Is This Still The Best STRAT For Your Money? - Squier Classic Vibe! 

VIDEO SECTIONS: 1. Where is it made, and does that matter? - 1:01 2. Is this guitar still a true classic? - 2:00 3. What does it sound like? - 5:20 4. One Minute Solo! - 9:46 5. Are they still built well? - 11:14 5. Classic Vibe or Player Series? - 15:00 Guitar Link - imp.i114863.net/kjzgxV Enjoy!

And I thought that the "made in Indonesia" ones were actaually rated higher by everyone lol. I really don't care where it's made, as long as they are quality guitars.

My dad bought a 50s Classic Vibe Tele. He loves it.

My daughter has a HSS classic vibe 70's she loves. My son has a great classic vibe 60's SSS that is flawless. Hard to imagine a better buy for the dough.

The Classic Vibe Series really was the start of the affordable, quality, import guitar renaissance that we are currently in

My dream guitar since i was a kid is a red strat with a maple neck🎉

I've got the CV 50s in sunburst, I can't play it worth a damn but it sounds sexy as hell when I practice scales

Classic Vibe feels like a high end strat to me, the only downsize is the sound of the pickups, but I just installed a Texas Special pickups on mine and it sounds and it feels so great!

Great job with this one, and the playing examples sound awesome. I remember the classic vibe feeling very solid and well constructed. I got to try a player series strat for the first time last week and it didn’t seem like it was as quality as the classic vibe. Not for the extra money really. But they are both nice anyway. Great to see you revisit this guitar for sure.

always loved the classic vibes. great guitars for the money for sure.

Squiers have gotten insanely good these last few years.

You went into some details that no one really talks about for some reason so thank you for that!

I had the same issue with the tremolo causing the guitar to go out of tune. I had much better stability after lubricating the slots on that vintage style string tree. You can use vaseline or chapstick. Also good to check that its aligned correctly looking at the string tree slots VS where the strings go. No issues after that, great guitar!!!

I just got a 50s classic vibe strat , tobacco burst , maple neck & maple fretboard . Just a beautiful guitar that plays incredibly good and sounds great 👍 I also have a custom shop strat that is my main player but lately I've found myself with the Squier strapped on & plugged in more & more. Love it , awesome guitar 🎸

I'm quite impressed. In terms of general construction and quality in most aspects this guitar seems very good for the price. Even the pickups, which on budget instruments often tend to sound quite dull and uninteresting, give it a lively and bright sound as you would expect of a Stratocaster with the only glaring down side being the trem. Having said that, changing the way a trem is set up or even replacing it for a higher quality unit is both fairly easy and affordable.

I was contemplating getting one to restart playing guitar after quite a few years and your video was the thing that made me go for it. A great guitar for the price tag. Thank you for going over it so thoroughly.

I bought a Classic vibe 50´s Sherwood green (China). Adjusted the bridge to floating and it stays in tune very well ( three springs). I have a couple Custom shops and I will say that this guitar is a very nice guitar for so less money. Rock on!

They look and sound superb. The CV range overall can't be beaten on price and style. I bought the CV FSR 60s Tele Custom Esquire and it's awesome and looks amazing.

I have this exact guitar. Love Fiesta red with the maple board. Has all the classic strat tones you could ever want. Very comfortable to play. Definitely the best bang for your buck!!

Thank you Darrell for the review. I ordered a Squier Classic Vibe package on Amazon the other day should be here in a day or so. Thanks for making me feel like I made a good choice.

Just got a 60’s classic vibe strat a week ago and i love it, so so playable

I truly believe the squier classic vibe are amazing and modding them is a huge plus change/ upgrade of pickups and wiring harness also tremolo bridge and maybe upgraded tuners and last a great setup and its a working axe guitar

I have the CV 60's strat. Works great for me. Stays in tune great. For got to mention...it's an Indonesia CV.

