Squire all day here. BUT point is right. The difference between a $200 guitar and $800 guitar is HUGE. Difference between an $800 guitar and $2000 one is not as big. It's subtle differences and preference then as well as........ branding!
Thanks Kris great content! This is the price range a lot of players live in, and these guitars are the ones they shop! I'm fortunate to own many S type guitars Squiers, MIM, USA, even Custom Shop, but one of the guitars I go to often is a blond classic vibe exactly like the one in you vid. The only difference is I put on all gold hardware Mary Kaye style. I love that guitar, a real workhorse! Thanks again Kris for a great review!
The sound only compares the electronics.But that is very easy and relatively cheap to change. It also depends on the type of strings you use and the distance of the pickups from the strings.....But what is the most important in my opinion is the neck construction....namely the position of the frets....After adjusting the length of each string to correct length, open the phone guitar tuner app and now go from one fret to next and watch how well tuned or off the sound is....Chech every fret sound and every string. Only then you know if you are buying a guitar or piece of junk!
Carlton, Pacifica & Squire in that order. That Carlton sound made my eyes open every time. The Pacifica the same just a little less rounded and the Squire, a classic sound. I would gladly take any of the guitars displayed but given a choice there they are.
For clean: Squier and Harley Benton For breakup: Larry Carlton For drive: Cort and Yamaha The most balanced for me was Cort. If i were to choose i would pick the neck pickup from Squier and put it into the Cort.
The Pacifica sounds mid scooped, The sire too dark. Squire sounds fendery The cort sounds good and I can attest that with a decent setup will sound and play great. Had one for years
The HB and the Squier had that classic strat thin sound but the Larry Carlton had some meaty tones and that is the one I preffered, if I was going for that classic strat tone though I would go for the HB or the Squier.
I think the Squier sound most like a ... Strat ... surprise :D Also, I put lots of thought into a name for the Mayer lick that you rephrased very elegantly, Kris. I call it "Slow dancing with a flying broom". Thanks for the vid ... oh and happy new year!
Yeah and something in the very slight tone differences means you can just tell it has the actual Fender tone and feel. If that's what you want from a ST style guitar. Interesting that they didn't add the cheapest squire though but I love Classic Vibe. And I have a 60s Strat, player strat and Custom Tele. There is a point where its just more money and not a better guitar.
The best thing about a cheap Strat, the money you save can be used to replace anything you don’t like (pickups, tuners, etc) so it’s a better fit for you. I have a Squier Cyclone (a blend of Strat and Mustang with Jaguar pickup switches) I’m already thinking of locking tuners, different pickups and maybe getting those Highwood bridge saddles that cover the height adjustment screws so it’s more comfortable to palm mute.
I own a Squier CV70 and the only downside of these guitars is setup, it is completely random. It depends if you're lucky or not. Mine had a terrible nut and also the neck was not setup properly. But after a good setup from a luthier and an upgrdae to the wiring, it is very very good!!!
When I grew up you had to spend a kidney for an Instrument of these quality-levels. So good to know that evereyone can afford follow their dreams of playing an instrument these days!! First place in my opinion is the Squier, definitely the "strattiest" tone. I love the Sire, even though it is less defined and maybe a bit "muddy", it has the "fullest", roomfilling tone. Is it just me, or is the Yamaha kind of sterile and "soulless". The guitar is a true classic, I know..But I just can't get warm with it...The HB is probably the cheapest, but, I think, the worst in tone. Bang for the buck-winner is probably the Cort. But that's, of course, totally subjective. I would nevertehless like to read some comments.
I always go for warmer sounding guitars so it's the Sire for me without a doubt. I was expecting the Squier to sound better. It sounded thin and uninspiring. I liked the Harley Benton more.
Love that squier sound and look but I would be worried about the QC, the ones I've seen have been all over the place since the change of factory in 2019
@@forddriver8827 no, stuff like poor quality tuners, not buffed enough polyurethane body, poorly fit neck pocket, stuff that you can't change with a simple setup, maybe they got better but I wouldn't recommend buying these online unless there's a great return policy
My personal favourite was the squier, to me it sounded most like a strat that I expect. The cort was a bit thin, but still nice. The HB sounded impressive, except for the bridge pickup, that one felt a bit under represented. I’m not a fan of the Yamaha nor the LC, the latter not sounding like a strat to me, like you mentioned a bit as well.
