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Whats the difference???? Fender vs. Squier

  • Thread starter Thread starter garretibanez
  • Start date Start date

What do you prefer Squier or Fender

  • Squier

    Votes: 23 14.6%

  • Fender

    Votes: 134 85.4%
  • Total voters
    157
G

garretibanez

Guest
#1
Whats the difference between a Fender and Squier????????

I have recently played a couple very expensive Fender basses at guitar center.

And I gotta say, I prefer Squire. Don't get me wrong I mean if someone was giving away a Fender j or a Squier J I would pick the fender simply beacause they age very well and it would be cool to have a 1955 fender J instead of a 1955 Squier J (I dont know if they make them that early but you catch my drift)

I know people say the wood and electronics are better but does anyone have PROOF????

In my opinion Squiers also play better and sound the exact same. Don't believe me go to Ed Friedlands Youtube page and look and his Squier vibe series review. He compares Squier and fender basses.


I have a Sqiuer PJ bass it was my first and I much prefer it over most fender.


THIS PART IS IMPORTANT I am comparing Squier basses to the $400 to $1000 Fender basses not there ridiculously nice basses
 
#2
Check this out:
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So that kind of goes with fender with squier
Get it?
Gibson : Epiphone = Fender : Squier :D
Better is a subjective word,
But,
For most people, i guess fender sounds better than squier
 
#3
saltyanchovy said:
Check this out:
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Click to expand...

thats funny, i actually went to buy a les paul last year, i saved up about 2500 dollars, and made my way to the guitar store.

i plugged in a Gibson LP standard and played for a bit, then i picked up an Epi LP standard. i couldnt really hear any significant difference, so i left and scooped up a few guitar playing buddies.

they really couldnt hear any difference either, so i ended up with the Epi LP, and an extra 2 grand in my pocket.


that being said, im going to buy a Squier VM fretless soon. i dont care whats stamped on the headstock, as long as it sounds good to me.
 
#4
Yeah but people say Fender sounds better most of them subconsiously think that because how pissed would you be if you bought a 1k bass to find out it has the same sound as a $150 bass
 
#5
Actually, I find that I like most mid-high range Epi LPs better than the low-mid range Gibbies.

I can't say the same for the SGs.

As far as bass goes, I've never played a Gibby version of any Epis I've had, nor have I ever seen an Epi in person of any Gibbies I've played, so I can't make a comparison.
 
#8
Squier is one of Fender's budget brands. The only way to make something cheap is to make something cheap, if you catch my drift. That doesn't mean they don't or can't sound awesome; it only means that Fender put as little money as possible into the parts, assembly, and quality control, so if you got a good one then you were lucky--or you just like it how it is, which is fine of course. However, at the lower price point of Fenders, I do think the main reason to buy a Fender instead of a Squier is just for the label on the headstock. IMO it's only once you get up into the more expensive MIJ and MIA basses that the "Fender" really is better-made than a typical Squier.
 
#9
bongomania said:
Squier is one of Fender's budget brands. The only way to make something cheap is to make something cheap, if you catch my drift. That doesn't mean they don't or can't sound awesome; it only means that Fender put as little money as possible into the parts, assembly, and quality control, so if you got a good one then you were lucky--or you just like it how it is, which is fine of course. However, at the lower price point of Fenders, I do think the main reason to buy a Fender instead of a Squier is just for the label on the headstock. IMO it's only once you get up into the more expensive MIJ and MIA basses that the "Fender" really is better-made than a typical Squier.
Click to expand...

if i can get the same tone out of the budget brand, why spend the extra money? for the image?
 
#11
FSSmikey said:
if i can get the same tone out of the budget brand, why spend the extra money? for the image?
Click to expand...

For its better components, craftsmanship and the logo on the headstock that immediately raises your "image status". And yes, before all the flaming begins, Fender is commonly more acceptable as "pro" than Squier, despite the player's ability to make both sing.
 
#13
Gothic said:
For its better components, craftsmanship and the logo on the headstock that immediately raises your "image status". And yes, before all the flaming begins, Fender is commonly more acceptable as "pro" than Squier, despite the player's ability to make both sing.
Click to expand...

agreed, but then again, i dont play in a band, nor do i play in any public settings, so i dont really need the image part.


although, if i did have the scratch, i would have a jaco relic on my wall next to a gibson custom LP.

but for now ill settle for my Epi guitars and basses.
 
#15
Right now the two basses that make up my live rig are a Fender 60th Anniversary Edition P-Bass Special, and a Squier P-Bass Special that I distressed, as well as replaced the pick ups with some basslines spb3's.

The fender definitely sounds much better than the squier. Even the stock pickups in my fender beat out the ones that I bought to replace the stock squier pickups.

It's not that the squier at all sounds horrible, it just sounds much much different. Theres no way that I could match the tones that I get from my fender with it, so I use it for much different things, such as effects. Using my bass pod xt live i can get some crazy tones out of my squier that can really add to the depth of a song.

I definitely think that squiers have their place in the world, it just depends on your budget, and what kind of sound you're going for. Customization also comes to mind when thinking about squiers. a few months back I took a belt sander to my squier to give it a road worn look, and it simply looks amazing, and much better than when i first got it like 4 years ago. It was really a lot of fun to distress the bass, and it just feels so comfortable now. And you can bet that it was a lot easier to strip the finish off of a $250 squier than it would be to strip it off of my $800 fender. I also sanded the Squier logo off of the bass, and I plan to replace it with something soon... but for now the headstock just reads "Precision Bass Special" haha. the bass looks so good, and has such a unique sound to it that people have a hard time believing it was a squier, until they see the barely noticable inprint of the logo on the headstock.

So, in conclusion, it all comes down to what you want in a bass. I think that squiers are great entry level basses, and serve as great instruments to customize, as they're inexpensive, so if you accidently screw up you're only out a few hundred rather than potentially $800+


however, for great, reliable tone right out of the box i would go with fender. You know what you're getting for sure, where as with a squier, you might have to tinker around with it much more until you can get exactly what you want.
 
#16
I have identical P-Basses, one (Mexi)Fender and one Squier, both black with white guard, both about the same age. Only difference is the Squier has a maple fretboard and the Fender is rosewood. The big differences I've noticed:

Squier- Lighter in weight, thinner (cheaper) finish on the Black, white pickguard is non-laminated (no black line) and not beveled on the edges, neck requires regular adjustment (warps upward from string tension), requires more frequent tuning. Crappier tuner hardware. Has a nicer tone unamplified but the Electronics SUCK. Could never get as loud as the Fender.
Fender- Noticeably heavier in weight, thicker finish, quality laminated white pickguard, the action stays adjusted (no neck warping so far), holds tune noticeably longer. Muted tone when unamplified.

I swapped out the crappy electronics and pickguard on the Squier for a pristine setup from an '80's Fender P-Bass (ebay), put on some decent strings, and now I love it every bit as much as my Fender. It has a slightly warmer tone than the Fender (due to the maple fretboard?). The best part is I don't have to worry about hurting the Squier. It is really nice to have a thrasher that sounds good too.
 
#19
google the term "Veblen goods"...

Fender is seen as the status brand... people will pay the extra just to have the Fender logo rather than the Squier logo even though the actual item itself may only have a fraction of the extra price difference actually invested in the materials and workmanship

Why do you see so many bands on TV playing Fenders and Gibsons? They'd probably sound just as good (or bad if you hate some of the stuff they play) using the Squier or Epiphone equivalents...

It's an image thing...
 

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