i own a 75 strat, and your assessment is dead on, loved my strat and the 50's was the closest i heard to it. Love it minus the laughs at my 70's head stock. LOL
I could not tell the difference between X and Z. Y was clearly the outlier and did not sound good to me, no matter what pickup you chose. After I get my new Telecaster paid off, I am going to buy my first Stratocaster and you just helped me decide which version to choose, based on the '70s lighter weight. Thanks -- and, yeah, please keep making videos.
Yeah, you're totally correct! I’m so tired of hearing about tone wood on electric guitars. The science support what you’re saying and so does our ears. There is a difference in build quality, feel and features. Other than that you’re paying hundreds to thousands more for a logo on the headstock. I have nearly 30 guitars from fender tele, strats, epiphones and others. Some made in USA, Mexico, Japan, Indonesia etc. One of my favorite for feel and sound is an AXL I paid less than $100 for. We need to stop listening with our eyes. Thanks for the video!!! 👍
Kizzy C Hi Kizzy, Andertons did a pseudoscientific experiment trying to prove tone wood is a thing. Failed horribly 🤔 Wood certainly does resonate but pickups only hear the magnetic interactions from the strings and not the wood itself. Buy a compressor for sustain and an eq for tone and play what guitar feels best and looks the way that inspires you. Funny how when a certain tone wood became unavailable companies found a new tone wood. No problem. Anyone that lies to us are not our friends. Take care my friend
Landon Bailey Video such as yours help to show the truth. I applaud anyone who does that especially in good spirits. And no, I don't believe in spirits. Lol.
Landon Bailey Awesome! Almost my exact thoughts of my AXL only I didn't swap pickups only the tuner. The modded one sounds fuller for sure but both were usable. The original with an eq would be great too! Your humor is good!😂 Don't stop!
I yearn for a light blue strat with an aged maple neck. The blue would be Daphne or Sonic (proper Sonic not that ultra pale stuff on Squiers) , white pickguard and vintage tuners. C'mon Squier, make it happen.
I got it right for once. I preferred the 50s tone. Definitely a bit stronger and clearer. That’s what I’m hearing on my monitors. Another interesting one thanks Landon👍👍
I completely thought x was the best sounding and thought classic 50s which has been the one I've been thinking about getting and this solidifying my choice to get just that. I thought y wasn't as pleasant sounding and sounded a lot warmer and higher output so that had to be the odd ball. I thought z was closer to x, but not as bright and just a little more 70s to me so that's the 70s vibe. To chose 50s or 70s classic vibe is still a hard choice, but the 50s just seemed to be my favorite all around tone more balanced all the way around.
Just bought my first classic vibe. Brand New 50s strat. Best guitar purchase for the money ever. I love it more than my MIM strats, and I even enjoy it more than my Korean Fender Showmaster!
I had a feeling that guitar x and z were the Squier’s, which one didn’t have a clue. I do like the 50’s Classic Vide ( sucker for a maple fret board). I agree with you that the tone depends on your pickups and amp. We here in Southern Maryland are well and hope you are as well. Looking forward to the next video! Oh yeah before I forget, keep on babbling!! 🤩
I have the 70 classic vibe but after listening I kinda like the 50s sound a hair better its a tad bit warmer then the 70s .Y was a bit muffled and the only one I would consider buying a top notch American over . The only thing lacking from X or Z is the fender logo in my opinion.
Steven Thomas I thought guitar X was an authentic Fender strat as well. I’ve always wanted to buy a 70s vibe but hearing this demo made me seriously want that 50s vibe now
I have a CV 50s Strat, and it's extremely light (one reason why I chose it over a Mexican Player strat). It's gig-worthy out of the box, and has benefited from some additional screening. The tremolo's pretty basic, but it holds tune and I've got used to it. Listening to the blind test, it's obvious that the Squiers are much better than the other guitar.
@@44scoots It's a budget guitar, so I expect there will be much inconsistency between different examples. Mine is definitely a very light weight example.
Bought a CV 50's two years ago and after much research am very pleased with my decision. I play funk, soul and r&b and the crispness of this guitar compliments them all, if I need a little dirt thats always easier to tweak. Great video, You actually helped me with my research and I thank you much. Peace!
I own a CV 70’s and honestly the differences were very slight. Y and Z were by far the closest. Honestly, if they were played 2 minutes apart, I would think it was the same guitar.
X and z sounded the same. Y sounded best. So yeah those 2 squires sound similar. The lace pickups had a bit more pro sound. The others sounded a bit cheap and crispy. Thanks!
Agreed : the pickups and the amp are the most important components of the sound. I'd also add strings to the list. Wood, on the other hand, is purely cosmetic and mainly there for cork sniffers to marvel about
Y was awful, not even a Strato sound. It would be very hard to choose between the x and the z... I would probably pick the x. I love this comparisons, very simple and clear. ❤️
I picked X and Z easily as the two classic vibes. I agree completely about pickups and speakers. Speaker is most important, then pickups. Everything else doesn't make much difference.
You have the best comparisons. I did this in store on a Taylor 614 vs 214, same words and kept picking the 214. I have been watching your videos and creating a list. I went from wanting an mim fender to seriously the squire sets as my picks everytime. Now I can get two great sounding guitar for the price of one!
Ha! Mystery guitar was a great comparison. It was way more distorted and lacked the top-end presence and cute the others had. 50s came out on top for me, with 70s in second place. Mystery guitar sounded like a humbucker and would be OK for a distortion machine. Thanks for this useful comparo!
I haven't looked at the results but feel the two CV strats are X and Z and not sure what the Y one is, I think one with the humbucker. I think X is the brightest so I think it is the 50s strat with the maple neck and Z is the 70s Strat with the laurel fingerboard or rosewood equivalent. I can't say what the middle guitar is but feel it has a humbucker.
