Fender Player Telecaster vs Squier Classic Vibe 50s Telecaster | Which Tele Should You Buy?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ต.ค. 2024
- There is no doubt the Fender Player and Squire Classic Vibe Telecasters are both amazing guitars, but which one is for you? Let's find out!
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I picked up a 2016 50's CV for $275. Best guitar I've ever owned. I like that its a Squier. Play the guitar, not the headstock.
What a deal! Stoked for you! 🎸
You did good!
Hey there!! Got me one of these, few years ago. I believe I got deal of the century @ $160.00 on E-BAY. Was supposed to be a display model, but it looked like it was never touched. Play great. Very little twicking and I'm a happy camper. Sometimes you take a chance and get a winner! It is a Squier, but happy to save a ton of money. Makes it all the better.
Sadly we live in a Label Obsessed World.. i Love the player series
But almost twice the price nope when the squire is the Real Deal..
Compromise Buy the Squire Classic Vibe Custom Beats them all including MiA Fender standard hands down.
I preferred the neck on the CV, but pickups on the Player. The Player Plus is the best Tele I've ever played-liked it even more than the American made Teles.
I don’t know if that’s your amp settings but the difference is enormous. Squier sounds waaay too muddy compared with Player which has an open, sparkly tone…
I've owned a few classic vibes, strats and teles and I'm actually damn proud to have that nice gold squier logo on the headstock. Twenty years ago not so much but their instruments now are so good that I love proving that you don't need to pay for the big name for all to see to have a nice guitar. Even a lot of long time brand snobs are admitting the cv's are great, and those are probably the people who would indulge in some headstock sanding. As for me I want everyone to know exactly what it is!
I was going for a CV P-bass but the store I went to had a pre-owned MIM for 100 quid more. The CV was like a piece of firewood in comparison. I also tried out an their top American P-bass and the difference to the Mexican was minimal.
The MIM was 2019, however, i.e. pre-covid. I can't vouch for the quality now.
when I'm playing a guitar I can't see the label on the headstock :- D
The CV is much warmer, definitely more twang on the Player series. I associate the Tele for its twangy sound so I like the player series.
Definitely. Assuming that fit and finish are more or less the same, it's tone that will make the difference and the player pickups sound more like a Tele.
The Player has better pickups without being great. But put a $30 set of Wilkinson pickups in the Squier and it's going to sweep the floor with the fender.
@@pablocapotondo7703I have Wilkinson pickups in my Vintage 62. They are indeed good. Are you going to tell me they are better than the Player pickups? Btw: the Wilkinson compensated brass saddles are just brilliant.
@@pablocapotondo7703that’s a stretch. No way. Even with great pickups the Squier couldn’t ’sweep the floor’ with the fender. I have owned 3 Squier guitars - all great value. But when I got my hands on a Fender there absolutely was a difference in fit and finish and feel, playability.
@@duncansnape6975I have owned 3 Squiers over the years. All good guitars, but when I got a Fender there was certainly a marked difference in fit and finish honestly.
I bought the Squier tele 50s CV. I have it for a month now and I love it. That neck plays like a dream and the sound is really good.
Booo ya! Stoked for you! 🎸🎸🎸
I'm a Bass player by trade, but been getting work anywhere has not been easy the last year. I fortunately able to switch to guitar bout 12 years to grab a few gigs in a friends band, I needed proper equipment to do that. That meant upgrading my guitar arsenal meaning acoustic/and electric stuff without breaking the bank since I'm not a regular member of friends band. So, started grabbing any good deals on the EBAY down thru the years. Got a few clunkers I swiftly departed with until my boat finally sailed in. Well worth the wait and that's my BUTTERSCOTCH SQUIRE INFINITY @ $160.! Advertised as "used" but was still in original box not even one scratch on it or anything wrong. Just needed a bit of setting up, but it's my favorite go to for what I need it for. Great deal for a great guitar. Got to take a chance. It might just work. Did for me. Love this guitar!
