Oh I agree! But to me it sounds better with the upgrades, though I can see this is subjective. Most of all, it plays a lot better now. There's a review of the guitar before the updates, and I can notice I'm playing a lot more inspired after the changes I had made. But I think this is a great guitar without them, as long as you brush up some flaws.
I own this guitar too. it's one of the nicest playing Tele style guitars i have. I swapped the PU for a G&L MFD PU. These PU's were Leo Fenders latest modification to the original Tele PU's he designed. He wanted to make something better sounding. Imo he succeded with these hot ceramic MFD's. In fact i changed the whole ashtray with a G&L one. PU & brass saddles It's a beast now. In a way reminiscent with a G&L Solamente Esquire that's not available new anymore. Set up i can do myself. Love the stock woods of this Squire the neck feels fantastic to me.
I think it's a really cool upgrade. Although I'm turning a FSR telecaster bullet into an esquire. Custome paint job by my father who was a painter by trade. Then an esquire wiring kit with a better treble bleed from Starr System Guitars from Texas. Same pickup as yours. Along with the turners and bridge/saddle you now currently have. The nut will be done as well.
That sounds awesome! And a guitar can't get any cooler with a custom paint job, especially if it's done by your father. I'm really curious about the final result, please share it once it's done. And I think you'll be happy with the pickup, it responds and sound great.
@@StevenAnthonyGuitar absolutely. It is something that I will treasure for the remainder of my life. Then will be able to pass down to the generations after. I will share it for sure.
I own a black one, I’ve put a DiMarzio Area in it but just because I wanted it noiseless. It sounded great with the original too and I love the neck, but mine is sanded to feel satin.
I think the original pickup sounded great, but so does the SD. I got my black one about a week and a half ago. I swapped the bridge with a Fender vintage-style bridge with Gotoh compensated brass saddles. I had to drill the pickup mounting holes in the bridge a little bit, the Squier pickup screws were a bit too big for it. It sounds great. The wiring on mine is okay. The "bridge" position does allow me to roll off the volume but the tone is bypassed. I think I would like to do the Eldred mod on mine. Not sure if I'll replace the pickup, it sounds pretty good for a guitar this inexpensive.
I’d like to put a Fender neck with a 7.25 radius board on mine to see if it’s better. The neck would probably cost more than the guitar! Nice job, sounds awesome now! Far more open and expressive. What’s the other Tele? Vintera? I’ve a 50s model. Love it!
See if you can find a good neck used. But if yours is as lightweight as mine, make sure it doesn't get neck heavy. My Fender tele is a Vintera 50s Modified. I love the normal 50s as well, but the Custom bridge pickup and the v-shaped neck sealed the deal for me. Although I can do without all the extra switching options and I'm actually thinking of replacing them.
@@StevenAnthonyGuitar The Vintera mod is basically the Baja Tele isn’t it? Great guitars but like you said the circuit is too much. I like it simple as possible. The U shaped necks on the 50s are awesome! 7.25 too. The new American Vintage 2 range us highly impressive. That 61 fiesta red Strat is my dream guitar!
@@KRAZEEIZATION from what I've read it is basically the former Baja tele. And I like things as simple as possible too. On a tele I only use the bridge and the middle position anyway. And the new American Vintage series by Fender seems like a great idea, I hope to try them soon. And I hope for you one of those fiesta red strats is in your future, they sure look the part!
@@StevenAnthonyGuitar Thank you very much! Does this fact cause problems i.e. no volume control? : Position 1 - True Bypass- no Volume, no Tone, maximum Output
@@PieIX I didn't consider it a problem, even though I play brighter amps. I mostly used the middle position with the tone rolled back a litte bit and the ability to play with the volume control. The Esquire mod and the straight output positions I only used when the effect was needed.
