What Squier Would A Fender Master Builder Buy?

thermionic

Also, I thought it was surprising to hear him say that he liked the skinny necks of the Squiers. Most people don’t seem to like them and prefer something more substantial.

thegummy

thermionic said:

Also, I thought it was surprising to hear him say that he liked the skinny necks of the Squiers. Most people don’t seem to like them and prefer something more substantial.

I found it surprising too since I have heard a lot of people say they prefer thick but it's only on online forums I've heard that, is that also where you hear it or have you also heard it from pro players / builders etc.?

I much prefer thin necks and wondered if the people who prefer thick are doing it for tonal reasons since I found it surprising anyone would prefer the feel of thicker.

thegummy

jonnyscaramanga said:

I found it weird he didn't talk about how they resonated or sounded unplugged. I think that's the biggest thing. Setup can be tweaked, pickups can be changed, glossy necks can be sanded if that's what you like. But if it's dead when you strum it, not much you can do. 

He may be of the opinion that unplugged tone doesn't affect the electric tone... but I'd be surprised if Fender's top luthier took that view.

It's so hard to know what to take from a video like this due to so much dishonesty, or at least lack of transparency, on things like this.

It could be that he was frivolous in his choice (basing it on colour) and only really cared about neck feel and setup because from his position as an expert in the field, he knows that all the online speculation about tone voodoo is mythical.

On the other hand, he might not have cared much and not taken the video seriously because he knows no Squier is going to sound that good so was just demonstrating how he'd choose the best of a bad bunch.

Could even be an advert to make it look like all Squiers are great, you just need to find one with the specs you like.

I think, in the age of professional Youtubers, it's very difficult to trust anything they say because it's so often a paid advert disguised as advice.

One of my favourite Youtubers, Tim Pierce, made a video about how the String Butler device does such a great job of fixing the tuning stability problem on Gibson guitars (a problem he's mentioned he has with his many Gibsons plenty of times) yet since that video, he's used loads of Gibson guitars and none of them has had a String Butler on it. So did he later find out they don't really help that much after all but just not bother to update the viewers? Or was the video itself just a paid advert?

mark123

jonnyscaramanga said:

I found it weird he didn't talk about how they resonated or sounded unplugged. I think that's the biggest thing. Setup can be tweaked, pickups can be changed, glossy necks can be sanded if that's what you like. But if it's dead when you strum it, not much you can do. 

He may be of the opinion that unplugged tone doesn't affect the electric tone... but I'd be surprised if Fender's top luthier took that view.

??He did  saying excactly that ??
if it's lively unplugged and rings unplugged it's a good un...or am i hearing things ????

Tenebrous

thegummy said:

thermionic said:

Also, I thought it was surprising to hear him say that he liked the skinny necks of the Squiers. Most people don’t seem to like them and prefer something more substantial.

I found it surprising too since I have heard a lot of people say they prefer thick but it's only on online forums I've heard that, is that also where you hear it or have you also heard it from pro players / builders etc.?

I much prefer thin necks and wondered if the people who prefer thick are doing it for tonal reasons since I found it surprising anyone would prefer the feel of thicker.

I guess it all comes down to the uniqueness of each individuals hand in a lot of cases. I personally struggle with smaller necks (cramps) & giant necks, but I'm definitely very comfortable with a medium neck & a medium action.

There will be some folk out there who do so strictly for tonal reasons, but I'd not put my comfort after mild tonal variance.

Edit: Turns out the neck profile of my PRS is described as "Wide Fat." While it definitely feels a bit bigger than my Fender, it's definitely not uncomfortable. I guess my preference would be Medium > Fat > Thin.

thermionic

thegummy said:

thermionic said:

Also, I thought it was surprising to hear him say that he liked the skinny necks of the Squiers. Most people don’t seem to like them and prefer something more substantial.

I found it surprising too since I have heard a lot of people say they prefer thick but it's only on online forums I've heard that, is that also where you hear it or have you also heard it from pro players / builders etc.?

I much prefer thin necks and wondered if the people who prefer thick are doing it for tonal reasons since I found it surprising anyone would prefer the feel of thicker.

Well, yes - it’s mainly on here I hear people say that! The only Squier I have is a CV bass, and I wouldn’t really describe that as slim. My MIM Classic 60s Lacquer Strat on the other hand is pretty skinny - uncharacteristically so, compared to numerous other Classic Series guitars I have experience of. I think I’m lucky in that I get along with the neck profiles of all the guitars I own. Not better or worse, just different.

chris78

I’m confused by this video. I thought the classic vibe was the best guitar in the world ever
Seriously, he’s chosen the cheapest guitar as his favourite. Goes to show it’s about the right guitar not the most expensive

darthed1981

jonnyscaramanga said:

darthed1981 said:

Squiers are usually pretty good for that.

