# Opinions On Squier Classic Vibe '50s And '60s Strats?



## colchar (May 22, 2010)

I had been considering trading in my Epiphone G-400 SG towards the cost of a Gibson SG Standard but have decided to hold off as I've been playing my roommate's MIM Fender Strat quite a bit lately and quite like it. Because of that, I am looking for opinions on the Squier Classic Vibe '50s and '60s Strats.

What do people think of them? Are they well made (good build quality)? How do they compare to the entry level MIM Fender Strats? I've heard that they are at least on par with those Fender models but would appreciate other's opinions. And are there any real tonal differences between the '50s and '60s versions? Is one brighter or more jangly than the other? Is one more mellow sounding? Are there any known problems with these models?

Any and all opinions on these models would be greatly appreciated. If they are good quality guitars (they seem to be for the cost) I'll buy one of those and then decide later whether I want the Gibson SG Standard or a high end Fender Strat. I'll hold off buying the more expensive guitar until I've had a chance to compare the two but if the Classic Vibe series aren't that good I'll look into an entry level Fender MIM Strat for now.

Thanks in advance.


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

The CV Strats are awesome bang-for-the-buck guitars. I mean _really_ awesome. They are better that MIM Strats IMO, more on par with the HWY 1 series in terms of feel. The build quality of the neck and body is great and the stock pickups are also fantastic, but the electronics are a bit meh. They'll eventually have to go.

In terms of playability, I didn't notice a difference between the 50s and 60s. They both share the CV skinny neck, but one is maple and the other rosewood. I didn't play the 60s plugged in, so I can't speak about it that way, but the 50s plugged in sounded like a Strat should. With the gain up and the amp overdriving, it sounded better than my MIM Strat and close to my US Deluxe one. 

It's not just a decent budget guitar, it's a flat out steal. If I were to have my US Deluxe Strat stolen or blow up or something, I'd seriously consider replacing it with a CV Strat with new electronics and have done with, especially because I don't use my Strat very often, it's more of a change-of-flavour guitar. 

I also own a CV 50s Tele and thats a fantastic guitar for the price as well.


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## noman (Jul 24, 2006)

I agree with hollowbody. Fantastic value for the $$. If you can find them used, even better. I like the necks but they are on the skinny side (I love fat necks). Pups are great. Electronics are cheap but work; my CV60's is still stock because everything works. As soon as I start getting noise from switches/pots, I will replace with CTS stuff. Even the synthetic bone nut is cut perfectly on mine as is the fret-work. I have read that the frets seem to wear quicker. At one point I owned the CV60, CV50, CV Telecaster, and CV Duosonic! I sold a couple and just have the Duo-Sonic and CV60's now. Great guitar, definitely worth a look if you are gassing for a stratocaster.


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## monty (Feb 9, 2009)

I liked them but they necks are just too small for me.


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

monty said:


> I liked them but they necks are just too small for me.


Yeah, that's one thing that's a love or hate with them. The entire CV line has super skinny necks. Some people love 'em, some not. I think they're fantastic, but it's something you'll have to try out and see if you like.


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## JimiGuy7 (Jan 10, 2008)

I can't comment on the Strats, I only played one briefly. But I did own the Classic Vibe 50's Tele and I was blown away. I got rid of it, due to the fact that I am a bit of a cork sniffing guitar snob (not too much but ebough of one) but I loved it. I got a Fender Custom Shop 52 Tele re-issue and that is the only reason that I got rid of it. I loved the look, the feel and the TONE!!! It was pure classic Tele tone, and, oh I am going to shutup. Getting a little bit of sellers regret. Great guitars for the price point.


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## puckhead (Sep 8, 2008)

hollowbody said:


> I also own a CV 50s Tele and thats a fantastic guitar for the price as well.


sounds like me. I picked up the CV 50s tele first, and liked it so much I boght the very next CV strat that showed up in the TGP Emporium.
I was looking for a 50's (based pureley on aesthetics), but a 60's came up first. feels and sounds great. the fact it was cheap as borscht is just a bonus.


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

hollowbody said:


> Yeah, that's one thing that's a love or hate with them. The entire CV line has super skinny necks. Some people love 'em, some not. I think they're fantastic, but it's something you'll have to try out and see if you like.


I don't love the neck on my CV Tele (Custom) because I generally love fatter necks, but I absolutely love the rest of the guitar. The thing is, the neck grew on me really quickly. The thought of the neck being skinny never crosses my mind when I play it now.

Mine has been left completely stock as well. I love the tone of the pickups, and while I am sure the electronics aren't high end I have had no problem with them. I wasn't sure about how the tuners felt when I tried it out, but they hold tune great. The guitar never goes out of tune. The only thing I did was switch to higher gauge strings.


