I went to Guitar Center a couple of weeks ago to buy a new Fender Strat, spent about two hours playing all the Fenders and some other brands. I kept coming back to the Squier 40th Anniversary Strat in Satin Seafoam Green. The neck is amazing (satin finish, rolled finger board), the action was great, and has killer looks. It played and felt better than every other guitar there, so I bought it instead. I really like the sound of the pickups as well. I really wanted a Fender but just couldn't justify paying more for something that didn't seem like it was worth paying a lot more for it. I don't know if I got lucky and found a diamond, but if they are all like the one I got it is amazing.
Found a squire 40th anniversary telecaster. Smooth as butter, couldnt tell the difference between that and the American performer other than the price tag
Phil, what a stand-up guy you are, I mean it! You borrowed that guys guitar, and you put a ton of upgrades in it for him as a thank you! That is old school honorable behavior, brother!
Classic vibes that were made in China from 2008 -2014 were some of the best guitars you could ever buy . I’ve got a CV60 strat , 50s Tele and I had the 50s strat .
Yep...got the Blackguard 50s CV from that time period ...its a belter... My bandmate bought a Squier Tele CV last year (a 2022 version), I played it - didn't sound near as good or play so well....
I bought one of these just because I wanted another Strat, and I liked the options (and the surf green color) and aside from the fret polishing issue, it's fantastic.
I also gotta say, ive been following you for quite a while now, and i love how far these videos have come. More in depth, and as you acquire more knowledge over the years, you pass it on to us, and im forever grateful. Most informative gear channel on YT.
I purchased a Ruby Red 40th year anniversary Squire (also a green tele 40th) for my two grandsons. I thought that one day... perhaps 10 - 15 years from now, when I'm gone, they might like getting something from their granddad. The strap button on the strat on the one I got is also off-center installed, so it looks intentional.
I like that you demonstrate the middle position. Some guitar youtubers leave out the middle position, but it's got such a nice sound, you should not leave it out!
I bought this online when the price was $600. I wanted it because of the block inlays. I think if I played it in store first I would have passed. I've grown to like it.BTW. my strap button is centered. Fret ends were nicely rounded over also
I love block inlays too. Looks powerful and electrified. But I'm just playing an old 22-fret B.C. Rich Warlock from 2011 as it stands. With how little I play, I don't need anything more anyway.
.......ah, yeah...likewise, I paid the $599 for the Sherwood Green Tele with the Gold.....but, to make me feel better, I bought the Ruby Red with Gold Strat...at half that price, new.....so as to average out!....if that makes any sense!.....it made me feel better. lol.
Thank you for the great video! I have the same guitar and the straps are mounted identical. Also hated the gloss on the back so i got rid of it and in my opinion its feels a lot better to play now.
That's nice of you to make those adjustments to his guitar just for letting you review it. You're a nice guy Phil (and a great source for honest guitar reviews). Thanks for the video.
One thing youtube become is an advertorial video platform. Your channel is one of the few exceptions. You review guitars just to share what you really like. Thanks for the great review. Guitar is super hot btw! Squier has outdone themselves!
Not many YTers I trust for reviews…you and The Guitaristas are my favorites. Excellent reviews and I always learn something! I’m not a strat fan so I wouldn’t buy something like this, but it does look nice.
With you on that! Phillip and Colin (Guitaristas) have set the bar for informed, honest and fun guitar reviews. So many 'salespersons' out there 'reviewing' stuff . . .
Bought a Squier Classic Vibe '70s Telecaster Thinline for $379 on a Musician’s Friend sale sometime back on a whim. I’m not exaggerating when I say the finish, build quality, and even the setup out of the box was some of the best I’ve seen from any sub $1000 guitar I’ve purchased. It quickly became my #2 and has stayed close by ever since. That Thiline can do anything from acoustic to metal….it even tracks well!
I love to see these reviews getting so many views and attention, all deserved. You will struggle to find a review as thorough and well spoken, and with as much helpful advice.
I own a 2001 Squier “Standard” Strat (Indonesia), and I’m amazed how “Fenderey” it is. The neck is slightly rolled (on a Squier?), and the Alnico 5 pickups sound good enough to me to not switch them out. The floated 2-point trem works well. The ONLY thing that bugs me is the 41 mm (yes, 41) nut. The neck at the 1st fret is pretty dang narrow. I replaced it with a Tusq, but had to trim off the ends.
Thanks Phil! I love these videos as they teach me more and more about the workmanship that goes into the instruments you feature. The Geeky Stuff rules!
The Squire 40th anniversary models are the greatest value for money instruments you can get at the moment. I picked up a Jazzmaster, brand new for a little over £350 in the UK! It's as cool as f..k, sounds amazing, especially the bridge pickup which is super hot. The build quality is great with no issues whatsoever. Couldn't be happier.
I bought a Squire Starcaster and I was really impressed with the fit and finish, playability, and the overall tone. The frets on my were done well, maybe because it had a maple fretboard. Great video!
Would love to see an episode where you get a used guitar and do a full setup and fix whatever needs to be fixed. Most of these new guitars just needs a tweak here or there but the used ones usually need a full truss rod, action, intonation, nut, and other stuff which I would love to see. Thanks for all the cool videos 🙏🙏
It’s nuts, when I was newbie I used think the pricy guitars just played way better. Even though there are still certain advantages to pricy guitars, a good setup brings them super close
I love what Squier is doing rn. I have a couple diff ones and theyre really great instruments for the price. I recently got a Squier baritone tele and its my current favorite. I did sand down the back of the neck tho because i hated the gloss finish
The one with P90s? I messed around with one at guitar center when i was done checking out acoustics, and I kinda want one. I played it through a supro delta king 5 watt, and it was lovely.
