My 40th Anniversary Vintage Squier Tele Had PROBLEMS 

This wasn’t my experience at all. I got one in the brown, it looks perfect, plays like a dream, maybe the favorite neck I’ve ever played on. I am no connoisseur of pick ups, but my pickups have no significant issues. A buddy who owns a fender telly keeps coming back to play mine, I think he likes my Squier better than his fender! I wonder if this person got a defective one. And he also didn’t do a proper comparison, which makes you wonder his business coloring the review. My $0.02 I really like this guitar.

I really appreciate this level of honesty. Most other reviews make it sound like these guitars are awesome out of the box. If I am buying a modding platform, I want to know that. Big thanks. Keep this level of integrity.

Squiers make excellent modding guitars that can be turned into a one-of-a-kind favorite.

just rotate the jack a quarter turn, one of the prongs is pressing against the body blocking your instrument cable.

My only problem is %70 - %80 of buyers *won't be able to make improvements on these guitars*.. That's supposed to be the key reasoning of affordable guitars.. Yes it's also a great springboard for guys like us, but I know more regular folks who just need a guitar they can afford and sounds good in the process.. I absolutely love these videos so much more info

My new truck had a defective set of tires, the water pump leaked, the brakes were dragging……….but the seat position was great.

I got the Mocha version of this Tele on a Labor Day sale from Fender for $315, and it did not seem to have the same issues. Stays in tune, output jack is strong, and the neck pickup is louder and clearer than I was expecting it to be. I am still tempted to swap them out for a set of vintage Fralins, but other than that it’s a fantastic Tele for the price.

they didnt age the hardware with a sander, they did it in a tumbler, im a metal worker and have used this technique to deburr a lot of parts quickly. the marks are unmistakable .

I have a 40th and i have had no issues with it. It's become my favorite electric.

THANKS Dylan, After shoulder surgery, left shoulder. can't reach the fret board. Start all over, bought a LP knockoff, surprise, body neck excellent. I come here to learn how to choose the best pots and pickups to build something that has a good sound. Thank you for teaching me every day. john

Too bad for you. I got a 40 anniversary Strat and it’s better and I like it more than my American made fender. The Squier 40 anniversaries are great to look at and feel awesome.

Wow, how sad is that?! and for the 40th Anniversary?! Thanks Dylan! you are awesome, bro. Rock on...

I ordered a brown one from Sweetwater and received it a week ago. Now the prices are back down to $499 and I got one of the demo units for an extra $50 off. I seem to have a couple frets that are just a tad high and wouldn't quite let me get the action down where my Elite is, but it's still great for a $450 guitar. Planning on a fret level and compensated brass saddles. Then probably new pups after that.

It did sound much better with your pick ups, however the first demo was played clean and the last on verge of break up☝️

Saying hello to Leslie's foot starting about 11:30 :D

Hi, so I bought the 40th but blond squire as a project guitar with maple neck. My telecaster seemed good out of the box, but I did check all the frets for level and because there were so many hi and low frets I did a complete fret level myself and re crowned and polished. Then replaced the saddles with the 3 piece brass saddles that you can intonate each string to almost perfect. I did have to file down the bone nut because the first fret action was to high, my file set is for 10s but work just fine for 9s. In a nut shell after neck relief, setting up bridge setting up 1st fret action is a gem!. Like I said it's a project guitar and eventually will be replacing pickups and wiring. If you have a ok Amp set up with digital or physical peddles, this quitar sounds fantastic either way. Ken from Delanco NJ.

Seems like this particular model is a good base to work off of. As long as the neck doesn't have anything funky going on everything else can be easily addressed to taste and or if necessary for proper function. I've been tempted to pick up one of these in the blonde color. I really like the double bound body on these. Thanks for sharing your experience.

