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  • Some experiences with new Squiers

Pootled down to Bothner's Claremont the other day to find out about a particular guitar stand.

While I was there I checked some stuff out in their playing room, as you do. I played:

* A Squier, classic vibe Strat

* A Squier classic vibe thinline Tele

* An MIM Tele Deluxe

The Strat was finished in baby blue, very nice looking, with discoloured knobs and pickup covers to look aged. Maple board. 1 ply pickguard I think. It looked great. Quite heavy for a strat. Playing it though, this is clearly a beginner's instrument. Not a bad one by any means. The Squiers I've played previously have all been crap. This one was nicely set up and had good action and played well. The neck just felt cheap and cheerful.

The thinline Tele's neck was the same, but the guitar also looked really cheap - the front looked like it was made of about 5 pieces of pine or something. I'm not dissing it. These are very decent beginner's guitars, but are by no means a substitute for the Fender range.

The MIM deluxe was a bit more like it. This felt, as it should, like an intermediate guitar. Also a maple board like the other two. Again though, I was feeling like, "Well, this is ok. This is a decent guitar but..." I was trying to remember what I was comparing it too. Then I realised that the last Fender I played was Renesong's Strat about a month ago.

There's no comparison. His '80s Japanese Strat just plays like a million bucks. A totally pro-grade guitar, with an incredibly comfortable, well-finished neck, even if they were sold as the equivalent of MIM Fenders today.

So these new guitars are well enough made in their respective price ranges. But if I was on a budget looking for Fender, I'd probably hunt around for a used MIJ. I haven't played the more recent ones, although they look amazing. But you won't find them in SA anyway.

Just my ten cents on a few examples from the current Fender range.

p.s. didn't plug them in because there weren't any decent amps hooked up. Cubes make all guitars sound the same ? Impressions are really just about the feel of the guitars. Electronics are also easily and cheaply swapped out.



    4 years later
    Oi Singe

    Good comparison and thanks. I am surprised you had no other responses. I am fishing for a MIM tele
      Stoffeltoo wrote: Oi Singe

      Good comparison and thanks. I am surprised you had no other responses. I am fishing for a MIM tele
      Well spotted...Singe actually had something positive to say about a squire... ???

      I've seen a load of 80's/90's MIJ's up for sale recently in 7-10k range. 00's MIM's around 5-7k. I'd venture that it depends on the kind of neck profile you prefer, I've found the 5 80's/90's MIJ's I've tried out all have a narrower/slimmer neck than pretty much every other strat (MIM's, MIA's, Squire's) I've tried so far.

      Studmissile and I are in agreement a Fuji-Gen era MIJ neck is a thing of beauty - if slim and narrower are to your taste. Tonewise, I'd say they hold their own against a MIA - but it's rather subjective...There was a strat shootout at the Gear Junkie a few weeks ago - 5xMIA's vs 3xMIJ's of various vintages...now that was fun & even enlightening as the they went into the same amp with the same player back to back.
        Wow.. is this really a 3.5year old thread?

        So i myself pootled down to the local and was totally ? when i saw that squiers cost between R3.5k and R5k ronts..

        And MiMs in the 6 and 7k range ? ???

        Kind of puts in perspective why mia fiddles cost what they do.

        Ill take me a good 80s japanese fiddle anyday.. agree with above.. my 80s japanese guits have the best feeling necks.. by far
          guidothepimmp wrote: Wow.. is this really a 3.5year old thread?

          So i myself pootled down to the local and was totally ? when i saw that squiers cost between R3.5k and R5k ronts..

          And MiMs in the 6 and 7k range ? ???

          Kind of puts in perspective why mia fiddles cost what they do.

          Ill take me a good 80s japanese fiddle anyday.. agree with above.. my 80s japanese guits have the best feeling necks.. by far
          Yep and a while back everybody was complaining about Gibby prices >☹

          But back to the point. I was actually searching for another thread when I hit this one of Singe. I am looking for a robust but light guitar as the Tokai is a back breaker on a long jamming stint. So thus the conviction that a tele MIC/MIJ would be an ideal replacement
            Stoffeltoo wrote: Yep and a while back everybody was complaining about Gibby prices >☹

            But back to the point. I was actually searching for another thread when I hit this one of Singe. I am looking for a robust but light guitar as the Tokai is a back breaker on a long jamming stint. So thus the conviction that a tele MIC/MIJ would be an ideal replacement
            They were also moaning about fender's local pricing - looney tunes!

