You are correct. That looks just like my Squier tele, even down to that yellow. Squier quality became good enough, they've decided to change the name on the headstock and charge 2 times the Squier price. I am by no means knocking Squier. Mine plays amazingly well. I will not pay more for the different name, I'll stick with the Squier.
They're all fenders. Fender makes guitars in different countries, and puts different labels on them. It's all just marketing and market segmentation. If they wanted to, they could make the whole range in Indonesia, and there would be no physical difference to the product. The real criticism to this guitar is not the quality, it's the poor specification for the price.
Exactly. Now, my experience is that the Indonesian stuff is better than the Mexican stuff in terms of feel, fit, and finish, but I’d still pick up a Classic Vibe all day over this, which appears to just be an Affinity Tele with a slightly different neck and maybe a bit more QC, but for twice the price. And that price difference could buy you all the tools needed to do pro-grade fretwork and setups ob this and every other instrument you might ever own.
I could get a pretty nice Classic Vibe with better tuning machines and Alnico 5 pickups (which sound a bit better IMHO) for about 60 dollars less. I knew Fender was shooting for a complete cash grab with this nonsense.
These are $1000 here in Australia.I played $340 for a 2024 Squire Sonic last September,put Ratio locking tuners on it, $260,probably wouldn't need these on hard tail tele anyway. Looking at new pots,wiring and pick ups for less than $500.So for $1100 I'll have a guitar that will play far better than this.Or you could by a Sonic Strat AND a Sonic Tele and have $300 for upgrades.These are no doubt good guitars but specced way too low for the RRP.
@@JeffreyAu1 The CVs are great guitars (and not just 'for the price'). I toyed with a MIM Tele but went for the CV50s, and while it's not my main guitar, I'm really pleased with it.
Absolutely right. I buy instruments to play them, period. Not as investments and not to impress my buddies. I am not paying more just for a sticker on the headstock. When I started playing in the 80s, the options for inexpensive but actually good guitars were much fewer. You kind of had to buy a "big brand name" or you were just getting a chunk of plywood. That's no longer the case. Phil has reviewed many good quality guitars that are very affordable.
Yeah, he's consistently excellent. He has a fun, positive attitude, but he doesn't sugarcoat things. He actually informs the viewer. Top notch. He should teach a seminar for other content providers.
When Fender introduces a "affordable" line of guitars they intentionally make them pretty much bare bones so they can later reintrduce the same line with "upgrades". It is a marketing strategy like the Player series aka Player Plus series aka Player II series. The Standard Plus series will probably have a bone or tusk nut.
I picked up a player 2 the other day at guitar center and immediately put it back down. Every fret end was sharp. It was one of the worst guitars I’ve picked up in a while. I can’t believe they had it listed at $800 none of the others were like that, but man, that one guitar was in really bad shape.
@ I checked out a Player II at a couple of music stores in my area and was underwhelmed with the supposed "rolled fretboards". I was considering buying one of the replacement necks when they came out for my original Player strat but will probably just keep the one I have and dress the fret ends myself.
You guys don’t understand business very well do ya.. they specifically model their cheaper guitars so people will eventually move up to buy the more expensive ones. If they make the cheap ones as good as the expensive ones then no one will buy the expensive ones.. they have to hold out on specs on cheaper models so if you want them you have to spend more.. fender putting themselves out of business just to give you cheaper guitars doesn’t make sense as a company whatsoever..
@@隠れた花no I think most of us realize that a non-American made Fender isn’t going to have the same quality materials or hardware/pickups or attention to detail of fit and finish of an American made Fender. BUT when you make a Fender branded instrument that is overall no better (and in some ways less quality-ceramic magnet pickupa vs true alnico pickups, lower quality tuners, crappy cheap factory strings, etc) than an Indonesian/Chinese made Squier Classic Vibe guitar and slap a Fender label on the headstock, and ask a retail/store price that’s $170-200 more than the Squier Classic Vibe…well that’s frankly hogwash…its peeing on our legs and telling us it’s raining. I don’t think these new Indonesian Fender Standards will sell well at least to experienced guitarists once they realize the premium they are paying over cost of a good Squier Classic Vibe guitar just to have one with a Fender decal on the headstock. Oh, they’ll sell some to the unknowing novices and beginner’s and beginners who see Fender name on the guitar and wrongly assume it means a better and more valuable guitar than a Squier Classic Vibe. But as time passes, word will get out and these new Fender Standards will pile up unsold in store inventories and they’ll either drop the prices by $100 or maybe a bit more. Then they’ll either fix the deficiencies as Philip suggested or they’ll stop making them or worse yet they’ll cheapen and lower the quality of the Squier Classic Vibes. (G&L made a similar mistske in their import Tribute line when they introduced their Placentia series with cheap non-G&L bridges and tuners and cheaper pickups at a price point in only slightly below their pretty good Tribute line-where are they now? Disappeared from store stocks and used ones not selling on Reverb unless price dropped fo half or more of new. Seems like G&L realized they stepped on a rake and cancelled the Placentia line after that whack to the face from the rake handle.) Fender needs to be careful that they don’t besmirch their longstanding reputation of quality at value ala Gibson. Know your lanes. They already set a pretty high bar for their Asian made guitars with the Squier Classic Vibe line and with the Squier Contemporary and Paranormal offerings of late. And yes the MIM Fenders have of late really crept upwards in price with some new value added (though one could argue that the value added sometimes doesn’t quite meet the increase in retail price asked. So if they were looking to build a more affordable but still true to at least Fender MIM quality Standard series-these new Indonesian Standards don’t meet the mark. Save costs on body wood and pots/wiring, but pur decent tuners and real alnico pickups in them and make the price point only about $100-120 more than the best Squiers. Or drop the Squier Classic Vibes and tweak up the quality of the Classic Vibe line a bit and label them as Fender Standards and you can justify that $100 markup, perhaps. What they’ve actually done is just slapped a Fender decal on a Squier Classic Vibe and asked $600 for it.
The whole point of those specs being nerfed is to perpetuate the myth that overseas can't make their designs as good or better than the CA factory. If they made them the same spec, we'd see the grift.
Exactly, and if they did put good hardware and spec’d it out the same as a high end, then people would still mainly be mad about the country of origin not justifying the price. In the end a guitar is a guitar and if people wanna spend as much or as little as they can I couldn’t care less. It’s just another guitar option in a sea of infinity it feels like. I’ll try them out and if they are good enough, I’ll just wait for Black Friday for them to drop below normal Squier prices which at this price point is totally possible. 🤷🏽♂️
You can get a Squier Classic Vibe with alnico pickups for $450 or less. $430 for the butterscotch classic vibes '50s with alnico pickups. For the Fender it looks like you pay more and get less. What a deal.
I had one. Mexican Standard Strat in Candy Apple Red. Loved the look of the guitar but the fretwork was terrible. I didn’t know it was terrible at the time because I was a beginner and I thought the frets were supposed to be rough and that is what guitar players meant when they said that it hurts when you first begin to play. Based on this review, this looks about the same quality as the original Mexican-made Standard that I owned. I can deal with the ceramic pickups and the poplar body-that’s what the original Standard had and Poplar is a marginally harder-wearing wood than Basswood -though it is no bargain. I’d still rather get a Classic Vibe or Paranormal for less money and still have the Fender-style headstock. And occasionally, you can find sales on PRS SE Silver Sky, or Player I or II for marginally more but worth the extra hundred or so bucks. Going down market I think the Affinity series have some quite nice models for half the price that you can trick out as long as you can stand the the thinner bodies and need for non-standardized parts. You might even want an Affinity because it will probably be lighter. And of course there are all of the other import brands that offer even more value if the woods, electronics, and hardware are actually as advertised-not always a given.
