As my brother and I always say, "I'm not shopping for a guitar, I'm shopping for a neck." If the neck feels just right to you, pretty much everything else could be fixed later -- especially on a Tele, which is a wonderfully simple design that gets the job done! The looks in this case are a definite bonus for me. Great combination. Just too bad about those pots, which probably use two linear segments for the taper. That's getting more common even in mid-price guitars. My newer used MIM Tele probably exhibits that "fall off the cliff" a lot more than my older Squiers, but I must admit I almost never use my volume pot except as a "mute", and my tone pot is "set and forget". Thanks for reviewing a guitar in my budget range! Though honestly, I'd probably still wait to get one used... :)
You're both dead on and I agree 100%, if the neck is not there the rest of the guitar doesn't matter to me at all. I just can't get over that part of any guitar. At least you have your kinda locked in settings with your V and T knobs, kinda eliminates the one issue I had with the stock electronics
I bought one a few months ago. It honestly has the best neck and playability of any Tele I've ever played. That's includes American and MIM. I love this guitar.
I recently got the 40th Vintage Strat -- the pickups were dark, esp. the neck, so I swapped the volume pot for a 500K, snipped the jumper that ties the middle pickup to the bridge tone control and gave it s road test. Bridge was too bright so I soldered in a balancing resistor at the selector switch (as you would of you had a humbucker and single coils) and it was a touch better. Installed a steel base plate on the bridge and, despite my tendency to over praise my own efforts wiring wise, it genuinely sounds great. For less than $10 and my time. Here's another: ditch the typical tone cap values, try an .015 cap, or .012 if you cant find a 5. The roll off will give you more possibilities and rolled all the way off you're very close to a cocked wah sound rather than that over damped "thru a sleeping bag" sound that's not terribly useful. (Altho that very dark tone is amazing thru a fuzz or a distortion pedal.)
Thanks I Bought a Used , Ineptly Modified One, But was Abused and Missing alot of the Stock Parts , So I am On the Fence About Returning it and Paying a Little More Money and Getting a Factory Stock Version
Most buyers do not and do not have what it takes to set up or repair a guitar, even minor tasks. It is their own fault... It is is not hard to learn or do, but most buyers do not want to learn how...
It's true many don't want to learn but everyone views music and the guitar differently. I have a friend that has a great strat and never plays it, pays to get it reset up once every few years strums it for a week and puts it down. It is what it is.
I just picked this up yesterday. I’ll put in either a set of TexMex or Deluxe Drive pickups. Then bit by bit upgrade with Fender parts…hot rod bridge and saddles, tuners. That Squier headstock stays. Maybe it’ll be a good Anti-theft device.
Great review and playing, as ever. Like you say, such minor and easily fixable/inexpensive issues so for a little money you can get a decent amount of guitar it seems - which is never a bad thing!
I also snagged a red one from the samick factory. Plays and sounds like a much more espensive axe. i paid 270.00. only tele ill ever need, gotta change a couple tings mon'. Gonna take the neck pick up out of the tone circuit to cure the muddiness, replace the pots, put a different bridge on it so it will tune down a whole step. Right now i got compensated brass barrel saddles i installed and it will tune up in standard perfectly intonated. Diggin this axe... 😊
I've just pressed buy now on Red 40th. Simply I was blown away by its looks, so I'm more than prepared to upgrade as I see fit , but I'll trust you on the new pots and order them now and swap out because I see what you mean about them not bringing the full range of tone from the pickup others may straight blame the pickups . Ace great stuff man. That guitar looks good on ya .!
I bought a butterscotch ex-demo one recently for a really good price. It did have a few issues with some of the nut slots, a couple of high frets (and one that wasn't seated properly). Once I got it set up professionally, its a fantastic guitar, easily on a par with any Fender Teles I've owned in the past. I'm ok with the pickups but, as you advised, I will change out the pots and wiring, and easy mod that will pay off.
Made me chuckle when I realised the affordable guitar review was playing through a Benson Preamp into a Tone King!😄 Great review though, thanks. Most of us will be watching this on our phones or crappy laptop speakers so you could just as well be using a Katana. I was building a parts Tele when I noticed Thomann selling these for £259, it's arriving Wednesday!
That should say something in how I see things haha, out of all the gear in the chain I consider the amp to be the most important thing in it as far as sound goes. Even a decently set up 50$ guitar will sound passable with a good player and quality amp but I do see the humor in it haha
Last year I got an squier affinity tele made in 2021, it has the belly contour and string trough the body, saddles are individual, its a great guitar for the money, the neck is fantastic for me at least, the only problem I have is that it tends to neck dive a little and the pick ups are very quiet, but it's not that bad. Great video as always man!
