Squier Classic Vibe - Proper Grown-Up Discussion

Kittyfrisk · October 2021

monquixote said:

TTBZ said:

monquixote said:

For me it's more stuff like cheap hardware with thin plating and cheap pots and wiring. That's more of an issue if it has a hard life like mine did.

The original series had Toneriders which were arguably better than the pickups on a Mex std.

Again I'm not fully convinced these parts are much better on a Mexican Fender, I feel like a modded CV would probably be a better guitar for the same or less money. But I've always enjoyed modding cheaper guitars and don't really care about the whole "triggers broom" thing. To me a Player series Fender doesn't feel like a £600 guitar when compared to other brands in that price bracket like PRS, LTD etc.

I'm fairly sure they are.

Pretty much all the plating went through on mine and the jack socket and pots started failing.

I've never had that on any of the 20 or so guitars I've owned.

Wow. I have never experienced such issues with excessive plating wear on guitar hardware.
Are you a sweaty Xenomorph or playing a lot of outdoor gigs on the surface of Venus?

monquixote · October 2021

Kittyfrisk said:

monquixote said:

TTBZ said:

monquixote said:

For me it's more stuff like cheap hardware with thin plating and cheap pots and wiring. That's more of an issue if it has a hard life like mine did.

The original series had Toneriders which were arguably better than the pickups on a Mex std.

Again I'm not fully convinced these parts are much better on a Mexican Fender, I feel like a modded CV would probably be a better guitar for the same or less money. But I've always enjoyed modding cheaper guitars and don't really care about the whole "triggers broom" thing. To me a Player series Fender doesn't feel like a £600 guitar when compared to other brands in that price bracket like PRS, LTD etc.

I'm fairly sure they are.

Pretty much all the plating went through on mine and the jack socket and pots started failing.

I've never had that on any of the 20 or so guitars I've owned.

Wow. I have never experienced such issues with excessive plating wear on guitar hardware.
Are you a sweaty Xenomorph or playing a lot of outdoor gigs on the surface of Venus?

Like I said I've never had a guitar have that reaction in such a short time (6 months)

The bridge plating is starting to go through on my PRS but its 13 years old.

ellwood · October 2021

I’ve just picked up a CV60s Esquire in the Andertons B stock sale. I’m impressed for the money. It exceeded the expectations I had for a cheap guitar and I’be enjoyed modding it. Yes, the neck is thinner than O’d like - but this is a cheap sofa noodler and for that it’s perfect.

Bidley · October 2021

I think comparing them to the Player series is a bit strange - CV prices have gone up, but so have the entry-level MiMs. You would expect a £600 guitar to be better than a £350 guitar. This may have been relevant when the CVs first came out and the Mexican Standards were a thing. Now they genuinely occupy different gaps in the market.

Basher · October 2021

Not an expert as I've only owner one classic vibe, an early Chinese-made, 50s Strat. I loved the wonderful pickups and sound. Wasn't too keen on the (very) slim neck but thought it was a great guitar for the money.

As an old chap, I truly think we live in wonderful times when, to me at least, a £220 guitar (realise they're more now) can genuinely sound almost indistinguishable from a £2200 one. What comes across is the talent and attitude of the player, not if they've got hand wound unobtanium magnet pickups installed by mermaids riding on the backs of unicorns.

Having recently read about Mike Rutherford of Genesis playing Squier Bullets on their final, squillion dollar, mega arena tour I think it's time we all asked ourselves "what would make me sound better, a custom shop (or vintage) guitar, or just practicing a bit more?".

Neckwringer · October 2021

VM fretless Jazz bass for me.I had to replace the tuners and bridge with Gotoh items due to a really bad vibrating buzz.
Its now a fantastic player,maybe pups next!.

richardhomer · October 2021

I’ve just bought an Affinity Tele for my son to take to university. As I said in another thread, I’ve spent a fair bit of time polishing the scratchy frets and I’ve carried out a thorough set up. I’ve also lightly sanded some slightly rough spots on the back of the neck.

