Hi Matias and thanks :-) I think the 1998 Yako plant Squiers are my second favourites following the Pro-Tone series but those are more expensive than Fender USA these days! Cheers, Gary :-)
Hi Casual :-) I rate the Yako plant guitars very highly. My absolute favourites are the Pro-Tone Squiers but they're as expensive as a USA Strat these days! Cheers, Gary :-)
Roxy, I got a YN6 after watching you. I was suspicious but I watched your video, go to the seller and tested it. And snap, I was in love. My first electric guitar is a 96 Yako Plant Squier. Sounds great on my Hartke bass amp, pos 4 sound makes my soul literally dance. Plays great, neck is great. The guitar is actually much more heavier than my cheap Ibanez bass. After my beloved 27 year old classical guitar, this is a really nice addition to my life. Thank you for this video.
Hi there Ozan, those 90's Yako plant guitars were so well made and when I did a shoot-out with half a dozen Squiers and an American Strat the Yako had the most powerful pickups of the lot and, as you say, they play amazingly :-)
I have a 98 Yako one, apart from the tuners and the bridge it is a really stunning guitar, with the semi circle Fender 5 way switch as oppose to the square shape housing, chunky wires, rather than the skinny ones and full size pots, those are 500K. I bought it for £40 in near mint condition. Even spending on £150 massively beats any MX fenders for sure.
Hi there Magyarangol :-) Bargain! These 90's Yako plant models are the best of the 'ordinary' Squiers IMO. I did a shoot-out and it outperformed a USA Strat! Cheers :-)
Guitar collectors look at headstock labels, musicians pay attention to the sound produced. In any case, your video helped me decide to get a Yako loaded scratchplate which I'll be installing on my Japanese 1994 Squier Stratocaster Silver Series. It's basically a 50s reissue guitar in terms of neck and body. See how it'll sound with Yako produced electronics and pickups. 🎸 🤔
@@FoxysGuitarShow Lo and behold - it's on my Squier already. Almost at the same time I tried Fender Custom Shop Texas Special pickups - and was left bitterly disappointed with that nearly £200 abomination. Not to say that are bad per se - obviously someone likes them - but I failed to hear the £200 difference between them and my 95 Japanese Fender Stratocaster pickups that I was upgrading them with. Sent them back for Fender Pure Vintage 59s instead - and man, I'm impressed with those. The 59s sound indeed. 🎸 🎶 🤔 Still, Yako loaded pickguard is now firmly planted on that 1994 Jap Squier. Great sound, full-sized pots and old school mechanical 5-way switch. You remember those chunky things, as opposed to goodness knows what they replaced them with since then.
@@FoxysGuitarShow Lo and behold - it's on my Squier already. Let me put it this way: almost at the same time I tried Fender CS Texas Special pickups - and left bitterly disappointed with that nearly £200 abomination. Not to say that are bad per se - obviously someone likes them - but I failed to hear the £200 difference between them and my 95 Japanese Fender Stratocaster pickups that I was upgrading them with. Sent them back for Fender Pure Vintage 59s instead - and man, I'm impressed with those. The 59s sound indeed. 🎸 🎶 🤔 Still, Yako loaded pickguard is now firmly planted on that 1994 Jap Squier. Great sound, full-sized pots and old school mechanical 5-way switch. You remember those chunky things, as opposed to goodness knows what they replaced them with since then.
@@FoxysGuitarShow Lo and behold - it's on my Squier already. Let me put it this way: almost at the same time I tried Fender CS Texas Special pickups - and left bitterly disappointed with that expensive abomination. Not to say that are bad per se - obviously someone likes them - but I failed to hear the difference between them and my 95 Japanese Fender Stratocaster pickups that I was upgrading them with. Sent them back for Fender Pure Vintage 59s instead - and man, I'm impressed with those. The 59s sound indeed. 🎸 🎶 🤔 Still, Yako loaded pickguard is now firmly planted on that 1994 Jap Squier. Great sound, full-sized pots and old school mechanical 5-way switch. You remember those chunky things, as opposed to goodness knows what they replaced them with since then.
