| Features: | Squier Classic Vibe ‘60s Stratocaster | Fender Player Stratocaster Tidepool |
|---|---|---|
| Price: | £299 ($347) | £589 ($684) |
| Frets: | 21 | 22 |
| Pickup: | Designed Alnico Single-Coil | Alnico 5 Strat Single-Coil |
| Controls: | Master Volume, Tone 1. (Neck Pickup), Tone 2. (Bridge/Middle Pickup) | Master Volume, Tone 1. (Neck/Middle Pickups), Tone 2. (Bridge Pickup) |
Squier Classic Vibe ‘60s Stratocaster
Squier released the Classic Vibe Strat series, which is a celebration of some of the most iconic guitars of all time. The Squier Classic Vibe ‘60s Stratocaster is a budget-friendly quality reproduction!
With all the snarl, spank and snap you’d ever need, the Squier Classic ‘60s Vibe Strat does a wonderful job of capturing the spirit of a vintage guitar.
Being excellent value for money; while offering tones and playability, you wouldn’t think it’s possible in this price range. It’s very well built, even boasting period-correct hardware, yet with modern playability thanks to their slim, comfortable necks and easy-playing 9.5in radius.
Design
The classic shape of a Strat is the design of choice for this guitar. It’s a choice that many users won’t mind at all, as the vintage feel comes mostly from this design choice. It’s incredibly comfortable to play, with the neck allowing for easy access for reaching the hardest-to-reach frets. Yet the most important factor is this: the guitar is a lot of fun to play because it looks cool with its classic look and comfortable feel.
Squier has taken the concept of classic to the extreme using the now rarely encountered, yet extremely popular in the 60s, alder as a tonewood for the guitar. The ‘60s Stratocaster is a lightweight yet relatively sturdy hardwood and was known for having a very interesting quality – it’s almost transparent in tonality. While the brightness of the tone is present, the tonewood had a minimal effect on the sound of the guitar. It has a beautiful grain and is, in general, an interesting hardwood, which is a shame given that fell into disuse over the past few decades.
The neck of the ‘60s Strat is made with traditional maple. The weight of maple doesn’t make the ‘60s Strat any more uncomfortable to play as it’s balanced by the lightness of the alder.
Sound
The Classic ‘60s Stratocaster has a triple single coil set up, allowing it to sound very twangy, warm and characteristically vintage. The guitar is perfect for pop and country and other softer, smoother genres. Yet the guitar also has great potential for the hard rock style sound. While the guitar has limited string buzz, because of the full single coil setup, it shouldn’t ruin your sound. Definitely a classic vintage, with an enjoyable sound.
Fender Player Stratocaster Tidepool
For a while now, the entry point to the Fender brand was Fender’s Standard line, that’s made in Mexico. While the Standard line has been very reliable instruments that give you the essence of the Fender experience.
However, Fender decided that it’s time to change the way it does things for its brand entry point: With the Standard being no more, Fender has simultaneously upgraded to and replaced it with the new Player Series, which addresses some of the things that the Standard Series did in a certain way that gave Fender room to upgrade you later on to a higher series.
Design
Fender’s Player Stratocaster comes in Tidepool – and depending on the finish you choose, you can either get a maple or Pau Ferro fretboard.
The Player Stratocaster body is made of alder (two or three pieces – you can’t expect a single solid piece of wood at this price) with a gloss polyester finish. Its neck has a satin urethane finish on the back with a gloss urethane finish on the front, giving you that crisp Strat fingerboard looks without the sticky neck. The fingerboard radius is 9.5”, flatter than a traditional Strat’s 7.25” but not as flat as the 12” or compound radius boards you’ll find on some models higher up in the chain. The Player Stratocaster’s neck shape is a very comfortable Modern C shape, and there are 22 frets. The nut is made of synthetic bone and is very well-finished.
Fender’s Player Stratocaster hardware includes a two-point synchronised tremolo with bent steel saddles – a nice compromise between performance and tradition – with standard cast/sealed tuners, a three-ply parchment pickguard and parchment knobs and a pickup selector switch tip.
Another pleasant touch is the ‘F’ stamped neck plate. While it may be a simple thing to mention, having that iconic Fender ‘F’ on the neck plate instead of nothing feels like that extra little bit of effort that elevates the Player Stratocaster above its Standard ancestor.
Sound
Being a Strat, it’s incredibly comfortable to play from any position. Whether you prefer to Stand, sit, or however you like to play, this is largely down to a combination of low weight and its fantastic contour body.
The tones from Fender’s Player Strat are impressive. The guitar pickups were a big step up from the ceramic ones found on the old Standard and did a better job of delivering the expected range of that Strat sound.
In the neck, you’ll get a full-bodied, well-rounded tone, packed with warmth while retaining decent clarity. In the bridge position, it’s super chimey, with tons of bite when overdriven hard. Although the middle pickup on its own won’t deliver anything particularly interesting, when used as a support for the neck or bridge in the 2 and 4 positions, it will come to life.
Having the ability to actually control the tone in the bridge position makes the world of difference. Being able to dial back the brightness just a touch gives you a much fatter tone without losing the sparkle – this was absolutely one of the most outstanding upgrades that came with Fender’s Player Series.
Which Guitar Is Better?
Well, when it comes to the color of both guitar models being a blue variation, let’s go through their colors.
The Tidepool color from Fender is a green-blue turquoise-like teal pearl finish. Squier’s Classic Vibe ‘60s Stratocaster comes in a Lake Placid Blue which is more of a straight mid-blue metallic finish – using tiny flakes of aluminium. It’s bluer and harder. Both of these models have gloss clear on top.