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

torndownunit said:


> I don't love the neck on my CV Tele (Custom) because I generally love fatter necks, but I absolutely love the rest of the guitar. The thing is, the neck grew on me really quickly. The thought of the neck being skinny never crosses my mind when I play it now.
> 
> Mine has been left completely stock as well. I love the tone of the pickups, and while I am sure the electronics aren't high end I have had no problem with them. I wasn't sure about how the tuners felt when I tried it out, but they hold tune great. The guitar never goes out of tune. The only thing I did was switch to higher gauge strings.


Same here, I thought the tuners felt SOOOO cheap when I used them the first time, and hell, they still feel cheap, but yeah, I've never had a tuning issue. For whatever super-cheap material they used, they hold pretty well.

I've got 11s on my CV50s Tele now, but I've also turned it into an Esquire at the moment with a Seymour Duncan BG-1400 pickup in it. But I kept all the old electronics and hardware in case I ever wanted to switch back. And yeah, I thought the stock pickups were pretty awesome as well!


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## zurn (Oct 21, 2009)

Good to know, i'll probably be looking for my 1st tele soon! Any Canadian guitars compare to a Tele, maybe in the Godin line ? You know what they say, once you go Canadian....

lol


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

zurn said:


> Good to know, i'll probably be looking for my 1st tele soon! Any Canadian guitars compare to a Tele, maybe in the Godin line ? You know what they say, once you go Canadian....
> 
> lol


Can't think of one of the top of my head. The Godin Progression is an awesome Strat replacement, but I haven't seen a Canadian Tele yet.


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

hollowbody said:


> Same here, I thought the tuners felt SOOOO cheap when I used them the first time, and hell, they still feel cheap, but yeah, I've never had a tuning issue. For whatever super-cheap material they used, they hold pretty well.
> 
> I've got 11s on my CV50s Tele now, but I've also turned it into an Esquire at the moment with a Seymour Duncan BG-1400 pickup in it. But I kept all the old electronics and hardware in case I ever wanted to switch back. And yeah, I thought the stock pickups were pretty awesome as well!


I sold my other 2 Teles (Mim FSR Ash, American Series) when I got the Custom. That is how much I like it. I plan on buying one of the Thinline's I think for a second Tele in the future. Either that, or Esquire a 50's.

Zurn, I don't know if Godin really offers anything that is comparible to a Tele. That new Strat style model they put out looks killer though. I saw a couple of them when I was buying my CVC, but didn't have time to try them out. I will admit that as a Tele fan, looks play a part in the Tele I buy. So when I saw how amazing the Clasic Vibe Custom looked, and then how great it played and sounded, I was all over. I have owned 7 Teles now, and it's my favourite by far.


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

hollowbody said:


> Can't think of one of the top of my head. The Godin Progression is an awesome Strat replacement, but I haven't seen a Canadian Tele yet.


Ya that's the model! They look fantastic, and having owned a Godin (LG) in the past I am sure they play fantastic as well.


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## stever67 (Jun 30, 2008)

I picked up my CV 50s today. I've been waiting on it to come in for a bit, just to try it out, then take it from there. I wasn't expecting for it to be a hands-down, take it out the door kind of affair! Forget about me not being much of a tele guy before - this won me over! The neck on this one isn't small at all - I noticed that in a couple other comments. It's not nearly as small as the CV 50s Strat that was right next to it. Great guitar, but I didn't like the neck on that at all. The pots seem fantastic, and the tuners are ok, but the switch is a little frail-feeling. In any event, it sounds like a million bucks, plays top notch, and cost me $339 in trade fodder! It can't be beat, I'd say!


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## AlcolmX (Oct 12, 2009)

I had the same experience as stever67. Was planning to buy a Champion 600 and after trying the CV 50's Tele (with the Champ) I ended up walking away with both. Fantastic guitar, but now that the honeymoon is over I'm finding the neck far too skinny for my taste.


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## Decibel Guitars (Oct 14, 2010)

You should try and play a bunch of Strats... when you find one that has that "magic" you'll know. My brother was shopping for a Strat a couple of years ago, and the Classic Vibe was at the top of our list. When we went to a store to try a bunch out, there was this plain black MIM Fender Strat that did nothing for me appearance-wise, but it just had that special Strat mojo that made it sound so much better than almost every other one we tried, including some higher-end Fenders.


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

stever67 said:


> I picked up my CV 50s today. I've been waiting on it to come in for a bit, just to try it out, then take it from there. I wasn't expecting for it to be a hands-down, take it out the door kind of affair! Forget about me not being much of a tele guy before - this won me over! The neck on this one isn't small at all - I noticed that in a couple other comments. It's not nearly as small as the CV 50s Strat that was right next to it. Great guitar, but I didn't like the neck on that at all. The pots seem fantastic, and the tuners are ok, but the switch is a little frail-feeling. In any event, it sounds like a million bucks, plays top notch, and cost me $339 in trade fodder! It can't be beat, I'd say!