1st time viewing your channel. Got to say I found this review very informative & detailed. As a novice guitar builder I definitely learned some good tips! Personally I dig the look of a Squire neck with big block inlays & binding. I've put a few of the Indonesian Squire necks on different Fender Jag bodies & really like 'em once they're polished up!
Hi I got a ruby red today , the strap button was the same off centre as that one. Besides that and the typical iffy pots and switch, it is a wonderful guitar. No fret sprout and all frets are level . Next to no relief , string height 1.75- 1.5 plays great. Some flame in the maple.
I have an Affinity Squier and I’m beyond happy with it. Out of the box it’s obviously lower quality than even this 40th Anni model but with some hands on work addressing the small details that aren’t attended to in the name of keeping the price low it’s a really good instrument.
Thanks for this video. I have a Gibson Les Paul, a Fender Tele and Strat. I have noticed both of my Fender were giving me some static in the amp but after watching your video, I used my can of Deoxit and I no longer have any static and it was in the pots. Next is to round off the frets but I do not have a nylon thing to test them. However, running my hand over the fret edges shows that some were sharp and other were not. I have the tool to file them from Ste Mac Fret End Dressing File. Again, thanks.
I got a cheap Squire Tele used from GuitarCenter for my nephew to learn on, and I was SHOCKED at how good it is. Plays great, sounds way better than it has any right to, and looks fantastic.
3:54 I typically sand the nut down from the bottom so my strings sit nicely on top. This way I only need to adjust the width for my preferred strings, which are 10 to 52 gauge.
I bought a 2023 Squier classic vibe 60s a few months ago. Put me some hand would 59 pickups and a Mojotone blender solderless wiring harness. CT’s 500k pots and switchcraft 5 way. I love it. It came in waaaaay better condition as far as quality and fretwork that my fender did. I’ve finally accepted that a sticker on one saying fender is nothing more than a decal. I thought I’d never say that lol. I love it!! It’s my number 1 go to now. Selling my fender now.
I watched a number of videos years ago about the Squier Classic Vibe Tele and not one had anything bad to say about them. I bought one and I'm glad I did. My only complaint is that it came in either a natural finish or white finish.
When I started to get interested in luthiery, I wanted to make my first guitar sound a little better. It was an Affinity Stratocaster from a starter kit, it had decent hardware and construction, unlike the new Bullet kits. Now the first thing I did was learn how to play better, and the second thing I did was install a 1-meg mini potentiometer on the volume knob. It made those cheaper single coils open up and the guitar almost has this humbucker driving tone, but it's rather different for sure.
I just bought my 1st non main name brand guitar a Slash Gold Top Epiphone. I am surprised how well it fairs to even my vintage Gibson's for tone. They have stepped their game up. It looks like Squier is too.
Phil, I have the same Squier guitar and the strap button is centered on mine also plays perfectly the only thing I found wrong is the pic guard edge is very sharp and you better be careful when cleaning as you will cut yourself on it.
!!! Greetings from Montréal, Québec, Canada !!! I have been watching your videos for a few years now and ALWAYS enjoy the instructive content of them !!! Recently bought a Squier Telecaster Affinity, Not happy with the 'FREE One month later adjustment', the low strings 'Buzz' within the first 5 frets and still find the strings to be too high past the 12th fret soooo, with your good advice and tricks, I shall try to correct the situation myself, I do not think I can do such a bad job on the bridge for string height and intonation IF I follow your instructions !?! Keep you posted on this one. Thank you for your professionnal videos, may you and familly stay healthy !!! Cheers !!!
Hey Phil, I don’t own any Squires however for $499.00 this to me is an incredible deal honestly. It would’ve been nice to have this many choices when I was growing up as a kid in the mid 70’s @ these price points.
Japanese fenders in the 80's were less than 300bucks new, not cheap but affordable and very high quality, arguably better than today's stuff at that price.
Got the Sea Foam Green Vintage version and it’s pretty awesome probably my best guitar. Thanks for the review. Did have to adjust the claw as the trem was very tight.
Pretty nice guitar. Looks cool. Does stratoguitar things. Neck binding is neat, uncommon. Squire is working hard to own 300-500 dollar range, or at least staying pretty close in quality to the upstart brands with less "heritage." Really makes you look for something loaded up with features if you go for value on an off brand alternative.
Harley-Benton is a pretty good alternative from what I can tell, but their cheapest strats actually don't sound good. To my ears, most electric guitars sound basically the same, and almost all of it comes from effects, filters, etc. But that guitar just sounds affected. Maybe it suits certain styles of music, but I'd want a versatile guitar.
Nice deep dive. Most of the Classic Vibe, Vintage Modified, Contemporary and 40th Anniversary ones I've tried play fine after a good setup and new strings. Nice gear for the price. I love Squier guitars and basses.
I am a huge Squier fan because you typically get so much guitar for your money. This Squier looks great. But compared to some of the other options out there, I would have serious reservations about buying it when compared to the other options. Especially when it comes to the stuff Sire is putting out.
Doesn’t matter if you change all hardware of the instrument... the most important part is the wood... I talk from experience... I upgraded a Squier Jazz Bass (pups, bridge, tuning machines and I even made it active).
Love Squier guitars. Yes I have crazy expensive guitars all makes all brands customs etc etc. BUT! I added a few things to my squiers and they play and sound no better or worse than my 5 grand guitars. Literally the biggest pros to playing a Squier is you don't have that looming fear of denting digging scratching or having it stolen playing out lol or around your kids. Also I don't customize every Squier I buy guitars for their different sounds. Personalities. Love your channel. I've learned alot you come across very personable. Great content.
Big no from me, they went all in the looks, and it is gorgeous, but I'm not doing a fretjob, shielding, swap pots, maybe change that ugly nut at this price point. Great vid as always, thank you!
