My first guitar was a Squier. My dad surprised me with it on my 16th birthday back in 1996. It was the first year Squier was made in China. We were dirt poor when I grew up, so seeing that shiny red beauty quite frankly shocked me. Now I knew why dad worked all those overtime shifts leading up to my birthday. Now, 26 years later, that Squier hangs on my wall and still gets played. Almost as much as my les pauls. From the day that Squier hit my hands I learned a valuable lesson: The name on the headstock does. not. matter. You know a good guitar by how it feels in your hands.

I've owned a ton of Squiers over the years because they're affordable and they're quality... the latter increasing all the time. Cheap guitars have gotten really good in recent years and I think Squier has really led the way on that. They make good stuff for regular musicians and prove you don't have to drain your savings in order to play a good guitar

Jack Pearson ...enough said !!! Smashing guitars , way better than the crap that some of our hero's begun with !!! We are spoiled... now if only I could play like Chris.

In August 1983 (yep 39 years ago) I went to Denmark St with some of my saved up wages from my first year of work. I left with a Squier JV 62 Strat. I still have it. I absolutely love it

I bought a Fender Squier Stratocaster in 1984 and it plays and sounds as good today as then.

I’m glad you mentioned Jack Pearson . If there was ever an example of putting the WORK to make you sound good over the price tag of your instrument, it’s Jack Pearson.

All in the fingers. Some guitars have real character, from the moment you first hear them, some dont. But a competent player with tone, passion and feel can make any instrument sound good. Chris being an example for one and Steve Rothery being another.

Hi chris, at the moment you are my favourite guitarist, I love your way of making the guitar live and every day I strive to become like you, my greatest aspiration

I bought a MIJ Squire strat in about 1984-5. Played it on hundreds and hundreds of gigs. I still have it. Never changed the pickups.

I have two MiC Squiers, both are Classic Vibe 50s models, the Strat and Tele. I love them completely, total bang for your buck instruments and just super cool. I’ve heard so much snobbery about the Fender brand etc but every Squier experience I’ve had has been excellent.

My first guitar was a 57 Squier JV 2T sunburst Strat. That guitar will never leave me. I'll sell all the high end reissues first.

I say with a heavy heart after I've spent way too much on fenders from Japan and even one from California, Classic Vibe squiers are some of the best guitars you can buy. I have plenty of squiers I'd never sell for no amount of money.

This is a great piece Chris, thanks. I bought my first Squier in 1983 - a JV 62 sunburst strat which cost about £250. The quality was fantastic and I still own that guitar today. It is light in weight with quality electrics and hardware. The rosewood neck is perfect and better than many American strats I have owned over the years.

From LeoM: Squier has really come around. The Contemporary Vibe models are every bit the guitars of my Fenders. There were several years where Squire made Strats with a 12 inch radius neck. I love the flat necks and have bought some just for the purpose of getting the necks to mount to other guitars. If you like a guitar, play it with pride, no matter what the snobs say.

Squier and Ephiphone are often great guitars, and there’s nothing ‘wrong’ with playing them! My first guitar was an Epi LP, and it’s still a great guitar!

I bought a new Japanese Squire strat in 1983 as my 76 Les Paul was just feeling so heavy to gig with. It has seen a ton of use and still plays fantastic. Other than routine maintenance I have never needed to upgrade anything and it is still completely stock. Setup was perfect when I bought it. Plays better than most Fenders I have played. Still have both guitars, lots of dings from the road, but both great instruments.

You are so right Chris. I was 15 or so when they initially released, and most of us Fender American owners pretty much ignored them..now however, I own 2 of them..50s CV strat,and 50s CV Tele adjusted just how I like..

These friday fretworks videos are always so well-made; thanks for putting the time in to put these info pieces together.

Peripheral Vision by Turnover has their frontman play a Squier for the entire album, and it's a phenomenal record. To me, this is the ultimate threshold of Squiers becoming cool.

...especially that solo at the end. It’s electric. I still have goosebumps all over and it’s still playing in my head even though the video finished 10 min. ago. I had to come back and write this.

I own a Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster in butterscotch blonde and I absolutely love it!

