Why Did I Buy a Squier?
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- čas přidán 7. 09. 2024
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Jeff playing his tune "Highlands" at Umbria Blues: • Jeff McErlain - Highlands
I've been gathering info on Squier for years but I've never owned one. Well, this arrived yesterday and I'm glad to give you my impressions and compare it, in a general way, to the PRS SE Silver Sky I have here.
Let's tell Squire stories eh? Bring yours to the live chat.
See you then,
Keith
The Squier Classic Vibe series is one of the best values in its price range. I love mine and it’s all the guitar I need right now.
I have a 2011 one . It's one of the best guitars I've ever owned
@JacobS-q7c How unfortunate.
Agree; loving my Classic Vibe Jazzmaster that I had to buy having discovered Jazzmasters….. thanks to Five Watt World 😁
Hell yea it is. My classic vibe 50s tele is by far My favorite guitar. I bought it for about 250 usd on Sweetwater. It was my first guitar when I started really collecting and buying. I will never ever let It go. I have owned teles way more expensive and the quality and sound is just not their.
One of the most important things you’ve ever said anywhere: ..Sometimes I’m just a guitar player, and I just want to play the thing, get it out of the box, tune it up, and see what it’s like…”
SO DAMN IMPORTANT sometimes to not research the thing to the last millimeter or clinical detail, and to literally squeeze all possible joy out of the acquisition by thinking you already know all the specs means you already know every aspect and essential essence of the thing BEFORE YOU’VE EVER PLAYED A NOTE TO SEE IF IT INSPIRES YOU TO PLAY MORE!
The “Internet experts” (and aren’t we all?) know a LOT of things. But have they lost the joy of the new? The pleasantly surprising? The inspirational? The surprise of the whole being more than the sum of the understood (and in this case cheap) parts?
I’ve found joy- so much joy in playing things on paper weren’t supposed to sound good, or play great, be inspiring, or were “beneath” me because I already have American Gibsons, Fenders, and I’ve done this for 30 years.
The last two guitars I played at a store where two less than $400 Squiers. Used guitars. I pulled them off the stand and plugged in. Instant inspiration and happiness.
Any guitar that makes you want to play more guitar is the best guitar ever. Price no object.
Enjoy the Squier!
☝
Had the same experience with an Epi
I would agree!
'nutf said.
Recently I bought a Squier and I was prepared to mod the hell out of it. What happened? I just changed the strings! Of course I spent half an hour doing a fret polish, a setup, plus a little tweaking at the bridge but for the time I'm perfectly happy with it - and I've got me plenty of Fenders, so I know my way around them. It's the 2020s and in this day and age Squier ... rules!
Ya know, i do that on almost every guitar I buy, more people need to learn how to setup a guitar.
@@sgholt Obviously, but do a quick statistic among people you know who play the guitar (all ages). Most of them have spent many thousands of $$ to buy gear but not a cent to buy a few good luthiery tools or to get some proper guitar tech schooling. Anyway back to buying cheaper guitars, the "investment" to have them properly set up (by somenone else) is ridiculously low. Instead people spend all this time discussing "out of the box" guitar quality. Some folks have built a career on this (e.g. PRS)! What can you say??
Having over 50 guitars, some of which cost in excess of $9K the Squire Strat that I helped a friend pick out after going to multiple Guitar Centers back in 1998 because he wanted to start playing guitar and they were on sale for $149 had the best neck of all my guitars.
He passed away in 2000 and his family gave me that guitar, it never leaves my house but every time I pick it up it reminds me when I start playing it what an amazing neck. Thinking about getting a Callahan trem system for it.
Sorry for the loss of your friend. Hope the guitar brings back good memories of him.
I had a similar experience with my sonic telecaster.....see my comments above....amazing neck....
Some weeks ago my band mate forgot to bring his guitar with him to work the day we practice. So he stopped at GC on his way from work to band practice to buy the least expensive used guitar they had. He grabbed a used Sguier Strat for $200 (with a generic hard shell case) - and it blew us both away that it was such a good guitar for such a low price. He decided to keep it. LOL
thats awesome man ! and as guitarists we would all bounce on that reason to buy a new guitar " damn i left mine at home cant drive back and i cannot miss practice GC is closer then home so hey its justified to add a new guitar to my collection!
