The Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster '50s is an electric guitar with a look to die for and plenty of '50s 'blackguard' Tele vibe. The Vintage Blonde or Butterscotch Blonde over pine body totally resonates and you'll be hard-pressed to tell whether or not you are holding a premium ash body guitar. Of course pine is not a foreign wood to guitar making or to Fender history for that matter. Early single and dual pickup Esquire guitars were made with pine bodies.
Featuring a 21-fret vintage tint gloss maple neck with the modern playability of a 9-1/2" radius and medium jumbo frets, and outfitted with a custom set of Alnico 5 single-coil pickups on the Butterscotch Blonde model and Alnico III on the Vintage Blonde, this Squier Tele has tone that can really hang with the big boys. You get clear note separation even in distorted modes and dynamic response with a strong midrange and high end bite for leads.
Classic Vibe
Back in 1982, the very first Squier by Fender guitars and basses came ringing out of Asia. Known for their excellent vintage-quality look, feel, sound, and construction, those early Squier instruments and their Fender-branded counterparts are now highly sought-after collector's items revered by guitar enthusiasts as models of "getting it right" while aiming at value-conscious players. The Squier Classic Vibe Series reflects that simultaneous commitment to excellence, value, and vibe. Mirroring classic Fender designs, the Classic Vibe offering is not intended to be era or vintage correct-but rather imparting the vibe of a classic Fender design. Each with distinctive feature set combinations-all adding up to one classic-looking instrument.
Resonant pine body just like the early Equires
1-Piece maple, modern "C" shape neck with maple fingerboard
Custom Telecaster pickups
Chrome hardware including vintage-style tuning machines
Vintage-style Tele bridge plate w/brass barrel saddles
Great sound, vintage looks, unbeatable value. Order yours today.
SPECIFICATIONS
Classic Vibe Telecaster '50s Electric Guitar
Body: Pine
Finish: Polyester
Neck: 1-Piece Maple, Modern "C" Shape
Fingerboard: Maple, 9-1/2" (241mm)
Frets: 21, medium-jumbo
Scale Length: 25-1/2" (648mm)
Nut Width: 1.65" (42mm)
Hardware: Chrome
Tuning Keys: Vintage-style tuning machines
Bridge: Vintage-style Tele bridge plate w/brass barrel saddles
Pickguard: 1-ply black
Neck pickup: Custom Telecaster pickup (Alnico 5 on Butterscotch Blonde/Alnico III on Vintage Blonde)
Bridge pickup: Custom Telecaster pickup (Alnico 5 on Butterscotch Blonde/Alnico III on Vintage Blonde)
Pickup switching: 3-Position Blade: Position 1. Bridge Pickup, Position 2. Bridge and Neck Pickups, Position 3. Neck Pickup
Controls: Volume, Tone
Strings: (.009-.042) Nickel-plated steel
Custom Guitar's Friend Gold Coverage
Gold Coverage goes above and beyond the manufacturer's warranty to protect your gear from unexpected breakdowns, accidental damage from handling
and failures. This plan covers your product for one, two, three or up to five years from your date of purchase, costs just pennies per day and gives you a
complete "no-worry" solution for protecting your investment.
Gold Coverage Includes:
Unexpected and unintentional spills, drops and cracks
Normal wear and tear
Power surges
Dust, internal heat and humidity
Other plan features include:
For products over $200, No Lemon Policy applies. If it fails for the same defect 3 times, it is replaced on the 4th breakdown. (Does not apply to failures due to drops, spills, and cracks)
For products under $200 experiencing the above failures, a Custom Guitar's Friend gift card will be issued for the full price of the product + tax.
Shipping fees covered if required for repair or replacement
Plans are transferable in the event merchandise is sold
Plans are renewable on new gear
*Limitations and exclusions apply. See terms and conditions for program details
Term for New Gear begins on date of purchase but does not replace the store return policy or manufacturer coverage.