Really yours dives a bit? That's kinda surprising to hear. Then again, I haven't actually stood and play this so I'll report back and let you know if I'm dealing with the same thing here
I played one of these at Guitar Center this week. The neck finish was great but the width at the nut was too thin for my taste. Felt a little toy like.
If it's essentially the same as the Classic Vibe...get one...used for around $300. Mine is heavy, well made, and with Lindy Fralin's...sounds GREAT. My son's 60's CV Baritone is also super nice. Tuners are crappy on both though...replaced mine. Scotch Brited my neck.....and I liked the brass comp'd saddles I added too...now a $600 guitar that plays like a $1600 guitar.
Nice guitar, like the satin finish on the neck. At 9:14 maybe check inside that there's no Volume Pot Capacitor there. These are common, and if so, then snip it off and you will find better overall resolution when adjusting the pot's magnitude.
They're gonna vary just like most guitars, but man when they are as heavy as non weight relieved les pauls I don't care where it's made thats too much for a tele haha
Jim, Great review! You have an arsenal of “budget” guitars and wondering if you have ant “budget amps” ? Maybe you can do some videos on how to coax guitar hero tones without breaking the budget? You’ve got the gear and talent to produce new videos without acquiring new gear.😊
I just wanted to let you know I did see this two days ago and I really have been thinking about it. I was fortunate to get a few of these budget guitars but I don't get excited about them and it's not stuff I really enjoy doing all the time ( few more to go). I do have a budget amp that i'm excited to mess with that was given to me by a viewer... after the holiday and things go back to normal i will have that up shortly for sure.
I honestly prefer my Sguires over my MIM, i had to sell my American Pro offset tele and i need to fill that hole soon, gonna pull the trigger on one of the Squire offsetts give some tlc and hope it gets me close enough.
I don't think you'll be that far off and if you are it would only be in the electronics honestly and as I said, not gonna kill you financially to swap those eventually.
Hey Jim! Just a suggestion, but for the more budget guitars you review, you should use plugins or a more budget amp to match with it. Great video per usual!
I'm thinking it's going to be the Helix plugin, and I've already been messing around with it... matter of fact a few of the more recent videos have been the line out of the Tone King going into the helix for an IR... sacreligious of me I know!
The one Classic Vibe I picked up to look at was quite heavy in spite of the pine body. Everything else was quite well done. My MIM Tele's are both around 7.2 lbs.
It's strange, whenever I read "Nyatoh" as the body wood I assume it will be light but it's rarely the case. 7.2 is just about perfect for a tele weight.
I was JUST at my local music store playing the blonde one and it was AWESOME. Had some binding flaws but it wasn’t heavy at all. Had a really nice feel and resonance. I wanted to buy it so badly. But. I. Didn’t.
I prefer the neck on the Jazzmaster, but for under $400 new, these are probably to best on the market! I was lucky enough to find a lighter example and add a Fender bridge. Beats most of the Mexican and maybe USA Fenders given the QC issues with Fender.
it's really impressive how good the necks are and I fully agree with your assessment on the MIM and MIA fenders, the QC has been beyond hit or miss more so with MIM the last few years... I think this is an awesome alternative.
Go give one a shot, I'm sure they'll still be on sale since it's fourth of july sales weekend ( if you don't live in the USA I apologize in advance you probably have no idea what I'm talking about haha )
yup,it happens.I had a seemingly 9 Lb classic vibe boat anchor Tele that had a poly-slathered neck that was super skinny so the poor balance of it felt like a paint stirring stick glued to a brick. The ugh! factor when picking it up off a stand made me NOT want to play it. This here is a styling aesthetic that kinda lends itself to further abuse(relic-ing) otherwise the 'satin' finish doubles as a cost-saving feature for sure? quick n dirty.
Yeah they designed this thing to absolutely "age" based on the hardware and the overall vibe of it. I get it and I'd have preferred if only the neck was satin and the body was gloss but hey, can't complain too much given the price
Great review, the guitar sounds very nice but, the satin finish and aged parts automatically disqualifies it for me. I’ll stick with my CV50’s. Looks and sounds beautiful. I may however try the raising of the treble side of the neck pickup to see how much of a difference it makes. Thanks for the tip 👍
IMNSHO - The as ever point is these "editions" come and go. See them on sale and plays OK, then great. Great general line but I would not pay over the regular line price for essentially the same.
not o me, I can't stand how glossed and plasticy the neck feels on the classic vibes. Outside of that and finishes, they are pretty much the same guitar.