Thanks for doing this video. There seem to be surprisingly few for these 40th Anniversary Squiers. I have to say that I LOVE the look of the Vintage models and I’m very tempted to spend the extra money just for the look. Yes, I’m shallow! 🤷‍♂️

I have the Vintage Blonde. No issues out of the box. If you want to upgrade things fine, but there is nothing wrong the stock pots and switch, unless you got defective ones. QC can vary, as with the G tuner. It may be a bit loose or sloppy, but unless it is completely trashed, the worm gears just don't slip. More likely the nut slots need to be filed / dressed properly - very common on most budget, and some not so budget guitars. Pickups are subjective, so pick what you like. But try adjusting the heights a bit before giving up on the stock ones. It did not sound like the same amp and/or guitar pot settings on the demos. The stock sounded very dry and clean, the new pickups demo is into overdrive and has some light delay or reverb, etc. Also, again pickup height changes make a huge difference. The new pickups and electronics DO sound GREAT, but I think the stock parts were not given a fair representation here. I'm not saying they are fantastic, just saying they don't suck - but again, subjective / just my opinion. Neck pockets are not always perfectly smooth, and shimming is an accepted method to get the neck angle right with respect to the saddle heights. That pocket does look a bit uneven though. The aged hardware look, however they did it, is meant to look not like shiny new smooth. It does that. I'm neutral on it; it looks ok. It doesn't smudge or show the smudges as easily as smooth hardware. These are not a "modding platform" guitar, but out of the box guitars need some set up, and likely nut work, etc. You can upgrade things, but these don't "need" it. It is subjective. I agree that guitar should not have left the factory with a bad tuner and sloppy jack. If you get defective stuff, send it back.

Thanks you that was very helpful - been trying setup the right action and eliminate some buzz but I still love it, and will work to improve it more so now I have a good reference... boom!

THANK YOU! 🙏🏼🙏🏼 I have this model and thought it was only me that was experiencing problems! I can already tell I’m gonna learn a lot from this channel, and so I’ve subscribed and gonna go on a binge 😂 thank you!!

Just picked up a 40th anna squer neck (block inlays, c 9.5 Indian Laural, vending gloss) for a partscaster I'm selfishly doing for my 45th bay and I've gotta say the neck is very close to my 90s mij foot flame annaverary tele and 2000 tl -62 Quality is outstanding. I'm prolly a bit of a snob but never thought I'd buy a squier neck but this thing is so good I'm quite proud of it haha.

I am a squire fan, got cv 72 and bought this one from my local music store and the classic vibe 50's strat, no problems with any. I think mostly because I got to look them over before I bought. I ordered custom shop twisted tele pu's. Couple mods and you have a high end guitar

Good points Dylan. I looked at this in Blonde vs a Fender Player Tele. The neck pickup sounds like a Recto through the old oversized cabinets without any presence at all😂. The pups in the Player are UHHMAZING! So I will be getting a Player Tele

My first Squier Tele. Was on the fence between the CV and the 40th Anniversary and then between the Satin Mocha and satin Dakota Red. Proaudiost@r has the vintage 40s "used" for 299! I just ordered the red one like Dylan's and like so many other instruments I've bought from PAS, it was BRAND NEW- still had the staples in the box and was perfectly wrapped from the factory, never opened. The "new" ones are 319, I think, but save yourself 20 bucks and get a new one anyway. All my tuners work great, but the neck pickup is a bit muddy- not bad with the tone all the way up. The unique color, black binding and smooth neck: gonna add it as a keeper. Now torn between Dylan's pu's and a set of Texas Specials...

I bought a Squier Classic Vibe 60`s Tele, perfect from day one, feels & sounds fantastic.

Wow. Sounds so much better after getting the Dylan treatment.

I bought this, the cocoa brown one. Added Fralin Blues Special. No complaints & it sounds awesome. Maybe total costs is $650! The Fralins are da truth!! But I wonder if the Tele platform just so simple that a few cheap mods can make a spectacular guitar outta any Tele? Why ever pay $2,000? I don’t know?