If you have band mate that forgot to bring his guitar,the lest of your problems is the guitar he's using..good luck with that guitarist..been there.done that
I won a new Squire strat in 1984 made in japan played it that night at a club in Houston , loved it from the start ive had , and have other strats , but its my all time favorite
The first new guitar I ever bought with my own money was a 1987 MIJ Squier Strat. It’s been a GREAT guitar and is one of my favorites to this day.
Those MIJ Squires/Fenders can be monsters. I would rather play an 88 MIJ than a 78 MIA Strat if sight unseen.
That guitar found you.
The middle pickup is a strat's secret sauce. I play on it constantly. Other pickup positions are good for different sounds/effects. But meat and potatoes is the middle pickup.
The middle pickup is underrated
I agree 💯
You guys deserve each other. ✌🏼
Should start a band based on just middle pickup. The Middlings!
@@BeefNEggs057 But they're not wrong. The middle pickup is Mr. Loud McBeefy.
The middle pickup always gets in my way. I think I want to drop it down like he suggested.
I've had a squire affinity strat since last Christmas and it's amazing! Gets me all the tones I need.
I also have an affinity ..love it ..beautiful guitar
@@leighsayers2628 My first Telecaster was an Affinity. Red, with a bare wood Maple neck. When I sold it, for next to nothing, I believed that I could buy a "real Tele" and it would be even better.
I couldn't have been more wrong, and had that been my second Tele, or my tenth, I would have realized what a special guitar it was.
I own many good guitars, but this is "The one that got away" and I am still bitter over my stupidity from decades ago.
@@leighsayers2628 Me too! I bonded with mine more than with my MIA Standard Stratocaster. I just feel more comfortable carring it around and playing it more, because its lighter and less expensive. With a good amp you get the Squire tone, which is not a unpleasant sound to me at least.
Affinity was upgraded in 2021 I think. I was going to upgrade my Affinity Tele deluxe but it already has full size CTS pots in it. I did put a set of SD pickups and some new tuners on it.
I love my 50s CV Squire
Me too. I put the Fender '59 Pure Vintage pre-wired pickguard in this month. Sounds even better. These CV Squier Strats can go a long way toward great.
8 or so years ago on a lark I bought Classic Vibe sixties Stratocaster. It’s burgundy mist with a matching headstock. I have several “real” Strats and the Squier is my favorite to play. I haven’t changed a thing on it.
Me too. Though, not sure how Burgundy it is. More like Lavender Mist.
@@mykhedelic6471 same color that’s just what the Fender name is
I sold mine and regret it.
I've picked up a Squier Jazzmaster 12 string and their Bass VI in the last 6-8 months. I wanted access to these sounds without shelling out big bucks for something that won't be used all the time. They'll eventually get new wiring harnesses and pick-ups, but I've been really happy with them. They're great value for money, in my opinion.
Also picked up the Squire Paranormal Jazzmaster 12 string and the year before Baritone Tele. Excellent bang for the buck.
Both of my sons ( now 21 and 18) have had squires since they were 13. They absolutely love them and would want no other guitar
I have pretty much the same Classic Vibe. I'm at a loss to find a flaw - and I've been playing for over forty years - other than the nut, which is way too high. Minor, minor issue and easily correctable. I've had no problem whatsoever with the tuners (I've played two hour shows and never had to re-tune), electronics. Pickups are surprisingly good. It's just a fantastic value and came as a complete surprise to me.
I lucked out on a used Squier 40th anniversary with the block inlays, anodized pickguard...it has a bare knuckles irish tour at the neck and old guard at the bridge. Sounds nice and looks brand new still.
My first and still currently only guitar is a sunburst Squier Bullet strat (with the trem) & it has held my hand from playing my first basic riffs to now freely playing & soloing over backing tracks in my own signature style. Currently 4 years into playing guitar.
I’ve modded it abit through my few years of playing (Tex-Mex pickups, treble bleed, ernie ball 5-way switch cuz my old one gave out, along with a few cosmetic changes)
I learned setting it up so it plays just right for me & it’s effortless to play with super low action & very responsive floating trem setup (it’s very light too ard 2.9kg i think).