For those of you wondering:
Squier CV 50 Tele=7lbs
Fender Standard Tele =8 lbs
American Fender Telecaster 7.5-8 lbs
I picked up a CV tele 50s from Amazon in Blond White and I couldn t care less about the headstock. It was on sale so I pulled the trigger and I m pretty sure the only thing that would affect it s longevity are frets that are made of a different quality outsourced steel and the fact that the neck is a little thinner but very well constructed so, I think that 40 years down the road, you ll probably have changed a few pots and gotten a few refrets depending on your playing, but the CV is also build to last.. Any played guitar in the world will need a refret or to be recrowned so not sure about the guitar for life because of a Logo. I can t even see my headstock when I m playing, I tried but it threw off my playing, At one point I caught a glimpse and realized, Jesus, this wasn t assembled in a factory in Mexico. The minute I saw that, the intonation went off and the lipstick pickup blew up and it smelled like wet dog. Quick anecdote, I still have guitars that were considered "toys" by real guitarist in the 80s. I m an older guy and I remember when they were selling Corts and Samick in the Sears catalogue. We were in a small town and didn t have a music store, or internet lol. We were buying Cort guitars when Cort had acquired licensing rights from Hohner and Kramer. So Cort was producing the Hohners and Kramers but also their own version of the instruments because of the licensing. Those are just two of the examples of companies that saw the logic of outsourcing. My first guitar ever was a red Cort strat from Sears in the 80s. I held on the guitar until 2009 where it was stolen from my unit. I played the hell out of that thing, and it was perfect out of the box. Couldn t look at the logo though because strings kept breaking when I realized it was a sears guitar. So, at the end of the day, both Player Standard and Squier CV are mass produced guitars from two different factories. They are different beasts but the higher price point from the standard is not a reflection on Quality because anything by Fender or Squier QC wise is a hit or miss (getting better though). The higher price is because of the salaries and upkeep of one Factory vs another, but yes that logo is responsible for a lot of beginners but also for lifelong Fender players. Quick note here in Canada you can get Fender Standards used for around 575-650 in good to excellent condition. The Cv sells for 569$ right now., $400 used so with Reverb, EBAY, Forums, it s never been easier to acquire quality good gear so price isn t really a deciding factor anymore. The one sad thing that some people don t make the disctinction between is the Squier vs Affinity vs Bullet vs CV. One of my former bandmates ordered a CVT in B.Scothch and couldn t wait for the upgrades to come in. Upgrades for what? Well it s a Squier so I need to change the bridge, the pickups, the nut and the tuning keys. Cool, how much did you pay for the guitar? $500. Ok, and what about the upgrades. $450. So you just bought a CV to save money or because you like the sound better, but now you are going to replace the vitals to make it more expensive to you only because it doesn t raise value, or you ll change what you liked. And it still won t change the logo and probably very little else as the CV is a beautiful, gig worthy instrument out of the box (small tweaks for personal preference). I know long useless post. I m Covid Lonely!!!!!
I mean, I bought affinity strat in 2021. It feels great tho, but I’m a young player, I’m only 24 tho. It was my second non acoustic guitar, and I’m super happy with it.
Now I’m choosing between CV 70s strat and a modern PS. I don’t really know the real prices for these instruments cuz the prices are different in Russia. CV costs 84 000 rubs and PS is about 106 000 (1000 bucks I guess. The delivery, sanctions and stuff. It was cheaper tho)
Now when I’ll get my CV (I’m pretty sure I’ll buy a CV for some reason) I’ll just try to play with my affinity Strat. I wanna upgrade it and see what I could do with it. I guess it’ll be a little expensive(ish) than a PS Strat at the end. So yeah, I wanna upgrade my Squire just to practice “upgrading” skills.
P.S: so it was two years ago. Hope you’re fine.
Finally a video where these 2 guitars sound really as the are...different! You can easly hear the big difference betweet the two tones. Thank you!
For what I have to do with my band I think that the Fender player is better because it sounds "more modern".
But there Is not a winner or loser, if you can afford, buy all two. They are great instruments for the price you pay
I recently got the squier custom Tele with the double binding. Lucky for me it came with Texas special custom shop pick ups and a Fender tele bridge. Plays like a dream
Great comparison video! I went with the 50's CV. I found a used one at GC and it's about 8 lbs. What swayed me was the ease of re-stringing. Love those vintage tuners.
Squier switched to using an AlNiCo 3 magnet in the pickups for the 50s CV a few years ago. The Player Teles have AlNiCo 5s. That explains why the CVs now sound weaker. They used to use AlNiCo 5s in the older CV models which are better than the ones they are putting out now.
