I'm not sure I've ever heard someone NOT bash Squier, but...

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reluctant-builder

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I just looked at some Squiers on Musician's Friend and all the reviews are raves. And there are often more than 25 reviews per axe, which means the vast, vast majority of those reviews are five stars (for the cumulative score to be 4.5). So ... why does everyone -- EVERYONE -- dump all over Squiers?

I have never played one and, as such, I have never said a thing about them besides: "Everyone I've heard say something about them says they're crap. I've never played a Squier, so I don't know if they're any good."

Hearsay is hardly definitive. The diametric opposition between user reviews and guitar snobs who may never have played a Squire makes me wonder one which side of the middle lies the truth.

I was considering buying a righty so I could cheaply experiment with becoming more proficient at playing upside down and backwards, thus allowing me to use any available guitar whether it's strung for my dexterity or not. Judging by all the favorable reviews, I might be getting a somewhat decent guitar, in the process. That is, if I buy it ... I could also be called the reluctant buyer.
 
Having worked at Guitar Center and knowing the people who buy those guitars, I'm willing to bet you that most of those reviews are written by 12-year-olds who don't know that they have a POS guitar because they've never played anything else. That being said, I've played squiers that were decent pieces of wood and okay craftsmanship. If you gutted the electronics and hardware in favor of some replacements that cost more than what you paid for the guitar, then gave it a good setup, you'd probably have a decent instrument. Or scrape up about the same amount of cash and build a Warmoth showcase parts guitar. Your call.
 
I recently picked up a Squier Jaguar bass and I've been around the block enough times to know I got a superior value for my 200 bucks.  That said, I'm nowhere near ready to breathlessly exclaim its virtues - it's a very serviceable low-priced instrument, and one that I know will suit my pedestrian needs.

When I started playing guitar 25 years ago, an axe that only cost $200 (1985) dollars would have been an unalloyed P.O.S. from virtually any manufacturer.  The advent of widely-available CNC machinery has put truly playable, reliable, low-priced instruments in reach of beginners.  A Samick is as good as a Squier is as good as a Yamaha Pacifica, any of which is a set of decent pickups and a setup away from being a pro-level instrument circa 1980 - and in many cases need not have the setup and pickups to exceed the 1980 pro-quality axe.  It doesn't make them amazing guitars - it just speaks to the ambient level of quality prior to CNC manufacture, and the relatively high quality of entry-level and intermediate instruments available today.  Agile, anyone?  Ibanez?
 
A squier is the base model of Fender

you will get a lesser degree of wood, cur on a CNC machine that will feel like the same wood of every other Fender,
Base hardware
thin paint
bad setup job

Now, like stated, the reviews you read are guys trying to convince the world that the cheap guitar they bought is as good as a Private select PRS

in order to upgrade it to a mexi Fender you will have to change out all the hardware and wood,

it is a great little BEGINNERS guitar, but for 300 more get the Mexi Fender, and that is a great axe.

from there you just step up in quality as you go up

but for under 200, you are not going get much, and face it, letting the public write reviews is a sales scam that almost worked on you, if you still need to have that squire, go onto CraigsList, you can buy them all day for under 100 smackers and really save some dough on the best reviewed guitars in history

 
Teletuby said:
but for under 200, you are not going get much, and face it, letting the public write reviews is a sales scam that almost worked on you,
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See, that's funny ... it didn't "almost work" on me by any significant measure besides that I pondered buying a right-handed piece of shit because I'm a lefty who just wants a right-handed piece of shit to &$%* around on, so to better facilitate using the right-handed guitars of friends when I am without a lefty option. I certainly didn't expect that I would be buying a gold idol worth priceless millions hidden amidst the scurf of worm-eaten bodies cursorily painted in China.

The only thing those reviews worked in doing was in sending me to seek a counter-balance, because I doubted such raves were an accurate reflection of the instruments' actual quality. Since I made that point in my original post, I shouldn't need to reiterate it, but I take umbrage at the assessment that I was a hairsbreadth from being duped into throwing good money after bad ... [Edit] for any purpose other than to have a beater for a cockamamie experiment.
 
yes it was working, in your original post you said you were considering buying one, don't try to weasel out of it now
 
At my local store there is a Jaguar bass that I may go for.  It's got a BEAUTIFUL flame maple neck that for $200 is almost too good to pass up.  This thing feels and plays better than my carvin neck through (probably because its starting to warp, but that's besides the point).  Really a top notch product.
 
Teletuby said:
yes it was working, in your original post you said you were considering buying one, don't try to weasel out of it now
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I'm not trying to weasel out of anything. Considering buying something can be a long way from buying it. One may consider buying something and never purchase it. You seem convinced I was balancing on the knife's edge of teetering over and spilling a gob of money into Fender's low-grade coffers. That is to what I take exception. I know what I wrote, and now I know how you read ... so I'll refrain, at this point, from trying to reason further with you about this topic. That gives you ample room to have the last word of which, I infer, you are very fond.
 
