Squier by Fender Classic Vibe 50's Stratocaster

2009 Classic Vibe Stratocaster made in....China! Alder body, maple neck, finsihed in what looks like what was once called 'Tobacco' Sunburst. 5 Way switch, Alinco pups, tremelo.
I bought this off a shop on Ebay, included shipping and a Crafter Padded Gig bag which was I think a bargain.

Very quiet pickups: I haven't taken it apart yet but I suspect some additional shielding will be required as I will probably use this for some recording. Crisp bright sound on Bridge pup, authentic Strat tones. I will be using it with my Peavey Bandit, but mostly recording through a Line 6 Pod. It looks so great though I want to pose with it live somewhere!

Set up with what seems to be an almost perfect action for me, so not much fiddling required. It was supplied with a set of 9's but I think its tone will be improved by a heavier guage. Nice Fret job, although these are a little higher than my other Strats and are also fatter. Gloss neck feels nice. Its a guitar that encourages you to play. Great finish, it really has been very well done indeed, nice aged look to the neck. The Pickguard is stark compared to the controls and pup covers which isn't the best choice, but I can change that. Tremelo was set without upwards travel ie. not floating. Maybe this was a cop-out by the manufacturer to save some time??

It seems pretty rugged. The 5 way switch is definitely on the cheap side, but should hold up as long as it's not abused. I heard that some of these were being shipped with crackly switches but this one is fine. Tuners are the vintage slot-type which I prefer, and work well. Solid kit all round apart from the 5 way. I would never gig without a backup, but I'd be happy with this as a main guitar.

12 Months Warranty. I'm pretty handy with guitars tyhough so would probably just fix it myself provided it wasn't anything major.

I have played about 30 years now, and I have had a few guitars over that time! I currently have 4 Strats (all Squiers including 2 JVs), I also own a Tele, Les Paul, a few acoustics and a couple of basses. I can honestly say that for the money this is a really excellent instrument. Im not a fan of the Chinese Squiers some of which are shockingly badly made, but quite honestly this is fabulous. The beauty of this is that if it was stolen or broken it is easily replaced - there are probably millions of these going to be made.

Made in China in 2009.
All the standard Strat options.

Very original 50's sound. I think because of the Alnico III magnets.
Warm and yet with the right bite.
I have a Fender Mexican Strat and a Fender Japan Strat and I had to change the pick-up's of both because of the poor sound.
I will not change the pick-up's of the Squier.

It's a pitty that, altough many details are rigth, there are also some stupid details.
The pickgard and the backplate are twice as thick as a normal one layer pickgard. So a changed those.
The tremelo has a spacing of 10.5 so both the E-strings don't line with the neck. So I changed the tremelo for a 10.8 spacing one.
Changed also the switch and the pot's.
Besides that, is beautiful finished. Very good feeling neck and the fretwork is great.

I think that it is as with every guitar, treat it well and it will treat you well.

A very good guitar, beside the down sides of the details.
Very good value for the money. I wish that I could have had a guitar like that for that money 48 years ago.

Must admit that I had to shrug off a little guitar snobbery to buy a guitar made in China, but after playing one in the store I could think of nothing else that night. Returned the next day to buy it but some guy had come in after me and bought it!Had to wait another 3 months before my ordered Classic Vibe came in. Alnico III p'ups were a major draw for me and definitely superior to MIM p'ups. Neck is beautiful, love the tint and the burnt tobacco body is very, very nice. Tuners are sensitive and feel sweet. Love the aged controls and p'ups - just wish the pickguard wasn't bright white. Wonder how the gloss fretboard will wear? Neck is wider and slimmer than the SG and seems to require less precision to nail songs. First guitar with a tremolo - bit of novely value at first but it did throw the tuning pretty fast so removed it.

I've spent the last 20 years playing a 1974 Gibson SG Custom and love everything about it but wanted the choice of occasionally using that unique strat sound and this guitar does it for me big time. The sound is thick and warm and nicely rounded - not sharp or at all messy. Pushed, it can squawk and growl but in a way that speaks of vintage tone, which I love. Very quiet at rest. The five p/u positions allow an excellent range of tones used in combo with the tone controls. Love all positions to be honest for different songs. Sound is awesome to be honest. Using a Fender Super Champ 15w valve amp.

