Squier Classic Vibe '70s Telecaster Thinline - Natural Reviews

I never really liked the telecaster until I saw this one and with humbuckers that sound real good especially the neck pickup. Playability is good, stays in tune, comfortable neck. I noticed the high e string doesn't sound as loud as the other strings because the neck pickup wasn't lining up correctly with the string and the screw on the pickup. It looks like the hole in the body for the pickup isn't straight like the bridge pickup. If you look at it, you'll see what I mean. Otherwise great guitar for the money.

I wanted a 70's thinline but didn't want to shell out the cost for the American reissue. I thought I would invest in a set up so it would play better. However, to my surprise, this guitar needed very little tweaking to please my finicky action needs. Not only that, but the quality of the build and wood is just as pleasing. I did swap out the switch and pots which made a noticeable difference in the tone but no need to change the pickups, they sound great. I play some nice guitars but find myself picking this up for great looks and humbucker tone. Just so surprised in a good way.

This is really an awesome guitar. It plays every bit as well as my standard tele. In my opinion the tone is even better. Always wanted the Thinline but its a bit pricey for me at this point. Now, however I will continue to enjoy this well priced Squier- for a couple of years anyway! Sweetwater delivered this to me on time and I could've gigged with it that same night. That bad boy was ready to play. Thanks again Sweetwater

Great guitar. Plays way above its cost class. It looks great, sounds great and plays great. What else could I want. I would recommend this instrument to any player.

Stephen

This guitar is everything I hoped for in a Thinline. I love the pick ups. They may not be the same wide ranges as the originals back in the 70s but they sound great. The neck is smooth, no sprouts. The body is figured very nicely. It looks great hanging next to my other guitars. I did add a new bone nut because the one it came with was not filed correctly causing a ping. Had it set up when I had the nut done. Plays like a guitar 5x more expensive.

I've fallen in love with this guitar! After waiting the suggested 24 hours before opening, I couldn't wait to tear into the box. When I pulled it from the box, I was in awe! It is so beautiful and pleasing to the eye. I was so excited! After problems with FedEx were solved, thanks to David Hess and the Sweetwater staff, I couldn't wait to play this instrument. When ordering, I forgot to order a setup. This was fine. It was my mistake. I thought, I can get a setup here in my hometown. I was totally surprised! It was so extremely playable right out of the box!! The setup done at the factory was actually pretty good. Some new strings and a little intonation check was all it needed for me. The sounds this thing produces is beyond great. Nice Tele twang to a fantastic rocking/ blues crunch. And…from humbuckers! I've played Telecasters before that had the usual single coils and no doubt they had that great "Tele" sound. At first I was skeptical of the humbuckers but, they really add something to that sound. In my opinion, for the price, this guitar really shines aesthetically and in playability.

I enjoy buying and hot rodding squires and eps for the fun of it,and to see how far i can take them. I just bought the squire tele. thinline from sweetwater and was surprised and blown away at the quality already built into these "cheaper" guitars from china and indochina! The guitar came in three days and was set up playable when it got here. My band had a local bar gig and for the hell of it I played the show with it. I was amazed at the sound and function right of of the box. Oh and the weight, being fairly light was cudus with me too!For the buck this is a badass little axe! Once again Sweetwater and my pal and personal sales guy, MIKE WRIGHT delivered top notch service and made it all happen exceptionaly well.Sweetwater and Mike are a top notch team. I hope guitar center is listening. Maybe they could learn something useful. Oh and love the candy! makes my squaw happy too! Kinda blunts the blow of buying another guitar! Thanks guys, nice touch! Now back on subject. MY guitar was amazing. The finish is gorgeous and a beauty to behold. My guy Mike pick it out for me and it all matches beautifuly.Again thanks Mike, you are tops with us! I happen to have an origanal 72 thinline to compare it to and I must say, there are things that I like about the squire better.The 9.5 radius is easier to play( feels lika a strat. and is wider with a nice string spread. Realy fast neck to play! Im going to change the pots anc switch to cts and crl. ,but thats just my bad habits.They worked fine as they were. Im not going to change the pick-ups right now ,but I did change the cap to 047 to warm it up a little.Ill stay with that a while.Iff you are struggling with the notion of this guitar,GO AHEAD, pull the trigger.You will NOT be dissapointed.Great bang foe the buck! ROCK ON!!!