I bought a Tele couple years ago. I'm very happy with it. Only thing I'd like to change is the D-G saddle. There's no compensation for intonation. I imagine when Leo thought it up, wound G strings were the norm, ergo, the compromise wasn't so far apart. Other than that, for the level I'm at, and unlikely to rise too much, everything else is fine. I think on a blind test play, I'd be unable to tell Squire from Fender. Would like to add. With modern CNC machines, there's very little hands on craftsmanship. So long as someone has quality materials and programmers, I see no reason why a quality instrument can,'t be built by anyone anywhere.
I bought the vintage edition, , has no bindinf Fender-designed, Alnico V-loaded,solid maple neck,I upgraded the tuneing gears and a loaded tortus shell picguard orilpure hotrails, mine weighs 9.3 lbs,,,well satisfied with mine
Hey Phil - I like that you pointed out the Kluson-style tuners. Tuners are important. I went to a boutique shop here in Charlotte NC and the "guy" pointed to what he called Kluson tuners on my 1977 (Nashville made) Gibson Les Paul Standard. Yep, Norlin heavy. "Guy" said he could replace them with a $50 set. Yes their appearance is Kluson and they have that footprint, but if you disassemble, look closely, each is stamped "Made in W. Germany." I'm thinking they are Schaller. And good to keep. You thoughts? Thx -R
I bought the 40th anniv Jazzmaster in the same color and out of the box it had pretty much the same quality issues you describe. Unpolished frets, pickguard screws all over the place, plus a dodgy pickup switch. But the sound is good and it was at a 25% discount at Thomann so I kept it, set it up, cleaned the pickup switch and it's been playing fine for the last two months...
Very Beautiful Strat Phil,Seen This Particular Model at Long & Mcquade Yesterday.Very Impressive For Sure,Thank You For All The Info & Sound Demo Very Sweet Sounding & Bright Tones. 😉👍
How you doing Phil? I bought a 2019 Squier classic vibe 60's stratocaster. My very first electric guitar and did alot of research before buying it and I couldn't be happier with it. I have an Epiphone Les Paul but I still play my Squier daily. After all the bad remarks about Squier , I'm glad that I didn't pay heed to it. Love your show and your Squier reviews and tests.
I've had that exact guitar. I bought it used, just a couple of months old, practically new! It's a really beautiful guitar! The color, binding, the block inlays... It looks great! However... The wiggle stick doesn't feel good. It's screwed in, and I'm afraid it won't last... The guitar wasn't really set up well, but my main issue with it was the tuning machines. They were absolutely awful! It's a new guitar, but the tuning machines have give in them. I want to loosen the strings and have to turn maybe even a fifth of a lap before anything happens. And it's not about the nut clamping on the strings either. They have give both ways. I was thinking about changing the tuners, but also the fret ends were really sharp and uncomfortable. Finally, I wanted a second Strat as a backup, but it's just so far off from my Shijie STE, it can't compare, it's not even close. Since I bought my Shijie, it ruined all other Strats for me.
What I like about the G&L is that like the Squier Affinity, the width at the NUT is 41mm while everybody else goes for 42mm and larger.... HOW does your Shijie actually measure at the nut ??? Is it 42mm or less ???? Does it "FEEL" slim enough ??? (PS: Squier Classic Vibe feels very large at nut despite it measuring 42.5mm)
I just bought an Affinity Squire Strat last month. I'm learning to love it everyday. I wanted to upgrade my playing and think it is the one to do it. I LOVE anything Fender...
I would keep in mind too, with any Anniversary limited edition. Some people(collectors)will rarely play them,maybe what Squire is assuming, but from what I can see from your review, it's better than I expected for $499 from Fender and they cant make them too good or Fender cant sell higher end guitars.
If I knew anything about refinishing, I would apply that metallic blue finish and an off-white pick guard on my Squier Vintage Modified Bass Six. I dig that finish.
I got a green telecaster version with the gold hardware for $359 Christmas sale! Did all the mods mentioned in the video, but used shielding tape and gotoh tuners. Also changed pickups to tex mex, higher output than original!
Very interesting information about this model guitar. I really like how you go into the technical side of this model Squier. Nice playing too. Thanks for a great video.
Bought this exact guitar in the transparent "Sienna sunburst" finish. It's honestly the best out-of-the-box guitar I've ever purchased. Looks amazing, too. Mine had a tiny cosmetic imperfection in the binding near the join on the bass side but otherwise it was flawless. Such a nice guitar I actually considered selling my Fender Player Tele to buy the 40th anniversary Telecaster.
I just ordered two. They have been sent now, so I'll have them in a few days. Lovely tone! I do have an old Fender neck, that I was thinking of putting on one of them, but they might be just fine as is. Let's see.
I have a few strats now. They all sound different, which is good. My favourite is a Harley Benton. After that I have a couple of Mexicans and US strats. So I'm really looking forwards to picking up the Squires. Sadly I sold my Japanese strat. It was a rough time during the covid lockdown.
Thank you for making this video. The best guitar review that I have ever watched! Very detail and I have learnt much from your techniques to check a new guitar too.
Really good eval and demo Phil - thank you. All the Squires I've bought lately have been similar good. The nut is the most important as every thing else is pretty easy to fix IMO. My only beef is the cool kid colors are not available in lefty versions.
What a great review! I just bought a 40th Anniversary Sonic Blue Squire Strat that someone loaded a Seymour Duncan hot rails on the bridge pickup and put a aluminum colored anodized pick guard. I found a 40th anniversary Squire Gold edition bridge pickup for $30 and am going to remove the SD Hot Rails and give that to my son for his Frankenstein Strat and put the 40th Anniversary Gold pick up in. Man, it is gonna sound awesome. I like the satin finish on the standard 40th Anniversary models.
