this has probably been asked a million times but is Fender MIM better then Squier Strat?
I just retired & want to pick up a pretty good guitar (lefty), USA is out of the question $$$ but I can get mim for about $525. CAD new.
I have a mim Jazz & quite happy with it over all (just tired of only having B&W to choose from) which for a lefty, it's the only colour retailers seem to order???
anyway thanks!

It's all about what you're paying for.fender cost more than 3x of that of squier.so expect quality to be better,hardware to be better,tonewoods to be of higher class.maybe you have heard from the internet that MIMs has greater quality but I suggest you buy from a store and inspect one(there are just MIMs not made very good.so as korea,china,etc. but take note that there are also koreans and chinese that are made good,IF you have the luck of course )

Squires are nice for kicking around. You do get what you pay for though. You'll find cheap, shrill pickups on the Squire and the tuners and other hardware pieces will be pretty cheap. If you want a guitar to just keep next to your bed though, a Squire would be a good choice.

I tell you what...It depends on the model. I own a Squire Classic Vibe 60's. I would put it up against any MIM Fender Standard any day of the week. I played sever (hundred) on my trek for a new 2nd guitar and the CV series blows MIM Standards out of the water in tone, craftmamship, and they are a little cheaper. Ask yourself, do I want to have a Squire guitar that may not retain resale value down the road, or have a MIM Standard leaving you a little wanting now?

RK

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RK

2007 Fender Highway 1
2012 American Deluxe
2015 MIM Dave Murray HHH
2010 Fender Blacktop
1987 Fender Avalon Acoustic
2012 Marshall DSL 15 watt head

I own both a Standard MIM Strat and a Squier Affinity Strat. In short, yes the Fender is better. You get what you pay for. I've had to deal with about $300 worth of modifications and repairs to make my Squier a playable instrument I'm not ashamed of, and the only thing I've changed on the Fender is that I but a nicer looking pickguard on it.

But don't get me wrong, I still love my Squier. Otherwise I wouldn't have bothered fixing it and modifying it.

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'Must be kind of a snob, because an MIM Strat says "FENDER!" and even a truly nice Squier does not. And finding an exceptional MIM seems pretty simple.

Please accept this picker's apologies for being shallow.

+1 -- I am going to refrain from any "better than" statements, but I will say this ... Yeah, I got a Squier Vintage Modified Tele. I then grabbed some used Fender Tele MIA Std pickups off of eBay for $50. Man, this is an extremely playable and sounding guitar considering that I only got $290 into it (that is including the Fender MIA pickups). There is no doubt that the Vintage Modified and Classic Vibe are the top of the Squier product lines, but even the lesser models are really good. Squiers rock.

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Laughing out loud with fear and hope, I have a desperate plan ...

For that amount you might be able to find a USA Hwy 1 before they're all gone and discontinued.

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Being able to play and enjoy music is a gift that's often taken for granted.

Don't leave home without it!

Yea, that's what I ended up doing, it was on e-bay & thank goodness the guy is only 45 min away, (what are the chances of that up here in Canada! I was able to go check it out then bought it while in my pickup using my laptop,
It needs a bit of cleaning, fretboard & new strings / setup, then it will be 100%.
The only drawback is as mentioned before it is Black with white pickguard like my squier strat & my mim jazz bass

My only other option would have been going to the music store where I live.
because for some reason they have 3 lefty mim in stock sunburst, cream, oh yea a black & white one!!!!

So I think I was lucky on this one

I have a Squier guitar that I bought new to modify. Let me tell you I almosy left it as is. The only thing I modified was the paint job. I think Squiers are great. I would change pickups though, they are a little high on the treble. It just depends on what you like. My Squier has one of the best necks I've played on a squier. It's not better than my Fender MIA or my Jimmy Vaughan Strat, but it's a good guitar!! Pay no attention to the name, just play and buy what feels right!

with no doubt a MIM Fender is for sure better than a Squire

Where in Canada can you get it for $525 new? Thats a good price. Best price I found was $584.

Save up for a MIA Stratocaster, you will not regret it

A squier is never going to feel, play or sound like a Fender even with modifications. The wood is different, some parts are cheaper and they have less sustain. The quality is also hit and miss with Squier.

A MIM is a great guitar, but even the Highway is a cut above the rest.

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Fender Highway One HSS Stratocaster '09
Modified Fender Champ600
Honer Special20 Harmonica

+1

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2010 Gibson Les Paul Studio (Silverburst)
2007 Fender CD-60 (Sunburst)
G.A.S-ing for a Fender Stratocaster HSS with floyd rose

OK my fever is kicking good right now. Right now it is currently 101.5 degrees and I feel like crap.

Go out and play the Classic Vibe 50's, 60's, and Vintage Modified Stratocasters. Then play the MIM Fender Standard Stratocaster. I know I was suprised to pick a Squire CV over a Fender MIM Standard, but the fact is I played many MIM's and just a few CV models and I was sold on the CV. Is it better than my Fender Highway 1, um...no.

Also look closely on the neck of the Squire guitars, most say Squire by Fender. Look at the CV, it just says Squire with Fender underneath it. It is a Fender made guitar. To me the upper level Squires have some really good guitars, especially when you are low on funds and want to play a good guitar.

Why would I want to play a Squire when I have a Highway 1, tonal differences. I usually play them at a 60/40 Fender to Squire ratio. Try playing just one guitar, most of us cannot while some of us have to.

I am not a "guitar snob", I just like to play. I'll play a Mako Strat clone if that was all I had (in the 80's it was all I could find in my podunk town I grew up in).

rk

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RK

2007 Fender Highway 1
2012 American Deluxe
2015 MIM Dave Murray HHH
2010 Fender Blacktop
1987 Fender Avalon Acoustic
2012 Marshall DSL 15 watt head