finish or grade AAA flame top but all the essential elements are there and maybe 100.00 investment in a artech, oripure fleor etc pickup, some better bridge saddles, couple of potentiometer few wires and this guitar becomes a bonifide stage ready huggable workhorse.. thanks for the honest and very accurate analysis of the guitar 👍👍
Thanks for the kind words. Squier are fantastic guitars. I ended up modding this thing out pretty nicely with a 3 way switch on a Seymour Duncan SH-4 and it's one of my favorite guitars now. Fleor and Artec make great affordable pickups. I have a combo of the two brands in a Tele thinline kit I put together recently. Thanks for watching!
@@Guitarnivore awesome 👍👍! Ive been playing the strings off this one lol(stays in tune great just a figurative of speech) and I'm really glad they designed this one or actually reissued it in such a economical price point.. I sent an email to fender asking if they ever considered putting together mod kits for swuiers since they are such a great platform for it, I got a response back saying that it was a great idea and it would be forwarded to the main Guy for that department.. the great things about squiers is the availability of so many cool aftermarket as well as on Fender's website is All The different part's really let you customize these things on the cheap with excellent results. There are plenty of low priced good guitars out there, but with not as much aftermarket options available so it's a win win with good or very good quality from the stock format of a squier and modding options available for the platform and I can't say for sure but it does look like the stock Indonesian squiers have a mighty mite neck which is a good neck and the mighty mite necks and bodies are set up at Indonesian court factory which builds quite a few brand's. And I am not exactly sure who does necks for the china made squiers but each one has been near perfect so far ,4 out of 4 guitars with consistent quality a deluxe affinity telecaster, a limited run tele,a China affinity telecaster and a paranormal tornado all superb playing and sounding construction etc.. can't beat that for 200 to 400 range. I remember when squiers were joked about how bad quality was, ive had squiers from 80"s that were better than a lot of expensive guitars, but the New squiers are way up on their A game.
@@Guitarnivore p.s. thank you for seriously honest excellent reviews.
It screams fishman fluence classic pickup 2 push pull pots 3 voices.
Great honest review mate 👍
I posted an update video with some mods. A three way switch for series/parallel and split with a Seymour Duncan and it's fantastic!
I like the look of this, especially in that color. I'd be keen to get one of these and put a humbucker-sized P90 in it (which I already have).
They have a limited edition lime green you can get from Fender, but I dig the white. This is one of my favorites after making some changes to it. Check out that video if you get a moment. czcams.com/video/mh-iwrbohZc/video.htmlsi=rszo5LGnvPJvq7Cn
I added an Esquier Eldred mod switchplate from Tribute Guitar Works in Conway NH. True Esquire controls and it screams.
Very cool! I did a three way switch for series/parallel/slug side split with a Seymour Duncan SH-4. czcams.com/video/mh-iwrbohZc/video.html
I'm new to your CZcams Channel..
Thanks For Sharing 🎸 ✌
Hi, i want to buy my first guitar and I'm betweet this one and the HB TE-52 Vintage, wich is better? thanks!!
Just got mine today. It's beautiful and doesn't sound half as bad as I expected, the only thing I didn't like is the neck, it's a bit thick and the frets are so high it's hard to play open chords, I hope I can fix it!
bought this as a backup guitar and a platform for learning how to mod stuff - I would have a heart attack if I messed up something trying to upgrade my main Ibanez, 200$ Squier feels much safer.
Couple extra notes: purple color version looks amazing but indian laurel fretboard was p a r c h e d when it arrived. If you have a list of stuff to improve (fret polish, shielding, tuners swap, saddles adjustments etc) put a long oil bath on top of it.
Stock pickup sounds nice in rock and grunge applications, but it struggles when tuned below D standard as muddled bottom end overpowers struggling mids.
Comfort of playing is really nice; compared to t- and st-style guitars in this price range it fits the body really well which was a pleasant surprise after my struggles with budget Arias and other cheap brands.