@@pauldncn1 😉 Honestly, the Harley Benton is the worst. Cort sounds better. Of the two, I'd take that one. Of course, tastes are subjective but the other three are objectively in a slightly higher level.
The Squier put apart, the Cort is my fav here. BUT I play lefty, and Cort is NOT as LH friendly as Harley Benton is... by far. So, in the "cheap but ok" section, I would go for the HB.
Well I think I liked the squier best, but they all sounded good. So since there is hardly any noticeable difference in the way they sound. Which one plays, has the best feel, the best? Which one stays in tune the best out of the box? Oh and by the way, great comparison, wish they were all done this way!
Awasome vid as always Kris! Here in South America (Argentina at least) a very common affordable s-style guitar is the chinese brand "SX Guitars" . Would you guys try to get one and do a review or comparisson with other cheaps guitars? there are no good reviews on TH-cam about it. Thank you VER MUCH in advance. Chau!
To me it are the Cort and the Yamaha, cause of there bit biteier Sound, cause it would be easier to place it in a mix. Sure, the sound of the S3 or the Squier gives more like a Hendrix one.
In my opinion, the CV sounds more Fender strat "authentic" than any other. HB sounds a bit plasticly. My second option would be the Sire, though it sounds the less straty and beefier than the rest, I like that.
The Squier and Sire are clearly the best sounding. The other three have a very thin tone with the clean sound. The Sire has much much mid range tones than all the others, and in the neck it does not seems as bright as a Strat should be. Moreover in position 2 due to the humbucker the tone also is significative different from a Strat. Apart form this it is a very good guitar, IMHO it doesnot sound like a Strat, but it has a very good tone. It must not be considered as a Strato replacement, but more as a companion to a Strat.
pacifica sounded rich.....gutsy and funky....sounds like a pro guitar......i would give 2nd to larry carlson who had a really full gutsy sound also....
3:39 and 10:12 are not entirely accurate. The Sire's Humbucker splits automatically when the switch is in position 2 (You can test it with a nail) The reason the Sire's tone seems out of place in this "strat" shootout would be because the Sire has two strat style models the normal "S7" (Seen in this video) it's their more modern take on a strat with hotter pickups in HSS config. While the "S7 Vintage" is the one with traditional strat voicings and has an SSS configuration. I prefer the S7 personally over the S7 vintage, but I think the vintage would've been the one to use in this shootout, Nonetheless I thoroughly enjoyed the video :)
I'm curious to know if all of the guitars had the same setup, like the action and the distance from the pickups to the strings, and what model of speaker are in the cabinet that was used? Edit: I see the Harley Benton cab has Vintage 30's in it (of course). I wonder which year those are from, as they've changed over the years. And I don't see the PRS cabinet listed on the Thomann website so I'm interested in what's inside that one.
they tried to market the Indiana, it was kinda like the Kramer Pacer's design:) ,ended up being called a flop though, ... not every one if their designs is a slam dunk:) *don't blame me for the bad joke, you started it poo
@@dejavoodoo7204 I’m all about the bad jokes, hell I’m a 1%er myself. As in 99% of my jokes fail 😂🤘🏽 It probably was a flop because the Tar (neck joint) Heel slowed access to the upper frets 😂 Wait that’s one a them Carolina’s ain’t it ? Too many states to keep track of 😵💫
I guess Yamaha - the CV is really too expensive to be considered. It's obviously better to me - although I wouldn't get the '50s which has a large neck.
Macie odemnie wyróżnienie bardzo dużą pochwałę gratuluję wam wytrwałości dużo i sił do dalszej waszej pięknej muzyki super tak trzymać muzyka to jest super wielka radość można potańczyć do białego ranka i smutnych rozweselić.
I agree. It's impossible to get SSS configuration from most brands at this price point though so we had to make a compromise. All other pickup positions are still comparable and I didn't want to use an hss Fender because that's not the original "real strat" config. So i took sss where it was possible and hss where it wasn't an option. I hope that makes sense. //Kris
@@RotoSphere that can be remedied quite easily for lil $. straight out of the box, the tone knob can make it sound just like any of these cheap knock-offs🙄
Personally, the guitar is all about aesthetics and feel, and 90% of your tone is pickups, strings, and amp/cab. (Nut and bridge are like 5% and knobs the other 5-15% variables on gain stage/electronics.)
