Fender Player Strat BETTER than Squier? HIDDEN DEFECTS

SUBSCRIBE TO WIN - GIBSON LES PAUL GIVEAWAY:
1) SUBSCRIBE and turn on notifications

CLICK TO BUY - Fender Player Series Strat:

Squier Classic Vibe 50's Stratocaster:

Browse ALL GEAR:

Play and Trade Guitars - Guitar Demos, Factory Tours, and On the Scene exclusives.

Fender Player Series Stratocaster VS. Squier Classic Vibe 50's Stratocaster

John and Zach compare, talk specs, and play both the Fender Player Series Strat in beautiful Tidepool and the Squier Classic Vibe 50's Strat to find out which one is the best. Is there a hidden FACTORY DEFECT?

DROP A COMMENT: What is your MUST OWN Strat? Your Favorite? Which Strat will you buy next?

We kicked off our new series on the best selling guitars from both FENDER and SQUIER, starting with a look at the Player Series Strat and Classic Vibe Strat. SUBSCRIBE and follow along as we demo best selling guitars from all the best brands. HAVE A REQUEST? Drop a comment!

VIDEO CHAPTERS:
Subscribe to WIN
Gleam Giveaway Entry Link
On the Bench Specs
Classic Vibe Strat
Player Series Strat
DI Cleans
Performance Demo
'67 Fender Deluxe Reverb
Kemper M. Britt Profile
Ibanez Tubescreamer
EH Big Muff Fuzz
Five Reasons to Buy

PLAY AND TRADE GUITARS // PLAY IT and TRADE IT.

@zZoundsMusic #fender #stratocaster #squier

[PlayandTradeGuitars]

CLICK TO BUY - Fender Player Series Strat:

Squier Classic Vibe 50's Stratocaster:

SUBSCRIBE TO WIN - GIBSON LES PAUL GIVEAWAY:
1) SUBSCRIBE and turn on notifications

Browse ALL GEAR:

[ParaBellum]

This review hits the nail on the head: Strat buyers will want to compare the CV against the Player. That's what I did in 2019, over a couple of hours in my local music shop. I'm an experienced gigging guitarist, so whatever I chose would have to be good enough for that purpose. Spoiler: I went for the Squier. I found that the CV 50s (identical to the one in this video) was considerably lighter than the Player, which was a good thing. The trem was locked down, but the claw was screwed in properly, so I think they send them all out like that to save on setup costs. The Squier was less well-screened than the Player, so I lined the cavity with aluminium foil (from the kitchen, stuck down with Pritt-stick) and solved that problem easily. I also swapped the pickguard for a pearloid one, and upgraded the pots and switch, so I can't comment on the longevity of the originals.

Setting the trem up, it became apparent that the bridge and saddle quality are definitely budget. It's a toss-up whether I should buy a pricier guitar or upgrade the bridge. It took a while to set up, but I've got used to it. Also, the trem arm is a little wobbly, but a wrap of PTFE tape provides a temporary ongoing fix. Incidentally, at 4:12 the saddles are pressed steel, not pot metal, and most importantly, at 4:40 it is _essential_ to loosen the six bridge screws, otherwise there's a risk of damaging the guitar.

On the subject of trem setup, the information at 9:00 isn't quite right. The balance between string tension and trem springs is determined by the strength and number of springs, versus the string tension pulling in the opposite direction. Tightening the trem claw screws only alters the bridge position, not the overall system tension. To change this, you'd need more or fewer springs, or stronger/weaker springs, or a change of string gauge. On my CV 50s I use 9s and have two springs.

When I compared the guitars in the shop, I found that the CV fret ends were finished better than the Player, which went in its favour. Also, out of the box both guitars were set up with a low, easy action, as I assume they were in this video. Testament to Indonesian quality control that this didn't come up short against the Mexican factory.

Regarding the tone of the guitars, I've long felt that six-screw tremolo bridges sound better than those with two posts. It's definitely a subjective prejudice, but that made me think more highly of the Squier when I compared them.

Longer term: I've had the Squier for three years, played most days, but done very few gigs since covid. Even so, the fret wire is showing signs of wear that indicate it's pretty cheap and soft. A sign of cost-cutting that isn't apparent when the guitar's new, and which we must expect to have been applied to every aspect of the production.

Is the Squier good enough to gig? Out of the box, just about. It definitely needed screening, and the trem took some getting used to. If I was gigging three times a week I'd look at either the Player or a US model, and maybe have the Squier as a backup.

One final comment: while online reviews and posts from people like me are useful, there's no substitute for taking the time to visit a music shop and trying some guitars out until you find the one that suits you.

[dewayne]

On the Squire floating tremelo issue, instead of loosening the screws so far out, remove a spring to lessen the amount of screw adjustment. Also, there are springs available that have various amount of tension- so, softer springs could be used or a combination of various springs to get the desired tension. As with most electric solid body guitars, many hardware features can be modified to preference, so the most important factor to a player is the neck. If the guitar plays/feels perfect for you, that's it. The rest can be modified a lot easier than reworking a neck.

[russlee]

I’m a Gibson fan but fancied buying a Strat, I bought the Mexico player strat, same colour as the one in the video last year from Peach guitars for £550 and it’s fantastic, I’ve been playing for over 30 years and it’s the best value and most versatile guitar I’ve had.

[Themsheetz]

The one thing I think you should have made clear is that not all the squiers are going to have that trem issue. This was one assembler trying to get something past the inspector at the end of the day. I’ve seen US strats where they drilled in the screws at such a bad angle that they came through the pickup cavities. As someone who works at a music store I’m sure you’re aware QC is all over the place with Fender and Squier. Yeah you’re probably more than likely to find an issue with a squier but as someone who worked in a music store myself I’ve seen more issues back in the day with our MIM stock. You’re definitely paying some name brand tax on the player series though in this particular comparison. Other than that I think your presentation was on point.

