The Legend of the 1994 Fender "Black Label" Squier Series Stratocaster - History and Restoration!
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- Опубліковано 28 сер 2024
- Today we explore the Legend of the 1994 Fender "Black Label" Squier Series Stratocaster. I explore the myths surrounding this instrument with all data I could find after extensive research.
Then, we put one on the bench and take a look under the hood and get it into playing shape!
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Man you really know how to tell a story. Could not stop listening. Thanks
This is very informative stuff - you did some great research and successfully cracked the case of Fender's "Squire Series" product line! I researched this topic myself a while back after buying a "Squire Series" P Bass, and would like to share some additional info to prevent confusion / misinformation in the comments:
Fender's Ensenada, Mexico plant caught fire in February of '94 and MIM production was temporarily moved to the USA. Fender HQ moved from Corona CA to Scottsdale AZ in '91, so they used the Corona facility to take over the production of MIM products while the Mexico plant was rebuilt.
During this 18 month period, nothing was done in Mexico. Fender did use Mexican pickups, a hodge-podge of Chinese / Indonesian hardware, and even placed "Made in Mexico" on the headstock to keep costs down; but for all intents and purposes, the "Squire Series" and "Traditional Series" guitars between '94 and '95 were made in Corona, CA USA.
The result: A Fender USA husk, Mexican pickups, and Squire hardware. Sure, there are a few quirks and anomalies that make these guitars inferior to authentic, Fender USA guitars - but they are nothing to scoff at. I swapped the hardware with $100 in OEM Fender USA parts, and my "Squire Series" P Bass plays better than Standard MIM and MIJ Fenders - and I am all-in for under $400.
Thank you for your kind words and the results of your own research!
I love these guitars and they are probably my favorite obtainable Strats(without spending exorbitant amounts of money)!
@@BigJakeMusic Agreed! These guitars are the real deal, have an interesting story and are great conversation pieces. Definitely keeping mine!
@@James-he7ei I’m never getting rid of mine!! I love its story too much. And besides, it plays better than any of my other Strats at any level!
I bought my first electric guitar back in 94, which happened to be a MIM Fender Black label squire series Strat. I never sanded the squire series off just put a smiley face sticker over it, lol. It was Olympic white but I had lovingly abused it, so years ago I sanded it down and planned on repainting it. Well that project never got finished. Its been sitting in my attic for the last eight years. I think its high time I pick out a color, order up some electronics and put the old girl back together. Thanks for the inspiration !!!
Do it! I’m so happy to have inspired you. These are wonderful instruments, and it sounds like yours has a story to tell, and many more in the future!
I live in Brazil and just imported one of these 94’s squier series from a guy in Japan. At first I was very sad about the brazilian taxes that made the instrument cost twice the original price. But as soon as I plugged it in, I just smiled with the sound and feel. And so I thought It has worth every single penny I spent. Now, after watching your video, the legend really makes sense.
It's an amazing guitar and is definitely a hidden gem.
Fender was all over the place in '94 about where to make the Squire guitars. They did in fact make the "Squire Series" Strats in Mexico for a couple of years. Fender did send down necks bodies that were routed from the USA and Mexico painted them and assembled them. Mexico also installed the frets and nuts. They were trying to keep the price points the same or better than the Asian ones but gave up because of higher labor cost. I have one of these with a maple fretboard and they do play like a dream! You got yours at a great price. I've updated all of my parts. Fender also around that time was still trying to decide if they should use the "Fender" label . In the end everything went overseas and they settled on "Squire" as the label. Your pickups are original to that model. The volume pot was replaced. A great guitar to mod!
Thank you so much for your comment!! I love this guitar so much, it’s probably my favorite Strat(I own 7). Part of why I like it so much is its story and the legend surrounding it.
You seem to be forgetting the role that Fujigen played in saving Fender.
Not only did they produce ALL of the Fender and Squier products for a couple of years, but their investment IN Fender, kept the company afloat.
Without Fujigen, Fender would have gone under.
@@christoguichard4311 I agree with you 100% on that!
pickups are 94 fender squire series stock the volume pot is not stock I have the Excalibur two white one and your right the neck is amazing. I've got all American parts in mine now and 57/63 fender vintage pickups and it sounds and plays amazing I pick it up before my USA strats so enjoy
I REALLY want 57/63 pickups for at least one of my Strats. They will either go in this one or my 2006 maple fingerboard MiM!
A HUGE THANK YOU FOR THIS VIDEO MY MAN! You single handedly cleared up nearly 30 years of questions I've had. I can confirm that the neck play on these guitars are second to none. Like everyone else, I was always confused with the "Squier Series" label on the head stock for it sure as hell never played like a Squier. So again thanks dude, ill do my best to promote your channel.
I sincerely appreciate the kind words and I’m glad I was able to help clear up some of the questions! This is one of those guitars with a great story, and it seems to generate a bit of controversy among collectors and fans. I have tried my best to present everything fairly and to identify what is myth and what is fact. Thanks again, I really appreciate it!
I loved this! The most increddible fact about it all, almost a science fiction topic, is the wife encouraging you to buy another guitar. I still getting my head around it!
I know, right? I have the best wife ever! 😂 I told her about the tube supply issues with amps and she said “Please go find yourself a tube amp before it’s too late!” She’s the best.
Short version….. I grew up near Corona, CA, involved in music/local musicians . It was common knowledge that the parts were made on the Corona plant & shipped to Mex for all finishing/assembly work. The only difference in quality from MIA & MIM stuff is the time spent on fretwork, electronics, & one piece bodies vs. multiple piece bodies. The joke in So Cal is “Do you want a fender put together by Mexicans in Corona? Or, one put together by Mexicans a few miles down the road?” They’re not a drastic difference but there are some differences. The biggest difference is price to the consumer. Fender has been gouging customers for decades, but not as bad as Gibson has been.