Change the magnets
I have both guitars. I have to tell you, I keep going back to the Squier. Thanks for the great video.
Interesting
Gino, why do you like the Squier better? Anything you can identify for us?
The Squier is a 50’s classic vibe and my other is MIM. I just love the feel and the sounds way better. Also something about the feel of the neck that I personally just love !
@@ginolamendola4084 Thanks.
I've had them both, and both were 2020s. The player series is 100% worth the extra cash. The CV is really nice for the price point but there's a significant gap between it and the player's series
What are the main improvements in the player series in your opinion?
@@mattd313 the pickups are far superior for starters. The tones in the PS are meatier.
The feel is the big one for me though. I can't explain it, but the PS just feels better. I'm not shitting on the CV, they're great. But if I have to take only one, it's the PS all day.
Is the neck better?
@@StringBard they're both good but the PS is better. It's silky, where the CV is almost sticky from the finish
Basically, you don't like vintage specs & feel. That's really the main difference between the 2. The player is a modern day version of a Tele, while the CV is obviously vintage inspired & is more true to the way the original Tele's were. But the significant "gap" is MUCH less significant if you were to compare the same type of vintage style Telecaster from Fender to the Squier CV. You simply prefer a modern feel & tone to a classic Telecaster.
Many thanks for the comparison and your comments. I'd recently been debating with myself which one to buy. After watching your video (more than once!) this week, I decided to go with the Player, which I ordered today.
Thanks for doing this. The Fender has a lot more output, which can fool your ear...but to me it sounds much better too. It has that Telecaster chime, that the CV is missing.
I own an American Pro Tele, a Player Tele HH, a Player Strat, and a Classic Vibe 50s Strat. The Players are my favorites. The difference between the American Pro and the Player is mainly cosmetic. The tone difference is negligible. The difference in tone from player to classic vibe is a much larger chasm. If I had to choose the best for the money I'd choose the Player in a minute.
Dude it is an EQ spectrum pronounciation difference. This is not subjective. The acoustic of your amp might fool you if your rig is powerful the Squier might shine but listen to the mid character of a Squier and then the harmonic pronounciation of the Player. Especially even the difference between a Pro tele and a Player is nuts. If you only think about the tone it will fool your ears. If you look at the audio coming out from the speaker by the flatness and high frequency low frequency spectrum the Squier is like a spongebob with no edges. But this is not the characteristic of a Telecaster. It needs to have a stronger output and more pronounciation also where the "Twang" comes from. It has to sound like a banjo and an electric acoustic guitar combined alike brightness and mid scooped like on the otherhand a Squier is the reverse of the same approach it rings the mid frequencies more (btw mid scooping is not the actual thing happening here but just for the sake of an example). Yeah there are specialized tones or signatures out there but the clean flat tone of the neck pickup is not that round as Squier on a real Tele even it is mexican or player type of a low budget one.
I came to the same conclusion you did. Better highs and more string separation in the Fender. One other key difference between the two: 21 vs 22 frets.
Just picked up a used 50's CV used for $250 and I am loving it so far! Has a couple minor dings but I don't think I could have gotten a better deal.
I own a tele 50's classic vibe but the player sounds crisper clean. Bang for your buck. I still love my CV. Own every CV model squier has to cover all tones and playability. Good vid.
I rarely leave comments, but wanted to leave one as I like watching your videos! I ordered a Player Tele in Capri Orange through my local music shop and I should have it just before Christmas and I cannot wait. Keep up the good work!
Thanks so much for taking the time to chime in. I really appreciate it! 🎸
Thank you for your preference of the Player model. It helps me not to have any regrets about buying my 2022 Butterscotch blonde MIM Player model Telecastor brand new back in 2022. Surprisingly it's taking preference over my 1993 USA Gibson LP Standard as my main guitar lately. Or my USA Fender Stratocastor.
There very much is a difference in sound between the 2, but honestly, changing the pickups on the cv will make it WAY better than that played tele
As a newbie guitarist/college student, I would pick the classic vibe and use the extra money to get a good amp, even though I feel the tone in the player is clearer in my opinion. Perhaps I might look around for a preowned one instead haha, either way they are both awesome
I agree 👍 the Squire Bullet satifys me. MIM guitars doesn't impress me.