@@StevenAnthonyGuitar Yes. Thanks again.I was considering if you were playing low vol pos 2 with tone,wanted to solo in pos 1 the unrestrained volume would be completely inappropriate/unworkable.Only solution I can see at this time is playing with vol up full all the time and control with the amp.(Or am I looking at this all wrong?) One presumes that Arty's had some resistance(?) built in which would prevent pos 1 from blowing the roof of the place i.e. completely over whelming pos 2 & 3.
@@PieIX no it's not that big of a difference, maybe 5% louder and 10% brighter than the middle position with the pots wide open. I wouldn't worry about it that much.
I did for the first year. Recorded great, fun for around the house and used as a backup with a session band. Since I quit the latter I recently sold it along with some other guitars, but not because it was bad, it was awesome but one of those too many.
Honestly if you have the technical expertise then buying $300-$500 squier and the small upgrades, pickups, saddles, nut then you have a better guitar than a MIM Fender for the same price. My squier honestly didn’t need any of these things but I know from experience that a lot do
Well, I think it depends what MIM Fender you're comparing it to. But there are plenty of situations and examples where upgrading a Classic Vibe can make it one of the vest value for money guitars. I love this Esquire, especially with the upgrades.
@@StevenAnthonyGuitarI meant their player series and I was very specifically talking about offsets since you can get a really good MIM player strat or tele but no real faithful offset for an averagely affordable price. But I had a classic vibe strat and I loved the hell out of it
@@RomanticDrip69 yeah I would get a Classic Vibe over a Fender MIM Player every day of the week. I love the Vinteras though. But it really depends on the situation whether you should get a Classic Vibe or Vintera. But for offsets I would go Classic Vibe as well.
I felt the same at first, but overall the telecaster holds its ground and I like the neck and frets more. But in this comparison it comes across as a bit anaemic.
@@StevenAnthonyGuitar The feeling is lurked me for a while, but now you made me want it real bad. I’m eyeing with this one, but in a lake placid blue colour. Thanks for the video!
@@benedekgabor. for the price these guitars are really worth it. I enjoy playing it next to my more expensive guitars and I still think it's good without the upgrades. I've got a review of this guitar in stock condition on my channel as well.
There is a little gear snobbery going on here. Changing the pickup may make it better or not. I have see a lot of videos where it didn't change the tone at all. As far as wiring and pots. A pot is a pot whether it is dime sized or full sized the result will be the same as they both have the same value. Same with standard wiring versus cloth. It is not going to change your tone at all. It is just a cosmetic upgrade. So if you are into making something look cool that no one can see, I don't get that.
@@markcaserta1367 based on your comment of my review of this guitar as well as this video, it seems like you also own this guitar and you simply don't like the fact that I didn't like it 100% as it was. You accuse me of snobbery and then you come with very uneducated arguments. First of all, I'm sure you can hear the difference between before and after the upgrades. Whether you prefer it or not, there is a significant difference. And as you knew from the previous video, the wiring was not done right on this guitar, so I simply switched it for a different harness that has an Esquire mod instead of the faux bass setting. I'm not even going to comment on your pots and wiring comments beyond that, because you clearly don't know what you're talking about.
In all honesty, it sounded great with all the original parts IMHO.
Oh I agree! But to me it sounds better with the upgrades, though I can see this is subjective. Most of all, it plays a lot better now. There's a review of the guitar before the updates, and I can notice I'm playing a lot more inspired after the changes I had made. But I think this is a great guitar without them, as long as you brush up some flaws.
Sounds much better with the changes you’ve done.
Thanks! I thought so too 🙂
I own this guitar too. it's one of the nicest playing Tele style guitars i have. I swapped the PU for a G&L MFD PU. These PU's were Leo Fenders latest modification to the original Tele PU's he designed. He wanted to make something better sounding. Imo he succeded with these hot ceramic MFD's. In fact i changed the whole ashtray with a G&L one. PU & brass saddles It's a beast now. In a way reminiscent with a G&L Solamente Esquire that's not available new anymore. Set up i can do myself. Love the stock woods of this Squire the neck feels fantastic to me.
@@hajwitlox6548 sounds cool! The G&L stuff is really nice.