Thank you for this insight! It matches up nicely with what I’ve always assumed and with what I found in my research. I’ve always found no fault with Mexican Fenders! And I agree that Gibson’s prices have gotten out of control. Luckily Epiphone has been hitting it out of the park lately with many models with reasonable prices.
I posted a video about mine before on UA-cam as little was available on these guitars. You will find a major difference in this model is that it has a poplar wood body which is uncommon for a fender or a squier. You will also find that the pots were not only cheap, but they were 500k pots, also uncommon to put with single coil pickups. I changed mine to 250k as it was too bright for me. The bridge block is also cheap pot metal. So the hardware wasn't the best but the body and neck are of a very high quality. The body is quite heavy. I'm not sure how many pieces it's made with. All I know is that it's a very playable guitar and the neck feels great.
This is basically what I was told in email. By fender in 2018. They share the same necks and bodies back and forth. At times finished bodied and necks for end year or specials. Depending on supply and demand. It makes sense to me too. As a business.
I have a 1993, it’s the nicest playing Stratocaster I’ve played and I’ve heard other strat owners say this as well.
These are my favorite Strats, for sure! Mine is my best playing Strat.
1995 red maple necked (looks to be flamed?!) sss here.
My dad bought me this model as a first guitar and I still have it. It's completely stock, though missing a spring and the back plate and one of the bridge screws is just completely stripped and halfway in. I probably have that backplate somewhere though.
If you want stock gut shots, I got you. This one I can tell you was so heavily modified one wouldn't be able to tell what's what in there.
I live in San Diego. My brother and I drove down to Ensenada in 1995. We luckily got a tour by Horst Absman. A German guy that worked for fender for decades. He designed circuitry the original Fender Rhodes.
I can tell you with 100% certainty that the bodies and necks sent from Corona to Ensenada were USA rough cut, fretted and routed and drilled in Corona. Once they arrived in Ensenada the guitars were finish sanded, painted and installed hardware.
This lasted until 1997-98 when the Ensenada plant was able to get the wood production side of the factory up and running. This can be verified by the “California series” guitars in 1998. They ran a limited production of Mexican and USA Teles and strats. All were painted and sanded in Mexico. The only difference was the “California series” had the hardware installed in Corona, which legally allowed them to be classified as USA.
The guitar you have is clearly a hybrid. The Mexican version you have is not stock. The tuners should be vintage Klauson tuners.
Lastly, the pickups that were put in the Mexico fenders had HAND WOUND pickups. Amazing sounding pickups.
Anyone who says the Mexican guitars are inferior is a bigoted, racist asshole that knows nothing about the Fender Mexico history. 1994-1997 Mexico Fenders are USA guitars.
1997-98 could be a mix of Mexican cut bodies and necks or remaining surplus USA bodies and necks shipped to Ensenada.
Check the neck rout on Mexican teles. The neck will be set up to hold a humbucker because it was logistically easier to send all teles down that way because a humbucker rout can accommodate a single coil neck pickup. The opposite, not so.
Hope this helps
Thank you for your insight. It seems to confirm what I suspected in a few ways. While we will never know the entire, unadulterated truth, there seems to be several pieces of evidence which suggest that these were at least partially constructed in California.
This video also seems to offer some good evidence ua-cam.com/video/SrqN9qIEBwE/v-deo.html
I own one of these rarities and can confirm after playing other strats this is the best I’ve ever played and the neck is a masterpiece over any fender or other brand I’ve played
Agreed! I wish I could find another one to make HSH or HSS :)
I lucked out as a 13 year old fresh new guitarist... My mom bought a "fake fender strat copy" she found on eBay for about $100 as my first guitar. All I knew at the time was a wanted a strat type guitar so I could learn from my friend's dad down the road who played an Ibanez roadstar strat style guitar... Once I'd gotten it he even commented on how a lucked out and got a "good one" after playing it a few times. Saying it was the type of guitar to hold onto.
It wasn't until a couple years back that I even looked up the Squier Series MIM Strats to know I had anything special.
Over 20+ years, that 96 black maple neck strat has been heavily modified but it's still one of the best players I've ever had. The neck on it is absolutely fantastic and the body is built like a lead weight lmao. In its current configuration it has upgraded Schaller tuners (installed by the first owner), DiMarzio fs1 bridge/true velvet neck/stock middle, and a "Gilmour switch" to engage the neck and bridge together.
It's been my go-to guitar that I took everywhere with me. During my time in the military it came with me all over the world and even as a civilian contractor it made it all over... To include a time where it ended up temporarily stranded in Iraq. We had to evacuate our site in 2019 on a short notice so I was limited to what i could fit in a backpack. While I waited at home for word on my return they cut my position with a bonus/severance to make up for my personal items left behind. I truly lucked out because a friend of mine who returned was able to secure the guitar and have it sent back to me, just adding another wild sorry to its history with me.
Now it stays at the house when I travel, but it's still the first guitar I pickup once I get home.
I have a 94 mim Squier with the exact same neck and body... you now own the most legendary guitar that no has ever heard of... Welcome to the club
Haha thank you, I'm happy to be part of it :P
@@BigJakeMusic The MN4 club. Welcome :D
@@southboundguitar Proud to be here! :P
I keep coming back to this video every now and then... it's just cool to hear someone talk about it
Thank you so much, I appreciate that very much! I am proud to own it, and I was actually playing it earlier today :)
There more I look into this, the more confused I get and the more I love it. Thanks for posting this!