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No it does not have a satin neck and is, compared to an original or custom shop, somewhat over finished, BUT it is a great guitar at a great price. Use it out of the box or customize the way you would any of your other guitars. May want to add nocaster/52 reissue pickups (look at Lollar's) as this guitar is worthy of cutomzation.
I have been playing guitars for over 40 years and amazed how you can get a guitar at a fraction of the real cost now compared to the 1950's that play and sound as well as this.
The originals were conceived as cheap planks of wood to sell to the masses. This is much better than that.
Standard Tele features with 2 Alnico 3 pickups ( note butterscotch has Alnico 5), modern radius neck, single tone/vol control, three way switch, brass saddles and vintage look tuners.
It has a relatively thin neck compared to the original.
This one had a three piece body, seen some with 2 piece body
All you need
Very well made. very playable when I got it , did not need additional setup. Good fretwork, all in all much better than one would expect for a guitar at this price. Remeber that the originals were built to a price.
Is this a custom shop high dollar guitar? No, but is very very good. I have a 52 reissue. When I go out I take this guitar, at home this is the one that is out.
Neck pocket well done, finish had no imperfections. The wood on neck was ok, I have seen neck wood vary from flame and birdseye to plain.
While not high end tuners, the guitar stays in tune. With solid bridge locking tuners are not as necessary. Nut well done with no edges.
The fact that they had different (now considered better) finishes such as lacquer was a result of the technology at the time. Lacquer is easy to spray and dries quickly with a deep gloss. The issue with the new finishes is that they tend to be too thick. If it is that important by a custom shop or big tex at 5 times the price.
I doubt they could build one like this in 1950 with the available technology at this price.
This is a well made guitar. I don't see people complaining about quality when talking about their IPADS are made in China
For the price there is no way you regret this purchase. Do yourself a favor, close your eyes and have some one at the store hand you different tells to try with your favorite amp. Then pick the one you want. You will be surprised once your preconceived ideas of price vs playability/sound are taken away by being blindfolded. Then look at it and smile.
Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster '50s Electric Guitar Butterscotch Blonde
.If you read the reviews up here you will see the most liked negative review which is from me. They wont let you amend the reviews up here. Suffice to say I've done a 180 on my take on the Butterscotch Blonde which I will get to in a moment. I've bought 4 of these and these are the only Telecasters I own. I've got 2 of each of the Butterscotch Blonde and 2 of the Vintage White Blonde. In the meantime I've bought a Baja Telecaster, Nashville Telecaster, American Special Telecaster. The American Special I outright should not have bought. I never could get the tone I liked. The Baja Tele was good tone but I got tired of that fat neck. The Nashville was good also but it was really heavy.
I rated the Butterscotch Blonde one badly because the one I got must have weight 6 pounds and I think it affected the tone. The one's I have played and bought after that were excellent. The Alnico 5 which is in the Butterscotch Blonde. If you get a chance go up on Youtube and look for the guy that compares the ButterScotch Blonde to the 52 Re-Issue and then states he now takes the the CV out most times instead. One thing I will warn you about and that is variance in weight on these guitars. Also the finish and wood grain can be seamless on some and not so seamless on others. By seamless I mean you can't tell they are using 2 or 3 pieces of wood. So if you can view before buying by all means do so.The main difference between the 2 are the Alnico 5's are a little hotter. So if you love the REM sound which I do get the White Blonde because it has the Alnico 3's. I have a Rickenbacker 360 and I play through a Vox AC30C2 and that guitar is the closest to a Rickenbacker that I have heard. It's not totally there but it's very very close. But in the end I like both the Butterscotch Blonde and the White Blonde but the Butterscotch is amazing looking. These guitars are the real deal folks. Chinese know how to make them
Lastly I did sell the Baja, American Special and the Nashville.
Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster '50s Electric Guitar Butterscotch Blonde
.I own over 40 guitars including two American made Tele's. Been playing since Woodstock, the one in '69. I wanted a pine body Tele so tried out this Squier just to get one cheap to mess with. I almost always have to do a fret level and complete setup to get any new guitar to play right, this one only needed a few small adjustments out of the box. I like the way the pine resonates, pickups sound good enough that I have no plans on upgrading. stays in tune fine. Bought this as a project guitar but really doesn't need anything that would make it better. Will leave as is unless something breaks but expect it will be a long time before it needs it. If it ain't broke don't fix it.
Everything Tele...Nice to have a choice of 2 colors each with different pickups, I call this a nice feature.
The Chinese are getting good at building guitars! Everything lined up nicely, very good fretwork. The frets were well dressed and actually crowned and polished with no flat spots or sharp fret end. I have done tons of refrets so know what a good fret job should look and feel like. The neck is great unless you are expecting a baseball type neck found on an original. I have a '52 reissue. I felt like I was playing it when playing the Classic Vibe Tele except it felt better, guess the 9.5 radius helped. Very well made guitar.
No brainer here, it's a cheap well made guitar.
Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster '50s Electric Guitar Butterscotch Blonde
.These will take you anywhere a 1953 Tele will but with fewer problems.
These guitars are very playable and gig ready. So many falsehoods on here about old 50's Teles. The modern tone knob of today was a pickup blender in the 50's. Those who say U or V necks of the 50's must remember those old necks were shaped by hand, some small, some large and some hard to soft V. Most were of the smaller C size found on these guitars unless a special shape was ordered. Only a few of the early prototypes were of pine. Most early guitars were of Ash, then alder because it was cheaper. Pickup wise, the old ones were also hand wound and were good and bad. Better ones weren't the loudest ones either. These Squire Vibe pick ups are quite like the old ones.
The quality is as good or better than MIM. It's in the labor where quality comes from. Each will be different. The pick ups are very good unless you're a thrasher of heavy rocker. They cover the rest of the bases well. Tone is more in the players hands than anything else.
Top value for the money. As good as G & L Tributes which are also very good guitars. Remember that 3 bridge saddles will not intonate to 100 %. Especially the middle one sharing a wound D and an unwound G. Tune the D slightly flat for best performance.
Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster '50s Electric Guitar Butterscotch Blonde
.After reading the reviews on this Squier guitar, I went ahead and bought one. The reviews were correct in saying the playability, fit and finish, and tone of this ax is well worth the cheap price tag. I also own a 2011 Fender American Standard Telecaster, and you can tell the difference in the quality of the build between the two guitars. The American has a bit more of a detailed finish and better quality wood. This makes sense as the American Standard costs almost 3 times as much. But the thing is, I find myself playing the Squier, and keeping the Fender in the case.
On a Tele type guitar, I prefer a more vintage sounding instrument, and the Squier has this down easily, properly set up. The Fender American sounds good, but the Squier sounds GREAT, especially through my properly biased (important with these amps) Fender Blues Deluxe Reissue. The Alnico 5 pickups on the Butterscotch CV Tele are not the thin and lifeless sounding ceramic magnet type seen on your typical Squier Affinity and Bullet models. They are made by Tonerider pickups out of England, and are a BIG difference in the sound quality of this instrument compared to its cheaper counterparts.
The butterscotch body along with the tinted neck looks awesome, especially in the sunlight. The body appears to be one piece of pine wood, and the guitar weighs in at a chunky 9 lbs even. This weight along with the very resonate pine body gives this guitar a lot of "bloom" when it is played, especially with a good overdrive. The Alnico 5 pickups don't disappoint when driven heavily, and sing like a Canary with that wonderful bloom. The neck is straight and has no fret buzz whatsoever, and the frets are dressed and polished like an instrument costing many times more.
Bottom line: If you are looking for a Telecaster type guitar and don't want to buy a $1200+ American made example, then this is your best bet. If you are a headstock snob and would NEVER be seen playing a Squier guitar in public, try one out anyhow.
Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster '50s Electric Guitar Butterscotch Blonde
.I wanted a telecaster and I did quite a bit of research before deciding on the Squier Classic Vibe. I've had the guitar for about a month now and I'm very happy with the decision. I had considered an American Standard, which is a better guitar than I'm a player, and I may ultimately buy one of those when I get to a level where I won't feel like a bit of a poser with such a nice guitar. So I was looking at the MIM telecasters and eventually became aware of the Classic Vibe Squire and all of the very positive reviews for it. I try not to buy [*]-made whenever feasible, but in this case the reviews were too good to dissuade me. I have to say that the guitar has far exceeded my expectations. I'm very impressed with the quality of the construction and the sound. There's really not an imperfection to be found anywhere on this guitar, which is amazing to me. I play it through a Fender Pro Jr and the sounds I get are right what I was expecting and hoping for. Nice and twangy on the bridge pickup and nice and warm on the neck pickup, and lots of very sweet sounds can be dialed in in-between.As an intermediate level player, I'm not in a good position to compare this to an American Standard as I'm not sure that I can fully appreciate the differences, but for where I am now, it's hard to imagine doing much better than the Squier CV. It's very well constructed, it sounds great, and mine was very playable right out of the box, which also was a very pleasant surprise. I expected to bring it in for a set-up, but there's no need. The action is just fine and there's not a single buzz anywhere on the neck. It's possible that I just got lucky, but it's just another in a string of impressive points. It also stays in tune extremely well (I'm not a monster string-bender, but I do bend 'em).So for me, I can say that I couldn't be more satisfied with this purchase. The only downside is the [*]-made aspect, which I have some philosophical discomfort with, but whatever factory these are made in, they're doing a remarkable job with their quality control.
Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster '50s Electric Guitar Butterscotch Blonde
. Excellent quality and craftsmanship. If I decide to use on stage I may change the pickups and install locking tuners but I usually do these things on my stage guitars anyway. For a beginner, intermediate or semi-pro this would be an excellent choice as either first guitar or stage Ax. I no longer use high-end, high dollar guitars on stage. I've had too many stolen or damaged and I prefer to purchase a well built guitar and modify it to my taste and this guitar is ideal for that ! I purchased a Squire Stratocaster when they first were produced in Japan in the 1980's. Since that time the Squire name digressed to reflect poor quality and workmanship. That all has changed with the Vibe series.
Basic Telecaster, essentially Fenders answer to a Gibson SG except with a Squire decal on headstock which I still have a hard time believing considering the quality and craftsmanship. I gave up on Squire guitars 20 years ago due to poor quality and workmanship.
Excellent quailty for the price. I purchased based on reviews and ended up buying another one in a different color. Very well built.
Out of the box, tuned it up a and ripped, no issues no worries. I was doubtful of the reviews and also doubtful as it has the Squire logo . I have played guitar for 40 years and I own 30 guitars of different brand names and I was astonished at the quality and playability right out of the box. I have purchased guitars 3 times the cost of this one that were unpalyable out of the box.
Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster '50s Electric Guitar Butterscotch Blonde
.It's all been said. Great axe. And when you factor in the price -- wow!
A guy came to my house with one of these - butterscotch blonde - to try out a speaker cab I was selling. I heard that thing and ran to get my 2002 Standard Tele to compare. Honestly, as far as the tone there was simply no comparison. The Squier beat the pants off the Standard!
I sold my Tele to get one of these.
I was fearful that my guitar wouldn't sound as good as the one I had played, but this thing is simply amazing sounding. It's what a Tele should sound like!
Out of the box the guitar was playable. The frets are beautifully finished but the action was a bit high (too much neck relief and the bridge barrels were also high) and the intonation was a quite a bit off. Got out my tuning machine, a phillips screwdriver and the two allen wrenches that came with the guitar and twenty minutes later she played like a dream!
Are tuning machines on inexpensive guitars supposed to feel this smooth?? Is it normal for the pickup switch and pots to work as well as they do on a guitar at this price point?