It’s Lake Placid Blue finish is nice and thin and the hardware is perfectly okay, given the price. On a personal taste level, the neck is a bit small but overall (for £189 delivered) it’s a lot of guitar for the money.

His main guitar is a Vintera Tele and whilst the Squier isn’t as good, it’s a fraction of the price. I’d recommend one to anyone - assuming you have the skills to make it play properly.

simonhpieman · October 2021

Basher said:

Not an expert as I've only owner one classic vibe, an early Chinese-made, 50s Strat. I loved the wonderful pickups and sound. Wasn't too keen on the (very) slim neck but thought it was a great guitar for the money.

As an old chap, I truly think we live in wonderful times when, to me at least, a £220 guitar (realise they're more now) can genuinely sound almost indistinguishable from a £2200 one. What comes across is the talent and attitude of the player, not if they've got hand wound unobtanium magnet pickups installed by mermaids riding on the backs of unicorns.

Having recently read about Mike Rutherford of Genesis playing Squier Bullets on their final, squillion dollar, mega arena tour I think it's time we all asked ourselves "what would make me sound better, a custom shop (or vintage) guitar, or just practicing a bit more?".

For me it's much more about feel. I can make any guitar sound alright with a bit of tweaking, it's just wether I can bear to play it for 2 hours at a time or not.

curt_redman · October 2021

My experience with the Classic Vibe series is mixed.

First got early this year was pretty good, off the shelf. It was a 60's Thinline Tele. I bought it with the intention to mod it. I wanted to try a Warmoth neck and have a go at soldering in some new pickups.

Pros
Felt solid
lightweight and well balanced
held tuning well
Pickups sounded useable
Finish was flawless

It had the usual needs of any new guitar
- Nut needed cutting to lower the first fret action
- fretwork to level the frets a bit, but nothing major (My Fenders also needed fretwork, so I'm not listing that as a con)

For the money, it was great. Anyone would have been happy with this as their first, proper gig-able instrument.

Second one I got a couple months ago wasn't as good. I got one of the Purple Strats from Andertons

Pros
Very lightweight, but still balanced. Lightest guitar I own at 6 lbs 13.5 oz
Pickups sounded useable
Finish was flawless

Cons
Didn't hold tuning well
Fretwork was terrible (I think this is because the fretboard is very flamed for a Squier, so it's not as stable as normal)

I kept it for the aesthetics and got my local tech to fret dress it.

Ended up popping some Tonerider pickups in there and added a killswitch with a green pickguard. Won't be everyone's cup of tea, but I play in a 60's psychedelic band, so it fits the look

Cookiemonster · October 2021

curt_redman said:

My experience with the Classic Vibe series is mixed.

First got early this year was pretty good, off the shelf. It was a 60's Thinline Tele. I bought it with the intention to mod it. I wanted to try a Warmoth neck and have a go at soldering in some new pickups.

Pros
Felt solid
lightweight and well balanced
held tuning well
Pickups sounded useable
Finish was flawless

It had the usual needs of any new guitar
- Nut needed cutting to lower the first fret action
- fretwork to level the frets a bit, but nothing major (My Fenders also needed fretwork, so I'm not listing that as a con)

For the money, it was great. Anyone would have been happy with this as their first, proper gig-able instrument.

Second one I got a couple months ago wasn't as good. I got one of the Purple Strats from Andertons

Pros
Very lightweight, but still balanced. Lightest guitar I own at 6 lbs 13.5 oz
Pickups sounded useable
Finish was flawless

Cons
Didn't hold tuning well
Fretwork was terrible (I think this is because the fretboard is very flamed for a Squier, so it's not as stable as normal)

I kept it for the aesthetics and got my local tech to fret dress it.