I got to say the orginal pickup sound's great !
They sure do! They don't need replacing perse, but I wanted to go with a different flavour.
Hi , I have the same guitar and it is worth every EURO to me. New wirring and brass saddles and to me it sounds super !!!
Totally agree ofcourse! Glad to hear you've got one too and like it as well 😎
I think it's a really cool upgrade. Although I'm turning a FSR telecaster bullet into an esquire. Custome paint job by my father who was a painter by trade. Then an esquire wiring kit with a better treble bleed from Starr System Guitars from Texas. Same pickup as yours. Along with the turners and bridge/saddle you now currently have. The nut will be done as well.
That sounds awesome! And a guitar can't get any cooler with a custom paint job, especially if it's done by your father. I'm really curious about the final result, please share it once it's done. And I think you'll be happy with the pickup, it responds and sound great.
@@StevenAnthonyGuitar absolutely. It is something that I will treasure for the remainder of my life. Then will be able to pass down to the generations after. I will share it for sure.
I own a black one, I’ve put a DiMarzio Area in it but just because I wanted it noiseless. It sounded great with the original too and I love the neck, but mine is sanded to feel satin.
Not a bad idea to sand the neck a bit. Might do that in the future, or might swap the neck altogether. Glad you're enjoying yours too!
@@StevenAnthonyGuitar yes, i do it to all my guitars but if you plan to sell it in the future someone could not like it 🤷
@@djsangre yeah I wouldn't do it to my more expensive guitars, but with a Squier I wouldn't mind.
I think the original pickup sounded great, but so does the SD. I got my black one about a week and a half ago. I swapped the bridge with a Fender vintage-style bridge with Gotoh compensated brass saddles. I had to drill the pickup mounting holes in the bridge a little bit, the Squier pickup screws were a bit too big for it. It sounds great. The wiring on mine is okay. The "bridge" position does allow me to roll off the volume but the tone is bypassed. I think I would like to do the Eldred mod on mine. Not sure if I'll replace the pickup, it sounds pretty good for a guitar this inexpensive.
The pickup is good for sure! It's more of a feel thing I think. With the Seymour Duncan the guitar feels more alive.
I’d like to put a Fender neck with a 7.25 radius board on mine to see if it’s better. The neck would probably cost more than the guitar!
Nice job, sounds awesome now!
Far more open and expressive.
What’s the other Tele? Vintera? I’ve a 50s model. Love it!
See if you can find a good neck used. But if yours is as lightweight as mine, make sure it doesn't get neck heavy.
My Fender tele is a Vintera 50s Modified. I love the normal 50s as well, but the Custom bridge pickup and the v-shaped neck sealed the deal for me. Although I can do without all the extra switching options and I'm actually thinking of replacing them.
@@StevenAnthonyGuitar
The Vintera mod is basically the Baja Tele isn’t it? Great guitars but like you said the circuit is too much. I like it simple as possible.
The U shaped necks on the 50s are awesome! 7.25 too.
The new American Vintage 2 range us highly impressive. That 61 fiesta red Strat is my dream guitar!
@@KRAZEEIZATION from what I've read it is basically the former Baja tele. And I like things as simple as possible too. On a tele I only use the bridge and the middle position anyway.
And the new American Vintage series by Fender seems like a great idea, I hope to try them soon. And I hope for you one of those fiesta red strats is in your future, they sure look the part!
@@StevenAnthonyGuitar Stunners!!!
Sorry, RE's Custom guitars?, Aries Custom Guitars?? Can't find web site. Would you send a link please?
Arty's. The links to everything are in the description of the video.
@@StevenAnthonyGuitar Thank you very much! Does this fact cause problems i.e. no volume control? : Position 1 - True Bypass- no Volume, no Tone, maximum Output
@@PieIX I didn't consider it a problem, even though I play brighter amps. I mostly used the middle position with the tone rolled back a litte bit and the ability to play with the volume control. The Esquire mod and the straight output positions I only used when the effect was needed.