I’m in the process of cleaning up a 1993 MiM black label Squier (#00776) I’ve had for more than 25 years. Headstock says Squier Stratocaster (by Fender at the end). Gutted now it’s apparent it’s a solid single piece body, same SQUIER stamp in neck pocket. Electronics are the same (minus the previous work, small pots, same switch), same ceramic pups. 3-ply standard pickguard compared to the 1-ply that came on the ‘94 Squier Series. Best I can figure is that this run was the test/bridge between the Mexican standards and Mexican Squiers, before Fender adopted the black label Fender ‘Squier Series’ branding.
Either way, it’s the same beautiful neck and solid body. Upgrading similar to what you have done, just waiting on some more pieces to come in!
These are very fun guitars and I love the aesthetic of the black Fender logo. As long as the body and neck are good everything else can be upgraded!
I just bought one of these today ($300). The Serial is also an MN4#####.
My “Squire Series” decal remains intact.
The original bone nut is still on the guitar.
I have the EXACT same pick guard (so yours may actually be an original).
My back plate matches the pick guard.
The neck on mine also has the skunk stripe.
My pickups are black, as are my knobs and the switch.
I am missing a tremolo arm.
I take delivery of it next week. Once I do, I will take it apart and let you know what the markings read out.
Thanks for making/posting this video.
P.S. You wife sounds like a keeper. 👍 😂
I looked up your serial number using the Fender Tool. Nothing came up. 🤷♂️
My girlfriend owns a red Squier Series Telecaster, that sounds and plays great. I also did a little digging after discovering the little "Squier Series" label, that I have never seen before on a Fender and stumbled upon this very interesting piece of Fender history. I am so happy to have one in our house! It's a really great instrument.
After seeing your video, I checked eBay and a '95 black Squier Series Strat goes for around 450 Euros right now and in my opinion, it's totally worth it.
I agree! It’s definitely worth it, and its story is worth owning a part of. Thanks for your comment, and thanks for watching! Hopefully I can find a Squier Series Telecaster someday :)
Those are Sperzel tuners , It is much easier to remove the springs when you loosen the spring claw fyi , also having the two outer springs converge to the claw does nothing other than add more tension to the two outer springs , having the back edge of the spring claw about half an inch away from the body (this may vary depending on how you like the trem to feel) ,add another spring with two springs on either side of the claw..... or add all 5 with heavy gauge strings and back the claw off again to suit.
I have since learned about the Sperzel tuners and better spring placement! Thanks for the tips.
I bought this same guitar for my son in 1994 and he still has it and loves it.
It’s definitely a treasure!
Got mine from Guitar Center in San Jose in 1995 (I'm a Brit) and it's the most playable ever, thanks for your vid 👍😎
Of course! This is definitely a great playing guitar, and I love the story behind it.
Those are Sperzel locking tuners. They were considered the most premium aftermarket tuners for a long time and I’m sure many people still think they are the best. That’s probably 150 dollar set of tuners on that new and you should be able to easily get 75-100 selling them used probably. I’d probably leave them on it , they are a premium upgrade and part of that guitars story. No way a set of Fender USA tuners are any better. I understand some guys want the “authentic” old school slotted fender posts.
The nut looks like a tusq and the strap buttons look like dual action Dunlop strap locks , you can use them like regular strap buttons or use the Dunlop male end that hooks in your strap and it’s a very good strap lock system. I prefer Dunlop strap locks over anything. Whoever owned it put some pretty good parts on it. I wonder if they were going for a Kirk Hammet fernades looking Strat with the black hardware ? My second guitar was a old made in Korea squier and it was a decent guitar for the money. It was a black with white pickguard.
Wow 150 would’ve been a steal on that guitar but you got it for less,lol seriously you could just about sell those tuning machines and you’d have a nearly free American Squier that’s insane. I think the tuners are cool and add to the neat quirkiness those guitars already have. I’m sure the factory squier die cast tuners were not great. Sometimes you run up on some pretty cool stuff especially when you do a little research and look for value in dusty corners of history.
This model certainly does have an interesting history. I have since learned about the tuners on this guitar and can confirm they are incredible. I love this guitar and am never letting it go!
I've watched this several times now buddy. I'm from England. Just bought an original condition 95 one of these. I've
Put American standard wiring harness in, Mexican trem/bridge like you and American standard 2 pin tuners from a pro 2. Best guitar I've owned. Not to far off my 74 American.
I've just subscribed anyways lol. Thanks mate, Olly 👍😎
" I have a Fender Strat, I don't need another one" said nobody ever...
Haha, I tell myself that all the time and somehow find myself adding more to the collection :P
THAT was a great UA-cam guitar video. Thank you for taking the time and effort to share your experience with this guitar. Peace ~
Thank you so much! I love it and since it was so odd I thought it might be a good idea to make a video about it :)
I got it with Squier. Full-sized body, great neck. I have replaced everything under the pickguard, but it sounded good beforehand, I'm just having my kids paint it and I'll refinish it, so while I'm there... Your missus sounds like a real keeper, if she's telling you to buy guitars.
She’s the best! She’s very supportive and I’d be nothing without her.
I just found one today (2-4-23) at a pawn shop for $89!!! And it's RED!!! With a good, dark rosewood fretboard. The sales guy thought it was just a regular used Squier. SNATCHED IT UP, because it reminds me of Mark Knopfler. Needs a little TLC but the neck is great and I love it! I've been looking for one of these for over a year now. Thanks for the video!
I’m so happy for you!! Those stories are the best. And, red is my ALL TIME FAVORITE color for a Strat! Well done!
