Be sure to check out the Vintage Modified Series by Squier as well as the Modern Player Series by Fender. The Squier VM's are certainly a huge step up from Squier quality from just a few years ago. Great guitars with unique sounds.

I own a Fender American Special HSS strat, a MIM Standard strat, a Squier CV 60's and a Squier Joe Trohman Signature Tele. Out of those guitars, I play my MIM the least.

The CV 60's Neck and Middle Pickups are really special pickups too. The bridge is a bit tinny and thin and maybe even too hot, but those neck and middle pickups might even be more favorite to me than the Texas Specials in my American Special HSS.

I find that the build quality on my CV 60's is at least as good if not better than my MIM. Of course the neck is thinner than the MIM standard neck will be. But the vintage tuners on the CV stay in tune better than on any of my other guitars.

I have told a lot of people that I believe that the CV Squiers might be the best guitar value on the market. As long as you like the feel of that thinner neck, this guitar can produce some really amazing tones.

Thinner.. like a '62 RI neck, would you say?