fender squire "classic vibe" strat...........

charleshaupt

1. hi all............ has any forum members owned or played on a fender squire "classic vibe" strat......... enquiring on behalf of the guitarist i jam with........... send your opinions. thanks...........

guyfeld

Hey there..I bought a CV 50's strat in a fit of lust a couple of months back..they are killer guitars!

This was just before I went to the UK on a gig tour and if I'd had more self control I could have bought it over there for a thousand bucks cheaper than I got it for at a Local store's birthday sale! Rumour has it that their pickups are unbranded Toneriders...Surfari's in the 50's and the Blues set (i think) in the 60's model.They are made in the same factory in China, apparantly.
I would never have looked twice at them as they are Squiers which are usually entry-level,( and I have owned some USA's in the past) but the one I got is nothing short of amazing. The 50's pickups are bright and clean with tons of twang..amazing for Knopfler-type stuff, but the bridge pickup is a bit trebly for me..I'm trying out another pickup in this position. They are not low-power pickups however and have punch and sustain.
My model was white with with cream pickups and knobs and a gold scratchplate which I swapped for a red Tortoiseshell. Soon after I bought it I had to replace the 5-way switch which was faulty(The store won't replace it under the warranty because I changed the scratchplate)
I do feel they are over-priced here..list R5400, discounted price R3800 at a certain music store in CT...
In the States full retail $350, used $200.
Hope this helps you make a decision...

TI-Distribution

I have the CV 50's Telecaster and I love it! I rekon this is as good if not better than the Mexican telecasters.

Can't comment on the strats but I have only heard good things about them.

It still irks me when people write off the whole Squiers range as being rubbish. The Classic Vibe series is a winner IMO. Don't be put off by the name on the headstock

AlanRatcliffe

The CVs are the best Squiers in the range ATM. They do punch above their price class.

guyfeld wrote: Rumour has it that their pickups are unbranded Toneriders...Surfari's in the 50's and the Blues set (i think) in the 60's model.They are made in the same factory in China, apparantly.

Not the same pickups. They are made in the same factory, but to different specs (and More than likely with different target price points). Still, the factory in question does good work...

guyfeld

I've read the factory manager/foreman's response on other forums and I'm not 100% convinced... the pickups' markings on the underside correspond ..ALNC3(alnico 5) for the Blues set and ALNC5 (Alnico 3) for the Surfari's..coincidence?
Must admit that I haven't compared their respective impedence/outputs though.
Andre doesn't stock the Surfari's (not a big demand) but the pickups in the 50's CV do sound like what I imagine the Surfari's would sound like..
Also..the Biffy Clyro CV Squier uses a set of mixed alnico 3/5..which would correspond to the Tonerider Pure Vintage set!

AlanRatcliffe

Magnets are only one part of the equation ...as are the number of turns on the coil. Wire gauge, winding pattern, even wire insulation make a difference to the end result. Tolerance in the wire used is a big one - cheaper wire will give more unpredictable results, but higher tolerance wire is more expensive. Even with machine winds, different winding tensions and patterns can create different results with the same source materials.

Zulublues

+1 TI

Also a happy CV50 Tele owner.

How many other Tele C50 owners here??

singemonkey

Tried them in the store the other day. Definitely not as good as MIM Fenders (tried one of those at the same time). Nice vintage Fender lookalikes and decent beginners' guitars though.

New Classic-vibe Squier, or 2nd hand MIM, I'd go MIM any day of the week.

guyfeld

singemonkey wrote: Tried them in the store the other day. Definitely not as good as MIM Fenders (tried one of those at the same time). Nice vintage Fender lookalikes and decent beginners' guitars though.

New Classic-vibe Squier, or 2nd hand MIM, I'd go MIM any day of the week.

Can't say I agree with you..I currently have a 60's Road worn Mex which looks amazing , but sound and playability of the CV50 are better in my opinion...I also had a Classic Player 60's for a while and although the hardware was good(CS69 pickups etc.) the guitar didn't have the same resonance or vibe that I get from my current CV50 Strat...like I said on an earlier post, it's just the Bridge pickup that's too trebly for me..and that can be changed.

TI-Distribution

guyfeld wrote:
singemonkey wrote: Tried them in the store the other day. Definitely not as good as MIM Fenders (tried one of those at the same time). Nice vintage Fender lookalikes and decent beginners' guitars though.

New Classic-vibe Squier, or 2nd hand MIM, I'd go MIM any day of the week.
Can't say I agree with you..I currently have a 60's Road worn Mex which looks amazing , but sound and playability of the CV50 are better in my opinion...I also had a Classic Player 60's for a while and although the hardware was good(CS69 pickups etc.) the guitar didn't have the same resonance or vibe that I get from my current CV50 Strat...like I said on an earlier post, it's just the Bridge pickup that's too trebly for me..and that can be changed.

+1. Sometimes I wonder if the name on the headstock psychologically effects peoples judgements.The other day i was in a music store and someone brought a guitar in with no-name on the headstock (to sell). The guys were raving about it. One guy said he would pay 8k for the guitar. Turns out it was an older stock standard Affinity Strat! They guy had rubbed off the Squiers Logo because he was embarrased to play one. He ended up keeping the guitar because he realised that he did not need to be ashamed - the guitar was decent!

