Fender Player Telecaster vs Squier Classic Vibe 50s Telecaster | Which Tele Should You Buy?

There is no doubt the Fender Player and Squire Classic Vibe Telecasters are both amazing guitars, but which one is for you? Let's find out!

-------------------
-----
-----

Other cool stuff

TOOLS TO MAKE YOUR GUITAR PLAY BETTER:

------------
High-Fidelity Ear Plugs:
-------
Headphones
-----
-----

*Above links are affiliate links. I appreciate you using these links to make your purchase. You pay the same and we get a small commission to help keep the lights on.

[ryanbrokaw]

I picked up a 2016 50's CV for $275. Best guitar I've ever owned. I like that its a Squier. Play the guitar, not the headstock.

[tyecook]

I've owned a few classic vibes, strats and teles and I'm actually damn proud to have that nice gold squier logo on the headstock. Twenty years ago not so much but their instruments now are so good that I love proving that you don't need to pay for the big name for all to see to have a nice guitar. Even a lot of long time brand snobs are admitting the cv's are great, and those are probably the people who would indulge in some headstock sanding. As for me I want everyone to know exactly what it is!

[SkyView]

when I'm playing a guitar I can't see the label on the headstock :- D

[joaoduarte]

I bought the Squier tele 50s CV. I have it for a month now and I love it. That neck plays like a dream and the sound is really good.

[alec]

The CV is much warmer, definitely more twang on the Player series. I associate the Tele for its twangy sound so I like the player series.

[recordedanemone]

There very much is a difference in sound between the 2, but honestly, changing the pickups on the cv will make it WAY better than that played tele

[therightdude]

For those of you wondering:
Squier CV 50 Tele=7lbs
Fender Standard Tele =8 lbs
American Fender Telecaster 7.5-8 lbs

I picked up a CV tele 50s from Amazon in Blond White and I couldn t care less about the headstock. It was on sale so I pulled the trigger and I m pretty sure the only thing that would affect it s longevity are frets that are made of a different quality outsourced steel and the fact that the neck is a little thinner but very well constructed so, I think that 40 years down the road, you ll probably have changed a few pots and gotten a few refrets depending on your playing, but the CV is also build to last.. Any played guitar in the world will need a refret or to be recrowned so not sure about the guitar for life because of a Logo. I can t even see my headstock when I m playing, I tried but it threw off my playing, At one point I caught a glimpse and realized, Jesus, this wasn t assembled in a factory in Mexico. The minute I saw that, the intonation went off and the lipstick pickup blew up and it smelled like wet dog. Quick anecdote, I still have guitars that were considered "toys" by real guitarist in the 80s. I m an older guy and I remember when they were selling Corts and Samick in the Sears catalogue. We were in a small town and didn t have a music store, or internet lol. We were buying Cort guitars when Cort had acquired licensing rights from Hohner and Kramer. So Cort was producing the Hohners and Kramers but also their own version of the instruments because of the licensing. Those are just two of the examples of companies that saw the logic of outsourcing. My first guitar ever was a red Cort strat from Sears in the 80s. I held on the guitar until 2009 where it was stolen from my unit. I played the hell out of that thing, and it was perfect out of the box. Couldn t look at the logo though because strings kept breaking when I realized it was a sears guitar. So, at the end of the day, both Player Standard and Squier CV are mass produced guitars from two different factories. They are different beasts but the higher price point from the standard is not a reflection on Quality because anything by Fender or Squier QC wise is a hit or miss (getting better though). The higher price is because of the salaries and upkeep of one Factory vs another, but yes that logo is responsible for a lot of beginners but also for lifelong Fender players. Quick note here in Canada you can get Fender Standards used for around 575-650 in good to excellent condition. The Cv sells for 569$ right now., $400 used so with Reverb, EBAY, Forums, it s never been easier to acquire quality good gear so price isn t really a deciding factor anymore. The one sad thing that some people don t make the disctinction between is the Squier vs Affinity vs Bullet vs CV. One of my former bandmates ordered a CVT in B.Scothch and couldn t wait for the upgrades to come in. Upgrades for what? Well it s a Squier so I need to change the bridge, the pickups, the nut and the tuning keys. Cool, how much did you pay for the guitar? $500. Ok, and what about the upgrades. $450. So you just bought a CV to save money or because you like the sound better, but now you are going to replace the vitals to make it more expensive to you only because it doesn t raise value, or you ll change what you liked. And it still won t change the logo and probably very little else as the CV is a beautiful, gig worthy instrument out of the box (small tweaks for personal preference). I know long useless post. I m Covid

[aaronsanchez]

I recently got the squier custom Tele with the double binding. Lucky for me it came with Texas special custom shop pick ups and a Fender tele bridge. Plays like a dream

[snckrdoodles]

Great comparison video! I went with the 50's CV. I found a used one at GC and it's about 8 lbs. What swayed me was the ease of re-stringing. Love those vintage tuners.

[raffaelesix]

Finally a video where these 2 guitars sound really as the are...different! You can easly hear the big difference betweet the two tones. Thank you!
For what I have to do with my band I think that the Fender player is better because it sounds "more modern".
But there Is not a winner or loser, if you can afford, buy all two. They are great instruments for the price you pay

[Strepite]

I don’t know if that’s your amp settings but the difference is enormous. Squier sounds waaay too muddy compared with Player which has an open, sparkly tone…

[johnlogan]

I own an American Pro Tele, a Player Tele HH, a Player Strat, and a Classic Vibe 50s Strat. The Players are my favorites. The difference between the American Pro and the Player is mainly cosmetic. The tone difference is negligible. The difference in tone from player to classic vibe is a much larger chasm. If I had to choose the best for the money I'd choose the Player in a minute.

[ginolamendola]

I have both guitars. I have to tell you, I keep going back to the Squier. Thanks for the great video.

[mikeledwith]

Thanks for doing this. The Fender has a lot more output, which can fool your ear...but to me it sounds much better too. It has that Telecaster chime, that the CV is missing.

[alpacaman]

I rarely leave comments, but wanted to leave one as I like watching your videos! I ordered a Player Tele in Capri Orange through my local music shop and I should have it just before Christmas and I cannot wait. Keep up the good work!

[mattermote]

I've had them both, and both were 2020s. The player series is 100% worth the extra cash. The CV is really nice for the price point but there's a significant gap between it and the player's series

[checkmateking]

Many thanks for the comparison and your comments. I'd recently been debating with myself which one to buy. After watching your video (more than once!) this week, I decided to go with the Player, which I ordered today.

[mikemurdock]

Squier switched to using an AlNiCo 3 magnet in the pickups for the 50s CV a few years ago. The Player Teles have AlNiCo 5s. That explains why the CVs now sound weaker. They used to use AlNiCo 5s in the older CV models which are better than the ones they are putting out now.

[fiesta]

As a newbie guitarist/college student, I would pick the classic vibe and use the extra money to get a good amp, even though I feel the tone in the player is clearer in my opinion. Perhaps I might look around for a preowned one instead haha, either way they are both awesome

[damien]

I own a tele 50's classic vibe but the player sounds crisper clean. Bang for your buck. I still love my CV. Own every CV model squier has to cover all tones and playability. Good vid.