Cheapest vs. most expensive Squier Telecaster
Is one truly better than the other? Let's find out.
Unintentionally, I bought the cheapest and the most expensive Squier Telecasters currently offered at the time I write this. The Squier FSR Bullet Telecaster and the Squier Vintage Modified '72 Telecaster Thinline.
How was this unintentional? Because I wasn't thinking about price at the time I bought these guitars. Both just happened to be what I wanted.
Did I buy both at once? No. The Bullet was first, then I picked up the Thinline some time later.
Did I buy both at full retail price? Absolutely not. I got the Bullet on an introductory discount, and through a goof in the computer system at the guitar store, got the Thinline for 33% less than what it ordinarily sells for.
However, were you to buy either of these at full retail price, the Bullet will either run you (in US dollars) $179, and the Thinline $449.
Each guitar has its own unique sound. The Bullet has trebly single-coil pickups and has more traditional Telecaster tone, while the Thinline with its semi-hollow body and "Wide Range" humbucker pickups has a different tonal character best described as "sounds like a Thinline".
Where the real differences are between the guitars are not so much in sound but in other areas.
Tuners
Bullet has sealed tuners with tall posts.
Thinline has vintage style slotted tuners with shorter posts.
Neck
Bullet has a non-tinted maple neck with satin urethane finish on the back and rosewood fingerboard. The fingerboard is open grain like most other guitars with this material.
Thinline has a tinted 1-piece maple neck with gloss urethane finish on both front and back.
Dimensions between both necks are basically the same. Oval C shape, medium jumbo fret wire, 9.5" fingerboard radius.
Body
Bullet has a basswood solid body with single-color paint and is urethane sealed.
Thinline has an ash semi-hollow body with 3TSB (3-tone-sunburst) paint and is urethane sealed.
Electronics
Same in both guitars. Two pickups, 3-way switch, one master volume control, one master tone control.
Electronics positioning
Same style electronics between both guitars, but the Bullet has a traditional horizontal control plate while the Thinline doesn't where it's "leaned", mounted in the pick guard and angled towards the player.
Pick guard
Bullet has a standard Telecaster parchment color 3-ply white/black/white guard.
Thinline has a Thinline-specific guard which is pearloid color 3-ply pearloid/black/white.
Bridge
Bullet has a "modern traditional" Telecaster bridge. Flat plate without raised edges and it also houses the rear pickup.
Thinline has a smaller bridge that does not house the rear pickup and is Thinline-specific.
String installation
Both guitars are string-thru style with ferrules in the back of the body.
String saddles
Bullet has six individual block style saddles. Thinline has the vintage style thinner bent steel saddles.
Output jack
Both guitars have the "cup" style Telecaster output jack, which is a recessed style and not the flush type seen on other guitars such as the Les Paul.
Weight
Thinline is lighter than Bullet. I'm not exactly sure by how much, but it's definitely noticeable.
What you pay extra for with the Thinline is...
...the fact it's a Thinline.
The Squier Thinline is literally the only licensed-by-Fender Telecaster Thinline guitar available for under $500 at the time I write this. The next available guitar is the Fender version which is much more expensive.
Bullet is a traditional modern Telecaster. It's a very familiar design and not all that different from the Fender Standard Telecaster.
Thinline is the cost-effective version of the Fender Thinline, and I argue it's actually better than the Fender because there are several things about it that are more agreeable. Namely, 4-bolt neck plate instead of 3, flatter fingerboard, more comfortable C shape neck, "barrel" switch tip instead of "top hat", and so on. The Fender guitar is intended to be a copy of the 1972 Thinline it's modeled after while the Squier is more modernized and the better player's guitar as far as I'm concerned.
What you're paying extra for is Thinline-specific stuff. Namely, the semi-hollow body, the different bridge, different pickups and different pickup and knob positions.
What you pay less for with the Bullet is...
...cost cutting here and there but still getting a great guitar.
Bullet's biggest strengths are the fact it's so close in specification to a Fender Standard Telecaster at a much lower price tag.
It's ordinarily true that on super-cheap Telecasters, you get a top-loader bridge, a neck pickup where the height adjustment screws are under the pick guard (requiring the pick guard to be removed just to get to them), two string trees, and a flush mounted output jack.
On the Bullet, it is a string-thru (important to Telecaster players), only a single string tree is present (far less kinking noises when bending the G string), you get in-guard neck pickup height adjustment and the "cup" output jack as mentioned above.
Bullet has everything that matters to a Telecaster player.
What makes it cheaper is the fact it's a basswood body, however that's not something you'll really notice as the body does have great vibration during play. Where you will notice the cheapness however is that the pickup selector and knobs are a bit stiff, it has barely-there shielding so it will buzz a bit (which is nothing a noise gate pedal can't fix), and the tuners are also a bit on the stiff side.