I am really enjoying my Squier Classic Vibe '70s Telecaster Thinline - Natural. The Fit and finish are perfect. It looks like a much more expensive guitar than it is. Frets are smooth, with no rough edges and a near-perfect finish.
That and it plays even better than it looks, and it looks good!
The thin line hollowed body adds to the sound; the humbuckers are warm and natural. I played it this morning on my Orange Crush Acoustic 30, using the Mystery Nocturne Brain BS-301 pedal. It sounded amazing.
At $, it was a heck of a deal.
A beautiful guitar that plays beautifully!

I have a fender American made stratocaster and a Gibson. I researched this guitar alot before I bought it from sweet water. The classic vibe 70 semi hollow body is a outstanding guitar whether you are a beginner or some that has been playing for 45 years the neck is true the setup was really good and the fender pickups are not bad at all but I don't think I will replace them I like the way they sound this guitar made by squire is a definite keeper thanks to sweet water they were outstanding I will not buy from another company only sweet water their customer service is great so give the fender squire telecaster semi hollow body classic vibe 70 a try you won't be disappointed.

I've had my 70's Thinline for a few weeks and it's a fabulous guitar. It arrived in perfect condition and was setup well. Neck and frets are perfect. I was able to choose a beautifully grained guitar from the online gallery and I couldn't be happier with it. Great, fast service from Sweetwater and my sales engineer Jason. Thank you!

Squier have been making quality guitars and basses for quite awhile but the stuff they are doing recently is probably the best they've ever done. Every detail is really just impressive. Looks and plays great.

So, let's talk about these pickups. I have never tried "Wide-Range" pickups before and was a bit hesitant to get one of these. I am so glad I got it. They sound fantastic. To me they sound like vintage wound humbuckers but with less lower midrange meat. And there is a slight peak in the upper mids. The output level is just a bit less than a regular PAF style but still strong. These have warmth and clarity. I love them. I know there are a few companies out there making nice clones of the original Fender Wide-Range and I may try some one day. But for now, I am completely satisfied with this guitar just as it is.

I may not have gotten this guitar from sweet water but it is a great guitar with a great tone
It has served me well for the past 5.5 years, if you are thinking about getting this guitar do it

I was a bit hesitant to buy a Squier--snobbish on my part, but I have a Fender Strat and it's amazing. I wasn't sure that a Squier would really hold up. Holy crap was I wrong. This guitar blew me away! It is silky smooth to play with either a soft mellow tone or a hell of a snarl on the bridge pickup. I like it even more than the Strat, and that is saying something. It's easily the best guitar I've owned (compared to Epi Les Paul and Schecter Damien 6), and you get a hell of a lot of guitar for $... In fact, I sold two other guitars after getting this one because playing them was far less satisfying after this one.

It was set up perfectly and ready to go right out of the box. I would not hesitate to use Sweetwater in the future.

I've had a lot of guitars.. Fenders, Epiphones, Ibanez, G&Ls and I can say this is one of the best I've ever had.

The guitar is awesome, love it, priced right and service exceptional.

This guitar is beautiful AND sounds very, VERY good... If you're looking to spend $... you will be totally impressed with the pickups and the tone... I'm very happy- thanks

Wow! What a great guitar and a tremendous value. Almost perfect out of box, had to tweak on string's bridge saddle...a grueling 45 seconds spent...unboxing it took longer than that.
About the guitar:
Neck:fabulous. Finish: literally perfect. Fit: ditto. Strings: just dandy.
It seems that they guitar making nailed down in Indonesia. ( I have played weird, offshore believed guitars for about 50 years (?!?), and buying them was always an adventure: go to AZ music in Yardley, find something you like, than carefully check all 13 examples in stock in hopes of finding 1 that wasn't junk...)
But I had heard about Sweetwater's guarantee and spectacular customer service, so I took a leap...so glad I did!
P.S.my Sales Engineer Mickey Cushing was really great...bought a bunch of stuff from him, partly because of his very perceptive recommendations. Thanks Again, Mickey!!

Great guitar, cant tell difference in a tele. Plays easy and smooth. Set up perfect. Thanks Sweetwater for that!!

I have writted 2 previous reviews about this Guitar. I have to tell you. I played it on it's first gig and loved the feel and the tones I could find , even very subbtle feedback which was very much fun for me to play around with, and easily controlled.

I am satisfied , thank you Gage and thank you Sweetwater

Frank Sciandra,
Tega Cay SC

Wow! Just received my Fender/Squier today and it is gorgeous! Buying a guitar is sometimes a scary thing online but I know from past experiences with Sweetwater that you can shop confidently and know they have your back.