As someone who has owned a classic vibe 70s, I guessed right. They may be the same pickups but that wood definitely gives the 70s one a more brittle tone. Which was my experience and why I unfortunately got rid of it. I love those fat headstocks.
Really impressed with the CV series. My CV 50's Tele is great and I'm not even a tele guy, haha. I almost bought the CV 50's strat atleast 5 times but in the end got a new Fender Player Series Strat. Great comparison. Keep it up!
My take: 1) Your style and delivery is perfect. Don't ever change. Unless you want to. 2) I liked X the best. Y was second (kinda liked it, but found it a bit less spanky/warmer). Z sounded harsh and nasty to my ears. Would be interesting to do the same exercise with a Fender style amp, as Voxes often bring out any harshness in the top end of guitars and/or pedals. 3) Either there's a lot of variation in these pickups, or your theory is off. With the same pickups, the 70s sounded worse than the 50s (okay, subjectively "worse", but objectively different). Interesting that this was true in every pickup position, which would seem to discredit any theory of inconsistency from unit to unit. Hmm. 4) I wonder what the 60s version sounds like? It's closer in spec to the 70s with the Laurel fingerboard. 5) I may have to pick up a 50s one soon. Quite like the look of the FSR white on black Gilmoure style one. 6) I, too, need more coffee 7) I forgot this point 8) I guess that's the end
What's weird is I have two near identical bullet strats, only diff are the colors. One is stock the other is modded with a cv maple board neck. I played them back to back unplugged and was surprised the bullet with the cv neck sounded noticably better then before and better than the unmodded bullet. Haven't a clue why and make no claims it's just an observation. Cheers to all reading this here three years later!
I guessed correctly, X & Z sound very similarly good while Y sounded muffled. The two Squiers are virtually identical to my layman's ears. Take the 50’s CV every time.
These are always fun! I thought the 50s was Z since Z was the lowest output sound. I thought X and Y were about identical but Z was definitely quieter, less output.
Love the style and humour of these videos which, combined with the informative content, makes them a joy to watch. X & Z sounded so similar as to make no difference, whereas Y was much different presumably because of the pickups. Can you say more about those Lace Sensor pick ups, such as why you fitted them. They seem to make an interesting alternative to the standard pick ups. I don't like the looks of the large headstock of 70s strats, but I was very interested when you said the 70s was about 6lb. Is that a characteristic of all 70s CV strats and is it because of the wood? I've got a slimline CV tele which I love and is very light and well made.
To my ears guitar X (classic vibe 50's) sounds better than guitar z (classic vibe 70's). I had 2 internet windows set up so it was easy to play one after the other. It isn't night and day - but Guitar z (classic vibe 70;s) sounds harsher, with less definition, less articulation...a bit more splashy sounding. The classic vibe 50's has a pine body and maple fretboard. The classic vibe 70's has a poplar body and Indian laurel fretboard. So I don't know if the differences in woods used are the reason for the differences in sound. Or whether the differences are between these 2 particular guitars you played in the video - and perhaps you could get the same differences between any 2 classic vibe strats regardless of which models they were....??? All I can say is - that of the guitars in his video - I would definitely choose the classic vibe 50's guitar over the classic vibe 70's guitar. Two questions for you!!! 1. Which classic vibe strat sounded better to you in the room? 2. If you could hear differences between the 50's and 70's - do you think those differences would consistently exist between all classic vibe 50's strats and all classic vibe 70's strats??
I think I could tell the difference between x and z. Very similar but like others says darker fingerboards gives a bit of a complexity. My fav was Z. Thank you for wonderful video!
I was wrong but you made me wanna go out and pick up the 70s vibe now for sure after hearing that taste test. Here's what I thought they were. X 70s vibe Y a bullet you had in a previous ep. Z 50s vibe Imo I enjoyed the sound of the 70s vibe most. Thanks for this video. You're doing the rock gods work. Favorited and subscribed. 😉👍🍺
I have just paused at 6.30 . All the way so far my favourite on all settings is Y . We shall see... ..Well that was most surprising ! X was ok , Z to me sounded too thin and my favourite turned out to be the cheapest of cheap beginner axes with Lace Sensors ! Brilliant 😁
I'm positive X and Z are the same guitar. Or........ X and Z are each the Squier and they both sound identical and Y is something like a MIM Stratocaster.
Man I am way late to this party! I recently got back into playing guitar and was astounded at how much the American made Fenders are these days. I paid 1000 dollars brand new in 2000 for an 1999 American Deluxe Strat and the same guitar today is about 2600 dollars. What did I do? I bought a Squire Classic Vibes 50s Strat in white blonde(love the white pink translucent paint on it) and a fender maple classic series 50s soft v neck. I bought the fender locking tuners just like the 99 Strat. I also replaced the pickups with Fender 57/62 originals. I took the bone nut from the Squire neck and put on the fender neck(Why do Fender necks come with synthetic nuts but a Squire comes with a bone nut?). I also used copper tape to insulate the body and pickguard. After it was said and done, I had spent a little over 1000 bucks and a little bit of solder and sweat. I now have a guitar that is very similar feeling to my 99 strat and it sounds amazing. I think I am going to do a telecaster next. Fender wants too much for American made guitars. They must think that the name and American made warrants the price tag. It doesn't. Thanks for sharing the video and hope all is well!
I have some questions, how pink is the white blonde? I've been eyeing on this because I like its subtle pinkish color, but some pictures also seems on the cream side
Thanks a lot mate! Watched tens of videos and this was the most accurate and precise comparison video. No long riffs, not played on a super high end amp. This video helped me pick finally. Here I come 50s
The height the pickups are set at could tweak the tone a bit. Also please swap the guitar straps so that the red and white one goes with the tortoise pick guard and white Strat, and the brown and yellow one goes with the sunburst Strat. This is extremely critical to the tone... and my OCD.