Laurel on lower end models always looks dry as the Sahara. Here is the follow up video of the mods I did. czcams.com/video/mh-iwrbohZc/video.html
Squires are good value guitars imo, and yeah, I could think of some mods I'd wanna do. But I'd keep it an Esquire. There's just something about Esquires... They are just a little bit cooler! : )
Yeah, I specifically bought it because it's a one humbucker Tele and although the option is there, it just defeats the purpose of buying it unless that's what you had planned from the get-go. I added a three way switch which gives it series, parallel and Split (slug coil) option.
Its great because its an affordable way to get started, and relatively cheap to upgrade as you can afford it.
I've been a musician my whole life and have just started learning the guitar. I got this guitar in purple with the black fretboard and it pops. It really looks amazing. I love that I can upgrade when I get to a point that I will appreciate the upgrades. Tuning machines and pick guard will be first. Not a fan of the tuning machines and the pic guard is wicked cheap. I haven't had it set up yet but I can see the benefit in doing it. Great video I'm currently using Fender Play as my learning platform. Do you have any recommendations? It seems to be geared towards new to music students. I enjoyed the video. Thanks.
Fender Play is a good place to start. Yeah, the tuners are kind of jerky. I don't mind the pickgaurd. I did some mods and improvements on it and it's one of my favorites.
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Great review. I'm looking to buy my first guitar. I've decided on the Squire Sonic Telecaster but don't know whether I should go with the Esquire here, bridge humbucker, or the regular Sonic with the Single-Coil pickups at the neck and bridge. I really don't know the pros and cons of each type of setup. Can you give your opinion on which setup would be better for a 63 year old learning for the first time. I enjoy the melodic jazzy-surf sounds more the the face melting rock. lol.
I would go with a conventional single coil telecaster for that type of music. If you can afford it, I would suggest an Affinity over a Sonic. The Affinity will be a lit better quality out of the box and you can get them for only about $50 more than the Sonic. Sweetwater has some good deals on them.
@@Guitarnivore Thanks for the quick reply!
Hey!
I'm thinking about grabbing one of these and tossing a Duncan Invader into it lol. Any chance you could figure out if the stock volume and tone pots are 500k or 250k?
4:55 I went under the hood. they're ultra cheap a500k's with an .022 capacitor. I put an SH-4 in it with a cool switching mod I'm going to make another video for a little later.
@@Guitarnivore Hey thanks man! I'll be checking that video out for sure.
This guitar is the exact guitar I have been looking for. I'm gonna replace the neck with one from one of my jackson guitars.
Just make sure the scale length is the same, otherwise it won't intonate correctly.
Thx for review, I'm not a female and I like pink and pastel guitars...
I'd love to mod one with a SD Invader pickup, black hardware and some Gotoh locking tuners.
A kind of homemade Jim Root tele.
That would be cool. Mine currently has an Invader in it. I've swapped the tuners with better ones. I saw a Squier Jim Root Tele on FB marketplace last week with a Boss Katana MK2 50 amp, all for $150. It wasn't up there for more than an hour before someone scooped it up.
@@Guitarnivore I bet they did!
The invader is a beast of a humbucker isn't it 😉 Good choice
you could also just do a mini switch for series/split/parallel on a single humbucker with 4 wires.
I already had an Oaks Grigsby three way and a Tele plate and the wiring was quite simple, so that's what I went with.
Hello! Which distortion are you using for that epic sound?😊
I was using a few different distortion presets on my Boss Katana MK2.
whether the guitar bridge will not break out of the body under the tension of the strings.
What would make you think that? Aside from the humbucker, it's the same style 5 screw, top-loader bridge they've been using for many many years on the Affinity and Bullet Telecasters.
Is there really a "Should Be" with Capacitors? Doesn't it depend on what you want ? Ive seen Humbuckers with 250k all the way to 1mil caps, all depends on what the owner wants.
Absolutely. But typically the rule of thumbs is Humbuckers use a .223 and singles use .047, but personal preference trumps everything. Sometimes, I find a .333 works best for an HSS.
I just paused the video before you decided to open up the pick up on it and I'm hoping it's a ALINCO #5 pickup. FOR A COUPLE BENJI'S that's not too bad for the price of $200 as a budget guitar.