I thought the HB and the Squier sounded identical. Vintage Fender STRAT. The rest not so much... Had to scroll all the way down to find your comment. Guitar Snobs are on top of the list, as always.
Dzień dobry witam was radośnie z moim serduszkiem czułym wrażliwym kochanym pozdrawiam was serdecznie mocno gorąco dziękuję za posłuchanie waszych przecudnych przepięknych nagrań kochani cudowni jesteście kocham was za duży talent przyjemność ale i duży wysiłek włożony w waszą piękną pracę jesteście bardzo uzdolnieni utalentowani wzorowi zasłużeni cieszyć się tylko i podziwiać was wykonanie wasze jest bardzo dobre czyste celujące nic dodać nic ująć nie mam innego określenia jak celująco macie u mnie same plusy pochwały gratulacje super tak trzymać nie poddawać się bardzo was kocham uwielbiam szanuję doceniam was i waszą piękną pracę patrzę na was jak w obrazek i uśmiecham się do was pięknie szczerze i wsłuchuję się w wasze melodie dźwięki rozbrzmiewajace dookoła nas życzę wam dużo dużo zdrówka samych słonecznych pięknych szczęśliwych wspaniałych udanych dni oraz miłego udanego czwartku powodzenia wam.
The Sire is the clear winner in my opinion, proving a well balanced guitar is as capable as another worth three times. Thanks for the upload.
Oh geeze the Sire was the worst of the 5. Boxy, wimpy and cheap sounding.
The s 7 at $600 has ALNICO pickups.
Squire all day here. BUT point is right. The difference between a $200 guitar and $800 guitar is HUGE. Difference between an $800 guitar and $2000 one is not as big. It's subtle differences and preference then as well as........ branding!
1) L.C. 2) Yamaha 3) Squier 4) Cort 5) HB
@@BkBk-gy6vr Have your hearing checked out. Wish you luck.
Thanks Kris great content! This is the price range a lot of players live in, and these guitars are the ones they shop! I'm fortunate to own many S type guitars Squiers, MIM, USA, even Custom Shop, but one of the guitars I go to often is a blond classic vibe exactly like the one in you vid. The only difference is I put on all gold hardware Mary Kaye style. I love that guitar, a real workhorse! Thanks again Kris for a great review!
With a little tweaking of the tone knob(s), every one of these can sound like the others.
For all except the Sire, I think you're right...
@@volkerfriedritz8149 s
The Sire sounds so dark, like the tone is rolled off... But the sound of the Cort and Squier is great! Thanks for the comparisson!
Thanks for watching! //Kris
The sound only compares the electronics.But that is very easy and relatively cheap to change. It also depends on the type of strings you use and the distance of the pickups from the strings.....But what is the most important in my opinion is the neck construction....namely the position of the frets....After adjusting the length of each string to correct length, open the phone guitar tuner app and now go from one fret to next and watch how well tuned or off the sound is....Chech every fret sound and every string. Only then you know if you are buying a guitar or piece of junk!
Great comparison. For me it´s a massive win for Cort...
Carlton, Pacifica & Squire in that order. That Carlton sound made my eyes open every time. The Pacifica the same just a little less rounded and the Squire, a classic sound. I would gladly take any of the guitars displayed but given a choice there they are.
For clean: Squier and Harley Benton
For breakup: Larry Carlton
For drive: Cort and Yamaha
The most balanced for me was Cort. If i were to choose i would pick the neck pickup from Squier and put it into the Cort.
The Pacifica sounds mid scooped,
The sire too dark.
Squire sounds fendery
The cort sounds good and I can attest that with a decent setup will sound and play great. Had one for years
Squier for the sound and looks. Need to add one of those to my collection, thr white one looks awesome with that gloss neck too. Nice vid, thanks
Loved the Sire! Very unique tone, the pick ups remind me of the Old Carvin pick ups that had the double pole pieces!
Ich hätt's nicht gedacht, eigentlich bin ich Harley Bentoner aber die Squier hat sie alle abgezogen 💥👏👏👏👏🔥
The HB and the Squier had that classic strat thin sound but the Larry Carlton had some meaty tones and that is the one I preffered, if I was going for that classic strat tone though I would go for the HB or the Squier.