I knew that X was maple cause it was thin sounding for all and Z was rosewood cause it IS darker. I have a rosewood board on one of my Strats and a maple board on another one
I guessed by the first tone guitar Y was muddy, sounded cheap. Could not guess which one was X or Z, but my favourite tones were by guitar Z. The 70's CV.
Very nice comparison video, thank you 🙏 But I disagree about the tone. Pickups and sound systems are certainly determining factors in the tone of the guitar, but they do not equalize guitars of different quality. It makes a bad guitar a better guitar, and it makes a good guitar a great guitar. That's all.
Maybe tell us the pickup height numbers which can reveal sound/ volume differences. BTW, Vox is usually more high frequency oriented which can add or steal away some pickups best range. Most people's amps will sound entirely different. Also, no secret that the human ear is not an equal producer, one person to the next, so a more "neutral", "what goes in comes out" amp, say Fender 12" amp with no effects or OD will not give an advantage or disadvantage to comparison instruments. Thanks Landon!
I am not an expert but in my opinion the biggest impact on guitar sound has got a guitar player - 80% of his sound is in his hands. At the second place I will put pickups + am/cabs.
@@kalebeattie8165 So its been a year, did you manage to get one? or maybe something else? just curious cause I stumbled onto this video again and saw I left a comment.
Y= a Monoprice Strat loaded w/Lace Sensors I'm sure sounded a lot better than the ceramic single coil pickups it came with, but for me, they're entirely too hot & dark for a Strat.
Most of the time the 50ies one was in my opinion the best, yes sometimes you have to grind and when you do hard rock it may be a bit dirty, even muddy. However I think in no matter what circumstance a guitar that is the clearest sounding, is generally the best and with tweaks and pedals can be dirty as well. So guitars that are in the clean parts dirty and muddy are just that. They are less good in overall delivery of the sound. Again if you want it dirty, with a clean guitar a lot of times that can be helped. But you cannot 'clean' up the sound of a muddy guitar. Right now I have a guitar at home that sounds muddy and I regretted buying that thing. When I use my Fender Telecaster it is like a medicine. Its clear and can get dirty too. However I must say that the two others were a bit better (but not much) at some of the parts that had more gain/distortion. Sometimes that is the speciality of such a guitar, but overall I found both of the non-50ies guitars not 'clear' sounding and sometimes even the sound was like as if the guitar player was locked up inside a box where he was playing, it was a muffled sound at parts. Yet these are Squiers....maybe the Fender Stratocasters get different results comparing these time-periods between guitars.
To me the ultimate Strat tone is Wind Cries Mary from Hendrix. The 50s was the closest but still way to bright in my opinion. None really had the tone I liked.
I disagree, but I could be wrong. I rotate pickups all the time, and I have one guitar that all the pickups sound best in. Most sustain, more warmth. It is a fairly decent Ibanez SA32.
Landon, I could tell the difference immediately! Clearly, ANY strat player can tell the difference between a maple fingerboard sound and rosewood, ebony, or Indian Laural.
Love the 70s big head IMO 😃 but the 50s style will always be oldies but goodies👴🎸 either one good beginner guitar and plus it's squire. Have your cake and eat it too. Buy both. Keep rocking 😎🎸👍
Actually the sound of the 50 in the 70s what is very similar to me I just ordered a 70s mainly because of the looks play the sounds of the two her very similar especially I'm going with the 70 because of the appearance thank you for your video it was great
Landon. you crack me up, and I an old guy. I liked the Lace pickups, the best, but that should not be a surprise. Keep up the videos. I find them enjoyable and informative.
I’m looking for a budget strat styled guitar, the 70s vibe Squire or a Yamaha Pacifica around the same price point? Also, I want a tremolo bar and the Pacifica 311 seems to only be hard tail
For me the sound of X is the best...very similar to Z but maybe Z is a bit more bright and X more rounded. What do you hear from both when you play unplugged??
May be the first time I got them all right... but I cheated. I bought a '50s Classic Vibe about 6 weeks ago and have been playing it a LOT. I do love it.
Dude, You're Great! I liked the, "Z" model. The "Y" model sounded muddled and the "X" was a little bright for me. Exact same set up, huh?? So, is it the wood?
The I preferred the 70s until I heard the sharp bridge pickup. The 50s bridge pickup sounded more rounded off. Extremely close between the 50s and 70s. Wood difference.
Excellent. For X (50’s) and Z (70’s) I notice zero tone difference, However, Guitar Y (the Lace Sensor pickup guitar) sounded much thicker and not as “Strat-like”. I love the C.V. Guitars . They play great and are a tremendous value. Thanks for the fun review.
Exactly what I searched for... plus Bailey... winning! I'm seeing more 70's in the under $300 used price point on ebay... but I thought I wanted a 50's. So, I'm here.
WOW ... i thought Y was the 70's didnt expect it to be the monoprice strat with the lace sensors !! I did feel the monoprice strat with the sensors in it had more depth to them. And the 2 squiers didnt sound much diffrent from each other that I could tell ..
Sweet! If you hadn't have said that the pickups were similar, I would have had a harder time discerning the Squiers. But being that x and z sounded so similar, I was able to pick that out from miles away.
I thought X sounded a bit better than Z, but putting Y in the middle really made it difficult to compare apples to apples. I actually liked Y's sound, but I am not real interested in buying non-Squier/Fender guitars anymore... I was actually thinking it sounded a bit Epi/Gibson-ish, more than a Strat. Anyhow, isn't there a Classic Vibe 60's Strat, too? Time to redo this shootout with only the CVs (or at least only Squiers, maybe toss a Fender into the mix, too)!
