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Squiers...
There are Squiers, and there are Squiers...
I'm coming in late on this thread, and someone
may have mentioned this,
but there are Japanese Squiers (80's?)that have
<very> high quality....
there are also Korean made Fender labelled guitars
from some time back (80's) that were so bad I have
seen them go for $99!
And the Japanese made Squiers go for $200 or more!
Fender has upgraded the current Squier line a lot in recent years...
even the lowly $99 Bullet is now a solid wood body.
Still, the Bullets and the Infinity models are not that great,
but the higher level Squiers are getting better and better-
really, the bridge hardware on the current crop of Squier Strats
is superior to the Made in Mexico Standard Strats.
To me, aside from the name on the headstock, the
current crop of Squiers at around $200 are very comparable
to the Mexican Standard Strats, with two exceptions:
1. The Mexican Strats have bone nuts,
the Squiers are plastic.
2. The neck on most MIM Strats is wider at the nut.
I own two MIM Standard Strats- I like them, but
I see them basically as a good neck, and everything else is upgradeable.
The finish is thick, the workmanship on the body routs is sloppy.
The bridge hardware is pretty cheap, the trem block is pretty
much your standard Asian pot metal block.
And if you want a vintage sound, the pickups are pretty forgettable
(ceramic magnets)
I have a Korean made Hamer stratoid that has a trem block almost
identical
to my MIM Strats.
I recently bought a lightly used Squier '51, the Tele-Strat hardtail
hybrid
with a modified '51 Precision bass pickguard... the body routs put
the routs on my MIMs to <shame>, and the rest of the workmanship
is comparable... and they only cost $150- $165 new.
(I'm putting up with the narrow fingerboard because it's a Tele neck, and
I expect that;
this is as close to a Tele as I will probably ever go)
If you have fairly small hands and fingers, I would say, take advantage
of the improved Squier quality and save yourself may $150 bucks.
I personally have to have the wider MIM Fender neck.
I've also recently tried some Johnson stratoclones, and was surprised
at how good they were.
Yamaha also makes some very playable stratoclones in the $200 range.
One item in the Squier line that I would think has lots of surfy appeal:
The new model Squier Jagmaster!
I think you can get it a lot of competitive places for around $230.
They recently changed it; it used to have the Jazzmaster scale length,
now it has the Jaguar scale length.
And more vintage colors, now you can get sunburst.
Now, it <is> a humbucker guitar, but there are options.
Duncan Phat Cats are P90s in a humbucker sized pickup.
DiMarzio Bluesbuckers are supposed to give you a sound that
is more p90 than anything else.
I suppose it would also be possible to have a new pickguard cut,
and mount some Duncan Jaguar or Jazzmaster replacement pups
Or Strat pups.
Or P90 soapbars would look pretty Jazzmaster-y
The trem is a Strat trem, but I suspect that is easier to work on,
have worked on, or get parts for.
One thing I have noticed is that the special model Squiers
often have wider necks than the Squier Strats.
Whaddya think- do P-90s do a surf sound?
How vintage do surf bands generally go?
Is getting a generally retro appearance,
but nailing the sound generally good enough?
Michael