Factory set up was close but needed tweaking a little - the heat here in Thailand is harsh and the neck needed a truss rod adjustment to get rid of minor fret buzz on 1st E fret 7 and the intonation was slightly out. Action was perfect for me - medium I would say - enough room to give the strings a buzz free thrashing. There was a little relief in the neck but I added just a touch more to suit me. The guitar was completely flawless and admittedy I am the type of guy who freaks out if anything is substandard. Seriously, not the tiniest flaw - hate the strings it came with though - just awful. Oh, one small gripe - after playing a vintage SG, the Fender frets seem to sit so friggin high its like running over speed bumps when sliding notes. It is a very sexy neck though and feels great to be fair.

One of the most impressive characteristics of this guitar is the quality and feeling of robustness - yet to be tested but I'm guessing that it will outlast me without much trouble. The tuners, the pickup selector, the volume/tone control all feel rock solid. I wonder how the varnish will endure thousands of hours of metal wires rubbing over it? First guitar I've played with a gloss neck and thought it might feel a little sticky in this humid Thai weather but no issues there. I have a lot of faith in this intrument - has only been 10 days but I'm confident she will be a good girl

Hopefully this won't come up

I don't see how you couldn't be impressed with this Classic Vibe 50s. I went thru a long process of internet research and trying different guitars before playing the CV50s. I had a limited amount of money (sign of the times) but knew that there was no point getting a second rate instrument - I'd let it gather dust and use the SG every time. Chose it over an Agile, a MIM strat, Epiphone. Very happy with my choice. Would rather the pick guard be tinted too instead of white. Needed a better set of strings than those it came with which were the worst strings I have ever felt- like they were dressed in powdered glass. I agree with another reviewer that they should have thrown in a case since this is Squier's top release. Guitar stays in tune very well as long as you don't use the tremolo and feels/sounds great. Ridiculous value for money.
Gear - : Gibson SG Custom 1970, 1986 K Yairi DY73 Acoustic, Dunlop Cry Baby, Overlord Distortion, Ibanez tube screamer, ZOOM 606, Jazz Chorus 60 + 60W amp, Fender Super Champ XD 15W
Final Comment - I paid $1000AU for my vintage SG 20 years ago and it is the most awesome guitar I've ever played. The classic vibe isn't quite in the same league but for $500 is amazing value and by no means a second rate instrument. It's a very, very playable and great sounding guitar with the exactly the sound I was looking for to complement the SG!

This guitar is brand new for 2009, made in China. It has 21 medium/jumbo frets and a light poly finish on body. Its has a typical strat 5 position switch with 3 single coil Alnico III Fender pups. The body is alder and the neck is a nice quarter sawn tinted maple masterpiece. The bridge is a string-thru the body strat bridge with a small trem block. Tuners are probably gotoh but are styled to look like vintage klusons. The neck feels neither too thin nor too fat to me and fits my hands really well - 9.5 radius like most new strats. This guitar did not come with a case or a gig bag. Typical strat features dressed up to look vintage. I'm giving it a 9 because aged look of pup doesnt match the pickguard.

Well, right now I can only speak to the neck and bridge pups because the middle position doesn't work - I realized this in the store but bought it anyway cause they knocked some money off the price which ought to pay for the cost of a new 5 position switch and a larger trem block to boot. I had to trade in a small practice amp and some old effects to be able to afford this (mortgage, kids, etc) because I cant go out and just buy expensive guitars like I used to. There is a 60 cycle hum to both the neck and the bridge pups but thats to be expected from a strat. The output of the pups is definitely in the vintage range - that is low output but they actually sound very good - I just crank the amp a little more. I use both a Fender Blues Deluxe and a Marshall JCM600. Like most Fenders, it sounds best with a Fender tube amp (sorry Jimi!). The sound is not what I would call "full" especially compared to my other strat which I call the Tradocaster - a Tradition strat (basswood, maple/rosewood) loaded with DiMarzio Area 58 and 61 pups. In fact, I'm having second thoughts about this purchase when I A/B it with the Tradocaster, which can cut through a live mix very well - I played the Vintage Vibe the other day at band practice and I was a little disappointed but I'm going to give it a second chance because the band has a "hard rock" sound more suited to a Les Paul - which is mainly what I use. I will say that the Tradocaster can withstand the volumes this band plays with and holds up well - but I credit that to the DiMarzio pups which are just outstanding. To be fair, I bought this guitar to use with a cover band I also play with and the music is more suited to the sound of the CV - Beatles, Byrds, Tom Petty, etc. - more folk/americana/british invasion stuff from the 60's and 70's. If it cant cut the mustard with the cover band, I'll probably put DiMarzio Area 61/58/61 pups in it along with a more massive trem block and it'll probably sing. If I was just playing in my living room, I'd leave it alone (after fixing the switch problem).

