(REALLY) Cheap Squier Strat vs. Expensive Fender Strat
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 13 ต.ค. 2024
- In this video I compare an extremely budget Stratocaster and an expensive (Yngwie Malmsteen) Strat. These two strats are pretty much from the opposites of the price spectrum. The cheap one is a used Squier with electronics that don't work 100%. You can get these starting at roughly $60 on eBay. But how does it compare to the Yngwie Strat?
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Seymour Duncan YJM Fury Pickups: amzn.to/2EmreNy
Wilkinson Tremolos: amzn.to/2saWvOu
Tremol No: amzn.to/2nMXleS
Fender Yngwie Malmsteen Overdrive: amzn.to/2BWNUP3
Boss NS1 Noise Gate: amzn.to/2EnWlZ5
TC Electronic Ditto X2: amzn.to/2nOHQTJ
GHS Boomers Strings: amzn.to/2nL92To
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Check out more gear reviews here: th-cam.com/play/PLNaLwTdlpQNFGz5Eesm0Ey_pDAL1F5y21.html
I'll tell you this: I played the Squier in front of 13K with no complaints. I do own a $1700 Strat as well that I bought in 1997. If I'm in a gig, I don't really care if I have the $1700 or the $350 Squier. It's all in your mind. What you're comparing is a slight different sound. If that different sound was coming out of a Gibson or even an expensiveTelecaster you would probably not like it because it's not the Fender Strat sound you're accustomed to hearing and would dismiss it as inferior. I'm not trying to put you down, but that's the way the mind works. That's how we get marketed to and believe everything from a marketing point. Of course there are the cheapest of the cheaps, but Squier is not one of them. That's a well made guitar that's proven itself on tour with me back in the 90s.
Very true. Same can be said with amplifiers. Sure valve amps can sound amazing and generally sound better than Solid-state, but that’s mostly down to the manufacturers using higher end parts for their valve/tube amps and targeting beginners with their Solid-state amps. Orange (and some others in the past) have really shown just how great solid state amps can be, if made with the same high-end quality parts and their all valve amps. The “Super Crush 100” sounds amazing, better than most valve amps imo.
Who's going to complain that you're playing a squire nobody cares about that. Really though there's not any major differences in either guitar fender are so overrated...
that Squier sounds beautiful
Bro with skills like yours you can make a turd sound like a million dollar guitar but we get the point😂👌
Haha :D Thanks :)
Gear doesn’t mean sh*t.
it’s the bloke behind the instrument.
Not the instrument itself
You’ve already covered many of my thoughts on this vid ; I used to own Fenders but since getting back into Guitar in a big way I now buy strat copies and get them set up the way I like them with a few minor tweaks ; they play perfect ; I can afford to collect them ( I’m now on 22) and I can not justify a ‘slightly’ better Guitar for ten times the price !Loving your vids and your English accent cracks me up 😂👍
Thanks man :)
22 guitars? That's a fair amount :D
I've got 5
Same here man. I used to play live when I was younger. My first was a 50s tele. Sold all my 23 guitars when I quit. I'm supremely happy with my current squier. Quality has improved tremendously. Nowadays the cheap ones also sound good. Let's remember that most famous guitarist used normal basic models. These guitars got legendary over time. Sometimes I wonder if the hype about expensive shit is valid anymore. I've been playing for over 20 yrs now.
I bought a squire strat a few days ago for $200 bucks and I'm very happy with it.Sounds solid and easy to play.The Fender Strat in the above vid sounded richer and fuller and probably 25% better than the Squire acoustically but it certainly doesn't justify the huge price tag in comparison. Sounds 25% better but definitely not 10 times more.
That's the law of diminishing returns for you.
Liked ! Shared ! Subscribed ! Even if the differences are not that big, knowing that it is the real yngwie strat makes the difference and of course you feel all those small details in quality. And if someone plays it like you thats optimum !! Play loud !!
The devil is in the details. Thanks yet again for the kind words :)
I’ve played a vintage 70s strat recently and compared it to my japanese strat which is from the 80s, I could hear a difference (not only the 3500 bucks). I found that the vintage one had more harmonics, colors and dynamics, maybe it affects more the sensation of the guitarist who played it than the audience but there was a subtle improving in the tone I found.
Cool :)
Kurt Cobain used to have roadies go to pawn shops and scare up cheap guitars so he could shatter them during the last song in the set, usually Endless Nameless. He pretty much stopped doing this by the time they toured for In Utero though.