Parsing syllables of an internet discussion is a good way for all the participants to get PO'd purty quick.  I think you guys mostly agree about the quality of the guitars, and the trustworthiness of the reviews.

Just sayin'.
 
I picked up a Squier VM TB "mudbucker" bass to mod last year (I added the SCPB PU, toggle switch, thumb rest, ashtray, and a D-tuner):

ModdedSquierTB1.jpg


Fit and finish wasn't perfect, inexpensive HW, etc., and nothing that makes you go "ooh".

But it's actually a very, very nice bass. Perfectly serviceable in every respect. Plays nice. Doesn't compare to a high end instrument, but I'd say they represent very good value for the money, and make a good platform for modding.

But keep in mind if you're the type who's going to replace everything piece by piece because you don't like the neck or the PU's or the bridge or pots and want a prettier body or whatever, you could conceivably end up replacing just about everything. If you just want something decent and playable, they're perfectly good for that.
 
I've been contemplating selling both my yammy basses and maybe getting a Squire P-bass. I'm a NARB (Not A Real Bassist). The two I have don't really suit my needs. (BB4F fretless, and a BB5N - a good bass, but I'm tired of the 5 and think what I really want is a 4 string P-bass tuned DGCF, possibly with active pickup (no s).

There is a part of me (which is winning at present) that will not consider a Squire because it doesn't say Fender. Not that it couldn't say something else instead, just not something that says 'Budget Brand' on the headstock. I have a Behringer rackmount compressor, so go figure. It makes no sense, but it is what it is.

There is another part of me that makes a ton of sense that says... Hey buddy. You're a guitar player that wants to lay down the occasion 1/4 note  A-string wall o thud to back up his guitar parts. You're not happy with what you have, both because it doesn't fit your needs, and because you have more instruments in this category than you need. (I'd honestly rather have an acoustic or a MIDI guitar or just about any guitar except an LP rather than a 2nd bass.) Get a Craig's List Squire and put your pennies into monitors or an amp or heck even buy the wife a nice set of diamond earrings or something when you make your next guitar purchase.
 
swarfrat said:
I've been contemplating selling both my yammy basses and maybe getting a Squire P-bass. I'm a NARB (Not A Real Bassist). The two I have don't really suit my needs. (BB4F fretless, and a BB5N - a good bass, but I'm tired of the 5 and think what I really want is a 4 string P-bass tuned DGCF, possibly with active pickup (no s).
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Oddly enough, that's the same tuning I have set up on my new Squier "classic vibe" 50's P-bass.  I bought the bass a few months ago on a whim - it was in the local guitar shop, I had heard about them before and decided to try out.  I wasn't expecting to be impressed.  It sounded remarkably good, and playability was also surprisingly very good.  I was amazed at the natural clarity in the tone.

It's not the most versatile of instruments - and with an old-style single coil pickup in the neck position, I know it can't get all the tones that I enjoy from my fretless Warmoth Gecko basses.  It's absolutely not for anything funky or jazzy, by my standards at least.  I have to play it a bit more slowly and try to get more into the "pocket" than work on a nimble groove.  But for what it's made to do, it works very well.

Count me in as a bemused but content Squier owner.
 
Kudos, Bagman, for playing peacemaker.

The Squier that I saw, which I thought might suffice to fill the role of my right-handed, upside-down and backwards axe, was actually pretty good looking. CBS headstock, finished in black, rosewood board, black body, mirror pickguard, etc., etc. Lipstick on a pig, judging by many assessments of Squier quality, but it's a pretty good-looking pig:http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/squier-black-and-chrome-special-edition-strat/519613000178069. There is also a Fat Strat version for the same price: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/squier-black-and-chrome-fat-strat-electric-guitar/511944000001069.

Not sure how overboard I'd go on pimping the thing but it could also serve the purpose of being a guitar over which I feel less anxiety desoldering and rewiring, to hone my chops for future wiring jobs and mods in the future.

This guy offers a pretty decent exhibition of using the selfsame guitar for slide:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OgKHuYYAuk

(An aside: YouTube commenters can really be d!ck$)

However, I can't help but think: "If you'd even consider spending 230 bucks on a guitar that isn't even made for your dexterity, just put that money toward a Warmoth. Sure, it's only a quarter of the cost, depending on the build, but that's 1/4 closer than you'd be to an axe you assembled yourself, made of quality parts and that would be left-handed."

I have a right-handed friend with 11 guitars, he might even have more; he's always buying more. He's got a Mustang he never plays, which would probably be the most comfortable one to play in reverse. It occurs to me that I should just ask to borrow it, instead of buying a cheap beater. Then I've accomplished my purpose of having a righty on which to play (might experiment with open tunings to see if that makes the upside-down and backwards method any easier), and I have that $230 bucks to put toward a new mattress, a new computer, or a new guitar ... or, heck, even groceries or something utterly practical.
 
reluctant-builder said:
Kudos, Bagman, for playing peacemaker.