            I wouldn't think of a strat or a tele as a light guitar...my 95 MIJ (Alder) is weighty and I tried a 79 MIA Strat (Ash) which was comparable to a LP! Though some of the basswood/agathis MIC's are lighter in weight than comparable MIA/MIM/MIJ. Tried a Squire Affinity Tele (MIC) that was lightish and a decent player - definitely a step up from the Bullet series stuff. I've got a SX thinline tele coming my way soon-ish, hoping that isn't a backbreaker.

            P.s. The one fender I've not yet had the pleasure to experience is a MIJ Tele - mythical beast - they must be soooo nice that they never, ever get sold. Though I did had an -all too brief- tryst with a MIA Tele Deluxe which I miss - damn fine guit.

              Although nothing compares to my MIA Tele, a trip to Japan a few years ago confirmed the fact that they have awesome Fenders that we can only dream of seeing this side never mind playing. Tokai has also proven time and again that Made in Japan is as good as (if not better than) MIA.

              But still I own a Made in Indonesia Squier strat (MII, hehe) that I play a lot. a good setup and some mods can make a world of difference to these babies. Mine is always on standby in my study (the rest in the cupboard) mainly because if my baby girl decides to walk in with a wooden spoon and decide to start making "music" by hitting a guitar with it. The Squier is perfect for that. ?

                I fully agree that they're good enough to be hit with kitchen implements...
                  Weight: I was talking about Renesongs's Strat when I wrote this thread (3 years ago you necroposters). That guitar is light as a feather. I think it's maybe poplar? MIJ Strats get made in everything. It's one of the reasons for the differences in pricing between ostensibly similar Strats. A 62 Reissue can be in a variety of woods and electronics at different price points.

                  Anyway, only guitar I've played as light as that Strat is my own SG. There's clearly a lot of variety though. Some Strats really are beasts - and the '70s CBS Strats are pretty notorious for that. FWIW in this discussion, my Pacifica 904 is a superb "Strat-alike," - equivalent in specs to some fancy MIA Fenders. Alder back and swamp-ash top make it pretty darn hefty though.

                  Even Squiers made out of chipboard or whatever it is can be pretty heavy.
                    singemonkey wrote: I fully agree that they're good enough to be hit with kitchen implements...
                    Either that or let Jeremy Clarkson attempt to repair it with his favorite implement... ?
                    singemonkey wrote: Weight: I was talking about Renesongs's Strat when I wrote this thread (3 years ago you necroposters). That guitar is light as a feather. I think it's maybe poplar? MIJ Strats get made in everything. It's one of the reasons for the differences in pricing between ostensibly similar Strats. A 62 Reissue can be in a variety of woods and electronics at different price points.

                    Anyway, only guitar I've played as light as that Strat is my own SG. There's clearly a lot of variety though. Some Strats really are beasts - and the '70s CBS Strats are pretty notorious for that. FWIW in this discussion, my Pacifica 904 is a superb "Strat-alike," - equivalent in specs to some fancy MIA Fenders. Alder back and swamp-ash top make it pretty darn hefty though.

                    Even Squiers made out of chipboard or whatever it is can be pretty heavy.
                    I was also thinking of a SG as a light guitar - though a Parker Fly would be my first choice. Pity the few budget PDF series ones I've seen locally all seemed cheep and nasty.

                    I necro'ed this post from a strat discussion a few years back
                    V8 wrote:
                    ez wrote:
                    Vic wrote: So there...all you okes who complain about heavy guitars...and amps.....start gym'ing ! ?
                    or buy a Strat
                    Or you could try one of these...2.2kg Hohner GT2 vs 3.6kg for the strat pictured. Scale length, width at nut and 12th fret all pretty much strat sized. Neck profile and radius is completely different though. Until I get a 90's Parker Fly this will have to do :-[

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