I think the Squier sound most like a ... Strat ... surprise :D Also, I put lots of thought into a name for the Mayer lick that you rephrased very elegantly, Kris. I call it "Slow dancing with a flying broom". Thanks for the vid ... oh and happy new year!
Haha! Loving the title buddy! Happy New Year to you too! //Kris
No discussion Sire No.1 and Squier No. 2
No question about it. The Squier CV had the best clean tone. But the Cort comes very close.
I was surprised that the Squier was my least favorite. I own one of those CV50s and mine sounds really good.
Soundvice 1. Squier 2. Yamaha & Sire 3. Cort 4. H&B.
Love comparisons, great job there! I liked each for different value.
For me its
1. Cort
2. Harley
3. Squire
4. Sire
5. Yamaha
You can never go wrong buying a classic vibe, they always sound good for the price.
Yeah and something in the very slight tone differences means you can just tell it has the actual Fender tone and feel. If that's what you want from a ST style guitar. Interesting that they didn't add the cheapest squire though but I love Classic Vibe. And I have a 60s Strat, player strat and Custom Tele. There is a point where its just more money and not a better guitar.
You need to add Jet Guitars to your product range, they are making great budget instruments
The best thing about a cheap Strat, the money you save can be used to replace anything you don’t like (pickups, tuners, etc) so it’s a better fit for you. I have a Squier Cyclone (a blend of Strat and Mustang with Jaguar pickup switches) I’m already thinking of locking tuners, different pickups and maybe getting those Highwood bridge saddles that cover the height adjustment screws so it’s more comfortable to palm mute.
By the time you've done that you've already spend Mexican Fender money. It's a false economy.
The Sire feels like its singing, I can't quite explain it.
1. CV and Sire (sound warm or maybe dark but I like It) 2. Pacífica 3. Cort 4. H.B. But the price is different.
1) L.C. 2) Yamaha 3) Squier 4) Cort 5) HB. Cort is so far better than HB at same price
I own a Squier CV70 and the only downside of these guitars is setup, it is completely random. It depends if you're lucky or not. Mine had a terrible nut and also the neck was not setup properly. But after a good setup from a luthier and an upgrdae to the wiring, it is very very good!!!
When I grew up you had to spend a kidney for an Instrument of these quality-levels. So good to know that evereyone can afford follow their dreams of playing an instrument these days!!
First place in my opinion is the Squier, definitely the "strattiest" tone. I love the Sire, even though it is less defined and maybe a bit "muddy", it has the "fullest", roomfilling tone. Is it just me, or is the Yamaha kind of sterile and "soulless". The guitar is a true classic, I know..But I just can't get warm with it...The HB is probably the cheapest, but, I think, the worst in tone.
Bang for the buck-winner is probably the Cort. But that's, of course, totally subjective.
I would nevertehless like to read some comments.
No Ibanez GRX40??
Sound-wise, HB > Squier > Yamaha > Cort > Sire
CV for classic Strat sound/feel. The sire has a nice voice.
Cort 3rd , Yamaha 2nd but 1st Squire. As a beginner I would choose the Cort.
I always go for warmer sounding guitars so it's the Sire for me without a doubt. I was expecting the Squier to sound better. It sounded thin and uninspiring. I liked the Harley Benton more.
Love that squier sound and look but I would be worried about the QC, the ones I've seen have been all over the place since the change of factory in 2019
Intonation?
@@forddriver8827 no, stuff like poor quality tuners, not buffed enough polyurethane body, poorly fit neck pocket, stuff that you can't change with a simple setup, maybe they got better but I wouldn't recommend buying these online unless there's a great return policy
I have 3 Squiers and they have come a long way and zero issues with QC. I would be much more worried about QC in the other guitars in this comparison.
@@BkBk-gy6vr good to know! I love my Chinese CVs
Yamaha has been great with QC for me.
My personal favourite was the squier, to me it sounded most like a strat that I expect. The cort was a bit thin, but still nice. The HB sounded impressive, except for the bridge pickup, that one felt a bit under represented. I’m not a fan of the Yamaha nor the LC, the latter not sounding like a strat to me, like you mentioned a bit as well.
Happy New Year Kris! A helpful demo for beginners and not only, for people who are interested to buy their first guitar . Cheers guys 😊!
