Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster '50s ('50s ButterScotch Blonde) Reviews

Mike
from cheyenne wyoming
April 5, 2013Music Background:
hobbyist

Great value!

Believe all the 5 star reviews on this guitar. I couldnt be happier. Ben Robinson is very helpful and no "hard" selling on his part.
The Telecaster was delivered in a short time, in perfect condition. The fit and finish is exellent. It was set up and in near perfect tune. Intonation is right on. All controls work very well and the guitar has an exellent overall feel. One problem was a loose nut on the cord jack. 30 seconds later it was fixed. At this price range ou will not find a better guitar! They also sent some candy to sweeten the deal! Thanks Sweetwater!

Bruce Jackson
from Ft. Worth, Texas
March 15, 2013Music Background:
Learning guitar player

Great guitar and great service

This guitar sounds amazing and looks amazing. The workmanship and materials used are excellent. This guitar is a great buy. AJ Becerra's inspection made it playable right out of the box and it was intune. The guitar and AJ's customer service are top of the line. I will make all my future purchases from Sweetwater.

Michael
from Chicago, IL
December 18, 2012Music Background:
Student, Hobbyist

Fantastic Tele!

I bought this Tele in October and haven't put it down since! The neck plays fantastic, the pickups sound awesome, and it just looks nice. I had my doubts that this Squire was as good as everyone was hyping it up to be, but it definitely lives up to it's reputation. Great, usable tones from all 3 positions. I did replace the input jack and cup with a Switchcraft jack and electrosocket. I also replaced the flimsy switch with a CRL 3-way. The pots are full sized Alphas and work just fine. All in all, this is great playing, great looking Telecaster and for it's price, it cannot be beat!

Tyler Pierce
from Shelbyville, IL USA
December 13, 2012Music Background:
Amateur/gigging musician for twenty-five years

Smooth As They Come

I buy and sell guitars all the time mostly because playing a new instrument seems to inspire me, and like many guitarists, it's an addiction. I used to have many Squier guitars and sold most of them last year to buy a few Ovation Vipers and a couple Epiphone 339 Pros, which are all excellent guitars. At the time, I thought it was embarrassing to own Squires when I love playing so much, even though they have always been good to me. I own a Mexican Tele that is a really nice guitar, and I owned a pretty high-dollar American Tele last year that I sold because I thought it was a little heavy and I couldn't get the bends out of the neck that I wanted. After reading the reviews on this Classic Vibe (I previously owned a Classic Vibe 50's Strat), I thought I would give it a try. Not only is it the prettiest tele I've ever owned, but it's also the best sounding, easiest to play tele I've ever tried. I have small hands, and the neck on this baby is smooth as butter. I also get those great bends I was looking for and great action. As always, the customer service from Sweetwater is unequalled, so this is the place to buy it. If someone tells you that you're not a serious guitarist because you play a Squire, tell them to play it and I guarantee you they'll be sold. You can't go wrong with this guitar.

Jonathan
from
September 4, 2012

Wow This Guitar Overpass my Expectations!

Well i dont have to say too much cause my rating said it all! I have a American Deluxe Stratocaster so I know "how good can be a guitar" ! I can believe the quality for this price!! The guitar stay in tune very good, the stock pickups are good and the sustane of this guitar its very good this guitar its on the top of quality in terms of price! But believe me you would not be disapointed!!THanx Sweetwater good service!

Jeff
from New Haven, CT
July 25, 2012Music Background:
Hobbyist, Collector

Squier or Fender?

Have to say, this guitar is the real deal! Might say Squier but think these were a test for a Chinese, low-cost Fender. All you have to do is look at the Fender Modern Player series, MIC, priced like a Squier, and now what?
These guitars come in 2 variations, VB (Alnico-3) & BSB (Alnico-5). So actually besides color, a choice of pickups too! Can't go wrong with either, IMO, since this guitar is loaded with high-quality, vintage-styled appointments. Not a copy of a '50's Tele but a taste of the past with some modern taste.
This guitar played great right out of the box & with minimal set up now keeps up with many MIA Fenders I've played. I've tried lots of Teles over that last 35+ years & this doesn't disappoint. After a price-match, I got this guitar for what many used ones are going for, besides Sweetwater's 55- point checkup. Another plus buying here is seeing the actual guitar (even the weight) before buying. Great thing if buying online?
Highly reccomend this guitar. Mine is flawless, features like it's big brother & tone to satisfy anyone (mine is BSB). Finding one is the hard thing but you won't regret it. I have 6 nice electrics & this one keeps up with the best! Don't we all need a nice Tele? Or, two??