The 70s classic vibe was so bright, it was all high end. The 50s was really balanced all across the spectrum. The Monoprice guitar had a less wide sound stage and a bump in the lower end and maybe a little in the low end of the mids. Interesting that the guitar that most people would say are bright ends up being balanced and that the one that would be assumed to be a warmer tone ended up being the brightest sounding. Tonewood makes little difference when it comes to electric guitar. Acoustics is a diiferent story because the wood is whats making the sound in that system whereas in an electric its all the electronics and strings.
Y sounded like it had hotter pickups, but I liked the tone of X. The brightness some talk about can be fixed with the amp settings. But comparing them, at the same setting, that's what I hear. Personally ("Which is the Best for YOU?") I like a hotter bridge pickup to get rid of the ice-pick effect, otherwise it's just too bright.
Thanks Landon for an amusing review, though it did get serious at the sound shootout. My preference would be the 70s a little more defined though a tough call between the 50s and 70s. I didn't really like the Monoprice one, a little muddy. Also there must be different versions of the 70s, I picked up one at the store and it was the same weight as the others. Anyway thanks for a great review.
@@landonbailey has the CV 70s fat strat got the same neck and middle as the SSS CV models? I like the hotter/warmer bridge pup in 70's HSS CV and if the neck and middle are the same as the 50's CV I'd be wasting my time to get the 50's CV. Personally, the only bridge single coil I like is in the Tele's.
I could tell which were the squiers because they sounded almost the same. I didn't know the brand of the middle guitar but it was obvious it had different pickups. I agree with you that the pickups and amp make way more of a difference than wood. If you had blind tested just the squier's it would've been pretty hard to tell them apart. The 70's might have sounded a little brighter but I think that sounded that way because the Monoprice with lace sensors were so much darker and hotter sounding that when you switched it made it sound even brighter. If I was gonna choose which one I like best I'd say the 50's classic vibe but that's purely on looks as it sounds almost Identical to the 70's. Both are really great guitars for the money and I'd happily gig either. The Mono price not so much. Not a fan of those lace sensors. They just sound muddy and lack any midrange to my ears.
Thanks for doing this comparison! I hope you can help me with this: I'm curious, in your review of the 70s you said you didn't like its tone, while in another video where you talked about the 50s you seemed to like it, but in this comparison they sound the same or at least no noticable difference to me. Have you changed your mind about the tone? Cause I'm for sure gonna pick up a Squier CV guitar, only question is 50s vs 60s vs 70s. I love the look of the 70s but what you said about its tone is holding me back... but if they're basically the same in tone (50s and 70s at least) the choice is easy for me and I'll go with the 70s. Hope you can let me know, thanks for reading! Best, Oskar
Those lace sensors were muddy AF... X and Z were pretty close, I wouldn't argue they are the same pickups, but I preferred slightly the demo on the X guitar. I didn't try to guess which is which, just listened and thought which I like more.
I like the 70's esthetically but the 50's sounds better in my opinion
Same!
Oh sorry but I like the 70’s more sorry guys
@@lovemycountry6192 that’s fair
@@boofdaddy420 if only they make the 70s trussrod more like the real thing, I'd fucking buy this than those mim fenders5
i own a 75 strat, and your assessment is dead on, loved my strat and the 50's was the closest i heard to it. Love it minus the laughs at my 70's head stock. LOL
I could not tell the difference between X and Z. Y was clearly the outlier and did not sound good to me, no matter what pickup you chose. After I get my new Telecaster paid off, I am going to buy my first Stratocaster and you just helped me decide which version to choose, based on the '70s lighter weight. Thanks -- and, yeah, please keep making videos.
Yeah, you're totally correct! I’m so tired of hearing about tone wood on electric guitars. The science support what you’re saying and so does our ears. There is a difference in build quality, feel and features. Other than that you’re paying hundreds to thousands more for a logo on the headstock. I have nearly 30 guitars from fender tele, strats, epiphones and others. Some made in USA, Mexico, Japan, Indonesia etc. One of my favorite for feel and sound is an AXL I paid less than $100 for. We need to stop listening with our eyes. Thanks for the video!!! 👍
the best feeling guitar of the three is the $70 Monoprice. has the nicest neck. yes $70 😊
Kizzy C Hi Kizzy, Andertons did a pseudoscientific experiment trying to prove tone wood is a thing. Failed horribly 🤔 Wood certainly does resonate but pickups only hear the magnetic interactions from the strings and not the wood itself. Buy a compressor for sustain and an eq for tone and play what guitar feels best and looks the way that inspires you. Funny how when a certain tone wood became unavailable companies found a new tone wood. No problem. Anyone that lies to us are not our friends. Take care my friend
check it out: czcams.com/video/J_zylO27POw/video.html. you have to decide :)
Landon Bailey Video such as yours help to show the truth. I applaud anyone who does that especially in good spirits. And no, I don't believe in spirits. Lol.
Landon Bailey Awesome! Almost my exact thoughts of my AXL only I didn't swap pickups only the tuner. The modded one sounds fuller for sure but both were usable. The original with an eq would be great too! Your humor is good!😂 Don't stop!
My favorite is 50's vibe. Now I want one.
A 50’s Classic Vibe in Daphne blue.....
I yearn for a light blue strat with an aged maple neck. The blue would be Daphne or Sonic (proper Sonic not that ultra pale stuff on Squiers) , white pickguard and vintage tuners. C'mon Squier, make it happen.
I have one in Sherwood Green with matching headstock. I love it.
Hard to get bro
I got one, it's so versatile punk to solo satriani, the guitar vol and tone knob really affect the tone!
I got it right for once. I preferred the 50s tone. Definitely a bit stronger and clearer. That’s what I’m hearing on my monitors. Another interesting one thanks Landon👍👍
I completely thought x was the best sounding and thought classic 50s which has been the one I've been thinking about getting and this solidifying my choice to get just that. I thought y wasn't as pleasant sounding and sounded a lot warmer and higher output so that had to be the odd ball. I thought z was closer to x, but not as bright and just a little more 70s to me so that's the 70s vibe. To chose 50s or 70s classic vibe is still a hard choice, but the 50s just seemed to be my favorite all around tone more balanced all the way around.