I bought a 2009 CV 60's used back in 2016. I lucked out it was in stellar shape, and the most beautiful flame maple neck (looks quarter sawn) with rosewood FB. The finish coat on it is very thin, and it had 3 small chips in the paint (no extra charge for the relicing) It is the 3 color sunburst or "clown burst" as some might call it. It really is a wonderful guitar and has that great well made feel when you pick it up and play. Also updated the electronics and put full size steel block in.

I've got a 2019 Squier Standard Strat (Indonesian made) and it's excellent. Two-point trem, satin finish on a maple fretboard and it plays brilliantly.

I love my 70's hss strat. Thing rocks!

I own that exact CV 50s Strat, bought in late 2019 and I can confirm what he says! Just one addition: the frets higher than 15th fret are pretty fine on mine as well. The entire neck has a really decent fretjob. You can't go wrong with this guitar!

I’ve got a Squier Strat built in February 2012 in Indonesia. Dark blue with a white pick guard rosewood neck. It plays beautifully very bright and twangy all for the low cost of $120.

Almost 300 views in 4 minutes. That’s awesome. Congrats on continued awesomeness, Darrell!

I am still waiting to get the Ibanez prestige!

I took the plunge and bought a classic vibe and my results were somewhat different. Having bought and set up many guitars over my 43 years of playing I was hopeful I wouldn't have to do a lot for my $400 bucks. The reality is that I did have too: 1. Straighten the neck (and added a tiny amount of relief) 2. Replace the trem block & saddles (the OEM are junk) 3. Replace the tuners with EZ lock tuners (the original ones were maddening, they constantly would slip tiny bits, even after string & block/trem replacement) 4. Leveled, dressed, crowned and polished the frets, which we're really bad especially in the 1st position 5. The fret ends we're sharp and needed polishing all the way up the neck 6. The bone nut hung up on the low E string, so it needed a bit of filing, in addition to smoothing out and lubing all of the string slots. 7. Out of personal preference I rounded the fretboard ends a little, for a smoother feel Overall: The pickups sound great, classic Fender strat sound The color and body finish are excellent The hardware and electronics work good So new buyer's just be aware that if you pick one of these up either you or your guitar tech may be in for a few fixes & mods, to get not only that classic Fender sound from the Classic Vibe but a few mods to make this feel & play like a truly a "pro" guitar. Would I buy it again 🤔 NO.

I bought my Squier Classic Vibe 50s made in China in fiesta red in 2013. 8 years now and it remains my favourite guitar. I do have a proper USA Fender with maple neck and ash body and still I prefer my Squier whenever I am asked to play.

My lovely wife bought me a brand new Squire 60s Vibe for Father’s Day. It is in my favorite color, Lake Placid Blue, AND it’s AWESOME!!! Definitely as good as the American Strat that I used to own. I have a lot of experience doing hobbiest level luthier work and really enjoy doing setups, so I took my time and tweaked the relief, action, intonation, pup heights and tremolo string positions/tension. The intonation was the only thing that needed some pretty significant adjustment. I also polished the frets (their ends were already perfect), lightly polished the nut slots (with 1000 wet dry sand paper), added graphite to nut and installed some E.Ball Super Slinkies. BOOM, plays perfect and no tuning issues! I frankly couldn’t be happier with this guitar, and it was only $430 new, with free shipping! Great stuff.

Yeah those guitars are great. Got that fiesta 50s and waiting for the 60s fiesta red. Something about FR with "rosewood" board. Looks killer,also mintgreen pickguard. Going to upgrade it alot,handwired pickups made in Sweden ala SRV,Gotoh NS510 trem,vintage gotoh tuners. Gonna be a killer guitar.

I have a Chinese made ‘50’s CV Stratocaster in white, it’s a forever guitar. I’m not going to let it go, I want to get a 1960’s CV Strat to go with it, preferably in Lake Placid Blue because when I was a kid, we had a Cadillac in the same color.

I enjoyed my Squier Classic Vibe. I loved it so much I gave it to someone who could really use it, and they're loving it as well. Since I have too many instruments, I don't miss it, but I do still love that instrument. It's not my favorite S-type for the money (that would be the Michael Kelley CC60 Burl Burst), but it's still a great value.