Love your format for reviewing guitars. When I was looking for an "affordable" Tele I ended up buying the Schecter PT for on;y $100 more. I has a belly carve, a P90 in the neck, very comfortable neck carve, and made in South Korea. It's a great little guitar, and a great alternative.
I was looking at that one before I got a CV Tele, but I really liked that purple PT. Only thing that stopped me was that I wanted THE Tele configuration.
Sorry, with the Squire Classic vibe series you get outstanding quality AND those great vintage slotted tuners. I'm not going to pay more simply for a Fender decal on the headstock
Thanks for reviewing this so quick! I feel like this product isnt really aimed at guitar nuts like us, its more for parents looking to buy their kid their first or second guitar and they reaaaaallly want a “Fender”. So the parents will see it’s only slightly more expensive than the Squiers and have no problem pulling the trigger.
100%. And Guitar Center employees will sell it just like Fender is: "well, if you want to move up from a Squier to a Fender, this is their Standard, it's a couple hundred bucks more... it's the entry-level model, but you're getting an actual Fender." In reality, you're getting pretty much the same thing. 😮💨
@ True, it’s more the fact that this more expensive guitar has cheaper pickups in it (ceramic), than the Squier model (Alnico) below it. It used to be, if you spent more money on a product (especially within the same companies’s line of products) you got better quality. In this case, it seems like Fender is using lower quality components in their more expensive guitars because the target customer base is an easy mark. It’s shady. I’m just tired of everything in our day and age being a scam.
Thank you for your honesty. It's refreshing to see someone not fall all over the new item that 100 other youtubers are fawning over. This was Fender's attempt to increase the profit margin in an industry that is currently oversaturated.
Interesting note on the shielding and grounding inside the cavities… last week I unboxed a new $279 Indonesian Squier Affinity P Bass for a little Frankenstein project I was doing and I was shocked to find it had this exact same treatment in the cavities. (It also had the best pots I’ve heard in a Squier or even some Fenders.) I speculated that they might have been testing out the production techniques for the Fender Standard line on that batch of Squier Affinity instruments.
Phil you should do a comparison with this Fender and a Sire T7. I think you would really like the Sire. I own a Sire T7 and it is twice the guitar for $41 more in price. They are both built in Indo.Prices are from Sweetwater
For sure I would consider any of the Sire strats before this Indo Fender. One of their budget models with a pickup upgrade would be my choice that way you dial in whatever tone you want with a great player on a budget
Thanks for what you do, Phil. Even if I have no interest in what you're evaluating, I still enjoy your dedication to detail and willingness to share. Happy 2025!
Indonesia, the home of Cort guitars. Wonderful country in many ways, not so good in others but an excellent workforce. Something that's finally getting recognized and many businesses are shifting from China, Vietnam and Malaysia to Indonesia, my 2nd home.
The specs on this remind me a lot of one of my go to guitars which is a MIM Standard Tele from 2007. People crapped on the ceramic pickups just on premise, but it always just sounded great to me and to the people that played and heard it, and felt just right. Had many people after shows compliment that guitar as well, and I reach for it over my american made guitars. Always just interesting to see what comes and goes. Feels like a bit of an interesting time. Classic Vibes continues to kick butt, and I just think I continue to be thankful for all the options we have. It’s been ages since I picked up an import guitar and thought it felt or sounded bad.
same here, mine is a strat from 94. the neck pups sounds great and everyone always ask what kind of pups i use which is funny because it's a effin stock 90s mim pups.
I have a 2010 Squier CV series and it's great! I paid $350.00 CDN and have never regretted it. I have modded it but the only mod that I really like is the fishman piezo bridge that is incredible. I changed the pickups out to Tex Mex but found a very small difference in sound and in retrospect, would've left the originals in it. They are so similar, that there is no point to changing. Nice video and very informative.
I think you are one of the best gear reviewers (I like the guitaristas too) , and this was one of your best. Appreciate the amount of work you put in to provide all the details and insights. Thanks Phil!
I agree with the price being the huge issue. This should have been $499 to compete with PRS' $499 guitar. At $599, it just doesnt make sense. I can find Used MIM ones that are cheaper and better spec'd.. OR spend a bit more for a newer player series. From the sounds of it, There really isnt much of a reason not to just buy a Squier CV over it. Really disappointing, I feel like a super affordable import that had a ton of bells and whistles with the Fender logo on it would have been a slam dunk.
Back in 1985 I was shopping for a new Telecaster. My local music store had 4 hanging on the wall. Three were USA made and the fourth was a Squier MIJ which was a copy of a 58 tele top loader. Beautiful blonde with white pickguard. Thats the one I bought. It was cheaper and way better than the others. I played it professionally for years stock but as a true geek I made changes later on. It now has Fender custom shop Texas specials with 4 way switching and 250 K ohm pots. I broke the neck adjustment rod at the heel and had a friend make a tool to dig the wood out around the rod so I could put a new shim and nut on it. Anyway, I sure am glad I found your channel and I'm sure I'll be watching a lot more of your videos.
PRS is using poplar bodies on the SE Silver Sky and SE NF3. They sound really good unplugged. Both poplar & alder are considered “soft” hardwoods, with alder only being slightly harder than poplar. I’m not sure that poplar is actually inferior.
Poplar is not inferior to regular alder in any way, shape, or form (red alder is a different story, but also a different price point). The sonic properties are on average identical. The main reason it was rarely used in the 'golden age' of guitar building has nothing to do with quality, but labor and thus cost. Since you can only use the heartwood of poplar trees (which is only around 60% of the diameter on average) and poplar trees are usually a lot slimmer to begin with... you will almost never be able to create a standard sized solid body from less than three pieces. Exactly cutting three pieces (prior to having CNC machines), sanding them somewhat level without heavy-duty powered sanding machines, glueing them together properly and allowing them to dry (considering many of the glues available today did not exist and this process could take days).... just made no economical sense. Not interested in that model, but if I were, the ceramic pickups, the awful tuners, and, on the non-maple fretboard models, the laurel wood would stop me for sure. Poplar would not even be a concern.
I agree. I have a 1999, made in USA, Fender 'traditional' strat that has a poplar body. It's a great playing and sounding instrument. If it wasn't for the spec sheet, I wouldn't have known.
I prefer this nut width and can’t get it in a Squier. So maybe it’s a Fender neck made by Squier. I know anybody would do well to have their guitars manufactured by Cort. I’m simply impressed. The neck I want is hard to fix yourself and it’s playability seems great. PUs and tuners I can remedy a lot easier than a neck.
this new examination format with a sheet reference that can be accessed for setup/ comparisons / will be my go to before any other videos, if it has one on an instrument im getting online-- great idea and thanks! by all means keep this going on new models as they come especially squire / jet/ sire etc etc
I've been playing for over 35 years and It would of been nice to have had this kind of information years ago , this makes me want to go out and purchase one of these and maybe upgrade the pickups and electrics after a while . Great videos , definitely going to watch more.