I thought the same, but after having both of them, the amp won't get you better tone that much. i have affinity one, not cv the tone from ceramic pickup is boxed, if you play dirty, it's ok, but clean tone then alnico on fender is much better. About the apperance, i think cv is much better, better neck
I have a 2010 CV and added a fishman piezo bridge for a very faithful acoustic sound. I gig with it and another Strat or SG, depending.
It plays wonderfully. I was told I should sand off the Squier logo but I think that they built a beautiful guitar and should get credit for it. I'm not ashamed of it. I'm rather proud of it. TRUTH!.
A few years ago I would never have bought a squire but these classic vibes are so close now
They are seriously so good now. 🎸🎸🎸
Another important factor no one seems to mention, that is exposure to the elements, wear, damage etc. is easier to handle with lower tier instruments. I live in a cabin with very little heat in the winter, extremely hot and dry in the summer. I had quite a few high end instruments, gave most to my kids, I now surround myself with many instruments in the lower range. Works well for me, wouldn't want to put a Martin or Gibson through that.
I just got my player Tele in butter scotch last night. It’s beautiful and I absolutely love it. It’s flawless, perfect action out of the box.
My Squier Classic Vibe Tele was crafted in China. It's the white blonde on pine. Great guitar!
The gloss on the cv is amazing
I like the fender, just sounds a bit more alive and seems like the dynamics are there but that squier is seriously impressive
I think the players sound more clear then any of my squiers , don't like the firewood pine body ,which is two soft on the vibe ,the player has alder body better selector switch ,better pots ,clearer pickups and is a Fender ,the myth about the first teles having a pine body were the snake head called prototypes ,the early one were Ash and later changed to alder ,due to it being a cheaper wood ,although I love my Squier teles and strats ,there cheaply built with cheap components
@@barriehercock8612 I always liked the twang on teles, but I really think the stock pickup upgrade was a huge improvement on teles. I’m happy to have bought a player tele to start off 2024.
I'd like to hear a comparison where the volume was the same. Louder always sounds better, not to mention gain can drastically effect tone. Sounds like the vibe was a lot lower volume.
I've got the Player and the neck is just great and so playable. Also the pick-ups. Wow!
Take a (new, unused) green kitchen scrubbie to a high gloss finish neck, and in just a few minutes you have a whole new feel. Super smooth, no more sticky, .... the way it should be. The goal is not to take all the finish off - just the gloss. So wipe the dust off frequently and check as you go. It's a lot easier to take a little more off, than to put more finish back on. Classic vibe has my vote.
contemplating buying one of these. have to say the CV sounds nicer to me in this video. sounds warmer. maybe its just my preference
I totally get that! I feel the same way most of the time! I’m more of a rhythm player so less bite suits me!
I find the Player series guitars pick-ups a bit too shrill and spikey
I'd take the CV.
Was at guitar center yesterday and they had a tele player in white on sale for $500. Beautiful guitar but my son prefers the Strat. He just bought his second guitar. He’s been using a Squier standard from 1998. He ended up with a Strat pro which was way more than he wanted to spend but the feel, sound and everything was significantly better than the player series he tried. No way of talking him out of it.
Player sounds much, much better to my ears.
wow yes is does..
It's also way louder and just because I'm an "audiophile" and have many headphones/researched this a fair amount, I know that increased audio can give the impression of way better quality. Not saying that the CV would win if the audio was equalized, but it's definitely something to keep in mind.
Its the pickups. You put those player pickups in the CV and you'll be hard pressed to find a massive difference... and for the price difference, you could get better pickups than are in the player and still have a quite serviceable instrument.
@@JeffReigns Have you played both in person for long enough to get solid impressions? Just wondering if the playability is worth the extra price in your opinion. (Or if theres a notable difference in general)
100% agree! Both are still great guitars.
That player Tele sounds GOOD! Sounds like it has a lot more output and the neck is great on it.
It really does! I have a limited edition one coming soon so keep and eye out
If these CVs had satin necks I'd have bought one already.
For the price… maybe a little sandpaper can help 🤷♂️
I took 800.1000.1500 wet dry sand paper and brought mine down to a satin. Fast as can be.
@@ginolamendola4084 I used a scotchbrite sponge on the gloss neck of my cheap tele copy (an older Indy Custome Tele), and it plays beautifully now. Thanks for the reply! Rock on!