I have a Classic Vibe Thinline Telle H H . love it, plays great, capable of very low action. very "tight" solid feeling. Tones are great, tones controls are exceptionally versatile.

Still think the Fender player series are the sweet spot between price and quality. Got both my strat and tele of those. But for my jazzmaster and thinline tele i went for SQ CV, it’s a really good alternative.

You're playing is really improving! Love the fusion esque licks

I got one this past winter .. a 60's CV Strat.. love it

I have the china 70s classic vibe, and I still love it.

The Classic Vibes are rock solid guitars. I have a couple Chinese CVs and I play them just as much as my $1000+ guitars, at home and live.

I got one of those chinese made CV60's Strat. Upgraded pots, added "Gilmour mod" and replaced bridge pickup with Dimarzio FS-1. Recently upgraded the tremolo block to a brass one. It gets now more play time than any of my Ibanezes.

Last days i saw lot of CV and Squier Strat Vids. This is the only one with that i saw and hear details i wanted. Very good Video.

They look very nice, but importantly they sound like a Strat, I see players using these on their live gigs, value +!

Got mine in February, it is very addicting to play. It plays and sounds great, hard to put down. It was great right out the box after about a quarter turn on the truss rod (due to the winter weather I'm sure). Anyway after that I haven't done anything to it besides play it. I haven't even changed the strings yet! That is very unusual as I always do that right away. They are the gauge I use anyway and they're good Fender strings. This strat is a terrific value and a very nice guitar, mine is flawless and comfortable to play. I stole mine for $399, before they raised the price $30! haha! I was a little skeptical about the tinted gloss neck, but I actually love it, looks and feels great, and I like how it's one piece. Get one and you won't regret it!

My first strat will be a classic vibe, especially with a laqured fretboard, love the feel of pure silk under the fretting hand l

Another great video Darrell! Cheers from Indonesia.

Hey Darrell. I’m hearing a lot of good things about the IYV guitars, especially the Les Paul copy. They’re cheap, ($182 for the Les Paul copy) but everyone I’ve seen seems to be very impressed. Would love to see a review from you!

I still love my CV 50s Strat (2-tone) and Tele (blonde black guard) from years ago, made in China and still amazing. I’ve been tempted to upgrade sometimes but these are great and if I’m comfortable why bother? I’d love to check out a made in Indonesia to compare.

When ppl played my 1991 Korean gold label strat they cant believe it's a Squire, then I put a ste of Fender custom shop fat 50s pickups and added as series/parallel switch in and now they're completely blown away with it! Honestly can say it's my first instrument that I can say I'm 100% satisfied with and 100% comfortable playing

I just bought an Indonesian 70s cv strat from Sweetwater earlier this year. It blows my Chinese contemporary away. So light and the fit and finish are flawless

I have a CV 60's, and the pickups are incredible, alnicoV

If you want the same guitar as the old made in China Classic Vibes, look for the Farida F-5050, F-5051, and F-5150. They are made in the same factory that made the old Chinese CVs.

Last year I pulled the trigger on the MII jazzmaster and the thinline tele.... love them both, excellent quality. But as you commented on... I did all the upgrades. CTS pots, black tusc nut, fender locking tuners ers... they sound amazing! (And keep tune!) FYI the jazzmaster was very involved to switch from overseas parts to USA parts but American JM's are 2k+!!! So, it was worth it for me.

I just bought a CV 60s thinline tele. Love it! Great guitar for the money.

Gotta say the g&l tributes, literally any of them takes it for me at roughly the same price. No stiff trem problems and the tribute pickups are the exact ones used in their higher range guitars. Also cant forget the ptb system, so you get some tone control for the bridge. These do seem cool though, just a personal preference.

I really feel like indonesia makes really good guitars. The Larry Carlton’s Sire serie guitars have great reputation for instance.

Very nice playing and demonstration...Thank You.

