@@roimodestenope because these are ISF serial numbers not ICF Several lower end squiers come from ISS. It’s crazy they didn’t even make these in the Cort factory when they make higher end squiers and other fenders like fmt at the Cort factory.
My prediction, they will have to slash the prices, and if they are smart, trash the whole line and cut their losses. Then fire the people responsible for this debacle. SMH!
I do have a hunch they're going to be the Fender series that is constantly on sale at retailers and be the main attraction for Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals. It's going to probably be something like $450 on a doorbuster.
@@seanpellegrino2989 I think this is as much them testing the market as it is responding to increased costs. For sure they will end up discounting or offering something like a package with gig bag and a branded strap or something. What will the used market for these be if they discount under $500?
You can buy 4 - 7 used Squiers that are better than this for the same price, and still have money left over for strings, picks, a tuner, and used amplifier. 😂
I tried a bunch out in a local music store. Found a good one, and bought it. Perfectly plecced, nice tall frets, body is resonant poplar.. it's not super high end, but it doesnt need to be. it happens to be quite decent. Stays in tune, tolerances are good. Glad I got it.
That’s bad ass bro if u like a dude gets a guitar they like there is no sense in crapping on their purchase. I think those ceramic pickups are cool and the fret work seems way better than the Mexican stuff. I’ve never been blown away by Mex fender stuff Recently the coolest low budget way to get a really good axe is a parts caster route. I just got a bad ace nitro , all parts tele neck for 250 shipped. Someone put a really good looking fender decal on it too. Can’t wait to get it on
I’m sorry but this is just a squire with a fender logo! For that price, me buying this IS NOT going to happen! Not when I could get a good used MIM or a a few hundred more and get an American!
I had a 2013 USA standard on marketplace for 3 months at 750 and just sold it a week ago at 700. For a hundred bucks more you could have had my USA standard lol how f’d is the guitar market. Expenses are up so companies are charging more but the market is so flooded that used prices are plummeting.
Not one neck measurement is the same as the Squier, None of the electronics inside are the same as the Squire. If anything this resembles the early 2000s Mexican strat. Before speaking you have to examine the guitar not just look at a video, The nut width The radius nothing is Squire. The tuners Are the same as the mexican standard. Very Weird opinion when nothing resembles Squier... It's still a piece of garbage, but it's not a squire, nothing about it is.
I can't believe they put a plain neck plate on it as if it costs a load more to stamp the logo into. My four Squiers are all stamped Squier even my super inexpensive Bullet Mustang and they all have the skunk stripe on the neck. The only thing the Fender standard series has done is make me feel better about owning Squiers. LOL Cool videos Jake! 👍
👍🏻Exactly. My '03 Chi-Squier backplate is engraved, '70s Headstock, did a few mods, the whole thing cost $125. SMOKES this guitar. The neck looks over laqured and even the Fender decal looks cheap. I could print one out on the wife's Crikut to look spot on for free. Only thing I like is the color. It's Beautiful.
Cheaping out for sure, I’ve got an anniversary affinity squire that is proudly emblazoned with such, the only thing that sets it apart actually. It seems every year the big brands take a little bit away whilst adding cost. I’m no longer stressed about the name on the headstock.
Do yourself a favor and look for a Squier classic vibe telecaster and stratocaster guitar from China. Especially the early ones that have the Tone Rider pickups in them, you won't be disappointed.
Same hear. I have a Pro Tone Tele thinline from the mid 90’s that back in the day was taking sales from their American series, so they killed the line off after only 2 years. My favorite guitar, I love and cherish it and the best part was I only bought it for $125 off marketplace because someone else thought it was just another Squier and the pots were scratchy. All I did is spray them with contact cleaner and they were like new.
You don't get it. They don't make those neck plates. Those are plates that the factory they contracted already uses on every other Strat knockoff they make. Fender isn't going to send them a special shipment of stamped logo plates. That would cost money. That is the level of cost cutting here. This is a $400 guitar Fender is charging $600, which has been the modus operandi for decades.
@019bc3 would you rather me smile and shoot out sunshine and rainbows while discussing a brand betrayal and inexcusable, insulting behavior by a previously beloved brand?
Thank you for taking this one for the team. After watching this and Phillip McKnights tear down of the tele as well, I can’t see anyone who actually does their research buying these. Sad because I thought I was excited to see a reasonable priced fender but it’s not reasonably priced at all. Fender is insulting our intelligence.
That fender has the cheapest ceramic pickups that used to be reserved for the cheapest squier bullet strat when they could have used Classic Vibe alnico pickups😮
This is Fenders scam to make it sound different to a real strat. You need alnico pickups for the single coil spank to really shine. Even cheap alnicos sound way better in a guitar like that. The ceramics just don't work well as singles, gotta be alnico. But that's Fender trying to make noobs think they have to buy a way more expensive guitar for that Strat spank, so scammy.
@ I found MIM strats to have a pretty weak tone in the pickups. I have compared them directly to Japan and USA Strats, in my hands, running into the same amp with the same amp settings, and it's no contest, the alnico's in the Japan and USA strats sound way better than the Mexican's I've tried. You can even see people getting the same result in videos online. That said, it was several years ago when I did my tests, I don't know if Fender has improved the MIM's to sound better, I don't bother looking at them any more, because by the time you buy another set of pickups and pay to put them in, you may as well have bought the better Japan/USA strat - but what I do know is - if you want a strat to really sound like a strat, they've gotta be alnico, because that's what strats use, and every time I've tried ceramics, it's not that they sound bad, but they don't really sound like a real strat - and that is the reason Fender puts them into the cheaper guitars. They don't want their cheaper guitars to sound like a real strat, because they're in it for the money, and they want you to spend more and buy the Japan/USA strat.
On a positive note, the Player 2 Fenders ARE actually worth the money. They are much better than the original Players. I bought a Jazzmaster and a Tele HH in the player 2 line. Amazing. But this one doesn't make sense, just get a Squier.
@@kkrsnn5632 Honestly, it's just better than what you're saying. The QC is a massive step up in my opinion all the way around. They play like the Am Pro. I like the aged plastic on the Jazzmaster. Metal knobs for the teles.
That bridge looks very familiar. I bought a knock off Fender American bridge on Amazon for $30 for a partscaster. It was labeled as Musiclily. Looks identical.
The bar today in the lowest tier is so competitive with Jet, Harley Benton, lower line Sire, lower line Yamaha, and even Firefly, all so good for $200-$300, so yeah, point well taken. Today, at $450-$500, it needs to be a pretty darn great guitar. Competition is fierce for sure.
And Fender, being owned by VC scum, can't just NOT put out a trash-tier instrument with their name slapped on it. The marketing droids demand it be done!
Subscribed!!! Wow.... You have surpassed all other guitar reviewers on TH-cam...you are now my go-to guitar reviewers. You are a way better player than all of 'em. Thank you for standing up when you play.... I hear you playing with your own style...nice. You ROCK!
Am I the only one getting anxiety seeing that huge bunch of keys hanging that close to a new guitar with metallic gloss finish?!! Great video though, subbed😊
The reason I watch your channel is because you are allways honest. And you don't feed us a bunch of B.S.. thx. I also enjoy watching you band live on Saturday nights.