I've been thinking about this a lot the last few years because all of my guitars are old and shitty and I have been modifying them. It seems as if these less expensive guitars are basically DIY kits that happen to have throw away parts. A lot of kits I've seen have necks that are sub-par and cost more. The bonus is a beginner can buy a cheap Squire or Epiphone and play it until they can afford to eventually modify it.

Zero issues with mine. Love it!

A guy had one of these on facebook, had exactly the same chord input problem.

I honestly don't see the point in ''modding'' a cheap Squier which for the most part will still be capable of gigging without the general public really noticing all that much anyway as Squiers are better than they once were. When you factor in the cost of buying better components aka new tuners/electronics that can easily run into hundreds of additional dollars especially if you live in a country like Canada or Australia .

Is the neck puckup route wide enough for a P90?

Nayatoha bodywood?

Funny thing, my g tuner was loose too. Good video

Sorry I didn't watch the whole thing from launch: That Pedal Show was starting a live stream at the exact same time, and well, live gets priority. Little did I know Mick and Dan would proceed to do over two hours of awesomeness. Just circling back to this sweet vid.

I found the neck pick up in my Squier CV 50 to be trash as well and I replaced it. The Bridge pickup is actually pretty good. The first and finish is very good and the tuners are acceptable. All in all for. $340 it s a very good guitar. I’m calling you out on the “repaired guitar”. Your demo was misleading because you were using overdrive after you changed the pickups. I’m sure your pickups sound much better, but next time demo them clean like you did with the OG’s

After you put your pickups in the tone setting was different? It sounded like a much better starting point than you're first sound demo. The first one was such a dry lifeless setting while the second was more edge of breakup. Im sure your pickups are better but it wasn't a fair comparison man.

Night and Day difference in tone. So much richer and full. Just curious what amp are you playing through?

Thank you for your honest review Dylan, it is much appreciated.

How hard would it be to make every three saddle Tele bridge string thru, AND top loader?? Would it cost them more that 50 cents a bridge?

Just order a similar, newer version with white pickguard, same color and it’s really beautiful, BUT. As I looked at the neck, one of the neckscrews wasn’t properly in and it looked like being a bit off the Center of the hole. The Neckplat also looks slightly asymmetrical to the body. I tried screwing it in and heard a little cracking noise. What would you suggest me to do? Return it or keep and just forget about the QC issue. I’m happy with my old squier tele deluxe which I just use as often as my USA pro II strat.

Hi! I’ve been lucky to find Fishman Fluence Greg Koch Gristle-Tone Signature Tele Set for half the price and also just ordered this tele from guitar Center for $299. How do you think will this tele be good enough platform for these pups?

I got a classic vibe through Sweetwater earlier this year, it had issues including a neck that was twisted, also a set up that was way off. The thing is, it got passed by their inspection and it was obviously flawed. I'm no luthier, but the guy I took it to figured it out real quick and suggested I send it back, which I did. Sweetwater was good about the return, but I wonder how closely they look at these import budget guitars. I suspect they sell so many they have a hard time keeping up.

Thanks for taking the time to post this. I really wanted this specific one when they were first announced, which was at $499, it didn't take long and they bumped it to $599 before release. Maybe two years ago that was the price of Fender's player series. I know that's just how it goes today, but $599 gets you within range of a used MIM tele, even if you add $200. If you have to replace the tuners and pickups, it's not worth it IMHO. That Dakota Red is sharp though.

Those pickups are fantastic sounding Dylan what set of yours did you use? I have a set of deluxe drive from fender I am putting in my Mexican tele but they seem cheap with no metal backing plate would drop some coin on those, I will shoot you an email

I got one of the last of the cream colored ones when Amazon reduced them out to 250. I have a gaggle of teles and its in my top 3. Def the nicest of the Squires I own. My pots did NOT look like that. They were very small. That is weird. Also, I forgot about the output jack. Mine was ratf**ked from the beginning too. The metal... flat thingy? inside the output jack, like a cleat? That broke. I have Don Mare a3 in the the neck and his Hayride in the bridge now.

