|
||
|
The Squier Guitar Guide While other players fruitlessly dream of playing high-dollar museum pieces, we drool over bang-for-buck customization potential and out of the box style offered by this line of affordable six-stringers and basses. Every instrument in the entire series -- which includes Stratocasters, Telecasters, kids guitars and basses -- can be bought for under $500. And if that wasn't enough, Fender sells a handful of Squier guitar and bass packages that include a Stratocaster (or P-Bass), gig bag, practice amp, tuner, pick, strap, cable, headphones and even instructional DVD to help you play the thing! And all of this for under $500! Tons of Models To Choose-For All Types of Music Styles--Rock, Blues, Country, Jazz, Rockabilly... Vintage Modified
Imagine you had the kind of dough to take a '59 Strat and modify it to your wildest hot rod dreams with different pickups and accessories. That's where the motivation comes to build these Squier guitar 6 stringers.
Take the grey Vintage Modified Telecaster Thinline at the top of this page (Squier actaully lists this color as Shoreline Gold). This semi-hollow is loaded with Duncan Designed telecaster pickups, a step up from the stockers with the Seymour Duncan name to give them more definition. Setting itself apart from your standards, too, is the custom shaped pickguard and vintage style bridge. The black Vintage Modified Strat HSS is in the next position down on this page. Notice the humbucker in the bridge position, HSS standing for the configuration of pickups: Humbucker Single Single. But don't be fooled by the single coil look of those other pups, they're Duncan Designed Stack for Strats, meaning they're humbucker pickups turned on their side. As you may have devised, the Vintage Modifieds are on the upper end of the $499.99 price range. However, the thinline on this page goes for a little less, at $479.99, and the Vintage Modified Tele Custom (not pictured) has a list of $379.99, by far the best deal in this category. Standard
As the name implies, this is where Strats and Teles start out, but these guitars are anything but plain, especially since within this classification you have "Special Edition" guitars.
Take the Cherry Sunburst Strat here. This axe, dubbed the Squier Standard Series Stratocaster Special Edition, has a maple neck, 60s style headstock, 22 frets, engraved neck plate and tremelo bridge. Outfitted with Standard single-coil pickups and the typical 5-way switch, it's a Strat alright.
For a list of $349.99, it's a bargain waiting to happen. Lefty players go here for their axes and pay $379.99. Affinity
You get even more bang for the buck with the Affinity series. Think of these 6 stringers as having an "affinity" for their higher-priced counterparts.
At a list price of $249.99 you can get a Strat like the one pictured or a Humbucker outfitted model for even more out-of-the-box customization.
Teles list for $269.99 and feature two single coil pups and three way switching, just like the original models first made by Mr. Fender.
Bullet
The Bullet is where you'll find the cheapest brand new guitars with somewhat of a brand-name on them. Yes, Squier is made by Fender, makers of extremely nice (& high priced) Strats,
and Telecasters, among other models. But just because the name is on there, don't expect a real nice guitar in this price range here.
We recommend that you don't get a Squier Bullet, but instead try to the Affinity or a little higher priced model. If you're really interested in this guitar, it's because of the $99.99 price tag. And as we've mentioned before on this site, guitars are pretty much the same at this level, regardless of what name is on the headstock. Exceptions are the Condor, but they've become increasingly hard to find here in the USA. Features: bolt-on maple neck, rosewood fingerboard and 21 medium jumbo frets. 3 single-coil pickups. Tremolo bridge. Mini
The Mini Squier guitar category is for the little rockin' tyke in your life. They've also got travel guitar potential due to their smaller packing capabilities.
Imagine taking a Squier Bullet and shrinking it to a 3/4-size version. That's a Mini. Just like their bigger counterparts, they've got three single-coil pickups and five-way switching but come only in hardtail bridge (non-tremelo). Kids get into the act for a list of $179.99. The Mini Player model (not pictured) comes with an amp speaker built right into the body of the guitar, including distortion, for the ultimate in travel axe or elementary school talent show stopper. This special model lists for $249.99 but is being sold for around $150 here  .
You may also be interested in what we think is the best Squier guitar model ever built: The Squier 51. Check that out if you don't already know how great a Squier can be. Return from Squier Guitar to the CheapGuitarZine homepage  and reviews. |
|
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
| ||
The Affinity and Bullet series of Squier guitar offers even lower prices, so any budget can start rockin', form a band, or impress some girls.
