Squier Vintage Modified Telecaster Deluxe

Features — 8
Bought in 2015 from a shop, brand new. The body is poplar with a bolt-on maple neck, fitted with a nice "C" profile. The maple fingerboard is set with dot inlays and 21 narrow tall frets. The vintage design is reflected in the headstock with its vintage style tuners and 70s headstock shape and markings. 2x volume and 2x tone controls, with three-way switch. Overall solid Tele features, no surprises there. The best feature is the extremely comfortable neck, 12" radius. The pickups are Fender-branded.

Sound — 10
Suited my blues and classic rock style amazingly, the sound could go from fat and full, to clean and crisp. Played it through a Marshall combo. I didn't use any effects with it and just cranked up the gain a little when playing AC/DC, Hendrix, etc. It's not a noisy guitar. You can get a wide variety of sounds, although I wouldn't play Metal or anything too heavy, go for a Jackson or ESP in that case. It's perfect for that 70s Rolling Stones sound, lots of great tones to be had in the classic rock range.

Action, Fit & Finish — 9
The guitar was well set up by the shop. I did need to adjust the truss rod several times over the years, but nothing dramatic. Wiring and finish were all fine, good quality there and no complaints. Same with the frets, nothing to flag. All in all a solid instrument that looks and feels more expensive that it is. There were no flaws upon purchase. The pickups needed a little raising that's all. I was very impressed by the out of the box nature of its playability. Well done Squier! This is how it should be.

Reliability & Durability — 8
I would use this as a main live guitar, or rehearsals and home practice. Couldn't spot a major a difference with the more expensive Fender pickups. Durability is fine. It's dependable and looks quite cool. I had fun using it and it never let me down. It lasted me around 3-4 years before I eventually sold it for an SG which suited my playing style better. It's a great feeling and sounding guitar, I would easily recommend it to anyone looking for an alternative to Gibson or Fender. It's very versatile.

Overall Impression — 9
This is a great guitar with clear pickups, fantastic mild “C” neck and good finish all around. The tuning keys are stable too. You can reliably gig and record with this guitar. I even played the Fender version in a store, and honestly couldn’t tell the difference between the Squier and Fender, save for the neck profile which is different. It’s got that classic Keith Richards, 70s-era mojo. The pickups on the Fender version are slightly more powerful and cleaner, but not in a way that would majorly impact your playing.