SeriesSquier Classic Vibe

-Made in China -Three way pick-up selector (Bridge/bridge and neck/neck) - Volume and tone knobs -AlNiCo 5 pick-ups -24" scale length -Modern C shape neck with 9.5" radius and maple fretboard (Gloss polyester finnish) -Twenty one medium jumbo frets -Vintage style top loading bridge with three barrel saddles -Vintage style machine heads (White plastic) -Basswood body -Available in desert sand finnish (Gloss polyester) -one-ply gold anodized aluminum pick-guard UTILIZATION I find this guitar very easy to get along with, I find the neck really easy to play for my style and its easy to dial in a good sound through my Epiphone Valve Junior amplifier. The guitar is really ergonomic as it's light and the cut away prevents the guitar from digging into my body while playing standing or sitting down. I have yet to buy a decent strap to use with this guitar and have been using a cheap thin strap and it's still comfortable enough to play for a three hour band practice without it causing my shoulder to ache. The upper fret access on this guitar isn't great due to the bolt on neck and doesn't employ any solutions such as carving the neck joint to help improve it. I find the shape of the body helps make it more comfortable to reach the upper frets than a guitar such as a telecaster but only marginally. This isn't really a problem for me as my playing style means I rarely use the highest frets but I can imagine this being a problem for some other players. I find the shape and finnish of the neck to be really pleasant and prefer playing this guitar to my friends Fender Highway One Telecaster and Fender 1950's Reissue Stratocaster. SOUNDS I use this guitar the majority of the time with just an Electro Harmonix Big Muff pedal and my Epiphone Valve Junior amplifier. I don't really enjoy the sound of this guitar clean to be totally honest, it just doesn't have the crispness of the aforementioned Telecaster and Stratocaster guitars that I've also used with the same amplifier on numerous occasions. When using the Big Muff I find it hard to make this guitar sound bad, the neck pick up provides a huge thick sludgey fuzz sound, the bridge makes a nice crisp fuzzy tone and the middle setting is in a beautiful middle ground between these two. The Big Muff can be used to provide a pleasant overdrive tone by setting the volume high and the sustain low, this is probably my favorite setting using this guitar, the middle position of the pickup selector combined with the Big Muff is my main rhythm guitar tone which I use for playing songs similar to those of the band Jawbreaker. OVERALL OPINION I sprang for this guitar as I found it for sale on a guitar forum just because I liked the way it looked and I'm really glad I did. I think overall this guitar is great value for money, it's a well made guitar and I would consider it on par with mexican standard Fenders that I have played, and own, in terms of build quality. My favorite thing about this guitar is the neck, it's the most comfortable neck I've played on a guitar which is less than $500 new and I can't think of many that I have played above that price bracket that I prefer to this one. My least favorite thing is the absolutely hideous gold pick-guard, I'd much prefer for it to have a white or tortoiseshell one but that is a fairly trivial thing. Another thing I dislike about the aesthetics of this guitar is that it's only available in desert sand as I'd rather olympic white or daphne blue but again this is only a minor factor as the playability and sound come before the aesthetics of an instrument to me. I think the features and price of this guitar make it an excellent choice for a first guitar that will be good enough to keep using for a long period of time, the Fender Duo-sonic was released as a student model after all. That's not to say this is a beginner only instrument as it's well made and would be a good choice for more advanced players to add something a bit different to their arsenal. After owning the guitar for a few months I'm pretty sure that I've made the right choice buying it. I can't see myself purchasing another guitar for a long time, unless it's for a completely different sound.

My one has a basswood body with a very well made polyester finish, C shaped maple neck, rosewood fingerboard with white dot inlays. It has two single coil pick-ups, one volume knob for each of them and one tone knob for both. Chrome hardware and that cool tortoiseshell pickguard. It looks exactly like the american model, if it wasn’t for the name on the headstock no one could tell the diference by looking. I am not really a bass player, haven’t used it in any serious gig. I use it mostly to produce videogame soundtracks at my home studio (because there I can always fix stuff later :), so have played some diferent styles with it. Needed a versatile bass for that and bought one from a friend when he wanted to upgrade his setup. UTILIZATION This bass is very ‘easy’ to play: its light enough so you can play it for some hours before feeling it’s weight (get a good strap, it makes a huge diference!). It is also very ergonomic, no weird corners bothering your forearms or belly while playing. If you use your strap in a reasonable height it is very easy to reach the high notes. I also like the neck, it is a bit thinner than the precision basses, if you also play guitar I think it’s easier to adapt to this one, but if you like to play those superfast slap lines a thicker neck might be better. The vintage style tuning machines do their job well and the whole instrument is very well built and finished. SOUNDS I think it sounds really good and close to its original american cousin. You can go from funky lines to walking bass to sabbath with the same instrument, adjusting only the pickup volumes and the settings on your amp. More of the bridge and you get those nice high-mids that can make you be heard in a loud rock band, more of the neck and it gets fuller and smooth for some jazzy lines. Its pretty cool to explore how many possibilites you can have with only three knobs - and maybe a pick if you like them to play bass. OVERALL OPINION This combination of versatility and price is absolutely perfect if you're looking for a first instrument (or a first bass if you already play something else) and don't really understand what you want from one. It is also absolutely worth it to invest in an instrument like this: change its pickups, for example, and you’ll have a bass that you can probably keep and get great sounds of for the rest of your life. But even if keeping an instrument for the rest of your life is not your plan, you can still learn and do a lot with one of these Squier Basses. I really wish that the cheaper instruments where this good when I started playing.