When going to go jam with my other guitar-playing buddies they all know me as ‘the strat guy’ because it’s all i show up with lol (they all own multiple guitars themselves)
It’s now at the point where the frets are all dented & worn with all the hours I’ve put into it (it rly needs a crown & level or a refret). I would love to get a thinline Tele & a superstrat of some kind in the future but this little Squier is a lifer guitar for me. It never left me so I won’t leave it anytime soon.
Japan made Squiers built at the Fuji Gen factory during the eighties are amazing instruments, many times they are way better than Fenders from the same period
That's for real. JV instruments are the hit legit.
The very first Squires were the Bullets, made to replace the USA-made Fender Bullets of ‘81-‘83. The US made Bullets were absolutely fantastic guitars, with beautiful necks. The Squire Bullets were good, but the original Fender Bullets are magic.
Squiers are great. I have a 2000 Standard Squier Strat and a 2022 Classic Vibe 60s Strat and they play beautifully.
Why not buy a Squier they are far more consistent in quality than their parent company and you can modify them without worrying about value
Not as easily, there are size differences.
@@kenthhamner2641 it is that easy. There are a lot of parts that fit the imports, lol.
@@kirkscobey3031 I don't buy them cuz they're cheaply made with cheap accessories. I'd rather pay about $500 for a good schecter guitar schecter guitar's blow fender and Gibson both away...
@@kirkscobey3031 squire guitar's aren't good enough quality for me have to do too much to them when you get them accessories are super cheap on them, schecter got fender beat by a long shot.
@@kirkscobey3031 schecter guitar's are better than fender and they aren't really that expensive you can get one for five hundred dollars Schecter demon six and there's no fender stratocaster that can compete with it...
I just picked up a couple squiers and am really happy with them both. JMJM and a paranormal Toronado. Great video!
Cand Apple Red is the color of my one and only (2017 Professional 1) Strat. Great color choice.
Indonesian Squiers are quite well built. Fender-Squier finally figured out their main competitor was video games where players start with easy to play levels and progress harder, not given a level ten hard to play guitar that causes them to quit.
Don't swap the pickups in your Squier, get all new MIA-style pots, switch, and jack installed, set pickup heights by ear, and then reasses if you might put different pickups in it. ... and then like another commenter, +1 get Harley Benton models TE-70, SC450/550, and JA-60. They used to ship up to three guitars for the same flat shipping fee as one guitar, so get three ;)
I purchased the same guitar this spring. Changed the bridge, as it was a rental model and the set screws were played out, and had mexican brridge with a thicker block that I swapped it for, and she plays beautifully. The pups are great.
Playing my 2016 (Chinese) CV strat in Candy Apple Red as you speak and it is awesome! My tuners are aged as are the single coil pickup covers/knobs.
Love your show, been watching for years. Your hard work has not gone unnoticed. You Sir are the best presenter in the You Tube guitar genre! Keep up the great work!
I appreciate it
I've owned a Squire 70s Classic Vibe for four years now. The only mod I have done is change out the small trem block, for a Wilkinson M Series steel block. Its my go to guitar. Its body is poplar wood with laural fret board. As its a top of the line Squire, it has a full thickness body.
I have a mahogany Squier '69 Thinline. I hate skinny necks, but that guitar is a dream to play.
It is totally stock except for the bone nut I installed. $350 display model.
I've had guitars from Heritage, Carvin, Gibson, and more. The Squier tele is one of the favorites I've owned, and is my current #2. Highly recommended.
Four CV squire telecasters so far and love them. Chuck Prophet plays one ( probably early one) but they sound and play great. I have tweaked the setup on them no more than I have had to on Fender and Gibson's I have owned.
I too are a. Big fan of Line 6. I gigged with a Spider 2 for 7 years and the 2 different Spider Valve unit. My favorite is the Spider Valve 40 watt This one was an absolute beast and LAF. I wish I could support you channel with $$$ it’s hard enough now. Eventually may be able to. Thank you for what you Do
I have a Squier Telly and a Strat. Love 'em. Did a little fret work myself. Replaced the tuners for locking. Pickups are all fine. I'm an intermediate player.
I like them so much ive got 5 of them , the latest was the limited edition Squier strat 40th anniversary model its flawless and its atleast on par if not better than my Fender strat 2017. Ive also got a 98 full thick body with some alnico pups moded brass trem and saddles its so good, honestly the sustain is amazing l and my srv version its such a resonant guitar too. Ive really had some great luck with these guitars.