Love the stat card addition Phil. Honestly I’m surprised it passed the sock test so well. I can overlook a lot for a smooth playing experience. All the original Player series I played in the store had bad fret sprout.
For this price point, you’re better off getting a Classic Vibe Squire with upgraded pickups or a used MIM Fender or even a Sire with really good specs. (rolled fingerboards, stainless steel frets, locking tuners) Curious how much these guitars used will be at Guitar Center in a year
it would be cool if they were 499, it'd certainly be a lot more appealing. A little detail I'm sure not many other people will care about but I do, there's no fender logo on the neck plate.
Thanks for the open, honest, fair and complete review. I'm probably just getting old but I'm very surprised Fender decided to go this way. I've had very bad luck with Squires (electronics, not staying in tune, cutting up my hand with fret sprout) and I'd be concerned with anything getting closer to that.
That look just like my Squier tele, even down to the yellow color. Squier quality got good enough so they've decided to change the brand on the headstock and charge more for it. My Squier tele is an amazing playing guitar. I will put it's quality up there with my US made Fenders and Gibsons. Fender is just getting greedy and it's showing.
Another great review. I think for the differences i would just by a squier CV. My only suggestion, adjust the release on your noise gate. Its very irritating when listening on headsets. The cut off is very abrupt. Just a thought.
I purchased one of the Made in Indonesia FMT Telecasters and I love it. The rest of my Fenders are Made in USA, and the FMT is my new favorite guitar. As long as the quality is controlled, I don’t think the manufacturing site matters as much as it did a few years ago.
My wife got me a FMT tele used and it's one of my favorite guitars. I upgraded the tuners to Ratio and a TUSQ nut and it always stays in tune. It's only 6lb, has SD 59/PG pickups, and has great upper fret access.
I've looked at the FMT series a few times... Carved top, belly cut, Seymour Duncan pickups, set-neck , etc. They even had one a few years back with the Gibson scale length, but it looks like that one is no longer available.
I wish I had money back when MIJ and MIM Fenders were affordable. I managed to grab a couple back in the day. I have a feeling I need to grab all the Classic Vibe stuff I want now before Squire production is moved to Somalia.
Thank you Phil. I just wanted to point out the obvious, 2yrs ago I bought a Squire indo tele that was pretty much the same, 2 pc. body no finish on neck and $150! Same switch, lasted a year before the neck pick up didn't work anymore.
Nice analysis Phil!..and I really like the spreadsheet. I have a suggestion: maybe change "not horrible" to "decent" or "good enough". "Not horrible" sort of sounds like a back-handed complement of sorts. 🙂
first video i have seen that actually showed the electronics. it's basically a classic vibe with a two hundred dollar fender logo and ceramic pickups in my opinion. is the body full thickness?
No issue at all with Indonesia but I've indo harley bentons with graphtec nuts, gotoh bridges and tuners and good pots for sub£350. Fret level issues dealt with would be a huge improvement fender could do.
I believe the satin saddles on the Indonesia standard are steel, and I think my Mexican tele has chrome plated zinc alloy saddles. Check with a magnet. Steel is better!
I have a 2006 MIM Fender Deluxe Nashville Power Tele that has satin saddles from factory. I loved them immediately. They never discolor with age or oxidize. They always feel more comfortable especially during palm muting.
Thanks Phil. We appreciate you working hard to get this video out and giving a good honest representation of this guitar. You confirmed everything I thought when I first saw this guitarm
Your reviews are excellent, Phil. Deep tech specs, honest opinion based on LOTS of experience and even a spec sheet we can download. Cheers from Silver City, NM. Come visit!
Ceramic pickups, maple cap fretboard neck, 4 piece poplar body, import electronics, black silkscreen logo. That’s more like a Squier Affinity with a Fender logo to me. I’m not impressed at all. The higher tier Squiers like Classic Vibes still have better specs at a lower price.
All true but for my hands the big let down with Squier CV is the smaller neck. I recently bought a deep V Tele neck and I’m wondering where this neck has been for all these years.
Love the review, great job as always Phil. To be honest I kind of got super dissapointed when Fender announced it, I think brands like Sire are still going circles around Fender...what a shame
So the guitar is a Squire affinity telecaster without the Squire label & body cut but cost $300 more. I have a 2018 Mex telecaster and Squire affinity FMT telecaster and Squire affinity telecaster . I like the Mex telecaster, sound neck But the Squire affinity FMT telecaster is next one I like, then the affinity ( I bought bought both Squires off reverb they are new but had blemish & a nick so I got a good deal.
so basically, if you looking for a fender at this price range, either get a mim for a deal (which there are plenty of), or wait until these inevitably go at a deep discount next black friday (srl, for like 450 I'd actually want one)
The guitar looks and sounds good. Two of my favorite Teles on YT had Poplar bodies, and Maple Necks and Fretboards. Janka Hardness for comparison: Hard Maple 1450 Swamp Ash 850-1000 Poplar 540 Basswood 410 Eastern White Pine 380, Ponderosa Pine 460, Southern Yellow Pine 870
Poplar is fine. Rings loud unplugged. It's soft like pine, and pretty "dingable." I have an old (70s/80s) Schecter Strat. It survived a flood that ruined its finish. When I stripped it to refinish it, I discovered that it's poplar.
If someone wanted to punish themselves enough they could do a top 5 Indonesian T styles guitars and compare them to this along with price points and chances are the Fender would come in last.
The only people that care about what is on the headstock are other musicians, and I think most these days would agree it doesn't matter all that much. The necks for these will be used on a lot of custom home builds I would guess. Great video! Thanks for the thoughtful breakdown.
Pallets are made out of poplar...because it is cheap. Poplar is the lowest of low for hardwoods. IMO, no quality guitar should be made out of poplar. Using poplar is a cost cutting measure, used by guitar, and drum makers, for cheap entry-level instruments. The lowest of low. I would never buy poplar guitars or drums. Does the wood matter in a guitar body? Not much...but for the money you are paying for this type of instrument, you should expect much better. I would never buy a Fender with a poplar body. Better quality wood does not cost that much more..... Demand excellence. Demand more for your money!
Well, they also make pallets out of oak, frequently, but it isn’t the lowest of the low. It’s used to make fine furniture. The same is true of yellow poplar, which is often preferred for making drawers in high-end furniture because its grain is very consistent, it’s almost always knot-free, and it usually is dead-stable. It isn’t used for the bodies of cabinetry because frankly it’s fairly boring wood to look at. The poplar Squier (or “Fender”) is using is most likely some Asian tree that either looks like N. American yellow poplar or is distantly related. It most likely will be from a tree that grows quickly and whose wood is therefore spongy. Whether our yellow poplar makes a good guitar body is a matter of opinion-it wouldn’t be my first choice but it wouldn’t be my last either.
I have used poplar for quite a few projects over the years and it's actually a nice affordable hardwood. I found it very similar to maple for cutting, sanding, and stability. It's also much stronger and more stable than pine, which people seem to be ok with ???
@ You got any pine guitars in your stash? You ever see good guitarists bragging about their pine guitars? Enjoy your new pallet-wood guitar that you paid full rip for!