Ended up popping some Tonerider pickups in there and added a killswitch with a green pickguard. Won't be everyone's cup of tea, but I play in a 60's psychedelic band, so it fits the look

60s Psych now that is my kind of thing. Any demos ?

I really like bands like 13th Floor Elevators, Love, all of the bands on the Nuggets and Pebbles as well as more modern ish stuff like the Black Angels.

Weighing in slightly on the Squiers, overall I really can not fault them, I have had some fairly expensive guitars over the years, even some fairly vintage ones, but I really like my squire Cabronita and recently got a JM JM, which tbh I got to scratch a Jazzmaster itch, but it's fast becoming a favourite.

I sold an AVRI tele this year and had planned to spend some money on a higher priced Jaguar or Jazzmaster, however circumstances have changed since and honestly I am as happy with those two Squiers as I was with the AVRI and a Gibson I also sold this year.

Snap · October 2021

I think the usual caveats to any cheap guitar apply - the frets may need a little work and the innards won't be particularly good. IMO, in the case of a Tele, putting in a set of Tonerider Hot Classics is an affordable mod that will transform the sound. Also worth checking the pots and putting in some CTS stuff, which again is a cheap and easy mod.
The tuners should be OK and the bridge will be OK.
Final mod - an electrosocket to replace the jack socket. Again, dead cheap, dead easy,

joetele · October 2021

Nothing wrong with the pickups in my Classic Vibe 50s Tele - it's the proper Tele sound that my other Teles (Affinity and Player series) didn't have.

In particular, while the fit, finish and innards of the Player are superior overall to the CV, the pickups don't sound Tele enough and have a very low output - they're very clean and articulate, but they don't have the same Tele sound of the CV stock pickups.

That said, the CV is no slouch in the fit and finish department either. It's a stunning guitar for the money, especially at just over half the price of the Player. Great fretwork, lovely neck (shape is subjective obvs).

The Affinity is perfectly good for the money, all I did was upgrade the pickups to Irongear Overwound Steel Foundry, which are as good as the CV pickups. If the Affinity were to be used for more pro gigging I'd be inclined to perhaps upgrade the tuners but otherwise no complaints.

curt_redman · October 2021

Cookiemonster said:

curt_redman said:

My experience with the Classic Vibe series is mixed.

First got early this year was pretty good, off the shelf. It was a 60's Thinline Tele. I bought it with the intention to mod it. I wanted to try a Warmoth neck and have a go at soldering in some new pickups.

Pros
Felt solid
lightweight and well balanced
held tuning well
Pickups sounded useable
Finish was flawless

It had the usual needs of any new guitar
- Nut needed cutting to lower the first fret action
- fretwork to level the frets a bit, but nothing major (My Fenders also needed fretwork, so I'm not listing that as a con)

For the money, it was great. Anyone would have been happy with this as their first, proper gig-able instrument.

Second one I got a couple months ago wasn't as good. I got one of the Purple Strats from Andertons

Pros
Very lightweight, but still balanced. Lightest guitar I own at 6 lbs 13.5 oz
Pickups sounded useable
Finish was flawless

Cons
Didn't hold tuning well
Fretwork was terrible (I think this is because the fretboard is very flamed for a Squier, so it's not as stable as normal)

I kept it for the aesthetics and got my local tech to fret dress it.

Ended up popping some Tonerider pickups in there and added a killswitch with a green pickguard. Won't be everyone's cup of tea, but I play in a 60's psychedelic band, so it fits the look

60s Psych now that is my kind of thing. Any demos ?

I really like bands like 13th Floor Elevators, Love, all of the bands on the Nuggets and Pebbles as well as more modern ish stuff like the Black Angels.

Weighing in slightly on the Squiers, overall I really can not fault them, I have had some fairly expensive guitars over the years, even some fairly vintage ones, but I really like my squire Cabronita and recently got a JM JM, which tbh I got to scratch a Jazzmaster itch, but it's fast becoming a favourite.

