What's all the fuss about Classic Vibes?

Just a point... The shop owner is wrong regarding Epiphones. For the last several years Epis have been built in their own factories and make only Epiphone guitars. The original staff for these dedicated factories was managed by Gibson management and trainers who worked hard to get all production up to Gibson's standard. These newer guitars are actually pretty darn good. I have a Les Paul Custom that is really sweet and flawless. Yes, Gibson pickups would be an improvement but the stocks ones are not bad at all.

 

Sorry ...I have had both strats and cant see much difference.

 

Cool more JV's for me.

 

The snobbery over Squiers will exist forever, sadly, but the simple truth is that my 1989 Squier Strat has the nicest neck of any guitar I've ever played, and with a few upgrades sounds awesome as well. Trouble is, over the years there have also been truly awful Squiers which are really only designed for the people who say they want to play and then put them straight back on eBay after Christmas.

As with anything, the answer is to be discerning. There is a huge difference between models like the Squier Deluxe (the one with Duncan designed pickups that comes in Daphne Blue) and a Standard Strat from a starter pack. However there is not, in my humble opinion a huge difference between a Classic Vibe Custom Tele and a Japanese Fender equivalent, other than in neck radius etc. And that comes down to personal preference. I went to a guitar shop recently to try both, fully prepared to pay for the Fender, but I preferred every aspect of the Classic Vibe, so I bought that. It's also about on a par with the Deluxe Nashville Tele I used to own, but not quite as nice as the US standard I used to own. But there really isn't that much in it.

There is no stock "Squier is crap, Fender is the best" dividing line anymore. There are good and bad guitars in each line. Suck one and see.

 

I've already posted on this thread but I will add that I've done various mods to my CVC, different pickups, changed to a chunkier Fender neck etc... I've now returned everything back to stock, original pups, original neck etc.. and it just plays and sounds beautiful. All those changes I made, and nothing (to my ear at least) made any significant upgrade, it even had SD broadcaster's in there at one point but I still preferred the stock pups.

They are great guitars stock, straight from the box you have something extremely playable.

If you were looking to build a custom partscaster its worth buying a CVC for the bound sunburst body alone. I've not seen many 3rd party bodies available close to the price of a full CV guitar that look as good or are as well finished as these.

 

Many people really like them and many others don't. Personally, I find their necks to be far too thin for my liking (I'm currently playing a Baja which should give you an idea of the neck thickness that I prefer). Some buy them and mod them and others leave them stock. It really is all down to personal preference. If it were me I would buy a MIM Standard or a higher end MIM like the Classic '50s, Classic '60s, or the Baja. The higher end MIMs don't need modding except for personal preference or idiosyncrasies (I am not a fan of the switching options in the Baja so plan to have those removed but others swear by that system). Another option is to wait on a good deal on a used US made Tele if you are in the market for one.

As for the Classic Vibes, the only way to know for sure if you will like them is to play one for yourself.

 

An extra $300 will get you a MIM Classic '50s or '60s and I think they are significantly better guitars than Classic Vibes are.

I've never understood why anyone mentions the setup out of the box. Setups are so personal that it is impossible for any manufacturer to set a guitar up in a way that will please everyone. What you and I like in a setup are probably miles apart. Setup out of the box shouldn't be an issue as any decent store will offer a free setup upon purchase.

You must have gotten a dud then because the MIM Classics are superb guitars and, to my mind, are significantly better than the CVs.

 

Wait a minute... What?

My standard response when someone recommends that I engage in some ridiculous or objectionable behavior is "I'm trying to quit". I've done some pretty strange things in my day, including smoking Morning Glory seeds, but I have never sucked a guitar. Are you trying to catch a buzz off the Polyurethane finish?

 

I really like the cv bridge pickup but the neck pup is lame but for a sub $400 Guitar what do you expect?

 

Partly because he doesn't want to bother hauling $50k worth of guitars to Los Angeles, but mostly because he really digs the CVs.

 

These internet arguments help some of us to avoid doing real work.

