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Post subject: first squie's as good as american standards?
Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 6:17 am
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There is this wicked Rory Gallagher style guitarist in a town near me. he plays a squier strat.

I asked one day why he preferred ths squier over an american, or mexican for that matter.

he said that he "obtained" one of the first squier's ever to come to ireland, many years ago, and apparently for the first few batches, the squier guitars were made to the same standard as the american series, just labelled differently. They started using lower quality woods and what not once they realized that musicians were copping on that they didnt have to spend 1000+ bucks to get a top quality guitar.

He said he knew of two other such guitars in Ireland.

Is there any truth in what he said?


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Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 8:58 am
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The original Japanese Squiers were extremely high quality instruments. Jeff Healey played them (highly modded, of course) for years.

Sadly, that is no longer the case.

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Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 6:43 pm
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Funny enough, I did know someone the same: who preferred the old and original Squier's and argued that they were 20 times better than most Fenders today- a few years ago but I didn't know what to say as I was only just getting into guitars myself but I haven't seen him since :cry:

I think it is plausible that at one time Squiers and Fenders were no different from each other but its arguable that squiers were better


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Posted: Wed Dec 10, 2008 3:33 pm
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Yeah, I've seen some very high quality examples of early Squire Teles and Strats that play excellently. I have played some Squires at GC that were pretty nice, however, I have also seen the junk guitars that come included in the Strat Pack, and believe me, those are NOT to be taken seriously if you are anything but a rank, rank beginner. The same can be said though, of the Epiphone guitars that come in their packaged bundles. Most of the guitars included in the Fender, Gibson bundled "Starter" packs are barely better than than those from First Act!!!


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Posted: Sat Dec 13, 2008 6:27 pm
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First post on this forum. Hurray!

I have already played a Japanese Squier Strat and... Gosh! It rules!
The guitar has an amazing tone and attack and the neck is very comfortable.

I'd love to buy one, but it isn't easy to find one.


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Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 10:05 am
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First post for me as well. :D

Nice forum you have here.
I have a mid eighties MIJ strat in Lake Placid Blue (I think?) with serial number E9XXXXX which I have had since new. The neck is fast and just lush, it plays like a much more expensive guitar and even though it fell off the top of my amp onto a concrete floor and damaged the paint at the bottom years ago, I wouldn't exchange it for any other strat (unless anyone want's to offer me a gilmour sig one obviously :lol: ) as it just sounds so good.
I also have a couple of epiphone's (les paul and les paul SG custom) but the squire feels and sounds the nicest of them all.


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Posted: Fri Jan 09, 2009 7:41 am
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:? Actually, Fender Stratocasters are the best because they are the actual Fender guitars. Squiers are pretty much imitation guitars. 8)


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Posted: Fri Jan 09, 2009 11:12 am
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they are, but at least they have the "permission" of Fender!

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Post subject:
Posted: Fri Jan 09, 2009 12:47 pm
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Jayrawk wrote:
:? Actually, Fender Stratocasters are the best because they are the actual Fender guitars. Squiers are pretty much imitation guitars. 8)


What a blinkered fool.........how can you make a statement like that when the eighties and later squiers had the name fender emblazoned across them. They may now be just a blatant copy made of cheap woods and sold on the back of the fender name but when the $@! stuff was being produced they were more of a quality instrument sold by fender dealers using the same materials etc. Have you actually played an eighties squire in comparison with a "GENUINE" modern FENDER strat made in mexico or even china. My squier will play it into a cocked hat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The reason they move production to other countries is to cut costs, and the easiest way to cut costs is to mass produce something (generally out of crappy material) and sell at a lower price. Simple business ethics for any product, fenders included.

Rant over!


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Posted: Fri Jan 09, 2009 4:03 pm
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Jayrawk wrote:
:? Actually, Fender Stratocasters are the best because they are the actual Fender guitars. Squiers are pretty much imitation guitars. 8)


You've obviously never heard of the Early 80's Squier or "Lawsuit guitars" Just because something imitates something doesn't mean it can't be made better than the original.


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Post subject: Fenders are the original(duhh)
Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 9:29 am
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Who the hell are you both to tell me that?! Fenders are the original because they were the first ones created back in 1946 by Leo Fender. Yes, i have heard of lawsuit guitars. My friend has two of them. The Squiers that had Fender actually say "Squier by Fender". I have one that I own. And i'm in an unsigned NuMetal/Hard Rock band. Whatcha gotta say now? Don't say nuthin unless u know wat yer talkin about. How ya gonna tell me when i'm in a rock band?! Yu think ur so supafly with yer "knowledge" , but yu don't know squat! Holla with yer "smarts"! :x :!: :roll: I've seen the scrawled Fender guitar. My friend Matt has a bass like that. U don't know. Like a said the best quality is in the Fender Strat. u don't see any proffessional musicians use Squiers. So shut up and go to Fender limbo!
Why don't u get yer stuff straight, do yer resarch, yer homework, and then let's talk about this later on!!!!! :x 8) :shock: :D :) :( :o :x :P :roll: :idea: :twisted:

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Post subject:
Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 9:43 am
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Jayrawk,
Jeff Healey used a Squier almost all of his career - and that man was a player!. The early Japanese Squiers were a better made, more consistent product than Fender USA was putting out.
And those guitars are still in very high demand.