Robert Veesaert
from St. Louis, MO. USA
July 6, 2012Music Background:
Guitar Luthier Refinisher

Squier Classic Vibes

All I can say is what an incredible instrument & just as incredible is the price!

Sweetwater treated me like a MILLION DOLLAR Customer regardless of what I spent.

The guitar I received was actually better than pictured once in my hands & the tone, wow the tone is absolutely amazing! I'm mostly a Gibson Player & refinisher however I've always wanted a 'good' Telecaster. Sweetwater has provided me with everything in Spades!

The candy in the package is like icing on the cake! What a sweet surprise!

I will definitely be back & if you're looking for a stellar personal assistant @ Sweetwater give Ed Needler a call. He is without a doubt one of the biggest reasons I purchase from Sweetwater.

Sure I could go somewhere else & shave maybe a few dollars off my purchase but at what cost to me? Believe me you get way more than what you pay for when you buy from Sweetwater.

Will definitely be back!

Thanks for everything Ed. :)

Wishing you continued success!

Robert V.

Matt
from Kansas City, MO
June 22, 2012Music Background:
Hobbyist

Phenomenal Guitar

I have had my CV 50’s Tele now for two weeks and can honestly say, price independent, it is a phenomenal guitar. Mine is the butterscotch with the alnico V pickups. Out of the box it played very well and the quality from the fit / finish to the intonation and fret work was very good; the brass barrels in the bridge are a nice touch. I changed the strings to Elixir 10 – 46, lowered the set-up slightly and was blown away! Those little tweaks took the sound and playability to the level of my American Standard Strat.

So far I have played two gigs with this guitar and have had several people comment not only on the looks but also keep asking the same question, “How do I get such a great tone from a Squire Tele with such limited gear?” I do not claim to be any kind of great player I am just a fairly solid rhythm guy but I am a bit fanatical about sound quality. My set up is as follows: I run either the Tele or Strat through a Fulldrive 2 and into my AC15C1 or Fender BDRI, that’s it. The guitar just sounds great whether playing clean or pushing a bit of overdrive and it responds exceptionally well to the dynamics of my playing.

I am not complaining but I have no idea how or why Fender is letting such a great guitar be made in China for such a stupidly low price. All I can advise is that you do yourself a favor and get one of these guitars yesterday before someone comes to their senses and they double the price, (which now owning one would gladly pay).

jorobnew
from New Hampshire
May 22, 2012Music Background:
hobbyist, gigging musician.

impressed!

I purchased this guitar on a thursday and it was shipped and delivered on saturday at 1pm!! The guitar was in tune and set up perfectly to my liking. I even used that same night at a gig and I just cant say how impressed i am with this guitar. I had to tune it once all night! The tones I was getting were just great. big round clean sounds, chimy crunch, and growling overdrive tones! Ive been wanting a telecaster forever and I'm so glad that I made the choice to go with the classic vibe. Its stunning visually and plays like a dream at a price that was easy. I have a feeling my other guitars are gonna be a little lonely!!

Anthony Lawson
from Orange Park, Florida USA
May 1, 2012Music Background:
Guitar player

Incredible instrument

I have been itching for a Tele for the past few years, but couldn't justify spending a lot of money to get the sound I wanted. Then I started reading all of the Classic Vibe reviews, and I decided to give this guitar a try. Wow, is the best way to describe this instrument. Blues, Jazz, Rock, Country, and everything in between. This guitar can do it all. It's just my opinion, but if you want the Tele sound at a reasonable price, BUY THIS GUITAR.

robert byles
from United States
March 26, 2012Music Background:
pro musician

comepletely surprised!

i own a mid 90s fender american tele and just picked one of these up about a week ago..took it out of the box and was completely blown away by the quality of the guitar and how well it plays...was gonna change out the pickups before i ever picked it up and now keeping them in because they sound great. The stigma behind squier is slowly fading away

Curly Jones
from New England
March 7, 2012Music Background:
Pro Musician

Home Run for Fender!

The Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster is every bit as good as the reviews claim. I actually like it better than Fender American Teles I've owned in the past. The neck is more comfortable and the thing is very well put together. Nice fret work. Stays in tune and has that classic Tele sound. But most of all I appreciate Sweetwater's customer service -- where they check the guitar over before they ship it. No more dead pickups and twisted necks.

TERRY GREENAWALT
from HUDSON, FL.
December 5, 2011Music Background:
50 PLUS YEARS. BOTH PRO & HOBBYIST.

FENDER SQUIRE CLASSIC VIBE TELECASTER

A VERY NICE GUITAR IN EVERY WAY AND FOR THE MONEY YOU
CAN'T BEAT IT. EXCELLENT WORKMANSHIP. FIT AND FINISH
EXCELLENT. SETUP VERY GOOD, ALTHOUGH I DID MAKE S0ME
INTONATION ADJUSTMENTS. PROBABLY JUST ME. BEAUTIFUL
SOUND. AND HEY THE LOOK. BEAUTIFUL VINTAGE TELE. I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS GUITAR TO ANYONE.

Chris from Arlington, VA
from Arlington, VA
November 26, 2011Music Background:
Part-time gig, full-time guitar enthusiast, perpetual guitar student

In love with a blonde

I own a '97 American Telecaster, and am so impressed with the comfort, playability, twanginess and hella sexy looks of this blonde, I can't put her down! This was one I'd been researching for a long time for, and who'da thunk it would be a Squier. I can't recommend highly enough. It was well set-up right out of the box, and was packed meticulously. I see that this model moves fast off the Sweetwater website, so get one while you can.

Sven
from CA
October 24, 2011Music Background:
Bar Hack.

Overall RAting Says it all!

This guitar plays itself! I'm stunne dby the value. I had heard that CV Teles wer a great value, but I took it with a grain of salt.

This guitar came set up perfectly out of the box. It sounds like a tele should and it just kicks ***!

Mac Hatton could not have been any better about the service of the sale either. I'm a budget minded hobby player but he treats me like I'm just as imortant as the "big" sales. Thanks Mac.

Carson
from Ft Wayne IN
October 12, 2011Music Background:
Electronic musician, Performer, Recording

Highly Recommended

I was told by multiple people that this would be an excellent purchase and that I would be very happy. This was coming from about 10 guitar players that have been playing for years and several techs. They were right. I love it, it plays great and it's an excellent price.

I've already added a Fender Hot Rod to my rig and I plan on adding a Bigsby to this in the near future.

Wes Graham
from Dallas,GA
September 8, 2011Music Background:
Hobbyist

The Pine Body is Great

This is a great guitar and fun to play. It is very resonate when played unplugged. The finish and tight grain pattern on mine is beautiful. It weighs 8 pounds, the same as my alder strat.

When I was ready to order, Sweetwater had 5 to choose from. I placed my order by telephone. I chose the S/N of the one I wanted from looking at the pictures on their site. I chose the one with the darkest finish and that is the one they shipped.

The guitar is flawless. Neck and hardware are fine. I only adjusted the truss rod, with the included wrench, raised the action, and changed the strings to 10s. The bridge pickup sounds fantastic.

As far as workmanship, this guitar had more attention to quality control than either of my American Fender or Gibson guitars had.

Tommy Willis
from Gunnison, CO
July 16, 2011Music Background:
Hairy legged guitar picker.

My new Tele

I am really blown away with this Tele. I'm the proud owner of Serial # CGS1102159. This is by far the best out of the box guitar I've ever owned. The Quality run on this series is unmatched from any foreign manufacturer I've had experience with. Simply fantastic from the fretwork to the finish.
Takes me back to Bakersfield. It's THAT good. Get one before they're all gone. You won't regret it.