I have 3 that I have totally modified everything has been upgraded except the wood. Give them a great fret job, pick your favourite pickups. Bone nut if needed, upgrade the tuners to lockers, change out the electronics for vintage cloth covered wire, top drawer pots and caps. Save a ton of money and end up with a great playing and sounding guitar. learn to do it yourself and save even more money and learn something while you are doing it. I even made one a P-90, single coil and Humbucker in the bridge. Great hobby. lead me to building my own guitars. Cheers Chris.

Oohhh sh*t you had me at the open, that was TASTY AF 🤯!

You´re a beautiful player. Great sound, technique and feeling.

I bought a Squire 70's classic vibe and I love it.

I'm a beginner. But in my early 50s. Wish i had started years ago. But now I'm hooked! I have to admit i was a bit reluctant to get a "cheaper" Squier and got a Mexican player strat and then my favorite Baja tele. Then i got a CV 60s jazz bass and from that point on I absolutely love Squiers. The CV series and the paranormal releases are simply great guitars. (Not just "for the money").

Glad to see Fridays back

I recently got a burgundy mist (incredible color) humbucker Squier Strat and it quickly became my go-to gigging guitar over my Tele, SG, Revstar, a few others. It's just too much fun to put down.

I bought my first squier a year ago, a squier 60's classic vibe, i absolutely love it. Sounds amazing and the quality is even better

I bought a 20th anniversary Squier Bullet in 2002 for $99.99. I bought it as a back up, but it sounds so good, it has become my main guitar. It has one pickup and volume knob, but sounds better than guitars that have cost many times more than what I paid for it. Love that guitar!

I LOVE Squier 🙂🙂🙂 I've been collecting and customizing them ( not all of them ) since 1984 and I own 78 so far and I don't see myself slowing down anytime soon... Yes, I also own a few very old Fenders ( and other famous brands too ) but I'm always in awe of my Squiers... Snobbery is a stupid thing, I never had any problem going on stage with my Squiers, even my Mini Hello Kitty 😄😄😄

I'm actually a bass guitarist. I own just, and only Squier Classic Vibe basses (1 Precision bass made in China 2013; 1 Precision and 1 Jazz bass made in Indonesia 2021). I just can't tell how much I love these instruments. The ergonomics, the sound, the quality of the materials all of it. Beside I also have a Squier Vintage White Classic Vibe FSR Stratocaster. I'm not that good on electric guitar yet, but that strat gives me the motivation to practise more on it. Sometimes I just can't realize that some hours just passed when I'm playing it. It's also true for my basses. :)

Super sad over the loss of Jeff Beck yesterday. Listening to your opening solo I’m for the first time hearing the connections with how you vocalize on the guitar . Thank you for easing my melancholy with your brilliance. May you have a long road ahead of you Chris.

Super tasty playing & great tones Chris, nice one mate.

I could not agree more. Even the 2020+ Affinity guitars are amazing ( even if the pickups sound a bit bland) . I’ve got American and Mexican Fenders as well as Squier Strats and even Squier bullet telecasters. I gig with them all

I bought a 2021 Classic Vibe ‘70s Squier Strat, a year and a half ago. Since that day, I $aved and search for a lightly used “Real” Fender Strat. And found a great deal on a gem about 2months ago. I bought it with the plan to replace the Squier. However, when it comes to Feel & Sound… The Squier is just BETTER! Now the Fender sits in its hard case, and I play my Squier EVERY day. I ❤️ it! I also bought the CV 50s Tele. It’s Solid. I highly recommend putting a Classic Vibe (or anything from the high end of the Squier lineup) in your hands and decide if a USA Fender is worth the price difference. Because I don’t think Mexican “Player” Series can beat Squier at double the price, you would have to pay 3-4 times the cost for USA made. That’s my 2-cents, not that it’s worth even that. 😏 🤘🤘🤘

The opening is beautiful.

I have a vintage 1978 Kramer with an aluminium neck which I use for recording at home and it plays and sounds like a dream, even if it weighs a ton. I wanted something lighter and to contrast the humbucker sound. One afternoon I was browsing Gumtree and saw an old Squire Strat for sale with 2 rusty strings and in filthy condition for forty quid. Such a shock when I got it home and cleaned it up. It is an Affinity 2002 anniversary edition (whatever that means) and it is totally beautiful looking, sounding and playable instrument. I have been completely bowled over by it, is all I can say. A fantastic guitar which cost almost nothing. Keep your eyes peeled. I now love these guitars. A slight problem with Strats, I find, when strumming I sometimes catch the pickup selector switch which sits exactly in the way if you get in the zone ( I'm more used to it now). I've never heard anybody mention this.

