The Surprising History of SQUIER by FENDER Guitars

Hey, guys! I thought it would be fun to look at everybody's favorite budget brand, SQUIER! The history goes back much further and is much more surprising than even I thought going into it. Enjoy the ride!

[sprontos]

When I worked at Guitar Center, it was quite normal to have several Squires that were better playing guitars than half of the Fenders and Gibsons on the sales floor. A few upgrades and you have a solid instrument at half the price.

[vayabroder]

Squiers are very good instruments; regardless what some may say. Back when I started playing there was no way of finding a good playing guitar unless you bought a Fender, Gibson, Ibanez, etc. and paid accordingly. After brands like Squier and Epiphone started making affordable instruments this all changed for beginners.

[markewings]

I've had my squier strat 35 years I love it

[RARenfield]

Squier helps me feed the need for "just one more" guitar. I would not have discovered the magic of the Telecaster otherwise. My Butterscotch Blonde string-through Bullet is simply brilliant.

[SigmaStoicGemini]

I've been playing guitar and bass for almost 40 years. Squiers have been some of the best instruments I've ever had, especially in recent years. With their current line up, they've really strpped up their game.

[jamlemon]

Imagine as a guitarist you see a Squier violin. No way you’re thinking it’s worth so much.

[galesito]

I had a Squier Telecaster (butterscotch blonde) that was the most perfect guitar I've ever played. The action was so perfect that my fingers flew over the strings and I rarely got fret buzz. Better guitar players than me played it and they were always impressed. I remember one guy who had just bought a vintage Telecaster who played it and said "this is the guitar I wanted!" :D

Great video.

[sparksspare]

I was 16 in ‘93 and my dad came in with a Fender case so I got excited! He opened it up and it was a Squier Strat and I was bummed at first. Plugged it into my Deluxe Reverb I had at the time and straight magic happened. It’s an 83/84 SQ model from Japan, all stock original. Decades later I still have and play it. Actually kept it over a 77 Fender I eventually got. Many people are shocked when they play it.

[RockyH.]

I really like Squier, they are different to me for some reason than like say Epiphone ya know....Squier is killer in a lot of ways and deserves alot more respect for it's instruments....a Squier Telecaster with up grades of course is as good a instrument as G&L or Fender in fact you can afford the upgrades because you can save some coin....I've always thought Fender, Squier, and G&L absolutely kill with their Telecasters!

[jamesmaybray]

My 1983 Squire "SQ" model is hands down the BEST Strat Ive ever played! Probubly why I sold my American and MIM Strats and kept my 83 SQ Squire. 3 bolt neck w micro tilt, bullet truss rod, large 70s headstock. Its beat to death but the tone is there always!

[JohnDoe-xris]

I have one of the first Squier strats from about 1984. I still have it....played a LOT of gigs with it.

[kaboomerty]

i found a used squier for 99 bucks at guitar center a few years back and idk who did what to it before they sold it but it’s the best guitar i’ve ever played, the neck is flawless, and the action and everything was literaly perfect, best 99 bucks i’ve ever spent

[two-tone]

This was great to see and long overdue. Squires have really come a long way in the last 10 years they are such a solid value thanks for doing this awesome work.

[nicolaserafini]

Classic Vibes and (used) Vintage Modifieds are indeed up there with the cheapest proper Fender models, people always think of Squiers as cardboard chinese toys: wrong. They are a steal for the price.

[seanmurphy]

I still have my Korean Squire Strat that was purchased in 1995 for $200! I had many guitar player friends that were super impressed by the action every time they picked it up. Later years it seems that you could get a squire Strat with a bag and an amp for like a hundred bucks! My only regret is that I would have purchased it white, instead of black. Because 26 years later, it has the gnarliest smoked patina on the pickguard, wish it was all over the body!

[sixstringfrenzy]

Im a very happy Squier player today! This was awesome, I love it!

[ileutur]

Here's a little known fact - the lawsuit era should actually be called the cease and desist era. Cause that's what happened, not lawsuits

[alinchitown]

Love the channel got me at Guitar Historian, I have one of those Japanese Strats with the Fender by Squire Logos in Pelham Blue I got in a Pawn Shop about 8 years ago for $25. Very happy to own it just as a piece of History. Then again I'm a guitar hoarder lol.

[flamencoprof]

Not that I am an expert but at around 70ish I have learned a bit over the years. I am not surprised I didn't know most of this because: -
A. It is a very informative presentation, and
B. When younger I got the impression Squier was just a cheap brand and not worth learning about.
Ah, the arrogance of Youth!

[WillyPDX]

I really appreciated this video. There was a lot about Squier history I knew nothing about. And I agree, the Squier Classic Vibe guitars are a lot of guitar for the money. With a good setup and a hardware upgrade here and there, they can play as well as any American Fender counterpart. I sometimes upgraded the pickups on my Squiers but I've had a couple of them that had pickups too good to consider replacing them. There's a local Tele player that is considered just about the hottest player in town, and I saw him playing a Classic Vibe Squier (pre-pandemic) and it sounded so sweet. At break I asked him what he had upgraded on the guitar. He said....nothing. Again proving that most of our sound is in how we play, not what we play. But it also proved that a stock Squier Tele could hang in a gigging band with no apologies. The perfect guitar for a beginner because it can take you as far as you want to go.