I have two Squier Classic Vibe Strats, as well as an MIM Strat from 2006. I can tell you the 2 CVs are superior to the MIM in every single way, and that's playing them stock, with no mods. They were made in Indonesia...
I'm interested to see how this line goes. I see a lotta criticism for this line, but I can see method in this madness considering the 1st time Fender buyer. For many this will be their first "proper" Fender, coz the logo means that much to them. They won't have the years of experience as a lotta people in this comment section, they'll still consider Fender above Squire, even if you tell them the latter has superior components. They won't know the ceramic vs alnico debate, nor care bout modern saddles. If you got this out the door at $500 as a beginner /intermediate, as your first "proper" Fender, you won't really know you bought a rebranded squire. You'll be telling everyone you have a Fender Strat.
Also with the potential tariff thing with Mexico, this could push MIM Fenders way up in price so these will suddenly be a real bargain way into owning a Fender
@@martin-1965 no longer potential since he just signed it. I don't disagree with the quality argument, but for beginners wanting a Fender, they'll look at the (now) $900+ Player 2s and $599 seems a bargain.
I completely agree with about 80% of what you're saying here. My one lone not really 'disagreement' is regarding the making of these guitars in Indonesia simply because of the fact the Fender Mexico plant started off making Squier guitars, then switched to Fender Standard in the mid 90s. IMO had they used better materials, it wouldn't be so egregious. Where I do totally agree is the Poplar body material with Chinese hardware makes that thing sound hollow & kinda lifeless. Your playing skills aren't the problem tho.. IDC what the 'new norm' for prices in today's economy are, charging $600 for a guitar that's no better than a Squier is them spitting in the people's face.. especially when you can buy guitars from Harley Benton, Firefly & other Asian manufacturers that meet or exceed what Fender claims as 'the standard is set'- and those companies do it for literally half of what Fender is charging. That said, to say anything except the fact the customer is expected by Fender to pay the inflated price for the name & the trademarked headstock shapes associated with it is disingenuous at best. Thank you for speaking the truth in the face of what I'm sure will be a sizeable amount of push back.. this isn't the Fender I knew growing up learning to play guitar, this is an entity we could argue that has Gibson beat for becoming a modern day laughing stock of the electric guitar industry! Cheers
@ Yeah if you want a super strat but this is meant to be the Standard' of Stratocaster's by those who invented it in the first place. Personally I can't get on with the concept of this series be interesting to see how it unfolds peace!
@@StevenVincentSingsI don’t see how they would because cost of living will go up as-well which means American made goods will need to be priced higher. It’s just going to cause inflation.
@@StevenVincentSings Except those tariffs also apply to the foreign made components on the fucking USA series, you absolute room temperature tuna sandwich of a human. That means increased prices on the USA line as well. They're also not going to offset the cost by ONLY raising the price on the less expensive guitars, they'll simply take less margin on those and RAISE THE MARGIN ON THE US LINE because people will still be stupid enough to pay them for their shitty guitars. These things don't exist in a vacuum ya fuckin' dingus.
@StevenVincentSings thats never going to happen unfortunately. To be MIA you have to have a certain % of things made in the US. A lotta maple comes from Canada, rosewood from India, machined parts are sourced in China and firged in Mexico, magnets come from Asian countries. That's why it just says "Corona, California" on the headstock. Unless a whole slew of manufacturing plants and rosewood trees are just waiting to be turned on/ready to harvest, and if Fender suddenly decide they need to drop their prices (note...they wont) US instruments are going to be priced higher.
There is nothing fair here. This is a $400 guitar they're charging $600 for because some stupid fucking shmuck is going to look at it and go "It's a Fender, but it's half the price!" like you just did. Alnico doesn't mean a fucking thing. Ceramic magnets can be just as pissweak as alnico. The thing is, they use ceramic because ceramic is cheaper and can be made stronger. Since the magnet is strong there's less wire needed on the pickups, which means less expensive copper which means higher margins on their $600 POS.
My only guitar(I’ve had many!) and my favourite to date is a late 80s Vester tradition series(a lawsuit copy of a ‘57), from the second I picked it up, it felt like I was playing something I’d never have been able to own, the weight, the feel, the sound, the one piece neck profile, the frets, the consonants etc. I’ve had two Mexican fenders that didn’t come anywhere close, so stands to reason, just because it has fender stamped on the headstock doesn’t mean anything… great video and hopefully save people from wasting their money
Finally, an honest review of a guitar. Thank You. Fender keeps marketing existing products as new models implementing very minor changes for an increase in price that's really not justified. Case in point aside of this one, the Ultra II series. I have a Tele and Strat Ultra, which are great, but why would I upgrade to a II series and pay $300 more for fancier paint and an angled switch on the Tele. I have a Fender BJ IV, which is great, but why should I upgrade and pay $300 ($999) more for the 30th Anniversary model that claims to have some supposed modification to the preamp circuit and a fancier skin cover.
For the money I can't see why these aren't even intonated. I do set ups every day. I can see by the assembly "arrangement" of the string saddles on the bridge. As plain as day, and new strings pickup height etc. isn't going to fix that. Sounds horrible as any guitar would if you just assemble it like it's a lego set. And if it were cut for 9's and you put 10's on it, it'll hang up in the cheap plastic every time. I agree with you that it shouldn't exist though. That name should represent more.
By the way, I bought a used China strat for $120.00 on market place. The trem was broke off inside. I spent another $120.00 on new block, trem, strings and setup. Besides being a little bit thin sounding, I can whammy ‘til the sun comes up and it stays in tune and plays like butter. No locking trem sys. It’s the one I can bang around hard on no worries but I still like them as scratchless as poss. in case I want to resell down the pike! First time I ever owned 3 flawless guitars too. Gonna keep it that way too.😊
Instead of an Indonesian guitar riding on the fender name to get sales it is fender milking normal Indonesian quality to scam its customers for profits.
By producing this junk, FENDER is embarrassing millions of very loyal fans who own high quality Fender Strats. They should sack everyone involved in proceeding with this awful piece of wood and steel. Dump it Fender before you lose your good customers forever!
You can buy 4 - 7 used Squiers that are better than this for the same price, and still have money left over for strings, picks, a tuner, and used amplifier. 😂
You should compare it to, like you said A Mexican Fender and add a Squier just to hear how they sound side by side. It really opened up with the Overdrive. "OUTSTANDING "!
This seems like a decent upper-Squire level guitar with a much better neck at a decent price; ideal to update, customize and set up exactly how you like. Hopefully the negative reception drops the price soon and these become much cheaper
I am sorry you purchased one, but a serious thank you because I was kinda looking into the standard, but I think I'll just buy a squier paranormal series instead for roughly half the price..