I have a JV Squire ‘52 Tele Export I bought in London in ‘83 - best electric I’ve owned.

Chris while listening to you my eyes were unconsciously roaming on your wall , found myself wondering where it was my favorite pic/cover ever .. was on your shirt!! Love love love Sinchronicity, instant BIG smile on my face mate. Keep your beautiful art ( and shirts) coming!

I bought one of the first Squier Telecasters back in 1982 - the quality was incredible and I gigged it for 20 years before selling it to fund a trip to (ironically) California - to film at the Fender Corona factory. I think I paid £150 for the Tele’ when it was new - and I sold it in 2000 for £650! On a sad note … I was using this Squier (butterscotch / blackguard) when I played with Louisiana Red during one of his U.K. tours - and he signed it for me … so I should never have sold it😩 I bought a Squier 1957 Strat too - and this guitar has never left my side and been played on so many gigs. They really are superb instruments … now if only I could play as brilliantly as Chris Buck…!

Bought my first Squire Telecaster back in 1986 and just bought a new one a couple of years ago, love them for price, quality and seriously feel better to play than a real one.

That intro jam was the jam!! Amazing playing man.

Still jamming on my 2007 vintage modified squire. Love it!

chris what an amazing intro solo! studying it right now

I own one Squier Strat Classic Vibe in LPB finish. I absolutely love it! The neck is incredible, the finish is perfect and I play it as often as my others Fender strats from US or Mexico! 👍🏻

It's always cool to hear those live jams! I've got my eyes on that Jazzmaster now 👀

I love to hear you play! Thanks for the informative video.

In 2016, a friend of mine who was a guitar tech for Guitar Center was repairing every guitar ever made…I asked him…what are the biggest steals in the guitar world…he told me unequivocally: The Squier 51, the Gibson “Paul”. I bought both. Back them you could get a 51 for about $100 -today they are still affordable at $300-$500. What made them unique was they were in effect a parts caster…a strat body, tele neck & head scotch, with Pbass circuitry and pickguard (HS pick ups) that allowed you to slit coils. I liter upgraded the pup and added a switch to tap my coils and today I have a sweet tone monster. I could not believe the3 quality I got for a used 2008 guitar.

Good call on Squire, I have owned one and played many I am always quietly impressed by these beauties - the 'classic vibe' series is astounding value

Can't wait to get my hands on a 40th Anniversary Squire Stratocaster Vintage Edition 😃

I got my first Squier on Sunday, the 40th anniversary Telecaster, and am blown away at how good it feels and sounds.

always, always! pleasure to watch your videos Chris. Your playing is outstanding , always pleases my ears and my soul! Hope to see you again in Ireland someday!

thanks again Chris

In late 1983 I bought a Made in Japan sunburst Squier Presision Bass and a couple of months later a black Squier Jazz Bass, each for $600 Canadian (seemed like a fortune at the time). I compared with others' Fender basses when in college and didn't notice much difference in quality or sound. I sold the Precision in 1989 and kick myself to this day for doing that. The Squier Jazz Bass has gone through some mods, the frets are gone and filled in with wood filler (when I was going through the Jaco phase) and I replaced the bridge pickup with an EMG active. I used it on hundreds of gigs, also featured on my channel (shameless promotion). It's now got that vintage feel and sound to it, and the neck feels sooo gooood. Love it.

Thanks for a great brief history of the Squire, which I never knew before.

I’ve really loved the classic vibe series. Owned a few of them. Excellent value. I’m primarily a Gibson Les Paul player but when I’ve had hankerings for Strats and Teles, I always go Squier. They scratch the itch and look and sound the absolute business.

Intro!!!!🔥🔥🔥🔥😍😍😍😍

I agree Chris. I got a brand new japanese Squier Bullet Strat in Hamburg, Germany, june 1984, I still play it here at home, in Lima Peru. I still love it. It is still perfect.

Yep! I bought a second hand Squier Esquire made in Indonesia and the quality is outstanding in every way, remarkable instrument 👍❤️

Squier guitars are very good these days. Their prices also got a bit high, but now they are literally piling up at shops. There are going to be some insane deals on Squiers this holiday season.