The more you know about guitar work the less you are willing to buy expensive stuff...strats are a great example....level crown and polish the frets to a mirror shine...cut a new nut...install decent tuners....deck the bridge and voila....you have an equally great guitar for peanuts...now if you also change the pickups.... thats the end right there....
Oh also dont forget to sand off the squire logo and put anything you want followed by the word ..custom....now get those extra money you were gonna spend on an overpriced piece of wood and buy a kemper or an axe-fx..at least those would be money well spent.
Dreamdancer11 Well there is a bit of a difference in the finish and the quality of the wood. Whether it's worth all the money is up for debate.
Iam talking about only function here....to have a guitar with the best playability and the best sound....for some they just want a real fender to hang up on their wall without any playing time...iam talking about a guitar fulfilling its actual function playing and sounding great.
Playability is a matter of a great setup...expensive guitars feel and play better simply because their frets are detailed...levelled crowned and polished...the nut is dialed in and not generically high and the tuners are good....well you can do the above to any squire out there and the playability will be butter as well.
The sound is a matter of electronics...throw some dimarzios Hs3 there and you have YJM down cold.If the cheap poly finish bothers you...sand it down, dye and oil it to make it look like a true custom instrument....no one ll really know.
@EarthToday The blender mod is in my book the best strat wiring mode....master volume master tone and the blender pot.All the combos you want and more.
I’ll take the squire thanks 👍
nick hinton Cool! Any particular reason why?
Elmo Karjalainen the only reason I would is cause I’m to broke to afford a fender
tone deaf
The squier sounds more dynamic and more like Yngwies early dimarzio's equipped strats.
It sounds 50% better, not 1000% better as the cost would indicate
Yep. That's the law of diminishing returns for you.
i’m on a japan fender kick atm, currently rocking a 84 standard with kent’s and a 91 reissue with ssl-1’s, both are the best strats i’ve ever played
I bought one of these cheap Squier strats, threw some hand-made Wiggins pickups into it...as far as sound, I'd take the Pepsi challenge and put it up against any high-end Strat in terms of overall sound quality. It now has character and spunk. The main sound difference from a cheap Strat vs. an expensive Strat is the quality of the winds/magnets in the pickups. Otherwise it's up to the amp/effects pedals to make an electric sound good.
For under $200 you can easily fix the shortcomings of the Squier's pickups. The Squier is a smidge heavier than a high-end Strat but the particular Indonesian-made Squier that I have has a smooth-feeling neck and no frets protruding, a problem I thought it would have (but it didn't!). It was very playable out-of-the-box, and now that it has quality pickups, it sounds as good as a high-end model (given that all other variables are the same, such as the amp and effects pedals)!
Cool bananas :)
Or you could buy the Squier, dress and polish the frets, roll the edges of the fretboard, change out the electronics and you’d have a dec not guitar for not a lot of money and put the rest in to amps and pedals.
i have a fat squier black and chrome with a mirror front. I did a set up and it sounds great, love it to bits.
Of course, with just $100 more put into that Squier(for decent pickups, tuners, nut, etc.) the two would be even closer. Cool comparison Elmo
Cheers :)
2:23 "Or maybe i just can't play"
Seconds later : 2:37
Lmao
:D
I own a 1986 MIJ Squier Stratocaster that I'll put up against any American Standard. It's badass!
I just bought a Squire Bullet HSS HT to replace the one I got stolen but I wish I bought the Monoprice version buts that ok because I love the playability and I don't have to mess with a whammy bar.
Squire be like "Woah what are you doing to me, I'm supposed to just sit in a cupboard for 15 years between owners"
i think people tend to like the squire even more because of the pickups happens to be more "single coil sounding" than the YJM model. But of course the materials and details on YJM model must be another level comparing to the Squire.
You nailed it when you said short comings in quality. The Squire will get you thru gigs fine. When you start making it big, you can start look into the more higher quality wallet grazing variety. Great vid. Excellent skills Elmo. Rock on! \m/
Thanks!
Now I'm serious in this comment.
As for myself, I did identify a big difference between YJM Strato and Squier Strat when you played them. I could immediately feel the magic in the sound of the YJM Stratocaster, so I don't see the point of comparison unless my ears are not properly working.
Cheers from Mexico.
Sup Elmo, you have a wonderful name lol. People are tripping about you shredding in the demo... but it makes perfect sense to me. I want to hear what these guitars sound like when they’re really being played. It’s great to see what the squirt CAN sound like in the hands of a badass player. I enjoyed the video
I think the fender sounded a lot better, but I did start out on squier back in the day!
thanks for making my squire se sound so good.