@@crazy8sdrums So when you say quality, what do you actually mean? The only downside I can think of with poplar is screws not being secure enough if its a bad cut of wood that's too soft. What else is there besides feelings of tradition?
10:06 not great - not horrible..... so its 3,6 Roentgen 😁 nice review; all questions answered - even those I didnt have; so now I am more happy with my Squier 50s CV for 377
as a poor man, this is such good news. I missed the boat on the American Standard or Mexi series before they revamped their whole line with the Modern series. Glad to have the standard series back and maybe ill get a new guitar. Squier classic vibes do it for me too but it's just not the same.
Thanks for the video. I learned a lot. And just changed my buying priorities. Now I appreciate more my Jazzmaster made in Mexico. Please do Les Paul, and explain differences like this video. Gibson, epiphone, LTD, that’d be so interesting. I’m not from the US, so the prices go way up, I appreciate the Knowledge.
I played a new Strat today. HSS in red. I loved it so much I bought it. If you like PRS SE you’ll like this. Not sure why people are calling it a Squier without playing it.
It's made with parts similar to a Squier in a location that Squiers are made. If you've played enough Squiers and Fenders, you have quite a few reference points to approximate how this is going to play and sound.
Great job Phil ..nice set. Thanks. Nice try fender. Just so you know we are not as dumb as you think when it comes to our gear. Anything else may be questionable.
yep i get that they had to fill the ~$600 price bracket now that the player 2 is closer to $900, but the fact that they decided to put a fender decal on a squier with no other meaningful changes is honestly insulting. i mean, even the classic vibe has alnico pickups, come on
@gboi116 I hear you. They could have just started calling classic vibes fenders and people might have been happier, except those with the squier versions I guess
I’m glad it feels right. When I saw the Strat version in a video, my Affinity Strat was within sight, and the specs left me really hoping all the “doesn’t show up onscreen” details are much better at that price.
Great review and love the new format. Being able to just get the data sheet as well is grand. Thanks Phil! For what it's worth I really don't see the reason for this strategy. Seems to me that all they are doing is devaluing the brand by adding a lesser version to it when they already have that covered with Squire. Dunno, seems odd but maybe it's for a different market?
gunna need honest, squier shouldn’t be a thing, they should just slap a fender logo on those things and it would be the same as this thing just for squier prices
When you think of fender, you think of higher specs and quality. If you put the fender name on all of the squier, people will start saying fenders are shit because this and that. Now they are saying fenders are squire spec at over inflated price. Thats why you have lower end guitar brand, and a higher end one. Fender brought their brand to the low end now, and that ain't good for the brand. These fender standard are going to have crap resale value too.
@@oneanother1 That doesn't make sense. Jackson or Schecter put their name on ALL their guitars. From cheap to expensive. No one says Jacksons or Schecters suck. They're the best guitars I've ever used. Even their cheap ones rock. People will critique the individual guitar. not the brand as a whole.
@@Heroesworkshop you got to understand the name fender is iconic, they are very popular as well as higher priced that people are willing to spend on. Where they are made is also important, because MIm actually means something. Where as all the oversea guitars aren't usually as costly to make. The brands you've mention are nearly as popular, and so their prices dont reflect the quality. People aren't going to spend a ton of money on those brands especially if they are made overseas. These fenders standard just dont have the specs to match the price, especially of an import guitar.
This guitar has the unique tone that only an official Fender decal can provide.
Tone decals 😂
@@rahzark 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤙!!
@@rahzark Gotta get some of them decals .
😅😂
Thank you Phil. This is no Squier by Fender, it IS a Fender by Squier!
You are correct. That looks just like my Squier tele, even down to that yellow. Squier quality became good enough, they've decided to change the name on the headstock and charge 2 times the Squier price. I am by no means knocking Squier. Mine plays amazingly well. I will not pay more for the different name, I'll stick with the Squier.
@davidseckman8604 Agree, my 70s Classic Vibe Strat is an amazing Squier. It seems like this Fender is also a great Squier.
Thanks Phil! You just saved me some money!
They're all fenders. Fender makes guitars in different countries, and puts different labels on them. It's all just marketing and market segmentation. If they wanted to, they could make the whole range in Indonesia, and there would be no physical difference to the product. The real criticism to this guitar is not the quality, it's the poor specification for the price.
Exactly. Now, my experience is that the Indonesian stuff is better than the Mexican stuff in terms of feel, fit, and finish, but I’d still pick up a Classic Vibe all day over this, which appears to just be an Affinity Tele with a slightly different neck and maybe a bit more QC, but for twice the price. And that price difference could buy you all the tools needed to do pro-grade fretwork and setups ob this and every other instrument you might ever own.
Squier body, Squier neck, Squier pickups, Squier electronics, Fender decal, Fender price.
I could get a pretty nice Classic Vibe with better tuning machines and Alnico 5 pickups (which sound a bit better IMHO) for about 60 dollars less. I knew Fender was shooting for a complete cash grab with this nonsense.
@@JeffreyAu1 They definitely tilted the value scale to their side more which is unusual for Fender and I am OUT on these
These are $1000 here in Australia.I played $340 for a 2024 Squire Sonic last September,put Ratio locking tuners on it, $260,probably wouldn't need these on hard tail tele anyway. Looking at new pots,wiring and pick ups for less than $500.So for $1100 I'll have a guitar that will play far better than this.Or you could by a Sonic Strat AND a Sonic Tele and have $300 for upgrades.These are no doubt good guitars but specced way too low for the RRP.
@@JeffreyAu1marketing angle
@@JeffreyAu1 The CVs are great guitars (and not just 'for the price'). I toyed with a MIM Tele but went for the CV50s, and while it's not my main guitar, I'm really pleased with it.
Adding the value-to-cost statement at the end is a really considerate touch. Ultimately, it may be 1 of the most important stats.
Absolutely right. I buy instruments to play them, period. Not as investments and not to impress my buddies. I am not paying more just for a sticker on the headstock.
When I started playing in the 80s, the options for inexpensive but actually good guitars were much fewer. You kind of had to buy a "big brand name" or you were just getting a chunk of plywood.
That's no longer the case. Phil has reviewed many good quality guitars that are very affordable.
Phil showing how guitar reviews should be done! The new gold standard. Congratulations on this Sir.
💯💯
Yeah, he's consistently excellent. He has a fun, positive attitude, but he doesn't sugarcoat things. He actually informs the viewer. Top notch. He should teach a seminar for other content providers.
When Fender introduces a "affordable" line of guitars they intentionally make them pretty much bare bones so they can later reintrduce the same line with "upgrades". It is a marketing strategy like the Player series aka Player Plus series aka Player II series. The Standard Plus series will probably have a bone or tusk nut.
Very true.
I picked up a player 2 the other day at guitar center and immediately put it back down. Every fret end was sharp. It was one of the worst guitars I’ve picked up in a while. I can’t believe they had it listed at $800 none of the others were like that, but man, that one guitar was in really bad shape.
@ I checked out a Player II at a couple of music stores in my area and was underwhelmed with the supposed "rolled fretboards". I was considering buying one of the replacement necks when they came out for my original Player strat but will probably just keep the one I have and dress the fret ends myself.
