Squier is NOT Fender 

It’s not cool when people rub off Squire logo and put a Fender decal on headstock and then try to sell it.

Because it's a Squier that someone faked into a Fender. Is this really hard for people to understand?

A Squier is a SUBBRAND of Fender. It is made somewhere else; usually cheaper; with cheaper parts; and different specs. Fender just owns the overall company. So what he is saying is people are taking these cheaper made Squier's by fender and faking them to be true; more expensive Mexican and American made strats by faking the logo.

You are so right about people changing decals and trying pass off a lesser brand as a premium brand. I own and play live with two Squier guitars, but I always tell people the guitars are the Squier brand. Enjoyed your video.

I have a Squire Classic Vibe Tele & it’s amazing! People have done blindfold comparisons online with custom shop Fenders & Classic Vibe squires & they can’t tell the difference!

I love how a lot of people type Squier as “Squire”

If you ever come across an 80's Japanese Squire then buy it they are awesome and in most cases are better sounding/ built than comparative Fender guitars of that period

These questions are dumb. They're more or less asking "why can't a fake be real?"

"Fender" parts don't necessarily fit on a Squier. The specs and tolerances are slightly different.

I hate when people sell a "Fender Squier" guitar online, it's not a fender

I have a Squire Affinity Tele. I slapped in a set of used MIM pickups and wow what a difference. Squires are a good platform for mods.

That's 20 minutes of my life I won't get back, watch it back Kennis, you gibber on through the video without actually explaining what you mean. You could have done it in 2 minutes

I can't believe you actually have to go in depth to explain what you meant. The lack of common sense humanity has baffles more each day....

Hi there, great video! Since the topic of the video is about Squier branded instruments, there are some interesting facts about it: of course, those of us hip to fender history are aware of the Japanese squiers of the eighties. These guitars and basses are now almost as coveted as the Japanese Fender branded instruments, due to the excellent build quality (and I believe they were also produced on the same assembly lines at times). There’s also the strange case of Korean made Fender instruments and Mexican made Squier instruments, as well as the Fender branded instruments with Fender decals on the headstocks that were marketed in the “Squier series”. By the by, I would like to mention that I own a couple of Squier instruments, both of which I’ve completely replaced every part save for the body and neck, and have put the fender decal on the front of the headstock. Essentially, these instruments are now almost completely custom to my taste for studio and live performance. Likewise, I built a bass with a Squier body and an MIM fender neck that I dearly love. HOWEVER, even though I’ve put the fender decals on, I have kept the Squier serial numbers. If ever I sell these instruments (which to be honest I doubt I will, though that’s regardless to the main point), I will put them up for sale as squiers with heavy modification. It doesn’t matter that I put custom shop pickups in them, high end electronics, and really nice hardware, they’re still Squier made instruments at their core. Exception of course would be the partscaster I did with the Squier body and fender neck, because that does have a fender neck with a fender serial on it.

Really, this had to be pointed out? Duh people, ofc they are not the same. If someone sells a Squier posing as a Fender, it is a FAKE Fender. If the logo needs to be altered to make it a “Fender”, that should tell you it is not the real deal.

I will say that early 80's Japanese Squiers with the JV and SQ serial numbers are very nice instruments. I love my SQ P-bass and Telecaster. A pickup swap and a refret to 6105s made the Tele perfect. Not that there was anything wrong with the existing fretwork, I just prefer bigger frets over tiny vintage ones.

I bought four different guitars at different times from the same local pawnshop and each time hung a $150 fake Fender Stratocaster which i KNEW it wasn't what it was disguised to be but the top-loading hardtail bridge stayed on my mind that i got it for $75. First thing I did was detach the neck to check the date and that's when I discovered that the Strat was a Indonesia made 2002 Squier Bullet. What looked like a rosewood fingerboard as I was cleaning it turned out to be a stained Indian Laurel fingerboard and then i removed the fret end sprouts, cleaned up the jagged edges on the painted headstock as well as the painted-over tuner bushings and after putting new strings on and providing neck relief, then i began w/the following: I did a 5-way switch swap replacing the faulty side lug switch (only 1 & 5 worked) for an inline, put on a wider spaced Tusq nut, a triple string tree and currently replacing the pickups for better aftermarket ones.

9:40 Jeff healey has played live a japanese squier stratocaster on a stage.

I love my Squier Strat. It’s my goto guitar. Great tones and plays really well. Its a 94 model and aged really well. Must have been made on a Tuesday or Thursday.

