Squire was actually a string manufacturer that Fender bought to get in the string business. Then used the name to market guitars to compete in the japanese market then against them in the US market back when Ibanez and eveyother maker made nothing but copies of american guitars.

They now have a tech center where you can send your PRS guitar to them for repairs or mods.

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The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

Thomas Jefferson

It seemed that came on the heels of the Fender Custom Care program.

The core of the issue here really, and having owned 2 PRS's in the past, is that they have produced an overseas product, consistent with the look and feel of their MIA's, at an afordable price point, without conflicting with the mark of their US product. I have always maintained that their guitar cases are superior to anything Fender has supplied in their high end price group.

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"Another day in paradise!"

Lomitus

I have thought long and hard about ever posting anything on this site again. It seems that no matter what you write, someone quickly jumps down your throat about it.

I was smacked around for giving my "OPINION" about Road Worn Guitars, which I hate by the way, I had to endure a lesson in electrical engineering after "suggesting" that someone buy Monster cable, which I love by the way, I have been called a fool, uneducated, inexperienced, and have been told how I was ripped off.

As crazy as it may seem I am actually a really nice, well educated, courteous guy, with a lifetime of musical experience, that is as entitled to my "OPINION" as anyone else is.

So as risky as this might be...here we go....Guitars form outer space...I love this concept, I not only believe in the existence of Ancient Astronauts, I am convinced that they have been here...pretty controversial yes / no? I'll probably get a science lesson now from everyone who's "OPINION' is certainly better than mine, although this is not my concern.

What my concern is, happens to be much more important. I am going to do my best to mix together fact and opinion, try to refrain from sarcasm, and try to inspire healthy response.

Indulge me for a moment, and lets agree that guitars from China, Korea,or the country of your choice, including USA made guitars are all of the same quality. And lets pretend for a moment that they all cost the same as well. Now you are planning to buy one. Well I would hope that all things being equal, you would buy the American Made one. The only reason keeping you from doing that now is price....yes / no?

Now for the controversy....the unemployment rate in America is currently at the highest that it has been in history, and hundreds if not thousands of people are still loosing their jobs on a daily basis. Foreclosure rates are the highest ever, and Americans are loosing their homes left and right. our economy is in the toilet, and it has been for the past 2 years.

Every time that Fender, PRS, or the American manufacturer of your choice, opens a guitar manufacturing facility in some other country like lets say Mexico...they employ Mexicans, or lets say China...they employ Chinese, or maybe Korea, where they would employ Koreans. All the while Americans are being put out of work at an alarming rate. If we agreed, as Americans, to buy as many American products as possible, we would discourage manufacturers like Fender from building guitars in other countries. Instead, we encourage guitar builders (shame on you PRS) to employ people in other countries, while American industry, along with American workers are starving.

I can not grab the concept that if you had $1200.00 to buy a guitar, you would by a MIM and upgrade it, or several Squires and again upgrade them. Why would you not buy the MIA Strat which requires no upgrade, and maybe helps keep an American worker at Fender from loosing his job.
In my "OPINION" I don't think that Fender, PRS, or any other American guitar builder, should be allowed to sell guitars made out of this country in this country. Lets see how many overseas factories they want to open when that law goes into effect. As long as we keep buying "cheap" guitars, and praising their equality to USA made products, companies like Fender will continue to laugh all the way to the bank.

Be very careful....pretty soon, with the support that you offer, everything will come from another country. Sadly, if we as Americans would like to keep working, we will have to move to one of those countries ourselves.

Thanks for letting me share my opinion...
Noodles

You guy's have got to be kidding me! 447 people have read a post about guitars being made in outer space, 17 responses to this nonsense, including several people asking what kind of drugs this guy is on. Chinese Strats, made in Korea PRS "under strict supervision" your joking right? "If I had $1200.00 to spend on a guitar I'd buy a MIM or a couple of Squires"...Your pulling my leg right...oh funny...I get it.