You guys don’t understand business very well do ya.. they specifically model their cheaper guitars so people will eventually move up to buy the more expensive ones. If they make the cheap ones as good as the expensive ones then no one will buy the expensive ones.. they have to hold out on specs on cheaper models so if you want them you have to spend more.. fender putting themselves out of business just to give you cheaper guitars doesn’t make sense as a company whatsoever..
@@隠れた花no I think most of us realize that a non-American made Fender isn’t going to have the same quality materials or hardware/pickups or attention to detail of fit and finish of an American made Fender. BUT when you make a Fender branded instrument that is overall no better (and in some ways less quality-ceramic magnet pickupa vs true alnico pickups, lower quality tuners, crappy cheap factory strings, etc) than an Indonesian/Chinese made Squier Classic Vibe guitar and slap a Fender label on the headstock, and ask a retail/store price that’s $170-200 more than the Squier Classic Vibe…well that’s frankly hogwash…its peeing on our legs and telling us it’s raining. I don’t think these new Indonesian Fender Standards will sell well at least to experienced guitarists once they realize the premium they are paying over cost of a good Squier Classic Vibe guitar just to have one with a Fender decal on the headstock. Oh, they’ll sell some to the unknowing novices and beginner’s and beginners who see Fender name on the guitar and wrongly assume it means a better and more valuable guitar than a Squier Classic Vibe. But as time passes, word will get out and these new Fender Standards will pile up unsold in store inventories and they’ll either drop the prices by $100 or maybe a bit more. Then they’ll either fix the deficiencies as Philip suggested or they’ll stop making them or worse yet they’ll cheapen and lower the quality of the Squier Classic Vibes. (G&L made a similar mistske in their import Tribute line when they introduced their Placentia series with cheap non-G&L bridges and tuners and cheaper pickups at a price point in only slightly below their pretty good Tribute line-where are they now? Disappeared from store stocks and used ones not selling on Reverb unless price dropped fo half or more of new. Seems like G&L realized they stepped on a rake and cancelled the Placentia line after that whack to the face from the rake handle.)
Fender needs to be careful that they don’t besmirch their longstanding reputation of quality at value ala Gibson. Know your lanes. They already set a pretty high bar for their Asian made guitars with the Squier Classic Vibe line and with the Squier Contemporary and Paranormal offerings of late. And yes the MIM Fenders have of late really crept upwards in price with some new value added (though one could argue that the value added sometimes doesn’t quite meet the increase in retail price asked. So if they were looking to build a more affordable but still true to at least Fender MIM quality Standard series-these new Indonesian Standards don’t meet the mark. Save costs on body wood and pots/wiring, but pur decent tuners and real alnico pickups in them and make the price point only about $100-120 more than the best Squiers. Or drop the Squier Classic Vibes and tweak up the quality of the Classic Vibe line a bit and label them as Fender Standards and you can justify that $100 markup, perhaps. What they’ve actually done is just slapped a Fender decal on a Squier Classic Vibe and asked $600 for it.
These definitely have a Classic Vibe about them, shows Fender really have an Affinity for their history.
🫵🏻😆 Good one.
yeah , but the Affinity line up sucks
I get it, but they don't have a Classic Vibe about them. They do have have an Affinity vibe.
Someone would have to bite the Bullet
The Sonic qualities are fantastic. Great Debut for this new model.
The whole point of those specs being nerfed is to perpetuate the myth that overseas can't make their designs as good or better than the CA factory. If they made them the same spec, we'd see the grift.
Exactly, and if they did put good hardware and spec’d it out the same as a high end, then people would still mainly be mad about the country of origin not justifying the price.
In the end a guitar is a guitar and if people wanna spend as much or as little as they can I couldn’t care less. It’s just another guitar option in a sea of infinity it feels like.
I’ll try them out and if they are good enough, I’ll just wait for Black Friday for them to drop below normal Squier prices which at this price point is totally possible. 🤷🏽♂️
You can get a Squier Classic Vibe with alnico pickups for $450 or less. $430 for the butterscotch classic vibes '50s with alnico pickups. For the Fender it looks like you pay more and get less. What a deal.
Or pay a little more and get a player series
@@Glockguy402not gonna lie, I wouldn't trade my 60s CV P Bass for a Player Series. It's a fantastic bass.
@@Glockguy402 Yes. Didn't Fender have sales on players a few months ago for around $600 or $650?
Have a classic vibe myself. Amazing for the money. I'll keep the difference for the sake of a logo.
Remember the before times when Mim was $399? Good times
Or $225-250 used.
I had one. Mexican Standard Strat in Candy Apple Red. Loved the look of the guitar but the fretwork was terrible. I didn’t know it was terrible at the time because I was a beginner and I thought the frets were supposed to be rough and that is what guitar players meant when they said that it hurts when you first begin to play. Based on this review, this looks about the same quality as the original Mexican-made Standard that I owned. I can deal with the ceramic pickups and the poplar body-that’s what the original Standard had and Poplar is a marginally harder-wearing wood than Basswood -though it is no bargain. I’d still rather get a Classic Vibe or Paranormal for less money and still have the Fender-style headstock. And occasionally, you can find sales on PRS SE Silver Sky, or Player I or II for marginally more but worth the extra hundred or so bucks. Going down market I think the Affinity series have some quite nice models for half the price that you can trick out as long as you can stand the the thinner bodies and need for non-standardized parts. You might even want an Affinity because it will probably be lighter. And of course there are all of the other import brands that offer even more value if the woods, electronics, and hardware are actually as advertised-not always a given.
Exactly. I bought a Mexico-made Telecaster for my daughter at $499 and it really wasn't that long ago according to my old brain.
Yeah I bought a MIM tele and a bass and I think the tele was 499 and the bass was 550 - this was in 2013 I think. They're still performing.
Remember when you could get a Pre-CBS Fender Strat for $269? Stop trusting government to solve your problems for you.
Love your format for reviewing guitars. When I was looking for an "affordable" Tele I ended up buying the Schecter PT for on;y $100 more. I has a belly carve, a P90 in the neck, very comfortable neck carve, and made in South Korea. It's a great little guitar, and a great alternative.
I was looking at that one before I got a CV Tele, but I really liked that purple PT. Only thing that stopped me was that I wanted THE Tele configuration.
@damienalvarez2957 the 12" radius was what turned me off them. Fender's shouldn't be flatter than 9.5".
They are well built with great playability but feel is definitely more modern due to huuuge frets and modern pickups
Sorry, with the Squire Classic vibe series you get outstanding quality AND those great vintage slotted tuners. I'm not going to pay more simply for a Fender decal on the headstock
Exactly. This guitar doesn’t make sense to me.
@@BobPerrone and a bone nut!
Squier Contemporary series is like CV but with roasted maple neck and modern upgrades.
Agreed... But sadly, a lot of people will pay the premium because it says "Fender" on the headstock.
Was going to say the same thing
Thanks for reviewing this so quick! I feel like this product isnt really aimed at guitar nuts like us, its more for parents looking to buy their kid their first or second guitar and they reaaaaallly want a “Fender”. So the parents will see it’s only slightly more expensive than the Squiers and have no problem pulling the trigger.