Just bought my first classic vibe. Brand New 50s strat. Best guitar purchase for the money ever. I love it more than my MIM strats, and I even enjoy it more than my Korean Fender Showmaster!
I had a feeling that guitar x and z were the Squier’s, which one didn’t have a clue. I do like the 50’s Classic Vide ( sucker for a maple fret board). I agree with you that the tone depends on your pickups and amp. We here in Southern Maryland are well and hope you are as well. Looking forward to the next video! Oh yeah before I forget, keep on babbling!! 🤩
I'm feeling good. Have a Classic Vibe 50s arriving tomorrow. It's been 12-13 years since I last had a guitar.
nice!
I have the 70 classic vibe but after listening I kinda like the 50s sound a hair better its a tad bit warmer then the 70s .Y was a bit muffled and the only one I would consider buying a top notch American over . The only thing lacking from X or Z is the fender logo in my opinion.
That 50s is killer.
I thought x was by far the best sounding particularly on the neck. I thought it was a more expensive mystery guitar not the 50s vibe.
Steven Thomas I thought guitar X was an authentic Fender strat as well. I’ve always wanted to buy a 70s vibe but hearing this demo made me seriously want that 50s vibe now
@@kentwyngaard8803 yes the 50s sounds really nice
I have a CV 50s Strat, and it's extremely light (one reason why I chose it over a Mexican Player strat). It's gig-worthy out of the box, and has benefited from some additional screening. The tremolo's pretty basic, but it holds tune and I've got used to it. Listening to the blind test, it's obvious that the Squiers are much better than the other guitar.
Try pure Nickle strings and see if you like the tone. I do on mine.
Lan Don said the 50s is heavy. 🤷🏽♂️
@@camhardcastle8644 Nickel doesn’t change the tone on the unwound strings (e B G), only on the round strings.
@@44scoots It's a budget guitar, so I expect there will be much inconsistency between different examples. Mine is definitely a very light weight example.
Bought a CV 50's two years ago and after much research am very pleased with my decision. I play funk, soul and r&b and the crispness of this guitar compliments them all, if I need a little dirt thats always easier to tweak. Great video, You actually helped me with my research and I thank you much. Peace!
🎸👍
I own a CV 70’s and honestly the differences were very slight. Y and Z were by far the closest. Honestly, if they were played 2 minutes apart, I would think it was the same guitar.
X and z sounded the same. Y sounded best. So yeah those 2 squires sound similar. The lace pickups had a bit more pro sound. The others sounded a bit cheap and crispy. Thanks!
As normal I managed to get all three wrong. At least I was consistant. Thanks Landon. Have a great week and keep you and your family safe. Peace.
Agreed : the pickups and the amp are the most important components of the sound. I'd also add strings to the list. Wood, on the other hand, is purely cosmetic and mainly there for cork sniffers to marvel about
The most important components of the sound is your fingers and musicality !
What about the fingerboard wood?
Y was awful, not even a Strato sound. It would be very hard to choose between the x and the z... I would probably pick the x.
I love this comparisons, very simple and clear. ❤️
I picked X and Z easily as the two classic vibes. I agree completely about pickups and speakers. Speaker is most important, then pickups. Everything else doesn't make much difference.
You have the best comparisons. I did this in store on a Taylor 614 vs 214, same words and kept picking the 214. I have been watching your videos and creating a list. I went from wanting an mim fender to seriously the squire sets as my picks everytime.
Now I can get two great sounding guitar for the price of one!
hey thanks Tim!
Ha! Mystery guitar was a great comparison. It was way more distorted and lacked the top-end presence and cute the others had. 50s came out on top for me, with 70s in second place. Mystery guitar sounded like a humbucker and would be OK for a distortion machine. Thanks for this useful comparo!
cheers!
*"Subscribed for the comedic rambling."* 😂🎸
I haven't looked at the results but feel the two CV strats are X and Z and not sure what the Y one is, I think one with the humbucker. I think X is the brightest so I think it is the 50s strat with the maple neck and Z is the 70s Strat with the laurel fingerboard or rosewood equivalent. I can't say what the middle guitar is but feel it has a humbucker.
As someone who has owned a classic vibe 70s, I guessed right. They may be the same pickups but that wood definitely gives the 70s one a more brittle tone. Which was my experience and why I unfortunately got rid of it. I love those fat headstocks.
Really impressed with the CV series. My CV 50's Tele is great and I'm not even a tele guy, haha. I almost bought the CV 50's strat atleast 5 times but in the end got a new Fender Player Series Strat. Great comparison. Keep it up!
Jeremy Wooldridge I just got a 50’s vibe tele also. Can’t believe how good it feels and sounds.
I couldn't tell which one is which. As far as sound goes I like them X and Y a tie then Z. The Monoprice Strat sounds dam good.
My take:
1) Your style and delivery is perfect. Don't ever change. Unless you want to.
2) I liked X the best. Y was second (kinda liked it, but found it a bit less spanky/warmer). Z sounded harsh and nasty to my ears. Would be interesting to do the same exercise with a Fender style amp, as Voxes often bring out any harshness in the top end of guitars and/or pedals.
3) Either there's a lot of variation in these pickups, or your theory is off. With the same pickups, the 70s sounded worse than the 50s (okay, subjectively "worse", but objectively different). Interesting that this was true in every pickup position, which would seem to discredit any theory of inconsistency from unit to unit. Hmm.
4) I wonder what the 60s version sounds like? It's closer in spec to the 70s with the Laurel fingerboard.
5) I may have to pick up a 50s one soon. Quite like the look of the FSR white on black Gilmoure style one.
