Christmas cheer!

[TheDude]

Best wishes for the new year, bluesers!

Ok, so out of the blue Mrs Dude tells me: "Honey, you just got your Xmas bonus... Who am I to keep you from buying another guitar?" Needless to say I didn't hesitate to take her word for it!

Ended up buying me something I never thought I would: a SQUIER! Bought the new Squier Classic Vibe Tele, with a pine body, one-piece tinted maple neck and alnico III pickups. Tried it at a local music store and didn't hesitate one minute. Made in China, but she's a beauty. Plays really great and sounds really great too. We'll see how the tuners hold up in a year's time. For now they'll do.

Didn't know what to expect from the pine body, but she's heavier than I thought she'd be. There'll be a whole lotta twangin' going on in my house.

Saw the classic vibe Strats too and they actually looked pretty good too. And for +/- 290 EUR you can't complain. By comparison a MIM Standard costs about 450 EUR. The Squier's at least just as good and I actually like the pickups more than the MIM. Is Squier aiming for that "middle-class" market these days or what?

[leftyguitarman]

Is Squier aiming for that "middle-class" market these days or what?

I think Squier is really changing their quality. They used to be absolutely terrible guitars, but I've played a few over the last year or so and they seem a lot nicer than what they used to be.

Congrats on the new axe! It sounds like Mrs. Dude is a pretty cool lady. If she lets you buy guitars, keep her around.

[MakaInOz]

The QA with Squier might be a bit variable, but the good ones are great value.

Eldest son got himself a Squier Vintage Jazz Bass and was there when the truck arrived at the music store. He watched them unpack the two identical basses and set them up. There was quite a bit of difference between the two - one seemed 'straighter' and had better finish and just sounded better, so he picked that one.

#2 son got himself a Squier Standard Fat Strat as his first new guitar after his second-hand Japanese Coronet (not an Epi) that he learnt on. Its provided good service for a number of years - no problems at all.