100%. And Guitar Center employees will sell it just like Fender is: "well, if you want to move up from a Squier to a Fender, this is their Standard, it's a couple hundred bucks more... it's the entry-level model, but you're getting an actual Fender." In reality, you're getting pretty much the same thing. 😮💨
@wildesage4172 you're getting less.
I don't really see how having a choice is a bad thing? Squier CV is not discontinued
@ True, it’s more the fact that this more expensive guitar has cheaper pickups in it (ceramic), than the Squier model (Alnico) below it. It used to be, if you spent more money on a product (especially within the same companies’s line of products) you got better quality. In this case, it seems like Fender is using lower quality components in their more expensive guitars because the target customer base is an easy mark. It’s shady. I’m just tired of everything in our day and age being a scam.
Thank you for your honesty. It's refreshing to see someone not fall all over the new item that 100 other youtubers are fawning over. This was Fender's attempt to increase the profit margin in an industry that is currently oversaturated.
I love the spec sheet pdf! Thank you for taking the time to generate them!
I was about to get a Fender 75th anniversary jazz bass today, but decided to pick up a G&L SB-2. Quality just seems better.
G&L is killer. Congrats
@YoungDoug13 yeah I wanted the MFD pickups
Good for you EFF Fender
@tonymarinelli7304 Yeah I also have a Black Smoker Misa bass as well instead of Fender lol
Much better value than a Fender.
Took me 5 minutes to realize it, but the Guitar Score Card is a great idea. Subtle but very useful!
Interesting note on the shielding and grounding inside the cavities… last week I unboxed a new $279 Indonesian Squier Affinity P Bass for a little Frankenstein project I was doing and I was shocked to find it had this exact same treatment in the cavities. (It also had the best pots I’ve heard in a Squier or even some Fenders.) I speculated that they might have been testing out the production techniques for the Fender Standard line on that batch of Squier Affinity instruments.
You, Sir, are doing us a FANTASTIC service! Thank you so much for all your work!
I love your last comment about the price - that said everything to me! Thanx for your work!
Phil you should do a comparison with this Fender and a Sire T7. I think you would really like the Sire. I own a Sire T7 and it is twice the guitar for $41 more in price. They are both built in Indo.Prices are from Sweetwater
For sure I would consider any of the Sire strats before this Indo Fender. One of their budget models with a pickup upgrade would be my choice that way you dial in whatever tone you want with a great player on a budget
I was thinking the same thing.
I’d take the s3 ahead of this
Sire would destroy this lol.
T5 might blow this out of the water, and it’s cheaper!
Thanks for what you do, Phil. Even if I have no interest in what you're evaluating, I still enjoy your dedication to detail and willingness to share. Happy 2025!
Liking the new setup you’re doing. Actual specs and numbers not just personal preference. Good job Phil. 👍🏻
Indonesia, the home of Cort guitars. Wonderful country in many ways, not so good in others but an excellent workforce. Something that's finally getting recognized and many businesses are shifting from China, Vietnam and Malaysia to Indonesia, my 2nd home.
The specs on this remind me a lot of one of my go to guitars which is a MIM Standard Tele from 2007. People crapped on the ceramic pickups just on premise, but it always just sounded great to me and to the people that played and heard it, and felt just right. Had many people after shows compliment that guitar as well, and I reach for it over my american made guitars.
Always just interesting to see what comes and goes. Feels like a bit of an interesting time. Classic Vibes continues to kick butt, and I just think I continue to be thankful for all the options we have. It’s been ages since I picked up an import guitar and thought it felt or sounded bad.
same here, mine is a strat from 94. the neck pups sounds great and everyone always ask what kind of pups i use which is funny because it's a effin stock 90s mim pups.
I have a 2010 Squier CV series and it's great! I paid $350.00 CDN and have never regretted it. I have modded it but the only mod that I really like is the fishman piezo bridge that is incredible. I changed the pickups out to Tex Mex but found a very small difference in sound and in retrospect, would've left the originals in it. They are so similar, that there is no point to changing.
Nice video and very informative.
I think you are one of the best gear reviewers (I like the guitaristas too) , and this was one of your best. Appreciate the amount of work you put in to provide all the details and insights. Thanks Phil!
Squire classic vibe has alnico pickups. How bad do you want Fender on the headstock?
Hey Phil! Love the new setup and effort that went into this review
I agree with the price being the huge issue. This should have been $499 to compete with PRS' $499 guitar. At $599, it just doesnt make sense. I can find Used MIM ones that are cheaper and better spec'd.. OR spend a bit more for a newer player series. From the sounds of it, There really isnt much of a reason not to just buy a Squier CV over it. Really disappointing, I feel like a super affordable import that had a ton of bells and whistles with the Fender logo on it would have been a slam dunk.
Love the new format and added deep dive stuff!!!
Back in 1985 I was shopping for a new Telecaster. My local music store had 4 hanging on the wall. Three were USA made and the fourth was a Squier MIJ which was a copy of a 58 tele top loader. Beautiful blonde with white pickguard. Thats the one I bought. It was cheaper and way better than the others. I played it professionally for years stock but as a true geek I made changes later on. It now has Fender custom shop Texas specials with 4 way switching and 250 K ohm pots. I broke the neck adjustment rod at the heel and had a friend make a tool to dig the wood out around the rod so I could put a new shim and nut on it. Anyway, I sure am glad I found your channel and I'm sure I'll be watching a lot more of your videos.
Great information on this new offer from Squire...I mean fender. Thank you Phil for your knowledge and insight. As always a trusted review.
Phil I loved the way your playing sounded. Very smooth and musical. Especially on the neck pickup.
PRS is using poplar bodies on the SE Silver Sky and SE NF3. They sound really good unplugged. Both poplar & alder are considered “soft” hardwoods, with alder only being slightly harder than poplar. I’m not sure that poplar is actually inferior.
Poplar is not inferior to regular alder in any way, shape, or form (red alder is a different story, but also a different price point). The sonic properties are on average identical. The main reason it was rarely used in the 'golden age' of guitar building has nothing to do with quality, but labor and thus cost. Since you can only use the heartwood of poplar trees (which is only around 60% of the diameter on average) and poplar trees are usually a lot slimmer to begin with... you will almost never be able to create a standard sized solid body from less than three pieces. Exactly cutting three pieces (prior to having CNC machines), sanding them somewhat level without heavy-duty powered sanding machines, glueing them together properly and allowing them to dry (considering many of the glues available today did not exist and this process could take days).... just made no economical sense.
Not interested in that model, but if I were, the ceramic pickups, the awful tuners, and, on the non-maple fretboard models, the laurel wood would stop me for sure. Poplar would not even be a concern.
I agree. I have a 1999, made in USA, Fender 'traditional' strat that has a poplar body. It's a great playing and sounding instrument. If it wasn't for the spec sheet, I wouldn't have known.
I actually prefer poplar because it's lighter and tonewood is BS
@@uwedasler425I've grown to like Poplar!
I prefer this nut width and can’t get it in a Squier. So maybe it’s a Fender neck made by Squier. I know anybody would do well to have their guitars manufactured by Cort. I’m simply impressed. The neck I want is hard to fix yourself and it’s playability seems great. PUs and tuners I can remedy a lot easier than a neck.