Get the frets even and replace the pups with ones you like, like Fender Pure 65's.
very sweet playing-absolutely dope
You play great. They both sound great in your hands. The squier is much less present. The specs make a difference. Pick ups, nut, bridge... scalloping even made your playing smoother.
Cheers :)
Squire is 1/4" (1- 3/4")thinner body w/ a lite tone and Fender is 2" thicker body w/ a heavy tone both necks pockets should be about the same
Can you make a comparison of squire vintage 70's strat to any fender guitars?thanks
Maybe at some point. I have a ton of stuff already done, just waiting to be released.
Thanks.
The Squire actually has more of the Alcatrazz tone whereas the YJM Sig has more of his modern tone. I dare you to swap the pickups between those 2 and see what happens ;)
Might be interesting :)
@@MrPolevaulter I would actually love to see that! There aren't any videos on TH-cam where someone demos a nice guitar with cheap pickups. You should do a comparison or Original YJM vs Original Squire vs YJM w/Squire pickups vs Squire w/YJM pickups vs YJM w/Squire neck vs Squire w/YJM neck etc etc, and identify what actually makes the most difference in an electric guitar
@@ShuheiMatsumotoMusic Sounds like an interesting idea.
@@ShuheiMatsumotoMusic It should be interesting to listen the different tones and sustains...
That's prob due to the yjm Fury's he is using which are much more treble focused and more output. The squire was prob in a way closer to that older weak output pickups with less high end.
Can a YJM loaded pick guard be fitted on a squier. Self admitted beginner here. Please forgive if if i sound stupid.
If it fits, yeah. I'm not entirely sure.
Great video! Do you think they would sound even closer if they had the same set of Duncan yjm and the squier a little fret work??
Thanks!
The pickups would make them sound more similar. Scallops would make them feel more similar.
It seems that the big difference there's when you're playing chords (where the fender sound more defined than the squier) but on single frets they are not identical but aren't very different. Anyway the Squier is better (and is not because i've got a Squier 😂)
johnnydorelli1 I like to use my bullet squier for punk like styles a lot of distortion its very basic but I enjoy it... but crazier bluesy stuff like Jimi or of the sort though I cannot deny the player makes the guitar every time, but a standard US strat will always sound better than squiers tone wise... played both guitars true everytime and I've played a lot of squiers not just bullets...
shredding and showing off your impressive skills through an overdriven amp tells us nothing about the tone difference bud, sorry
Yeah your right dude if only he played cowboy cords for 10 minutes straight without any licks or articulations. That would make for a WAY more interesting video, no doubt. You have my respect brother.
@@bigsauce1116 I'm here to see a gear comparison video. Get a sense of any subtle tonal differences. And in this video its impossible to tell. So in that regard, yeah, it would be way more entertaining to compare the sound through 10 minutes of "cowboy chords". You can go and be entertained by shred wank on a million other TH-cam videos of that's what your looking for
The cheap strat did not impair an advanced player is what I got.
@@walterkersting9922 again, the video is a gear comparison video. Cheap Vs expensive, is there a sound difference? Well never know...
@@THIRSTYGUMS your a noob with no frame of reference.
진짜 기타리스트
놀랍다.
기타를 잘 연주하려면 어떻게해야합니까? 나는 너를 너무 부럽다.
Love them both! Thank U for an honest great review!
Came for the comparison, but stayed for the badass guitar playing, ROCK ON!!
Cheers!
I love cheap squier more than yjm strat.
Neogeforce CH Good for you. Economical anyway 😊
Cheap squier sound like yngwie tone
@@STRATO-co4xy your comment tells me that either you are deaf or you are too focused on defending a more economic model merely on account of its price.
@@STRATO-co4xy Have you ever played a Yngwie signature strat?
Having owned Squiers, Japan-strats, Mexico-strats and today my Yjm-signature I´d say your comment is now rated invalid :)
Thank you for this comparison.
And thank you :)
Doesn't sound cheap...Sounds different..😎
When I play my Squier I always listen with my Outer ear! I left mine stock so when my drunk friends come over they won't be damaging my more expensive guitars
paul de kegelaer Haha 😂 Drunk friends 😂 I see what you mean.
Dude! I just bought that same squire to learn on. I had no idea it could do that! I can only hope one day I'll be as good as you. Incredible. Thanks for the video man
Thank you very much :)
Good review as always .How many folk buying a Squier plays through expensive amps though?Not many i'll warrant.Certainly makes it sound ok.You used to have jems,try reviewing the new Pia.Its a lovely guitar.
I'd love to try a PIa. It's just extremely expensive.
1986 called , it wants it's solo's back .