I play mostly Squiers now after 40 years of seriously going through great old stuff from budget to custom built to my own builds. They are the best platform for modding in my experience.
I think most guitar players should buy a Squier Strat for modding. It’s so much fun and you learn a lot.
I can't get enough of them!
I have a Standard , 70"s and a Deluxe all Stratocasters.
Also each of first models Vibe Butterscotch and Tele Custom.
They just work for me.
That Junior is gorgeous. I have a Tokai LP Junior with all upgraded electronics and hardware. Absolute BEAST. The broken headstock is awesome. I have 3 Gibsons that I bought, all with broken headstocks that have been properly repaired. Had them for years and years and actively look for broken headstock repaired Gibsons. Lol. Love them
"Broken headstock repaired Gibsons" until I read that quote, I didnt realize that was a thing!!! Reminded me of a friend who got a 1960 Les Paul....the SG style ones...got it cheap because of a repaired headstock. He was convinced the guitar was neutered in some way and because of that ended up trading it for a D'Agostino Benchmark....and hopefully ALOT of cash....dont know that happened to that company...D'Agostino....they made lawsuit guitars back in the 70's....if anyone knows please chime in here....I still have their Fender Jazz Bass copy....great bass.....
I love the Harley Benton TE-62CC I bought on a whim one day. Fantastic guitar. Only upgrade I made was gotoh brass saddles which were about 15% of the price of the full guitar stock.
I have a 40th anniversary Squier Jazzmaster that I plug into a Princeton Reverb. It’s my Chris Stapleton rig. Love every minute of it. Just as much as I love my Jason Isbell Custom Telecastet.
I have the 40th Anniversary Strat in seafoam green. Looks and sounds great 👍
Less than a year ago I bought my first Telecaster. I bought a Squire bullet limited edition Red Sparkle Tele. It has a top loader bridge as they changed to the top loader in the last year of production. Im very happy with the neck and fret work no fret sprout no sharp ends. Im glad I bought it as I found out the bullet series is now discontinued. Sonic series took the place. I wish I also bought the matching red Sparkle bullet Stratocaster aswell. Maby il come across a like new used one.
I don't own a squire but that candy red is gorgeous. I do have 9 strats. I like line 6 amps and I know you like lower wattage, my home studio has 1400 watts of tube power. I really like your subjects. My first strat was in 1962. Thank you.
My dream Strat would be an original 1957 Mary Kaye. But the cost is the reason why it's my "dream" Strat.
Having said that, I love my 50's CV Blonde Strat. It's made of pine and it has this beautiful translucent finish and that colour, part shell pink, part desert sand...
I haven't changed anything (I never use the tremolo)
I don't care about the cost. I love that guitar.
'59 Jr. Smokin' hot and I really miss Leslie.
My son and I share our stuff and have cheaper made in Mexico strats we have modified and had fun customizing. We also have true historic custom shop Les Paul SG jr Reissue, 57,58 and 59 les Paul's. 57 being a darkback goldtop, and a 65 firebird. We also have custom shop strats and telecaster's we love. My first keeper was a Paul Reed Smith custom 22 one piece top Brazilian Rosewood Fretboard made by Paul and Joe Knaggs personally. We have added guitars to the collection over the years as they are all special in different ways.
Watched a few videos here in there that you’ve done and have truly enjoyed them all, but truly did thoroughly enjoy this one in particular. By the way, that Tele is absolutely gorgeous! From a Tele guy that grew up all my life in Nashville, that’s an amazing piece to have in your collection.
The parents comment, SPOT ON! Loved that!
Always enjoy the videos. always learn something new. Appreciate you taking the time to do the research. Cheers from myrtle beach SC.
I have the exact same candy apple red Squier CV Strat. Changes I made were mint green 4 ply pick guard, Fender 57/62 pickups, Gotoh locking tuners, Wilkinson bridge, aged knobs, upgraded electronics to Gilmore Strat specs using an Obsidian Wire harness. Absolutely love my CV!
Honestly I have two Squier Jazzmasters and a Jaguar and I’m pleasantly surprised. I had a real 1959 Jazzmaster back in the 90s and aside from the radius it feels very similar to me.