@@FoxysGuitarShow Lo and behold - it's on my Squier already. Let me put it this way: almost at the same time I tried Fender CS Texas Special pickups - and left bitterly disappointed with that dear abomination. Not to say that are bad per se - obviously someone likes them - but I failed to hear the difference between them and my 95 Japanese Fender Stratocaster pickups that I was upgrading them with. Sent them back for Fender Pure Vintage 59s instead - and man, I'm impressed with those. The 59s sound indeed. 🎸 🎶 🤔 Still, Yako loaded pickguard is now firmly planted on that 1994 Jap Squier. Great sound, full-sized pots and old school mechanical 5-way switch. You remember those chunky things, as opposed to goodness knows what they replaced them with since then.
I've just bought on eBay a 98 red Affinity and I was shocked with the sound. I have another 99 Indonesian Affinity with narrow body (and standard nut width, I thinks it's quite weird) and the Chinese one sounds waaaaay better, cleaner and stronger. Even when its pickups are not set up properly.
Hi there :-) It's baffling, isn't it? I've come to the conclusion that that it depends what materials were available at the time, who put it together and pure luck on how well a guitar plays and sounds. I love the Squier Affinity models and my favourites are the old Yako plant guitars and the 20th Anniversary's too. The nicest ones to look at in my opinion are the Pro Tones but they have a very small neck radius compared to any of the others so if you have smaller hands, they're ideal :-) Kind regards
I have a 5 year old Squire classic vibe telecaster made in China and it's pickups are great. It sounds just as good as my 95 American standard Strat but in a Tele kind of way. Those yakos on your Strat sound great. Like your Riders inthe Sky btw.
Thank you :-) Those Classic Vibes are superb. Made in the Grand Reward factory and their quality is only one decal short of being an actual high-end Fender Strat. Nice one :-) Kind regards
I recently purchased a 1996 white Squier strat with the HSS configuration and I'm anxiously waiting for it to arrive, nice to hear something about that specific YN6 model, greetings from Colombia!
Was my first guitar back in 1997... Put a Seymour Duncan sh101 hot rails pick up in the bridge the guitar got stolen decades ago I would love to get it back
Hi john :-) The 70's Yako plant models are probably the best value Squiers around. Great playability, lovely necks and more powerful pickups from stock than a USA Strat. You must've been gutted mate and they're getting thinner on the ground these days. Cheers :-)
Hi Steve sorry for the late reply, I've been decorating and neglecting everything else until last night when I put a video on and it was awful - I've clearly forgotten how to play and talk sense. I've taken it down but I'll get it done again today. Cheers buddy :-)
Mine is THE SAME. Only difference is that mine is made 2002 (20th anniversary-the only Affinity that is good is from 2002). Also Yako, Guanzhou or what ever its called... That factory is in Taiwan. And mine have black Alnico pickups. Everything made after that is literally junk/trash. I was even offered original US Stratocaster for my Squier. It really sounds either like a strat or better in lots of cases. Do not know how is that possible, but considering the details and the finish on my Squier, it shows that some1 did an amazing job. That period lasted very short... But I got one ! I had luck :) I even record in studio with my band with that guitar + lots of people ask me to borrow it to them for a recording session, bc of the tone. I have over 20 guitars worth over 150 thousand Euro, but this Squier is my favorite guitar. Thanks man, great awesome video, loved it! 👍👍👍👍 Cheers mate 🍻🍻🍻
Thanks so much Marco, that's much appreciated. I've recently posted a video of a 20th Anniversary Standard Squier and it genuinely puts the USA varieties to shame. Out of all of the Squiers, these are my favourites along with the old Yako plant instruments and the Classic Vibes :-)
@@FoxysGuitarShow I love them to very much 👌 It is very important to keep as much original parts as you can when upgrading when it comes to this Squiers. And oil the fretB. with coconut oil. It is awesome for Indian Laurel. Yeah got you man, you gotta be pretty lucky to bounce on a good guitar like that. It just happens sometimes :) There are A LOT of "cheap" guitars that are day and night difference when compared to original or expensive ones. Not every this Squier is good trust me... You got a good one. Thanks, I will go now and watch that 20th Anniversary video 👍 Agreed with all the rest man! Yako rules!
Pretty cool guitar. I had a couple Fender Japan Strats back in the nineties that were very good guitars. The Japanese Squires are great. Nice playing too, man. You get a great tone out of that guitar. Iconic Strat sound.