I did the same to my CV neck as I did with my LP. Fine wire wool down the back of the neck, voila, now it’s satin. CV for the price is excellent, very well finished, comparable to the player. Who’d have thought that ? Comes down to pickup tone, I went to buy a player, but I preferred the CV as a whole, not as ice picky as the player, more vintage, but that’s personal preference. Landon did a blind tone test, pretty accurate, it may help your choice.
Was planning on a Player butterscotch blonde but after trying out a pale blue CV 50s Tele, I chose it today! The neck was totally it for me...and I even saved $450!!!
I went to Guitar center to buy a squire because I am learning guitar...walked out with a player series tele for $449 just happened to catch it on sale
That is a serious deal! Congrats, you will love it!
Nah, bruh. I can rest easy with that extra money in my pocket and it doesn't hurt my feelings that it says Squier on the headstock. The classic vibes always punch above their weight. Got a fully modded 20th anniversary Affinity P-Bass (got it for $225 with all black chrome hardware, new pickguard and a black matte orange peel finish; rewired it and put a set of Yosemite pickups for $40 in it) that plays and sounds great. 1985 Squier MIJ Strat and the blonde CV Tele are my other Squiers. No Fenders.
I bought a player tele a year ago and I just picked up a CV to leave at work. I really like them both. But realistically, the Player Series sounds more clear and full compared to the CV. If I could only have one it is no contest. The extra cash is worth it for the Player. The video is great but the sound quality in person becomes more pronounced in person. I still love the CV as well though.
Thank you for this video, B. It’s just what I needed to know about these two beauties. I’m going with the CV, a child of the ‘50s like myself. For now. If I make sufficient progress to earn the Player, I’ll treat myself to it for Christmas.
The fender definitely sounds better to my ears. It’s brighter and fuller and the notes are more pronounced. The squier sounds muffled
Yeah, when it comes to Gibson/Epiphone, I can hardly tell the difference, but these two are like night and day.
The reason it sounds “fuller” is also the reason you hear less clarity and more grit. The fender has ceramic pick ups and the squire has 50s voiced alnico pick ups. Two very different sets of pick ups. But if I can grab a used classic vibe that comes with alnico pick ups I’d buy that over spending twice the price for a fender that has crappy ceramic pickups that I’d end up upgrading anyway.
@@dougwagner4224 definitely. I own 3 classic vibe guitars. You don’t have to convince me.
@@dougwagner4224 according to current specs the Fender has Alnico 5 pickups.
👏👏👏 I’ll buy an Indonesian Cv on this Saturday. I wish I could find a Chinese one in Turkey.
I’ve heard the Chinese ones come with better pickups. Hope you enjoy it anyways!
@@TheEddiez06 I bought an Indonesian one due to could not find a Chinese one, it is okay. I like it. 👍👍🤟🤟🤟
@@tasknkalin5816 nice!! Have fun! God bless.
@@TheEddiez06 thanks 🙏😅🤟
As much as I love the way CV’s feel, the player pickups sound way better. I have player pickups in my partscaster and they do not disappoint. However, you can never go wrong with a CV for the dough.
Another excellent well judged review, especially as this is a choice I'd want help with. I have a thinline CV but prefer a thicker satin neck so that, plus the hotter pick-ups, would mean the Fender would be my choice. Presumably the necks are interchangeable, though few folks would do that.
Thanks for the kind words, I really appreciate you chiming in. 👍
Fender sounds brighter. Love it. I really wanted a telecaster but for now i can't afford it because i only want a fender telecaster. Not because its headstock but its tone.
They both sound really good.
The Fender trademark carries a certain amount of weight no doubt about it. Having said that, I think that the gold Squier trademarks on my CV and VM guitars carry plenty of weight in their own right. I can't imagine a world without Squier guitars and really appreciate the fact that Fender makes these great instruments and offers them at prices almost everyone can afford. Cheers!
I have long pondered the Classic Vibe vs Player series conundrum, and my take is that while the CV is half the price, it has that sticky neck finish, and the vintage-style bridge. What I really want is a matte neck, and a six-saddle bridge, at the classic vibe price. What a currently have is a 2019 Affinity Tele which was upgraded with Fender Tex/Mex pickups, and it gives me that for less than the CV price. The downer is that it says 'Affinity' on the headstock. ☹
The Affinity guitars are so good. Really a great value. I've been playing a parts caster strat I put together using a Bullet body, CV neck, Fender vintage tuners and Dopro stainless steel saddles. The stock pickups aren't bad so kept those in. It's one of my favs. Cheers for now! @@peterwilson8039
Great thumbnail.