They should tell Fender their secrets.

Given the price of some of Fender's bolted together wood and metal offerings, they should

thegummy

chris78 said:

I’m confused by this video. I thought the classic vibe was the best guitar in the world ever
Seriously, he’s chosen the cheapest guitar as his favourite. Goes to show it’s about the right guitar not the most expensive

Lol that's funny, they definitely are the most hyped guitars I've ever seen.

I always try to be careful of internet hype, though do go with it sometimes.

I think sometimes it becomes a standard of knowledge that people then repeat to feel knowledgeable. E.g. someone saying the classic vibe is so great.

Not saying hype is never justified, I bought the Bernie Marsden due to hype and it really is amazing.

Just saying that if you see 50 forum posts saying the classic vibe is amazing, 30 of those might just be saying it because they read the first 20 and accepted it as established knowledge.

dazzajl

thegummy said:

chris78 said:

I’m confused by this video. I thought the classic vibe was the best guitar in the world ever
Seriously, he’s chosen the cheapest guitar as his favourite. Goes to show it’s about the right guitar not the most expensive

Lol that's funny, they definitely are the most hyped guitars I've ever seen.

I always try to be careful of internet hype, though do go with it sometimes.

I think sometimes it becomes a standard of knowledge that people then repeat to feel knowledgeable. E.g. someone saying the classic vibe is so great.

Not saying hype is never justified, I bought the Bernie Marsden due to hype and it really is amazing.

Just saying that if you see 50 forum posts saying the classic vibe is amazing, 30 of those might just be saying it because they read the first 20 and accepted it as established knowledge.

I had a CV Tele and it genuinely was great. My experience is that they offer a solid and gig worthy instrument at a sensible price.

The fact that the CV came third of three and the cheaper guitars got the nod was the best part of the video for me. A refreshing take. 

wesker123

robgilmo said:

Set up can effect resonance though.

.......and the colour 

Bridgehouse

Is it just me or does anyone else sometimes see “fender masterbuilder” and read something quite different....?

rossi

I have had several Classic Vibe strats ,a Simon Neil and a 60th and a CVC Tele .Fine guitars .Didnt like the necks or frets that much .My favorite Squier apart from the original JV I  had i when they came out is the Joe Trohman Tele.I still have that much adored neck on my strat although it has a completely buggered  truss rod nut.For some reason it suits me more than any othe r.It may be the 12 radius medium jumbos 22 frets ...who knows.

thecolourbox

wesker123 said:

robgilmo said:

Set up can effect resonance though.

.......and the colour 

Why would the setup affect the colour?

Bridgehouse

thecolourbox said:

wesker123 said:

robgilmo said:

Set up can effect resonance though.

.......and the colour 

Why would the setup affect the colour?

Clearly the action and relief will affect the tone.....

Kittyfrisk

Should this thread be officially sticky now?

robgilmo

Bridgehouse said:

thecolourbox said:

wesker123 said:

robgilmo said:

Set up can effect resonance though.

.......and the colour 

Why would the setup affect the colour?

Clearly the action and relief will affect the tone.....

Even pick up height will effect resonance.

thecolourbox

robgilmo said:

Bridgehouse said:

thecolourbox said:

wesker123 said:

robgilmo said:

Set up can effect resonance though.

.......and the colour 

Why would the setup affect the colour?

Clearly the action and relief will affect the tone.....

Even pick up height will effect resonance.

I thought meant the colour as in the hue, was just being silly

darthed1981

chris78 said:

I’m confused by this video. I thought the classic vibe was the best guitar in the world ever
Seriously, he’s chosen the cheapest guitar as his favourite. Goes to show it’s about the right guitar not the most expensive

Indeed - the contemporary he liked because it was a bit different I think.

When you see dozens of reliced sunburst strats day in day out, however high end, you must almost doze off sometimes.

Bridgehouse

thecolourbox said:

robgilmo said:

Bridgehouse said:

thecolourbox said:

wesker123 said:

robgilmo said:

Set up can effect resonance though.

.......and the colour 

Why would the setup affect the colour?

Clearly the action and relief will affect the tone.....

Even pick up height will effect resonance.

I thought meant the colour as in the hue, was just being silly

Me too. Tone as in colour tone