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Whodathunk a cheap guitar could be playable AND lovable?
https://www.guitarworld.com/amp/news/mi ... llet-strat

It’s not really a $200 Squier after his tech changed out the tuners, bridge and saddles, jack and pots, and nut, but other than labor, it’s still not a very pricey instrument.

It's a bit ambiguous whether he changed the jack and pots.
I was surprised they kept the pickups, but apparently, he likes them.
Is this a win for Fender, or a loss? Once people figure out they can do just as well on cheap instruments, why buy their pricier stuff?

Awww... you beat me to it. I was going to post this on my lunch break today, but I hate writing posts on my cell phone.

He joins another notable prog guitarist in the Squier fan club: Steve Rothery. He plays some crazy boo-teek guitars now, but he was known for playing Squier Strats through much of his career with Marillion:



This guy liked Squier Strats too... Played one on stage while on tour with Eric Clapton:

I own a Squier Classic Vibe 50s Strat and it sounds and plays as good as my American Strats. A guy I play with as a duo recently got a Squier Classic Vibe 70s Strat and it has one of the most quintessentially Stratty tones I've ever heard.

Jeff Healey was a well known Squier player as well as a first rank blues guitarist.

mighty_duck wrote: ↑Thu Oct 14, 2021 7:47 pm It's a bit ambiguous whether he changed the jack and pots.
I was surprised they kept the pickups, but apparently, he likes them.
Is this a win for Fender, or a loss? Once people figure out they can do just as well on cheap instruments, why buy their pricier stuff?

Ummm, yes! There will always be brand snobbery, er, uh, people who prefer to own the premier brands. And there will always be those who hear with their eyes (on the headstock).

Don't know who he is but, Steve Rothery, guitar has a locking tremolo, EMG's and i can bet a few other upgrades we can not see. So really no longer a Squier is it?

mozz wrote: ↑Fri Oct 15, 2021 10:06 am Don't know who he is but, Steve Rothery, guitar has a locking tremolo, EMG's and i can bet a few other upgrades we can not see. So really no longer a Squier is it?

Yeah it is... If you upgrade the hardware and pickups on an AL is it no longer an Agile? Why would you expect any professional musician to play an entry-level guitar bone stock?

Mossman wrote: ↑Thu Oct 14, 2021 8:04 pm This guy liked Squier Strats too... Played one on stage while on tour with Eric Clapton:

Well, it was a MIJ Squier, so not quite in the same ballpark as the Bullet strat from the OP.
Dude wasn't afraid of using an Epiphone either

Mossman wrote: ↑Fri Oct 15, 2021 10:26 am

mozz wrote: ↑Fri Oct 15, 2021 10:06 am Don't know who he is but, Steve Rothery, guitar has a locking tremolo, EMG's and i can bet a few other upgrades we can not see. So really no longer a Squier is it?

Yeah it is... If you upgrade the hardware and pickups on an AL is it no longer an Agile? Why would you expect any professional musician to play an entry-level guitar bone stock?

You are missing the point of the original post, he bought 2 of them and 1 of them he plays. It probably had a better setup. That other guy has a heavily modified squier, the EMG's cost more than the guitar. Heavily modified and bone stock are not the same guitar. I'm gonna change the body, neck and everything except the knobs, still a squier.

mozz wrote: ↑Fri Oct 15, 2021 3:22 pm

Mossman wrote: ↑Fri Oct 15, 2021 10:26 am

mozz wrote: ↑Fri Oct 15, 2021 10:06 am Don't know who he is but, Steve Rothery, guitar has a locking tremolo, EMG's and i can bet a few other upgrades we can not see. So really no longer a Squier is it?

Yeah it is... If you upgrade the hardware and pickups on an AL is it no longer an Agile? Why would you expect any professional musician to play an entry-level guitar bone stock?

You are missing the point of the original post, he bought 2 of them and 1 of them he plays. It probably had a better setup. That other guy has a heavily modified squier, the EMG's cost more than the guitar. Heavily modified and bone stock are not the same guitar. I'm gonna change the body, neck and everything except the knobs, still a squier.