Jake, I really enjoyed this (abridged) version, but I must say the same thing that i said the other day in your livestream version of this - you make this guitar sound GREAT! You are a very talented and versatile player, and if you didn't tell me how inferior this guitar is (for a Fender) I would NEVER have guessed! In any case, I really enjoy your playing and your commentary. I prefer the much rawer livestrewam look at this guitar because it was so real and so much fun to watch! I own a few Tele & Strat Squiers and a couple of Fender (Player) Teles and Strats, and my Squier Classic Vibe Tele and Affinity HSS Strat feel and sound at least as good as my Fender versions. Keep up the great work, both on the videos and your impressive playing! Oh, and you video is very educational - I learned a new phrase: "I'll be dipped in shit!" LOLOLOL
Maybe I’m just being contrarian, but with a good setup and a trip to the luthier, this would make an outstanding experience for a young player that’s just starting out and wants to buy into the Fender name long term. Are they dear for the price? Maybe. But in a world where 12 year olds have the latest £1200 iPhone, it’s not that dear. These will make great modding platforms and especially in the used market will sell quite well. Fender made the right call with this and the value of the higher tier Mexican models will skyrocket. These early models will have some issues as production ramps up, but in a world of PRS SE’s and Classic Vibe Squiers being made in Indonesia and being quite good, I don’t see why these guitars won’t be a massive hit. I look forward to watching this develop.
If they were selling it at 299 or 399 and just wanted to sell a “real fender” at a squier price then ok whatever, but at 599 to deliver 299-399 quality just with a different logo then f’em.
Nice Review🎸👍🏽🎵🍺🤳My Indonesian Squire Classic Vibe Telecaster Custom definitely came with issues. The Nut wasn't set properly, Neck Finish was a bit tacky & the WRHB pickup pole pieces fall into the cavities if you try to adjust the heights. Other than that It's a decent platform to mod but Overpriced for a Squire at $450✌🏼😁☯️
No getting around this. If you want a good fender, you have to start with the entry level MIA American performer which is a great MIA fender! I owned the Arctic white RW strat and the green RW tele. Both are awesome guitars that were set up great and played great other than minor binging on a couple high string slots that took all of 3 mins to pass a not slot file through it 2 times. The Strat came set up with a floating trem that performed great. Buy the entry level MIA Performer. You wont be disappointed and you will have a REAL Fender!
@JasonStacey-x6o I have a MIM strat thats nearly 30 years old and is a great player and a San Dimas thats now 10 years old and neither of them will be sold or traded before my USA strat. The new Indo line of Standards is too pricey for the product thats my take. Doesn't really matter where its made nearly as much when you buy it and when you go to sell it
@ We can only evaluate what we are exposed to and I think Fender brings a lot of value in different price points. Right now to me the gap is from Classic Vibe to Player 2 and really if someone is looking at a new USA model there are also better options in the price range right now
I've been enjoying these videos and your unvarnished opinions. I'm not upset by what Fender's done, because I already know I'm not going to buy one of these guitars, but I understand why you feel the way you do. You've got nothing to apologize for - it's your channel and you should say whatever you want to say.
I think these are fenders own chibsons, they're only for people who are embarrassed to play a Squier, there are squiers that actually sound good and stay in tune, your playing and amp make the guitar sound pretty good but it could be better, the Yamaha Pacifica is half the price of these and is a really good guitar just example this guitar is only for people who desperately want the logo and the logo on these looks terrible
My Squier Sonic HSS strat is a much better deal. All I did with it was replace the bridge pup with a DiMarzio Super Distortion, replaced the volume and tone pots with quality 500k pots, a five-way switch, and adjusted the action. It's been perfect. Much better value considering I paid $120 for it with tax and already owned the replacement parts. It's a great mod platform and I mod all my guitars anyhow. I'm a player, not a collector.
I don’t usually like Bullet/Sonic Squiers but I 100% believe that they can be good mod platforms. The Super D is my favorite pickup ever! I own five or six vintage 70s Super Ds in various guitars.
@@BigJakeMusic Not only is the Super D great in series for a big, heavy rock or metal tone, but you can play lighter pop rock as well, and if in series or coil split get some outstanding cleans. I've always liked DiMarzio more than Duncan, but I find a lot of Duncans are just too much about high treble forward mids, lack clarity, and have too much output. On average Duncans are a lot hotter than DiMarzio, even though DiMarzio also makes some very high output pups. The Super D is not a super-hot pickup by modern standards, but still a very relevant pickup. I've always been a strat guy because they are great, ergonomic mod platforms, ubiquitous so you can always find parts (as Leo Fender intended), and I also like the basic strat tones. They are very versatile even if you leave it as 3 single coils. But it's disappointing to me that Fender would produce such a piece of crap as the new Standard and charge so much. Any price seems too much for a guitar of such low quality. When I buy guitars I always check them out at the store, check the frets for sprout or if they look like they're going to sprout, check the tuning stability, how they sound unplugged as well as plugged. Always check the most basic things with any ax. Don't let the flash and pizzaz of they shiny new thing blind you to quality issues. I used to overlook potential problems with guitars because I thought they were as good as they looked and then those potential problems because actual problems. I learned the hard way. BTW the DS-1 and SD-1 are two of the best pedals ever. I enjoyed your review and demo. Rock on.
I recently got a BC Rich prophecy shredzilla ( spalted maple). It came with a DiMarzio super D bridge and a D activator neck. They have "HIGH POWER SERIES" emblazoned on the pickups. How does this differentiate from a regular SUPER distortion?
@@saltpeter7429 I have no idea. Sounds sort of like a gimmick to me. The Super D is already a high power pickup, and the Super 3 is even higher in power. The D Activator bridge which BC sometimes load in their axes is even hotter. I looked up the Prophecy and it would appear they put a D Activator in the Bridge and Super Distortion in the neck. I think that's a bit of an odd pairing as DiMarzio already make a D Activator neck model designed to calibrate with the bridge. I'd assume you have a D Activator bridge and Super D neck. The Super D is hot and has traditionally been a bridge pup, although I've seen double Super Distortion sets in a lot of axes.
@angusorvid8840 well, thanks for the info, lol. Certainly more than I have gathered. Thank you for responding. I didnt know if they were made in different places or something. Either way. They work all right. Interesting point about the bridge being D activator and the neck a super D. I wonder as well why they would do that configuration? It is a shredzilla prophecy. Crazy name, decent enough guitar, I like the weight and neck shape the most. Again, thank you very much for responding with good info.
Jeez.. I tried one out today… definitely a mistake by Fender. I own a mexican player 1 strat and a squier CV strat…. BOTH great guitars.. the CV is genuinely a great guitar for the money. This new Standard is seriously CHEAP feeling… I think calling it a STANDARD is an insult really… worth waiting until they are forced to slash the prices as its not terrible if priced correctly IMO
Yep i agree its an Affinity with a fender logo and a bigger trem block , I would just buy a Used USA Strat off reverb for like $800 bucks and you get a case with it too and a better quality guitar.
It's the BAMBOOZLECASTER! One thing I can say is I think the contours on the strats coming out of this factory in Indonesia are better than the Mexican made ones. I'll admit that I haven't had one of these new standards in hand as of yet.And this factory can install Kluson style tuners straight. The Mexican factory is still using that process they have forever and can't install Klusons properly.
