Budget Strat Comparison: Squier Classic Vibe Strat vs. Fender Standard Strat

Squier’s Classic Vibe Stratocasters are designed to recall the looks and tone of Fender’s Fifties and Sixties eras, and to do it at a nice price point (retail $399.99).

In this video, Phillip McKnight takes a look at how the guitars stand up against the made-in-Mexico Fender Standard Strat, another budget-friendly option (retail $599.99). Among the differences he examines are the body contours and neck shape. Phillip explains that while some believe the Squier has a thinner body, it’s actually more a matter of how the body is contoured. “It gives the illusion that the bodies are a lot thinner than on the Standard series,” he notes.

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Christopher Scapelliti is editor-in-chief of Guitar Player magazine, the world’s longest-running guitar magazine, founded in 1967. In his extensive career, he has authored in-depth interviews with such guitarists as Pete Townshend, Slash, Billy Corgan, Jack White, Elvis Costello and Todd Rundgren, and audio professionals including Beatles engineers Geoff Emerick and Ken Scott. He is the co-author of Guitar Aficionado: The Collections: The Most Famous, Rare, and Valuable Guitars in the World, a founding editor of Guitar Aficionado magazine, and a former editor with Guitar World, Guitar for the Practicing Musician and Maximum Guitar. Apart from guitars, he maintains a collection of more than 30 vintage analog synthesizers.

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