Paul S Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 Hi all - someone is bound to know on here. In the Squier bass range there are believed to be some particularly fine models - VMJ etc. There are squillions of posts about them on here. So I am wondering which of the 6 string models, and strats particularly, are whispered about in guitar circles. I have read great things of the Squier telecaster custom II with p90 pickups, for example. But I quite fancy a strat with tremelo etc so I can do a proper air guitar mime to Comfortably Numb. Any ideas, please? ta. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skankdelvar Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 You're right - Tele custom with (quite hot) P90's gets a good write-up from most people. There are some very nice Squiers out there. As with the basses, the same sort of conditions apply - dodge the Affinities, even though they're not bad starters; as always, look Squiers over to see if you've got a Friday guitar (electrics, hardware fit). I'd think about factoring the cost of new pick-ups (recommend GFS - cheap and good) - and check out the 'enhanced' guitars - VM's, classic vibes, etc. One point - even the standards sometimes come with quite narrow nut widths - my Tele is only about 40mm, which suits my freakishly short fingers, but YMMV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waynepunkdude Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 [quote name='skankdelvar' post='472365' date='Apr 25 2009, 08:22 PM']dodge the Affinities[/quote] I have an Affinity that plays like a dream, sounds good too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Foxen Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 I've made pretty good guitars out of Chinese Squiers. Pickup upgrade and a set up, and an extra trem spring or blocking the trem pretty much sorted them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wil Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 I owned one of the aforementioned Tele Customs, and it kicked ass. Really nice tone from those P90s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skankdelvar Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 [quote name='waynepunkdude' post='472367' date='Apr 25 2009, 08:29 PM']I have an Affinity that plays like a dream, sounds good too.[/quote] Sorry; no offence intended. Just played a few and didn't do it for me. Everyone to their taste, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golchen Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 (edited) A bit more expensive - I got a Japanese strat a few years ago (not Squier) and it is totally amazing! every bit as good as my American strats. Edited April 26, 2009 by Golchen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PURPOLARIS Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 I have done up a fair few Squier Strat's and Tele's and sold them on. The Japanese ones are the best followed by the Korean , Indonesian and Chinese ones in that order. I've bought some Japanese and Korean Squiers which have Fender bridge (stamped saddles) and tuners as standard. Affinity's are ok once set up but look for a Standard Squier if you can as it has better quality all round ie thicker body etc. All IMHO of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Foxen Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 Worst I've touched was an Indonesian, it was plywood and really light, and totally dead sounding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_the_bass Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 I've got a 90s Silver Series Jap Squier which is very good but not as good as a USA or Mexican guitar and had a useless pickups until I replaced them with one of those 40 quid Wilkinson loaded pickguards from Axesrus, which improved it no end. You should still be able to pick up a Korean Squier from the 90s for less than £100 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul S Posted April 27, 2009 Author Share Posted April 27, 2009 Thanks all. I suppose the short answer is you've got to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince. I'll hang on and see what appears, I think, without pursuing the issue - it is only for noodling around at home, after all. Meanwhile I have a slightly tatty but fully functional Shergold Masquerader which, if I invested the money I am thinking of spending on a strat getting it set up and maybe fret dressed, would probably end up being a better guitar anyway (but no whammy bar!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOD2 Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 The current "Classic Vibe (CV)" series are getting lots of good reviews. There are two models, the CV50 and CV60 - [url="http://www.squierguitars.com/products/search.php?partno=0303000503"]http://www.squierguitars.com/products/sear...rtno=0303000503[/url] [url="http://www.squierguitars.com/products/search.php?partno=0303010500"]http://www.squierguitars.com/products/sear...rtno=0303010500[/url] Both well made, good traditional sounds, and upgradeable later if you want to go down that route. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzz Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 ^^ On what Bod2 said. If you're going Squier, the Classic Vibes and Vintage Modified series (for basses as well) are their upper brand and are very very good. If/When I replace my playable but shoddy Affinity tele, I'll be looking at one of those (or an Epiphone explorer, hohum). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bumfrog Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 what's your budget? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul S Posted April 27, 2009 Author Share Posted April 27, 2009 Classic Vibe and Vintage Modified all look good. Budget? I hadn't really considered that as it is more of an idle thought than a burning desire. Not a lot - couple of hundred or so? I'd have to offload the Shergold, too. Like everything else there is too much choice! For example I like the look of the jagmaster, which Squier do a version of, and which would match my Jaguar bass (so important!). £200 ish new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skankdelvar Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 Masquerader might be worth a few bob - £350-ish depending on condition. You might want to check out some Shergold sites, as I recall people looking for these... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul S Posted April 27, 2009 Author Share Posted April 27, 2009 Hi Skank Yes, I do actually keep tuned into the Shergold discussion forum as well as this one, a left over from my Hayman 4040 owning days. There are a couple of top quality build diaries going on there that are quite fascinating including one that is for an interchangeable 6/4, 6/12 double neck (or any as a single) built entirely from scratch materials. Anyway, yes, because I have one I keep an eye on eBay when they crop up and good Masqueraders can indeed go for around that - sadly mine is a bit tatty (but with a provenance - owned by the guitarist in The Pratts, an Irish punk band of the 80s) having gone the way many of the Shergold/Hayman stuff goes with bad cracking on the finish plus, perhaps more worrying, a small dink out of the fretboard. Still worth approaching £200 though I think. As I said one option for me would be to get it set up, frets stoned and (purists look away now) a tremelo system stuck on it that doesn't involved routing out most of the back. They are certainly well made guitars and, with all those pick-up tones at your finger tips, extremely versatile. Single coil/humbucker, in/out of phase in any combination. Heck I might even have just talked myself into doing that very thing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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