This whole drop has been really confusing for me. I can’t tell if people are really upset about the value proposition or if they are just offended that fender is making a cheaper guitar that is more accessible to everyone. Like I don’t see people say that Ibanez and their entry level $200-300 guitars (which obviously have issues) are ruining their brand name. Fender has literally been doing the exact same thing, but they delineated the lower end to Squier and slapped a decal that says “by fender”. So this has been going on but, now that the logo has changed it seems like people are pissed.. For $500-600, It looks like just about the spec of every other major brand With similar quality control issues. Other fender instruments have never been immune to this either so I don’t understand why now people have an even bigger issue.
If they took a classic vibe/contemporary/anniversary squier, put better frets on them, rolled the edges like they do for those models, and put the fender logo on it would be so worth it. It was so easy to make it worth it, and they made it a disappointment after I've called them the gold standard for years
For what it's worth if you toggle the blade on the pickup selector back and forth many times and then replace it with an allparts switch it will remove the stuck feeling
Tunning instability is most likely from string tree, not the nut itself. Strings are getting cought on sharp edges of the string tree especially when u use tremelo hence when u use tremelo again it goes back being in tune. It should be a roller string tree in there. It cost $10.
Actually my Schecter (EvilTwin Sustainiac and Fishman modern version) and Relish Trinity came with Daddario NYXLs for some odd reason, They were new from factory supplied by Sweetwater. I haven't had a (retail) Gibson or Fender that I didn't have to do a full setup on from the start - PRS typically needs slight tuning and a partial setup(namely action height adjustments) and Schecter has been consistently the only one I have had where its tune and go out the gate with no adjustments in some cases it was fine tuner adjusting. Grant it everyone has different experiences.
I agree with you. Fender is just becoming a greedy corporation at this point. This is a squire. It is made in the same factory as Squire. I prefer an MIM or a Squire Classic Vibe. Both are miles better than this charade.
I own two MiMs and love those to bits , one of those is a player II and that one is just incredible. I do not think i would go below the mexi range considering the price of the mexican made comparing it to the one in the video.
I have a Squier Standard Stratocaster and this reminds me of that. Its also made in Indonesia. They have thr same neck, paint, 2 point tremolo, saddles and pickguard.
Every Indo guitar ive played is shit. My 2011 Squire 62 custom tele CV made in China is amazing i then got a 70s Indo custom tele absolutely crap sold it after 3 months lost money on it but was glad to get rid. 0:03
Great video, honest and to the point. This has saved me the bother of a train ride to go check them out. Fender are just diluting everything. Their range is confusing enough without these. Subscribed so at least this vid got me to find your channel.
How would you feel about a Fender Limited Edition Tom Delonge MIM Stratocaster having a 7 piece laminated Alder body sandwiched between a further 2 piece veneer for the Fender Logo price tag ?
as a hobbyist luthier, i can build a really nice guitar for 600 dollars, especially an S or T type body shape. it probably costs fender at scale, less than 200 a unit in indonesia and since they have gone direct to consumer the shipping and handling is passed on, and as these guitars sit right now i think 400 a piece would have been a better price point for the quality. there are other companies who would blow these things out of the water for 600 so i dont see who these things are for when squires have gotten so good over the past decade, and you can get a used MIM for under 600
Thank you for the effort. Sorry you got takin'. You can go snowblind looking at strat style guitars. There are so many. As you said, that guitar is no better than generic knock off with a Fender sticker on it. I got conned on one once myself. It makes you gunshy. That HSH body might be good for something. I had some ideas that way myself. Not much you can do with the shape of a guitar. But the wiring? There is at least a dozen ways to wire an HSH and only about three of them have been tried. I'll check in, from time to time. :)
It is shit cause all they did was take a squier standard from the 80-90s and put fender decal on it and Jack the price. It's a great mod guitar and shouldn't be over 299.00 at most
Fender by Squier.
😂
by Cort😅
😢
@@roimodestenope because these are ISF serial numbers not ICF Several lower end squiers come from ISS. It’s crazy they didn’t even make these in the Cort factory when they make higher end squiers and other fenders like fmt at the Cort factory.
You nailed it there, and very well too.
The best thing this guitar has done is show me this dudes channel
As a squier owner, I can now look down my nose at fender owners.😅
😂
Hehe
Hahah..you won😂😂
I recently bought a modded affinity squire stratocaster and I love it.
Sonic strat and Sunday handwound pups for me, and it's one of my best guitars, period.
My prediction, they will have to slash the prices, and if they are smart, trash the whole line and cut their losses. Then fire the people responsible for this debacle. SMH!
I do have a hunch they're going to be the Fender series that is constantly on sale at retailers and be the main attraction for Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals. It's going to probably be something like $450 on a doorbuster.
@@seanpellegrino2989 I think this is as much them testing the market as it is responding to increased costs. For sure they will end up discounting or offering something like a package with gig bag and a branded strap or something. What will the used market for these be if they discount under $500?
You can buy 4 - 7 used Squiers that are better than this for the same price, and still have money left over for strings, picks, a tuner, and used amplifier. 😂
They'll sell them lock hot cakes. Even if they're aren't good.
@@Timtime67 we shall see.
This review made me appreciate the squier affinity I modded a lot more.
It stayed in tune with no fret sprout
Have a Squier affinity fmt Tele. It is better than my former mexican Tele. But well, would not pay 600€
for it.
Waiting for the usual TH-camrs who always get sent free guitars to tell us how good these are😅
😂👍
The worst part is you KNOW it's going to happen. 😢
I tried a bunch out in a local music store. Found a good one, and bought it. Perfectly plecced, nice tall frets, body is resonant poplar.. it's not super high end, but it doesnt need to be. it happens to be quite decent. Stays in tune, tolerances are good. Glad I got it.
@TemplarGuitar Yeah, but you could have gotten an amazing used MIM with better build quality for half the price.
That’s bad ass bro if u like a dude gets a guitar they like there is no sense in crapping on their purchase. I think those ceramic pickups are cool and the fret work seems way better than the Mexican stuff. I’ve never been blown away by Mex fender stuff Recently the coolest low budget way to get a really good axe is a parts caster route. I just got a bad ace nitro , all parts tele neck for 250 shipped. Someone put a really good looking fender decal on it too. Can’t wait to get it on
I agree that this series makes no sense. All Fender is doing is cheapening their brand with this.
I’m sorry but this is just a squire with a fender logo! For that price, me buying this IS NOT going to happen! Not when I could get a good used MIM or a a few hundred more and get an American!
I had a 2013 USA standard on marketplace for 3 months at 750 and just sold it a week ago at 700. For a hundred bucks more you could have had my USA standard lol how f’d is the guitar market. Expenses are up so companies are charging more but the market is so flooded that used prices are plummeting.
Not one neck measurement is the same as the Squier, None of the electronics inside are the same as the Squire. If anything this resembles the early 2000s Mexican strat. Before speaking you have to examine the guitar not just look at a video, The nut width The radius nothing is Squire.
The tuners Are the same as the mexican standard. Very Weird opinion when nothing resembles Squier... It's still a piece of garbage, but it's not a squire, nothing about it is.
I just bought a 2015 American Standard Strat in Mint condition for just under 4 figures, with a Fender ABS case.
exactly i copped a 50s classic vibe thing is a beauty
@@matthewhudson6612 I bought a Classic Vibe 50s years ago and it is nice.