I bought a Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster 2014 model made in China. It's an excellent instrument and has zero flaw's or issues. In 2021 I bought a Fender Stratocaster FSR made in Corona California USA, and again it's a brilliant instrument with no issues. I have 4 other guitars but my Tele and Strat are my favourites. Though I've been playing for 40 years I wish I'd have bought some of the Tokai copies as they were great value and probably better than any mainstream branded guitars.

I have an 84 squire 62. it plays amazing. just played it on a gig tonight lol

My first electric was a Squire Strat, and while I was thrilled to get it, I soon fell out of love with it due to its quality issues and wanted a Kramer Baretta, which I got soon after. I have no issue with guitars being made overseas. I only care how a guitar is made, not where. My next strat was a '61. No, it wasn't stock. It had a DiMarzio Shockwave active system which was fun, but it ate batteries like potato chips. It also had Kluson style locking tuners which worked very well and a very good nut, probably not original. It never went out of tune. I wish I still had that strat. I would have upgraded the pickups to a good, non-active set, probably a Hot Rail in the bridge. Over the years I saw many excellent brands produced overseas, from Ibanez to ESP. I got a Horizon in '87, absolutely loved it. I chose it over a Jackson Soloist because it was half the price and twice the quality, and more cutting edge. It was the first ax with an ebony fretboard I ever owned, and the first neck-thru. In the last two years I got a number of guitars built overseas, all very high quality, from the Schecter Deluxe that is my main guitar to a Yamaha Revstar, Pacifica, PRS SE and Mexican double bucker strat. I made various mods to all of these guitars, loading them with DiMarzios, locking tuners, graphite nuts, etc. The basic craftsmanship of these instruments is extraordinary. Great fretwork, no snagging, and all-around high quality. Now, would I buy a Squire? It depends on the individual instrument. I always inspect the hell out of anything I buy. I don't take chances and order garbage. But I see no reason to buy a Fender, or even a Squire, if you're looking for a strat. Look at all the options. Most guitars in the world are strat style, no matter who makes them. There's no logical reason to get hung up on Fender, or even Squire.

I have a classic vibe 60s strat. I have played Player strats that can't beat it. It has the most comfortable neck I've ever played on a guitar. And it still has the most lush tone to it. Love it.

Excelent contribution....!

What Alan Turing and the Tapes said! Your videos are well thought out and interesting. Thanks for your efforts.

The classic vibe are a great way to fill out a collection without spending a ton. I want a Jazzmaster and Jaguar just to have something different and will definitely get the Squiers

I LOVE gear Snobs because they don't bother completing with me in the used guitar market. Fortunately, I was an adult when the Squier line was first introduced from Japan and I could see the quality right off the bat. Now, I have at least 20 Squier Strat's, Tele's, and Mustangs Made all over the World, starting with an '84 Silver Label Made in Japan Strat '61 reissue. Right now, the best guitar value I can find at the best price is the Mustang, but I can pick up used Bullet Strats here in the Eastern US for as little as $60.00 in brand new condition.

It’s the fingers and phrasing, but I ❤️ my classic vibe Jazzmaster.

All this talk about Squiers is fine, I own a couple myself. But Chris's playing! Just, wow!

Hey Chris, great video and I want to add that I own a Squier Bullet strat, Squier Bullet Mustang and a Squier Standard Tele with the last two being among the funnest and best sounding guitars I own. The Squier Standard Tele being a gem of a guitar, the neck pickup is amazing. People need to wake up to the fact that Squier are a great instrument.

The JV Fenders from the 80's & 90's are equally excellent if not more so. Hard to go wrong w/ Squier or Fender JV's from that time period.

Thank-you Thank-you Thank-you!

That intro solo is one of the more inspiring things I’ve listened to. Crazy good!

"Sorry about the camera lighting issue..." What camera lighting issue?...I was so absorbed by your amazing guitar technique, I was totally unaware of any lighting issue!

Beautiful riffing , best rock guitarist on earth:)

I love the Japanese Squier Strats from the 80s so much I have two. One's a 1986 Lake Placid Blue, which I put Lace Sensors in, and the other is red from 1988. The play so well. There's no shame in owning one of these.

I’ve had some very good Squiers-basses and guitars. I like modding so it has been a safer route to learn and experiment without too much worry of hurting an expensive instrument. In the end, I’ve an instrument I’ve really bonded with. Currently, I’ve changed my Strat’s pups and have 7-way switch to get some Tele tones. Sanded the neck. Installed treble bleed. Minimal expense IMO and it is a SOLID instrument.