The body is three pieces and I am impressed by the apparent care that went into matching the pieces so that the body looks contiguous.
It's beautiful. Fender is going to take over the lower end market with these!
I own many guitars, and this is right at the top of my list for value.
Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster '50s Electric Guitar Butterscotch Blonde
.I dare anyone to find this much meat for this price. This guitar is unbelivable. I know I didn't just get a "Good One" because I have a friend that owns a music store and I can't resist picking up and playin on every one of these they get. Fender/Squier outdid theirselves on this one. I did upgrade the pickups, but wish I wudn't have wasted the money. The only improvement was that the new Duncans don't break up as easily. The stock pups in the Vibe are more than ample. I like this as well or better than any American Tele I have played!!!!!
Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster '50s Electric Guitar Butterscotch Blonde
.This guitar is quite simply, amazing. The pine body resonates in a different, but IMHO, superior way to some other body materials. The pickups are just fine and I'm in no hurry to replace them. This model (Vintage Blonde) has the Alnico III pups, and while a little more subtle and quiet than the Alnico Vs in the Butterscotch model, they are quite good for a guitar at this price level. The guitar came set up quite well, and I won't have to run to a technician to get it perfect. I love the whitewashed finish, the thick, almost bakelite pickguard, and my favorite part, the lacquered neck is just a dream to play. I will likely replace the stock brass saddles with graph-tech stringsavers as I did for my 2011 model, and that improves sustain and tone immediately and immensely, again IMHO. I can't believe these guitars are still available at this price, and they're so good, Fender even slapped their name on a very similar (almost identical) guitar from the Chinese factory, added a Strat middle pickup, and called it the Modern Player, raising the price by just a little. Still a steal as well, but I'm sticking with tradition on this! I cannot praise this guitar highly enough, and all Telecaster lovers should own one. It's better than most every Mexican Fender Telecaster I've played, and even beats some of the American models!
The Squier Classic Vibe 50s Tele is a work of art considering the price. I owned a 2011 model that I was forced to sell, and I've been kicking myself ever since. This one (2014 Vintage Blonde) is very close to the same quality, and is currently my No. 1 electric (out of 6). It's a bit better than my Mexican Fender Telecaster, and I have one of the better ones of those.
The only complaint I have about this guitar (and it's not this particular guitar) model is that there are inconsistencies from one guitar to the next, however, most seem very good, with a few bad ones here and there. Also, the guitar's weight seems to be inconsistent from unit to unit, it obviously has something to do with the pine used. I originally ordered the Butterscotch model, but the one I received was inferior (too heavy, and obviously glued together from multiple pieces of pine for the body, while the replacement seems to be one solid piece), so I returned it for the Vintage Blonde model and was rewarded with a definite keeper! One more issue I had, and this has naught to do with the guitar, but with Custom Guitar's Friend. When I called to return the first unsatisfactory unit and replace it with this one, MF told me it would be extra money! I wanted the guitar very badly, so I paid it, but came close to refusal. Why on earth should I pay more for a replacement that is the same model guitar. They made an excuse that it was different because of the finish, and that I had ordered the first on a discount before Christmas, but on the site, the two finishes are placed under the same listing, with a pic of the Butterscotch on the main page. Also, why should a return/replacement cost more than the initial purchase, especially since the first was unsatisfactory in quality (had nothing to do with looks, as I love the look of the B-scotch just as much and have owned one previously). Again, while the price was still OK, I've bought equipment from MF before, and I'm still upset about the upcharge, and I feel MF should refund that money, especially since I went ahead and purchased the 3-year repair/replacement plan, even though I'll likely never use it, unless there's accidental damage like a car accident or something. I believe the cost of the plan even increased because this placed the guitar in a higher price bracket, but I'm not 100% sure in that regard. I'll update this review once I've figured that out.
Please don't let that last bit dissuade you from buying this wonderful guitar, though, even if it takes a few tries to find the "one" for you!
Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster '50s Electric Guitar Butterscotch Blonde
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