You can literally hear it going out of tune by a few cents for every bar of music played.
I wouldn't trust that without the strings being changed.
I can't believe they put a plain neck plate on it as if it costs a load more to stamp the logo into. My four Squiers are all stamped Squier even my super inexpensive Bullet Mustang and they all have the skunk stripe on the neck. The only thing the Fender standard series has done is make me feel better about owning Squiers. LOL Cool videos Jake! 👍
👍🏻Exactly. My '03 Chi-Squier backplate is engraved, '70s Headstock, did a few mods, the whole thing cost $125. SMOKES this guitar. The neck looks over laqured and even the Fender decal looks cheap. I could print one out on the wife's Crikut to look spot on for free. Only thing I like is the color. It's Beautiful.
Cheaping out for sure, I’ve got an anniversary affinity squire that is proudly emblazoned with such, the only thing that sets it apart actually. It seems every year the big brands take a little bit away whilst adding cost. I’m no longer stressed about the name on the headstock.
Do yourself a favor and look for a Squier classic vibe telecaster and stratocaster guitar from China. Especially the early ones that have the Tone Rider pickups in them, you won't be disappointed.
Same hear. I have a Pro Tone Tele thinline from the mid 90’s that back in the day was taking sales from their American series, so they killed the line off after only 2 years. My favorite guitar, I love and cherish it and the best part was I only bought it for $125 off marketplace because someone else thought it was just another Squier and the pots were scratchy. All I did is spray them with contact cleaner and they were like new.
You don't get it. They don't make those neck plates. Those are plates that the factory they contracted already uses on every other Strat knockoff they make. Fender isn't going to send them a special shipment of stamped logo plates. That would cost money. That is the level of cost cutting here.
This is a $400 guitar Fender is charging $600, which has been the modus operandi for decades.
Well this guy has integrity and honesty. I'll have to start watching more of his videos ... Great job 👍
If only he didn't whine so much.
@019bc3 would you rather me smile and shoot out sunshine and rainbows while discussing a brand betrayal and inexcusable, insulting behavior by a previously beloved brand?
@@BigJakeMusic I couldn't have said it better myself. 🤣
Thank you for taking this one for the team. After watching this and Phillip McKnights tear down of the tele as well, I can’t see anyone who actually does their research buying these. Sad because I thought I was excited to see a reasonable priced fender but it’s not reasonably priced at all. Fender is insulting our intelligence.
Amen
Well said
That fender has the cheapest ceramic pickups that used to be reserved for the cheapest squier bullet strat when they could have used Classic Vibe alnico pickups😮
This is Fenders scam to make it sound different to a real strat. You need alnico pickups for the single coil spank to really shine. Even cheap alnicos sound way better in a guitar like that. The ceramics just don't work well as singles, gotta be alnico. But that's Fender trying to make noobs think they have to buy a way more expensive guitar for that Strat spank, so scammy.
The mim ceramics sounded so much better.
@ I found MIM strats to have a pretty weak tone in the pickups. I have compared them directly to Japan and USA Strats, in my hands, running into the same amp with the same amp settings, and it's no contest, the alnico's in the Japan and USA strats sound way better than the Mexican's I've tried. You can even see people getting the same result in videos online.
That said, it was several years ago when I did my tests, I don't know if Fender has improved the MIM's to sound better, I don't bother looking at them any more, because by the time you buy another set of pickups and pay to put them in, you may as well have bought the better Japan/USA strat - but what I do know is - if you want a strat to really sound like a strat, they've gotta be alnico, because that's what strats use, and every time I've tried ceramics, it's not that they sound bad, but they don't really sound like a real strat - and that is the reason Fender puts them into the cheaper guitars. They don't want their cheaper guitars to sound like a real strat, because they're in it for the money, and they want you to spend more and buy the Japan/USA strat.
On a positive note, the Player 2 Fenders ARE actually worth the money. They are much better than the original Players. I bought a Jazzmaster and a Tele HH in the player 2 line. Amazing. But this one doesn't make sense, just get a Squier.
Only improvement is rosewood and the neckwork. Aged plastics are ugly.
@@kkrsnn5632 Honestly, it's just better than what you're saying. The QC is a massive step up in my opinion all the way around. They play like the Am Pro. I like the aged plastic on the Jazzmaster. Metal knobs for the teles.
Fender: "Designed in California, Made in Indonesia"
Squier: "Designed and Backed by Fender, Crafted in Indonesia"
That's your difference there 😂
Indonesia?
That's Eddie Van Halen Land!!
That bridge looks very familiar. I bought a knock off Fender American bridge on Amazon for $30 for a partscaster. It was labeled as Musiclily. Looks identical.
Many Squier bridges are very similar too, I think imports source the same manufacture or share the same tooling manufacture.
Wilkinson modern Tele bridge also, $35 Australian, nice bridge but
@@K8_u-u It's not really a problem with Squiers, because those are priced as a Squier. This release is insulting customers.
The bar today in the lowest tier is so competitive with Jet, Harley Benton, lower line Sire, lower line Yamaha, and even Firefly, all so good for $200-$300, so yeah, point well taken. Today, at $450-$500, it needs to be a pretty darn great guitar. Competition is fierce for sure.
And Fender, being owned by VC scum, can't just NOT put out a trash-tier instrument with their name slapped on it. The marketing droids demand it be done!
Subscribed!!! Wow.... You have surpassed all other guitar reviewers on TH-cam...you are now my go-to guitar reviewers.
You are a way better player than all of 'em.
Thank you for standing up when you play.... I hear you playing with your own style...nice.
You ROCK!
Thank you so much ❤️
Am I the only one getting anxiety seeing that huge bunch of keys hanging that close to a new guitar with metallic gloss finish?!! Great video though, subbed😊
The reason I watch your channel is because you are allways honest. And you don't feed us a bunch of B.S.. thx. I also enjoy watching you band live on Saturday nights.
I have two Squier Classic Vibe Strats, as well as an MIM Strat from 2006. I can tell you the 2 CVs are superior to the MIM in every single way, and that's playing them stock, with no mods.
They were made in Indonesia...
Shirts didn't wanna reduce their bonuses w that few bucks the tariff is gonna keep them from 🤣
I'm interested to see how this line goes. I see a lotta criticism for this line, but I can see method in this madness considering the 1st time Fender buyer. For many this will be their first "proper" Fender, coz the logo means that much to them. They won't have the years of experience as a lotta people in this comment section, they'll still consider Fender above Squire, even if you tell them the latter has superior components. They won't know the ceramic vs alnico debate, nor care bout modern saddles. If you got this out the door at $500 as a beginner /intermediate, as your first "proper" Fender, you won't really know you bought a rebranded squire. You'll be telling everyone you have a Fender Strat.
Also with the potential tariff thing with Mexico, this could push MIM Fenders way up in price so these will suddenly be a real bargain way into owning a Fender
@@martin-1965 no longer potential since he just signed it.
I don't disagree with the quality argument, but for beginners wanting a Fender, they'll look at the (now) $900+ Player 2s and $599 seems a bargain.