You missed S. Korea. Before Indonesia was a thing, that price point was manufactured in South Korea. I still have mine 30 years on only mod it needed was locking tuners after the originals decayed and died a couple of years back. Seriously worth it.
I got a Squiter CV 70's Thinline with the wide range pick ups and man this such a great guitar!!!!
I’ve owned Squiers since 1986. Never had a dud!
So many interesting topics, really enjoyed this one even missing it when it was live sadly. As always, thanks man!
I have mostly American guitars. 335, Pro Strat, Sg, EJ strat, and others. I bought a vintage modified Jazzmaster a few years ago used. It was an impulse buy. I did a fret level and a set up on it and it plays and feels as nice as any guitar I have played. I dont know if I just got a good one but I was kind of shocked. Its wild what you can get for a few hundred bucks these days.
I have a 16 year old Squier Strat that was $200 and I couldn’t stop playing at GC, so I bought it. Still plays great and solidly built.
Early Squier MIC are built better than current MII models. Pick ups, woods & hardware are way better than current production. New Squiers are good starters, although necks & bodies are made of "fast woods" they are well routed and finished well for the price. Spot on about the hardware. Btw, the C or S in the Squier serial number denotes Samick or Cort manufacture. Love the channel.
I have a lot of expensive guitars and a few cheap ones. For the most part the expensive guitars rule but last year I purchased a 40th anniversary Squier Tele and boy is that one fun to play. Granted I did spend a lot of time on setup and changed to pickups but I'm very impressed with it overall. GFS makes some really great pickups for something like this, BTW.
Had a $500 Squier and a $1700 Stratocaster follow through the shop a couple of weeks ago. Both new out of the box.
The Fender pickups kicked arse all over the place, really rather striking to listen to, some bridge parts however were very difficult to get working properly.
The Squier felt better in hand, lighter, more resonant, less setup and no problems to complete.
I know which one I'd want to play through an amp live. That Squier however, sure felt good.
Yes my candy apple red American Original Jaguar is sprayed over gold . I love the way the nitro is coming off exposing the gold underneath- such a treat
The Classic Vibe models are a huge bang for the buck… not to mention you can upgrade without any worries. I can do a Classic Vibe, good pro setup, and upgrades and I am still under the cost of a mainline comparable Fender.
Thanks Keith. 🙂
My E Series 80s MIJ Squier has been my #1 guitar for 30 years. My #2 is a 90s MIM that is right there too.
I own three, have two that I partcasted using Squire parts, bodies, necks. A Strat and a Jazzmaster. I turned my surf green Affinity Telecaster into an Esquire. I love them. Like others have said, you can mod/upgrade them rather easy if you choose too. My latest Affinity Tele Deluxe came right out of the box perfect. I've had it for several months now and haven't even changed the strings and it stays perfectly in tune. For hobby guitarist like myself, and those who like to tinker they are great.
I would love to see a SH on Heritage. As you said they have a great history!
This was fabulous Live session. I really enjoyed the discussion today. You and your community have great perspectives. I had a MIM Strat and it was a pretty good guitar. I do like my Ultra Strat more. It has a great 10"-14" compound-radius fingerboard and it stays in tune much better than the MIM when using the bar. Function rules for me.
I have a Squire Bullet Mustang that I picked up on sale a few years ago for something like $150, i've done some upgrades, it's a nice guitar.
I am thinking about buying a used Squier Classic Vibe and just relicing it. Paint the poly body over with nitro in spray can, put the nickel hardware in some vinegar and so on.
What do you think about it? Have I gone crazy?
Nice! I found a Squier Mustang Classic Vibe in a pawn shop. Like new. I think the neck is as nice as my MiM Jazzmaster and my American made Strat.
I just got my Squire Paranormal offset-Tele back from my tech-guy. I put vintage noiseless pickups in it because I like them.
The action is still too high for me to enjoy playing, but I think a modern bridge may fix that for me and intonate better.
I’m kind of embarrassed to call him & tell him I’m not happy with it, because he also resurrected a ‘76 Strat for me & did an amazing job.
Ask Jack Pearson one of the finest players there is, he plays a Squire he bought in a pawn shop and he loves it. For those who don’t know about Jack look him up he is a monster player.