What beautiful notes. I purchased this guitar a few weeks ago and I was wondering if it had vintage wiring or is the neck pickup very muddy. I haven't disassembled the plate, but if you have and could answer me I'd be happy. Congrats!

Neck pocket on my gold version was worse has a big drill hole. I agree the neck pick up was no good. Still deciding what I am going to replace it with.

I missed it. Rats! The body finish looks almost plastic; is it painted, or is that a laminate I see? I prefer a maple neck, and am not wild about the OEM bridge, as I'd prefer individual string saddles. The new pups deff sing!

I’m a big fan of Squiers. You gotta understand that QC on all these just isn’t consistent. It’s hard when you’re a newb and get a Squier. My first one sucked as did my next 2. Then I started learning how to fix things and everything I’ve needed to do to a Squier has been a really easy fix now.

Big time improvement. I have griped to Big Box guitar stores about, soon as I buy that, I have to get it fixed. I got a set of free shrugs. No dice. Way to common. I did get a warranty with the instrument, waited 6mo brought it back and got it set-up to playable. Now, am thinking this hot rod job in the video would take the guitar to the next level. Since then, the warranty expired. More ides on the horizon, thank you Dylan.

Unlucky . Mine is spot on. I've played for 40 years.

You didn't even have the settings the same for the different electronics and pickups lol. You had the replacement stuff set right to where the breakup occurs which is sweet spot and settings for the squier parts weren't given the same tone settings as the aftermarket parts.

Man totally better sounding. Your pickups sound great. Got the sherwood green. You sold me. Now my wife. No problem, just gotta be patient. Thanks very much. Great work.

I played a 40th anniversary squier strat today. Very nice guitar. In Canada. $800 plus taxes. Kinda pricy for a Squier made in Asia. Fender = inflation

I recently picked up a squier contemporary strat, which is about $150 less than the 40th anniversary editions. I also got a really nice flamed roasted neck. That kind of blew me away and the rest of the guitar is solid. I have a similar complaint in terms of the pickups but, I kind of expected that going in. Really glad I went for a higher priced Squier because it has solid bones, the finish is nice, and it will be super upgradable going forward. Also this particular model has very interesting wiring.

😂 i have the red one. Even after a proper setup a lot of string buzz on the B&G strings with a proper setup. So there are problems with the nut and the saddle and yes the neck pickup is crap. So by the time you deal with a nut and some saddle work by a luthier it's a much more expensive guitar find me up to just get rid of mine and same thing about the g-string tuner with mine as well it's loose

Did you ever find a buyer for this project

I’d buy that guitar to get that pickguard. Make an aluminium blackguard with it

Sweetwater has been missing the ball lately. Recently got an Ibanez with rusty frets. And I’ve seen a bunch of RU-vidrs who’ve ordered from Sweetwater talk about missed quality control issues.

In Italy this one now 299€ (more or less $300). With few upgrades it gets a great guitar. Probably a lot better than a Player made in Mexico (I have one that's not bad but doesn't worth 800€ for sure). I'm in love with the natural finish of this 40th anniversary. Since I'd like to have a Telecaster custom in my arsenal, I could mod this one with a serious HB at the neck. Worth the trying 😁Nice video ❤👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

I have this guitar (Vintage Mocha) and I totally agree with the neck tone being just... I dunno, kinda dull most of the time. Though I personally got lucky and found it's very good at staying in tune - it's also so smooth and comfortable to play. I'm next considering swapping out the ashtray bridge.

I got the 40th anniversary Jazz Master a few months ago. I have put it in the line of guitars needing repairs. Maybe Ill get to it next month.

This video was a tipping point to me buying this exact model Telecaster, played a couple, one I just couldn’t put it down. Looking forward to modding this simplistic machine. Question though, after you modded this guitar what amp were you playing it though in the video in front of your RV?

They tumbled the hardware. With steel or stone bullets. It looks great.

The "Ageing" appears to be done by using some sort of media blasting similar to sandblasting... A DA would never be able to reach the tight areas. The affected surfaces will likely "rust" a little over time.