I agree. The first run Classic Vibe models were a bit rough and now they are among the best import guitars Fender ever made.
Maybe I'll get a rare one off mistake that says "Sqender" on the head. I like that you're going all in on this topic. Great video!
Yesss
I completely agree with about 80% of what you're saying here. My one lone not really 'disagreement' is regarding the making of these guitars in Indonesia simply because of the fact the Fender Mexico plant started off making Squier guitars, then switched to Fender Standard in the mid 90s. IMO had they used better materials, it wouldn't be so egregious. Where I do totally agree is the Poplar body material with Chinese hardware makes that thing sound hollow & kinda lifeless. Your playing skills aren't the problem tho.. IDC what the 'new norm' for prices in today's economy are, charging $600 for a guitar that's no better than a Squier is them spitting in the people's face.. especially when you can buy guitars from Harley Benton, Firefly & other Asian manufacturers that meet or exceed what Fender claims as 'the standard is set'- and those companies do it for literally half of what Fender is charging. That said, to say anything except the fact the customer is expected by Fender to pay the inflated price for the name & the trademarked headstock shapes associated with it is disingenuous at best. Thank you for speaking the truth in the face of what I'm sure will be a sizeable amount of push back.. this isn't the Fender I knew growing up learning to play guitar, this is an entity we could argue that has Gibson beat for becoming a modern day laughing stock of the electric guitar industry! Cheers
It's an affinity Squier with the fender label slapped on it
Exactly if the spec was the same but they printed 'Squier' on the headstock instead of Fender there is no way it would be $599 more like half price!
With a one step up, pick ups and pots.
none of this jive would be an issue if we just buy an Ibanez or Schecter it's a no brainer , dudes..
@ Yeah if you want a super strat but this is meant to be the Standard' of Stratocaster's by those who invented it in the first place. Personally I can't get on with the concept of this series be interesting to see how it unfolds peace!
@@markdoolan3424 ha Slashed prices and they dump the line. ha
Whaddaya mean Indonesia? It say "fragile' " right on the box. It's Italian.
😂
LMAO a christmas story ay LMAO
you'll shoot your eye out with that over priced squier labelled as a fender standard
It may be worse now with the 25% tarriffs probably going into effect , Player II now $799 will now be $1000😮
Good! might as well buy a USA made tariffs may even lower USA costs
@@StevenVincentSingsI don’t see how they would because cost of living will go up as-well which means American made goods will need to be priced higher. It’s just going to cause inflation.
@@StevenVincentSings Except those tariffs also apply to the foreign made components on the fucking USA series, you absolute room temperature tuna sandwich of a human. That means increased prices on the USA line as well.
They're also not going to offset the cost by ONLY raising the price on the less expensive guitars, they'll simply take less margin on those and RAISE THE MARGIN ON THE US LINE because people will still be stupid enough to pay them for their shitty guitars.
These things don't exist in a vacuum ya fuckin' dingus.
@StevenVincentSings thats never going to happen unfortunately. To be MIA you have to have a certain % of things made in the US. A lotta maple comes from Canada, rosewood from India, machined parts are sourced in China and firged in Mexico, magnets come from Asian countries. That's why it just says "Corona, California" on the headstock.
Unless a whole slew of manufacturing plants and rosewood trees are just waiting to be turned on/ready to harvest, and if Fender suddenly decide they need to drop their prices (note...they wont) US instruments are going to be priced higher.
Paying for the name here, the Squier Classic Vibe has alnico pickups, a walnut insert. To be fair, this is half the price of an American.
real bone nut 2 if im not mistake over a plastic one
There is nothing fair here. This is a $400 guitar they're charging $600 for because some stupid fucking shmuck is going to look at it and go "It's a Fender, but it's half the price!" like you just did.
Alnico doesn't mean a fucking thing. Ceramic magnets can be just as pissweak as alnico. The thing is, they use ceramic because ceramic is cheaper and can be made stronger. Since the magnet is strong there's less wire needed on the pickups, which means less expensive copper which means higher margins on their $600 POS.
My only guitar(I’ve had many!) and my favourite to date is a late 80s Vester tradition series(a lawsuit copy of a ‘57), from the second I picked it up, it felt like I was playing something I’d never have been able to own, the weight, the feel, the sound, the one piece neck profile, the frets, the consonants etc. I’ve had two Mexican fenders that didn’t come anywhere close, so stands to reason, just because it has fender stamped on the headstock doesn’t mean anything… great video and hopefully save people from wasting their money
This is the new *_Fender by Squier_* line of guitars.
These things are basically the Squire Standard of a few years ago. Fender really jumped the shark. Sad.
No. I snagged a Standard a few years back and it has the crunchiest Alnico Vs you ever heard and the fret inlays look like jewels.
They jumped the shark fifty fucking years ago.
Finally, an honest review of a guitar. Thank You. Fender keeps marketing existing products as new models implementing very minor changes for an increase in price that's really not justified. Case in point aside of this one, the Ultra II series. I have a Tele and Strat Ultra, which are great, but why would I upgrade to a II series and pay $300 more for fancier paint and an angled switch on the Tele. I have a Fender BJ IV, which is great, but why should I upgrade and pay $300 ($999) more for the 30th Anniversary model that claims to have some supposed modification to the preamp circuit and a fancier skin cover.
For the money I can't see why these aren't even intonated. I do set ups every day. I can see by the assembly "arrangement" of the string saddles on the bridge. As plain as day, and new strings pickup height etc. isn't going to fix that. Sounds horrible as any guitar would if you just assemble it like it's a lego set. And if it were cut for 9's and you put 10's on it, it'll hang up in the cheap plastic every time. I agree with you that it shouldn't exist though. That name should represent more.
By the way, I bought a used China strat for $120.00 on market place. The trem was broke off inside. I spent another $120.00 on new block, trem, strings and setup. Besides being a little bit thin sounding, I can whammy ‘til the sun comes up and it stays in tune and plays like butter. No locking trem sys. It’s the one I can bang around hard on no worries but I still like them as scratchless as poss. in case I want to resell down the pike! First time I ever owned 3 flawless guitars too. Gonna keep it that way too.😊
I genuinely hope none of these sell, they are an insult to the Fender Stratocaster
It would have murdered my soul if I'd spent my hard earned money on that. Thanks for taking one for the team, sir!
Happy to help! Too many reviewers either lie or softball their criticisms of these products. Nobody seems to go all the way. It’s ridiculous!
Instead of an Indonesian guitar riding on the fender name to get sales it is fender milking normal Indonesian quality to scam its customers for profits.
So a Squier with a Fender Logo only. Got it.
By producing this junk, FENDER is embarrassing millions of very loyal fans who own high quality Fender Strats. They should sack everyone involved in proceeding with this awful piece of wood and steel. Dump it Fender before you lose your good customers forever!
You can buy 4 - 7 used Squiers that are better than this for the same price, and still have money left over for strings, picks, a tuner, and used amplifier. 😂
No you can’t.
You should compare it to, like you said A Mexican Fender and add a Squier just to hear how they sound side by side. It really opened up with the Overdrive. "OUTSTANDING "!