Hands on Avail on ROC. Love my Squires too. 🙂
My daughter bought a Classic Vibe strat in some crazy shinny green color with a matching color headstock back in 2016, it's a fantastic guitar, Alnico pick ups, quality hardware, great tuners, great frets, no sharp ends, just needed a good set up and it's been going strong ever since. The Classic Vibe series that were made in China are great guitars. I think they are made in Indonesia now.
For many years, the only electric guitar I owned was a 1991 Korean Squier II Strat. I never played it much until I got my first Line 6 Spider 112 modeling amp in ~2005, which made almost anything sound good. The Squier II had cheap everything, but it had a _great_ neck. I finally decided to make a project out of it, putting a Fender “Tex Mex” loaded pickguard on it, a two-point Fender floating-trem bridge, a new Fender output jack, and locking Fender tuners. I even stripped off the black paint and sprayed it over in French blue. It turned out pretty good-about as good as my 2006 MIM “60s Player” Strat (which has “62 Classic” pickups on it).
A lot of squier classic vibe is great 👍 I have some squier guitars and bass guitars 😊
Best $50 CV Squier Strat mod is to replace the trem/bridge with a high mass made in Mexican model. Drops right in, $30. It's an easy replacement to do when changing strings and you will see that the stock block is lacking, not to mention the saddles etc. It is a must do for CV strats.
Maybe it's just me, but I've always liked single ply pickguards over three ply. I think a single ply white guard would look better on that guitar. I do like mint green though. Do they/have they ever make/made a single ply mint green guard? Anyway, good stuff. Please keep doing what you're doing...
I bought a new Sunburst ‘62 Reissue JV Squier Strat in 1983 when I couldn’t afford a US version. I still have it, and play it almost every day. It has just been re-fretted, and is my go-to despite also now having a few ‘real’ US versions. The build quality and sound is superb - I cannot imagine parting company with it.
My first jazz bass was a 1984 Squier . Back then I would sell a bass to buy the next one and I wish I had kept it. The only reason I sold it to get a Fender is because the headstock said Fender. I have a couple MiJ ones now and they are excellent. They are very similiar in dimensions and feel to a vintage Fender. Slab boards and all.
I have a classic vibe J Bass I got when they first hit the market. It's been my primary instrument ever since. Hundreds of all nighter country gigs, countless shows with my original bands, dozens of studio gigs, tons of rehearsals and bass lessons later it is still my go to almost every time. I have considered swapping the factory pickups for something better I end up playing it and decide there's not much upgrading to do in the first place
Another gem. Loved this. That Junior is awesome. I bought and moded a Tokai Junior years ago and it’s one of my favorite guitars ever. I bought my first broken headstock Les Paul about 6 years ago. I have 3 broken headstock Gibsons now. Got them for cheap and they play great. I actually look for them.
Gotta love Candy Apple Red. My MIJ Mustang was CAD.
Keith. You need to try a Squire after I have done my thing with it.
Kentucky Guitar service, New Westminster B.C. I
because Jack Pearson did it!
Smart video. Nothing makes the online guitar community happier than telling them their Squier and Epiphone guitars are great. Guitars are like men's suits. There are only small, incremental differences between a $200 suit at Men's Wearhouse and a $4000 bespoke suit. But those small differences have a significant impact on the final product. And if you recognize those differences and they are important to you the custom suit is worth every penny. If you consider those differences inconsequential just buy the suit at Men's Wearhouse.
I have a 70s CV Squier bought through Reverb from Simms, which still plays better than I can play it. Surprisingly good quality, I seem to reach for it to play most, although I have been picking up my MIM Fender Dou-Sonic a lot lately.
I have a black Squier Strat, made in Japan and purchased new from a local guitar shop in 1986. I knew nothing about electric guitars at the time, but on the advice of my first guitar instructor, I swapped out the stock bridge pickup for a DiMarzio, which did, in fact, give it more crunch when overdriven. That and swapping the white pickguard for a black one are the only changes made, and they were made within 30 days of purchase. It has served me well for multiple decades, and still has a place in my guitar rotation. It's no longer pristine in looks, but neither am I. I'm not a professional, or even a real musician, but I've enjoyed playing it for a long time, and still do.
