i've been playing for about 7 years now and i've come to notice that it seems that i've been able to stand my own with my squier against people with instruments that cost way beyond what Im worth (Which aint diddley squat)
i mean i meet so many brand snobs that are like "only a fender for me", "i wouldnt be caught dead with a squier" "That Squier of yours is a toy compared to my american standard" (That last one made me want to punch him in the face)
either way i've asked them why shoud cost differ, i mean tone shouldnt cost an arm or a leg, i've been able to coax as many mean, aggressive, bad to the blues tones from my squier frankenstein as any american made model that some rich kid has

so why are people so put off by cost that they almost immediately assume that good tone must be with a high price?

I don't know. I actually liked the stock pickups of my Squier better then the stock pickups in my Fender Standard. And now that I've changed the pickups on both of them I know they could stand toe to toe with just about any American guitar. IMO I think the American necks are more comfortable and the overall quality of the American Fenders are better, but my Squier and my Fender are superb.

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Extra expense makes no difference per se; a better quality instrument will bring out the best in your playing, even if it's only through you wanting to spend more time in its company. I've no doubt you can hold your own with the snobs (not usually the most soulful musicians, in my experience)...but maybe next time you should ask to borrow their guitar and truly blow them away!

One misconception people have is they think the more expensive the guitar the better player you will become.. and that is not true.. guitars are only the instrument of your inner talent as a guitarrist, yes there are high quality and not so high quality ones.. that does not mean at all you will be either good or terrible player... When I was 13 years old and I was starting to play electric guitar I bought a no brandname guitar for 100 bucks I practiced with it for about 8 hours daily after arriving from school thats all I did my friends back then thought I was crazy and I kept it with me for over 5 years gigged with it and rocked with it like no other guy with expensive guitars could ... back then my teenage metal band won a 1 album record deal and yes all with that no brand name guitar....

I wouldnt worry about them. There is a arguament for money=better production but ultimatley tone comes down to the player. Particularly these days when theres a plethoria of people making low cost gear. Their constant battle against each other has led to some remarkabley 'good stuff for the money' coming onto the market.

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As you can see where I`m from, I`ve been in Manhattan and have seen kids playing drums on empty 5 gallon compound buckets for money on sidewalks. These kids play better than some people with $3000 drum sets. Don`t let name brand people ruffle your feathers. The price of an instrument does not make anyone play better, it depends whose hands it`s in.

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My mexican made fender sounds great! When I compare it to an american made there is not much difference.

I have an American Deluxe, & have tried Squires. Only difference I can find is I hear a difference in the sound of the pickups & the finish feel of the neck. Pickups are personal taste, no good or bad. On pricier models the money goes into the fret dressing & smooth feeling on the neck & fretboard junction.
The way the neck wood is cut, quarter sawn has more unusable wood left over so you pay more. In woodworking this cut has more to do with the look of the wood grain, look at a curly or figured maple neck. My son has a Squire "P" base after 2 years of playing, he had me change the neck to a full figured maple neck with a tint finish & EMG pickups. The total cost is the same as if he had bought an Am. STD "P" bass. If you can afford it, buy it! The hell with "Their" opinions. Do you enjoy what you are playing? Just play & have fun!

Hi Bluesman7188: thankfully, this Forum is a reasonably snob-free zone. Most of us don't rate a player's musicianship by his gear. We all know too many stories of great guitarists picking up cheap instruments and sounding - great.

On the other hand, I do hear differences between models. Mostly it's the pickups and maybe other little details of the electricals. Like so many my first electric was a Squier, which I still own (modded out of existance). Even my wife noticed the difference when I switched out the original ceramic pickups for a roaring set of Sensors. She said, "WOW!". And so did I.

Probably the materials the bridge block and saddles are made of contribute to tone, wouldn't you think?

There's also a bunch of theorising about how the thickness of the paint on the body might affect tone. I have my reservations about that - and you certainly don't need to let it worry you regarding your guitar.

Now the feel of different models: that's another issue...

Cheers - C

I pay no mind to the snobs.
My Squire was my #1 for years, gigged, recorded and generally did well with it overall.
Of course this was before I had a CPU so I had no idea it was a piece of crap
I find it funny that one guy who was a great player and could play any axe he wanted didnt have logo-phobia because he couldnt SEE the headstock-Jeff Healey.

You'll always have your gear snobs, your, "keeping up with the Jones", etc, etc. mentalities. After a while, it does get annoying.

Nowadays, there is a HUGE widespread ideology where if your predominantly CNC made guitar didn't originate in the US and the sum of its machined parts isn't grossly overpriced, it is a POS. Apparently, this same mind set would dismiss a Stradivarius violin and some of the finest Classical guitars made in Spain as merely inferior imports too.

Ironically, when Japan started cranking out Squiers in the '80s, they were dismissed too. But now...

I can afford a US Stratocaster and have owned MANY throughout my over 40 years of playing. Furthermore, my wife would have absolutely no problem if I ran right out and bought one as soon as I finish this posting. Regardless, I own a Chinese Squier Stratocaster and a Mexican Fender Stratocaster and I'm completely satisfied with them craftsmanship wise and above all, price wise. These are two of favorites. After all, they are made on the same CNC machines the American ones are. Granted, I changed the pickups in both but don't most people do that with American Strats too?

Contrary to popular belief, with a solid body, the pickups and the amp are the chief determiners of the tonality of the instrument.

The point is, if you are satisfied with you instruments and they do everything you want them to do, don't give a rat's buttocks what other people may or may not think. Show them all on your allegedly, cheap, inferior knock-off(s) what you can play on them and how well they can sound. And while you're at it, show them a nice, contented smile while doing so.

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You dig?

10% better quality will cost a 90% price increase. That applies to much more that instruments.

Ain't it the truth!!!

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You dig?

I thought Hartley Peavey was the first user of CNC machines in guitar production. Peavey do make some fine instuments.

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No no and no

The old bluesmen who inspired many generations played beat up Stellas and Harmonys before blues got famous and bands started making money with it.