Fantastic video my dude! I love stuff like this. Couldn't agree with you more at the end there, I love guitars with a bit of history, scratches, dings, the whole lot. I love fixing up old beaters. I recently saved an old 92 korean built squier from a garbage heap. The neck was bent and the paint was faded and dull. I repaired the neck with a heat press and gave her a good polish and a rewire. Gave it a new life. Now I can't put it down and I feel super inspired playing it. Like it's paying me back😂
Ima stick around and watch a few more of your vids. Nice work👌
Thank you so much 🙏🏽 I’m glad others agree and understand what I mean when I talk about the character and inspiration a guitar can give you :) I’m happy to hear about the Squier you saved. Enjoy it!
The Mexican Squiers are well worth owning. I own a Strat with a Midnight Wine body, a late 90's Fender color that you can find on Korean made Squiers. The AXL made "Crafted in China" Squiers with serials starting with "CTX" have 1.75" thick bodies so are an interesting mod platform. An earlier comment mentions the Fender "California Series" Strats- all MIA parts but painted in the new, state of the art Ensenada factory- these are well worth checking out.
Thanks! I love “weirdo” guitars, and I think some of these Squiers qualify :)
Great video, Sperzel tuners, in case you didn't know already.
What brought me to this video, I just bought a 1995 Squier series, black/white from a pawn shop, black label fender logo. Bought it for $200. I found it on facebook listed as a Squier. Knew right away when I plugged it in- amazing deal.. the feel, and sound just awesome... Its a Fender not a Squier.. I've had a Squier, this is like night and day. Will probably swap out the bridge- like you have.. but already - sweet sounds as is... :)
Great video, thanks.
I picked up a blonde black label Fender Strat 1995 with maple neck to replace my MIJ Strat I sold. I paid £250 and could not believe how good it is. The Squier Series logo had been sanded off. As you say the neck and bodies are very nice. I won’t be selling it. I’ve played lots of newer Fenders and they just don’t feel or sound the same. I’ve done nothing to mine. I play it more than my fender £800 Tele!
I’m glad you found one at a good price! They are definitely hidden gems and I’d choose a 94 or 95 every time over a newer Mexican Strat.
I like strats with the rosewood fret boards !
Me too!!
I have a black label Squier. It's a great guitar and I haven't done anything to it but a setup. Mine is a '95. I can tell you that the truss rod nut is a 3/16" like the MIM's.
Hahahaha this is crazy how this is exactly what I was looking for , i got this guitar as a hand me down from my dad. Wanted to learn more about it and this video explains it all to far lengths - thank you Jake 🙌
Of course!! I’m very glad it was helpful to you. Enjoy it and never get rid of it. It’s a special one!
This was a great video. It just popped up on my video feed. I have a M94 "Black Label" neck on my MIM partscaster and I love it. I probably play my MIM more than my USA Strats. I was going to remove the "Black Label" and replace it with a "spaghetti" Fender logo, but after watching your video I'm going to leave it as is. Thanks for making this video. P.S..You resemble Sean Lennon..(he's cool, so that's a compliment!)
I think leaving it as/is is the way to go! We should all embrace our black labels. They belong to a special club of their own.
And thanks for the compliment. Several people have compared my appearance to Sean Lennon in the past 😂
As someone who owns two of these “Squier Series” Stratocaster’s and one Telecaster I will never, and I mean never, sell them because they play and sound that good.
I totally agree with you! I’ll never ever get rid of mine. I need to find a Squier Series Telecaster!
@@BigJakeMusic The squire series tele was my first guitar. It’s a ‘94 but I got it the summer of ‘95. The bridge you took off of your guitar is original to the guitar so are the pickups. I know because they look like mine. Congrats on buying this guitar, you won’t regret it.
I definitely don’t regret it, and I’m happy to get confirmation that those pickups are stock. I really like them! Swapping the bridge to one that has a big block definitely adds sustain and affects tone, but the smaller block makes it easier to use the tremolo system. I think it’s good for whatever suits the player to be honest. I prefer bigger blocks, but that’s just me!
I own 94 "Squier Series" Telecaster vintage white, maybe an earlier run on the line, MN400600. I refret to ext jumbo SS fret, changes to SD quarter pound PU, modded to 4ways switch and all Gavitt wires, and Graphtech PQ-8166-00 six barrel saddles. all these modded still cost me less than a new mexico fender.
It’s totally worth it in my opinion, and now yours is BETTER than a new MiM Fender!
Incredible story and a amazing video! I own a black logo Traditional series from 95. It is a amazing guitar after replacing the electronics
I love these guitars!
I'm not a Fender guy at all, but I very much liked this video - great find and a great presentation!
Thank you so much! :)
I own one of these. Black Fender logo, no "Squier Series" on the end of the headstock (can't tell if it was sanded or not). Serial number is MN8 plus 6 digits. Body in yellow-white color, maple neck, single-ply pickguard. The original tuners were replaced by Fender 70s tuners. Maybe other parts of the hardware were replaced too.
Yeah, it sounds great! I love it.
In my channel, I have a video playing with a Fender Deluxe 112 Plus amp and I use this guitar. It doesn't appear on the video, but you can check the tone.
I bought this guitar around 2010 in a pawn instruments shop in Porto Alegre (south of Brazil).
Thanks for the video and for the research!
I have a 93 Mim Floyd Rose Strat Squier series. Switched the bridge to a Gotoh Floyd rose and put on a Seymour Duncan HB. Action and neck on this guitar is a dream man. Feels like a modern Charvel but with much more SRV'ish character.