6) I, too, need more coffee
7) I forgot this point
8) I guess that's the end
Cheers! I’m working on a Gilmour inspired Stratocaster build! Love that look
What's weird is I have two near identical bullet strats, only diff are the colors. One is stock the other is modded with a cv maple board neck. I played them back to back unplugged and was surprised the bullet with the cv neck sounded noticably better then before and better than the unmodded bullet. Haven't a clue why and make no claims it's just an observation. Cheers to all reading this here three years later!
I guessed correctly, X & Z sound very similarly good while Y sounded muffled. The two Squiers are virtually identical to my layman's ears. Take the 50’s CV every time.
These are always fun! I thought the 50s was Z since Z was the lowest output sound. I thought X and Y were about identical but Z was definitely quieter, less output.
Love the style and humour of these videos which, combined with the informative content, makes them a joy to watch. X & Z sounded so similar as to make no difference, whereas Y was much different presumably because of the pickups. Can you say more about those Lace Sensor pick ups, such as why you fitted them. They seem to make an interesting alternative to the standard pick ups. I don't like the looks of the large headstock of 70s strats, but I was very interested when you said the 70s was about 6lb. Is that a characteristic of all 70s CV strats and is it because of the wood? I've got a slimline CV tele which I love and is very light and well made.
thanks! check out more about the Monoprice here: czcams.com/video/J_zylO27POw/video.html
To my ears guitar X (classic vibe 50's) sounds better than guitar z (classic vibe 70's). I had 2 internet windows set up so it was easy to play one after the other. It isn't night and day - but Guitar z (classic vibe 70;s) sounds harsher, with less definition, less articulation...a bit more splashy sounding. The classic vibe 50's has a pine body and maple fretboard. The classic vibe 70's has a poplar body and Indian laurel fretboard. So I don't know if the differences in woods used are the reason for the differences in sound.
Or whether the differences are between these 2 particular guitars you played in the video - and perhaps you could get the same differences between any 2 classic vibe strats regardless of which models they were....??? All I can say is - that of the guitars in his video - I would definitely choose the classic vibe 50's guitar over the classic vibe 70's guitar. Two questions for you!!! 1. Which classic vibe strat sounded better to you in the room? 2. If you could hear differences between the 50's and 70's - do you think those differences would consistently exist between all classic vibe 50's strats and all classic vibe 70's strats??
I think it's funny that the one that is supposed to be giving a "70s vibe" is the light one.
Yeah ,the irony 😁👌
zd351 It’s a featherweight in a heavyweight contest !
I think I could tell the difference between x and z. Very similar but like others says darker fingerboards gives a bit of a complexity. My fav was Z. Thank you for wonderful video!
I was wrong but you made me wanna go out and pick up the 70s vibe now for sure after hearing that taste test.
Here's what I thought they were.
X 70s vibe
Y a bullet you had in a previous ep.
Z 50s vibe
Imo I enjoyed the sound of the 70s vibe most.
Thanks for this video. You're doing the rock gods work. Favorited and subscribed. 😉👍🍺
Hey thanks!
I have just paused at 6.30 . All the way so far my favourite on all settings is Y . We shall see... ..Well that was most surprising ! X was ok , Z to me sounded too thin and my favourite turned out to be the cheapest of cheap beginner axes with Lace Sensors ! Brilliant 😁
it was the nicest neck too
@@landonbailey Amazing !
I'm positive X and Z are the same guitar. Or........ X and Z are each the Squier and they both sound identical and Y is something like a MIM Stratocaster.
I know why guitar Y was called guitar Y, it's because 'Y would you buy that thing?'
someone bought it from me last summer. I didn't ask why :)
Man I am way late to this party! I recently got back into playing guitar and was astounded at how much the American made Fenders are these days. I paid 1000 dollars brand new in 2000 for an 1999 American Deluxe Strat and the same guitar today is about 2600 dollars.
What did I do? I bought a Squire Classic Vibes 50s Strat in white blonde(love the white pink translucent paint on it) and a fender maple classic series 50s soft v neck. I bought the fender locking tuners just like the 99 Strat. I also replaced the pickups with Fender 57/62 originals. I took the bone nut from the Squire neck and put on the fender neck(Why do Fender necks come with synthetic nuts but a Squire comes with a bone nut?). I also used copper tape to insulate the body and pickguard.
After it was said and done, I had spent a little over 1000 bucks and a little bit of solder and sweat. I now have a guitar that is very similar feeling to my 99 strat and it sounds amazing. I think I am going to do a telecaster next. Fender wants too much for American made guitars. They must think that the name and American made warrants the price tag. It doesn't. Thanks for sharing the video and hope all is well!
I have some questions, how pink is the white blonde? I've been eyeing on this because I like its subtle pinkish color, but some pictures also seems on the cream side
Thanks a lot mate! Watched tens of videos and this was the most accurate and precise comparison video. No long riffs, not played on a super high end amp. This video helped me pick finally. Here I come 50s
I love 70s I've 3 Mexican deluxe fsr's those Antigua squiers are beautiful 😍 🤩 👌 ❣️
The height the pickups are set at could tweak the tone a bit. Also please swap the guitar straps so that the red and white one goes with the tortoise pick guard and white Strat, and the brown and yellow one goes with the sunburst Strat. This is extremely critical to the tone... and my OCD.
Love the 50's with Max gain bridge pu, really sings with hi gain. Some eq work to tame the 50's and it's all good imo.
I knew that X was maple cause it was thin sounding for all and Z was rosewood cause it IS darker. I have a rosewood board on one of my Strats and a maple board on another one
and the twist: Z isn’t Rosewood 😁
I have never heard anyone wander off subject this much. It’s a little comical, so he still gets a thumbs up.