Mainly because I don't know anything about actually filming, editing, or camera settings - forget shutter speeds I barely know how to hit record and then just play music dude.
One thing you can do for a dark neck pickup is take it out of the tone circuit, super easy. Several videos here, Ask Zac has a good one. Before replacing pots try moving the capacitor to 50s wiring, often that will give you a bit more throw on the volume control. If you do replace controls look for "J taper" pots, CTS makes them, Dimarzio has a version. J tapers have a higher ratio than the typical audio log taper pots designed to be like the pots from back in the day. At least look for 450G series CTS pots, they are typical audio tapers designed specifically for guitars, hence the G. The pine body CV 50s Teles had the weight problem, some folks were reporting 10+ pounds. That's a pound more than my heaviest 5 string bass, a bit much.
@@CHlEFFIN Highs remain when turning volume pot down altho the tone pot will also effect volume w/50s, Google Telecaster 50s wiring, it's different than Gibson plus easy to do
The small issues are turning up on Made in USA, Fret Sprout, Fender says you should fix it) can’t say that anymore as only 50% are US source, and now Made in USA has to be 75%. Used to be 100%, the 90%…
It's strange to say given all the other stuff that goes in California but they are actually really strict on what they will let manufacturers label as Made in USA anymore... that's why Fender USA guitars just don't say it period. I've also had some less than ideal experiences in the last year or two with new Fender US and MX guitars.
@@AudiomoMusic When Fender Ensenada was back in the day going into production, was some talk about CNC equipment problems, Corona is said to sent CNC bodies or necks South of the Border. That’s not a concern, something that large isn’t an issue easy enough to document. Now something small like a capacitor in guitars, or resistors, diodes and electrolytic capacitors (Illinois Capacitor has factories in Asia) in amplifiers PCBs, 3 way or 5 way switches, in guitars. Who’s going to know. Fender under its current stance doesn’t have to provide a chain of custody or provenance. Then again how can you claim made in America with an Indian Rosewood Neck, an Ebony Neck, or prove the Maple neck isn’t from Canada.
Not sure what you're on about in terms of it being a "heavy" telecaster. Just perused Sweetwater and found a bunch between 8 and 9 pounds, that seems to be the average. Also, you seem to have gotten quite lucky with your Gibson LP. Let's not imply that the standard for an LP is somehow 8.5 pounds or less. Mine is easily 10 pounds and most are between 9 and 11. Again, really not sure what you're on about. Good luck.
Outside of a few models from the 70's the overwhelming majority of the ones I've owned or bought to sell were under 8lbs with some under 7lb. My buddy just ordered one of these from Pro Audio Star on sale for 275 dollars and sent it back pretty much straight away - 9lbs 11oz. Never in my life have I seen a telecaster weigh that much, not even the all rosewood early Japanese reissues from the 80's were that heavy. So I did receive the "average" weight for this model apparently, but for a tele that's absolutely heavier than average.
Too heavy and they cost too much.....brands like Jet have quality alternatives that cost half of what Squiers go for. My MIM Fender Roadhouse Deluxe is watching me play a 229.- Jet JS-400 which is (after changing the pots) on par with the 4 times the price Fender......🎸🤘🎸
are the jets the ones that have the Suhr headstock thing going on? I've never actually seen one in person but I've heard other people mention in passing on comments here
@@AudiomoMusic The higher end models have a similar headstock as Suhr. The cheaper ones have a headstock that is more "Fenderesque" with slight difference, to me they are well proportioned and match the guitar to please the eye! Roasted canadian maple necks which play beautifully. Frets are decent but i always do some work on everything to 'own' it! The ceramic singlecoils sound really good, once fullsize quality pots are wired in, the bridge pups might be the only ones i would change ( Js-300 singlecoil, JS-400 humbucker) . The JS-300 is SSS and i did do a complete shielding of all cavities, connecting the jack cavity to the control cavity with a ground wire to achieve complete continuity and now it is quiet and a real joy. They claim to have bone nuts and even with the 'cheap' trems they stay in tune just fine! I am now really glad i had to send back the Schechter, now i have 2 amazing strats for half the price of the Nick Johnston sig, which i can hardly put down.....🎸🤘🎸
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. May be the reason they are selling cheap. Damaged goods.
So apart from the paint job you have same pups same tone/volume pots and that classifies as a 40th anniversary model...like Fender , Squire are dragging their bones sadly.
The neck to me is the biggest and only noteworthy difference, but it's a huge one. I hate the 900 layers of sticky gloss on regular classic vibes, this one actually feels nice to play out of the box but outside of that, you're pretty much right.