I love Squier for Teles. I'm super picky about Strats but those Classic Vibe telecasters are so good. I'm interested to see what you think about this one.
Hey, Phillip, I've been watching a large number of videos on the Donner superstrat that's been all over UA-cam recently. When they've mentioned the frets, they've usually had good things to say about them. I'm waiting right now to receive the guitar I bought yesterday, so in a few days I'll be equipped to examine the frets and their ends in person. If you like, I'll let you know what I find. If it's as good as some of the reviews I've seen, though, Fender might need to give serious thought to upgrading and modernizing some of their processes. I will not have paid all of $200 in acquisition cost for this guitar. If its frets are even as good as the Squier, the Squier is getting its butt kicked in the value for money department. And if Squier is somehow beating FENDER in quality, then what the hell good is Fender anymore?
I noticed some intonation issues particularly with the B string when you were playing in different areas on the neck. Considering the price, it's not as noticeable as many other cheap guitars. However, poor intonation can make a great guitar player seem like a beginner. It could also be the taller fret height and finger pressure causing the intonation inconsistency.
An amazing review! I am blown away by it. It's really well done. Beautiful! Even though I'm not on the market, I couldn't stop watching the video and because of it, I am better for it. Well done!
I got to say I'm kinda done with the bigger companies not at least giving a gig bag with their more expensive or Anniversary type guitars if $100 guitars can do it there is no excuse. That's just my opinion.
Just a point - if there is no shielding why is there a solder tag screwed to the "paint" in the route with a cable running to the earth tag on the switch? Perhaps to stop you being able to lift the pickguard too far? Incidentally, I have a 1996 Squier Bullet Strat, from new, which has always played very well, with a stable neck (though lightweight trem block) and I like the ceramic pups it came with. Same original tuners too. JUst shows they could make a good 'un even 30 years ago!
Last year I wanted a tele, a project guitar to upgrade, and was trying out Squiers. While I was expecting to have to work on the guitar a bit, the ones I tried weren’t great! They all felt like about 10 minutes were spent on fit and finish. Playable, but not pleasant: rough scratchy frets mainly I tried an Ibanez, made in Indonesia. A hard tail strat with pup switching that can get tele sounds. It needed less work so bought that one, and spent a couple hours on setup, and polishing frets. Now, almost a year later, it’s still stock, and pondering leaving it be. It’s not as good as my American strat, but pretty damn close; closer than the difference in price! If I were a beginner I’d have been disappointed with what was available for under $400
I have a made-in-China 2009 Squire Strat and I absolutely love it and would not sell it for anything, Like Mike Campbell said if you find one that plays and sounds great keep it. but I do have a Squire Affinity 2012 and I wouldn't give it to my worst enemy. LOL.
Another great video! Glad that you share other similar guitars as options in this price range. The new Firefly FFST Strats have way more modern features for no money SS frets roast body and necks some mild to wild color options. They need setups though some of these inexpensive Chinese guitar are getting better all the time Thank for the Snark Air tuner I won!
A few things that I had done to mine was to lower the pickups as to me I thought they sounded better that way and I slapped a 10 way switch in there for more tonal variation.
I have a 1993 indo made squire, with a little work intonation,9/38 strings ,set the action and relief ,and a graphtech nut it's a fantastic player I've let 3:other guys play it and they all said wow thats sweet ,I've got a Epiphone strat from the 70s and it's comming along Im doing the same thing and putting locking tuners on Go fender
I went to Guitar Center a couple of weeks ago to buy a new Fender Strat, spent about two hours playing all the Fenders and some other brands. I kept coming back to the Squier 40th Anniversary Strat in Satin Seafoam Green. The neck is amazing (satin finish, rolled finger board), the action was great, and has killer looks. It played and felt better than every other guitar there, so I bought it instead. I really like the sound of the pickups as well. I really wanted a Fender but just couldn't justify paying more for something that didn't seem like it was worth paying a lot more for it. I don't know if I got lucky and found a diamond, but if they are all like the one I got it is amazing.
Yeah those 40th annis a slick. Would love to get a strat and drop a rails in the bridge. Good to go!
Found a squire 40th anniversary telecaster. Smooth as butter, couldnt tell the difference between that and the American performer other than the price tag
Yep. They are real nice fiddles. The Squier classic vibe 60’s and 70s ones I had were awesome also.
@@stallionstudios I had the red one and put in a Seymour Duncan lil’ screamin demon and sounded great. Shoulda kept that guitar.
They're nice, yes. Only drawback is the Indian laurel fretboard
Phil, what a stand-up guy you are, I mean it! You borrowed that guys guitar, and you put a ton of upgrades in it for him as a thank you! That is old school honorable behavior, brother!
Classic vibes that were made in China from 2008 -2014 were some of the best guitars you could ever buy . I’ve got a CV60 strat , 50s Tele and I had the 50s strat .
You're right. I've got the CV 50's Tele, and it's fantastic. And I bought it used for only $250
😂😂😂😂
The ones made in Indonesia today are just as good.
Even better it doesn’t say CHINA on the headstock
Yep...got the Blackguard 50s CV from that time period ...its a belter... My bandmate bought a Squier Tele CV last year (a 2022 version), I played it - didn't sound near as good or play so well....
I bought one of these just because I wanted another Strat, and I liked the options (and the surf green color) and aside from the fret polishing issue, it's fantastic.
I also gotta say, ive been following you for quite a while now, and i love how far these videos have come. More in depth, and as you acquire more knowledge over the years, you pass it on to us, and im forever grateful. Most informative gear channel on YT.
@Jake Football that "because" is not a reason. Give reasons.
