I'm not generally a Strat, or Squier guy, but....

I am happy that Squier and Fender are starting to venture outside of their comfort zones. I love a Strat body shape, but I could imagine more interesting and functional designs if I am not tied to history and tradition.
 
Okume is an asian mahogany-alike.

I really like the Squier Paranormal series, and thought the same thing as you about this one. If you dig it, give one a shot, with very minor effort it'll be a great guitar. I have a Paranormal Offset Tele, removed the poly-nastiness from the neck and waxed it, feels and plays like a much pricier guitar.
 
Squier is not to be under-estimated, I got a Squier classic vibes mustang and it sounds and plays as good as any Fender MIA or MIM, but it's Poplar and not Alder or Ash and has some factory nicks on the neck. Nothing serious. For the money, they're great!
 
ABetterGuitarist said:
Squier is not to be under-estimated, I got a Squier classic vibes mustang and it sounds and plays as good as any Fender MIA or MIM, but it's Poplar and not Alder or Ash and has some factory nicks on the neck. Nothing serious. For the money, they're great!
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OG Mustangs were poplar, so bonus points to them on that.
 
Just keep that Laurel fretboard hydrated and it should be ok. I've seen a lot of fret sprout on those newer laurel boards, and they always feel bone dry when I work on them.
 
Mr. B said:
Just keep that Laurel fretboard hydrated and it should be ok. I've seen a lot of fret sprout on those newer laurel boards, and they always feel bone dry when I work on them.
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That right there, I think, is a good tip!

Don't know that own any Laurel boards.
 
And the Gibson scale with 12" radius at that. Looks like it also comes in a blonde color meant to mimic TV Yellow.

ABetterGuitarist said:
Squier is not to be under-estimated, I got a Squier classic vibes mustang and it sounds and plays as good as any Fender MIA or MIM, but it's Poplar and not Alder or Ash and has some factory nicks on the neck. Nothing serious. For the money, they're great!
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About a year ago I took a chance on a Classic Vibe 60s Thinline body, mated it with a Warmoth baritone conversion neck and turned it into a serviceable baritone. Some hardware still needs tweaking, but I was pleasantly surprised with body.
 
Mr. B said:
Just keep that Laurel fretboard hydrated and it should be ok. I've seen a lot of fret sprout on those newer laurel boards, and they always feel bone dry when I work on them.
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Yeah that seems to be the case on a bunch of the ones I have worked on. I also own 2 guitars with laurel boards and they we a little rough when I got them, cleaned them up and oiled them and no issues, in fact I quite like them (Gretsch Electro Duojet and an Epi 335). I stained and sealed the Epi board because it was a very light color and it took very well.
 
I have a Squier Classic Vibe that was like 300 dollars new, and it plays every bit as good as my Epi which cost over 3 times as more.

The woods are arguagly worse (multipece pine body and the maple neck is a bit more sensitive to temp and humidity changes probably because it doesn't look quartersawn) and the hardware was terrible on both stock. But now that I've gotten good hardware and a good fretjob for both, I'd say they're both on par. Which is ridiculous considering how much more expensive the Epi was.
 
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Rex_Rocker said:
I have a Squier Classic Vibe that was like 300 dollars new, and it plays every bit as good as my Epi which cost over 3 times as more.

The woods are arguagly worse (multipece pine body and the maple neck is a bit more sensitive to temp and humidity changes probably because it doesn't look quartersawn) and the hardware was terrible on both stock. But now that I've gotten good hardware and a good fretjob for both, I'd say they're both on par. Which is ridiculous considering how much more expensive the Epi was.
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Sounds good, feels good, is good.....
 
Mincer said:
I haven't had much luck with my PRS SE, so no doubt Squier is better than that.
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On average, I wouldn't say they are. More or less the same. But Squiers also like half the price, so I definitely feel less picky at that price point. I mean, it's OK for a 300-400 dollar guitar to have a plastic nut, pot metal hardware, so-so no-brand tuners, not very well-matched multi-piece body, and whatnot, IMO. Not so on a 800-900 dollar guitar.
 
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Rex_Rocker said:
On average, I wouldn't say they are. More or less the same. But Squiers also like half the price, so I definitely feel less picky at that price point. I mean, it's OK for a 300-400 dollar guitar to have a plastic nut, pot metal hardware, so-so no-brand tuners, not very well-matched multi-piece body, and whatnot, IMO. Not so on a 800-900 dollar guitar.
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There is no excuse for an $800 guitar that doesn't stay in tune. That was my experience with an SE (semi hollow).
 
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