The Squier Classic Vibe 50s Tele is made in China as an affordable version of the much coveted 1950s blackguard model Fenders. It is an extremely good value for money, and is highly impressive overall. It features a pine body (noteworthy because that was actually the body wood used on some of the earliest Fender Teles), a maple neck with 21 frets, vintage style tuners and bridge and a standard Telecaster electronics setup with two single coils and a control layout comprising a volume control, a tone control and a 3 way selector switch. It all adds up to being a great instrument for sure. It's available in a white blonde finish and a butterscotch blonde as well, both of which are very 50s. UTILIZATION The design of this particular Tele is really stunning considering the price point that they build it to. It's not the lightest guitar in the world, but the body feels SOLID and well constructed. The neck has a thick gloss finish that is well applied. Some (including me) think that it's a bit too thick a finish that inhibits hand movement, but that's a minor issue as the neck is very playable as is. The out of the box setup is great and it's really a dream to play. Getting a good tone out of this guitar is dead simple. Teles are some of my favourite guitars to play because of the variety of tones you get from not many options. The neck pickup offers some stellar jazz tones, the middle pickup gets fairly funky when you want it, and the bridge pickup is just what the doctor ordered for your country and rock prescriptions. SOUNDS I've tried this guiitar with various Fender, Marshall and Mesa Boogie amplifiers. I'd say the Tele excels at clean and lower gain tones. The pickups (disputed to be made by Tonerider Pickups) are EXCELLENT. They're very dynamic and response to pick attack and use of the volume and tone controls. You can really approach it with a light touch or you can dig in hard and it will respond very well. To me that's a mark of a great instrument. It does everything from jazz to country well on clean sounds, and to me it parallels the sound of the $1,000 American Teles with ease. As you add gain the guitar still sounds great too. Dialing in a great hot rod British rock tone gives room for some blues, some classic and hard rock as well as some scorching, paint peeling country/shred hybrid licks from beyond... so much fun! This guitar is definitely a killer sounding Tele. Tele's are great and this one lives up to what a good one should be tone wise. OVERALL OPINION All in all I'm very impressed with these guitars overall. Every Classic Vibe I've tried has been top notch as far as the quality goes, and it's shocking that they can build them to feel and sound as good as they do for the $350 they sell for new. They're definitely worth checking out by all means. If you prefer the sound of a rosewood fretboard they also offer it in a 60s Tele Custom model, which is great as well. You can't go wrong with a guitar with such an awesome Classic Vibe to it!

I'm not sure what the specifics on these CV Squiers are. Apparently they're China made or something. I've played a lot of Squiers in my day and wasn't impressed by any of them. But the price tag on these isn't exactly Squier-like. They're priced more in the Mexican Fender range which seems odd to me. I'm guessing this is Fender's idea of a high end overseas line, which in this day and age is actually a somewhat valid concept I think. Look at some of the Korean models that Ibanez and LTD have...impressive. This is your basic thinline tele. Not bells or whistles. No surprises. It's no reissue but like the name says, the vintage vibe and feel are very much here in spades. UTILIZATION First thing I noticed in the store was the feel. This guitar to me felt better than most of the mexican fenders. I was in guitar center, which is notorious for having out of tune and abused guitars on the racks. It's common to have guitars with stolen parts and knobs just laying around. Sad actually. But the CV thinline I tried felt great. Stayed in tune reasonably. I was looking for a guitar to tour with. I have a lot of nice instruments that I can't take on tour so I usually find a couple of good beaters every tour and do what I will after it's over. I'm normally not a tele guy. But as soon as I played this one I turned into a fan. Neck was smooth and good feeling. Frets looked nice. Switches and knobs felt pretty solid. Overall it felt like a guitar that might cost $500 or $600. SOUNDS The sounds are just as good. On tour I play mine through an Orange AD30 and a mesa traditional 4x12. I'm not an expert on how tele's are supposed to sound but this one sounds good. Really resonant especially on the neck pickup. This guitar has some of the best clean sounds I've heard. It's not a high gain beast but I didn't get it for that. It's not trebley like some can be. Very warm and full sounding. OVERALL OPINION I was really blown away by this one. The price seems pretty fair even though a lot of people will be shocked at the name on the headstock VS the tag. I promise it's every bit as nice as most Mexi Fenders. Maybe I got a good one but everyone I know who has one says the same praises as me so these must be something special. They hold up well too which is great. The only thing that might rival these for value is the slightly more expensive G&L Tribute series. I have a few of those and imo they are just a little bit better than these, although you have to find a deal on them to cover the price difference. For $300ish though, these CV's are about the best Fender style around.