They are hard to find in the US. I found a 86 Fender Japan Telecaster in a pawn shop. I wasn't looking to buy one at the time so I told the guy working in the store how good it was, especially for $400. He bought it the same day!
It is crazy to think that Japanese fenders used to be common place back in the 80s and 90s. Today's Chinese and Indonesian guitars are mostly mediocre but the Japanese instruments (of yesteryear at least) are my absolute favorites and I wish that was a better kept secret because they are so expensive now. 😭
1997 Tele affinity YN serial number. Only the tuners are trash. Not sure what the body is made of ( nor does anyone else ) Just tuned open D to do some KeeF ( Beggars banquet era ) and it sounds amazing. Butterscotch , bought in a police auction for £90. My dad who is 70+ says it sounds like a real tele from his childhood.
Hi comfortably :-) From what I can gather, the Yako plant, in those days, used whatever market forces came in at the best price so you could, as you quite rightly say, have agathis, basswood or recycled dining table. My favourites are the YN series, the 20th Anniversaries (but not the bullets) and I've just reviewed a Samick plant guitar which was brilliant. Cheers :-)
Hey, Roxy! Thanks, for reviewing this guitar. A few days ago, I got a similar one off of Craigslist, for $50 US, (£40.) I bought it blindly, came home, plugged it in, and mine sounds amazing, too. - The thing is, though, my Affinity says, "NC7754171 ... MADE IN CHINA." I'm guessing it was a different plant than the Yako one you're showing, but do you know what plant my NC7 one is from? ... Thanks, a bunch.
Thanks so much for your kind comments. Squier Wiki Serial Number Tracker says that the 'NC' prefix is "probably" made in the Yako Plant. Certainly the most powerful Squier pickups I've found yet.....by some distance. Great purchase BTW. Kind regards
@@FoxysGuitarShow It is but is it really made in China? The Yako plant is in Taiwan, i know China like to say Taiwan belongs to them but those who live there don't share the same sentiment.
Hi there, that's a really good question. I don't often get involved with basses but all I would say is that if the six string guitars are anything to go by then should be pretty good, yes. I have another Squier from the Yako plant that'll make its way on here over the next few weeks and IMO they were the next best thing to a Classic Vibe :-) Kind regards
Mostly Alder. La mayoria de arce, imagino que hablas español. Muchas fender americanas vinieron de Arce. Estas son muy similares y tienen un sustain y sonido excelente. De hecho se dice que Fender ordeno terminar la fabricación de estas guitarras por la alta calidad que tenian, se supone que si por un precio tan bajo podes tener algo tan bueno, nadie iba a gastar tanto por una fender. mejorando un poco los accesorios ya tenes una buena guitarra. Pero es un mito incomprobable.
I'm unsure as to the actual variety and like our friend says, probably Alder. From what I understand, the Chinese plants tend to base their choice of wood on appropriateness to the job in hand and market value so it can vary depending upon what's available at what price. Kind regards :-)
Hi Guys. Can anyone with relevant information please help. I own this YAKO P-Bass and I've been trying to find its origin without any progress. It has a Fender/Squire shape yet it's just written YAKO and I can't seem to find any information beyond that. Can anyone with relevant information please provide a link to this beast.... Thank you...
Hi there Lally :-) All I know is that the Yako Plant headquarters are in Taiwan but they certainly make guitars in mainland China in the Shinzen factory. I can tell you who will give you a definitive answer, that's Mad Malko. He has a terrific UA-cam channel and his main area of expertise is with basses (and very weird wiring) - send him a message on his channel on here and I reckon he'll provide a useful response :-)
Hi and thanks for your question - it's a good one. I use a Blackstar ID Core 40 and it's my favourite amp since I had a Vox AC30 in the early seventies. Cheers :-)
this is the best video regarding yako i've seen, thanks
Hi Matias and thanks :-) I think the 1998 Yako plant Squiers are my second favourites following the Pro-Tone series but those are more expensive than Fender USA these days! Cheers, Gary :-)
I have a yn5 model. A great guitar it is. Such a warm tone
Hi Casual :-) I rate the Yako plant guitars very highly. My absolute favourites are the Pro-Tone Squiers but they're as expensive as a USA Strat these days! Cheers, Gary :-)
Roxy, I got a YN6 after watching you. I was suspicious but I watched your video, go to the seller and tested it. And snap, I was in love. My first electric guitar is a 96 Yako Plant Squier. Sounds great on my Hartke bass amp, pos 4 sound makes my soul literally dance. Plays great, neck is great. The guitar is actually much more heavier than my cheap Ibanez bass. After my beloved 27 year old classical guitar, this is a really nice addition to my life. Thank you for this video.