I agree, I like the Player pickups better.
Thanks man. Agree with you on the pickups.
Love Me Tele . . . Love Your Cap! I'm still waiting for the Dodgers to Move back to Brooklyn.
Thanks for the comment. I could only imaging the chatter and uproar from LA if they announced they were moving back! Ha!
If ya want my two cents, the Dodgers shoulda never left Brooklyn in the first place. Then again I'm biased because I was raised by a World War II veteran, so, to me, the Dodgers should still belong to Brooklyn.
I was gonna but a Squier Cabronita Telecaster but decided to get a Player Telecaster as the better value guitar. I couldn't be happier. As far as the video is concerned I'd take the player. It's clearer sounding and comes through as what a Telecaster should sound like. The Classic Vibe sounded like you were playing under the covers or something.
Bought a squier tele and swapped the neck out with a fender strat neck I found at my local guitar store for $50. Fit perfectly looks beautiful.
What a deal on that neck!!!
🤔
I had a white blonde squier classic vibe telecaster. The fret job was way better than any MOM tele I have had. The pine body is also a bonus. I love the vintage tuners. Just swap out the budget electronics. Pure vintage 64 pickups and a treble bleed would make it great.
I bet those vintage 64 pickups would sound so good!!!
@@bsideguitar I love them. I have them in a classic series 60s tele, and in a 1977 tele.
I am going to have to check those out!
First thing I noticed was 5O was very quiet as you said
I just picked up an eBay classic vibe tele 60’s for £190. It’s a 2014 model with rosewood fingerboard.
I used 360 sandpaper on the back of the neck to degloss and now feels like a satin player neck.
As I don’t gig I really don’t blink at the logo on the headstock.
Played both, both amazing, so CV all the way, save your hard $$ for a nice Amp!! Vox ac10, smallish Fenders, put that money where it matters guys 🤑😉
True
If you don't like the satin finish on the CV, you can just sand down the neck a little bit.
The roasted headstock is just awesome on the squier
Knowing your gear is better than having expensive gear- Trey Anastasio
I actually like the vintage sound of the squier better. For what I play, I think it would be a better fit.
I had the Baja and the classic vibe, The Baja had a slight edge on tones due to the four way switch.
The S-1 switch was a waste of a switch.
The CV 50's sounded Very Tele ! so...
Given the price difference I have to say the CV was the winner for me.
I own many U.S. made fenders and Gibsons. I also bought a player series strat....fender has really closed the gap as far as quality goes with these player series. Man they are really good. I think nothing can touch them at this price. You may have some more features with a american pro strat but the Ensenada made strat is just as good as far as fit and finish totally solid and true fender guitar. Love mine gonna grab a tele as well
If you like 50’s you need to buy a vintera or you need to change pick-up of the player. When you buy a squier you have to pray that is one of the rare-good. Also the Squier have no dinamics. The volume control start to 7/6 from 10, the wood is not wood but paper… but squier is good to start or if you want to try a tele or strato. Good video! 🤟
Great video. With a green Scotch Brite pad and about two minutes you can get that CV gloss to a nice satin feeling.
All levels on the knobs being even. The player was louder. If you turned up the squire a tad, it may sound similar.
My Gibson says “Gibson” on the headstock and it’s a Chibson. It’s the nicest guitar I’ve ever owned because it’s a well made guitar. That’s what counts.
I sanded the back of my CV tele neck and it feels really nice now. It really didn’t take much effort. And the Squier logo on the headstock doesn’t bother me. Especially when people see you kill it on a Squier. They be like “dang.”
I’m into old blues players who mostly played cheap catalogue guitars and I’m really into doing as much as possible with less.
The difference in price, spread out over the life of the guitar is almost nothing. Having said that its hard to go wrong with a tele
I bought CV 50's Tele about four months ago and I love it. Good quality, and I like the feel of the glassy neck and and the shallow "C" shape. Compared to it, my 10 pound Les Paul feels like a boat anchor. That being said, I'm not all that crazy about the pups....just not enough punch. I plan to upgrade them.
I have a Player Series Telecaster, personally modified with Fender Pure Vintage 51 Nocaster pickups.