I'd love to see a Floyd-equipped 90s Strat! I love Floyds and wish all my guitars had them :P
man, you did a great job there. saving Strats ,
Thank you! I wish I could save them all. 😂
I recently purchased a 95 Fender Squier Series Precision that's MIM. I honestly thought it was a partscaster as the body is Slammer red, has a Slammer-style mother of toilet seat pickguard and a neckplate with a "Squier" logo. That wasn't an issue for me. I got it for $300, fully rewired with CTS pots, a Quarter Pounder pickup and a brand new set of Elixir strings. At that point a body is a body.
It played well, but after a setup I wanted to adjust the neck angle a tiny bit, so I decided to add a shim. With the neck off I found a "SQUIER" stamp and the initials "CG" in the neckpocket, and it had the same holes from the painting process as your strat. The neck was date stamped with "CG", and had the same paper tag.
It plays and sounds great. I don't care if it's a Fender or a Squier - it is what it is and I like it. That being said, it plays much better than my 70s Classic Vibe Precision. That bass is beautiful, but the 95 Fender Squier Series is much more comfortable.
These Squier Series guitars are amazing, and miles better than any modern Squier in my opinion. I think it might even give some of the modern Player Series guitars a run for their money!
I have one of these on my bench, ordered from Sam Ash during lock down, had to cancel - they still sent it. When I called to get a label to send it back, they told me to keep it - no charge!
That’s insane!!!! Great job 😂
Such a great video with a great outlook on guitars.
I have one of these but it’s a Telecaster. Got it off an old man for a cheap hollow body. It’s an amazing guitar…. Nobody knows anything about’em so this fills in some of the gaps, thanks
I'd love to find a Squier Series Tele!
My first electric is a black label Jazz bass, mn4 serial, but the dates stamps in the neck and pickguard are Feb and Mar 15 1995. My parents bought it new for me when I was 16, and I still own and play it, now. The combo of the Mexican pickups with the 500k pots make it growl with a midrange most jazz basses don't have. The neck is precisely as you describe, sleek and clean playing. I used to have a '95 American strat that felt similar, but like the finish was thicker, which makes me wonder if they used the same finish but fewer coats.
Since you mention in another comment you didn't know there were jazz basses, the MIM Squier Series was four guitars, Strats (by far the most likely to find of the models), Precision basses, Jazz basses, which are quick to distinguish from other Jazz models because of the single pickguard without a metal control cover (black labels aren't the only era of jazz bass with that distinction), and the ultra-rare Telecaster. I've been keeping an eye on reverb and eBay for black labels since I first stumbled across your video about a month ago, and have seen exactly ONE Tele black label go up for sale for around $600, and it went fast.
I recall playing a friend's '96 Mexican standard jazz, and it just felt and sounded different, I didn't like it as much. It sounded thinner to me. I'd later have a similar experience with a MIM standard P bass I bought. The band I was in was practicing and I was using that p bass, my guitarist turned to me and said that thing sounded like shit, where's my jazz? So I switched. I later sold that p bass.
This is great, thanks for sharing!! I’ll keep a look out for the other three black label models. I live in a town 2 hours in any direction from a big city, so we have an isolated market and usually people don’t know what they have around here!
Pretty darn cool! I never knew these existed, but I’ll be on the lookout now👍
If you see one, buy it!! If you see two, buy both! 😂 I want another one, but apparently there are Telecasters like this too!! That would be amazing.
Amazing video man. This topic caused me so many negative comments from a some serious cork sniffers lol. I thought the fender rep must have lied to me. I then reasearched more and found out more often than not they do share parts still to this day.
So I have one of these elusive 1994 Squier Series Strats... I agree with just about everything you stated. Great neck! But I'm one of the few who sanded the body down, and it definitely is not American sourced or quality for that matter. It is full of wood knots, poplar (low quality wood), and a four piece. It was completely original because I bought it from the first owner. In contrast, I sanded down my Squier SE Series (which Jack Pearson of the Allman Bros uses) and it has a beatiful 2 piece basswood body. Beautiful grain on that one
You got a great deal,,, tomorrow pawn shop bound.
Recently traded a dude on facebook a 8 string i got from past trades for a tele with this strat neck and i swapped it to my parts caster pink strat and man it feels and plays amazing!
Awesome video! I own a 1995 mexican strat and it has been my number one guitar for more than 10 years. However mine seems to be a different series because it has a Spaghetti logo with vintage tuners and it does not say squier anywhere. The bridge also has Fender engraved on every saddle. I've tried many American made strats but I always go back to my old Mexican. Some of it might be sentimental, but a lot of it is also how it feels and how reliable it is. The pickups also sound amazing, I see a lot of people swap the pickups in these without even taking the time to try the original ones - I think it's a big mistake.
Yours sounds like a non-Squier Series Strat--a straight-up "Made in Mexico" Fender Stratocaster. It is likely a better guitar than my '94! I love older guitars, and I think they give off an aura that inspires us to play better and be more passionate and creative!
Great info. I have a 1994 Fender Squier Series Telecaster. Wonderful guitar
I would love to get my hands on one of those!
what a sweet deal. i have a dakota red one that I bought for $40 bucks. It's in mint condition but needed to be cleaned and set up. Also needed a nut so i put a bone one in and its become my #1 strat. amazing guitars. The neck on mine never had the squier series and it wasn't sanded. The serial starts with MN6 and stamped with a 96 date at the base. the body is stamped with a 97 date. everything else besides the nut is original and I love it
These 90s Mexican Strats are great, that’s for sure. Red Strats are definitely my favorite!
Ok that answers a question I just asked. I too have a 96 black fender label mim and has no squier series logo. I remember it costing about $200 new at guitar center in 1996. I was wondering how long they were making this line since it started due to the plant. Burning down in 94, would have thought by 96 they would be up and running like the original factory.