It's not. It's a cheap ceramic pickup. I ditched it and put in a Seymour Duncan SH4. But if you go on Amazon, a company called Fleor sells some really good Alnico V humbuckers for under $30.
Do you think you could fit a 9v battery under the control piece?
Not under the control plate, but you could put it under the pickgaurd, maybe in the neck pickup cavity, since you can easily slide the pickgaurd off.
From a manufacturing standpoint would Squier have many different body thicknesses? I would think they are the exact same bodies that are used for the Affinities. Different bodies means separate purchase, stocking, manufacturing lines etc..
It would make more sense if that were the case, but Squier has always been strange like that. For a long time their affinity line of Telecasters were top loaders, while the bullet Telecasters they started making around 2018 were string through. The bullet Teles were also thicker than the Affinity and routed for a humbucker in the neck, where the Affinity Tele was routed only for a single coil in the neck. Why all of the differences? Hell if I know. As you stated, you would think from a manufacturing standpoint, they would keep it simple, but then again, they're made in a factory that makes all sorts of other brands of guitars, so they may spec and source what's available there.
Are the strats and the telecasters in the sonic series the same thickness and if so are they the same thickness as regular fenders?
Are they on the heavy side at all or lighter would you say?
@@BeesWaxMinder They're made of poplar, which is a lighter wood. A normal Fender Tele is about 45mm thick, while these are about 40 mm. I can't speak for the exact thickness of the Strats, but I guarantee they're nowhere the same thickness as a Fender Strat, which is also around 45mm, and they're probably the same as the bullet line was.
@@Guitarnivore cheers!
@@Guitarnivore I could be wrong, but I think the Affinity is made in China and the Bullet line in Indonesia. If that's the case, they'd have different tooling and supply chains anyway. As for why Fender doesn't have one factory build them all, I don't know, but I'd guess that just one of those factories may not be able to support the volume that Fender wants to move.
I'm hoping I get one for christmas from my parents along with a single seymour duncan sh8 invader so its probably gonna be a chugging machine
Hell yeah, that'll be a great combo!
Hi ! I've a Gibson Flying V and I'm looking for a cheap side guitar. I hesitate between Jackson JS11 and this squier. I search the best made quality for the price.
You're going to get the same, maybe even less quality with the Jackson JS11 line. With Jacksons, I wouldn't go below the JS22 line, which I think is more on par with the Sonic series.
@@Guitarnivore thank you a lot ! I think I 'll take the Sonic .
can i replace the humbucker with an active emg humbucker and have enough space for the battery?
You could run the battery and wire to sit in the neck humbucker cavity, but there's not enough room under the control plate.
so you think the casing for the current humbucker could fit the emg81?@@Guitarnivore
@@tidalwave_music No. Not in the bridge area. This body is routed for two humbuckers. If you want to put a single humbucker in the bridge, the only place you'd have room for the battery would be where the body is routed out for a neck humbucker. It wouldn't be too difficult to change the battery, since all you'd have to do is remove the pickgaurd screws and slide it from underneatht eh strings.
@@tidalwave_music Oh. I think I misunderstood your last question. Sorry. I don't see why you couldn't fit en EMG in there. The demensions are very close.
thank you, that's my main concern before purchasing this guitar. Really want this guitar with an emg 81 in it :) Just not sure about the actual dimensions@@Guitarnivore
I can't remember the name of the brand that wanted to sponsor Eddie Van Halen is the company that he first did business with that was a guitar brand but I've always wanted one of those guitars and the original ones that are American made in America are like $800. And I know the knockoff ones are not as good because the guitars over there and China were made overseas. Which I know it's fine for some people. Could you tell me the name of that company that he sponsored that became successful because of the guitar that he sponsored? I heard the single humbucker coil is actually a lot better than a dual humbucker. Or any other configuration because there's no magnetic field that it's got to fight with it's just one pickup. Which is awesome. He'll definitely make for a good rock jazz & country Rock instrument. Hoping to pick one up today. At Guitar Center.
P.S if you could tell me the name of that company I would be gratefully appreciated of your help?
