“You couldn’t tell the difference between the Squier and the Fender. I played them live, and I couldn’t tell”: John 5 on the Squier Telecaster that competes with Fender

John 5 has paid tribute to one of his favorite Squier Telecasters, which he says comfortably rivals a more premium Fender version.

As the budget-friendly branch of the Fender family tree, Squier guitars are sometimes viewed as inferior to more expensive US-made models. That is not always the case, though, and several players have proved their quality over the years.

John 5, a Telecaster fanatic like no other, is top of that list. The Mötley Crüe guitarist owns over 100 Teles. He launched his own signature model in 2023, and loved it so much that he wrote a song about it.

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But there’s a Squier within his triple-figure collection of Teles, and he reckons it goes toe-to-toe with the best of them. It’s modeled after his 2003 Custom Shop J5.

“I had this black Tele with a chrome pickguard for so long, 13 or 14 years. I used it forever,” he says, speaking in the new issue of Guitar World. “It was just that amazing connection you have with an instrument. I really enjoyed playing that guitar, and it’s when I knew I wanted a beefed-up Telecaster.

“I was thinking of a beautiful Harley-Davidson motorcycle that’d shine up strong. I would see chrome and black and think they look just gorgeous together. This was before the kill switch, so it was an early Tele for me. I played it on everything, a lot with Marilyn Mason and Rob Zombie.”

Given the guitar’s ability to nail both sides of his juxtaposing sound, Fender turned to him for a special reissue.

“It was a monster guitar that could also do jazz and country [as well as metal],” he beams. “Squier did a version of that guitar and Goldie [the model he played so much that doctors feared for his health].

The Squier-ified Harley-Davidson model had a bolt-on maple neck, laurel fingerboard, and Artist Series humbuckers, complete with a chrome pickguard. Despite its affordable price, John 5 couldn’t believe how good the Squier version was. And it got an extended release.

“They were closing their doors, and I’m proud of the fact that they kept open for another year because they had so many orders for those two guitars,” he recalls.

“You couldn’t tell the difference between the Squier and the Fender. I played the Squiers live, and I couldn’t tell because they were so well done. If you find one, grab it!”

John 5’s full interview features in the latest issue of Guitar World, which celebrates the Tele’s 75th birthday. Print and digital copies can be ordered from Magazines Direct.