My brother's wife's previous husband (who passed away) had a starcaster that was decked out really nice, she let me have it and an ibanez pf5 acoustic.

I'm proud of my 95 squier. I know it's not as good compared to a mia strat, but to me it's good. Sounds good and feels really nice.

i've always almost gotten off on the fact i'll play an early Squire Silver Series Tele on stage, (rarely, as i'm a bassist) but squire have done some amazing stuff over the years, this one plays simply incredibly, though it's had 30 years to get this way lol but i still love the shock when other players pick up my "Squire" only to see how it plays... however, even though it is essentially a fender, strait off the fender Japan production line, with a top load bridge being the only deviation from a 91 fender japan tele, if i were to change the headstock over to a fender logo, it'd 100% be a fake fender, no questios asked...

I hav a starcaster , changed the hardware . New loaded pickguard . Not bad at all .

Do you have a video where you go over the mods you've made to that MIM strat? I think that would be interesting to watch.

What drives me nuts is that when you search fender on Reverb or EBay 85% of the results are Squier. Fender did make a Squier series Stratocaster in the mid 90’s MIM, I had one and it was junk compared to the used regular MIM Stratocaster from the year before in my house.

Side note Ron Thorn the principal master builder at Fender's custom shop mentioned in an interview recently that his #1 guitar is an 80's MIJ Squier. :)

Fully understand what you say. It’s a quality thing. But trying to pass off a Squier as a fender to sell is a fake operation.

Great video man. I have a lefty fender player series Strat amazing guitar. I don’t play bass but that 1971 fender component bass is amazing. 🤟😎

Fender is magical, the guitar world has twisted knickers over their instruments, amateurs and pros alike. However, i have never heard a voice as sweet as an American made Fender Stratocaster and its relatives. I do however want a guitar from every quality maker because i have listened to their songs and have been made to realize that quality in craftsmanship is a must but the differences in sound is what we chase. May the chase continue.

One of my favorite strats ever is the recent black Squier Bullet that has the HSS configuration and the sparkle pickguard. The neck on that thing played amazingly well. Sadly, the electronics aren't great, but it's a REALLY cheap instrument that looks more impressive at first glance than many Fenders. It just has that look that I love. You could get one new for 130 bucks (might still be able to) but I think I got mine used for like 70 or 80. I left it with a teacher since he didn't have one in his classroom studio. However, I'd play one of those things in full stadiums with no guilt. It didn't sound as good as many guitars, but it felt amazing to play and looked great. I've played a few MiM Strats that actually felt worse to play and (to be fair due to having only single coils) sounded worse for what I play. On the other hand, the best strat I've ever played was a Mexican Strat with a Carvin pickup in the bridge. In conclusion, I don't know what my point was but guitars are cool.

That '71 is nice! The pickups put it being made in' 71 in your other vid about this bass. Thanks for doing these vids, Kennis! New players like me can really learn a lot from them 👍

My old Japanese Squier has fender stamps on the bridge and tuners and was made from the same body and neck as a Fender would have been at the time, with the only difference being the electronics (which I've since replaced). Close enough to a Fender?

Bought an Epiphone LP Special II, 20 years ago 2 months in electronics went haywire took to shop where I purchased it tech got into the display where the Gibson parts were 4 hours later my Epi had Original Gibson Les Paul pick-ups and toggle switch. So is it Epi or Gibson now?

I love the Mexican strats. Its pretty much the same guitar as the American standard but half the price. Not for a collector or a seller but if you just want to play it, they are hard to beat

I have a Starcaster by fender from 2004 that I just modified with all official American fender parts. Is it still fake?

Squier isn't made by fender at all, they are designed by fender! My Squier is made by Cortek in Indonesia, its a nice guitar but it isn't made by fender!

Very good video. I just bought a Squire with a Fender logo. I thought it was a great deal for 100$. Turned out to not be the case. Very disappointing. Your knowledge and explanation was very helpful. Thank you.

There is too much guitar snobbery, I have over twenty guitars, they all play and sound different, but one my favourites to play is Squier Custom Telecaster, I find the tone suits my needs fine and it is well finished, it plays beautifully, the only mod I made was a screw on jack socket/cup. I have mostly teles, not all fenders, I even have one that says Gibson on the headstock, but I never for a minute thought that it was a Gibson.