Plus, I also have three Squiers.
They all have their place. 🙂❤️👍🎸🎵
Love it! Rock on!
Hello, what’s the opinion about those and the Tele Custom Shop pups? I have a player and wanted to change the PUs too. Thanks
So many things affect tone. Everyone says the Player has hotter output. You can just push the amp a bit or put a bit of boost or overdrive on. Also the player seemed to have more high frequencies. That's easy to achieve with an EQ pedal.
Seems like the Fender has a little more pop to it, but I guess which one is "best" is which one fits your sound.
I think I'm going to build a partscaster from Warmoth.
Very cool
So I used to be a person that said the name on the headstock didn’t matter in terms of quality, and my classic vibe was very good, but now that I have the fender player tele it is a better guitar. Pickups are better and I never liked the narrow tall frets one the classic vibe. Plus my CV neck was pretty misaligned no matter what I tried.
However, for both lines, it’s really important to try out a bunch at the store. I found several player teles with fret sprout and misaligned necks too. I used to buy online but no more.
I like the neck of the Player Series better. Much more comfortable to play coz it's not sticky
I did a comparison between the older CV50 vs the 2019~ version. The neck in the older CV is like wizard neck, while the new is slightly chunkier, the fret edge is more rounded. Pickups wise the old one is Tonerider which sounded much better and twangier. Craftmanship is would give it to the new CV, it's flawless. One complain on the new CV is the narrow tall frets as opposed to the old medium jumbo. It took awhile to get used to, but not uncomfortable at all. In terms of brass vs steel saddles, I don't hear any notable difference at all
Hello, what do you mean by wizard neck? Can you explain better? I’m not native English and didn’t get it well. And I’m about to buy a 2015 or 2022 CV. Never seen on hands, but from pictures , the neck on the newer version looks more glossy? About the sound then, tone riders are much more of a like? Thank you
@@kanjinha toneriders are much more vintage. Wizard necks are like Ibanez or Yamaha guitars. The gloss is almost the same
I'm glad I came accoss this video I was saving for a squire offest paranormal telecaster then comic con got cancelled so I can now can afford a Fender player series tele
I'm goong to the store to try the
Squire paranormal offset telecaster
Squire Classic vibe telecaster
Fender player series telecaster
Torneaning toward the player aries
Let me know which one you go with!
@@bsideguitar I will 👍
Out of interest the player one I was looking at says new player series Fender designed pickups does that mean there alnico 5 pickups or different
As a mix master audiophile I can confirm that Fender Player has the fuller EQ spectrum and more dynamics. It is like the difference between a low end mic and a ShureSM7B. If you want to shape the tone it is always easy but if you want to hear all the harmonics and the DI recordings are what you go for just give off 200bucks more there is a huge gap. Don't catch just the agression of the tone of a Squier usually low end audio equipments tend to have an agressive or mid frequency responses but a quality audio device always has more tamed mids and a wider EQ spectrum. It is not about "Gloss necks or so" Squier is good enough for live jams since you add absurd amps and pedals But in my recordings... It is a big no! if you want to sound like a pro in your bedroom recordings you send to Spotify or Bandcamp. Like... Muse or Dİre Straits alike record quality this comment is mostly aimed towards to the High-end production loving audiophiles lol.
Nice review however would have liked at bit more detail on the fret ends and the feel of the fingerboard edges.
Fret ends on both were good. I have heard a few people (not many) say their player had a little fret sprout but not sure what state or the climate conditions the guitar was in.
Talking about technical specs: are pickups the only thing Player has MUCH better than CV? If so, I choose CV, because pickups can be upgraded afterward.
I have an 08 MiM tele that came with ceramic pickups back then. TBH they weren't too bad and I never upgraded them until the bridge pickup gave up the ghost. I was considering part ex on a new player series as mine has the odd ding after 12 years and I've always been a bit OCD about keeping my guitars in good condition. Not wanting to pass the problem on I opted for a set of Fender tex mex pickups, and long story short I've kept it. I suspect they would make a difference in the CV as well if you wanted a more modern voicing.
I think your suspicion is right on. Amazing what a set of pickups can do. The video review coming out Monday has some custom shop pickups in it that really surprised me.