You could make any guitar sound good, Elmo!! Great video...💕
Aww :)
It's Always the Amps matter... What ever your guitar are.. especially that plexy Marshall one
For a while I would buy Squires, fix them up, new neck, controls then resale them. It was better than a Squire and as good as a mid priced Fender if not better...
I don't doubt it for a second :)
When u a great guitaris,u can play very well on wat ever guitar that u pick...great guitarist mr elmo
Thank you :)
The Squier Stratocaster definitely sounds good for the Blues, while the YJM Stratocaster sounds good for metal.
Metal? Maybe hair yes. But stuff like doom metal needs something very different
@@lil_weasel219 Hambucker's solution
Elmo have you ever tried any of Radial overdrive/distortion pedals the Hot British Tone bone is a plexi sound on steroids (in a good way) their first version had a pre-amp tube/ then the S.S. London Bones T.B. I tried it with several different amps...any amp with a nice clean channel, turns that channel into a Monster PLEXI sound that I know you would appreciate..Hi from NYC
I have tried the Hot British. I used to have one. It was quite good :)
Massive fan of your playing. What a discovery!
Thanks :)
Me too, from Spain!!
It'd be cool to also showcase the fenders more distinct most notable chime-like tone too, distorted or not...I'm not really so much into gear and thats not always the real reason people sound good.. but thats why I love the strat...shredding real heavy like that might as well play an Ibanez, still strats are versatile. And your playing above average..masterful dude wicked cool
Cheers!
Is someone holding you hostage?
I prefer squires for the simple reason that the short comings can be fixed and they’re lighter.
Cool!
When YJM finds this video he will throw a fookin boot at the screen!!
RICKY DEAN Hah 😂
I peed a little with this comment
hmmmm. being completely honest, I kind of dug the squier tone better... weird. I think it's a clarity thing... not sure
I’d like to see a review of the yjm USA signature strat.
In comparison with a fender custom malmsteen
Me too 🤣 They cost a lot.
No doubt bro anything with the fender custom stamp on it cost a lot it seems
@@summergrubb9885 Indeed.
$ 60 vs $ 1,700 for 2018 prices, The Fender isn't 28.33X more guitar than the Squier. Stop making excuses for the Fender being priced what it is. The Squier is a $ 25-30 Trem block upgrade away from being as tuning stable as the Fender really. That''s a DIY block swap that gets the $ 60 Squier closer $ 100.
Incredible guitar play for the demo comparison segments. I knew the results of the video before watching it. More interested in which neck you found easier to play from a standpoint of fretboards, the scalloped or the flat fretboard. Both being 9.5 radius ?
Wow, just watched the video segment of the microphonic Squier , amazing the Fender & Squier sounded that close as microphonic as the Squier is.
I like the scalloped neck more.
Your playing make squire so valuable
In the 90s Guitar world used to have CD Rom...old twch. I am sure that one Y.M first few albums he didn't have the single coil stacked humbuckers that you have in your Strat...I knew this because he did a ad for the boss NS-2 Noise gate pedal...with the pedal off you could hear his Marshall full of noise....funny ad..say how important the NS 2 is to his rig..
The NS-2 is something I use as well. You need it regardless of the pickups, since the OD pedal gets so noisy together with the Marshall.
I couldn't stop my laugh when you said see it from your mind ear whatever that was. Hahhahhaha hilarious and a great video.
:D Thanks!
Another great video packed with honesty - nice one Elmo! I'd be interested to see the Squier loaded with a couple of second hand DiMarzio HS3's and compared with the Yngwie Strat!
I've been thinking about doing something like that Have to sell some gear first though.
@@MrPolevaulter Nice. I managed to get some HS3s off eBay for about £45 each a while back. YJM Fury's seem to be holding their price.
I have exactly what you describe! Scalloped and all. 89 Korea made squier
Good for Squier,but BEST for FENDER...
The budget axe is bashed out by the ton for the masses. Now if I was handed the YM Strat for free I’d pass as the scalloped board and horrible CBS headstock are dealbreakers for me.
You’re a great player Elmo! Squier yields - for the money - surprisingly good tone. Cheers from Stockholm
JonasSweden1 Man tackar 😊
Terrific playing!
Thanks!
-at least the black w/ rosewood Squier looks better.
Squire sound nice for me, what rig was used for that?
Can't remember anymore.
DUDE, MAKE A LESSON, HOW DID YOU MAKE THIS SHRED?
I have a whole bunch of lessons on TH-cam.
Why is the Squier sounding better to my ears? The maimsteen sounds a bit nasal on the high fret range ? wtf ? A set of used fender neck and middle pickups ,a good humbucker in the bridge,locking tuners, lighter gauge springs for the wmammy bar and youve got a nice gigging guitar for not a lot of cash !