This seems like a decent upper-Squire level guitar with a much better neck at a decent price; ideal to update, customize and set up exactly how you like. Hopefully the negative reception drops the price soon and these become much cheaper
Just save your money for a bit longer and buy something worth your while.
Everything is Squier , fender price tag
I am sorry you purchased one, but a serious thank you because I was kinda looking into the standard, but I think I'll just buy a squier paranormal series instead for roughly half the price..
Once again...Fender is ripping off their customers. Just like Gibson.
Jake, I really enjoyed this (abridged) version, but I must say the same thing that i said the other day in your livestream version of this - you make this guitar sound GREAT! You are a very talented and versatile player, and if you didn't tell me how inferior this guitar is (for a Fender) I would NEVER have guessed! In any case, I really enjoy your playing and your commentary. I prefer the much rawer livestrewam look at this guitar because it was so real and so much fun to watch! I own a few Tele & Strat Squiers and a couple of Fender (Player) Teles and Strats, and my Squier Classic Vibe Tele and Affinity HSS Strat feel and sound at least as good as my Fender versions. Keep up the great work, both on the videos and your impressive playing! Oh, and you video is very educational - I learned a new phrase: "I'll be dipped in shit!" LOLOLOL
Maybe I’m just being contrarian, but with a good setup and a trip to the luthier, this would make an outstanding experience for a young player that’s just starting out and wants to buy into the Fender name long term. Are they dear for the price? Maybe. But in a world where 12 year olds have the latest £1200 iPhone, it’s not that dear. These will make great modding platforms and especially in the used market will sell quite well. Fender made the right call with this and the value of the higher tier Mexican models will skyrocket. These early models will have some issues as production ramps up, but in a world of PRS SE’s and Classic Vibe Squiers being made in Indonesia and being quite good, I don’t see why these guitars won’t be a massive hit. I look forward to watching this develop.
Perhaps, but I played one and it felt like an Affinity.
Fender is cheating us with these Squier guitars with a Fender logo
well, to keep it real there are other brands we could buy... do we really need fender & Squier ?
If they were selling it at 299 or 399 and just wanted to sell a “real fender” at a squier price then ok whatever, but at 599 to deliver 299-399 quality just with a different logo then f’em.
Beautiful color, no case??? Its shipped like a $129. Firefly. Theres the first strike.
Got three firefly FFTL... wonderful guitars for the price... my Affinity Squire sounds better than this pos.
@DigitalChemistryBand mine does too. Paid $125 used, almost brand new. '70s Headstock, Black, 3 single coils.
Why would it have a fucking case? It's a $600 guitar. You can barely get a gig bag for anything under a grand.
Nice Review🎸👍🏽🎵🍺🤳My Indonesian Squire Classic Vibe Telecaster Custom definitely came with issues. The Nut wasn't set properly, Neck Finish was a bit tacky & the WRHB pickup pole pieces fall into the cavities if you try to adjust the heights. Other than that It's a decent platform to mod but Overpriced for a Squire at $450✌🏼😁☯️
No getting around this. If you want a good fender, you have to start with the entry level MIA American performer which is a great MIA fender! I owned the Arctic white RW strat and the green RW tele. Both are awesome guitars that were set up great and played great other than minor binging on a couple high string slots that took all of 3 mins to pass a not slot file through it 2 times. The Strat came set up with a floating trem that performed great. Buy the entry level MIA Performer. You wont be disappointed and you will have a REAL Fender!
Not true at all. Some of the Mexican guitars are excellent guitars better than some of the American guitars.
@JasonStacey-x6o Not my experience and what the online music stores told me.
@JasonStacey-x6o I have a MIM strat thats nearly 30 years old and is a great player and a San Dimas thats now 10 years old and neither of them will be sold or traded before my USA strat. The new Indo line of Standards is too pricey for the product thats my take. Doesn't really matter where its made nearly as much when you buy it and when you go to sell it
@@I.am_Groot Not my experince.
@ We can only evaluate what we are exposed to and I think Fender brings a lot of value in different price points. Right now to me the gap is from Classic Vibe to Player 2 and really if someone is looking at a new USA model there are also better options in the price range right now
It's a Squier with a fender waterslide! I have an 05 Squier standard antique burst. Same guitar.
No
More like an Affinity.
I've been enjoying these videos and your unvarnished opinions. I'm not upset by what Fender's done, because I already know I'm not going to buy one of these guitars, but I understand why you feel the way you do. You've got nothing to apologize for - it's your channel and you should say whatever you want to say.
I think these are fenders own chibsons, they're only for people who are embarrassed to play a Squier, there are squiers that actually sound good and stay in tune, your playing and amp make the guitar sound pretty good but it could be better, the Yamaha Pacifica is half the price of these and is a really good guitar just example this guitar is only for people who desperately want the logo and the logo on these looks terrible
Thank you for the info and for both videos!
My Squier Sonic HSS strat is a much better deal. All I did with it was replace the bridge pup with a DiMarzio Super Distortion, replaced the volume and tone pots with quality 500k pots, a five-way switch, and adjusted the action. It's been perfect. Much better value considering I paid $120 for it with tax and already owned the replacement parts. It's a great mod platform and I mod all my guitars anyhow. I'm a player, not a collector.
I don’t usually like Bullet/Sonic Squiers but I 100% believe that they can be good mod platforms. The Super D is my favorite pickup ever! I own five or six vintage 70s Super Ds in various guitars.
@@BigJakeMusic Not only is the Super D great in series for a big, heavy rock or metal tone, but you can play lighter pop rock as well, and if in series or coil split get some outstanding cleans. I've always liked DiMarzio more than Duncan, but I find a lot of Duncans are just too much about high treble forward mids, lack clarity, and have too much output. On average Duncans are a lot hotter than DiMarzio, even though DiMarzio also makes some very high output pups. The Super D is not a super-hot pickup by modern standards, but still a very relevant pickup. I've always been a strat guy because they are great, ergonomic mod platforms, ubiquitous so you can always find parts (as Leo Fender intended), and I also like the basic strat tones. They are very versatile even if you leave it as 3 single coils. But it's disappointing to me that Fender would produce such a piece of crap as the new Standard and charge so much. Any price seems too much for a guitar of such low quality. When I buy guitars I always check them out at the store, check the frets for sprout or if they look like they're going to sprout, check the tuning stability, how they sound unplugged as well as plugged. Always check the most basic things with any ax. Don't let the flash and pizzaz of they shiny new thing blind you to quality issues. I used to overlook potential problems with guitars because I thought they were as good as they looked and then those potential problems because actual problems. I learned the hard way. BTW the DS-1 and SD-1 are two of the best pedals ever. I enjoyed your review and demo. Rock on.
I recently got a BC Rich prophecy shredzilla ( spalted maple).
It came with a DiMarzio super D bridge and a D activator neck.
They have "HIGH POWER SERIES" emblazoned on the pickups.
How does this differentiate from a regular SUPER distortion?