Rad man. Such a comprehensive and solid, honest review.
this new examination format with a sheet reference that can be accessed for setup/ comparisons / will be my go to before any other videos, if it has one on an instrument im getting online-- great idea and thanks! by all means keep this going on new models as they come especially squire / jet/ sire etc etc
Honestly didn't think he could improve his reviews then boom! The best guitar reviewer gets even better.
I've been playing for over 35 years and It would of been nice to have had this kind of information years ago , this makes me want to go out and purchase one of these and maybe upgrade the pickups and electrics after a while . Great videos , definitely going to watch more.
Or get a Squier Classic Vibe for $440 new or $300 used like new, or $150 used with battle scars but plays fine.
Love the stat card addition Phil. Honestly I’m surprised it passed the sock test so well. I can overlook a lot for a smooth playing experience. All the original Player series I played in the store had bad fret sprout.
You are the best guitar reviewer on UA-cam…thanks!
Phil, you're the gold standard in guitar reviews. Thanks for making them.
For this price point, you’re better off getting a Classic Vibe Squire with upgraded pickups or a used MIM Fender or even a Sire with really good specs. (rolled fingerboards, stainless steel frets, locking tuners)
Curious how much these guitars used will be at Guitar Center in a year
Good video Phil, I’ll keep being happy playing my alder bodied Squier Tele and Classic Vibe Strat.
it would be cool if they were 499, it'd certainly be a lot more appealing. A little detail I'm sure not many other people will care about but I do, there's no fender logo on the neck plate.
Thanks for the open, honest, fair and complete review. I'm probably just getting old but I'm very surprised Fender decided to go this way. I've had very bad luck with Squires (electronics, not staying in tune, cutting up my hand with fret sprout) and I'd be concerned with anything getting closer to that.
That truss rod adjustment wrench tells it all. It’s not a Mexican fender size. It’s a squire size. That’s a squire neck.
Squier!
@@andrezcabara2774 Square!
Bingo. Also Squier wood, Squier switch, and Squiers often have better pickups.
That's a good thing, the squires are often better
That look just like my Squier tele, even down to the yellow color. Squier quality got good enough so they've decided to change the brand on the headstock and charge more for it. My Squier tele is an amazing playing guitar. I will put it's quality up there with my US made Fenders and Gibsons. Fender is just getting greedy and it's showing.
Another great review. I think for the differences i would just by a squier CV.
My only suggestion, adjust the release on your noise gate. Its very irritating when listening on headsets. The cut off is very abrupt.
Just a thought.
I purchased one of the Made in Indonesia FMT Telecasters and I love it. The rest of my Fenders are Made in USA, and the FMT is my new favorite guitar. As long as the quality is controlled, I don’t think the manufacturing site matters as much as it did a few years ago.
The Telecaster fmt is a true sleeper. Light weight and well balanced. Plays ad sounds great.
My wife got me a FMT tele used and it's one of my favorite guitars. I upgraded the tuners to Ratio and a TUSQ nut and it always stays in tune. It's only 6lb, has SD 59/PG pickups, and has great upper fret access.
Seriously looking at an FMT. Reviews are rave across the board.
I've looked at the FMT series a few times... Carved top, belly cut, Seymour Duncan pickups, set-neck , etc. They even had one a few years back with the Gibson scale length, but it looks like that one is no longer available.
I wish I had money back when MIJ and MIM Fenders were affordable.
I managed to grab a couple back in the day.
I have a feeling I need to grab all the Classic Vibe stuff I want now before Squire production is moved to Somalia.
I love that the geeky stuff is getting geekier
Thank you Phil. I just wanted to point out the obvious, 2yrs ago I bought a Squire indo tele that was pretty much the same, 2 pc. body no finish on neck and $150! Same switch, lasted a year before the neck pick up didn't work anymore.
I would totally agree with you on the concept.
I was waiting for this video to come out!
Nice analysis Phil!..and I really like the spreadsheet. I have a suggestion: maybe change "not horrible" to "decent" or "good enough". "Not horrible" sort of sounds like a back-handed complement of sorts. 🙂
first video i have seen that actually showed the electronics. it's basically a classic vibe with a two hundred dollar fender logo and ceramic pickups in my opinion. is the body full thickness?
They are full thickness I believe.
No issue at all with Indonesia but I've indo harley bentons with graphtec nuts, gotoh bridges and tuners and good pots for sub£350. Fret level issues dealt with would be a huge improvement fender could do.
I believe the satin saddles on the Indonesia standard are steel, and I think my Mexican tele has chrome plated zinc alloy saddles. Check with a magnet. Steel is better!
I have a 2006 MIM Fender Deluxe Nashville Power Tele that has satin saddles from factory. I loved them immediately. They never discolor with age or oxidize. They always feel more comfortable especially during palm muting.
It`s Nashville ready and neck humbucker ready! Very cool!
That's a great point!
Pretty sure the affinity series squiers are too.... lmao
Everybody loves having a great Squier which assumes to be a Squier!
Thanks Phil. We appreciate you working hard to get this video out and giving a good honest representation of this guitar. You confirmed everything I thought when I first saw this guitarm
Please do the Acoustasonic standard!
Not out until April 29th.
Your reviews are excellent, Phil. Deep tech specs, honest opinion based on LOTS of experience and even a spec sheet we can download. Cheers from Silver City, NM. Come visit!
Ceramic pickups, maple cap fretboard neck, 4 piece poplar body, import electronics, black silkscreen logo. That’s more like a Squier Affinity with a Fender logo to me. I’m not impressed at all. The higher tier Squiers like Classic Vibes still have better specs at a lower price.
I'd say it's more like my Squier Standard Tele than an Affinity
The price of silkscreen in the shape of the Fender logo has skyrocketed.
what you read on the headstock is a matter
All true but for my hands the big let down with Squier CV is the smaller neck. I recently bought a deep V Tele neck and I’m wondering where this neck has been for all these years.
I haven't seen anyone be impressed with these yet .
Love the review, great job as always Phil. To be honest I kind of got super dissapointed when Fender announced it, I think brands like Sire are still going circles around Fender...what a shame
So the guitar is a Squire affinity telecaster without the Squire label & body cut but cost $300 more.
I have a 2018 Mex telecaster
and Squire affinity FMT telecaster and Squire affinity telecaster .
I like the Mex telecaster, sound neck
But the Squire affinity FMT telecaster is next one I like, then the affinity ( I bought bought both Squires off reverb they are new but had blemish & a nick so I got a good deal.
so basically, if you looking for a fender at this price range, either get a mim for a deal (which there are plenty of), or wait until these inevitably go at a deep discount next black friday (srl, for like 450 I'd actually want one)
So basically what we all expected. Fender logo on a Squire guitar.
The guitar looks and sounds good. Two of my favorite Teles on YT had Poplar bodies, and Maple Necks and Fretboards.
Janka Hardness for comparison:
Hard Maple 1450
Swamp Ash 850-1000
Poplar 540
Basswood 410
Eastern White Pine 380, Ponderosa Pine 460, Southern Yellow Pine 870
It's a Squier with a $200 decal on the headstock.
That’s insulting a squier.
A low end Squier even.
that yellow and blue flag is just a puppet paid for by usa to exist
It’s a “tone decal”. 😂
Definitely a squier standard bridge
Possibly the most balanced review of a guitar I've ever watched. Conclusion was to the point.