There's something about your videos that are better than most. Your easy to listen to. My brother set the headstock of my Clapton on fire so I had to replace the decals. Now people think its fake.

Wow, people are so defensive, no one is saying your Squiers suck or they're not a company owned by Fender, but clearly Squiers are the lower end of what Fender makes, removing the logo and slapping a Fender logo on there like it's a higher end version of that guitar is being deceitful. It's trying to fool people into believing you have a higher end model, which, who cares, unless you're going to sell that as a "Fender". It is not a Fender, it is a Squier "by Fender". It's wrong to do that, just don't be wrong.

Interested to know your opinion on the Squier Vista series from 1996-1998. The Jagmaster, Super Sonic and Venus from those years were made in the same Fender Japan factory and right along side the fender Mustangs, Jaguars and Jazzmasters that were imported to america in those years as the Fender Classic Series. Exact same parts, build quality, literally everything except the sticker.

Hey Kennis, I think the problem is that people aren't getting your point. I understand what your saying. That there are people out there taking Squier guitars (or Fender style headstock guitars) sanding off the Brand name and putting the Fender Brand logo and trying to sell them as "REAL" American made or even MIM guitars. I'm also on eBay and reverb and Letgo and so on and seen so many fakes. I was at a pawn shop once and they were selling a fake Gibson for $700. I even pointed it out and they thought I didn't know what i was talking about. People need to understand that when buying a used guitar you need to have some knowledge of the instrument. I get cautious when I only see three pics of the guitar that they are selling online. Usually, they don't show the headstock. That to me is a sign of a fake. But they also can be bad at taking pictures too. When trying to buy a guitar I ask questions and ask for more CLEAR pictures of the guitar.

I have an interesting one - 1994 Fender Stratocaster Squier Series MIM - it was made with the MIM Fender electronics, and cheaper hardware. My first guitar, and it plays and sounds great - I've had other players say it sounds better than some of the American made Stratocasters of the late 90's / Early 2000s.

I have one of the early Squier Stratocasters sold to me at Manny’s Guitars in Manhattan in 1984 - from the low serial number appears to be the first batch from the original Fender Japan production. I was surprised to see how much worse the quality was on more recent ones made in other countries.

Hey Kennis, you're absolutely correct in all that you're saying... I appreciate your take on this. I am getting ready to build a t-style parts-caster guitar that will have a Chinese "bootleg" Fender neck that has Fender Telecaster on it. I know it's going to be fake... It'll probably never make it to a gig of any sort. It will be played only at home and perhaps for recording (maybe at church)... But the neck tjat cost $49; and I'm waiting for it to show up from China in the coming weeks. This whole thing is new to me, and that's why I searched and found your video... (BTW, I'm subscribed now too). So anyway, I'll never sell it as a real one (I couldn't do that), but I am hoping it looks and plays nice. Just for fun... But all said, I kind of know that this whole thing is questionable. Maybe even wrong... I'm not really sure how they're getting away with it. I have real Fenders too. They are undoubtedly better. But these fakes are getting so good that it is a wonder how they do it for the price. I just got a Firefly guitar that plays absolutely amazing out to the box. It looks a bit like a Strat, and plays like a dream for only $168 delivered!!! Stay blessed and I will look forward to seeing more of your videos!

I have that exact bass. I hate the pickups. I also changed out all the chrome with black hardware and added a Mighty Mite fretless neck. I'm going to change the pickups and see what happens.

I can't believe people could not figure out what you were saying in your first video and having to explain to them like they were five.

i have a costom made 8s guitar someone told me is a shape of a squier strat do you think is fake because iam a fan of fenders

+1 enjoyed. I agree with many of your points.. the licenced by Fender thing.. I have a Fender Jazzmaster HH 2013 made in China (to anyone reading yes a *real* Fender made in China) with a 2019 WD USA Fender Licensed neck.. I don't feel bad for putting a Fender decal on there.. but you did encourage me to do the thing I was thinking (which you mentioned about your bass) ,, which is putting an extra decal on the back explaining what (if ever) the next owner has in their possession.. either that or I pay the £300/$370 for a replacement neck from Fender.. which isn't really on the cards as I bought this guitar (everything but the neck and tuners and string trees which I added) to flip, but then Covid happened.. etc.. I'm not a Jazzmaster guy, I really like Jags.. I like the chrome look and extra switching.. and this is just a tone volume and three way switch.. anyhoo.. thanks again for the vid!