The Squier Strat Vibe Series is an affordable guitar that is vintage style that’s why it says 60’s. I am pretty sure that it comes in a few different color tones if I remember correctly though I have used the same that that is pictured. With the Chrome hardware and a complete vintage type of style it is sure to have your friends and family and fellow musicians in complete shock. Just by the look of it looks like you paid a fortune for it and in fact it really doesn’t cost as much as it looks. And not in a cheap way either, most companies try to make something look better than it actually is, this Strat actually looks great and sounds just a great if not better. UTILIZATION I have been using Strats off and on for years and years now. I have even done a few small gigs with the Squier Vibe Series. For some reason when I ordered it online a while back, it took over a week to get and the suspense was killing me, then when I got it, there was a huge scratch on the front body panel of the guitar. Nothing else looked bad at all, but that scratch had me upset because I paid for something new and I get a scratched unit. They offered to refund me a portion of the or I could send it back or take it into the local GC. So I just took it in the local GC even though I had to drive 2 hours to get there and they had one in stock and just replaced it for me easy on the spot. It really was great customer service for a great guitar. SOUNDS sounds amazing OVERALL OPINION For the price of this guitar and for what it sounds like you really can beat what you are going to get. The Squier Classic Vibe series has really shown me how to appreciate my guitars and appreciate music all together. Its well built and I love it.

I bought this guitar at a time in my life when I needed another guitar like I needed a bullet in my head haha, but this guitar looked and sounded too good to walk away from. What is is? The Telecaster Custom by Squier. I was at my local music shop. Recently Fender has started re-releasing many of their classic guitars, but 3 or 4 years ago it was just your standard Strat or Tele. I remember seeing pictures of Keith Richards playing a black double humbucker Tele with a maple neck. Between that imagine and the fact that it could to a bright and chunky sound had me walking this guitar up to the register. It was $259. It has 4 knobs and a 3-way switch. The knobs are a volume and tone for each of the humbuckers. Mid into my Tom Morello phase, I leaned you could turn down the volume of the neck or the bridge pickup and toggle the switch back and forth for a funky tremelo tone. The guitar has a subtle metallic flake in the pickguard. Hey, it looks cool. None. After a pro setup I had this thing playing and sounding great. If I were to do any upgrades, I get new saddles, bridge pickup and tuners, but no complaints. The body is Agathis, the neck is Maple. The fretboard is also maple. I had one rough fret edge filed down, but can't complain, it's a $250 guitar! The neck is smooth and is similar to a standard Telecaster neck. A guitar that can twang and crunch in one package. The dual tone knobs really allow you to dial in versatility. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Crafted in China Body: Alder Finish: Polyester Neck: 1-Piece Maple, Modern "C" Shape Fingerboard: Maple, 9.5" (241 mm) Frets: 21, Medium Jumbo Scale Length: 25.5" (648 mm) Nut Width: 1.65" (42 mm) Hardware: Chrome Tuning Keys: Vintage-style tuning machines Bridge: Vintage-style, 6-saddle tremolo Pickguard: 1-ply white Neck pickup: Custom Stratocaster pickup (AlNiCo III) Middle pickup: Custom Stratocaster pickup (AlNiCo III) Bridge pickup: Custom Stratocaster pickup (AlNiCo III) Pickup switching: 5-Position Blade: Position 1. Bridge Pickup, Position 2. Bridge and Middle Pickups, Position 3. Neck Pickup, Position 4. Middle and Neck Pickup, Position 5. Neck Pickup Controls: Master Volume, Tone, Tone Strings: (.009 - .042) Nickel Plated Steel Unique Features: 2-Color Sunburst over alder; 21-fret vintage tint gloss maple neck; 1-ply white pickguard; aged plastic parts; vintage style tuning machines; vintage style, 6-saddle bridge; custom Stratocaster pickup set with AlNiCo III magnets UTILIZATION This guitar is very easy to play. I had to set it up myself, as I had expected, but once I did, wow! The fit and finish of the guitar are impeccable. I am blown away with this instrument coming from Squier. The tremolo is very responsive, yet stable. A change to the to a brass tremolo block added a lot of sustain and tone, for not much additional money. I feel like the tuners are good, great even - I'd use these on an American Fender. SOUNDS Sound wise, this does everything one would expect from a great Strat guitar, with the exception of the bridge pickup. I could not get that pickup to sound balanced or as full as the other two, no matter how much I raised it or lowered the others. It just sounded thin, so I changed it for something else, and I am extremely happy with it. OVERALL OPINION This guitar is incredible, especially for the price. I fully expected to have to change some parts, but not as much as I ended up swapping out. The bridge pickup is a weak point, as is the actual wiring and pots - I'm going to change those out next. Overall, a great guitar.