I sold an AVRI tele this year and had planned to spend some money on a higher priced Jaguar or Jazzmaster, however circumstances have changed since and honestly I am as happy with those two Squiers as I was with the AVRI and a Gibson I also sold this year.

Haven't got any demos done as we started just before the big dreaded C-word came along, so we've only had about 3 or 4 gigs because dad (bassist) is on the high risk list! I'll get my arse in gear and pop some demos on Youtube or something

I'll check those bands out. The psychedelic stuff is all new to me, so it's good to get into something different!

I love the freedom of playing solos on tracks like The Byrds - Eight Miles High, Iron Butterfly - In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida etc. Can get really wild live! We get some funny looks from the usual pub goers, but the musos love it

Cheers

Sync · October 2021

After all the Tele & Squier enabling threads on here over the last few weeks, I went and had a good look at the latest Squier Telecasters.

Playing the Squier through to the Mex and USA range, there really are diminishing returns as you progress upwards in budget.

10-20 years ago before the current post 2010 era of sizeable price hikes and range / performance uplifts, if the Squier Classic Vibe was Fender USA branded, you wouldn't have questioned it.

Resisting buying the Squier Classic Vibe in White Blond with maple meck was a major effort.

I still might buy it, I don't need one, I really really don't need one at all but I still want one. No risk of buyers remorse either at the current prices. That to me is a perfect measure of how good they are.

Paul_C · October 2021

I had a couple of CV Teles and a CV Strat a while ago and liked them all.

Thanks to this thread (and my own inability to restrain myself) I've just ordered a Classic Vibe 70s Jaguar from Andertons in ltd. ed. purple metallic.

Image: https://andertons-productimages.imgix.net/443568-0374090577-Angle.jpeg?fit=fillmax&bg=FFFFFF&auto=compress&w=2400&h=2400

xscaramanga · October 2021

I've got a Classic Vibe 50s Tele. I bought a secondhand set of Mojo pickups for it and some Callaham intonated saddles, and it is an excellent Tele. I'm not going to make any "it'll destroy any custom shop you care to mention!!!" type claims, but it's good. It owes me £500, so not a cheap guitar anymore, but I think to find a noticeably superior Tele you'd have to spend twice that, and even then I'm not sure.

PD1598 · October 2021

I have a CV 70s HSS Strat. Love the neck and finish. Nut needed quite a lot of work when I first got it but plays nice now. No issues with frets. Out of interest, since a few have said it, any suggestions for a good upgrade to the pick ups?

notanon · October 2021

Paul_C said:

I had a couple of CV Teles and a CV Strat a while ago and liked them all.

Thanks to this thread (and my own inability to restrain myself) I've just ordered a Classic Vibe 70s Jaguar from Andertons in ltd. ed. purple metallic.

If be interested in your opinion when you get that delivered. Been toying with the idea of getting one of these.

joetele · October 2021

Sync said:

After all the Tele & Squier enabling threads on here over the last few weeks, I went and had a good look at the latest Squier Telecasters.

Playing the Squier through to the Mex and USA range, there really are diminishing returns as you progress upwards in budget.

10-20 years ago before the current post 2010 era of sizeable price hikes and range / performance uplifts, if the Squier Classic Vibe was Fender USA branded, you wouldn't have questioned it.

Resisting buying the Squier Classic Vibe in White Blond with maple meck was a major effort.

I still might buy it, I don't need one, I really really don't need one at all but I still want one. No risk of buyers remorse either at the current prices. That to me is a perfect measure of how good they are.

You just reminded me I bought some brass compensated saddles for my Classic Vibe, must fit those soon. The only other thing I might change at some point is the tuners. Really happy with the stock pickups.

stonevibe · October 2021

I'd agree the pickups on these CV Telecaster models are very good and have that twang you would expect from a vintage Tele tone. No, they aren't boutique clones with vintage bobbins, magnets and wire, but they do the classic Telecaster voice with ease.

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