@@AudiomoMusic If you are interested do a comparison of the Jet JT300 , here in Australia it runs 1 to 150 dollars cheaper comes with binding , lockers , Wilkinson bridge with 6 saddles which is better for intonation. When ya think about it the neck finish would be the easiest mod on a guitar but it comes with a satin roasted maple one anyway. Not trying to diss Squire but I own a '21 Squire Affinity strat I paid 370 Aussie bucks for new then and haven't had to change a damn thing...nice neck satin finish LOL. I totally agree on the neck issue...if it aint right it affects the player.
Foghorn Leghorn voice: it's a joke, son. In a more serious vein, I did wonder if the weight of the guitar and balance impact you more. I'm a stroke survivor, and post-stroke I just don't want to deal with heavy guitars or full-scale basses. I don't think there's any 'manly virtue to higher-gauge strings / heavier guitars / bigger instruments. I do think that comfort is important - if one is not comfortable, it's hard to really focus on being musical. Appreciate the vid - that guitar is a lot less sexy-looking in videos than I had imagined. I usually prefer satin finishes (and would hugely appreciate it on the neck), but I just can't dig that flat red. Looks like a washing machine from the 70s to me. Thanks for the vid and humor.
He didn't like that guitar and made it quite obvious the way he played (sorry battered it) not a true review because he did not like it from the off grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
“Not a true review” 🤣🤣🤣🤣 im really sorry you wanted me to be another Fender yes man and pretend it was this amazing guitar because im sorry to say it is not. Its a perfectly fine guitar but theres good reason you can easily get them for 300 bucks new…
Yes, I'm a guitar snob that has both demo'd and praised guitars that cost HALF what this guitar did brand new many times on this channel. I'd happily take a 100 dollar harley benton over this guitar.
i got one, great tone, horrible build quality do all fender products ship unfinished, played fender for years and i have finally realized they need a ton of work to play well, i am done with fender i have 10 mij jacksons that are just way better than any fender or gibson i have ever wasted money on
Yeah honestly this was put together really poorly as were a few of the recent American Fenders as well. I only trust Fender Japan for modern guitars to be built correctly and not have any problems, it's a joke what the company as a whole has become.
![Oasis - Oasis Live '25 [Official Trailer]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/gol_JnuEtKM/mqdefault.jpg)
As my brother and I always say, "I'm not shopping for a guitar, I'm shopping for a neck." If the neck feels just right to you, pretty much everything else could be fixed later -- especially on a Tele, which is a wonderfully simple design that gets the job done!
The looks in this case are a definite bonus for me. Great combination.
Just too bad about those pots, which probably use two linear segments for the taper. That's getting more common even in mid-price guitars. My newer used MIM Tele probably exhibits that "fall off the cliff" a lot more than my older Squiers, but I must admit I almost never use my volume pot except as a "mute", and my tone pot is "set and forget".
Thanks for reviewing a guitar in my budget range! Though honestly, I'd probably still wait to get one used... :)
You're both dead on and I agree 100%, if the neck is not there the rest of the guitar doesn't matter to me at all. I just can't get over that part of any guitar. At least you have your kinda locked in settings with your V and T knobs, kinda eliminates the one issue I had with the stock electronics
I bought one a few months ago. It honestly has the best neck and playability of any Tele I've ever played. That's includes American and MIM. I love this guitar.
Love to hear it, the feel of the neck is absolutely the best selling point to me from this guitar for sure glad you ended up getting one!
I recently got the 40th Vintage Strat -- the pickups were dark, esp. the neck, so I swapped the volume pot for a 500K, snipped the jumper that ties the middle pickup to the bridge tone control and gave it s road test. Bridge was too bright so I soldered in a balancing resistor at the selector switch (as you would of you had a humbucker and single coils) and it was a touch better. Installed a steel base plate on the bridge and, despite my tendency to over praise my own efforts wiring wise, it genuinely sounds great. For less than $10 and my time.
Here's another: ditch the typical tone cap values, try an .015 cap, or .012 if you cant find a 5. The roll off will give you more possibilities and rolled all the way off you're very close to a cocked wah sound rather than that over damped "thru a sleeping bag" sound that's not terribly useful. (Altho that very dark tone is amazing thru a fuzz or a distortion pedal.)
What does swapping in a 500k volume pot change, and what is the original pot?
Thanks I Bought a Used , Ineptly Modified One,
But was Abused and Missing alot of the Stock Parts ,
So I am On the Fence About Returning it and Paying a Little More Money and Getting a Factory Stock Version
Great review - thanks man - tried one earlier today and thinking about it
I really aprreciated your informative and honest opinion. I already bought the Mocha one, but I found your review very useful.