Just picked one up that was made in 1993. Seems like it has Jazzy Cats in it. I’m going to put locking tuners from a different guitar on it. Didn’t think about the block, will probably do one of those also.
I have the NC4 , 94 SQUIRE, ITS AMAZING .
These old Squiers are incredible! What happened to Fender? Squier's QC went down the toilet after the early 2000s for everything under the Affinity line.
Looks like vintage style 60’s pups. Nice find
Thanks! I love it :)
I own a left handed Black label strat. I got it for 100.00 in a pawn shop.
I am surprised to see a video about this guitar I looked up the Serial number a few years ago and found out the information you are sharing.
Mine is modified now but I have all the original parts it really is a good sounding guitar it also was my first Fender.
This is absolutely one of my favorite Fender models ever! I love the backstory, mystique, and legend surrounding it. Besides all that, it plays amazingly well and sounds awesome!
It plays amazing I actually ordered a new bridge for mine yesterday to upgrade it to a more modern better quality bridge.
It definitely deserves a better bridge and it makes a big difference!
I have one from '96 that I got from a thrift store in my neighbourhood. The body is full-sized, and the neck is far superior my MIM Fender Lead III that I got last year. Everything else was trash. So I replaced the tuners, string tree, nut, saddles, trem block and all electronics. I agree with some of the other comments: these are fantastic project guitars. They have fantastic MIA foundations, and everything cheap/import about them are easily replaced.
That's wild, when I bought mine I was thinking "I'll have to replace all the hardware" and I mentally priced that into the guitar. Turns out it holds tune for days of heavy playing. I'm sure I just got lucky because these are no name tuners/bridge but the hardware is fine. I do prefer MiM pickups (even though these are supposedly Mexican) so I'll probably switch mine out some time in the future.
@@benjorrmin fwiw, 90s MIM pickups were not great. They were inexpensive ceramic. It wasn't until the early 2000s I think when alnico and nicer pickups started showing up in standard Mexis.
Didn't the 96s have MIA necks? I don't think all did
@@voodoochild1975az Fascinating! I was convinced I had a dud or something pickup-wise because it just felt worse than the stock MiM. Thank you so much for the info! Always great to be more informed about my instrument.
I find that it’s definitely luck of the draw. I own several Squiers with these exact pickups. A couple of them are AWFUL but a few sound amazing. I think it simply comes down to quality control due to it being the cheapest model they sell. For example, even my 2006 Fender MiM had horrific stock pickups but this ‘94 sounds great!
I have one! Mine has the maple fingerboard. Still has the Squier Series logo. I replaced the pickguard with a Carvin loaded pickguard about 15 years ago. Plays great and gets played almost daily.
My friend had one of these in red with a maple fretboard in the mid 90s. I got one in the late 90s in black with a maple fretboard. I sold it for $80 in the early 2000s and regret it. I want to pick up another but it has to be the exact spec as my friends or mine and the prices have skyrocketed.
One day ill have this guitar in my collection again.
If you’re diligent I’m sure you can find another one! Thankfully the “Squier Series” branding causes a lot of shops/individuals to undervalue them.
Man thank you for this skinny on the guitar story
My 94 Mexican Standard has Silver decal. I hardtail my Strats, like you say screw them all the way down and then i put some wadding in the back just in case there is a little bit of warble. I'm a Southpaw so Hardtail lefties are few and far between. You dropped on with the Guitar, congratulations and thanks for sharing.
Thank you! I love hard tails and Tune-O-Matics a lot, but I also love Floyds and even…KAHLERS. Each have their strength and I’m honestly happy with any of them most of the time! I’m very undecided on this one to be honest. Usually I will do what you did, then I’ll regret it when I want a trem during a solo. But the same thing happens with my Les Paul, SG, or Firebird. I guess you can’t really have it all at once 😂
Great vid, great story
Thank you!
My friend left a black label strat with me. It’s an okay guitar, body and neck are nice (frets small for my taste though) but the hardware and pickups were low quality. It’s been a good modding platform guitar, I’ve done all sorts of things to it over the years.
That's definitely the best use-case for this one. It's a nearly perfect mod platform because the body and neck are good. Everything else can(and probably should) be replaced to create quite the beast! And, that weirdo black Fender logo and its history make it even sweeter :)
This is a very interesting video, good research. That's a real Fender (squier series ). I have a Fender Stratocaster, squier series, made in Japan 1996, it has a black Fender logo on the headstock and a serial number on the reverse. It's a fantastic guitar.
Thank you! I really like this guitar and its unique history. And, I really like the aesthetic of the black Fender logo :)
Great video about these guitars. I bought my black 94 strat brand new in early 95 and it has the black Fender on it and the MN serial no. but no Squier series on the headstock. It’s all original since I haven’t changed anything on it since I purchased it.The pickups sound fantastic and it’s easy to play. I just took off the pickguard today because the selector switch was sticking a little and was shocked to see that there was a perfect circular hole cut in the body as if they originally intended to use the wood for a Les Paul or something like that in addition the neck pocket is not cut perfectly flush so I think I have a rogue piece of body wood that was re-engineered to make my Strat. Maybe they were short on wood at that time…the pickguard on the underside shows the inspection items and is dated in Nov. 1994. Looking at the guitar you would have no idea that these quirks are in place because the pickguard covers it all. The fret wires are thin and soft so would maybe need a re fret which is weird because I haven’t played it that much since I bought it. I think the fret wire has just softened over the years. My guitar has one tiny scratch that you can hardly see and I’ll be keeping it was my first guitar.