After much internal debate and countless hours of Sweetwater, You Tube and guitar magazine raves about some of the Squier line of guitars really upping their value I decided to go for it with this baby knowing with Sweetwater"s 55 point inspection, generous and just return policy and their amazing legendary customer service that I really had nothing to fear!

My rep, Mike Picotte sent me the photo gallery images and my mouth was watering when opening up this baby. It was flawless and plays like a dream. I"m going to give it a workout this weekend but I think she"s a forever keeper!

If you are worried about trying a squire, don"t be. They have many of the identical if not in some cases better nuts and bolts than some of their higher priced Fender family guitars. I highly recommend this particular model. Each person has their own personal preference but if you like a 25.5 inch scale Fender then you will love paying about half for this model. The neck has identical specs to your typical Fender 9.5 radius C shape. When buying guitars you need to shop specs. Apples to apples. It"s a process but sometimes you find a value like this one and it makes you smile even wider while enjoying yourself playing a beautiful guitar like this. I have owned an American Standard Pre CBS (circa 1960), a 1976 made in Mexico that I fully customized to my liking which I still own and always wanted to add a semi-hollow 70"s Deluxe model to the herd. At this price, with these specs and features it"s a great value. Highly recommended! Thanks Mike!

I played guitar as a teenager, and picked it up again 20 years later. Nice guitar for a beginner. : )

I found this guitar in a review of "10 Squires that are better than Fenders" video on YT. The features that attracted me to this guitar were the maple body (I own 3 Gibson ES guitars that are maple/poplar/maple ply @ 6-8 x the cost of this guitar), vintage bridge & tuners, bone nut, Fender designed wide range HB pups, it is a thinline model, narrow frets & I like matching the body with the neck. This guitar plays great, sounds great looks great & stays in tune. I think the manufactures of off shore name brand guitars have improved considerably over the last 30 years. I own around 25 guitars including high end Gibson & Fenders, and a few collectable ones I picked up in my youth from the Sixties. I own 3 guitars that were made in Indonesia (like this Squire) & they are all quality instruments and will play right along with their American cousins. I would recommend this guitar for anyone either beginning to play or for an experienced player.

Sounds like a Tele without the hum! Mine weighs 8.5lbs, it plays and sounds great. Good setup and intonation.

I have to agree with the majority of the reviews on this guitar. I was very impressed with the overall quality, sound as well as playability. I've also owned US made Fenders and Gibsons and this guitar is a legitimate contender. I did get some minor fret buzzing out of the box but took care of that with some minor truss rod and intonation adjusting. The only real negative I noted was that the F-hole did have some almost unsightly powdery white residue which I was able to take care of.

This guitar is beautiful and the finish is perfect! Played great right out of the box. Thanks Sweetwater for the inspection and setup. I love the neck, the right amount of slim and it works better for me than the ones on the Fender Player Telecasters. The old fashion tuners were a good surprise, they work fine and it's great that there is no string end sticking out. I wouldn't mind these on all my guitars. I also like the tall narrow frets and these are finished smooth and have no buzz. This is a heck of a guitar for the money! Thanks Tiberius for your help!

The voicing on the pickups is amazing. So many sounds and tones. Fit and finish is great but that has been the case with all my Squire guitars. Docked a half star because the tuners are complete junk. Installed some vintage Hipshot staggered tunners and now it is a complete guitar. Buy this guitar.

I am a long time Fender player. Back when I started in the late 60's my first "good" guitar and rig consisted of a Fender Jaguar coupled with a Twin Reverb, which I gigged with and literally played to death! Over the many years I have had and still own Strats and Teles and many variations of Fender amps. I have always wanted to own a Thin-line tele but for one reason or another never "pulled the trigger". Recently, I had the opportunity to play all of the iterations of this guitar at the same time and in the same place, from the American to the Mexican and finally to the Squire. I am here to tell you that I could not believe how well the Squire held it's own against both the American and Mexican versions. So called "serious" players may scoff at such a claim but I swear that it' true, so much so that I ended up purchasing the Squire with no reservations about the alleged higher quality of the other instruments. It plays like a dream, is beautiful to look at and sounds all around great. My only slight criticism would be that the top E string slips a bit and does not always stay in tune. (I've had similar issues with far more expensive guitars). Not a huge problem, as I'll probably change to locking tuners anyway. It's the only reason I gave it only 4 and a 1/2 stars.
Additionally, buying from Sweetwater is a pure pleasure. I am impressed at the attention that they gave to me and to this instrument considering it's modest cost. They truly go above and beyond with a thorough inspection, speedy delivery, great pricing and unsurpassed customer service, which included sending me photos of my instrument and follow ups to make sure I was satisfied with my purchase. Kudos to the staff. I highly recommend this guitar to anyone who loves to play and extend my warmest gratitude to Sweetwater for making the entire experience exceptional.