@@saltpeter7429 I have no idea. Sounds sort of like a gimmick to me. The Super D is already a high power pickup, and the Super 3 is even higher in power. The D Activator bridge which BC sometimes load in their axes is even hotter. I looked up the Prophecy and it would appear they put a D Activator in the Bridge and Super Distortion in the neck. I think that's a bit of an odd pairing as DiMarzio already make a D Activator neck model designed to calibrate with the bridge. I'd assume you have a D Activator bridge and Super D neck. The Super D is hot and has traditionally been a bridge pup, although I've seen double Super Distortion sets in a lot of axes.
@angusorvid8840 well, thanks for the info, lol.
Certainly more than I have gathered.
Thank you for responding.
I didnt know if they were made in different places or something.
Either way. They work all right.
Interesting point about the bridge being D activator and the neck a super D. I wonder as well why they would do that configuration?
It is a shredzilla prophecy.
Crazy name, decent enough guitar, I like the weight and neck shape the most.
Again, thank you very much for responding with good info.
I appreciate the Gadsden flag in the background. 💪🐰🎸🎶✌️
Theres no F on that neck plate, its not legit fender but wanna be fender strat
I don’t know if new strings make a difference but this thing sounds like 💩
Watch the livestream. It makes zero difference. 😒
Jeez.. I tried one out today… definitely a mistake by Fender. I own a mexican player 1 strat and a squier CV strat…. BOTH great guitars.. the CV is genuinely a great guitar for the money. This new Standard is seriously CHEAP feeling… I think calling it a STANDARD is an insult really… worth waiting until they are forced to slash the prices as its not terrible if priced correctly IMO
I agree. It feels like an Affinity
Yep i agree its an Affinity with a fender logo and a bigger trem block , I would just buy a Used USA Strat off reverb for like $800 bucks and you get a case with it too and a better quality guitar.
It's the BAMBOOZLECASTER! One thing I can say is I think the contours on the strats coming out of this factory in Indonesia are better than the Mexican made ones. I'll admit that I haven't had one of these new standards in hand as of yet.And this factory can install Kluson style tuners straight. The Mexican factory is still using that process they have forever and can't install Klusons properly.
So is it Fender by Squier or Squier by Fender still
You don't happen to be a janitor?
This whole drop has been really confusing for me. I can’t tell if people are really upset about the value proposition or if they are just offended that fender is making a cheaper guitar that is more accessible to everyone.
Like I don’t see people say that Ibanez and their entry level $200-300 guitars (which obviously have issues) are ruining their brand name. Fender has literally been doing the exact same thing, but they delineated the lower end to Squier and slapped a decal that says “by fender”. So this has been going on but, now that the logo has changed it seems like people are pissed.. For $500-600, It looks like just about the spec of every other major brand With similar quality control issues. Other fender instruments have never been immune to this either so I don’t understand why now people have an even bigger issue.
Schecter for the win
If they took a classic vibe/contemporary/anniversary squier, put better frets on them, rolled the edges like they do for those models, and put the fender logo on it would be so worth it. It was so easy to make it worth it, and they made it a disappointment after I've called them the gold standard for years
Do we need fender these days?
The title alone had me CRYING🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣💀
Nice review of the "NEW FENDER BULLET STRAT!"
For what it's worth if you toggle the blade on the pickup selector back and forth many times and then replace it with an allparts switch it will remove the stuck feeling
Tunning instability is most likely from string tree, not the nut itself. Strings are getting cought on sharp edges of the string tree especially when u use tremelo hence when u use tremelo again it goes back being in tune. It should be a roller string tree in there. It cost $10.
My old squire S.Q. from 83 is better.
Fender are scraping the barrel and diluting the brand with this move!
If you can play guitar , any guitar you play sounds good no matter what materials its made of.
Actually my Schecter (EvilTwin Sustainiac and Fishman modern version) and Relish Trinity came with Daddario NYXLs for some odd reason, They were new from factory supplied by Sweetwater. I haven't had a (retail) Gibson or Fender that I didn't have to do a full setup on from the start - PRS typically needs slight tuning and a partial setup(namely action height adjustments) and Schecter has been consistently the only one I have had where its tune and go out the gate with no adjustments in some cases it was fine tuner adjusting.
Grant it everyone has different experiences.
I like honesty, so I subbed ya.
I agree with you. Fender is just becoming a greedy corporation at this point. This is a squire. It is made in the same factory as Squire. I prefer an MIM or a Squire Classic Vibe. Both are miles better than this charade.
I own two MiMs and love those to bits , one of those is a player II and that one is just incredible. I do not think i would go below the mexi range considering the price of the mexican made comparing it to the one in the video.
Man it's like getting a gift and your trying real hard to like it and not hurt nobody's feelings. 😂
😂
This is why Harley Benton Firefly, Jet guitars are going to outsell fender because of this crap !
Have you tried any of the Jet Guitars?
I feel sorry for unsuspecting newbies or parents buying their kids first guitar who go for this. Way too much money.
I have a Squier Standard Stratocaster and this reminds me of that. Its also made in Indonesia. They have thr same neck, paint, 2 point tremolo, saddles and pickguard.
great job Fender. continue like this.
Every Indo guitar ive played is shit. My 2011 Squire 62 custom tele CV made in China is amazing i then got a 70s Indo custom tele absolutely crap sold it after 3 months lost money on it but was glad to get rid. 0:03
Great video, honest and to the point. This has saved me the bother of a train ride to go check them out. Fender are just diluting everything. Their range is confusing enough without these. Subscribed so at least this vid got me to find your channel.
How would you feel about a Fender Limited Edition Tom Delonge MIM Stratocaster having a 7 piece laminated Alder body sandwiched between a further 2 piece veneer for the Fender Logo price tag ?
I think if they made them era specific like the vintera 2 or the American vintage 2 it would appeal to alot more people.
as a hobbyist luthier, i can build a really nice guitar for 600 dollars, especially an S or T type body shape. it probably costs fender at scale, less than 200 a unit in indonesia and since they have gone direct to consumer the shipping and handling is passed on, and as these guitars sit right now i think 400 a piece would have been a better price point for the quality. there are other companies who would blow these things out of the water for 600 so i dont see who these things are for when squires have gotten so good over the past decade, and you can get a used MIM for under 600
Squire body's are thinner, does it have the thicker fender body?
I’m excited to pick up one of these guitars… in 2030 when they are dirt cheap used and I can use it as a mod platform.
Finally, something everyone seems to agree on without exception. Thanks for bringing harmony to the world of guitar, Fender! 🎉
100% GUITARBAGE_!!! 😂
Thank you for the effort. Sorry you got takin'. You can go snowblind looking at strat style guitars. There are so many. As you said, that guitar is no better than generic knock off with a Fender sticker on it. I got conned on one once myself. It makes you gunshy. That HSH body might be good for something. I had some ideas that way myself. Not much you can do with the shape of a guitar. But the wiring? There is at least a dozen ways to wire an HSH and only about three of them have been tried. I'll check in, from time to time. :)
“Can’t really describe the neck” I can one word, Squire.
Fender made an Official Counterfiet Fender Strat. Congrats Fender. 🎉🎉🎉🎉
It is shit cause all they did was take a squier standard from the 80-90s and put fender decal on it and Jack the price. It's a great mod guitar and shouldn't be over 299.00 at most