@@musstta01he doesn't need to lmao
I purchased a Ruby Red 40th year anniversary Squire (also a green tele 40th) for my two grandsons. I thought that one day... perhaps 10 - 15 years from now, when I'm gone, they might like getting something from their granddad. The strap button on the strat on the one I got is also off-center installed, so it looks intentional.
Excellent future gift!
*Squier, not "Squire."
i also have the ruby red one and the strap button is off-center.
I stand corrected. @@QS-si3cq
I like that you demonstrate the middle position.
Some guitar youtubers leave out the middle position, but it's got such a nice sound, you should not leave it out!
I bought this online when the price was $600. I wanted it because of the block inlays. I think if I played it in store first I would have passed. I've grown to like it.BTW. my strap button is centered. Fret ends were nicely rounded over also
I love block inlays too. Looks powerful and electrified. But I'm just playing an old 22-fret B.C. Rich Warlock from 2011 as it stands. With how little I play, I don't need anything more anyway.
.......ah, yeah...likewise, I paid the $599 for the Sherwood Green Tele with the Gold.....but, to make me feel better, I bought the Ruby Red with Gold Strat...at half that price, new.....so as to average out!....if that makes any sense!.....it made me feel better. lol.
paying a prettier penny to have chunks of toilet seat embedded to your rosewood fretboard is rock'n'roll 😎👌🏻
@@theelodgeovkeku all right Mary, settle down
@@davedavid7061 I'm not hatin', just pointing out the irony of it all.
Now PRS birds...
Thank you for the great video! I have the same guitar and the straps are mounted identical. Also hated the gloss on the back so i got rid of it and in my opinion its feels a lot better to play now.
I sanded off the gloss finish on my Squier baritone tele too. So much nicer
Everyone knows that moving the strap button back 5mm not only eliminates neck dive but also doubles your sustain
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Good one!
Must be why SGs have the button all the way on the back
It's like vinyl tape on a Honda Civic. 20 extra HP!
it also gives you more tone!
😂😂😂
That's nice of you to make those adjustments to his guitar just for letting you review it.
You're a nice guy Phil (and a great source for honest guitar reviews). Thanks for the video.
One thing youtube become is an advertorial video platform. Your channel is one of the few exceptions. You review guitars just to share what you really like. Thanks for the great review. Guitar is super hot btw! Squier has outdone themselves!
Not many YTers I trust for reviews…you and The Guitaristas are my favorites. Excellent reviews and I always learn something! I’m not a strat fan so I wouldn’t buy something like this, but it does look nice.
With you on that! Phillip and Colin (Guitaristas) have set the bar for informed, honest and fun guitar reviews. So many 'salespersons' out there 'reviewing' stuff . . .
@@ThankHank agreed I fucking love him
And his playing is so realistic but always so good too
Col is great, open & sincere, & I really like his playing style.
Thanks!
Bought a Squier Classic Vibe '70s Telecaster Thinline for $379 on a Musician’s Friend sale sometime back on a whim. I’m not exaggerating when I say the finish, build quality, and even the setup out of the box was some of the best I’ve seen from any sub $1000 guitar I’ve purchased. It quickly became my #2 and has stayed close by ever since. That Thiline can do anything from acoustic to metal….it even tracks well!
Cool tip on how to put a groove in the Dremel pad to make polishing the frets easier. Thanks
I love to see these reviews getting so many views and attention, all deserved. You will struggle to find a review as thorough and well spoken, and with as much helpful advice.
I own a 2001 Squier “Standard” Strat (Indonesia), and I’m amazed how “Fenderey” it is. The neck is slightly rolled (on a Squier?), and the Alnico 5 pickups sound good enough to me to not switch them out. The floated 2-point trem works well. The ONLY thing that bugs me is the 41 mm (yes, 41) nut. The neck at the 1st fret is pretty dang narrow. I replaced it with a Tusq, but had to trim off the ends.
Thanks Phil! I love these videos as they teach me more and more about the workmanship that goes into the instruments you feature. The Geeky Stuff rules!
A lot of care, passion and love for the instrument...
Great guitar, great teacher and a great video!!! Way to go....
The Squire 40th anniversary models are the greatest value for money instruments you can get at the moment. I picked up a Jazzmaster, brand new for a little over £350 in the UK! It's as cool as f..k, sounds amazing, especially the bridge pickup which is super hot.
The build quality is great with no issues whatsoever. Couldn't be happier.
I bought a Squire Starcaster and I was really impressed with the fit and finish, playability, and the overall tone. The frets on my were done well, maybe because it had a maple fretboard. Great video!
The last Fender I bought was a 2017 Pro Tele. It had something like 10 to 12 high frets in various places up and down the fret board. Thanks Fender!
Would love to see an episode where you get a used guitar and do a full setup and fix whatever needs to be fixed. Most of these new guitars just needs a tweak here or there but the used ones usually need a full truss rod, action, intonation, nut, and other stuff which I would love to see. Thanks for all the cool videos 🙏🙏
Check out Zimm’s Guitars if you haven’t already. He does a ton of videos like that on his channel.
It’s nuts, when I was newbie I used think the pricy guitars just played way better. Even though there are still certain advantages to pricy guitars, a good setup brings them super close
Check out Phil’s Sharpen My Axe series fir exactly what you’re describing!
I love what Squier is doing rn. I have a couple diff ones and theyre really great instruments for the price. I recently got a Squier baritone tele and its my current favorite. I did sand down the back of the neck tho because i hated the gloss finish
The one with P90s? I messed around with one at guitar center when i was done checking out acoustics, and I kinda want one. I played it through a supro delta king 5 watt, and it was lovely.
Classic Vibes are always the way to go.
How much more can full sized pots cost? Its a $500 guitar.
1st time viewing your channel. Got to say I found this review very informative & detailed. As a novice guitar builder I definitely learned some good tips!