Don't let the name "Squier" scare you off. This is a great value! The guitar plays really well...the neck and fretboard on mine are perfect! No sticky finish on either, and no sharp fret ends.

The pickups have great tone and character. You can get any sound out of these you want. With some overdrive, delay and/or reverb in the mix, they sound clear, yet with a hint of darker tone.

The saddles are on the cheaper side, but I was able to intonate the guitar without issues. The truss rod works well, and the action can be set to your liking pretty easily. I can't really speak to the quality of the tuners cause' I swapped them out right away. I prefer locking tuners, so I put a set of Fender tuners on the guitar (if you chose to do this, you'll need to drill larger holes...FYI).

Overall, you will not be disappointed with this guitar!

Out of my many guitars this inexpensive beauty is one of the easiest to play. The humbuckers eliminate the noise and feedback that the single coil Tele pickups sometimes have and the sound is full with plenty of drive. The neck is perfect with low action and good intonation right out of the box. Throw out the factory strings and put your favorite ones on it and you will be rewarded with great sound. Due to the radius neck and great string spacing I can play this axe for hours without any issues. It is lighter than many of my other electrics so it's no strain on my neck or shoulder. If needed you can adjust the pickup heights and even the individual strings as desired. Other than raising the bridge pickup slightly mine didn't need any further adjustments. The fit and finish of the guitar is excellent with well matched grain and smooth seams. This guitar can be used by players at any level as long as you like a radius neck. Overall this axe is a great value and tons of fun to play I recommend it. Only 1 minor problem with mine was a loose string nut at the top of the neck that I fixed with a drop of glue. Otherwise it would have been 5 stars.

I love the guitar itself it is beautiful all natural. However, mine was not properly set up and intonation was severely out. Took it to my local music store tech. We had to replace saddles because they were crosstheaded crooked could not set intonation properly. Customer service was awesome at Sweetwater as they credited my card for the difference that I had to pay out of pocket for upgrade. Spent a couple hours rechecking intonation playing guitar all day and it's perfect for me.. I didn't want to return the one I got because I wasn't sure it would feel the same.

Good Guitar I would check closely on saddles at the Bridge. I wish I had taken photo before and after but after is much much better now..I will be debuting this guitar on my next gig this week.

like to add that I owned a G&L thinline Tele but could not get used to the neck my new Squire Classic Vibe Thinline Tele plays like a dream I would recommend this product but take close look at Bridge and Saddles

...EXCELLENT thank you Sweetwater

Frank Sciandra Tega Cay SC

The Squire Classic Vibe '70s Tele Thinline is one hell of a guitar for the money! Great tone and playabilty. Can't be beat in this price range. P.S LOVE the F-hole.

I bought this guitar and this one came out of the warehouse. The photos was a generic photo and not the guitar shown. The guitar was great but was one with mismatched front panels. You can really see it bad. Was going to return but they have been out since. Another issue is that it looked like Squire put the wrong size saddles on it. They were fanning out being to big. I had to purchase the smaller saddles and they worked fine but about $ extra expense. After a setup which, I done myself, it played great. I also put some decorative decals on the front to cover up the wood mismatch (still visible).
Best to wait till they get photos of the actual guitars before ordering. I should have got one before the holidays. I'm stuck with this one. Like the sound.

The tones are great, love the look and feel. However, mine seems to have some issues, I believe to be caused from the saddles. Read some other reviewer saying the threading was jacked on the saddles, causing intonation to be off from them all slightly sagging downward. I think this is the case with mine, the high E string just wants to roll off the neck, and the gap from high e to end of neck is very small compared to my fender hh player tele with similar bridge/saddle setup. Intonation is a bit off all around the neck, get it right for open chords or chords around 5th fret, but high up is off, and vice versa. Some buzzing and fretting out on bends above the 8th possibly also from the saddles, going to get some replacements and see if that fixes everything.