Not one person, not even one of you scholars supports your own American work force? You should be embarrassed. The greatest country in the world, where you yourselves live, eat, work, raise your families, and not even one show of support for the USA. It's PATHETIC! I am amazed by the disrespect that you show for your own homeland.

At least I would have expected maybe a "screw you" you know nothing, maybe a "mind your own business" anything at all showing the slightest support for America...but nothing!

As for Chinese Bullets, Squire Strats, Korean PRS....these are throw away guitars. This is Fenders way of letting some MOM buy a guitar for her 8 year old son at Christmas. My guitar shops give them away for free when you buy a set of strings. The Hard Rock hotels and cafes have signed ones hanging all over the place because they would never have anyone put an autograph on an American Strat and ruin it.

Are there quality craftsmen in China...absolutely...in Mexico certainly...Korea...no doubt in my mind....unfortunately they are not the people that are building your Strats. $1.00 a day labor exploited by the Fenders and PRS's of the world are building those guitars. At the expense of the American workforce.

Take a look at the computer that you are reading this on and most likely you will find that it was made in China. For that matter, take a look at everything around yourself and your home, and you will have a hard time finding anything made here in the USA...your country!

I love Fender Stratocasters, and I have 6 of them. I play them every day and they are all wonderful USA strats. I also have 2 Fender USA tele's as well and they are also terrific. There are only a few things left that are actually Made In The USA, and I don't care if you start telling me that the tuners are imported, or the fret wire is from Japan, or any of the other silly crap that you people love to come up with. American workers have jobs in America putting these guitars together is good enough for me.

If you won the lottery tomorrow, and money was no longer your concern, I'm sure that you would run right out and buy a bunch of Squires and Korean PRS's because of how outstanding the quality is, and that strictly supervised craftsmanship that went into the build. No you would not!

Every day Ed Roman (master ranter) makes more and more sense to me. Stop for a minute and look at what is going on in the world around you and be happy that you are lucky enough to live in the USA.

Sadly
Noodles

Not my workforce at all and certainly not the greatest country in the world. Theres plenty of other places aside from America (yes i know i'm not popular now).




wish you'd tell me the name of that shop



Not the amercan workforce that specializes in middle management. Yet provides a living to people in the world that without them wouldn't have any income and makes a healthy profit from them?
[Edited part] Your nation like many other western nations has a workforce that is managment heavy.




because it would all cost 6 times as much. Also 7/8s of the middle managment workforce of YOUR nation would be unemployed.

I suggest you take your angst filled crap elsewhere. If you actually went to the far eastern places you talk of, experienced the humility and lifestyle of their workforces, you'd understand why they rule the world and have come out of the recession we suffer so badly with hardly a scratch.

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No no and no

Thank you sir, very much for at least taking the time to respond. You have very effectively proved my point eloquently. I hope that others have the opportunity to read your post, and I hope that they are even more embarrassed that the only response comes from a resident of the UK. I don't expect that you could be sympathetic to the situation in the US, although I know that you don't believe American Middle Management has anything to do with building Squire guitars.

Squire guitars are sold here in the "states" for as little as $79.00. I bought 1 once to use as a "guest sign in" board at a house party that I was having. They are "my first guitars" for children. Please don't even insult Fender by trying to compare one to an American Made Strat.

And to the rest of you that do actually live in the US...are you kidding me. I rant about American workers loosing their jobs and their homes and the only response that I get is from some guy in the UK telling me that America blows.....bloody amazing, and we deserve everything he says.

[EDITED] Refuse to be drawn into a futile xenophobic argument

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No no and no

Thank you again sir, And I will crawl back under a rock. Sorry that you withdrew your post about how much you actually do love America. The last time that I checked China was a "COMMUNIST" country...has this changed?