I have a "partscaster", it has Fender machine heads, Fender wiring harness, Fender string trees, DiMarzio pick ups & even a stratocaster water slide with the Fender name removed. I might even get a Fender neck on it one day. IF ! I ever sell it, I obviously would NOT be trying to pass it off as a Fender, because it's not, even though it plays and sounds comparable to a Fender. Common sense isn't it?

I know this isn't exactly the topic of this video but I have a J mascis squier jazzmaster, a MIM JM and an american pro JM. and my experience with those particular 3 is that the MIM is my least favorite and needed the most work - sharp fret ends, bridge kept lowering by itself (I guess that's also just a problem of the JM vintage bridge in general), overly noisy pickups.. I probably just got a bit unlucky on that particular one and should have exchanged it initially. my J mascis squier is really great and didn't have any major issues, but the american one is flawless and 1-2 steps above the others in every regard. tuning stability, bridge, the trem, the pickups, the overall feel and playabilty are perfect and to me worth that money.

My Squier PJ bass rules! Don't think I'll ever get rid of it.

I recently bought a loaded strat body on ebay, the seller did not know for sure who made it (either squier or fender). It definitely had mim pickups, cts pots, a proper switch and a 2 point trem. The finish is metallic red. So everything I know to check makes me believe it is a mim strat body so I bought a mim strat neck and installed it. Would this be considered a fake fender?

A huge difference between a Squire, MIM, and US Strats is materials. Frets, pickup magnets and wire, woods, bridges, etc, it all adds up and makes a difference in both quality and price. That doesn't mean a cheap guitar can't play well or sound good though. My cheap acoustic is awesome, but it's frets wear really fast due to cheap material used.

I would like to ask what is a good replacement neck brand that I can trust without spending warmoth amounts of money on to put on an old squire that I'm modding ? I heard you mention Mighty mite and wondered what your playing experience has been with that neck ? considering also I know I will have to do some fret work on any neck I purchase but I want a quality playable neck after fret level and crown and polish etc somewhat lacking in tools to actually consider refretting my current neck or I would do that instead

Squier is essentially licensed by Fender. Fender says make this guitar cheaper and easier and we will add our name to it. Most people can’t spend $2,000+ for a guitar but they can spend $700 or so for a similar guitar.

I admire your honesty too.

What do you think of Fender Squier Series from 1995 MIM?

I agree with You.I took two of My Squire Stracoasters fenders and changed to locking tuners roller nuts one the bridge trimolo changed it so I put C custom on the neck.for Clifford custom removed the squire comtempary fender gold water mark off neck.

its all about price point at this stage, so squier is a less expensive instrument that may require some 'mods' or improvements to get it to the level of a MIM Fender... they do not have the best parts... a Starcaster was an entry level instrument and is meant to get you started... where as squier, though not always great out of the box, is meant as a musician's instrument intermediate or up

Mine is one of the Squiers in the top end of Squiers, which is to say, it’s not hard to find Fender owners happy to hawk and spit on my prized possession! However...as others point out, they are actually a different beast, while certainly being able to sound similar depending on a multitude of things, including whether you are willing to accept that a $300 guitar can in any way be a substitute for a Made-in-America ‘actual’ Fender instrument. I am glad of the lighter weight, the slightly smaller and slimmer (I think) body, and so on. I drove 200 miles to get the only Candy Apple Red one in the country for sale at the time (UK), and it just means a whole lot to me, whether it’s a ‘real’ Fender or not, it is as usable and as wonderful to me, as any classic ‘real’ Fender costing 10 times as much, is to a seasoned musician/guitarist. If it were not for the creation of ‘Squier’ I wouldn’t have a Fender-style guitar of the quality I have. That for me, would be a shame! Everyone’s quite protective of their chosen instrument I think, it wouldn’t take much to start a brawl, so I try not to. It’s kind of akin to issuing forth with a sudden declaration of an opinion about someone’s children, that’s how emotive it can be. I’d go a long way to not appear to be looking down on someone else’s choice of instrument, it’s quite a close relationship! [EDIT - PS don’t try to negotiate a price down of your chosen guitar, because it was on display, after you told the guy you drove 200 miles to see this particular, specific, individual guitar. I know, you could foresee that as a barrier to getting a bargain...and it does not bother me at all, I just wanted to secure that particular instrument. I’ll never be able to do it justice, I just love playing it.]

How do they remove a logo without damaging the wood and how do you get a Fender logo and put it on the wood?