Thanks buddy! Same to you! //Kris
Hi Kris , I can’t believe how good the Harley Benton sounded
Oh no I’ll get divorce papers!!🤣🤣🤣
2nd favourite is the Cort
Great video thanks 👍🥴🥴
My friend, I don't think your wife will ask for a divorce but I think she will force you to go to a good otolaryngologist😂
@@FaberGT86 you don’t know how accurate you are and it’s even funnier
Look up Eagles syndrome
I’m seeing the specialist again in a month
🤣🤣🤣🤣👍
@@pauldncn1 😉 Honestly, the Harley Benton is the worst. Cort sounds better. Of the two, I'd take that one. Of course, tastes are subjective but the other three are objectively in a slightly higher level.
The Cort has really a handicap coming from its picups.
A comparison of the 5 with the same Alnico pup kit would be interesting!
Cort stil a lot better than HB
The Squier put apart, the Cort is my fav here. BUT
I play lefty, and Cort is NOT as LH friendly as Harley Benton is... by far. So, in the "cheap but ok" section, I would go for the HB.
Superb comparison, well done Sir!; all had slightly different sound profiles however for the money they ask? ; you couldn't complain!!!!!
Well I think I liked the squier best, but they all sounded good. So since there is hardly any noticeable difference in the way they sound. Which one plays, has the best feel, the best? Which one stays in tune the best out of the box? Oh and by the way, great comparison, wish they were all done this way!
The effects tend to obscure the differences among the various strat-like guitars you demonstrated here.
Awasome vid as always Kris! Here in South America (Argentina at least) a very common affordable s-style guitar is the chinese brand "SX Guitars" . Would you guys try to get one and do a review or comparisson with other cheaps guitars? there are no good reviews on TH-cam about it. Thank you VER MUCH in advance. Chau!
To me it are the Cort and the Yamaha, cause of there bit biteier Sound, cause it would be easier to place it in a mix. Sure, the sound of the S3 or the Squier gives more like a Hendrix one.
The first 2 sound the best
1) L.C. 2) Yamaha 3) Squier 4) Cort 5) HB
Forget what they sound like playability and fit and finish is King.
I wish white maple necks were more common. The roasted stuff can be just a little too dark.
Cort and Squier for my taste. I am Yamaha aficionado but I was somewhat disappointed by the pacifica whose sound tended to be mid-scooped
Pacifica
In my opinion, the CV sounds more Fender strat "authentic" than any other. HB sounds a bit plasticly. My second option would be the Sire, though it sounds the less straty and beefier than the rest, I like that.
The Squier and Sire are clearly the best sounding. The other three have a very thin tone with the clean sound. The Sire has much much mid range tones than all the others, and in the neck it does not seems as bright as a Strat should be. Moreover in position 2 due to the humbucker the tone also is significative different from a Strat. Apart form this it is a very good guitar, IMHO it doesnot sound like a Strat, but it has a very good tone. It must not be considered as a Strato replacement, but more as a companion to a Strat.
pacifica sounded rich.....gutsy and funky....sounds like a pro guitar......i would give 2nd to larry carlson who had a really full gutsy sound also....
Where is the Tagimas?
im a Harley Benton owner (and fan you could say) but I think the squire sounds the best.
Yamaha and Cort on par for the number 1 position. The Sire really disappointed me.
3:39 and 10:12 are not entirely accurate. The Sire's Humbucker splits automatically when the switch is in position 2 (You can test it with a nail)
The reason the Sire's tone seems out of place in this "strat" shootout would be because the Sire has two strat style models the normal "S7" (Seen in this video) it's their more modern take on a strat with hotter pickups in HSS config. While the "S7 Vintage" is the one with traditional strat voicings and has an SSS configuration.
I prefer the S7 personally over the S7 vintage, but I think the vintage would've been the one to use in this shootout,
Nonetheless I thoroughly enjoyed the video :)
Hey :)
I don`t know exactly why but i like the Sire :)
I must check out one ..
It's the warm tone that appeals to many I think. Which is awesome, just pretty far from the traditional strat tone. 👍 Cheers //Kris
I'm curious to know if all of the guitars had the same setup, like the action and the distance from the pickups to the strings, and what model of speaker are in the cabinet that was used?
