Members Richard Guy Posted July 28, 2014 Members Share Posted July 28, 2014 3 things to ponder; Brand Snobbery. How many 'big name' guitars didn't feel right or sound good, even after a proper setup? Ease of play. Does it feel good in your hands and on a strap? Tone. Does it sound good to you? Does it ring and sustain without being plugged in? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gardo Posted July 28, 2014 Author Members Share Posted July 28, 2014 3 things to ponder; Brand Snobbery. How many 'big name' guitars didn't feel right or sound good' date=' even after a proper setup? Ease of play. Does it feel good in your hands and on a strap? Tone. Does it sound good to you? Does it ring and sustain without being plugged in?[/quote'] This is all true. The price is the big variable in the equation. Is there something "special" about an American Squirer or is it hype Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ancient Mariner Posted July 29, 2014 Members Share Posted July 29, 2014 I have one of those Black Label 'Fender by Squier' strats mentioned in that article. It had the single ply pick guard, cheap Asian electronics and hardware, but the body was light and resonant and the neck slim and nice to play. It came cheap as a basket case (was being sold as a Fender with the small circular Squier decal sanded off) and with new hardware & electronics became my number 2 guitar for a long time. As for the question 'is there something special' about these, I'd have to say no - not in the same way as there is about the late 80s MIJ strats, but the black label job I have feels and sounds better than all the typical MIM standard strats that I'd played up to late 2000s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members steve_man Posted July 30, 2014 Members Share Posted July 30, 2014 I have a "black label (with "Squire Series")" P-Bass. I bought it in college in the late 90's. I think it's a '97 model. I have been playing with it ever since. Stock hardware has been rock solid. Stock pickups were not bad. Decided back then that I wanted some active pickups. So, I bought a set of Bassline pickups and had them installed. Put a new pick guard on it, and it has been amazing ever since. Solid as any other P-Bass I've ever tried. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wankdeplank Posted July 30, 2014 Members Share Posted July 30, 2014 I guess it was about ten years ago that I came into my first Fender Squier Series. I knew a guy at the time that was moonlighting doing some fret work and other guitar repairs out of his garage. Kind of an interesting guy that would wheel and deal - I spent a few nights over there helping him work on used guitars I had acquired. He had this beautiful (to me) Candy Apple Red Telecaster that he'd taken in towards some work that reminded me a lot of the Tele that Muddy Waters used. I liked the way it sounded and noticed it was Blackface Fender (Squier Series) toploader and offered him $100 for it. Done deal. I eventually decided I wasn't a Tele guy and traded it (neck was a little too narrow for me and the toploader bridge design was a little problematic), but honestly, I've never played a better sounding Tele, and with the stock pickups. It had this twang in the bridge that made you sound like Buck Owens, with a really warm sounding neck pickup. I figured dang these things are really undervalued but now I was looking for Strats. It didn't take long before a 93 (Blackface Fender again) Strat showed up with the same candy apple red body and really cool looking (slightly reliced) board and again the bargain price of one bill. I played it once and was just bowled over by the thumping bass response, made the deal and never looked back (has a Pete Biltoft and two Lace Sensors in it now and hangs with anything). Truth is, I was never happy with the sound of my 2007 MIM after that, it just didn't have the punch or the sustain. I'd paid three bills for that one with a nice case on the used market and thought initially that I'd scored the deal of a lifetime (one of a kind beautiful wine red, tortoise shell pickguard) made for sponsored act. But it just always sounded harsh and thin to me even after numerous mods and upon inspection I discovered that the body was about seven or eight pieces. Found a mint 98 MIM Squier badged sunburst with a nice pau fero board that the guy wanted like $250 or something on Craig's and was running into a lot of Squier prejudice. I asked him about a possible trade and when he found out it was a newer silver faced "Fender" that would sell easier, I had him convinced. Played them side by side and we both agreed that tonewise the Squier was superior. Did the trade, kept the case of course, win, win as I got a superior sounding guitar with pristine frets and he got a guitar he could sell. So now I have two Fender Squier Series Strats, one with an alder body and maple board and the other with a poplar body and pau fero board, with different tonal characteristics but both sound wonderful. The weird thing is, as far as I can tell, my cheapy Fender Squier Series guitars have two piece individually routed bodies whereas my 89 American "Standard" has a three piece body with a swimming pool route. They all sound great and different enough for me to never consider selling one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ancient Mariner Posted July 30, 2014 Members Share Posted July 30, 2014 My version: Headstock Checklist & electronics (post-previous owner butchery) Post refurb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wankdeplank Posted July 30, 2014 Members Share Posted July 30, 2014 Black pickguard looks after market. I would do that if I could find a guard that fits - very regal. You might want to change out that string tree though to a roller job or similar. Those things are notorious for catching strings on bends and trem use and knocking em out of tune. Tried to post some other individual pics I had, including the Blackface Fender Tele but this photo app is very fussy about what pics it will take. Have to settle for this recent family pic. Strats lower left include: 98 mim Squier badged, 93 mim blackface Fender, 83 MIJ Aria RS Bobcat and 89 American "Standard". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members onelife Posted July 30, 2014 Members Share Posted July 30, 2014 I dunno. Locally (St. Louis)' date=' Mexi Strats are going for $275 and up. There's one MIJ Strat for $375 and USA Strats start at $650. Granted I'm cheap but $300 for a Squier seems like a lot no matter where it was made.[/quote'] The FugiGen Squiers are worth something now. They are great guitars and so are the Ibanez Roadstars of the same era that were from the same factory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ancient Mariner Posted August 1, 2014 Members Share Posted August 1, 2014 Black pickguard looks after market. I would do that if I could find a guard that fits - very regal. You might want to change out that string tree though to a roller job or similar. Those things are notorious for catching strings on bends and trem use and knocking em out of tune. Tried to post some other individual pics I had, including the Blackface Fender Tele but this photo app is very fussy about what pics it will take. Have to settle for this recent family pic. Strats lower left include: 98 mim Squier badged, 93 mim blackface Fender, 83 MIJ Aria RS Bobcat and 89 American "Standard". Nice collection. Yes, I did change the string tree quite early on, as well as the crappy tuners and trem. And that PG is a non-original, since that was white. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.