Personally I dig the look of a Squire neck with big block inlays & binding. I've put a few of the Indonesian Squire necks on different Fender Jag bodies & really like 'em once they're polished up!
Hi I got a ruby red today , the strap button was the same off centre as that one. Besides that and the typical iffy pots and switch, it is a wonderful guitar. No fret sprout and all frets are level . Next to no relief , string height 1.75- 1.5 plays great. Some flame in the maple.
I have an Affinity Squier and I’m beyond happy with it. Out of the box it’s obviously lower quality than even this 40th Anni model but with some hands on work addressing the small details that aren’t attended to in the name of keeping the price low it’s a really good instrument.
I have the ruby one and absolutely love it. Had to change the pickups to a Tonerider City Limits set but it’s now spot on for me.
Love my 2022 Squire Classic Vibe 50s. I also have a PRS SE and a G&L Tribute strat. The Squire is my go to.
The past two years your guitar playing has improved a lot !
I've been watching since the beginning.
that 40th series is pretty good! I've tried a few
Thanks for this video. I have a Gibson Les Paul, a Fender Tele and Strat. I have noticed both of my Fender were giving me some static in the amp but after watching your video, I used my can of Deoxit and I no longer have any static and it was in the pots. Next is to round off the frets but I do not have a nylon thing to test them. However, running my hand over the fret edges shows that some were sharp and other were not. I have the tool to file them from Ste Mac Fret End Dressing File. Again, thanks.
I got a cheap Squire Tele used from GuitarCenter for my nephew to learn on, and I was SHOCKED at how good it is. Plays great, sounds way better than it has any right to, and looks fantastic.
3:54 I typically sand the nut down from the bottom so my strings sit nicely on top. This way I only need to adjust the width for my preferred strings, which are 10 to 52 gauge.
I bought a 2023 Squier classic vibe 60s a few months ago. Put me some hand would 59 pickups and a Mojotone blender solderless wiring harness. CT’s 500k pots and switchcraft 5 way. I love it. It came in waaaaay better condition as far as quality and fretwork that my fender did. I’ve finally accepted that a sticker on one saying fender is nothing more than a decal. I thought I’d never say that lol. I love it!! It’s my number 1 go to now. Selling my fender now.
I watched a number of videos years ago about the Squier Classic Vibe Tele and not one had anything bad to say about them. I bought one and I'm glad I did. My only complaint is that it came in either a natural finish or white finish.
When I started to get interested in luthiery, I wanted to make my first guitar sound a little better. It was an Affinity Stratocaster from a starter kit, it had decent hardware and construction, unlike the new Bullet kits. Now the first thing I did was learn how to play better, and the second thing I did was install a 1-meg mini potentiometer on the volume knob. It made those cheaper single coils open up and the guitar almost has this humbucker driving tone, but it's rather different for sure.
I've bought two Squier Classic Vibe instruments. A Mustang Bass (no dead spots), and a Jazzmaster. Great stuff!
I just bought my 1st non main name brand guitar a Slash Gold Top Epiphone. I am surprised how well it fairs to even my vintage Gibson's for tone. They have stepped their game up. It looks like Squier is too.
Phil, I have the same Squier guitar and the strap button is centered on mine also plays perfectly the only thing I found wrong is the pic guard edge is very sharp and you better be careful when cleaning as you will cut yourself on it.
!!! Greetings from Montréal, Québec, Canada !!! I have been watching your videos for a few years now and ALWAYS enjoy the instructive content of them !!! Recently bought a Squier Telecaster Affinity, Not happy with the 'FREE One month later adjustment', the low strings 'Buzz' within the first 5 frets and still find the strings to be too high past the 12th fret soooo, with your good advice and tricks, I shall try to correct the situation myself, I do not think I can do such a bad job on the bridge for string height and intonation IF I follow your instructions !?! Keep you posted on this one. Thank you for your professionnal videos, may you and familly stay healthy !!! Cheers !!!
Hey Phil,
I don’t own any Squires however for $499.00 this to me is an incredible deal honestly. It would’ve been nice to have this many choices when I was growing up as a kid in the mid 70’s @ these price points.
Japanese fenders in the 80's were less than 300bucks new, not cheap but affordable and very high quality, arguably better than today's stuff at that price.
squier standard are all over the place for $200 , that 40yr one is way overpriced
I bought the same on lst year love it, my strap button is in the same place and my pickguard is a bronzy gold
That is a beautiful Squier! Love the binding on the neck!
Got the Sea Foam Green Vintage version and it’s pretty awesome probably my best guitar. Thanks for the review. Did have to adjust the claw as the trem was very tight.
Pretty nice guitar. Looks cool. Does stratoguitar things. Neck binding is neat, uncommon. Squire is working hard to own 300-500 dollar range, or at least staying pretty close in quality to the upstart brands with less "heritage." Really makes you look for something loaded up with features if you go for value on an off brand alternative.
Harley-Benton is a pretty good alternative from what I can tell, but their cheapest strats actually don't sound good. To my ears, most electric guitars sound basically the same, and almost all of it comes from effects, filters, etc. But that guitar just sounds affected. Maybe it suits certain styles of music, but I'd want a versatile guitar.
Nice deep dive. Most of the Classic Vibe, Vintage Modified, Contemporary and 40th Anniversary ones I've tried play fine after a good setup and new strings. Nice gear for the price.
I love Squier guitars and basses.
I love how your logo colors for this video matched the guitar! Cheers and hope you're doing well.
Great Video , I did the same thing to mine, except I changed the bridge as well, put a Wilkinson bridge in mine and i love it
I have the green telecaster and it also has the strap button off set more too the player
I am a huge Squier fan because you typically get so much guitar for your money. This Squier looks great. But compared to some of the other options out there, I would have serious reservations about buying it when compared to the other options. Especially when it comes to the stuff Sire is putting out.
