Review: 2013 Squire Standard Telecaster
The Squire Standard Telecaster is a copy of the Fender Standard model, but of course, made with cheaper materials. The body is agathis, which isn't impressive, but as I've said in other reviews, there are those who feel it can have the same sonic properties as alder (the normal wood for Fenders). It's a nicely made, attractive copy, and priced at an affordable 230.00 (internet).
The problem is that Fender has stacked up that price range with 300.00 Vintage Modified special editions, and an Affinity series that ranges around 180.00. Since this guitar is in the price range for beginners (in the US anyway, we seem to think a 200.00 price is peanuts) this can create some confusion.
Should the new guitarist buy this one, or spend seventy bucks more on a VM version? After all, neither choice will impress the guitar snobs on the internet, and most feel they will upgrade to a more expensive Fender someday anyway (keep in mind, in many cases you'll either keep this one or decide that guitar playing isn't for you).
It's not a trivial question. New guitar purchasers, particularly parents buying one for their kid, can get a massive case of sticker shock looking at the price of a top line Fender, much less a Gibson. Most have a budget of a few hundred, and there's still an amp to buy also. Seventy bucks less can ensure the buyer also walks out with a gig bag or small amp, so it's worth considering (or a 50.00 saving buying an Affinity).
It may seem like I’m nitpicking, but most people who are buying in this price range are doing so because that’s the amount that fits in a budget that includes more important things like rent, bills and food. In that context, a fifty dollar difference is important.
The Squire Standard Tele has some good things going for it. It's not badly made, looks like a Standard, and has a rosewood fretboard. Also, though Fender has peppered the Squire line with all sorts of cool Vintage Modified versions, most of those are variations of the Standard, and there are some who’ll want a Tele with the traditional look.
How this guitar sounds is another factor. A beginner isn't going to notice that it's not as good as a Standard, particular at higher gain settings on the amp. In fact, for some alternative/grunge applications, it might actually work better than the higher priced US version. It's got a good trash rock sound at high volume.
The sound is somewhat thin, and flat in clean mode. Moving the guitar around to different amplifiers did create different impressions. If you put this Squire on an expensive tube amp, it sounds passable in clean, and not too bad at all at high gain.
Plug this guitar into a cheap small amp and it's a close call between this one and a 60s era Japanese cheapie which might have more mojo. But then, buying a cheap old 60s guitar with a gold foil pickup just because Ry Cooder likes the sound is more a thing that guitar connoisseurs (both real and imagined) would do.
Looking at it objectively, the buyer should simply consider one thing about this tele; is it well set up and easy to play, and do you feel good about it's looks and feel? Does the sound coming out of the amp sound good enough?
If so, at this price range, it's as good a choice as any. I found it as comfortable as any other tele (being used to that type) and playing it felt easy and without major issues in terms of comfort, etc.
I do notice that many newer (or even intermediate) players don't test the guitar on an amp that's at least similar to what they have at home, or intend to buy. In fact, many either choose (or are steered by a store employee) to try it out on a 2000.00 Marshall or something, and the guitar will, of course, sound a lot better. On a beginner guitar, having a sound that pleases experts isn't important but you do want to hear the same tone at home that you heard in the store.
In short, my opinion is that this model is more than serviceable in good hands. The guitar is better set up than any beginner guitar I tried out in the 60s, and the overall quality of build is better. Some of the older 60s and 70s economy models have better body material as quality wood was a lot cheaper and plentiful then, but by almost any other standard this Squire is a decently priced value that a beginner will enjoy playing, and if it turns out to be the one you end up keeping for leisure fun, it’ll do just fine.
- Al HANDA
2013
Note: This review first appeared on the ePinions.com site in 2013. This and other reviews were short takes that accompanied the link to a business that sold the guitar. As a rule, the guitar had to be at least examined and played by the reviewer (and ideally owned). In my case, a severe case of GAS made it possible to have at least owned the reviewed instrument for a short while. I'm reprinting these as having another source on a guitar never hurts, even if the reviews aren't definitive. Other than minor corrections, these short takes are unchanged from the original text. I figure that it might be helpful to keep the older perspective.
The Quitturz by Al Handa
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