 

I did own a MIM Classic 50's at the same time as my CVC and never bonded with the MIM at all, to me the CV felt nicer to play and had a much crisper tone. Maybe I got a dud, even after a pro setup it didn't do anything for me. I've also had a classic 50's strat which was good but not great, that also got sold on. I once owned an 80's MIJ at one point and that was the best Fender I ever owned, better than the CV, but not leaps ahead. The fit and finish on the MIJ was also the best I've had..

I do agree that setup out of the box isn't a big factor, some like high action, some low, so no setup will suit everyone and most will have them redone anyway. What a good setup out of the box does, for me at least, is show that time has gone into the QC and gives me a little extra faith in the product. It tells me it has been looked at and assessed by human hand and not just rolled anonymously off the production line straight into a box, something like a serious neck issue is unlikely to go unnoticed (which I believe might have been the issue with my 50's MIM).

It's hard to compare apples with oranges but I found the build of the MIJ better than both USA Fender basses I've owned. While I'd certainly never say Squier is better than custom shop,(I had a CS Jazz bass and it was phenomenal to play but for the price it should be!) Bang per buck however and I think the CV' s are hands down winners.

The great thing about guitar forums is its all so subjective, one man's meat is another man's poison, that's why there are such epic threads on here! Personally I'd take a CV over a MIM every time, but think I'd prefer a MIJ to any other Fender lines. Ultimately though I'd still like to find a nicely priced Tokai Breezeysound from the early 80's. With good looks, build, sound, history and charm, my life won't be complete until I own one.

 

Not sure what all the fuss about "narrow" necks is about. While I haven't played a CVC, the specs clearly indicate that the current selection (according to the Fender site) all have a 9.5" radius, not the 7.25" usually associated with the RI models (Hot Rod excepted).

So the question becomes "Is it the modern C shape that feels thin?" Or what?

Also, comment @Cochar...just wondering why you'd buy a Baja if you don't like the switching set up. It seems like the 4-way + S1 is one of the major "attractions" for that guitar. The Baja does have a "soft V", so that may be a factor.

 

Sometimes Squier comes out with really great stuff and classic vibe is definitely that. They also had some great stuff in Pro Tones, signature Venus model electric guitar, and for price certain '80s Squier Standards MIJ. The best thing is to try every guitar you plan to buy in person and leaving the internet for strings, picks, straps, and pedals. When possible amps should also be heard before buying regardless of how great other people think they sound. I hope this helps.

 

It's all about price. If they were to cost as much as a MIM, what do you think the sales would be between the two? 50/50? 60/40? I would think 90/10, and that is being generous.
Still, they are a great bang for the buck.
Just my .02

 

I love my MIM CS '72 Custom (I must be the only person ever who actually likes the stock WRH neck pickup), but I've had some issues with the neck, frets, and nut that make me wish I'd have saved a few bucks and picked up the Vintage Modified Squier version. I don't know if it would have been better or worse, but it would irritate me less if I had paid less for it.

I'm sure there are some stellar MIM Teles, but fair or unfair, this one experience is enough for me to stay away from them.

 

But what I am saying is that the setup is far too subjective to have any meaning whatsoever. You might like a setup and think that it shows that time has gone into QC whereas I could pick up the exact same guitar and think the setup was absolutely terrible. By the same token, I could pick up a guitar that I thought was setup perfectly whereas you might think it was garbage. Setup out of the box is far too subjective to be evidence of anything other than that it was setup properly for a particular person.

 

cv/cs are the best guitars fender has made in 30 years.

my 52RI is not better in any way.

 

To many buyers of cheap guitars, it will make a difference if a new CV plays in tune both open and fretted.

 

Primarily for the neck thickness but also for the three saddle bridge, etc. The four way and S1 switching weren't even close to being attractions for me and didn't play into my decision as I knew I could easily have them removed. The rest of the guitar gave me what I wanted so I could ignore the aspects that I didn't like because they are so simple to change. I changed the pickups on a $2000+ Les Paul so don't see the pickups/switching as major issues when choosing a guitar. If the guitar gives me everything else that I want then I'll put the pickups or switching options that I want in there later.