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Post subject:
Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 1:57 pm
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Jayhawk,

Just because you are in a unsigned band or signed band for that matter, doesn't make your point any more valid. There are plenty of crappy musicians with or without deals who don't know anything about quality, and more people in general who are brand purists. IMO, if you are a professional musician and you can't do your thing on a Squier that you supposedly can do with a Fender, than you aren't worth a grain of salt. You know George Harrison used a Squier too, from time to time. I guess the Late-Beatle doesn't count as a "Professional musician" The early Squiers are just as good if not better than the USA product. I have owned two, and I have owned several MIA strats ( still have a John Mayer sig).

Please, next time you try to come at me telling me to get " My facts straight", try to write sentences that don't make you sound like you are 13 or 14 year old. Type like a grown man or woman.


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Post subject:
Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2009 6:11 am
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I have a Squire Strat Affinity now & had a Squire Bullet in 1985. While I believe both are great guitars for the $$, I wish I still had that Bullet. I do think the quality was better. Still love the Squire line, though. Never let me down...


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Post subject:
Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2009 10:04 am
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I'm new to these forums (at least I don't think I've ever posted here before) but I wanted to chime in on this as I purchased a Squire Standard Strat back in August.

First I have to say that I simply LOVE this Squire...-for the money- it is a truly outstanding instrument. When I had purchased it, I wasn't actually looking for a new guitar. I had walked into a local Guitar Centers looking for some new pickups for my MIM Standard. I wasn't really sure what I wanted, so I was going to play a few, find the sound I wanted and then just ask the sales guy what pickups were in it. When I ran across this Squire, I was really floored by the finish. I'm not sure the actual name of this finish, but it reminds me of the "heritage cherry sunburst" found on some LPs. Simply lovely and -very- well done....virtually flawless in fact. I also noticed that the bridge was very similar (if not identical) to those on the American Standards...those really nice 2 point trems. Needless to day, I picked it up and played it for a bit. While the setup was a bit off (GC in my area doesn't do any setups at all on their lower end models), this thing played -really- nice...great neck, good finish on the frets, etc., etc.. For a $200 guitar, even the pickups sound pretty decent!

Now, is this thing as good as an genuine American Standard? Eh. I think if this thing had a steel trem block and better pickups, it would be really hard to tell without looking at the headstock! This is just my own personal opinion, but I think that "perception" has a lot to do with this issue. There are many people who seem to think that just because something is "made in America" that automatically that must mean it's some how superior to anything else and if something is "Crafted in China" (or Japan, or Taiwan, etc)...well...that stuff must all just be pure junk. While this was certainly true at one time, things like manufacturing have come a very long ways in the last 30 or so years and the difference between a $1000 made in the USA instrument and a $200 made over seas instrument isn't nearly as great as it used to be. Ihad purchased my MIM Strat new back in '96 and while yes, I've replaced the trem block and put some Duncan pups in it, I would easily put that guitar against an American Standard any day. While a lot of folks "think" they can tell the difference, if you were to do the proverbial "blind taste test", I think a great many people would be stunned at how good some of these new Squires really play and sound.

I would also like to add that I believe the setup of the instrument also has a great deal to do with how any new instrument feels and plays when you are looking at it on the show room floor. As I said above, GC doesn't do any setup at all on the lower priced instruments (Fender, Squire or otherwise). The guitar comes out of the box and goes right up on display. On the higher end instruments though, they check and tweak each and every guitar. Naturally, the more expensive instruments are going to play better...doesn't really have much to do with the quality of the instrument or where it was made.

Certainly there are many factors involved with how a given instrument is built. The quality of the wood, the electronics and even the hardware. It also goes without saying that a lower priced instrument many not have as much attention payed to details. However that said much of this is also very subjective as well. Play a nice guitar thru a cheap amp then play a cheap guitar thru a good amp and the cheap guitar is going to sound better. Take a cheap guitar and slap some decent pickups in it and put the crappy ones in the good guitar and the same thing applies...the cheap guitar is going to sound better. Again here, a lot of people "think" they can tell the difference between the tone woods for example...ash vs. alder vs. mahagony and so on. Of those people who really believe they can tell the difference, only a very select few are really able to once they are blind folded.

What this really all comes down to is personal preference. There are folks out there who always believe that a stock USA Strat sounds better than a Squire (even if you prove them wrong) just as there are folks out there who think that an LP sounds better than -any- Strat. It's all subjective though based on personal taste and your playing style. Do you really think that someone like Eric Clapton would sound any less like Eric Clapton if he were playing a Squire? No, of course not. EC sounds like EC because his -IS- EC...it's as simple as that.

My "cheap" $200 Squire is a great instrument and very well worth the money I payed. In my 20+ years of playing, this is perhaps the best "cheap" guitar I've ever ran across...which is why I bought it! LOL! At the time I bought it, I had $1500 in my pocket...I could have gotten an American Standard, but for the difference, I really couldn't justify the extra $800. Yea, I'm going to put some VN pups in her as well as a new trem block, but beyond that this is really a great instrument even at 3 times the price. The way I see all of this is; just play the darned thing and don't worry about where it was made. If you like the way it feels and the instrument makes you feel like playing, that's the important thing. If you feel that you "have to have" an American made instrument in order to play well...you're focusing on the wrong thing :D.

Just my $.02 worth,
Jim


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