Congrats! Glad you like it. My CV50s is still challenging my LP Std for my favourite guitar to play. I play the Gibson more, because the CV50 is in 5-string open G, but man, I love playing those riff rockers on the CV50!



AlcolmX said:


> I had the same experience as stever67. Was planning to buy a Champion 600 and after trying the CV 50's Tele (with the Champ) I ended up walking away with both. Fantastic guitar, but now that the honeymoon is over I'm finding the neck far too skinny for my taste.


I've seen a few vids on youtube featuring this combo and yeah, it's killer! I'd recommend a CV50 Tele or Strat and a Champ 600 to anyone looking for a nice rig at around $500. Too bad you don't dig the neck anymore, though. Maybe it'll grow on you again?



Decibel Guitars said:


> You should try and play a bunch of Strats... when you find one that has that "magic" you'll know. My brother was shopping for a Strat a couple of years ago, and the Classic Vibe was at the top of our list. When we went to a store to try a bunch out, there was this plain black MIM Fender Strat that did nothing for me appearance-wise, but it just had that special Strat mojo that made it sound so much better than almost every other one we tried, including some higher-end Fenders.


Absolutely true! At one point I had a CV50 Strat, a MIM Strat and a US Deluxe Strat in the house. They all played great and were really well set-up. Arguably, the US 'felt' the nicest to play because you could tell just by holding it that the quality of the woods was nicer, but in terms of playability and tone, the CV50 did surprisingly well and was probably my 2nd fav behind the US guitar with the MIM being a close 3rd. All three were great guitars and I would have taken any one as my #1 Strat. 

It's all a matter of finding the one that's right for you and not paying too much attention to the price point. Just because it's more expensive does not automatically make it a better guitar.


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## rhh7 (Mar 14, 2008)

The Classic Vibe has developed almost a cult following on my favorite U.S. guitar forums, Telecaster Guitar Forum - guitars, gear, amps and strings and Fender Stratocaster Guitar Forum - Powered by vBulletin.

I bought a Classic Vibe Telecaster, and sold it at a loss just a few months later. It was beautiful, and had a nice tone. But I could not enjoy the neck, as my tastes run to "Fat", or "Boatneck" specs.

In my opinion, the new Fender Blacktop series may put a serious dent in Classic Vibe sales. If you like humbuckers, and I do!...it is only $100 more than the Classic Vibe, has a larger neck, and it says "Fender" rather than "Squier" on the headstock. This will be huge if you ever sell or trade your guitar.


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

rhh7 said:


> The Classic Vibe has developed almost a cult following on my favorite U.S. guitar forums, Telecaster Guitar Forum - guitars, gear, amps and strings and Fender Stratocaster Guitar Forum - Powered by vBulletin.
> 
> I bought a Classic Vibe Telecaster, and sold it at a loss just a few months later. It was beautiful, and had a nice tone. But I could not enjoy the neck, as my tastes run to "Fat", or "Boatneck" specs.
> 
> In my opinion, the new Fender Blacktop series may put a serious dent in Classic Vibe sales. If you like humbuckers, and I do!...it is only $100 more than the Classic Vibe, has a larger neck, and it says "Fender" rather than "Squier" on the headstock. This will be huge if you ever sell or trade your guitar.


I saw one at L&M the other day and was shocked to see the price tag was just $460! I didn't get a chance to sit down with it, but that is certainly a tempting price.


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

I was recording over the last couple of weeks, and bought the Classic Vibe Custom with me more to show the guy who owns the studio than to record with (have worked with him many times in the past). I didn't really plan on using it because he has a collection of killer Teles including a 1983 MIJ Squire, which is my favourite Tele I have played bar none. We started going for guitar tones song by song though, and ended up using the Classic Vibe Custom on every song. I got rid of my other Teles when I got it, so I hadn't done any comparison's in awhile. It held it's own no problem though, and it's still completely stock. I have thought about switching out the saddles for brass, or electronics upgrades... but everything just works so I have been going with the 'if it ain't broke done't fix it' policy.

He plans on getting one now after hearing/playing mine. He was pretty blown away.

As I mentioned before, the only weak point for me is the neck. But I have adapted to it with no problems. It grew on me surprisingly quickly. I wasn't expecting that because my other main guitar, a Reverend Flatroc, has a fairly thick neck on it. I can definitely understand how some people don't like the necks though. I guess for me it's just a case of the overall construction and tone winning out over one issue.


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