I spent 20 years playing a US Tele, but my Mexican Player actually manages to nail that Tele sound a few shades better. Only flaw I've found is that wild string bends will fly off the fretboard. As far as this video goes, I didn't dig the muddier tone of the CV Tele. I'm not taking a dump on Squier. I've been eyeing their Paranormal series, and I'll mention that even Fender proper has been unable to match my VM Squier Jazzmaster. It's got the best neck I've ever played on, and the "Duncan Designed" pickups are fantastic for stock pickups. Only flaws are that the jack plate is a touch dodgy, and it's a Jazzmaster with no tremelo, which feels wrong. Perhaps I'll get around to modding it sometime. Oh! And my pick guard yellowed after just a few years, but I think it looks awesome. I would not be disappointed if my newer Player Tele does the same.
Great channel, just subbed👍
I have two Player Series Teles, one with the maple neck and the Pau ferro neck. Both great guitars but I also have a CV Tele. To me, the Players are brighter, more twang and bite - suits me cos I'm a country picker.
The CV is more laid back but still very usable. My only gripe about Fender guitars lately is their quality control. I had a Nashville Tele but the finish around the neck pocket was terrible for a guitar that's over €1000- I'm in Ireland. I swapped it for the Player Series in Sunburst with the maple neck. The first CV I had, had scratches between the frets and bare wood on the edges of the fingerboard at the 21st fret like it's wasnt finished it's varnishing. My dealer has said it's because of demand during lockdown and therefore quality control is suffering. It was replaced with a way better one.
Maybe my Player Tele has a warm tone to it but I never noticed the it sounding that bright before it actually sounded quite dull I couldn’t tell if it was the guitar or the pickups or the bridge plate that added to dullness. Contrast to a CV I played which sounded really bright and thin might be the brightest tele I’ve ever played! Surprisingly in this video the teles sounded different from the ones I have played.
Previously I was fine with the idea that Classic Vibe can be reasonable tele but now I realised that it would be fooling myself since Player Tele is so amazing 😍
Not really you only need to change the pickups still could be cheaper
Fender Telecaster Player MIN, $849 at Guitar Center. Squire Telecaster Classic Vibe, $449 at Guitar Center.
Two different guitars in everything: they’re the same only in the shape. CV 50s are too good for the price. But you have to know that you buy a guitar, in the concept of the instrument,with a “vintage” voice. So if you need more outputed pickup well Player maybe could be the right choise!
Good point.
I just bought the player, havent had a change to plug it in yet or even play it much.
what I get from this video is, theres no objective quality difference in the sound, except that the player seems to have better sustain.
the player has a clearer, colder, more aggressive sound, and the squire has alot warmer, rounder sound, more laid back. its mostly a matter of taste and what you want to play.
though to me the main factor in choosing a guitar is how it handles, how it feels under the finger, more than the sound. nowadays you can make anything sound like anything almost.
At the current price point the extra money on the Fender gets a slight pickup upgrade and an extra fret.
Im buying the Squier and put a $600 Warmoth neck with my signature and USA noiseless Fender pickups
I've bought, and later sold off, three used Squier CV'50s Telecasters. Two I made money on, the third I sold because I just wasn't playing it. The reason I didn't pkay it much was the partly down to the thick poly finish on the neck felt like I was holding plastic in my hand, and partly because the thing weighed more that a 1970s Les Paul. God, thatvthing was heavy. The tone was great, the look was great, but the weight was too great!
I agree with the guitar for a lifetime name on the headstock comment. Even if the tones are similar and the build quality is similar, its going to be a more treasured possession with that Fender label on it. If you love the guitar, its not just a label, its also a very impressive history. Do you want to tell your non guitar playing friends, "this is an icon, and the first massed produced solid body guitar, still in production 70 years on, or do you want to tell people that its a copy of that famous guitar. Although having said that, I have a LTD256 because Gibson Les Paul's are over the top in these parts, so I fully understand why people would buy a Squire and they no doubt are a quality guitar these days.
Player has more chime but the difference between neck and bridge pick up subtle.
You can actually sometimes get a Squirer that plays better then a Fender BUT it'll be 1 in 100 BUT it does happen. AND the made in Mexico Fenders are often just as good as the USA fenders.
The Squier isn't warmer, it's just muddy lmao
Player is much better guitar. Not only sound better but you can setup intonation properly. Two strings at once in CV never let to set up this perfectly and it will be audible for sure.