I think the newer MIM's have "Mexico" on the back of the headstock, not gone entirely. That way the front says "Fender" with no "Made in Mexico" on the front. I think it's one of their new upgrades (Fender's word) to make it look more like the old ones.
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If Squier was Fender
- Thread starter WoodyG3
- Start date
I think the newer MIM's have "Mexico" on the back of the headstock, not gone entirely. That way the front says "Fender" with no "Made in Mexico" on the front. I think it's one of their new upgrades (Fender's word) to make it look more like the old ones.
There are some 'good' ones, to be sure. Just be prepared to reject a lot of 'em before finding a 'good' one. Part of this discussion must consider that one man's "good" is another man's "junk". Experience, playing style, personal taste and available finances tend to move the bar up or down, too.
My neighbor has a good Squire Jazz. With a little bit of expert setup and some minor fret work it's a great bass, and one of the reason I considered the VM fretless (and the raves it gets here in this forum). He told me he played several at different shops before finding his.
Just to be clear ... I'm no gear snob ... I don't care what anyone else buys and/or plays. But I'm very particular about what I buy and play, and it has nothing to do with the name on the headstock.
I've got an old squire strat from the early-mid 80s that says "Fender" real big, and then has "squire series" in small letters... I'm surprised they don't do something like that again.
Actually, the early-80s Squiers were surprisingly good and some are even considered vintage instruments today. And since there were no MIM Fenders in those days, the comparison would not have been made. I used to own a MIJ Squier P-Bass (32" scale) from that era, black with a rosewood fingerboard that was extremely playable and sounded great. Wish I hadn't sold it!
i have not read through this entire thread. but just last night, i was waxing ecstatic to a good friend about the Classic Vibe 60's Strat...how it's got the alder body, great Alnico pickups, one of the nicest necks i've ever played on any Stratocaster (or variants thereof). and through a tube amp, it's one of the nicest sounding Fender-bred instruments i've ever heard.
he goes "yeah, but i mean, i'd be into it if they called them Fender Squiers. something about it just isn't right."
so the proof's in the pudding folks. personally, i don't care. i've taken crap for being proud of my Squier II bass, simply on the basis that "it's a Squier, and Squiers are cheap. you don't know anything about good guitars." in the end, it just comes down to put up or shut up, and i just try to play the best i can on the gear that i have.
he goes "yeah, but i mean, i'd be into it if they called them Fender Squiers. something about it just isn't right."
so the proof's in the pudding folks. personally, i don't care. i've taken crap for being proud of my Squier II bass, simply on the basis that "it's a Squier, and Squiers are cheap. you don't know anything about good guitars." in the end, it just comes down to put up or shut up, and i just try to play the best i can on the gear that i have.
Fender might do this, but there is a pretty compelling reason why they should not: Perception of value.
If Fender slaps its name on any old piece of junk (as they have done at times in the past) the name will suffer, so eventually so will sales. I think they are taking a real risk by selling their MIM instruments as their "Standard" offering, with the US instruments some how being a notch above... But if they call the MIM fenders "Fender", why bother having the Squirename at all? I think I know: Their margins per unit are pretty darned high, so they can afford to have a genuinely entry level line - Squire. Yet, they are selling a some new Squire products as if they are deluxe, are they not?
Their marketing strategy in this area just puzzles me. I know why they have MIM instruments with the Fender logo - - BECAUSE THEY CAN. If they weren't selling, they wouldn't do it. Heck, I saw MIM "Roadworn" strats at GC listing for over $1000!!! Can anyone please explain THAT? Take a bolt together instrument made to fairly loose standards at best, send it south so your cost of manufacture is low, beat it up to make it look "cool" and then sell it like it was made here?
madness.
Then again, if you can get away with it, why not?
Same with Squire - if they can get away with it...
If Fender slaps its name on any old piece of junk (as they have done at times in the past) the name will suffer, so eventually so will sales. I think they are taking a real risk by selling their MIM instruments as their "Standard" offering, with the US instruments some how being a notch above... But if they call the MIM fenders "Fender", why bother having the Squirename at all? I think I know: Their margins per unit are pretty darned high, so they can afford to have a genuinely entry level line - Squire. Yet, they are selling a some new Squire products as if they are deluxe, are they not?
Their marketing strategy in this area just puzzles me. I know why they have MIM instruments with the Fender logo - - BECAUSE THEY CAN. If they weren't selling, they wouldn't do it. Heck, I saw MIM "Roadworn" strats at GC listing for over $1000!!! Can anyone please explain THAT? Take a bolt together instrument made to fairly loose standards at best, send it south so your cost of manufacture is low, beat it up to make it look "cool" and then sell it like it was made here?
madness.
Then again, if you can get away with it, why not?