Hi there Ozan, those 90's Yako plant guitars were so well made and when I did a shoot-out with half a dozen Squiers and an American Strat the Yako had the most powerful pickups of the lot and, as you say, they play amazingly :-)
I have a 98 Yako one, apart from the tuners and the bridge it is a really stunning guitar, with the semi circle Fender 5 way switch as oppose to the square shape housing, chunky wires, rather than the skinny ones and full size pots, those are 500K. I bought it for £40 in near mint condition. Even spending on £150 massively beats any MX fenders for sure.
Hi there Magyarangol :-) Bargain! These 90's Yako plant models are the best of the 'ordinary' Squiers IMO. I did a shoot-out and it outperformed a USA Strat! Cheers :-)
Guitar collectors look at headstock labels, musicians pay attention to the sound produced.
In any case, your video helped me decide to get a Yako loaded scratchplate which I'll be installing on my Japanese 1994 Squier Stratocaster Silver Series. It's basically a 50s reissue guitar in terms of neck and body. See how it'll sound with Yako produced electronics and pickups. 🎸 🤔
Hi :-) No two ways about it, those Yako electrics have loads of power. Wise choice indeed. Cheers, Gary :-)
@@FoxysGuitarShow Lo and behold - it's on my Squier already. Almost at the same time I tried Fender Custom Shop Texas Special pickups - and was left bitterly disappointed with that nearly £200 abomination. Not to say that are bad per se - obviously someone likes them - but I failed to hear the £200 difference between them and my 95 Japanese Fender Stratocaster pickups that I was upgrading them with. Sent them back for Fender Pure Vintage 59s instead - and man, I'm impressed with those. The 59s sound indeed.
🎸 🎶 🤔
Still, Yako loaded pickguard is now firmly planted on that 1994 Jap Squier. Great sound, full-sized pots and old school mechanical 5-way switch. You remember those chunky things, as opposed to goodness knows what they replaced them with since then.
@@FoxysGuitarShow Lo and behold - it's on my Squier already. Let me put it this way: almost at the same time I tried Fender CS Texas Special pickups - and left bitterly disappointed with that nearly £200 abomination. Not to say that are bad per se - obviously someone likes them - but I failed to hear the £200 difference between them and my 95 Japanese Fender Stratocaster pickups that I was upgrading them with. Sent them back for Fender Pure Vintage 59s instead - and man, I'm impressed with those. The 59s sound indeed.
🎸 🎶 🤔
Still, Yako loaded pickguard is now firmly planted on that 1994 Jap Squier. Great sound, full-sized pots and old school mechanical 5-way switch. You remember those chunky things, as opposed to goodness knows what they replaced them with since then.
@@FoxysGuitarShow Lo and behold - it's on my Squier already. Let me put it this way: almost at the same time I tried Fender CS Texas Special pickups - and left bitterly disappointed with that expensive abomination. Not to say that are bad per se - obviously someone likes them - but I failed to hear the difference between them and my 95 Japanese Fender Stratocaster pickups that I was upgrading them with. Sent them back for Fender Pure Vintage 59s instead - and man, I'm impressed with those. The 59s sound indeed.
🎸 🎶 🤔
Still, Yako loaded pickguard is now firmly planted on that 1994 Jap Squier. Great sound, full-sized pots and old school mechanical 5-way switch. You remember those chunky things, as opposed to goodness knows what they replaced them with since then.
@@FoxysGuitarShow Lo and behold - it's on my Squier already. Let me put it this way: almost at the same time I tried Fender CS Texas Special pickups - and left bitterly disappointed with that dear abomination. Not to say that are bad per se - obviously someone likes them - but I failed to hear the difference between them and my 95 Japanese Fender Stratocaster pickups that I was upgrading them with. Sent them back for Fender Pure Vintage 59s instead - and man, I'm impressed with those. The 59s sound indeed.
