Squier Classic Vibe vs Fender Player: Does it Really Make a Difference?

This is a deep-dive comparison between the Squier Classic Vibe 60s Stratocaster and the Fender Player Series Stratocaster (made in Mexico). Should you buy the Squier Classic Vibe 60s Stratocaster or the Fender Player Series? What are the main differences between Squier and Fender and where are they similar? This video will hopefully answer all the FAQs I see come in regarding these two great electric guitars.
Check out the guitars here:
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Video Chapters
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0:00 - About
0:14 - Unboxing & First Impressions
2:16 - Clean Tone Comparison
3:30 - Weight
3:52 - Similarities & Differences
5:06 - Dirty Tone Comparison
6:43 - Pickups (Squier vs Fender)
7:19 - 5-Way Toggle (Squier Wins)
7:52 - Tremolo System Compared
8:17 - Fit and Finish
8:45 - Tuners and Tuning Reliability
9:21 - Squier vs Fender - Which is best?

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#intheblues #squier #stratocaster @fender

[intheblues]

I'd love to hear which one you like best and why and if there's any actual difference in the tone to your ears? Feel wise, they are both nice. Check the timestamps below for video sections if need be. Thanks for watching. 🙏
0:00 - About
0:14 - Unboxing & First Impressions
2:16 - Clean Tone Comparison
3:30 - Weight
3:52 - Similarities & Differences
5:06 - Dirty Tone Comparison
6:43 - Pickups (Squier vs Fender)
7:19 - 5-Way Toggle (Squier Wins)
7:52 - Tremolo System Compared
8:17 - Fit and Finish
8:45 - Tuners and Tuning Reliability
9:21 - Squier vs Fender - Which is best?
Check out the guitars here:
Thanks to Sky Music for the loan of these guitars.
(affiliate links)

[ricardobarron]

Got my Player Strat, when they were $649. Got it new, on sale for $549. I'm very happy.

[neohiomale]

I've had a classic vibe for 10 years and totally love it 😀

[darwinwhitten]

Just bought a classic vibe 60s today. I cannot believe how good it is for the money. I am very happy with it should last me a long time.
Thank you for the review helps me to know I made a good decision.

[oldmanlearningguitar]

I have an two American fenders, one Mexican and one Squier. Wanted a Jaguar and was planning on getting the Vintera MIM one. Ended up buying a Classic Vibe instead. Very happy with it.

Since then I’ve also bought the MIM Meteora. Very happy with that too.

I’m no longer pre-judging guitars by where they are made.

[TwistedIdentity]

They've got their pros and cons. I've owned both and can definitely say the CV is built every bit as nice as the Player Series. The Player series sounded better and I preferred the neck on it, but I prefer the bridge and tuners on the CV. One thing I noticed though, eventually the Player Series developed fret sprout. The CV did not.

[mwpv]

Having owned all the Fender model guitars I have to say they Classic Vibe is one of my favorites. I have one that is around 8 years old, never had a set up and played it a lot and still play it and it sounds as good now as it did day one, maybe even a bit better with age. The CV series is one of the best buys you can get!

[TheLostSquadron]

Can see just just by the headstock finish how much Squier have upped their game vs. the Affinity level guitars (which look almost like raw wood). I also have a Chinese and an Indonesian Squier and the Indonesian feels better and also has a couple of interesting touches like the skunk stripe on back of neck vs. bare on the Chinese built one. With a fret polishing and tuner replacement, my Indonesian Strat plays just as nice as the "real" Mexican Fender and the new Squiers look like they've evened up even more right out of the box. Great video and nice playing!

[nickdevriese]

Classic Vibes have never steered me wrong. Definitely a recommendation for beginners and elite players alike.

[RicMason]

I have both of these and I far prefer my player series. Feels much more solid. My CV took ages to get set up the way I like it and have now converted it to a single hum bucker! As the stock electrics and pickups don’t come close to the player series stuff imo. Mainly play blues/rock. Player is my main guitar, Now use CV for grunge/harder stuff. Love the channel Shane, keep it up bud 🤟🏻🎸

[jamalabdul]

You really can’t lose with either the Fender Standard or the Squier Classic Vibe!!! Judging from your playing examples, one could easily create their sound from either guitar. The only main difference is weight. From the three Fender Strats I own, the more expensive it is, the lighter it is. If I needed a Strat (which technically I do because I have no lefty 😄) I would feel completely comfortable buying either one.

[lunamatic]

If you’re used to expensive guitars you may notice finish issues on either one but Squier overall build quality is quite good nowadays. The only problem I have personally is the tremolo, so definitely agree with you on that one Shane. At this price point it’s definitely not unique to Squier—you can find some good values but expect to spend some time fixing the rough spots. Just gives me a chance to customize in my opinion.

[mikepj]

Good comparison. It’s crazy how the prices on these guitars have skyrocketed. Price on everything skyrocketed but a few short years ago the CV were $299-$349 and the Player series were under $700. Now we are lookin at $500 for the CV and $900 for the Player. Crazy. The Chinese CVs were superior to the news Indonesian ones. I’ve had multiple of each. The only thing I found on the CVs that bothered me was the weight. All the ones I had were very heavy. I still have a CV 50s vintage white blonde Tele that I’ll never part with. It’s a Chinese one and it just as good as any other Tele I’ve had or have.

[edlicari]

Ok, so after owning both of these guitars i can say with confidence that the overall quality of the player series is definitely better!! 👍

[TheJuggernautv]

I have a Player Strat, Classic Vibe 70.s Tele Deluxe, and a Classic Vibe Jazz bass. You can’t go wrong with either series. If you’re shopping, try playing both with an open mind (and ears), and let the guitar pick you. I was shopping for an amp when I found my Strat. The finances got a little complicated, but I knew I couldn’t put it back on the wall once I played it.

[Bobuk]

I’m a big fan of both guitars. I favour the Fender personally (neck feel, and fret size) tone wise ….. both rock ! The Chinese Classic vibes were in my humble opinion slightly better feeling / had the edge quality wise on the current Classic vibes. BUT you ain’t really going wrong with any of them.

[robblair]

I have had old MIM Standards, CVs and Player Series. The current CV and Player Series are so close that there's little to choose between the two. I had both at the same time and sold the CV. The only reason was that they sounded so similar but I preferred the bigger frets on the Player Series, so it made no sense to keep both. The CV felt every bit as well built and sounded pretty much identical. It was purely a preference thing.

[DennisJPolson]

Fantastic comparison, Shane. It is good to hear there is great value in the CV Squier model that rivals the MIM fender Strat.

[peterklein]

The neck is the only difference between the CV and guitars at way, way higher price points. I bought an Am Pro II Telecaster a few months back and it totally underwhelmed me, purely because in my head I'd set the bar so far above my CV Tele due to the huge price difference. I even prefer the CV neck pickup to the Am Pro II!

[brenthorrocks]

Love your videos! I honestly couldn't tell a sonic difference through my headphones. Thanks for posting!