I absolutely love these guitars and will never get rid of mine! It is now a mainstay in my collection :)
i have 97 squier ,does not have the affinty label,mn7,i was surprised to find two half inch deep round holes under the pickgard cover,it has the two magnet rail like the one in this video,my 2001,looks almost identical,small headstock,gold,guitar black label,and has same tone with 2 rail pickups,my 2005 has 2rail but stagered pole pieces,3 of my newer affinities have 1 rail.main point is this is first time i see testing holes,are more common that i thought,perhaps
my 97 has a gold label
All of my Strats seem to have those holes, both Squiers and Fenders!
@@BigJakeMusic Wow. That's weird. Wonder why these holes were made in the first place......guess we'll never know.....
I just got a "Fender black label" strat, without the "Squier series", it doesn't seem that it was removed or sanded or anything, from what I have gathered its supposed to be a 1995 MIM "Fender Traditional", and the bridge and tuners are really cheap, but man! The neck and body feel (I dont want to say identical) but almost identical to my American strat!, and im not kidding i dont know if its true about the American bodies and necks being send to the Ensenada plant but man the neck on this guitar feels very very high quality..
Agreed! It’s one of the best necks I have, and I own around 30 guitars.
got two of them swapped out trems and all electronics best sounding and feelin strats ever
i am going to get one of these and only use the body and neck
It is a FANTASTIC mod platform! Great idea. If I can find another one I want to put in some hot rails!
I remember when these came out they were very cheap over here in the UK and they were the subject of a LOT of snobbery from the usual cork sniffers, most of whom (as today) didn't seem to be aware of the quality of the earliest Squiers and simply considered all of them to be bargain bin guitars. (Around that time I bought a Squier JV Strat for £230 which went on to be my favourite guitar and the only instrument I regret selling. It makes my eyes water to see what JVs are selling for now. But I digress). A bandmate in the mid 00s used one of these as his main guitar. He'd paid £50 for it and, barring mainentance, the only work he did on it was to sand the Squier Series logo off and put a sticker with the word "ass" on it. Our band was popular and Derek's Strat has gone down in local legend as the Ass Guitar. Derek now plays in a successful rock band called the Broken Ravens and, as well as his Les Pauls and ES-339s, he has graced stages worldwide, from the Stornoway Sea Angling Club to the Whiskey-a-Go-Go to some of the biggest rock festivals in Europe with the Ass Guitar.
EDIT: Also, your locking tuners are Sperzel, a very high-quality US brand and quite prolific in the 80s and 90s.
That is absolutely the best Black Label Strat story I've ever heard. The "Ass Guitar"...That's hilarious!
Brotha I'm impressed I'm loving this if I ever find one MIM!
Thank you!!
Great vid dude! Sperzel locking tuners are lush
Thank you! I love them.
@@BigJakeMusic I had some on a tele I had waaaaay back and I miss them (and that tele too)
We all have those guitars that got away 😢 Maybe you’ll find another one just like it someday!
Lucky 🍀 you having a good 👁 for an incredible bargain! The guitar sounds great. 👍☮️🌞🎸🎵❤️
Thank you!!
I saw one of these at a pawn shop near me. They wanted $600cad, but it was paired with a "blush pink" Fender Excelsior amp(part of the Pawn Shop series coincidentally), and he wouldn't seperate them. I also know a guy who owned one, but traded it for a pair a baby seats for his car. Pretty cool find though.
Thank you! I hate when pawn shops do that. On the other hand, the best deals I’ve ever gotten on guitars are from pawn shops, so it’s give and take.
Wow now I need the skinny on serial numbers for that run so I can always check the pawn shops
great video
Leave the Sperzal locking tuners on. They're awesome quality. Also the neck looks like it has the round metal plate (under what you said was a qc stamp sticker). That plate is for an American feature called the micro neck tilt. I think the neck is definitely American. On USA Strats there is a little hole on the body under the neck plate where you can stick an allen wrench to adjust a screw that butts up against the metal plate on the neck, like yours.
That is some great info about the plate on the neck. I had my suspicions but was not sure.
I have since learned how good those tuners are. They are fantastic and gold tune very well!
fantastic video! I adore my '95 mim HSS strat special edition, I think your machine heads are 'Sperzal' 🤔
You are correct, I learned that later on! Thanks for the kind words. I love these 90s Fenders!
I've got a MN4BLACK STRAT AND I LOVE IT!. KEPT IT STOCK. ALSO HAVE A 2018MEXICAN LEFT HAND WHITE.💕🤠🎶
I love these 94s! My other Mexican Strat is white too! From 2006 :)
great guitars this almost looks like the one i put together except i put a gold pearled pickguard on mine with Texas specials and upgraded the wiring and all gold American Fender bridge and tuners along with plug plate which all fit and lined up perfectly giving some creedence to the American neck and body theory ,, and yes someone had removed the squire sticker ,, i gigged that guitar for a couple of yrs before giving it to my friends son ,, your not in Hawaii ??? lol
I knew the video was going to be good just from the title. Shipping American Body and neck to Mexico to fill a quota. What a find. Reminds me of the early Korean Hamer Chaparral you can find floating around for $200. A rare pre mass produced iteration "slammer series" where Hamer just shipped the parts to Korea to assemble. Otherwise the same exact specs as an American
Thank you so much! I'll have to keep a lookout for that one too. I love this guitar and its story :)
Yeah great guitar, yeah the pickups sound incredible like you said !! I had a guitar like that ,what you described in the whole video ,original one, I can't confirm it, but those pickups look like pickups that I had, they are a whole lot older than what that guitar is, I still have one left, sitting around !! If those pickups are what I think they are, you may have found gold inside that guitar !! Or if not gold something very unique !!