Thanks for that, what are your thoughts on yours and how long have you had it?
just got one..in Malaysia..just love it! what a piece of great equipment
Most buyers do not and do not have what it takes to set up or repair a guitar, even minor tasks. It is their own fault... It is is not hard to learn or do, but most buyers do not want to learn how...
It's true many don't want to learn but everyone views music and the guitar differently. I have a friend that has a great strat and never plays it, pays to get it reset up once every few years strums it for a week and puts it down. It is what it is.
I just picked this up yesterday. I’ll put in either a set of TexMex or Deluxe Drive pickups. Then bit by bit upgrade with Fender parts…hot rod bridge and saddles, tuners. That Squier headstock stays. Maybe it’ll be a good Anti-theft device.
That pricing i can get behind. Squier has done a great job with the finishes. I love the look of the line.
100% agree, I really like the vintage editions they did a lot.
Great review and playing, as ever. Like you say, such minor and easily fixable/inexpensive issues so for a little money you can get a decent amount of guitar it seems - which is never a bad thing!
Exactly, swap out the control plate and pickups and it's really right there for well under what a MIM standard goes for these days.
I also snagged a red one from the samick factory. Plays and sounds like a much more espensive axe. i paid 270.00. only tele ill ever need, gotta change a couple tings mon'. Gonna take the neck pick up out of the tone circuit to cure the muddiness, replace the pots, put a different bridge on it so it will tune down a whole step. Right now i got compensated brass barrel saddles i installed and it will tune up in standard perfectly intonated.
Diggin this axe... 😊
I've just pressed buy now on Red 40th. Simply I was blown away by its looks, so I'm more than prepared to upgrade as I see fit , but I'll trust you on the new pots and order them now and swap out because I see what you mean about them not bringing the full range of tone from the pickup others may straight blame the pickups . Ace great stuff man. That guitar looks good on ya .!
Beautiful playing!
Thanks Douglas appreciate it!
I bought a butterscotch ex-demo one recently for a really good price. It did have a few issues with some of the nut slots, a couple of high frets (and one that wasn't seated properly). Once I got it set up professionally, its a fantastic guitar, easily on a par with any Fender Teles I've owned in the past. I'm ok with the pickups but, as you advised, I will change out the pots and wiring, and easy mod that will pay off.
Yeah the lots make a huge difference, more than most people realize especially on a tele where using the tone knob is really important
Just bought one today new for 298€ and it's great sounding and the neck feels fantastic!
Great playing by the way!
Made me chuckle when I realised the affordable guitar review was playing through a Benson Preamp into a Tone King!😄 Great review though, thanks. Most of us will be watching this on our phones or crappy laptop speakers so you could just as well be using a Katana. I was building a parts Tele when I noticed Thomann selling these for £259, it's arriving Wednesday!
That should say something in how I see things haha, out of all the gear in the chain I consider the amp to be the most important thing in it as far as sound goes. Even a decently set up 50$ guitar will sound passable with a good player and quality amp but I do see the humor in it haha
$299.99 at musicians friend with -30 off, so $269.99 right now
Yeah it's kinda wild. I've seen them for as low as 249.99 at pro audio star
I just bought one today at Guitar Center as a project piece for 299.99
Nice playing, my friend. Many guitarists avoid Gb major. You sounded great. Great video by the way. Cheers…
the neck paint is very thin, it will worn out fast and the white wood will show through, but it's not bare wood, it's another transparent thick layer
Last year I got an squier affinity tele made in 2021, it has the belly contour and string trough the body, saddles are individual, its a great guitar for the money, the neck is fantastic for me at least, the only problem I have is that it tends to neck dive a little and the pick ups are very quiet, but it's not that bad. Great video as always man!
Really yours dives a bit? That's kinda surprising to hear. Then again, I haven't actually stood and play this so I'll report back and let you know if I'm dealing with the same thing here
To make the pick ups louder you can find videos showing you how to push them up a bit. Should be an easy fix 👌🏽
I played one of these at Guitar Center this week. The neck finish was great but the width at the nut was too thin for my taste. Felt a little toy like.
Solid review. Thanks.
If it's essentially the same as the Classic Vibe...get one...used for around $300. Mine is heavy, well made, and with Lindy Fralin's...sounds GREAT. My son's 60's CV Baritone is also super nice. Tuners are crappy on both though...replaced mine. Scotch Brited my neck.....and I liked the brass comp'd saddles I added too...now a $600 guitar that plays like a $1600 guitar.