Each to his own I guess.
whoa yr family mus really appreciate you-that's genius-thank u so much 4 this video
Suzanna Banjoknee And thanj you for the kind words 😊
I would very much like to give you a completely blindfolded comparison of two guitars like this, obviously not a yjm because you would feel the scalloped greys and know but say an Eric Clapton sig strat vs a squier where you don’t touch the knobs somebody does that for you and you just play, you are good player sure but this video feels a bit squier bashy for my liking
Sorry if it comes across that way. It's not meant to be that way.
Hello mate . What you will say about Yamaha pacifica 012 or 112.
Let's Play It's been ages since I've tried a Pacifica. The one I tried I did like though.
thanks for answer .. just wanna know which guitar i should buy .. here is some options in our stores... as i live in Georgia ( not state ) country .. i dont have much choice . Here is yamahas guitars.. some of them , some squaers from fender , some epiphones LP . Just if i buy some of them i dont wanna be sad with choice , thats why i need some help
sorry for my poor english
Let's Play No problem. I think you just have to try them and see which one you like. Cheaper guitars can vary in quality a lot, regardless of brand.
OK . will try them .. problem is , its not in same stores:) but will try.. anyway thanks for answer...
Let's Play That's really the best way of knowing. You're welcome 😊
The squier bullet strat or the bullet strat Indian Lauren?
Sorry?
@@MrPolevaulter which is better?
@@calldyan Dunno.
Indonesia squier is better built than chine squier
I really enjoy your content
Thanks!
Great comparison! I have a squire. Needs work. Good guitar though. Glad I stayed . Was going to scroll on . Then I heard you play!!!!.....wow!!. Very talented......susscribed
Thanks for watching!
Hey why the squier doesn't have tremolo arm?
It was lost along the way.
Nice review , I enjoyed it !
Thanks Alex :)
Do you float your yjm fender tremolo?
I do. I like to get a whole tone up on the G-string.
Nothing different '"in your hands"....good sound
big problem with the squier are crappy and too trebly pickups especially the bridge one. connect the tone on this one and you can obtain a most similar sound :)
nice picking technique
Game Culture Cheers 😊
It’s 2021. And we are still having this debate😂. Squire by far
It wasn't 2021 when the video was made.
6:39 if it's good for jack pierson then it sure is for me
Mr Hendrix had worse guitar. But Malmsteen has expensive guitars. So...
I own the Squier. It's not horrible
Great Play!! compare a fender usa with a squier classic vibe with fat 50 .(Y)
Thanks! I might at some point.
As a 16 year old begginer do you think the Squire is worth it for me to get. I don’t have an income 🤣
I'd probably go for a second hand Squier.
R.I.P squire
GITAR BANGSAT chanel 😂
Nice one. My first electric guitar was a white Squier strat. Hated it. Refused to touch anything with a single coil up until my Jem. I'd say my strat with scalloped frets is my favorite after my 9-string these days. So in hindsight I have grown some warmth for that first strat.
And nice discussion. There's always been a discourse that claims price dictates quality which fools many a young aspiring guitarplayer 🤔. Socioeconomic thoughts come into play here. So I'll leave that for my own campfire-anecdotes 😁
Tackar Tuomo :) My first one was an East German "Lead Star" guitar. Black with white lightning :D
single coils are something that take time to love. i cant even see myself playing humbuckers now
HoshiHearts RetroGaming Good point and I agree almost completely. However on guitars with 7,8 or 9 strings I do prefer humbuckers.
I have one 6string with humbuckers but I'm actually selling it tomorrow. Goes to show you in what part I agree 😁
Took a while for me as well.
I'd love to have a 7 string Strat with single coils (or stacked humbuckers).
You compared david vs golliath, we all know about the cheap one and the expensive one.
I enjoy physically assaulting my audience. Thus, out of financial necessity, I've learned to live with the inherent shortcomings of the aforementioned Squier.
:D
Send me the Squier. I would love to have it... Im a starter guitarist. I love your video :)
Anyway, you're a guitar God. Fantastic skills. 👌
Thank you very much :)
I think the MIM is the sweetspot.
Is it really a serious comparison if the cheap one isn't even working right, though?
Of course it is.
Im a starter and I can NEVER imagine playing as fast as you did
If I can, you can. It just takes a lot of time, and belief in your abilities. You might not become as fast as me, but you can become fast. Then again you might even become faster :)
That is what happens when you play the guitar well, there is not much difference playing either of the two guitars ..
Thanks!