I got the 40th anniversary gold version and yes the neck pickup is crap. Looking at the TV Jones Tele pickup to replace it. Thanks for all the advice.

[the neck pickup] It just sounds like "blehelehhwhe" that's exactly what I said! I just bought one of these. But it does feel really good. I love the neck. Feels amazing. I compared to the Player and Professional II in store and this neck and fingerboard felt so much nicer to me. I went in looking for a Classic Vibe and they actually didn't have any. In terms of playability it seems pretty playable. It felt to me like it was going out of tune as I was playing but when I check the open tuning with a tuner it was dead on. So maybe it's an intonation issue? I'm not 100% sure. But maybe it's also just the pickup sound when I put it in the bridge position I think the high notes stand out way more than I'm used to. I kinda bought it for modding, but not sure what pickups to put in. The kit has neck and bridge pickups, did you swap both in this video? Also wondering if that kit comes prewired or not, wanted to try my hand at soldering it myself but no big deal either way I guess.

What kind of neck pick-up would recommend? Did you replace the bridge pick-up also and what did you, if you did put in there? thank you Dylan. Doug from Green Bay, Wi and how much just for the 2 pick-ups? I've had everything changed except the tuners. Pointers and price's please? Thanks, Doug in Green Bay, WI.

well my guitar ear is basically non existent and i love how the satin mocha looks so i will probably get it anyways

J ais fais le choix pour toutes mes guitares de n acheter que des squier CV et pas des Fender , car dans mon esprit j allais modifié dessuite ces guitare , électronique mojotone USA , micro dimarzio twang king et chopper , chevalet 3 pontet laiton compensé gotoh/Wilkinson , et j ai mis aussi une plaque 3 plis perloid , je n' ais pas eu besoin de changer les tuners qui sont très bon .

Guys, is it an impression or we can fit a humbucker on the neck pickup cavity? Can anybody help me here?

So it's a nice neck and a body. New tuners, electronics, pickups, and it's good. Are those bridge saddles un-compensated? Is the Classic Vibe neck as nice, fret-wise, as this one was?

Nice review, good audio and video, thank you. Bought one of these in Vintage Blonde, MF was letting them go for three Benjamins. Fret work and the neck were very good, great tint on the neck. Pickup tone is that of a Classic Vibe, same pickups, good enough for me these days. Setup well enough to gig out of the box, maybe with a neck tweak. However, the finish on it had excessive dark wood grain and dark knots showing through the finish all over the body. Literally a dozen or more knots front and back. It was just poorly done, messy, distracting. The Samick factory shouldn't have let it pass. Disappointing, so decided to return it. MF was very understanding and gave a full refund, return shipping and all, kudos to them. Not sure if I'll try another sight unseen. Cool guitars, but apparently quality control may vary. Maybe the red ones never have that issue?

Played this exact model. The neck is gorgeous and the colorway is cool. The nut width was my only issue, but that’s personal preference. It felt narrow in open position. The neck pickup is an issue I find with most Squiers. Just muddy as usual.

This guy sells pick uos so obviously he is going to say the pick ups need replacing. Notice he had a real thin tone on the amp when testing the originals and then cranked the gain when doing the demo for his own. I have a classic vibe and the pick ups are perfectly acceptable.

Hi I have the gold series 40th anniversary telecaster, would your flat pickups fit, they soud good? Also did you have to drill new holes for the Wilkinson tuners, do you remember which ones you used? Guessing they would fit the gold series telecaster, 40th anniversary!

wow nice sound now!... witch pickup did you go for?😊

Had a Classic vibe 60"s thinline Tele I also thought the neck pickup was horrible. Didn't feel like dumping any money into a $400 dollar guitar so I traded it off.