I bought this guitar some day ago, great feeling, factory setup, maybe I change the pickup, great guitar for price
Especially at the current sale prices it's kind of remarkable really. Congrats!
Nice guitar, like the satin finish on the neck. At 9:14 maybe check inside that there's no Volume Pot Capacitor there. These are common, and if so, then snip it off and you will find better overall resolution when adjusting the pot's magnitude.
Not the case on this one, but either way - super easy fix.
agree that the neck is amazing on these.
Just polished the frets, gave it a real setup, and threw in some new pickups today. Thing really is good.
I thought it was very light in my store. That’s why I liked it & of course the neck was fantastic.
They're gonna vary just like most guitars, but man when they are as heavy as non weight relieved les pauls I don't care where it's made thats too much for a tele haha
Jim, Great review! You have an arsenal of “budget” guitars and wondering if you have ant “budget amps” ? Maybe you can do some videos on how to coax guitar hero tones without breaking the budget? You’ve got the gear and talent to produce new videos without acquiring new gear.😊
I just wanted to let you know I did see this two days ago and I really have been thinking about it. I was fortunate to get a few of these budget guitars but I don't get excited about them and it's not stuff I really enjoy doing all the time ( few more to go). I do have a budget amp that i'm excited to mess with that was given to me by a viewer... after the holiday and things go back to normal i will have that up shortly for sure.
I honestly prefer my Sguires over my MIM, i had to sell my American Pro offset tele and i need to fill that hole soon, gonna pull the trigger on one of the Squire offsetts give some tlc and hope it gets me close enough.
I don't think you'll be that far off and if you are it would only be in the electronics honestly and as I said, not gonna kill you financially to swap those eventually.
for sure im going to end up swapping out the pups, i usually do.
i have one of these ilike it a lot its my new favorute guitar
Hey Jim! Just a suggestion, but for the more budget guitars you review, you should use plugins or a more budget amp to match with it. Great video per usual!
I'm thinking it's going to be the Helix plugin, and I've already been messing around with it... matter of fact a few of the more recent videos have been the line out of the Tone King going into the helix for an IR... sacreligious of me I know!
The one Classic Vibe I picked up to look at was quite heavy in spite of the pine body. Everything else was quite well done. My MIM Tele's are both around 7.2 lbs.
It's strange, whenever I read "Nyatoh" as the body wood I assume it will be light but it's rarely the case. 7.2 is just about perfect for a tele weight.
Channeling the inner Neil Young there!
People keep saying the pick ups are the same as the CV, but it doesnt sound like it is true.
What a fantastic video have a wonderful weekend also stay safe Jim
thanks amin I hope you've been doing well
I was JUST at my local music store playing the blonde one and it was AWESOME. Had some binding flaws but it wasn’t heavy at all. Had a really nice feel and resonance. I wanted to buy it so badly.
But.
I.
Didn’t.
A man of good restraint indeed, save that money and buy the Friedman it was a sign haha
I prefer the neck on the Jazzmaster, but for under $400 new, these are probably to best on the market! I was lucky enough to find a lighter example and add a Fender bridge. Beats most of the Mexican and maybe USA Fenders given the QC issues with Fender.
it's really impressive how good the necks are and I fully agree with your assessment on the MIM and MIA fenders, the QC has been beyond hit or miss more so with MIM the last few years... I think this is an awesome alternative.
I love it! I want one!
Go give one a shot, I'm sure they'll still be on sale since it's fourth of july sales weekend ( if you don't live in the USA I apologize in advance you probably have no idea what I'm talking about haha )
Nice sound!
Thank you 😋
yup,it happens.I had a seemingly 9 Lb classic vibe boat anchor Tele that had a poly-slathered neck that was super skinny so the poor balance of it felt like a paint stirring stick glued to a brick. The ugh! factor when picking it up off a stand made me NOT want to play it.
This here is a styling aesthetic that kinda lends itself to further abuse(relic-ing) otherwise the 'satin' finish doubles as a cost-saving feature for sure? quick n dirty.
Yeah they designed this thing to absolutely "age" based on the hardware and the overall vibe of it. I get it and I'd have preferred if only the neck was satin and the body was gloss but hey, can't complain too much given the price
For you, this Is Better the jazzmaster?
i'd probably say so based on the two I had, but it depends what sound you are really going for
Great review, the guitar sounds very nice but, the satin finish and aged parts automatically disqualifies it for me. I’ll stick with my CV50’s. Looks and sounds beautiful. I may however try the raising of the treble side of the neck pickup to see how much of a difference it makes. Thanks for the tip 👍
These are actually under $300 now at Musician's Friend. Unbelievable.