Here in the US during the past 5 years we have received many wonderful products from China. We received poison dog and cat food that killed our pets, poison led paint infested toys that sickened our children, poison baby formula that put our newborns in the hospital, poison drywall that has destroyed countless homes. And of course high quality, strictly supervised, expertly built Squire guitars.

I hope that you guy's in the UK did not have the same wonderful experiences with these Chinese imports as we did. Thanks for posting your compassionate response to our windfall, and again sorry that you were too cool to leave it up.

Hey you proved me right. I always knew you were spoiling for a fight.

Not the place muchacho.

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No no and no

No need to crawl under a rock, jromanov. Unfortunately, the economic problems you're highlighting are the natural result of our consumer culture. Twenty years ago, Wal-Mart touted its "Made in America" campaign. This fell out of fashion as eventually we came to believe that $10 toasters were our birthright. But American-made products cost more. The market decided, and American workers all too often paid the cost. As you suggested, I challenge anyone to find an American-made toaster (or any other product) in your local Wal-Mart. I'm not claiming Wal-Mart is evil as some might, but I think the company illustrates the phenomenon.

The greatest loss in American manufacturing, in my opinion, has been in day-to-day commodities more than in luxury items like guitars. If I could justify the expense to spend $1000+ on a luxury item like a guitar, I would buy an American Standard Stratocaster in a heartbeat. But I'd much rather be able to buy good-quality, affordable, American-made clothing, appliances, electronics, and other commodity items.

I feel your pain and share your frustration on much of what you say, but I think your anger is misdirected. Just my $.02 on the matter. And nikininja is not the bad guy either.

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I really like all them "Aster" guitars. You know, like the Stratoc, Telec and Jazzm.

Oh no! Lunar AI!!!

Have you guys seen Terminator and The Matrix? This doesn't end well for us. This is why everyone should buy any brand that DOES NOT use a plek machine. Sure, it makes lives easier and cuts cost but soon it may rule the world.

It starts with plek machines, single-cup coffee makers, and electronic can openers, yet it ends with the annihilation of mankind. I'm afraid that by the time this all happens, not even Arnold Schwarzenegger or Keanu Reeves can save us. We need Tom Cruise. His disbelief in robots and modern medicine is our only hope.

Ninja

I would like to publicly apologize to you if I have offended you in any way. It was not my intention to anger you at all. You were kind enough to take the time to read my "Rant" and big enough to actually post a reply.

I was obviously expressing my dismay, that I could go on and on about the "fleecing" of America and the only response that I would receive would come from someone in the UK.

There is a bit of irony there, and when you started with "not my workforce and certainly not the greatest country in the world" I lost my composure. I certainly felt that you were looking for a bout.

Most sincere apology
Noodles

I am sure you coud buy American toaster if some company was willing to sign a labor contract with a union that would guaratee 20.00 hour plus Ins. and a pension fund for the work force. We all want a 100.00 toaster now don't we.
Face it junk can be made anywhere just like a good product can.

Let see how the American Tire manufactures do with producing and pricing tires over the next couple of years. Many tires are made in China so Obama just placed a 35% tarriff on tires to appease the United Steel workers complaning. And I am from a Union family and watch My Dad made almost as much retired as when he worked then when Dad passed Mom got almost as much as Him.. Many companies my dad worked for are now gone they could not continue the cost. Unions where great for America but they reached a point where the cost just sank the companies. They went overseas!
Look at how many times you here of local and state goverments giving breaks to companies for opening plants and such in areas. Thats because the cost of taxes and regulations and just operating expenses it nuts. I say that living in the 4 highest taxed state in America that now has billions of dollars short fall for the rest of the year. What are they doing talking of raising taxes and other use charges. Forget that they spend on every socialist program there is.
Just give it time we may become the United Socialist States of America and take up where the U.S.S.R left off we know how good there pruducts where inthe day. Done My rant!

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The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

Thomas Jefferson

Sorry, but where do you buy your strings & what strings are they exactly?

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A thousand words tell more than one picture