I really liked my 2019, same as the one in the video. I did sell it to make room, but it was tough. Very cool vintage vibe for the money. And they sound good.

We all have our preferences. A glossy fingerboard is a no go for me. It's a great looking and sounding guitar though. Good price too.

i have the burst version, its better than any strat ive ever played and im a les paul player but i love this guitar. great sound great fret work and board. unreal for the price

I bought this same guitar along with a Mercury Pro II Stratocaster HSS three weeks ago. Both really nice instruments. Have many other American Strats from years past - love 'em all! I gotta say this CV 50's just captures me - vibe is a great term for these - they possess vibe in spades. I have an alternate view of the trem system - though certainly inexpensive, mine doesn't go out of tune. And - I actually welcome the spring stiffness because I just use a little bit of downward trem in my playing. It's a very different feel compared to my other strats and I like it. Forget divebombing but if you just want a touch oft trem action - it's perfect (for me anyway). Always wanted a Fiesta Red Stratocaster - got it!! Thanks for the info - always interesting.

Just bought a fifty’s classic vibe strat and loving it, I got the white blonde finish that the shop called it, to be honest the finish is almost like a pearl color or sea shell, you can see the wood under the finish, beautiful guitar.

So my question is ... get a Squire (vintage vibe or otherwise), get a kit guitar, or a cheaper one (firefly, glarry, et al) ... for a strapped for cash guitar newbie, who is very handy at wood work and wiring, what in your opinion would be the best way to go to get a really well playing instrument to last for a few decades? I would love to see you do an episode of the ultimate cheap guitar build or buy / comparison / DIY ... for a strat type, tele, les paul, gretsch, etc etc etc .... pick a type(s), I am sure you'll kill it !!

Hey Darrell you should try out the squier contemporary strat special next.

I sent two American Original '50s Strats back this week due to structural issues. Dropped by a local used store today and came home with a fantastic Squier CV '70s Thinline Tele. I'm doing a setup right now, but it played and sounded great even before I started tweaking - much better than the two AOs.

Bought a Squire limited edition HSS Blackout last year made in Indonesia. Great guitar, came set up well with no fret buzz and plays like butter. The neck is awesome, light satin finish and feels really nice. The electronics are decent and are workable. An upgrade on electronics would not break the bank so... for the money they are fun to play and you can upgrade them however you want. The bones on these guitars really good for the price.

I bought a modded 2003 Squier standard a few years back. Better tuners, titanium trem, and bone nut for $200. Not sure if the maple neck was replaced too but it plays really nice. Stock pickups are pretty good in these. Couldn’t pass it up at that price.

Darrell: You're not going to play this with that much gain... Bryan Adams: *stares*

The pickups are remarkably good. I was planning to switch them out but found I could get every tone I needed from them. I do recommend upgrading the pots and wiring though to get the best out of them. My particular model also resonated better with the stock trem block when compared to a full width steel one. Who would have known 🤷‍♂️

I have this guitar in the 60's version in Blue and the more I play this guitar, the more I love it. My end goal is to own a legit Stratocaster, but until then, I actually love this guitar and is indeed is a really great guitar for this price range.

Indonesia Makes Amazing Guitars

I'd really love to know more about the working conditions in these overseas plants. They sure do keep the cost down.

Great video as always! love that Squier guitars are so playable and a quality instrument these days (P.s. if you put the timestamp before the heading they will appear in the timeline :)

LOVE my 3 year old Chinese CV Strat - came set up and in tune from SW for $350; was concerned about my new 50s CV Tele made in Indo but was pleasantly surprised to see excellent construction, a wicked nice Pine ( a 9.1 lb obviously raccoon fed Pine) body and super fast glossy like the Strat neck - a jewel just like the Chinese CV Strat!! These babies play above their pay scale. 🎸 💥Edit: almost a year later - the CV Tele had some fret sprout and the 9th fret actually pulled out - caught an edge. I had it repaired by pros here in hollywood JUST before the warranty expired. 55 point inspection couldn't predict this, Indo made though? Chinese CV Strat is still perfect.. Don't know but the irony is because of the fix needed it's back to a KILLER guitar, just a pleasure to drive - FAST. 🚀

Hey Darrel, with regard to value for money strats, have you checked out Swing guitars? Its a Korean company. I personally own a S-1 series strat and it sounds way better than its price range suggests. Would love to see you review one and tell us what you think!