Gethin
from USA
July 8, 2011Music Background:
Music is my calling

A Ridiculously Incredible Bargain (and a great guitar)

Squier's Classic Vibe series has hit yet another home run! This thing is a twang-o-matic monster!!!! The tone, playability, looks put most $1,000.00 guitars to shame...thanks again to Mike Harris and the incredibly helpful staff at Sweetwater (as well as being more patient with my guitar jonesing than I deserve)!! =;o)

Jim
from Herrenberg, Germany
September 16, 2012Music Background:
Hobbyist

Perfect for Why I Got It

I wanted a Tele I could take anywhere without worrying about it. I have an American Standard 2009 that is my main guitar, but I don't feel comfortable throwing it in the trunk of my car in a gig bag, taking it on a train, etc. I thought the CV50 would be the perfect axe for that and I three months later, I am super satisfied. Workmanship of the neck and body is superb, although the edges of the body on mine are a bit "sharper" than on my Am STD. Pots seem high quality, and the pickups sound great through a variety of amps. It was well set up and extremely playable out of the box.

I'm taking off half a star because the input jack was terrible. No matter what I did, I couldn't get it to stay tight. I upgraded to a Electrosocket and now it's rock solid. The selector switch also feels cheap compared with my Am STD. It works fine, but I may upgrade that at some point too.

The finish on the neck is somewhat plastic feeling initially, but after playing for a few days, I don't even notice it anymore. I did take a green pad to the back of the neck for a few minutes to "satinize" the finish and it worked extremely well.

My CV50 is not the equal of my AM STD, but it is a very good guitar and really has the Tele sound perfectly nailed. I can take this to places I would never take the other one without worrying if it gets dinged up or stolen. I would definitely buy one of these again if something happened to this one. It's just too bad the switch and the socket weren't up the the stand of the rest of this guitar.

tim
from United States
July 19, 2012Music Background:
Hobby/Student

first tele

Great guitar, easy to play, sounds great (to me); haven't been playing long, need a hobby as I am getting older. always liked telecasters after hearing Roy Buchanan (back in the day). Any way, didn't want to spend $1500, and this got a some great reviews so I got it. Mike @ Sweetwater was great, if all at SW are like him, this is a great company to deal with.

Chapchep
from Fort Hood, TX
June 26, 2012Music Background:
Worship leader, hobbyist

Sweet Mercy!

Don't want to put it down! Thank you Sweetwater Team for gett'en this out there. Shipping, packing, pre-inspection, setup....great right out of the box. Put on some 10's and with a little tweak on the neck and saddles...Wow, tone machine. Not 5 stars due to the input cup coming loose; however, I put some nail polish on the threads and tightend it back in. Smooth as butter and covers everything.

Will Lazar
from Thornton, NH
October 11, 2011Music Background:
professional musician.

Great Guitar!

I've owned many guitars over the last 25+ years of playing. I have to admit that I was definitely a little skeptical about owning a squire as opposed to a
"real" Fender. This guitar is very similar to a 52' reissue Telecaster. It plays well, has nice sounding pick ups, and looks great. If there were one thing I would change on this, it is the pick ups. These sound very nice, but I'm just a little too picky about tone sometimes. Great Guitar overall.....

Ed
from United States
September 21, 2011Music Background:
Hobbyist/Gigging Musician

Very Solid Guitar at a Good Price

I've owned and played a number of guitars, but found myself wanting a telecaster off and on for some time. I started looking into them to see what was available and affordable, and this model came up at the top of the heap. After looking around online and playing a couple locally, I decided to snag one from Sweetwater based on their thorough guitar inspection and reputation for service.

I played both CV models and chose the butterscotch over the vintage blond (white). The main difference between the two is not merely cosmetic- the pickups are different. I chose the Butterscotch because I preferred the sound of the Alnico V set over the Alnico 3s- if you want that bridge to have that classic twang for days, this is the one for you. The white model didn't sound bad at all, but I think it was more balanced. That wasn't what I was after- I wanted a tele to be a tele, and this one does the trick. But if you want maximum versatility, the other model may be more your thing. Look into the different types of pickups and listen to teles with both to hear the difference. If you're a country player, or want that sound, the butterscotch is your pick, no question. Classic rock, you may want to look at the other one. Though it's hard to go wrong- both sound great.

I usually expect to tinker with guitars in this price range- swap the pickups, upgrade some parts, etc- in this case I don't believe I need to at all. The pickups sound like I want them to, and I can't detect anything in the way of mud- but then this is such a bright, clear guitar, that's not entirely surprising. Great tone, I think- but let your ears decide, since that's entirely subjective. I will say that the treble does NOT get overly harsh- the bridge is very bright but it doesn't get piercing. Though you can use the very effective tone knob to dial out some highs if you need to- it's got a wide sweep.