Indeed, that is insane.
289 on thomann right now. I might pull the trigger
I'm amazed they still have some in stock, that's a good price and thomann are great
Are the pickups in this guitar and classic vibe the same (down to part number)?
I was lucky and found one on FB marketplace for $180
Steal!
thanks, helpful
Glad it helped!
$299 @ Musicians Friend for the red and yellow... Natural wood $349
This guitar is great
IMNSHO - The as ever point is these "editions" come and go. See them on sale and plays OK, then great. Great general line but I would not pay over the regular line price for essentially the same.
Yep, I remember when these first came out they were $600 USD, now brand new for under 400 much more reasonable.
Is the classic vibe 50’s tele better than this 40th anniversary tele? I don’t know which to buy
not o me, I can't stand how glossed and plasticy the neck feels on the classic vibes. Outside of that and finishes, they are pretty much the same guitar.
those progressions are great! are they yours?
yeah I'm just kinda jamming around with whatever comes to mind when I do these appreciate it!
All the CVs are on the heavy. I have 4 and they're all heavy.
I saw one of these for sale that was 10.4lbs!!! A telecaster that weighs what a Les Paul Custom does! I was damn surprised
What happened to motion blur? Why do so many RUclipsrs use these choppy shutter speeds?
Mainly because I don't know anything about actually filming, editing, or camera settings - forget shutter speeds I barely know how to hit record and then just play music dude.
Just asking a honest question. The one time I ask nice dude gets mad. @@AudiomoMusic
One thing you can do for a dark neck pickup is take it out of the tone circuit, super easy. Several videos here, Ask Zac has a good one.
Before replacing pots try moving the capacitor to 50s wiring, often that will give you a bit more throw on the volume control.
If you do replace controls look for "J taper" pots, CTS makes them, Dimarzio has a version. J tapers have a higher ratio than the typical audio log taper pots designed to be like the pots from back in the day.
At least look for 450G series CTS pots, they are typical audio tapers designed specifically for guitars, hence the G.
The pine body CV 50s Teles had the weight problem, some folks were reporting 10+ pounds. That's a pound more than my heaviest 5 string bass, a bit much.
Solid advice! Zac is one of my favorites on all of youtube. Seems like such a genuinely nice dude.
Thanks for the brilliant advice! Out of curiosity, what would changing the wiring to the 50s wiring do??
@@CHlEFFIN Highs remain when turning volume pot down altho the tone pot will also effect volume w/50s, Google Telecaster 50s wiring, it's different than Gibson plus easy to do
The small issues are turning up on Made in USA, Fret Sprout, Fender says you should fix it) can’t say that anymore as only 50% are US source, and now Made in USA has to be 75%. Used to be 100%, the 90%…
It's strange to say given all the other stuff that goes in California but they are actually really strict on what they will let manufacturers label as Made in USA anymore... that's why Fender USA guitars just don't say it period. I've also had some less than ideal experiences in the last year or two with new Fender US and MX guitars.
@@AudiomoMusic When Fender Ensenada was back in the day going into production, was some talk about CNC equipment problems, Corona is said to sent CNC bodies or necks South of the Border. That’s not a concern, something that large isn’t an issue easy enough to document. Now something small like a capacitor in guitars, or resistors, diodes and electrolytic capacitors (Illinois Capacitor has factories in Asia) in amplifiers PCBs, 3 way or 5 way switches, in guitars. Who’s going to know. Fender under its current stance doesn’t have to provide a chain of custody or provenance. Then again how can you claim made in America with an Indian Rosewood Neck, an Ebony Neck, or prove the Maple neck isn’t from Canada.
Not sure what you're on about in terms of it being a "heavy" telecaster. Just perused Sweetwater and found a bunch between 8 and 9 pounds, that seems to be the average. Also, you seem to have gotten quite lucky with your Gibson LP. Let's not imply that the standard for an LP is somehow 8.5 pounds or less. Mine is easily 10 pounds and most are between 9 and 11. Again, really not sure what you're on about. Good luck.
Outside of a few models from the 70's the overwhelming majority of the ones I've owned or bought to sell were under 8lbs with some under 7lb. My buddy just ordered one of these from Pro Audio Star on sale for 275 dollars and sent it back pretty much straight away - 9lbs 11oz. Never in my life have I seen a telecaster weigh that much, not even the all rosewood early Japanese reissues from the 80's were that heavy. So I did receive the "average" weight for this model apparently, but for a tele that's absolutely heavier than average.