🎸 🎶 🤔
Still, Yako loaded pickguard is now firmly planted on that 1994 Jap Squier. Great sound, full-sized pots and old school mechanical 5-way switch. You remember those chunky things, as opposed to goodness knows what they replaced them with since then.
I've just bought on eBay a 98 red Affinity and I was shocked with the sound. I have another 99 Indonesian Affinity with narrow body (and standard nut width, I thinks it's quite weird) and the Chinese one sounds waaaaay better, cleaner and stronger. Even when its pickups are not set up properly.
Hi there :-) It's baffling, isn't it? I've come to the conclusion that that it depends what materials were available at the time, who put it together and pure luck on how well a guitar plays and sounds. I love the Squier Affinity models and my favourites are the old Yako plant guitars and the 20th Anniversary's too. The nicest ones to look at in my opinion are the Pro Tones but they have a very small neck radius compared to any of the others so if you have smaller hands, they're ideal :-) Kind regards
I have a 5 year old Squire classic vibe telecaster made in China and it's pickups are great. It sounds just as good as my 95 American standard Strat but in a Tele kind of way. Those yakos on your Strat sound great. Like your Riders inthe Sky btw.
Thank you :-) Those Classic Vibes are superb. Made in the Grand Reward factory and their quality is only one decal short of being an actual high-end Fender Strat. Nice one :-) Kind regards
I recently purchased a 1996 white Squier strat with the HSS configuration and I'm anxiously waiting for it to arrive, nice to hear something about that specific YN6 model, greetings from Colombia!
Wow! Hello Columbia :-) HSS gives you so much more range and certainly an older Squier is a better one. I hope you enjoy your new toy :-)
Was my first guitar back in 1997... Put a Seymour Duncan sh101 hot rails pick up in the bridge the guitar got stolen decades ago I would love to get it back
Hi john :-) The 70's Yako plant models are probably the best value Squiers around. Great playability, lovely necks and more powerful pickups from stock than a USA Strat. You must've been gutted mate and they're getting thinner on the ground these days. Cheers :-)
These are great!
Hi Steve sorry for the late reply, I've been decorating and neglecting everything else until last night when I put a video on and it was awful - I've clearly forgotten how to play and talk sense. I've taken it down but I'll get it done again today. Cheers buddy :-)
Mine is THE SAME. Only difference is that mine is made 2002 (20th anniversary-the only Affinity that is good is from 2002). Also Yako, Guanzhou or what ever its called... That factory is in Taiwan. And mine have black Alnico pickups. Everything made after that is literally junk/trash. I was even offered original US Stratocaster for my Squier. It really sounds either like a strat or better in lots of cases. Do not know how is that possible, but considering the details and the finish on my Squier, it shows that some1 did an amazing job. That period lasted very short... But I got one ! I had luck :) I even record in studio with my band with that guitar + lots of people ask me to borrow it to them for a recording session, bc of the tone. I have over 20 guitars worth over 150 thousand Euro, but this Squier is my favorite guitar. Thanks man, great awesome video, loved it! 👍👍👍👍 Cheers mate 🍻🍻🍻
Thanks so much Marco, that's much appreciated. I've recently posted a video of a 20th Anniversary Standard Squier and it genuinely puts the USA varieties to shame. Out of all of the Squiers, these are my favourites along with the old Yako plant instruments and the Classic Vibes :-)
@@FoxysGuitarShow I love them to very much 👌 It is very important to keep as much original parts as you can when upgrading when it comes to this Squiers. And oil the fretB. with coconut oil. It is awesome for Indian Laurel.
Yeah got you man, you gotta be pretty lucky to bounce on a good guitar like that. It just happens sometimes :) There are A LOT of "cheap" guitars that are day and night difference when compared to original or expensive ones. Not every this Squier is good trust me... You got a good one.
Thanks, I will go now and watch that 20th Anniversary video 👍 Agreed with all the rest man! Yako rules!
Pretty cool guitar. I had a couple Fender Japan Strats back in the nineties that were very good guitars. The Japanese Squires are great. Nice playing too, man. You get a great tone out of that guitar. Iconic Strat sound.
Thank you :-) I've yet to find a Japanese Strat so hopefully I'll get to do a review on one at some point :-) Kind regards
They are hard to find in the US. I found a 86 Fender Japan Telecaster in a pawn shop. I wasn't looking to buy one at the time so I told the guy working in the store how good it was, especially for $400. He bought it the same day!