The neck is a bit slimmer on these than on any other tele I've played, which I rather like, but you may not- it reminds me more of a typical strat neck. As to weight, it's not too heavy, though not remarkably light either.

Not much else to say- if you're looking for the classic telecaster sound and/or look but don't want to break the bank, this guitar deserves a serious look. Aside from the classic guitar-nerd appeal (the eyebrow-raising choice of pine is true to early Broadcasters), it's a well-built instrument that I'm happy to own.

Lastly, I strung mine with a set of D'addario 120+ strings- they're a half gauge set, between 9s and 10s. I mention it because they're great on this guitar- you can still bend on the first few frets with ease, but they aren't as floppy and thread-like as I find standard 9s. Strings are personal, but you might want to look into them, too.

Dennis Mickley
from Chambersburg, PA
September 4, 2011Music Background:
Semi pro musician, live sound, studio musician 30 + yrs

Scratched my Tele itch

Researched this guitar and played two models at various Brick and mortar stores. Have two 72 thinline reissues 50 yr/60yr anniversary and tele deluxe.
just received and played two gigs. the pick ups for me are perfect..roots rock and blues..sound great in all my amps very articulate even with overdrive..very ,very pleased.. Sweetwater is the only place I will a guitar on line from...
I am amazed at the fit and finish..can't put it down..

William Bathurst
from United States
March 26, 2012Music Background:
hacker

first choice

I own one of these, it was a christmas gift to my son. when we purchased it I had 4 teles lined up on stands ranging from 300 to 1200 dollars with no price tags on them. as my son played them we kept rotating the Tele's, we all picked the classic vibe over the others...Amazing....and we still love it

Topper Fralick
from USA
May 6, 2013Music Background:
Hobbyist, amateur musician and composer.

My friends are amazed by this guitar!

Good sound and build quality for a steal!
I have owned and played many Telecasters and Telecaster copy guitars.
The Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster '50s model that I ordered from Sweetwater is as good as any Tele that I have owned!
Although not quite up to par when compared with a true Fender 50s reissue, this Tele can hold its own for a fraction of the price!
I had to do a bit of adjusting and tweaking on the neck and bridge as well as a minor repair on the tone knob. But that is no big deal! Most guitar players tweak on any new instrument.
After getting the Tele set up the way I like it, I took it to a jam session and showed it to some friends. They were amazed by the guitar and the tones. They couldn't believe the feel and sound for a guitar in this price range!
I highly recommend this guitar if you are on a budget and looking for that Telecaster vibe for your jam sessions, gigs or home recording.

myke carroll
from Blue Ridge GA USA
March 25, 2013Music Background:
Pro musician, recording artist

It's a real Tele!

This was my very first online instrument purchase. normally I want to check out a guitar "hands on" to make sure it has a good acoustic sound. You can put all kinds of pickups and electronics in a guitar but if it doesn't sound good unplugged you are just wasting money! when this guitar arrived I pulled it out of the box and was pleasantly surprised to find a very beautiful butterscotch blonde tele staring back at me. The photos (as good as they are) did not do justice to the instrument. so far so good. a quick check of the tuning and then the acid test, the intro to Hendrix "Little Wing". Hey,this thing don't sound bad at all! A little hammer work on the second fret to seat it properly (CNC machines have their limitations) and then on to the amplified test to see what kind of pickups,controls and switches it's gonna need. Hmmm, sounds really good on the front pickup through my old vibro champ. go to the back pickup and all of a sudden I think I'm Roy Buchannon! volume and tone controls work great, this thing is a player straight outta the box! the only problem with this guitar was it was supposed to weigh in at just a little over 8lbs and it tipped the scales at 9lbs 12oz! a misprint on the site apparently? Oh well, after a belly carve and some weight reduction under the pickguard she weighs in at 7lbs 13oz. I also carved the neck joint at an angle and replaced the neckplate with grommets and machine screws. So now I have a custom tele that cost peanuts compared to ordering the same thing from the custom shop which would cost the price of a new car!!! Thanks Sweetwater for a very good deal and thanks to my sales rep Dustin Keesberry for making it very easy................MC