🤣
I guessed by the first tone guitar Y was muddy, sounded cheap. Could not guess which one was X or Z, but my favourite tones were by guitar Z. The 70's CV.
thanks for playing!
Very nice comparison video, thank you 🙏 But I disagree about the tone. Pickups and sound systems are certainly determining factors in the tone of the guitar, but they do not equalize guitars of different quality. It makes a bad guitar a better guitar, and it makes a good guitar a great guitar. That's all.
Maybe tell us the pickup height numbers which can reveal sound/ volume differences. BTW, Vox is usually more high frequency oriented which can add or steal away some pickups best range. Most people's amps will sound entirely different. Also, no secret that the human ear is not an equal producer, one person to the next, so a more "neutral", "what goes in comes out" amp, say Fender 12" amp with no effects or OD will not give an advantage or disadvantage to comparison instruments. Thanks Landon!
Vox ac15 is FINE for this test.
Great video,yesterday at the shop I had to choose between the 50s and the 70s...I chose the 50s and now this test confirms I did it well.
Thanks!
👍🎸
I do fine thanks for taking the time to hear me, is well appreciated. You rock!
I am not an expert but in my opinion the biggest impact on guitar sound has got a guitar player - 80% of his sound is in his hands. At the second place I will put pickups + am/cabs.
I disagree somewhat. An expert player is better able to master a sound but is still subject to the limits of both pickups and amp.
I got my 70s hss walnut last year and honestly the 70s headstock just kinda got me. Barely fits in the case tho.
Lucky I’ve been trying to find a hss 70s strat but I can’t find em at all
Kale-Amazon has them.
@@kalebeattie8165 So its been a year, did you manage to get one? or maybe something else? just curious cause I stumbled onto this video again and saw I left a comment.
Classic vibe 50s sounds great I love that classic fender sound
The 70’s model was surprisingly a little bit brighter, at least to my ears.
On my ears, 50s fits better and its more cleaner... but i like 70s style!!!
X = Squier
Y = Something with noiseless/mini humbucker/not normal pickup
Z = Squier
Y= a Monoprice Strat loaded w/Lace Sensors I'm sure sounded a lot better than the ceramic single coil pickups it came with, but for me, they're entirely too hot & dark for a Strat.
B. Rod Clark yup, lace sensors generally sound too dark (unless you get a silver sensor which is like a 70s pickup on steroids)
Most of the time the 50ies one was in my opinion the best, yes sometimes you have to grind and when you do hard rock it may be a bit dirty, even muddy.
However I think in no matter what circumstance a guitar that is the clearest sounding, is generally the best and with tweaks and pedals can be dirty as well.
So guitars that are in the clean parts dirty and muddy are just that. They are less good in overall delivery of the sound. Again if you want it dirty, with a clean guitar a lot of times that
can be helped. But you cannot 'clean' up the sound of a muddy guitar. Right now I have a guitar at home that sounds muddy and I regretted buying that thing.
When I use my Fender Telecaster it is like a medicine. Its clear and can get dirty too.
However I must say that the two others were a bit better (but not much) at some of the parts that had more gain/distortion. Sometimes that is the speciality of such a
guitar, but overall I found both of the non-50ies guitars not 'clear' sounding and sometimes even the sound was like as if the guitar player was locked up inside a box where
he was playing, it was a muffled sound at parts.
Yet these are Squiers....maybe the Fender Stratocasters get different results comparing these time-periods between guitars.
I actually LOVE the growl on the monoprice. Huh.
To me the ultimate Strat tone is Wind Cries Mary from Hendrix. The 50s was the closest but still way to bright in my opinion. None really had the tone I liked.
I disagree, but I could be wrong. I rotate pickups all the time, and I have one guitar that all the pickups sound best in. Most sustain, more warmth. It is a fairly decent Ibanez SA32.
WOW the classic vibe 50's sounds great! I think i will get myself one!! Thanks for the review.
I didn't know which was which in the blind sound test. But I liked the sound from guitar Y the most.
Landon, I could tell the difference immediately! Clearly, ANY strat player can tell the difference between a maple fingerboard sound and rosewood, ebony, or Indian Laural.
Love the 70s big head IMO 😃 but the 50s style will always be oldies but goodies👴🎸 either one good beginner guitar and plus it's squire. Have your cake and eat it too. Buy both. Keep rocking 😎🎸👍
Actually the sound of the 50 in the 70s what is very similar to me I just ordered a 70s mainly because of the looks play the sounds of the two her very similar especially I'm going with the 70 because of the appearance thank you for your video it was great
Landon. you crack me up, and I an old guy. I liked the Lace pickups, the best, but that should not be a surprise. Keep up the videos. I find them enjoyable and informative.
Thanks! Will do!
X was slightly brighters but would never notice if not played sided by side. Y was muddy
I’m looking for a budget strat styled guitar, the 70s vibe Squire or a Yamaha Pacifica around the same price point? Also, I want a tremolo bar and the Pacifica 311 seems to only be hard tail
I figured them out correctly, and X and Z were my favorite . Thanks for the Demo.
You can actually hear that maple neck on the 50s it's slightly brighter and sharper. Interesting comparison.
For me the sound of X is the best...very similar to Z but maybe Z is a bit more bright and X more rounded. What do you hear from both when you play unplugged??
noise 😆
May be the first time I got them all right... but I cheated. I bought a '50s Classic Vibe about 6 weeks ago and have been playing it a LOT. I do love it.
To my ears I liked the tone of X the best. I know sound is subjective. Keep up the good videos.
Thanks, will do!
Dude, You're Great! I liked the, "Z" model. The "Y" model sounded muddled and the "X" was a little bright for me. Exact same set up, huh?? So, is it the wood?
The I preferred the 70s until I heard the sharp bridge pickup. The 50s bridge pickup sounded more rounded off. Extremely close between the 50s and 70s. Wood difference.