It is crazy to think that Japanese fenders used to be common place back in the 80s and 90s. Today's Chinese and Indonesian guitars are mostly mediocre but the Japanese instruments (of yesteryear at least) are my absolute favorites and I wish that was a better kept secret because they are so expensive now. 😭
I didn't know about the Yako Chinese Squires. Rare ones for sure.
Goodness knows where their hardware comes from but those Yako pickups have got loads of power :-) Kind regards
F R I T Z the CAT!
Yup and right behind Fritz there's some Furry Freak Brothers and R Crumb magazines :-)
1997 Tele affinity YN serial number. Only the tuners are trash. Not sure what the body is made of ( nor does anyone else ) Just tuned open D to do some KeeF ( Beggars banquet era ) and it sounds amazing. Butterscotch , bought in a police auction for £90. My dad who is 70+ says it sounds like a real tele from his childhood.
Hi comfortably :-) From what I can gather, the Yako plant, in those days, used whatever market forces came in at the best price so you could, as you quite rightly say, have agathis, basswood or recycled dining table. My favourites are the YN series, the 20th Anniversaries (but not the bullets) and I've just reviewed a Samick plant guitar which was brilliant. Cheers :-)
Hey, Roxy! Thanks, for reviewing this guitar. A few days ago, I got a similar one off of Craigslist, for $50 US, (£40.) I bought it blindly, came home, plugged it in, and mine sounds amazing, too.
-
The thing is, though, my Affinity says, "NC7754171 ... MADE IN CHINA." I'm guessing it was a different plant than the Yako one you're showing, but do you know what plant my NC7 one is from? ... Thanks, a bunch.
Thanks so much for your kind comments. Squier Wiki Serial Number Tracker says that the 'NC' prefix is "probably" made in the Yako Plant. Certainly the most powerful Squier pickups I've found yet.....by some distance. Great purchase BTW. Kind regards
Both NC and YN = Yako made ☺
Yours is a 1997
@@FoxysGuitarShow It is but is it really made in China? The Yako plant is in Taiwan, i know China like to say Taiwan belongs to them but those who live there don't share the same sentiment.
Do you know if the Yako bass guitars were also good?
Hi there, that's a really good question. I don't often get involved with basses but all I would say is that if the six string guitars are anything to go by then should be pretty good, yes. I have another Squier from the Yako plant that'll make its way on here over the next few weeks and IMO they were the next best thing to a Classic Vibe :-) Kind regards
Do you know what wood the body is made of?
Mostly Alder. La mayoria de arce, imagino que hablas español. Muchas fender americanas vinieron de Arce. Estas son muy similares y tienen un sustain y sonido excelente. De hecho se dice que Fender ordeno terminar la fabricación de estas guitarras por la alta calidad que tenian, se supone que si por un precio tan bajo podes tener algo tan bueno, nadie iba a gastar tanto por una fender. mejorando un poco los accesorios ya tenes una buena guitarra. Pero es un mito incomprobable.
I'm unsure as to the actual variety and like our friend says, probably Alder. From what I understand, the Chinese plants tend to base their choice of wood on appropriateness to the job in hand and market value so it can vary depending upon what's available at what price. Kind regards :-)
Hi Guys. Can anyone with relevant information please help.
I own this YAKO P-Bass and I've been trying to find its origin without any progress. It has a Fender/Squire shape yet it's just written YAKO and I can't seem to find any information beyond that. Can anyone with relevant information please provide a link to this beast.... Thank you...
Hi there Lally :-) All I know is that the Yako Plant headquarters are in Taiwan but they certainly make guitars in mainland China in the Shinzen factory. I can tell you who will give you a definitive answer, that's Mad Malko. He has a terrific UA-cam channel and his main area of expertise is with basses (and very weird wiring) - send him a message on his channel on here and I reckon he'll provide a useful response :-)
What's your amplifier?
Hi and thanks for your question - it's a good one. I use a Blackstar ID Core 40 and it's my favourite amp since I had a Vox AC30 in the early seventies. Cheers :-)
@@FoxysGuitarShow Love your reviews,great help to us would be guitar players,did you ever play in a band. Keep rocking 🤪
@@FoxysGuitarShow Wow, what a sound! Thanks Roxy! I really love this sound! Congrats!!!