The guitar was set up very well with just a little too much relief in the neck, but no big deal as the truss rod is accessible at the headstock (which looks great - something I hate about the Tradocaster). The pups were adjusted right at what is probably their sweet spot because they sound pretty darn good - and it seems like Fender actually put some time into the set-up so they'd sound good in the store. Cosmetically, the guitar looks great - finish is flawless. The neck is truly outstanding both in feel and looks.

I would actually play my Tradocaster before this one in a live situation and I'm a little disappointed by that fact. Based on what I heard the other day in practice, I'm thinking I'm going to have to change the pups and trem block to get this thing up to snuff for serious live playing - I would'nt change a thing if I was just playing in my living room or with, say, an acoustic act. With a few minor modifications, however, I think this could be a truly excellent guitar but right now, I wont depend on it.

The guitar is obviously under warranty and I've never had trouble finding a Fender authorized dealer that can do repair work - although I'll probably fix it up myself.

I've been playing guitar for 21 years and I've owned pretty much every major guitar ever produced - and good examples of them. My main guitar is a Gibson VOS Les Paul with a 60's slim-taper neck but I've played my share of "real" strats over the years and this guitar almost holds up. Emphasis on almost...It definitely competes with my lower-end guitars (Tradition Strat pre-mods, Agile AL-3000) but not with the big boys. The guitar, however, is a keeper because I didn't expect it to really hold up with American made guitars and I suspect that once I mod it, it will become a favorite. I'll keep it for the alder body and excellent neck alone.

This your basic tele setup one volume ,one tone, 3 -way switch. Body is made from Pine, and the neck is maple with nitro type gloss, pickups are Alnico III pickups, which sound great, both single coils. Tuners are vintage type (nice) bridge plate 52 RI type with brass saddles.The body is a white (Mary Kay with wood grain showing threw)nut is plastic but cut and rounded 21 frets which are medium sized.

This tele has the twang and the bite!! I play threw a marshall JMC 50 watt lead , and use a rocktron shorttimer to get slp back echo. Dirty or clean sounds great , will be swawping out pups. Neck is quiet , middle has twang and the bridge will kick it up a notch. I don't play with a distortion box , so when I switch to the bridge I have a great lead sound.
If you are a fan of the plank you need to pick one of these up.

Out of the box action was great , one turn of the allen wrench and I was ready to play, pickups are fine no adjustment needed there.Knobs alittle tight , but the pots are great , some hum as it is single coil , but sounds fine to me. 3 way switch is cheap , and replacesd that with a 3 way from fender, bridge saddles small ,but slottes ( I have a fender 52 RI to put on) nut had the high E slip off so you may need to file or replace. everything else is great!!!

This a rock , great backup or road guitar, and its not that heavy.

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Buy this guitar if you need another tele, buy this guitar if you want to get a tele. It is not the beginners basic Squier tele, I have had 3 , whick I used for upgrades , and part swaps , and sold off online, or gave to friends. This guitar needs very little to make it pro worthy
Get one before their gone!!!!!!

Made in China,classic vibe series by Squier.Maple neck with Alder body,vintage style small block tremolo, Alnico 5 single coil PUPS.
typical strat specs 9.5 radius fingerboard with medium frets , and very light weight.
Do not be fooled by "Made in China" , manufacturing in that country is top notch now, I lived in Shanghai 3 years ago and they are well up to par with the west , amazing city.

The sound of these is great , very old school strat sound with a sparkle to the tone.One of the best sounding Strats I've owned in over 35 years.Pick ups are relatively quiet due to good shielding.I wired the tone control from the middle PUP to the bridge PUP so as to be able to roll off the treble a bit when using the bridge position.

Beyond excellent craftsmanship, best fret job I have ever seen on any Fender made anywhere.PUPS were a bit low outta the box but not by much,truss rod needed a quarter turn .Action is great no buzzing or fretting out.Not a single flaw that I could find on these beauties.Fit and finish = top notch.

A very Solid made instrument in all respects.Used at a gig last weekend , totally dependable.

have never needed Fender support in over 35 years.

I have been playing for 40+ years , and can honestly say this is one great Strat , no matter the brand or the country of origin.I own 3 other American standard Fender strats and a Tele ,and this one plays and sounds as good as any of them.Only wish I have is that the pickguard was thinner but for $299. this is one of those "you can't pass up " deals.