Fender Squiers are very good guitars, better still under skilful hands. You sir… make them excellent guitars, because of how you play them!

Damn, that's some fine playing Chris.

Modded my Squier CV thinline with a Charlie Christian pickup in the neck, great guitar

Nice solo! Fascinating right hand panache! 😎👌

There’s nothing wrong with these cheaper guitars. The Squires and especially the MIM Strats can be made to be really nice instruments with a little time and effort. A significant part of the difference between an expensive guitar and a cheap one is the set-up and attention given to small details. I’m a firm believer that people should take the time to learn how to set up and maintain the instrument. It’s fun to do and saves a lot of money.

Thanks Chris!!

Excellent video as always.Thank you!

Back in 2000 and friend of mine bought a Squire strat from musicians friends catalog I was at his house after he bought it and I picked it up to check it out, boy was I surprised, I couldn't believe how nicely it played.

Just to quickly answer your comment at the start of the video about the camera/lighting- what's happening is that the camera is on auto-exposure and auto white balance, and so every time you move, it tries to compensate for the shift in lighting- for example more light reflected off the guitar, more ambient light entering the lens when your body shifts, stuff like that. The easiest thing to do is to let the camera set the focus, exposure, and white balance, and then switch everything to manual (turn off AWB, AE, AF)- that way everything will stay the same through the whole video, no matter what. Always love your content and playing, man!

I had a Squire Strat in the late 80’s which I foolishly sold. I’m now the proud owner of a Affinity Tele and I just love it.

After fifty years of playing I can say we are in an age of plenty - quality wise, and Squier guitars are as good as anything Ive played. Brand snobbery was born from the very real recognition that Fender guitars were quality instruments. There were other good makers back in the sixties, but there were also a lot of very poor quality instruments - I had some rubbish guitars when I started, but that was how things were back then. So I can say now, there are no bad guitars - only bad players and I think Chris, that you could make anything sound good. At present I own only one fender - a P bass, all my other instruments are from Squier or Yamaha or Ibanez. My personal favourite is the Squier Bullet I bought for a ridiculous cheap price. I set it up properly, using this instrument as a test as it was my first attempt at fret levelling etc, and it now plays like butter. Looks great too in surf green. It's not worth much to anyone else, so I'll be hanging on to it for a while I think. Thanks for the video 👍🇦🇺

Nooow I can start my Friday!! =D

Gosh, that playing. Wow.

Squier Bullet Telecaster is like a cheat code for a great, cheap guitar. Got mine for $169 shipped. Poplar body, maple neck, Indian Laurel fretboard. The only mod it really needs is pickups, since it comes with ceramics that really don't sound very good. There are some fantastic pickups coming out of China that can be had as a set for less than $30. Alnico V, copper baseplate on the bridge pickup, great-sounding neck pickup. New strings and a basic setup and it sounds better than some American-made Teles I've played. Or spurge on the same pickups they put in the Custom Shop guitars and you'll really have a banger for nowhere near what you'd pay for a US model. So glad they still offer these.

Gypie Mayo was also a great proponent of Squires, i had the pleasure of seeing him perform with the Yard Birds many years ago.

Its not what ya got, its what you do with it !

My Squier Classic Vibe Strat was great - not just great for the price, but straight up great. But I plead guilty to snobbery and I rarely gigged it. My original early 80s Japanese Squier Tele is hands down one of the best guitars I’ve ever known. There’s a certain irony that 70s Fenders now fetch ridiculous prices when Squier only exists because 70s Fenders were extraordinarily bad. In the meantime you can pick up 20 Squiers for the cost of a “vintage” Fender dog.

These are truly inspiring chops, my friend. The brand doesn't matter much... Your fingers do

I have a squire telecaster and I love it ,Francis Rossi liked it when he signed it for me .

This video proves that tone is in the fingers, not the guitar. I love Chris' playing and he is instantly identifiable whether playing a Squier strat or a Yamaha Revstar with p90's.

I got my first electric in 1985 - it was Japanese (an Aria Pro 2). I remember being surprised by the Fender catalogue I took home and that all the guitars were made in Japan. Apart from a Gibson SG I couldn't afford and didn't like the look of anyway, I think every single guitar I tried that day was made in Japan. Even to this day, most of my guitars are MIJ.