Edit: I see the Harley Benton cab has Vintage 30's in it (of course). I wonder which year those are from, as they've changed over the years. And I don't see the PRS cabinet listed on the Thomann website so I'm interested in what's inside that one.
Classic vibe all the way
The Yamaha is very fine to me ;)
Nice review.
Thank you! //Kris
Tell ya mamma ya need a Yamaha. 🤘🏽
When will they release the Atlantica?
they tried to market the Indiana, it was kinda like the Kramer Pacer's design:) ,ended up being called a flop though, ... not every one if their designs is a slam dunk:) *don't blame me for the bad joke, you started it poo
@@dejavoodoo7204 I’m all about the bad jokes, hell I’m a 1%er myself.
As in 99% of my jokes fail 😂🤘🏽
It probably was a flop because the Tar (neck joint) Heel slowed access to the upper frets 😂
Wait that’s one a them Carolina’s ain’t it ? Too many states to keep track of 😵💫
Save the money for an SE Silver Sky😉
To my ears the Larry Carlton.
I guess Yamaha - the CV is really too expensive to be considered. It's obviously better to me - although I wouldn't get the '50s which has a large neck.
Macie odemnie wyróżnienie bardzo dużą pochwałę gratuluję wam wytrwałości dużo i sił do dalszej waszej pięknej muzyki super tak trzymać muzyka to jest super wielka radość można potańczyć do białego ranka i smutnych rozweselić.
Comparing SSS to HSS is like comparing apple and orange.
I agree. It's impossible to get SSS configuration from most brands at this price point though so we had to make a compromise. All other pickup positions are still comparable and I didn't want to use an hss Fender because that's not the original "real strat" config. So i took sss where it was possible and hss where it wasn't an option. I hope that makes sense. //Kris
Squier Classic Vibe 50s sounds great. The others were too dark and not stratty at all.
Imo affordable guitar demos should be played through affordable but capable amps such as the boss katana.
The Bad Cat strat rules all the cheapies, imo. SS frets, multi-radiused fretboard, bone nut, decent tuners and pups for about a buck fitty😎
Pitty it doesn’t sound like Strat at all. 🤷🏻♂️
@@RotoSphere that can be remedied quite easily for lil $.
straight out of the box, the tone knob can make it sound just like any of these cheap knock-offs🙄
Pacifica is the way to go.
Definitly Sire No.1
The S3 sounds better to me.
The CV...by a mile.
Weird...considering it was made in the same factory as the Cort.
Personally, the guitar is all about aesthetics and feel, and 90% of your tone is pickups, strings, and amp/cab.
(Nut and bridge are like 5% and knobs the other 5-15% variables on gain stage/electronics.)
would you do a comparison like this for other models too?
I certainly would. 😄 //Kris
@@ThomannsGuitarsBasses pls include the te62 in the tele shootout
Inspired by Buckethead?
Not intentionally but probably yes. :D //Kris
harley benton all the way. i have one
I thought the HB and the Squier sounded identical. Vintage Fender STRAT. The rest not so much... Had to scroll all the way down to find your comment. Guitar Snobs are on top of the list, as always.
Iy e il fine settimana a
Dzień dobry witam was radośnie z moim serduszkiem czułym wrażliwym kochanym pozdrawiam was serdecznie mocno gorąco dziękuję za posłuchanie waszych przecudnych przepięknych nagrań kochani cudowni jesteście kocham was za duży talent przyjemność ale i duży wysiłek włożony w waszą piękną pracę jesteście bardzo uzdolnieni utalentowani wzorowi zasłużeni cieszyć się tylko i podziwiać was wykonanie wasze jest bardzo dobre czyste celujące nic dodać nic ująć nie mam innego określenia jak celująco macie u mnie same plusy pochwały gratulacje super tak trzymać nie poddawać się bardzo was kocham uwielbiam szanuję doceniam was i waszą piękną pracę patrzę na was jak w obrazek i uśmiecham się do was pięknie szczerze i wsłuchuję się w wasze melodie dźwięki rozbrzmiewajace dookoła nas życzę wam dużo dużo zdrówka samych słonecznych pięknych szczęśliwych wspaniałych udanych dni oraz miłego udanego czwartku powodzenia wam.
❤🎉🎉❤😊
Cort rulz them all.
The Larry is a total muffler
Idk.... But I liked the Squier the most 0.0