Doesn’t matter if you change all hardware of the instrument... the most important part is the wood... I talk from experience... I upgraded a Squier Jazz Bass (pups, bridge, tuning machines and I even made it active).
Love Squier guitars. Yes I have crazy expensive guitars all makes all brands customs etc etc. BUT! I added a few things to my squiers and they play and sound no better or worse than my 5 grand guitars. Literally the biggest pros to playing a Squier is you don't have that looming fear of denting digging scratching or having it stolen playing out lol or around your kids. Also I don't customize every Squier I buy guitars for their different sounds. Personalities. Love your channel. I've learned alot you come across very personable. Great content.
Big no from me, they went all in the looks, and it is gorgeous, but I'm not doing a fretjob, shielding, swap pots, maybe change that ugly nut at this price point. Great vid as always, thank you!
I bought a Tele couple years ago. I'm very happy with it. Only thing I'd like to change is the D-G saddle. There's no compensation for intonation.
I imagine when Leo thought it up, wound G strings were the norm, ergo, the compromise wasn't so far apart.
Other than that, for the level I'm at, and unlikely to rise too much, everything else is fine.
I think on a blind test play, I'd be unable to tell Squire from Fender.
Would like to add. With modern CNC machines, there's very little hands on craftsmanship. So long as someone has quality materials and programmers, I see no reason why a quality instrument can,'t be built by anyone anywhere.
I have a Squire Classic Vibe 50s strat as well a a Fender American Standard strat that I bought in 2012. I really like both.
I bought the vintage edition, , has no bindinf Fender-designed, Alnico V-loaded,solid maple neck,I upgraded the tuneing gears and a loaded tortus shell picguard orilpure hotrails, mine weighs 9.3 lbs,,,well satisfied with mine
I have the same one with the exact same problems. Overall, I still like it. I'm changing out the pickups and doing the same alterations.
2:30 it's right in the middle on mine!
Hey Phil - I like that you pointed out the Kluson-style tuners. Tuners are important. I went to a boutique shop here in Charlotte NC and the "guy" pointed to what he called Kluson tuners on my 1977 (Nashville made) Gibson Les Paul Standard. Yep, Norlin heavy. "Guy" said he could replace them with a $50 set. Yes their appearance is Kluson and they have that footprint, but if you disassemble, look closely, each is stamped "Made in W. Germany." I'm thinking they are Schaller. And good to keep. You thoughts? Thx -R
Question about the strap button? Is it the thinner squire body or maybe the fender thickness drilled in a jig??
Nice guitar.
I bought the 40th anniv Jazzmaster in the same color and out of the box it had pretty much the same quality issues you describe. Unpolished frets, pickguard screws all over the place, plus a dodgy pickup switch. But the sound is good and it was at a 25% discount at Thomann so I kept it, set it up, cleaned the pickup switch and it's been playing fine for the last two months...
Very Beautiful Strat Phil,Seen This Particular Model at Long & Mcquade Yesterday.Very Impressive For Sure,Thank You For All The Info & Sound Demo Very Sweet Sounding & Bright Tones. 😉👍
It's nice that you do some work on the guitar like fretwork, shielding paint and adding locking tuners for the person whose guitar you demoed.
How you doing Phil? I bought a 2019 Squier classic vibe 60's stratocaster. My very first electric guitar and did alot of research before buying it and I couldn't be happier with it. I have an Epiphone Les Paul but I still play my Squier daily. After all the bad remarks about Squier , I'm glad that I didn't pay heed to it. Love your show and your Squier reviews and tests.
Phil is that the pickup why it gets more volume in a certain part of the neck?
Always a thorough review on every detail you could be interested in!
I've had that exact guitar. I bought it used, just a couple of months old, practically new! It's a really beautiful guitar! The color, binding, the block inlays... It looks great! However... The wiggle stick doesn't feel good. It's screwed in, and I'm afraid it won't last... The guitar wasn't really set up well, but my main issue with it was the tuning machines. They were absolutely awful! It's a new guitar, but the tuning machines have give in them. I want to loosen the strings and have to turn maybe even a fifth of a lap before anything happens. And it's not about the nut clamping on the strings either. They have give both ways. I was thinking about changing the tuners, but also the fret ends were really sharp and uncomfortable. Finally, I wanted a second Strat as a backup, but it's just so far off from my Shijie STE, it can't compare, it's not even close. Since I bought my Shijie, it ruined all other Strats for me.
What I like about the G&L is that like the Squier Affinity, the width at the NUT is 41mm while everybody else goes for 42mm and larger.... HOW does your Shijie actually measure at the nut ??? Is it 42mm or less ???? Does it "FEEL" slim enough ??? (PS: Squier Classic Vibe feels very large at nut despite it measuring 42.5mm)
I just bought an Affinity Squire Strat last month. I'm learning to love it everyday. I wanted to upgrade my playing and think it is the one to do it. I LOVE anything Fender...
i have had the cherry burst with gold for about a year ,i love it and plays amazing as long as i have had it
im a sucker for big headstocks and bound necks
I would keep in mind too, with any Anniversary limited edition. Some people(collectors)will rarely play them,maybe what Squire is assuming, but from what I can see from your review, it's better than I expected for $499 from Fender and they cant make them too good or Fender cant sell higher end guitars.
If I knew anything about refinishing, I would apply that metallic blue finish and an off-white pick guard on my Squier Vintage Modified Bass Six. I dig that finish.
I got a green telecaster version with the gold hardware for $359 Christmas sale! Did all the mods mentioned in the video, but used shielding tape and gotoh tuners. Also changed pickups to tex mex, higher output than original!