The Squier that I saw, which I thought might suffice to fill the role of my right-handed, upside-down and backwards axe, was actually pretty good looking. CBS headstock, finished in black, rosewood board, black body, mirror pickguard, etc., etc. Lipstick on a pig, judging by many assessments of Squier quality, but it's a pretty good-looking pig:http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/squier-black-and-chrome-special-edition-strat/519613000178069. There is also a Fat Strat version for the same price: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/squier-black-and-chrome-fat-strat-electric-guitar/511944000001069.

Not sure how overboard I'd go on pimping the thing but it could also serve the purpose of being a guitar over which I feel less anxiety desoldering and rewiring, to hone my chops for future wiring jobs and mods in the future.

This guy offers a pretty decent exhibition of using the selfsame guitar for slide:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OgKHuYYAuk

(An aside: YouTube commenters can really be d!ck$)

However, I can't help but think: "If you'd even consider spending 230 bucks on a guitar that isn't even made for your dexterity, just put that money toward a Warmoth. Sure, it's only a quarter of the cost, depending on the build, but that's 1/4 closer than you'd be to an axe you assembled yourself, made of quality parts and that would be left-handed."

I have a right-handed friend with 11 guitars, he might even have more; he's always buying more. He's got a Mustang he never plays, which would probably be the most comfortable one to play in reverse. It occurs to me that I should just ask to borrow it, instead of buying a cheap beater. Then I've accomplished my purpose of having a righty on which to play (might experiment with open tunings to see if that makes the upside-down and backwards method any easier), and I have that $230 bucks to put toward a new mattress, a new computer, or a new guitar ... or, heck, even groceries or something utterly practical.
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Put the money towards a new mattress.  We got a new mattress a few months ago and it has done wonders for my sleeping and my sore back.  Its better than money in the bank.
 
tdpri guys all like the classic vibe teles, too - but don't buy a righty guitar if you're a committed lefty - go spend that $200 on a night out in the city with your girlfriend. Take her to Lion King or something. $200 won't buy you a decent bed.
 
$200 will hardly even buy a crummy bed. It's amazing what they get for mattresses.
 
Ha. I wasn't thinking the 230 would get me a decent bed ... but could be put toward one. As for Lion King, I'd rather shoot myself, but I do get the point. She's a Scotch drinker and her birthday is on Monday, so I've got a particular bottle in mind that she'd enjoy a lot more than a show.
 
I have absolutely nothing negative to say about Squier.  Every Squier I've played plays just fine, even the ones in those $250 gig packs.  I know, because my wife bought me one (Squier Affinity J-Bass).

I've had a lot of opportunities to mess around with numerous Squiers that come with those gig packs, and most of them have been very nice for the money.  The biggest issues I've run into have been issues with the neck finish, such as maybe a light coat over the back of the neck, or an area on the back of the neck that feels a little bit "rough," or like it's thin on finish.  This has no bearing on the way the guitar plays, so I can't make a big deal out of it.

IMO, these guitars that come in the gig pack are probably just guitars that didn't meet quality control standards because of such minor flaws, but I could be wrong on that.

After lowering the string action on my J-Bass, it plays nicely.  I played one back to back with an American Standard and there was not a $900 difference in playability, IMO.  YES, the American Standard was obviously nicer, but the J-Bass played nearly just as nicely, and doesn't sound too bad, either.  IMO, the Squier Affinity J-Bass is superior to the Affinity P-Bass.

IMO, this guitar plays and looks much nicer than its $250 price (entire gig pack) would suggest.  The playability is decent after a minor setup, and the finish on the body is flawless; far superior to the $245 finish on my Warmoth in every way.  The only cosmetic "ding" I found on my J-Bass was a slight blemish on the side of the fretboard, which does not have any effect on the playability.

As with any cheap guitar, there are good ones and bad ones, but good ones are not hard to find.  These guitars are great for the money, and guitars that beginners will not hate after playing for 6 months.  They're cheap guitars that you can take on trips and won't be afraid to ding up, and you also won't regret taking with you.

Let me close this post by mentioning I'm not one of these "12 year olds."  I own not only a Warmoth guitar, but also an American Tele and American Jackson KV2.  I know a good instrument when I play one.  No, the Squier is not going to be mistaken for one of these, but it's also not going to be mistaken for nothing more than a boat ore...and as far as Guitar Center, I've NEVER played a decently set up instrument at Guitar Center, regardless what it was.  It's a fortunate thing I'm not a person who discredits an instrument by a poor set up, because if that were the case, I would think every guitar brand GC carries is crap.  As for GC's employees, I won't say it's all of them, but MOST of the people who work there (about 95% of them...) are absolute, useless idiots.  GC is the Walmart of name-brand guitars, and most of the employees are of the same quality.  Listening to them is like taking pointers from the kid working at Jiffy Lube on how to build a Top Fuel engine.
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L25yZd-3qoE&feature=related    :glasses9:
 
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