Maybe you bought it because they are making great guitars nowadays? Three years ago I might’ve said the same thing. Recently I picked up a 2015 Squier 50s Telecaster (China) and it’s one of the best guitars I’ve ever owned. I paid $300 for it used! The person I purchased it from apparently never played it, the plastic was still on the pickups and there was no wear on the guitar whatsoever. It is a 100% keeper, one of the best guitars I’ve ever played. I also own one of their 40th Anniversary Jazzmasters (Indonesia) and other than upgrading the pickups, it’s also a great instrument. The neck on the Jazzmaster is one of my favorite of any guitar I’ve ever played. I think people need to stop putting their nose up at these guitars and recognize that, while they are inexpensive, some of their instruments are quite impressive.
I recently picked up a Squire Tele (acquired is far too grandiose a word for anything at this price point) with the intention of turning it into a test sled for different pickups, windings, etc.
Well, the damn thing showed up and right out of the box it was sooo purty, and it played like a greased up pig at the Fourth of July Picnic.
Side note: I’m not at all sure what malady effects me, but get me within 10 feet of a Tele and I’m going to channeling Buck Owen’s or one or more of the Buckaroos.
Anywho, long story short and I’m still looking for something else to test with. Road trip to Walmart!
Years ago, I was a gigging musician in a cover band and I had a Fender American Standard Strat. It was a great guitar for what it was and I never thought that I’d part with it. Then in 2011 I decided to go back to college to finish my degree and I made the difficult decision to sell my instruments (including the American Standard Strat) to help cover the cost of classes and books.
While in school I found that I missed having the musical outlet and so I purchased a Squier Strat in 2014 that visually resembled my previous Fender American Standard Strat (tobacco sunburst). Now, having had the Squier for 10 years, this guitar feels like home.
I used to have a Squier contemporary HH 2 point trem maple/maple it played like a Charvel . I’ve recently seen another one
It’s candy app,e red too with matching headstock but same spec as my other . Trouble is I’m also looking at a Friedman vintage S
I was sold on Squier when I pulled a Bullet Strat off the wall at a pawn shop to test an amp I was interested in. I ended up buying the Strat and not the amp. The tuners weren’t very good so I replaced them with Kluson Plus. Now it’s my favorite guitar.
It seems that most people forget the least expensive fender guitar pair. Those two inexpensive guitars are the Starcaster (s) there is the semi hollow Starcaster similar to a Gibson ES335 and the Strat version the Starcaster Strat electric guitar By: Fender. Says that right on the head stock from the factory. I bought that version used for under $100 as the base for my "Stellarcaster" build. this is an extremely modified Strat with 3 quad rail/coil humbuckers and wired like a 50's Les Paul with a third pair of control pots. I used all 500K audio taper pots. the P/P vol. pots for coil splitting and the bridge tone pot also a P/P to activate the bridge and neck pick ups together regardless of any other controls. The tone caps are .047 orange drop caps and still uses a Fender Blade style 5-way selector switch also added a kill button just for fun. All monted in a hand made custom extended brushed stainless steel pick guard. I mounted the output jack in the pick guard as well aft of the bridge which got an upgrade with a full size solid brass trem block and roller saddles. I added roller string trees and a titanium nut and locking tuners. I wired the controls with much smaller gage wire I stripped out of a salvaged computer VGA cable. that small stranded wire in different colors saves space in the control cavity . since the pick guard is steel, all of the controls mounted in it are automatically grounded through their cases eliminating a bit of wiring. I learned that the minimal current produced by the Pick ups doesn't require the size of wire traditionally used in the guitars. Imagine all the tonal variations I can get with all these controls available. I simply wired the pick ups to the 5-way switch similar to a Les Paul but adapted for the Strat. because of the extra controls the wiring took a bit more time to complete with the coil splits and all 6 pots to deal with .. So many solder connections and the tiny size of the wires made for finnicky close work just getting the wires in the right position to solder... the custom stars and planets space theme done with spray cans and airbrushed detailing on the body and head stock with the shiny Brushed stainless steel pick guard reflects the new name I gave this unique and beautiful guitar. I plug into a Blackstar ID Core stereo 40 amp that o bought a year befor the guitar. at the same Music-Go-Round down the street and around the corner... Yup I went overboard on my very first build I have the pride of having done the build to my taste and design as well as learning the new skills for this build... I can literally build my guitar collecting myself wit my own hands. My next build will be a classic version Esquire (Tele) sporting a Dylan Talks Tone Tele bridge Pickup that i got in a random give-away. Wanna Play??