They're good, but for me the Player Series is the best bang for buck.

Just got one of these in two color sunburst. They are blowing them out all over. $224 free shipping and it’s spot on. Had to adjust the action and low e intonation, but that’s all and ready to rock. Pine body and not a flaw on it. Only upgrades needed are tuners and bridge in the future perhaps? But they function find out of the box.

Thank you for the honest review, especially when it came to the tremolo. Nice to know there's a solution though! 🎸

For $500, you can get a used/pre-own Fender player series.

This guitar shines brighter than my future

loved the one-minute solo, beautiful guitar

Bought a used 50s Classic Vibe Tele, Butterscotch, a number of years ago for $360 CDN. I also have a MIA 1994 Strat and 2011 G&L ASAT. That said, I absolutely LOVE this guitar. I upgraded to CTL pots, USA made switch, Switchcraft jack and push back wire. I did NOT upgrade the pups. Then I took a sanding sponge, great idea Darrell, and went to town on the back of the neck almost to bare wood and sanded and filed all fret ends. This makes it feel a million years old (it actually "rolls" the fretboard) and the back of the neck actually looks like a reliced guitar. The upgraded electronics made a huge difference in tone, so much that I haven't yet replaced the pickups. Bottom line is this is a great guitar and is now my #1, play it every day.

In my experience, the Indonesian Squiers are truer to the Fender shapes and profiles than the Chinese variants. I had a 2009 Deluxe Stratocaster (just like the faded Daphne Blue that Darrell reviewed), and it was pretty much identical to the Mexican and USA fenders in body shape and Modern C neck profile. The Chinese Classic Vibes of the time had noticeably thinner necks and slightly different body contours. Looking across multiple brands, I'm far more impressed with the quality and consistency coming out of Indonesia.

I've sent 4 Fender player Strats back to the dealer, quality control sucks for the price and boy it's increasing in price. Squire seems to be finished better from what I've seen in stores and maybe one day they can move the player series to Asia also.

I bought one. It was so great I bought another. Then another. Then another. Fiesta Red, Black, White Blonde, and a '70s-style in Vintage White. Love 'em! PS: I never use trem on these or others.

You make every guitar sound fantastic!

Why didn't you show the electronics? What kinda pots, caps, soldering, etc.?

What's more beautiful than a red strat?

Great video. I've got my eyes on a player series for upgrading with the polyphonic loaded pick guard from fiesta/920d that's sitting in my cupboard.

Really digging the double backstops on the one minute solo!

I have found a lot of quality issues recently with squier, raised frets, sharp fretboard edges, bad finish, exposed glue, etc. The fingerboard edges are very sharp, I prefer a rolled edge. Not a lot of hand work on these instruments. Also the glossy neck is very sticky. Most people take the electronics out and upgrade anyways so not a great value IMO

Indonesia guitar craftsmanship is waaaayyy better than China.

I love my CV! One of my favorite guitars to play. I also have a Player Series and and Highway One. To me... they are equally awesome.

I just got one. I LOVED IT!!! It is a blonde white (something like that), it is a little pinky...well nothing is perfect, still love it!!

I’m first! I think 🤔

"Bridge pickup is exceedingly bright..." Bah, RU-vidrs and their hyperbolic statements. *starts playing position one* Aghhh, holy hell, i can't look or listen to it, it's too bright, give it a college degree allready!

I've got the 70's CV Jazzmaster. It is an awesome guitar. Can't go wrong with the CV line.

Squier Classic Vibes are amazing guitars...I have way too many of the FSR versions LOL I was lucky and picked up a gold hardware FSR version, looks and play amazing!