I'm sorry, I thought the point of the thread was: "celebrity rock star who likes Squiers". I didn't know it was: "celebrity rock star who likes Squiers with the least mods". According to the article, Rutherford did swap out everything except the pickups on the one he plays on stage, so it's nowhere near "bone stock", either. Where do you draw the line? Does a Squier stop being a Squier when you change anything? Or just when you change the pickups? I don't recall anybody saying anything about swapping the "body, neck, and everything but the knobs". Changing the hardware and the pickups doesn't make it the ship of Theseus. It's still a Squier.

I think the real point is what we always say around here: Squiers and most import guitars with a few mods can be professional grade instruments.

mighty_duck wrote: ↑Fri Oct 15, 2021 2:29 pm
Well, it was a MIJ Squier, so not quite in the same ballpark as the Bullet strat from the OP.
Dude wasn't afraid of using an Epiphone either

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Yeah, I forgot that it was JV Squier.... But Epiphone was not a budget brand back in the '60s, so there was nothing for him to be afraid of.

Mossman wrote: ↑Fri Oct 15, 2021 8:06 pm

mozz wrote: ↑Fri Oct 15, 2021 3:22 pm

Mossman wrote: ↑Fri Oct 15, 2021 10:26 am

Yeah it is... If you upgrade the hardware and pickups on an AL is it no longer an Agile? Why would you expect any professional musician to play an entry-level guitar bone stock?

You are missing the point of the original post, he bought 2 of them and 1 of them he plays. It probably had a better setup. That other guy has a heavily modified squier, the EMG's cost more than the guitar. Heavily modified and bone stock are not the same guitar. I'm gonna change the body, neck and everything except the knobs, still a squier.

I'm sorry, I thought the point of the thread was: "celebrity rock star who likes Squiers". I didn't know it was: "celebrity rock star who likes Squiers with the least mods". According to the article, Rutherford did swap out everything except the pickups on the one he plays on stage, so it's nowhere near "bone stock", either. Where do you draw the line? Does a Squier stop being a Squier when you change anything? Or just when you change the pickups? I don't recall anybody saying anything about swapping the "body, neck, and everything but the knobs". Changing the hardware and the pickups doesn't make it the ship of Theseus. It's still a Squier.

I think the real point is what we always say around here: Squiers and most import guitars with a few mods can be professional grade instruments.

If you build a Cadillac one piece at a time, is it still a Cadillac?
I don't own a Squire as yet, went shopping for one a few months ago, but you know this market.
I like the price and I like to see people play them because they are accessible to young aspiring musicians. I'm not going to go buy a Dave Grohl 335, it's nice, but I ain't buying one and neither is my 16 y/o neighbor.

Imo a squire retains its name if the neck and body are still the "bones". But all are welcome to they're opinion.

Dont forget Taylor Swift plays one so its gotta be good, right?

ID10t wrote: ↑Fri Oct 15, 2021 8:20 pm If you build a Cadillac one piece at a time, is it still a Cadillac?

If you build it, no, it's not a Cadillac... I believe the accepted term is "parts-cruiser".

ID10t wrote: ↑Fri Oct 15, 2021 8:20 pm I don't own a Squire as yet, went shopping for one a few months ago, but you know this market.
I like the price and I like to see people play them because they are accessible to young aspiring musicians. I'm not going to go buy a Dave Grohl 335, it's nice, but I ain't buying one and neither is my 16 y/o neighbor.

I think it's validating... Whether it's a JV, or it has mods, it's still a budget guitar. Rutherford, Harrison, Rothery... Those guys can afford to buy any guitar they want. They don't have to play a cheap guitar, but they do, because fundamentally, they're pretty good guitars... But we already knew that.

I remember reading an interview with Steve Rothery back in the late '80s or early '90s where the interviewer asked him why he played Squier guitars, when he could afford to buy Fenders, and his response was spot-on. He said something to the effect that a guitar is just wood and wire, and if the wood is good and the neck is right, then it's a good guitar, and you can upgrade everything else.