Same with Squire - if they can get away with it...
You're absolutely right.
To be completely honest I've never been interested in high-end basses, anyway. All this custom, boutique, tonewood, neck-thru stuff bores the pants off me. I've never tried an expensive bass that I've liked more than the cheapo ones I've owned. I can understand why some guys might want to spend five thousand on a custom bass that looks like an exotic fish nailed to a comb, but I don't see the point.
Like, a while back I was actually debating laying down about two grand on a PRS guitar. I ended up spending three hundred and fifty on a Telecaster that I liked way better. Now I can't even imagine why I wanted the PRS in the first place. It looked like furniture and it sounded like the middle of a very boring road.
So yeah, I've owned and used a lot of instruments that some guys might consider to be total junk, but they've worked for me - and I've never had any complaints about how they sounded.
yeah - Limp pasta... Of the many epithets I've read for a bass neck, this is a new one!
Looks like they're trying to force the MIM instruments into the Made in Japan Fenders from back in the day. IMO, it will happen eventually and is in the process, but it seems they are just kinda forcing the issue with the recent moves.
All that said, they are doing some cool stuff with the MIM and Squier lines. I've had some MIM basses that were solid and some not so much. I have a Squier VM '70s that's solid. Right now I'm seriously comtemplating a CV '60s Precision.
All that said, they are doing some cool stuff with the MIM and Squier lines. I've had some MIM basses that were solid and some not so much. I have a Squier VM '70s that's solid. Right now I'm seriously comtemplating a CV '60s Precision.
I own 12+ basses. Most are Fender Ps from various eras (starting with my '65 P. I bought my first Squier, a Vintage Modified TB Precision (the Telebass model) last year at Sam Ash. I was bowled over by the quality, tone and overall build. I then got whiff of the Classic Vibe 50's P bass (single coil pickup in LPB) and ordered it from Musician's Friend. It arrived perfectly set up - all I needed to do was tighten the strings, The fit, finish, tone, etc. are fantastic. I recently bought a Squier 5 string P (the one with 2 J pickups) and am also very satisfied.
Gear snobs tend to miss out on a lot of good stuff! Squier is really onto something. The 3 basses I acquired are quite unique - there is no direct Fender equivalent so I'm a very happy customer.
Gear snobs tend to miss out on a lot of good stuff! Squier is really onto something. The 3 basses I acquired are quite unique - there is no direct Fender equivalent so I'm a very happy customer.
As several people have already pointed out diluting the Fender brand even further than they already have would be a mistake. I still have trouble getting past MIM even though I know that some very good instruments have come out of there. I had major trouble getting past the Squier label until I played and bought a 50s Vibe P-Bass fantastic bass for the dough. When I was kid in the 70s the salesmen in the music stores wouldn't even let us touch the Fenders so of course they developed a mythical quality that has stayed with me to this day. I remember how proud I felt when I got my first new MIA Fender Jazz That being said I think it is smart marketing to have an entry/middle/high/custom line of products. It develops brand loyalty. I just recently bought my 10 year old a Squier Duo-Sonic guitar and frankly it's great and I'm sure as she gets better she will start wanting better and better "Fender" guitars. Just like I would like a Custom Shop one now.
I've read that the G&L Tributes are basically the same U.S. made parts, just assembled overseas.
Is this true of Fender and Squier or the other companies listed?
Is this true of Fender and Squier or the other companies listed?
Quite honestly, I'm sure I value the Fender logo way more than I should. If the current Squier Classic Vibe 60s P-Bass had a Fender logo on it, I'd buy it and it would probably be my main bass and I'd boast about owning it. Quality-wise, you put a blindfold on me and put it in my hands and tell me it's a Fender, I'd have no reason not to believe you. It's a fabulous bass, and if I were a better man, I wouldn't hesitate to buy it. But then there's the prestige of the Fender name, and the nods of approval from other musicians and audience members....
Yeah, but on the other hand, most audience members wouldn't know Fender from Squier from Chevy from Heinz, and most musicians are dimwits anyway.
Unfortunately, though, it's what's going on in my head that's the problem. Had I bought the Squier, I'd always be looking to upgrade to a "real" Fender. That's partly why I ordered the Fender instead, so I'd have the feeling of being "done" and "satisfied" and not feeling a constant urge to upgrade.
When's the last time you saw any major-label musician use a Squier instrument onstage, no matter how objectively good it might be?
A couple times, granted it was only a dude from Sum-41 and Avril Lavigne.
I know what you mean. But looking to celebrities for tips on cost/value ratios is like asking Liberace for advice on what to wear at an Amish Funeral.
I kind of have the same thing. I'm trying to overcome it though, and spending time with good Squiers has made it a lot easier.