Hi, congratulations for the video I would like some help from you: I have a 1996 korea squier 4 series electric guitar with the golden logo on the headstock and the serial number CN6 ... for your knowledge the body is in solid wood or layered and , alder or ash? thanks for your answer..

Squire is a separate entity "licensed" by Fender, thus giving Squire the ability to brand it as "Squire by Fender" guitar.

I just got a Squier Jazz bass and the logo is not silked screened and it would not just rub off..its a decal and its under the lacquer.

Dig your Partscaster. I'm hoping to get a Squier Baritone Jazzmaster.

This is what I’m going to say if it plays and sounds good I don’t care about the brand only thing some people pay for is a little printed sticker on a headstock sometimes. So I don’t care what it is. As long as it’s a great instrument you should use it.

Good point about the fact that reproductions ('parts-casters', etc) will eventually make it in to the used or secondary market, where prospective buyers might believe are they purchasing a genuine product.

I have the same Strat (MIM from '94). That thing is solid.

I wanna buy a telecaster but it has no seriel number. not on the back not on the front. it has a fender logo. How can i be sure it is a fender?

It seems like some folks posting here are just looking for an argument? Your point is perfectly clear, to me anyway. Good job on the video.

didn’t squire come about as a signature model for billy squire originally? it seems like i remember that.

My 95 MIM Stratocaster was made in California. In 1994 the plant in Mexico burned down and all MIM strats from late 94-95 are made in California.

How did happened when they put Squires logo on the headstock because they had the Fender serial number. It supposingly happened when Fender came out with the HSS HT with the Rosewood Fretboard because it happened to me when I traded a Ibanez acoustic electric thinline guitar made in 1992. The salesman at Sam Ash said he had a Squires Bullet that had been in the backroom for two years and I only paid 35 dollars difference. A little bit later I had a friend who had been playing the guitar for 40 years was going to put new strings on it had never seen a HSS HT Squires before and he was looking it over happened to look at the serial number and it was a first of the American Standard series. What made him notice was the Headstock was a Fender. For a hobby he worked on used Fender guitars for a friend sold the once a month at a flea market that had one Saturday a month just for people to buy, sell, and trade guitars. I had it for 4 years before it got stolen.

Kennis Russell...In fact Fender only makes Fender guitars in two factories, one in the USA and one in Mexico...so a Squier is not made by Fender even if it says"by Fender'' on the headstock...The Fender Musical Instruments Company (FMIC), who owns the Fender brand, Squier brand EVH brand, Gretsch brand to name just a few, has Squier guitars made by Yako Musical instruments LTD in China under contract...and before Yako got the contract...Squiers were built in the Cort Guitars is a South Korean guitar manufacturing company located in Seoul. The company is one of the largest guitar makers in the world, and produces instruments for many other companies including Epiphone... Cort also has factories in Indonesia and China...In short, a Squier is not made by Fender Guitars and Fender guitars don't own Squier...FMIC owns both brands and Squiers will always be built by the company who bids the lowest for the contract to build them but rest assured that they will not be built in the USA , Mexico, by Fender guitar employees or in a Fender factory...and Mighty Mite Licensed neck is not a Fender neck...Mighty Mite pays a Licensing fee to FMIC for the right to use the Trade Mark protected headstock shape...but it does not imply in any way that the quality is on par,better or worse than a real fender neck...just saying..

Chevrolet and Cadillac, same company. Can you put a caddy logo on a Chevy? Same thing

I have actually removed the squire decal from my CV Mustang but i replaced it with my personal designed NAOMI decal

But what about the Fender Squier series Strat? From all my research my Fender Squier series is a fender mik. It has a large fender logo but also says Squier series near the tip of the headstock. I believe it was made in 92 and I bought it probably in 95?

jacking up the price of an instrument by changing a cheap name for a high dollar logo and selling for more $ is called theft.

I have a Fender MIJ Stratocaster and a Squier CV Starcaster. Love them both!

How did you make the custom logo?

The only Fenders close to the American Version models to my preference are the Japanese and Mexican made "Fenders". Licensed replacement parts starting with to the best first then the good ones last are Warmoth, Musikrcraft, All Parts and Mighty Might. But then again these are my opinions and having build and repaired guitars is my experience in using them.

it's kind of hard to believe you had to explain this, but not everyone has been around guitars for the last fifty years like some of us.