@@StevenAnthonyGuitar Yes. Thanks again.I was considering if you were playing low vol pos 2 with tone,wanted to solo in pos 1 the unrestrained volume would be completely inappropriate/unworkable.Only solution I can see at this time is playing with vol up full all the time and control with the amp.(Or am I looking at this all wrong?) One presumes that Arty's had some resistance(?) built in which would prevent pos 1 from blowing the roof of the place i.e. completely over whelming pos 2 & 3.
@@PieIX no it's not that big of a difference, maybe 5% louder and 10% brighter than the middle position with the pots wide open. I wouldn't worry about it that much.
Now that sounds interesting.....!
is that tone wood?
@@danielcarter3928 no I've added the tone wood later.
Hi
What amp did you use?
What pedals for crunch?
Thx
In this video it's a Dr. Z Maz 18 with an Analogman Prince Of Tone.
Very nice 👍🏻
Did you like it enough to keep it?
I did for the first year. Recorded great, fun for around the house and used as a backup with a session band. Since I quit the latter I recently sold it along with some other guitars, but not because it was bad, it was awesome but one of those too many.
Honestly if you have the technical expertise then buying $300-$500 squier and the small upgrades, pickups, saddles, nut then you have a better guitar than a MIM Fender for the same price. My squier honestly didn’t need any of these things but I know from experience that a lot do
Well, I think it depends what MIM Fender you're comparing it to. But there are plenty of situations and examples where upgrading a Classic Vibe can make it one of the vest value for money guitars. I love this Esquire, especially with the upgrades.
@@StevenAnthonyGuitarI meant their player series and I was very specifically talking about offsets since you can get a really good MIM player strat or tele but no real faithful offset for an averagely affordable price. But I had a classic vibe strat and I loved the hell out of it
@@RomanticDrip69 yeah I would get a Classic Vibe over a Fender MIM Player every day of the week. I love the Vinteras though. But it really depends on the situation whether you should get a Classic Vibe or Vintera. But for offsets I would go Classic Vibe as well.
Knocked the Telecaster out of the park.
I felt the same at first, but overall the telecaster holds its ground and I like the neck and frets more. But in this comparison it comes across as a bit anaemic.
Fuck… I want a Telecaster.
I know that feeling. Hard to imagine I didn't like them back in the day. Nowadays I'm thinking there's always room for one more! 😉
@@StevenAnthonyGuitar The feeling is lurked me for a while, but now you made me want it real bad. I’m eyeing with this one, but in a lake placid blue colour. Thanks for the video!
@@benedekgabor. for the price these guitars are really worth it. I enjoy playing it next to my more expensive guitars and I still think it's good without the upgrades. I've got a review of this guitar in stock condition on my channel as well.
If it’s worth it to the owner, it’s worth it. Just know that those upgrades will likely NOT increase the selling price. Just the way it is. 🤷♂️
Nope, just save the original parts for when you sell it. But to me those upgrades made a good guitar even better.
There is a little gear snobbery going on here. Changing the pickup may make it better or not. I have see a lot of videos where it didn't change the tone at all. As far as wiring and pots. A pot is a pot whether it is dime sized or full sized the result will be the same as they both have the same value. Same with standard wiring versus cloth. It is not going to change your tone at all. It is just a cosmetic upgrade. So if you are into making something look cool that no one can see, I don't get that.
@@markcaserta1367 based on your comment of my review of this guitar as well as this video, it seems like you also own this guitar and you simply don't like the fact that I didn't like it 100% as it was. You accuse me of snobbery and then you come with very uneducated arguments. First of all, I'm sure you can hear the difference between before and after the upgrades. Whether you prefer it or not, there is a significant difference. And as you knew from the previous video, the wiring was not done right on this guitar, so I simply switched it for a different harness that has an Esquire mod instead of the faux bass setting. I'm not even going to comment on your pots and wiring comments beyond that, because you clearly don't know what you're talking about.