Thank you for the feedback! These pickups really do sound amazing :)
I have one of these guitars. Black label Fender and mine has the squier logo on the end of the head stock. And was wondering if it was worth anything. Because I paid $125 on fb marketplace and it’s in mint condition. Glad I found your UA-cam video. Mine is red and white pick guard.
awesome video, great info. 👍
Thanks!
I don’t have the factory electronics in it currently, I have them in my parts area and can confirm they are the dime sized pots
That's what I assumed they came with originally. Thanks!
I have a 20th anniversary Squier Standard which has a full thickness body, 22 frets and a two post trem. It plays nice enough. It's a shame they skimped on everything else. I'll bring it up to snuff though. Bought it to practice artwork on the body but have fallen in love with its deep red, candy color.
Sometimes Squiers can be pleasant surprises! Especially older ones.
What a cool video, I just want to point some things out. Those tuners are Schaller locking tuners very good tuners, when you take the springs of the trem block please just loosen the two screws on the claw and it lets the slack off and you just lift them right out lol. You can't ever tighten down the screws all the way even if you want to lock it down cause it lifts the back all the way up cause the part under the screw is knife edged. Srry just had to let you know this lol don't take any offense to it. You made a great video and the reason I watched it is cause I just picked up a all original fiesta red one no neck but the pickguard everything is still original. The guy has the neck still and if I can get the money together I'm buying it to cause this guitar shouldn't be split from it's neck. Hopefully I can get it soon before someone else does. Mine has the small pots and weird 5 way switch that is different from yours. It has the same Mexican pickups also. Still has the big inspection sticker under the pickguard with the date and all that. If you think those fender strings sound good on that strat try GHS 10s and you will never use nothing else I promise and always tune it down a half step this is where strats love to be.
Thank you so much for that tip, I’ll definitely use it in the future!! No offense taken at all. I agree, you need to get ahold of that neck! I have a pretty serious nickel allergy so I have to use stainless steel strings. Do those GHS strings come in a stainless steel variant?
@@BigJakeMusic I'm not sure let me check on that and see that's a good question.
@@BigJakeMusic yes they make a set that are called super steels in 10s
I’ll give them a try!
I have 2 fender black label 94s, and I am very satisfied with their tone, far superior to any other Mexican I have tried
I totally agree with you. It blows my 2007 Mexican Fender away in just about every way(besides the hardware, of course). It's my go-to Strat!
@@BigJakeMusic After 25 years with my old black label, I bought a new 2019 fender player series. Two months later I sold it and bought another black label.
I generally dislike new guitars. In my opinion it makes a lot more sense to buy an older instrument! Usually they are both cheaper AND better!
The pickups were definitely replaced on that … just picked up one of these a 95 - the head stock says 95 on the inside and 94 on the pick ups which were 500k too
The horrid soldering job and replacement pickguard leads me to believe that the pickups could have been replaced on mine. It's too bad there are no identifiers on them. Depending on when yours was made(how early or late in 1995) it may be different due to the recovery from the fire. I'm not sure I'll ever know for sure, but I like they way they sound regardless!
I bought my squier series new in 94. It was supposed to be a step between a squier and a MIM strat. For players, it was a great choice if you were going to mod the guitar anyway.
Upside - those necks are the best. My poor example needs to be refretted. Pickups have a great, classic tone.
Downside - electronics, bridge and tuners are trash.
I totally agree with what you've said. This is an amazing guitar and it is probably my favorite Strat that I own!
Dude those are Sperzle locking tuners their really good keep them on it. Those probably cost $100. Or more.
I’m a noob, and I apologize! I’ve since been schooled on them and realize they are worth more than I paid for the guitar 😂 They are never coming off of this guitar!
Nice find
Thanks!
This is a blackface fender “Squier series” although not all have the actual squier series on it. There are a couple of myths about the body and neck being American, shipped to the Mexican factory, but it does have higher quality body and necks, and Asian quality hardware. I have a couple of them, they’re great guitars. Btw, just those sperzel locking tuners are expensive themselves. The pickups themselves are regular MIM pickups of the 90s, sometimes before 2014 they changed them to alnico 5.
The neck also has the micro tilt adjustment plate on it.
In the late 90s I bought (new) what was a “California Series” Fender Strat. For all intents and purposes, it was American, except that the body was sent to Mexico for paint only. It then went back to the US where it was assembled with US parts in the US factory. So basically it was a US Strat, but cost significantly less, about $700 Canadian. They weren’t offered for long, I think because they were cutting into the sales of the higher priced US models. I kind of wish I had kept it because you hardly ever see or hear about them now.
That’s a fascinating story! I love all these non-standard Fenders from that era.
Wasn't that nitro paint they used on those ? Think that's why they shipped them to Mexico for paint cause of all the environmental issues in California 👍
@@everyonesnameddave8512 May have been. I don’t recall it being as glossy and plastic feeling as a lot of guitars nowadays..
My dad found my squire series in a bar for 10 dabloons. best investment ever in my oppinion
I have a 1995 Black Label Squire tele. Got it for $60.
That's an amazing deal! Someday I hope to have one :)
They're definitely ceramic pickups which were common in MX Fenders until 2018 more or less with the Player series.
Checking under the pick guard confirmed this. I think they sound pretty good, and better than the pickups on my 2007 MiM!
I have a 94 black label Tele. It has pretty much the best neck out of my 60+ collection. As for routing, they had to be routed before shipping because the same equipment used is what burned. No clue about the finish.
That's a very good point regarding the equipment. I'd love to find a Tele from this line!
The tuners are ‚Sperzel‘ tuner. They are really good and expensive. I would leave them in.