Excellent. For X (50’s) and Z (70’s) I notice zero tone difference, However, Guitar Y (the Lace Sensor pickup guitar) sounded much thicker and not as “Strat-like”.
I love the C.V. Guitars . They play great and are a tremendous value. Thanks for the fun review.
Rock on!
Exactly what I searched for... plus Bailey... winning!
I'm seeing more 70's in the under $300 used price point on ebay... but I thought I wanted a 50's. So, I'm here.
WOW ... i thought Y was the 70's didnt expect it to be the monoprice strat with the lace sensors !! I did feel the monoprice strat with the sensors in it had more depth to them. And the 2 squiers didnt sound much diffrent from each other that I could tell ..
👍🎸
I had X and Z reversed, which stands to reason since they both had the same pickups. The monoprice was easy to eliminate.
I just wish they would make an ALL WHITE version in each CV version.
Sweet! If you hadn't have said that the pickups were similar, I would have had a harder time discerning the Squiers. But being that x and z sounded so similar, I was able to pick that out from miles away.
I played a 70s one, and it was like really heavy for a stray. So, you might have a lighter one than usual.
X 50 best clean tone for me. Y to dark. Z 70 nice, but the best tone for me, is the clasic 50.
I really loved the Y mostly...are those guitars available?
they should be
I’m doing fine. Thanks for asking. 😄
Good to know!
What about a 50’s vs 60’s Classic Vibe shoot out? Love your channel and your take on guitars🤘🏻
Craig
hey there! no plans for that one anytime soon. cheers!
I could pick 1 & 3 sounding the same with 2 being the odd one out but couldn’t pick between 1 & 3
Same.
I thought X sounded a bit better than Z, but putting Y in the middle really made it difficult to compare apples to apples. I actually liked Y's sound, but I am not real interested in buying non-Squier/Fender guitars anymore... I was actually thinking it sounded a bit Epi/Gibson-ish, more than a Strat.
Anyhow, isn't there a Classic Vibe 60's Strat, too? Time to redo this shootout with only the CVs (or at least only Squiers, maybe toss a Fender into the mix, too)!
Almost had it right lol. But I love how the 70s classic vibe plays and sounds.
The 70s classic vibe was so bright, it was all high end. The 50s was really balanced all across the spectrum. The Monoprice guitar had a less wide sound stage and a bump in the lower end and maybe a little in the low end of the mids. Interesting that the guitar that most people would say are bright ends up being balanced and that the one that would be assumed to be a warmer tone ended up being the brightest sounding. Tonewood makes little difference when it comes to electric guitar. Acoustics is a diiferent story because the wood is whats making the sound in that system whereas in an electric its all the electronics and strings.
Z / Zed sounded the best to me. Also I do enjoy your sense of humor.
I actually got it right for once. X and Z are very similar due to them sharing same pups. Y guitar had the noticeable tone difference
good job
Continue what you do best. Being yourself. 👍🏼👍🏼
I was hoping that the 70’s was the first one and that the 50’s was the last which sounded bad to me. But… it was the 50’s sounding better.
Y sounded like it had hotter pickups, but I liked the tone of X. The brightness some talk about can be fixed with the amp settings. But comparing them, at the same setting, that's what I hear. Personally ("Which is the Best for YOU?") I like a hotter bridge pickup to get rid of the ice-pick effect, otherwise it's just too bright.
Thanks Landon for an amusing review, though it did get serious at the sound shootout. My preference would be the 70s a little more defined though a tough call between the 50s and 70s. I didn't really like the Monoprice one, a little muddy. Also there must be different versions of the 70s, I picked up one at the store and it was the same weight as the others. Anyway thanks for a great review.
cheers!
X and Z were same to me. Y was way different.
The difference between the 50s and the 60s is mainly the rosewood fretboard, yes?
The main difference between the CV 50/60/70s is all cosmetic. So yes, in this case it's Laurel and not Rosewood, but looks similar
@@landonbailey has the CV 70s fat strat got the same neck and middle as the SSS CV models? I like the hotter/warmer bridge pup in 70's HSS CV and if the neck and middle are the same as the 50's CV I'd be wasting my time to get the 50's CV. Personally, the only bridge single coil I like is in the Tele's.
I could tell which were the squiers because they sounded almost the same. I didn't know the brand of the middle guitar but it was obvious it had different pickups. I agree with you that the pickups and amp make way more of a difference than wood. If you had blind tested just the squier's it would've been pretty hard to tell them apart. The 70's might have sounded a little brighter but I think that sounded that way because the Monoprice with lace sensors were so much darker and hotter sounding that when you switched it made it sound even brighter. If I was gonna choose which one I like best I'd say the 50's classic vibe but that's purely on looks as it sounds almost Identical to the 70's. Both are really great guitars for the money and I'd happily gig either. The Mono price not so much. Not a fan of those lace sensors. They just sound muddy and lack any midrange to my ears.
new model CV 50 and 70 have the same pickup (Fender® Designed Alnico Single-Coil) in according to the fender site
Thanks for doing this comparison! I hope you can help me with this: I'm curious, in your review of the 70s you said you didn't like its tone, while in another video where you talked about the 50s you seemed to like it, but in this comparison they sound the same or at least no noticable difference to me. Have you changed your mind about the tone? Cause I'm for sure gonna pick up a Squier CV guitar, only question is 50s vs 60s vs 70s. I love the look of the 70s but what you said about its tone is holding me back... but if they're basically the same in tone (50s and 70s at least) the choice is easy for me and I'll go with the 70s. Hope you can let me know, thanks for reading! Best, Oskar
hey there! I don't recall :)
Those lace sensors were muddy AF... X and Z were pretty close, I wouldn't argue they are the same pickups, but I preferred slightly the demo on the X guitar. I didn't try to guess which is which, just listened and thought which I like more.