Are Squires even using alder bodies these days? I think I noticed a shift away from alder recently. Not that they cant sound good with poplar or nato, but not the same "recipe" of ingredients. And the similar recipe might make them seem close to US strats.
Its like making meatloaf with chicken. Still can taste good. Smothered in enough ketchup and you might not even tell them apart while blindfolded.

Jack Pearson is a fan.

Partscaster wrote: ↑Sat Oct 16, 2021 9:28 am Are Squires even using alder bodies these days? I think I noticed a shift away from alder recently. Not that they cant sound good with poplar or nato, but not the same "recipe" of ingredients. And the similar recipe might make them seem close to US strats.
Its like making meatloaf with chicken. Still can taste good. Smothered in enough ketchup and you might not even tell them apart while blindfolded.

I just did a quick look at the specs of various Squier models and it looks like LOTS of Poplar, without any Alder to be seen. Seems like Bullets and Affinities are all Poplar. '50s CVs are Pine, '60s CVs are Nyatoh (or at least the '60s Tele Custom I looked at was), and '70s CVs that have natural finishes are made of soft Maple, but the rest are back to Poplar, as well as the Altered Reality and Super-Normal series.

Poplar doesn't bother me as long as it's painted. The body wood of solid-body guitars is all about aesthetics to me anymore. I've played Korean Squiers (Squier II, actually), that were made of plywood, and absolutely knocked my socks off... fully stock. So I'm not even gonna to try to hear the difference between Alder and Poplar.

Poplar can be heavier than Alder, though... I once had an MiM Jazz Bass that was made of Poplar, and weighed 11.5 lbs.

I saw "Jeff Lynne's ELO" a couple years ago. One of his guitarists was playing a Squier strat through a PV Classic 30. In fact, there were 2 PV's onstage.

Sounded great.

jhull54 wrote: ↑Tue Oct 19, 2021 4:16 pm I saw "Jeff Lynne's ELO" a couple years ago. One of his guitarists was playing a Squier strat through a PV Classic 30. In fact, there were 2 PV's onstage.

Sounded great.

If it works, it works. Price doesn't matter in that equation.

I own two Squier Strats and enjoy them both immensely. One is a Squier II Strat (made in Korea) that I bought at a pawn shop for $100 about ten years ago. The original nut was plastic (Celcon) and caused the guitar to not stay in tune, so I had it replaced. I also changed out the tuners and had a set-up done on it at a local guitar shop. With those few changes it plays great and the original pick-ups have a lovely, chimey tone.

My other Squier is a 60's reissue in a color called Burgundy Mist. I bought it used off Reverb so don't know if there were any upgrades done to it. It plays great though and I love the color.

This is timely for me as I just got a CV 50's.

My CVs are good, but my best strat hands down is still my '98 Squier Standard Series. The neck is equal to Fenders made in Corona.

Still was under $200 all in, $100 shipped, $25 Fender vintage style tuners, $20 MIM trem, and splurged on a $35 Fender American Deluxe pickguard.



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I really like my CV Jaguar and the neck is really good, however the neck on my 2005 Squier '51 is sublime. It's soooo good.

honyock wrote: ↑Wed Jan 12, 2022 4:09 pm My CVs are good, but my best strat hands down is still my '98 Squier Standard Series. The neck is equal to Fenders made in Corona.

Still was under $200 all in, $100 shipped, $25 Fender vintage style tuners, $20 MIM trem, and splurged on a $35 Fender American Deluxe pickguard.



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My 1988 MIJ standard only cost me $195. Well, if you don’t count all the upgrades and parts replaced in the 32 years I have owned it. Several sets of pickups are the biggest expense, especially if you count them all and not just the current set. I think it’s had 3 or 4 5-way switches, and none of the pots are original with at least 2 on their third iteration (only one from failure), and then there is the mid-boost preamp. Still $195 sounds a LOT better than whatever the real number is!