Squires are great guitars! And you can easily mod it to make them sound and play just as good as a fender that cost a lot more.😊
Everyone should have a "cheap" guitar, because of 1-Travel, and 2-Experimentation. I have some very nice (and expensive guitars), but I also bought an Ibanez S561 for $350 and use it as a drag around guitar. I love taking it camping, for instance. If it gets scratched or whatever... doesn't matter. Would just make it even cooler. It's just over 5 pounds so very light, and I like playing it so much I put some new pickups in it, and now I would gig or record with it without hesitation. My "experiment" guitar was a Mexican strat back in the very early 90s, and it was not a great guitar at all. But I took it apart numerous times, tried (and failed) to re-paint it myself, played with the wiring, you name it. That's the guitar that taught me not to treat every other guitar as if it was an immutable object, but could instead be customized to my needs and preferences. So many players don't get that, and I feel they are missing out.
Had a Squier tele custom with p90s. Was my least expensive guitar ever. What a blast to play. Always stayed in tune, and what awesome tone. I gave it to my buddy who was interested in guitar. He plays it from time to time. If he lost interest in it, I’d buy it from him and probably sell my LP Special!
I like Alnico 3 for vintage Strat pickups. A lot of big winders will scare you that a3 is brittle, but handwinding it to 5.8 to 6.3 is really great.😊
Cort makes about 7 Major brands at the PT Cort Indonesia factory complex. I have a Squier Classic Vibes 50's Telecaster and a 60's telecaster with a neck humbucker made by Cort Indonesia. They are both excellent guitars. I like the Crafted in Indonesia for Fender decal. I have 4 other Squiers made in Mexico and they are also excellent quality. The PT Cort complex covers something like 300 acres, it's enormous.
During the pandemic I bought four $700 ish guitars for recording. The Gretsch from China is my new go to guitar.
I guess it’s mainly a matter of money, if I walk into a local store and I can test 3-5 of the same items, I can choose the one that resonates for me. That’s how I ended up with my Harley Benton..(CST-24 Hardtail) it was on the used wall and was set up poorly but was Hella resonant and responsive. Yeah it has the Wrong number of knobs, 2 is less than 3. And 4 is my preferred
Long Story Short is that I had absolutely zero guilt about flipping the polarity on the neck - like Peter Greene and other mods that I wouldn’t do on a "fancy" brand. So FWIW this strange new-metal unit swiftly became my #1 Jazz box.
Had the same thing happen with an 80´s Peavey Patriot (another pawn shop princess) blade style P90s really fast and true neck even with Flatwounds
Used to have a Harmony Les Paul + bigsby and that was fabulous.
I’m a lifelong beginner 😂 and have a blond Squire ‘51. Made in Indonesia. I love the satiny feel of the neck. Tuners are decent. Pickups could use an upgrade. All in all a solid bargain for the price.
You mention a gold finish Telecaster. My son bought me a Squier Thinline Telecaster with a gold finish for my 50th year as a performer. I also just bought an Amazon $119 Squier Stratocaster and a friend gave me a brand new Vintera series Fender Strat tuners and white pick guard with all the electrics, pickups etc. and these will be taken off the white pick guard and placed on the new tortoise shell pick guard I just purchased. These will be added to my new Strat with a two-tone matte sunburst finish and should sound great, look terrific and play great after a basic set up by a luthier at Guitar Center near me who is a real pro. I also have one of the absolute best sounding acoustic guitars under $200 (when I bought it a few years back) the Yamaha FG800 with a beautiful Desert Sand sunburst finish, appropriate as I live in Las Vegas!. I also found a Yamaha Pacifica at a garage sale, with gig bag for $25, with a black finish and reddish tortoise shell pick guard which plays and looks terrific. Love inexpensive guitars. But I also have a Ibanez jumbo body acoustic/electric with a beautiful antique violin finish and gold hardware (which I have named "Big Red") that was over $500 about 15 years ago. Singer-songwriter with July and looks like August writing about one song per week. The songwriting create is really flowing!!! Brian
I’ve only got one fender in my guitar gathering, and it’s a squire. Great value and solid tones
The darker lacquer look on the headstock is great!
You should hear Jack Pearson talk about Squiers.