The Squire J Mascis Jazzmaster felt & played better than every single $1K Fender I picked & played at Guitar Center. It’s such a great guitar
Very interesting information about this model guitar. I really like how you go into the technical side of this model Squier. Nice playing too. Thanks for a great video.
Great review as always. We have been impressed with our Squier CV70’s Jag with the exception of the pickups which have been swapped out.
Bought this exact guitar in the transparent "Sienna sunburst" finish. It's honestly the best out-of-the-box guitar I've ever purchased. Looks amazing, too. Mine had a tiny cosmetic imperfection in the binding near the join on the bass side but otherwise it was flawless. Such a nice guitar I actually considered selling my Fender Player Tele to buy the 40th anniversary Telecaster.
same!
Phillip is the best guitar and gear reviewer out there!
I like the color and the metal pick guard shade they look nice together. 👍🤘
I just ordered two. They have been sent now, so I'll have them in a few days. Lovely tone! I do have an old Fender neck, that I was thinking of putting on one of them, but they might be just fine as is. Let's see.
Of course position 4 and 2 are going to be a little "off". They're phase shifted.
I have a few strats now. They all sound different, which is good. My favourite is a Harley Benton. After that I have a couple of Mexicans and US strats. So I'm really looking forwards to picking up the Squires. Sadly I sold my Japanese strat. It was a rough time during the covid lockdown.
Thank you for making this video. The best guitar review that I have ever watched! Very detail and I have learnt much from your techniques to check a new guitar too.
Really good eval and demo Phil - thank you. All the Squires I've bought lately have been similar good. The nut is the most important as every thing else is pretty easy to fix IMO. My only beef is the cool kid colors are not available in lefty versions.
What a great review! I just bought a 40th Anniversary Sonic Blue Squire Strat that someone loaded a Seymour Duncan hot rails on the bridge pickup and put a aluminum colored anodized pick guard. I found a 40th anniversary Squire Gold edition bridge pickup for $30 and am going to remove the SD Hot Rails and give that to my son for his Frankenstein Strat and put the 40th Anniversary Gold pick up in. Man, it is gonna sound awesome. I like the satin finish on the standard 40th Anniversary models.
I bought one before I saw this video and I love it. Absolutely no complaints 🤪
I love Squier for Teles. I'm super picky about Strats but those Classic Vibe telecasters are so good. I'm interested to see what you think about this one.
Hey, Phillip, I've been watching a large number of videos on the Donner superstrat that's been all over UA-cam recently. When they've mentioned the frets, they've usually had good things to say about them. I'm waiting right now to receive the guitar I bought yesterday, so in a few days I'll be equipped to examine the frets and their ends in person. If you like, I'll let you know what I find. If it's as good as some of the reviews I've seen, though, Fender might need to give serious thought to upgrading and modernizing some of their processes. I will not have paid all of $200 in acquisition cost for this guitar. If its frets are even as good as the Squier, the Squier is getting its butt kicked in the value for money department. And if Squier is somehow beating FENDER in quality, then what the hell good is Fender anymore?
wasn't really keen on the neck binding, but always love the 70's era headstock
I noticed some intonation issues particularly with the B string when you were playing in different areas on the neck. Considering the price, it's not as noticeable as many other cheap guitars. However, poor intonation can make a great guitar player seem like a beginner. It could also be the taller fret height and finger pressure causing the intonation inconsistency.
Great honest review as always. Thanks. You do not only learn about a guitar but also what determines its quality.
An amazing review! I am blown away by it. It's really well done. Beautiful! Even though I'm not on the market, I couldn't stop watching the video and because of it, I am better for it. Well done!
I got to say I'm kinda done with the bigger companies not at least giving a gig bag with their more expensive or Anniversary type guitars if $100 guitars can do it there is no excuse. That's just my opinion.
Just a point - if there is no shielding why is there a solder tag screwed to the "paint" in the route with a cable running to the earth tag on the switch? Perhaps to stop you being able to lift the pickguard too far? Incidentally, I have a 1996 Squier Bullet Strat, from new, which has always played very well, with a stable neck (though lightweight trem block) and I like the ceramic pups it came with. Same original tuners too. JUst shows they could make a good 'un even 30 years ago!
Last year I wanted a tele, a project guitar to upgrade, and was trying out Squiers. While I was expecting to have to work on the guitar a bit, the ones I tried weren’t great! They all felt like about 10 minutes were spent on fit and finish. Playable, but not pleasant: rough scratchy frets mainly
I tried an Ibanez, made in Indonesia. A hard tail strat with pup switching that can get tele sounds. It needed less work so bought that one, and spent a couple hours on setup, and polishing frets. Now, almost a year later, it’s still stock, and pondering leaving it be. It’s not as good as my American strat, but pretty damn close; closer than the difference in price!
If I were a beginner I’d have been disappointed with what was available for under $400
I have a made-in-China 2009 Squire Strat and I absolutely love it and would not sell it for anything, Like Mike Campbell said if you find one that plays and sounds great keep it. but I do have a Squire Affinity 2012 and I wouldn't give it to my worst enemy. LOL.
Another great video! Glad that you share other similar guitars as options in this price range. The new Firefly FFST Strats have way more modern features for no money SS frets roast body and necks some mild to wild color options. They need setups though some of these inexpensive Chinese guitar are getting better all the time Thank for the Snark Air tuner I won!
A few things that I had done to mine was to lower the pickups as to me I thought they sounded better that way and I slapped a 10 way switch in there for more tonal variation.
Thanks always for sharing your knowledge regarding maintenance on guitars.
Cheers Bro!
I have a 1993 indo made squire, with a little work intonation,9/38 strings ,set the action and relief ,and a graphtech nut it's a fantastic player I've let 3:other guys play it and they all said wow thats sweet ,I've got a Epiphone strat from the 70s and it's comming along Im doing the same thing and putting locking tuners on Go fender