So what if I’m slapping all Fender parts in a Squire? Does it give me a excuse to put a fender logo on it

OMG that $125 dollar 1971 /1994 Fender jazz bass is incredible. I LOVE the beat up look, too. I'm a sucker for real road worn basses. That means it's GOOD. I don't trust a pristine bass as much.

Us fender, mim and mij fender and squier have slightly different dimensions, string spacing being the main one. You will run into this when you try to upgrade squiers with fender parts or to repair a fender with parts from china.

I have a customized made in japan squire with custom pick guard, locking tuners, and custom made di Marzio pickups, it is great..its a waynes world model made in 1992...it has waynes world etched into the metal neck plate...

Saying that because Fender owns Squire means a Squire is a Fender is like saying an Escort is the same as a Continental because Ford owns Lincoln.

unless its a 1984-87 made in Japan squier, they had the same parts as Fenders during that time

Starcaster was the first guitar i ever learned on how to play, & it made me feel really happy getting into guitar, hence the username :>

The neck joint, if it don't look right it's prob a fender neck on a squier or a fender with a squier neck.

Russell, I dig Squire Bass Guitars as well. Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy is famous for Playing them. I also love my Squire Tele made in Indonesia, sometimes I can't believe just how great the action is and she sounds Good. If you ever read this, could you consider Showcasing the Washburn Flying Eagle, I've got a Black 81 Eagle, and can't find any History or Information about this Killer Guitar. Anyways Thank you for Posting this Beauty....Love your Vids 🎸💚

That was clearly explained..I don't know what all the confusion was about regarding to the comments that were made by some people.

Hey, VW owns Rolls Royce, so all those Beetles with those phony Rolls grilles on them are real Rolls Royces by these people's criteria.

I made a Strat out of a Japanese Squier body (a broken guitar from my neighbour) , a Fender Mexican neck with fender lock on tuners, a fender trem bridge, seymour duncan pickups and a new fender pickguard, i like to call it a "Fenderstein". But tecnically it's a 80% Fender partscaster.

So is my Fender a Squier? Is my Lexus a Toyota? Is my hamburger a steak? Lol

The difference between the American and the Mexico Fender is about a 45 minute drive lol. The Mexican Fender’s are very nice as are the higher end Squires. I own all three types. My favorite tele is a modded Squire 50s classic vibe. My favorite Strat is a USA surf green model. I love my Jazzmaster and my Jaguar both of which are genuine Fenders. Bottom line these are all fun to play and are great guitars. Just picked up a thin line tele Made in Mexico another great sounding guitar but had to dress the fret ends. I’ve never had to do that on a US made Fender.

I have a 1994 "black label" squire. It says fender large, squire series small, mim. From what I've it's a real american fender, not a squire, just with cheap electronics and pick ups. Is this true? Thanks.

I've owned tons of guitars in my 62 years...all brands, types, sub-custom shop in prices....until recently, preferred humbucking/P90. Now...just leave me a few Teles. My current fav is a 2021 Squier CV50 Tele with brass saddles and Lindy Fralin Blues Special...getting serious workout this year. My new Fender Pro II Tele is also impressive...but the Squier seems to get my attention most. A second CV50 should be here tomorrow...gonna compare...then later drop some Lollars to see what happens. Then, gonna buy back my old MIM Tele from a pal.... Even as a poor lefty....it's the golden age of guitars...so many choices, so little time. ;-)

I do appreciate your care in wording. For those who are not aware, Squier stringed instruments date back to the 1890. Fender purchased the company in 1965. Leo founded Fender in 1947. Squier is the old man here. That does not mean they are better than the Fullerton Fenders. However the history is much longer. Fender does own Squier Guitars. As such, the Fender line is authorised for construction to Squier by Fender. It does not mean they are Built by Fender. Just Authorised. On the subject of Mexican Fenders. The oddball idea that they are less than the Fullerton Players Series Fenders is hilarious. The Mexican Fender guitar plant is less than 200 miles (186 miles) from the Fullerton plant. So maybe its just patriotism that Made In America somehow makes them "better". Now I did say *Players Series*....not Custom Shop. You cannot compare Custom Shop guitars to anything else made by Fender, Fullerton, Mexico or Squier. I dont know much about Japanese Fenders to comment on the quality of those, or where they are ultimately made and why Japanese Fenders are unique and cannot be found Stateside unless you have it shipped. In short.....like the guy with bad grammar It no matter if play good 🎉