[ciaranocraobhach]

I have a Squier Strat Affinity Series and upgraded to a Fender Tex-Mex pickup set and installed Fender Schaller Locking Tuners. Obviously, the upgrades were equivalent to the cost of the Affinity itself, but I still saved myself a few hundred dollars overall. Honestly, it sounds and plays better than the stock Player Series MIMs I've played over the years. If you put some effort into these guitars, you will get have a quality instrument in your hands. On that note, Mike Rutherford (Genesis) toured with a $200 Squier Bullet (albeit with noiseless pickups), so anything possible.

[vonzoomtunes]

I ended up with the Squier CV, because after playing several Fender and Squiers, I really liked the feel of the Squier better. I was still on the fence, when Fender had a huge sale on Squiers, I ended up buying the CV 50s for only 275. Had to do it for that price...and I'm happy that I did!

[Juno]

I sold my cv Squier and bought a Fender Player Strat - guess why... not because of the headstock logo, but because of the Players better / warmer sound and better metal parts. Especially the Squiers bridge looks a bit cheap compared to the Players bridge.

[brojajacra]

I already recently bought a Fender player series in all white for £599 and its outstanding for the price, I love the satin neck and the finish overall is great as is the superb sound. The only thing Im going to change is to replace the string tree with the roller string tree. A nice cheap modification but a good one I think. I have to say I think the Squier is excellent value for money and its a very nice guitar. and not all will have the same flaws you found. it sounds nice and I had no qualms in buying my son a 3/4 size Squier mini strat for his first guitar and that one has great sounds and a satin neck costing me the mini price of £130. You can be fairly confident buying a squier. So if you want a cheap Fender then a Squier is definitely worth it.

[doneriksen]

I have a Classic Vibe 60's Strat in candy apple red and love it. Like you said, the Squier neck is so comfortable and and easy to play and the pickups sound great. Great comparison video.

[MrCaptpike]

I've been around the block a few times. I've owned several, all Made in US and just recently MIM (road worn). Price was just one of my deciding factors of my MIM. The screws on the claw of the Squire should not have gone out like that but from a practical point, I don't know anyone who leaves the back cover on. Nice review!

[davidchelazzi]

great vid.
I've had the squier cv 50's for a year now, and it's great to play. The neck feels great, the pus sound great. The bridge is cheap, but acceptable. Compared to my fender mim classic 60s: surprisingly good but the classic 60s is definitely better (should compare with current vintera series I guess, but costed me back in 2015-16 as a current player model)

[EHou]

I have several of both. Yes, the Fender Player Series is a cut above, but not twice the cost. Then again, nothing wrong with getting both to feed the GAS.

[joequintana]

I liked the sound of the pickups on the Squier so much more.

[DrJeebles]

With my headphones and YouTube the Squier sounded okay. It definitely sounded different from the Fender, but not terrible. At this point I wouldn't expect to see those factory defects that were on the Squier. Definitely on the $200, but not up there around $500.
Nice one, guys!

[millcrafters]

Couldn't hear hardly any discernible difference between the two. Upon your discovery of the Squier Classic Vibe tremolo problem I took out my newly purchased CV Strat in Lake Placid Blue, and I tried the trem, and yes it was tightened to the point where it would not move thereby eliminating the usual out of tune problems. Then I opened the rear cover and saw the trem claw/bar was well below the flush line with the body of the back of the guitar so no problem there. Obviously, the person who did the assembly line install on the one you have drilled the screw holes at the wrong angle, and yes they covered it up by tightening it all the way. A redrill would solve the problem, but we don't buy new guitars to have to do functional redo's. Great video. Thanks for sharing.

[Peepeestorm]

Honestly, I have fenders from all over, Japan, US, Korea, Mexico and I’ve owned tons of Squiers over the years. There were some Squiers I had that just sucked and I still own the ones that are phenomenal. Same with Fender. I think people should just try out what they want and go from there. everyone’s taste and feel is different

[mikeaitken]

I've had several CV 50s Strats and Teles. I settled on the Player Strat though because of the neck finish and feel, the better quality switch and pots and the two-point vibrato mount. That being said, the CV 50s Strats sound great, are lighter and have those wonderful string-through slotted tuners which are easily my favourite turners (no sharp string ends to poke your fingers and scratch your gig bag).

[mickeymessstudios]

Squier all the way here ! Just love gloss necks so much more than satin. Also agree on the unique, special feel of that Squier neck which I just could not find on the MIM Strats and I played and compared at least 50 Fenders MIM at the store over the course of a few weeks - like you said, just can't figure it out why, but that Squier neck is insanely good and comfy. For 400 $, if you need to, you can upgrade pickups, have the shop fix the screws, upgrade the bridge components or bridge if so desired and then you have the best feeling neck with your totally personal touch modded config still less than the Fender :-) BTW, the Squier has a BONE nut, but you need to replace the string guard for a roller or graphtec... I actually got a Squire like this in Daphne Blue for 300$ used and modded it to the max with the Fender TEXAS SPECIAL loaded pickguard (269 $), GraphTec Ferra-Glide saddles - it's insane how good this feels and plays. To me - the Fender MIM lacks the luster of and quality of an american Fender PRO II or Eric Johnson Model but is too much money to justify for MODD platform 🙂 As far as getting guitars with a flaw, Fender, Gibson, Squier etc.. I've seen it all and there appears to be no QC that could catch em all. But when you buy a new Squier, the shop will take it back usually no questions asked (like Thoman here in Europe).

[garymiller]

Best overall value (bang for the buck), in my opinion, is the classic vibe 60s Strat. Great sound and playability at a price point that makes it easy to upgrade, if you want to.