Heavier than Greeny?
I couldn't believe it but yep, noticeably heavier than the Les Paul.
I lifted one off a hanger at the music shop and that was the deal breaker. Too heavy!
They vary in weight
Too heavy and they cost too much.....brands like Jet have quality alternatives that cost half of what Squiers go for. My MIM Fender Roadhouse Deluxe is watching me play a 229.- Jet JS-400 which is (after changing the pots) on par with the 4 times the price Fender......🎸🤘🎸
are the jets the ones that have the Suhr headstock thing going on? I've never actually seen one in person but I've heard other people mention in passing on comments here
@@AudiomoMusic The higher end models have a similar headstock as Suhr. The cheaper ones have a headstock that is more "Fenderesque" with slight difference, to me they are well proportioned and match the guitar to please the eye! Roasted canadian maple necks which play beautifully. Frets are decent but i always do some work on everything to 'own' it! The ceramic singlecoils sound really good, once fullsize quality pots are wired in, the bridge pups might be the only ones i would change ( Js-300 singlecoil, JS-400 humbucker) . The JS-300 is SSS and i did do a complete shielding of all cavities, connecting the jack cavity to the control cavity with a ground wire to achieve complete continuity and now it is quiet and a real joy. They claim to have bone nuts and even with the 'cheap' trems they stay in tune just fine! I am now really glad i had to send back the Schechter, now i have 2 amazing strats for half the price of the Nick Johnston sig, which i can hardly put down.....🎸🤘🎸
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. May be the reason they are selling cheap. Damaged goods.
You make that thing sound like a banjo. It's cheesy at best.
Thanks James Gill
So apart from the paint job you have same pups same tone/volume pots and that classifies as a 40th anniversary model...like Fender , Squire are dragging their bones sadly.
The neck to me is the biggest and only noteworthy difference, but it's a huge one. I hate the 900 layers of sticky gloss on regular classic vibes, this one actually feels nice to play out of the box but outside of that, you're pretty much right.
@@AudiomoMusic If you are interested do a comparison of the Jet JT300 , here in Australia it runs 1 to 150 dollars cheaper comes with binding , lockers , Wilkinson bridge with 6 saddles which is better for intonation. When ya think about it the neck finish would be the easiest mod on a guitar but it comes with a satin roasted maple one anyway. Not trying to diss Squire but I own a '21 Squire Affinity strat I paid 370 Aussie bucks for new then and haven't had to change a damn thing...nice neck satin finish LOL. I totally agree on the neck issue...if it aint right it affects the player.
Well, now you can have them for 277 euros in europe, there I think you have places selling for 299 dollars or less, so... I ordered a blonde 😆
3,90 kg? 😩
Yep, definitely on the heavier side.
I've eaten people larger than this for lunch.
Im sure you have big guy, im sure you have.
Foghorn Leghorn voice: it's a joke, son.
In a more serious vein, I did wonder if the weight of the guitar and balance impact you more. I'm a stroke survivor, and post-stroke I just don't want to deal with heavy guitars or full-scale basses. I don't think there's any 'manly virtue to higher-gauge strings / heavier guitars / bigger instruments. I do think that comfort is important - if one is not comfortable, it's hard to really focus on being musical.
Appreciate the vid - that guitar is a lot less sexy-looking in videos than I had imagined. I usually prefer satin finishes (and would hugely appreciate it on the neck), but I just can't dig that flat red. Looks like a washing machine from the 70s to me.
Thanks for the vid and humor.
yeah I wasn't actually offended, I just got a laugh to myself because it was so random haha
He didn't like that guitar and made it quite obvious the way he played (sorry battered it) not a true review because he did not like it from the off grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
“Not a true review” 🤣🤣🤣🤣 im really sorry you wanted me to be another Fender yes man and pretend it was this amazing guitar because im sorry to say it is not. Its a perfectly fine guitar but theres good reason you can easily get them for 300 bucks new…
Your just a guitar snob not all of us can afford 2000 buck guitars
Yes, I'm a guitar snob that has both demo'd and praised guitars that cost HALF what this guitar did brand new many times on this channel. I'd happily take a 100 dollar harley benton over this guitar.
i got one, great tone, horrible build quality do all fender products ship unfinished, played fender for years and i have finally realized they need a ton of work to play well, i am done with fender i have 10 mij jacksons that are just way better than any fender or gibson i have ever wasted money on
Yeah honestly this was put together really poorly as were a few of the recent American Fenders as well. I only trust Fender Japan for modern guitars to be built correctly and not have any problems, it's a joke what the company as a whole has become.