😂😢 oh one more problem with mine, the guitar is Extremely sensitive to environment, constantly requires truss rod adjustments, it will go from .070 at 12th to .080 by just sitting in a rack next other guitars. And the same issue doesn't appear on the other guitars. I think I got a lemon

I have this exact guitar, ive been wanting to switch the neck PU to a p90 variant (a90 by porter pickups) because of the size of the pickup id assume id need to carve a bigger pocket so i think ill send it to a luthier, maybe new pots too, any thoughts Mr Dylan? edit- just saw your p90s on your website those look cool too.

The thing about reliced/aged guitar equipment is that I don't need any help. The finish will get screwed up by me playing it and I'm perfectly capable of not polishing my hardware.

Will the neck pickup cover fit on aftermarket pickups...your pickups as well??

Beautiful looking guitar though.

It's a Tele thing.. Missing the barrel switch. At least on my Squire.. I gotta say the I am suprised at how nice the neck is on my 2020 Squire special run. For a cheap guitar they can have a neck that is real playable. I noticed the grain orientation isn't great on my maple neck with a maple cap but it's nice feeling.. Satin finish.

I think you should pull those pickups apart and see how they got the resistance/output right but the tone all wrong. Squiers often get the tone pretty good but the output all wrong!

The classic vibe baritone is in a top 4 guitar rotation for me, I picked played with one of these red boys today and it looks FREAKIN UNREAL in person. Throw some seymour duncan hot rails in there and you have a player and a looker. I'll probs scoop this guy up too at some point

I like your red one better than the other 40th anniversary models with gold hardware. However, at this price point I think I'd lean toward the butterscotch 50's Classic Vibe. Thanks for the review.

Found one foe 299 used. I'm really considering it. The color look amazing!

Wild. My gold 40th Tele had a bum tuner on the G too. What are the odds. Luckily mine will stay in tune when it's under tension, but if you back it off there is a ton of play. Other than that it has been great. I love the guitar.

I have the Squier 60s Vibe Thinline Tele... needed to straighten out the neck, tuners not so great so I bought new set. I upgraded the barrel saddles to compensated because I wasn't getting the best intonation out of them. Pick ups were really dull. Even just getting a cheap $50 set of "vintage" pickups off amazon upgraded the sound completely. I figured I'd try the series mod with the push/pull tone pot. Has Dylan ever covered the series mod for a tele?

Excellent review

I might have sent it back. But if you're modding those parts anyways and you got a good frame then roll with it brother:-)

I automatically assume that when buying a Squier to change the tuners and saddles at a minimum, oh and sand back some of that heavy gloss on the neck

How do you like those Wilkinson tuners? I bought some for one of my Teles and liked them, they seem to do the job and are sturdy. Plus the ones I bought were 18:1 ratio, which I like better. But id love to hear what you think of those vintage style ones you used.

I TRUST your honest opinions. just continue to offer unbiased Top Quality advise to keep us coming back. I watch you to learn just Honest facts. Which Amp and pedals at the end?? Please list in the - gear used list - its important for us on our side of the Table. Good Tone. Rockers use Tele's too - so some good screaming notes are good to hear too. I'm a Georgia man too. I plan to send a message to that GA address with possible gear venture. I'm in Houston Now. Respectfully, leafstone1001

Just received mine from musicians friend. Don't do it. Ordered mine and should have received a email saying it was shipped. Two days later contacted them because I had heard nothing. They email me then and said it would be here tomorrow. It arrived. Was supposed to be factory packed but was a repack. One strip of tape on the top and bottom flaps. Bubbled wrapped very poorly with some paper stuffed around it. I could reach in through the top and pull the guitar out. The guitar had a big chunk on the back side next to binding knock out. The tuners are cheap trash and the neck pickup sucks. They said that this was in stock but they shipped it out of New Orleans guitar center. Their shipping clerk should be fired. Looked like a seven year old packed the box. As for it being in stock in the warehouse as the Web site said. It will not be in stock till March 2024 for dakota red. Looks like new management has done nothing for musicians friend. Big disappointment. I will never order from them again. Beware.

Great videography on the vid BTW!

i really enjoyed this video 🤩 thank you so much ‼️ Dylan 😎🎸