Is the guitar really any better than a Squier CV? Doesn't look like it to me. If I was going to buy a Tele, I'd be all in on the CV for $200 less.
poplar body fender is the same as affinity. but, neverthls, its "fender" printed on the hdstock
Probably not. This is just them cashing out on the insecure people that just want the fender logo, which nobody except guitarists care about.
Poplar is fine. Rings loud unplugged. It's soft like pine, and pretty "dingable."
I have an old (70s/80s) Schecter Strat. It survived a flood that ruined its finish. When I stripped it to refinish it, I discovered that it's poplar.
Poplar is really loud unplugged, people seem to think it is awful. The two most resonant guitars I have owned have been made of poplar
Is there a way to get blank guitar score card?
Make one in excel / google sheets?
I really love the new geek dive changes. You and Shawna are doing 2025 justice, i think the namm budget was well spent.
If someone wanted to punish themselves enough they could do a top 5 Indonesian T styles guitars and compare them to this along with price points and chances are the Fender would come in last.
I built a partscaster tele with all fender replacement parts, hated it, rebuilt it with all squier CV parts from stratosphere and it’s perfect.
It just seems price gouging, put a Squier logo on it its 299
The only people that care about what is on the headstock are other musicians, and I think most these days would agree it doesn't matter all that much. The necks for these will be used on a lot of custom home builds I would guess. Great video! Thanks for the thoughtful breakdown.
Pallets are made out of poplar...because it is cheap. Poplar is the lowest of low for hardwoods. IMO, no quality guitar should be made out of poplar. Using poplar is a cost cutting measure, used by guitar, and drum makers, for cheap entry-level instruments. The lowest of low. I would never buy poplar guitars or drums. Does the wood matter in a guitar body? Not much...but for the money you are paying for this type of instrument, you should expect much better. I would never buy a Fender with a poplar body. Better quality wood does not cost that much more..... Demand excellence. Demand more for your money!
This is an excellent video though. Kudos to Phillip for his geeky and detailed review!
Well, they also make pallets out of oak, frequently, but it isn’t the lowest of the low. It’s used to make fine furniture. The same is true of yellow poplar, which is often preferred for making drawers in high-end furniture because its grain is very consistent, it’s almost always knot-free, and it usually is dead-stable. It isn’t used for the bodies of cabinetry because frankly it’s fairly boring wood to look at.
The poplar Squier (or “Fender”) is using is most likely some Asian tree that either looks like N. American yellow poplar or is distantly related. It most likely will be from a tree that grows quickly and whose wood is therefore spongy.
Whether our yellow poplar makes a good guitar body is a matter of opinion-it wouldn’t be my first choice but it wouldn’t be my last either.
I have used poplar for quite a few projects over the years and it's actually a nice affordable hardwood. I found it very similar to maple for cutting, sanding, and stability. It's also much stronger and more stable than pine, which people seem to be ok with ???
@ You got any pine guitars in your stash? You ever see good guitarists bragging about their pine guitars?
Enjoy your new pallet-wood guitar that you paid full rip for!
@@crazy8sdrums So when you say quality, what do you actually mean? The only downside I can think of with poplar is screws not being secure enough if its a bad cut of wood that's too soft. What else is there besides feelings of tradition?
10:06 not great - not horrible..... so its 3,6 Roentgen 😁 nice review; all questions answered - even those I didnt have; so now I am more happy with my Squier 50s CV for 377
Fender Classic Vibe Telecaster. Not for me unfortunately. (Great Review regardless, Phil)
as a poor man, this is such good news. I missed the boat on the American Standard or Mexi series before they revamped their whole line with the Modern series. Glad to have the standard series back and maybe ill get a new guitar.
Squier classic vibes do it for me too but it's just not the same.
How dare the call that a "standard".
Thanks for the video. I learned a lot. And just changed my buying priorities. Now I appreciate more my Jazzmaster made in Mexico. Please do Les Paul, and explain differences like this video. Gibson, epiphone, LTD, that’d be so interesting. I’m not from the US, so the prices go way up, I appreciate the Knowledge.
Squier with a Fender logo. I will stick with my Classic Vibes. I don't care what the headstock says.
I played a new Strat today. HSS in red. I loved it so much I bought it. If you like PRS SE you’ll like this. Not sure why people are calling it a Squier without playing it.
It's made with parts similar to a Squier in a location that Squiers are made. If you've played enough Squiers and Fenders, you have quite a few reference points to approximate how this is going to play and sound.
The Fender Whybothercaster
Next year it will the Suckercaster.
Good info Phil, thanks for the video! Always enjoy getting your two cents
Great job Phil ..nice set. Thanks.
Nice try fender. Just so you know we are not as dumb as you think when it comes to our gear. Anything else may be questionable.
I enjoy the way this video is presented. Well done ✅
Mexican guitars are about to be 25% more expensive for Americans. So I think I understand why this exists. I don't like it, but I understand.
yep i get that they had to fill the ~$600 price bracket now that the player 2 is closer to $900, but the fact that they decided to put a fender decal on a squier with no other meaningful changes is honestly insulting. i mean, even the classic vibe has alnico pickups, come on
@gboi116 I hear you. They could have just started calling classic vibes fenders and people might have been happier, except those with the squier versions I guess
I’m glad it feels right. When I saw the Strat version in a video, my Affinity Strat was within sight, and the specs left me really hoping all the “doesn’t show up onscreen” details are much better at that price.
Once again, Fender proves you don't have to buy their shit.
Great review and love the new format. Being able to just get the data sheet as well is grand. Thanks Phil! For what it's worth I really don't see the reason for this strategy. Seems to me that all they are doing is devaluing the brand by adding a lesser version to it when they already have that covered with Squire. Dunno, seems odd but maybe it's for a different market?
So it's basically a mid-tier Squier with a Fender badge for $599. Nice try Fender!
That was bonkers good Phil. Not much more to know about that product. Wow!!!
gunna need honest, squier shouldn’t be a thing, they should just slap a fender logo on those things and it would be the same as this thing just for squier prices
I agree. They’re already bridging the gap with these rebranded Squiers.
This looks like a low end squier with a fender logo. A classic vibes squier seems like a better product
When you think of fender, you think of higher specs and quality. If you put the fender name on all of the squier, people will start saying fenders are shit because this and that. Now they are saying fenders are squire spec at over inflated price. Thats why you have lower end guitar brand, and a higher end one. Fender brought their brand to the low end now, and that ain't good for the brand. These fender standard are going to have crap resale value too.
@@oneanother1 That doesn't make sense. Jackson or Schecter put their name on ALL their guitars. From cheap to expensive. No one says Jacksons or Schecters suck. They're the best guitars I've ever used. Even their cheap ones rock. People will critique the individual guitar. not the brand as a whole.
@@Heroesworkshop you got to understand the name fender is iconic, they are very popular as well as higher priced that people are willing to spend on. Where they are made is also important, because MIm actually means something. Where as all the oversea guitars aren't usually as costly to make. The brands you've mention are nearly as popular, and so their prices dont reflect the quality. People aren't going to spend a ton of money on those brands especially if they are made overseas.
These fenders standard just dont have the specs to match the price, especially of an import guitar.
Loving the new geeky stuff features Phil! Keep up the great work