You're probably thinking of Kramer. They have the Barretta Special that's like $230 and they're not bad.
Could a person change the pickup out for a P90 to make a budget version of the Fender Noventa?
A regular P90 won't fit this bridge, but you could drop in a humbucker sized P90 if you wanted to.
Seymour Duncan Phat Cat P90 would fit.
@@pauljvigeantjr6635 and would sound fantastic too!
@@pauljvigeantjr6635 @guitarnivore This is getting very interesting
My choice would be to put a Seymour Duncan SH-8 INVADER in the bridge, remove the pickguard and install a Phat Cat in the neck position since it's already routed. I would even consider a Sustainer pickup in the neck instead
i wish they made that purple color a tele...
I'm surprised they didn't.
@@Guitarnivore I'm not unfortunately they hate us purple fans (I know you are not a purple fan but 💔)
@@sludgebob5961 I don't mind purple, just not this particular color.
I think there is a purple esquire
@@mahmam3128 I prefer the neck pick up to the bridge
Protip: If you want a tele, buy a Harley Benton TE. If your kis is just getting started, buy a Glarry T-Type. Get a Marshal or Fender practice amp, Bob is your dear mother's brother.
Problem is not many places you can go to and try out a Glarry or HB. Just about every guitar store in North America will have a squier.
I'd prefer a string through construction, because changing strings here is ridiculous.
You are NOT lying!! It can be done if you have a skilled hand and the right tools. I did my bullet mustang...but you can tell. 😁
damn guess im starting a punk band. at this price i cant afford not to
Do it! Have fun. This is one of my go-to guitars.
Just copped one from fender site for $130 little do they know ima mod the f outta it 🤣🤣🎸🎸
Do it!. That's what I did.
@@Guitarnivore o yea its the lime green so unlimited possibilities 🎯🎸🎸
@@TheSupart91 Nice! I though about getting that one too when it was at $140, but I've got enough and I didn't feel like modding another. I'm very happy with mine.
Oh cool, you can actually fit a p90 in the neck pocket.
Maybe a humbucker sized p90.
So basically it needs A LOT of work right from the jump.
t the very least, it needs a good set up on the bridge to get the radius right. If someone on a budget wants a Squier Tele with a humbucker, I would suggest the Affinity Deluxe. If you don;t mind putting in a bit of work and spend a little money on upgrades, the the Esquire can be fun. I put in the work and made a few changes and I love it.
By the time someone works on all those setup issues it’ll cost twice as much get a classic vibe
That's why you learn to do it yourself.
By the way, I've got three classic vibes and two contemporaries. Sometimes you just get the urge to grab a cheap guitar and have a little fun modding it.
Tell me you've never modded a guitar without actually saying it
Has the white one got a better neck than thw purple?
I can only assume the back of the neck is going to feel the same on both of them. As far as fretboards, I guess it would be more of a preference. I like a maple fretboard sometimes and I'm not a fan of the Indian Laurel on the lower end Squiers. I also don't care for the texture of these cheap necks, so I run a piece of 2000 grit sandpaper over it to make it nice and silky smooth. I also polished the frets on this and that made them feel much better.
I have both and I prefer the laurel fretboard , feels better to me
@@GoodfaYou The laurel has been hit and miss with me. The first two Tele bullets I had, the laurel was dry and rough, no matter how much I oiled it. Then I got the 40th anniversary Jazzmaster gold edition and it was very similar but a little better. However, I have two contemporaries and an Affinity that it's smooth as butter on. I would have bought the white, regardless of the fretboard material though. Maybe if that purple was a deeper shade, I would have been more inclined to try it.
I just bought a fully loaded body off eBay as well as some locking tuners a Seymour Duncan and a fender baritone conversion neck planning to make a video on it for anyone else who wants to do the same
When you get it published link it back here and I'll check it out!
That neck rout is such a shame. Would have been cooler to have the option to remove the pickguard without a big stinking hole
I can agree with that.
Easy chisel fix
@@peterschaefer1665 Explain?
@DexterMorgan71 yeah, Squier should make some lefties.
@DexterMorgan71 That's cool. What part of NC are you from?