I still kick myself for selling my first Squiers Standard Strat in black with Maple Fretboard. i was still new to playing and It was also drummed into me how terrible the Squiers are etc. With a few mods I could have had a killer guitar. Oh well I flogged it for R 1200 or something ridiculous.

guyfeld

There's a guitar that sounds just like that description on Gumtree for about R1200..black with maple neck David Gilmour style (a Squier), large headstock and no decal..with Texas specials in for an extra R800. Same guy was advertising a Neil Zaza Cort for R2500...I went to look (in SSet West, near where I live)and they were both great guitars! If we didn't already have so many guitars I would have taken them!
I must say, though that I feel the new CV Squiers are head and shoulders above the other Squiers i've played.

henrebotha

How do the CVs compare to the Vintage Modifieds?

singemonkey

TI Distribution wrote:
guyfeld wrote:
singemonkey wrote: Tried them in the store the other day. Definitely not as good as MIM Fenders (tried one of those at the same time). Nice vintage Fender lookalikes and decent beginners' guitars though.

New Classic-vibe Squier, or 2nd hand MIM, I'd go MIM any day of the week.
Can't say I agree with you..I currently have a 60's Road worn Mex which looks amazing , but sound and playability of the CV50 are better in my opinion...I also had a Classic Player 60's for a while and although the hardware was good(CS69 pickups etc.) the guitar didn't have the same resonance or vibe that I get from my current CV50 Strat...like I said on an earlier post, it's just the Bridge pickup that's too trebly for me..and that can be changed.
+1. Sometimes I wonder if the name on the headstock psychologically effects peoples judgements.The other day i was in a music store and someone brought a guitar in with no-name on the headstock (to sell). The guys were raving about it. One guy said he would pay 8k for the guitar. Turns out it was an older stock standard Affinity Strat! They guy had rubbed off the Squiers Logo because he was embarrased to play one. He ended up keeping the guitar because he realised that he did not need to be ashamed - the guitar was decent!

I still kick myself for selling my first Squiers Standard Strat in black with Maple Fretboard. i was still new to playing and It was also drummed into me how terrible the Squiers are etc. With a few mods I could have had a killer guitar. Oh well I flogged it for R 1200 or something ridiculous.

Erm. Dude. I'm the guy that constantly gets into fights because I prefer "off-brand" versions of certain guitars. No the necks and parts on the Squiers felt cheap and unexciting. While the MIM wasn't a dramatic improvement, there was an improvement. Especially in the feel of the neck and the edges of the fretboard. I was expecting quite a bit from the Squiers. And while they were better than the earlier squiers I played, they still did not feel like intermediate level instruments. And I would not recommend one to someone hoping to upgrade from a beginner's instrument.

In every batch of guitars there'll be some great ones. But from what I've seen, this doesn't seem to be the norm with classic vibe squiers. Not bad. Just nothing special.

guyfeld

singemonkey wrote:
TI Distribution wrote:
guyfeld wrote:
singemonkey wrote: Tried them in the store the other day. Definitely not as good as MIM Fenders (tried one of those at the same time). Nice vintage Fender lookalikes and decent beginners' guitars though.

New Classic-vibe Squier, or 2nd hand MIM, I'd go MIM any day of the week.
Can't say I agree with you..I currently have a 60's Road worn Mex which looks amazing , but sound and playability of the CV50 are better in my opinion...I also had a Classic Player 60's for a while and although the hardware was good(CS69 pickups etc.) the guitar didn't have the same resonance or vibe that I get from my current CV50 Strat...like I said on an earlier post, it's just the Bridge pickup that's too trebly for me..and that can be changed.
+1. Sometimes I wonder if the name on the headstock psychologically effects peoples judgements.The other day i was in a music store and someone brought a guitar in with no-name on the headstock (to sell). The guys were raving about it. One guy said he would pay 8k for the guitar. Turns out it was an older stock standard Affinity Strat! They guy had rubbed off the Squiers Logo because he was embarrased to play one. He ended up keeping the guitar because he realised that he did not need to be ashamed - the guitar was decent!

I still kick myself for selling my first Squiers Standard Strat in black with Maple Fretboard. i was still new to playing and It was also drummed into me how terrible the Squiers are etc. With a few mods I could have had a killer guitar. Oh well I flogged it for R 1200 or something ridiculous.
Erm. Dude. I'm the guy that constantly gets into fights because I prefer "off-brand" versions of certain guitars. No the necks and parts on the Squiers felt cheap and unexciting. While the MIM wasn't a dramatic improvement, there was an improvement. Especially in the feel of the neck and the edges of the fretboard. I was expecting quite a bit from the Squiers. And while they were better than the earlier squiers I played, they still did not feel like intermediate level instruments. And I would not recommend one to someone hoping to upgrade from a beginner's instrument.

In every batch of guitars there'll be some great ones. But from what I've seen, this doesn't seem to be the norm with classic vibe squiers. Not bad. Just nothing special.

Well..you obviosly see something different to me! ?

Chilli

Zulublues wrote: +1 TI

Also a happy CV50 Tele owner.

How many other Tele C50 owners here??

I own the Butterscotch Blonde Squier Classic Vibe Tele with Alnico 5 pups.

It's a kickass guitar man. I love it! brand snobs can have their expensive brands, but Squier has made a beast with the CV range in both Strat and Tele!