Which is the better guitar?
The Thinline is better in the respect that nothing needs to be fixed nor upgraded.
However, almost everything cheap about the Bullet can be fixed/upgraded for real cheap. The only thing that will actually cost any real time and money is replacing the tuners. Money will need to be spent on tuners and time spent adjusting the holes so the tuners fit correctly.
Is the Thinline truly worth $270 more than the Bullet?
Yes for the fact it has Thinline-specific features and is much less in price to the next comparable Fender. No in the respect that if all you want is just a good Telecaster, you can get one for much less. A great example of this is the Squier Standard Telecaster which is not much more than the Bullet while at the same time significantly less than the Thinline.
In the end, if you really want a Thinline for less, Squier makes the best one available.
If you just want a good Tele, Bullet fits the bill. And if you want something slightly better but still cheap, Squier Standard Telecaster is the one you want.
Does this mean I'll be buying a Squier Standard Telecaster? No, because I'm genuinely happy with what I have. But if you're on the fence for what to get yourself, you now know your options.
Graffiti Yellow Fender Stratocasters
This is a cool color from Fender for those who want something different.
I'm writing this due to an email I received from someone who was thinking about buying a Fender ST62 Japan Stratocaster in this color and wanted to know some information about it. From our conversation I figured I might as well write something up on it here just in case anyone has interest in this particular color for the Strat.
The first time I saw Graffiti Yellow was on either a late 1980s or early 1990s Fender Stratocaster Plus model. It's one of those colors that's bright and bold, but not "neon" color as some people think it is. The GY color is ever-so slightly muted so it suits the guitar better.
The oldest GY Strat example I've seen only in pictures is from 1987. As for whether 1987 is the actual year GY was first offered, that I don't know.
GY at the time I write this is only available new on Fender Custom Shop models. Prior to that it was available on Fender Japan ST62 and the aforementioned Fender USA Stratocaster Plus model. The USA versions have a roller nut, Lace Sensor pickups and two-point bridge with offset block saddles. The Japan versions have the regular 6-screw bridge, traditional pickups and a traditional nut.
As for which one I personally like better, I'd take the Japan version because I prefer more traditional Strat builds.
You can find GY Strats from the late '80s all the way into the mid-2000s. As far as I know, GY was never a regular run production color. GY was always a limited run finish.
Was there ever a Squier in GY? I've never seen one. The closest Squier ever got to that color was Arctic White, but that's definitely not GY as it's several shades lighter.
Should Graffiti Yellow become a regular production color?
No. I actually enjoy the fact GY isn't a regular color option. It's a special thing to see a GY Strat because they don't appear that often.
However, it would be nice to see an FSR (Fender Special Run) Strat and/or Tele, preferably as one of the more affordable models. Fender Mexico could easily make a limited run of GY Standard Series guitars.
If not Fender, seeing a Squier FSR of GY guitars would be cool too. As said above, I've never seen one, and I believe if Squier did do GY as a limited run, it would be the first time it ever happened.
How I became a "Squier guy" part 2
It's been almost 6 years since I last wrote about this, so let's catch up.
Way back in 2012, I was a Strat guy and wrote about how I preferred Squier over Fender. Some things have changed since then while others have stayed the same.
The things that have changed since I wrote that article is that I don't own the Schecter anymore (sold it years ago), and I don't really care for Stratocaster guitars at this point. I switched over to the Jazzmaster, and as of recent have taken a strong liking to the Telecaster. At the time I write this, I have a Squier Vintage Modified '72 Telecaster Thinline on order that will be arriving in a few days.
In addition, I have gone through several guitars since that writing. And no, I did not keep all those guitars. Far from it. A general rule I live by is that if one guitar comes in, one must go out either as a trade or sold privately (usually as a trade-out). I am absolutely not one of those guys who has stacks of guitars in cases because I consider that ridiculous. Of the guitars I had but parted with, there were Stratocasters, Telecasters, Jazzmasters, one Les Paul and one Jaguar.
What has stayed the same, although I came to know this in a roundabout way, is that I prefer simple guitars, hence the reason I've had such a strong attraction to the Telecaster lately. The Tele is one of the simplest electrics to own. No vibrato system, 2 pickups, 2 knobs, 6 inline tuners. Nice and easy. Heck, I even got used to the slab style body shape. This is very different from the Jazzmaster guitar, which by nature is very complicated.
The one biggest change however from then to now is this:
Fender guitar feel and sound doesn't agree with me
In all the time I've been playing guitars, I've owned 4 Fenders. One American (Strat), two Mexican (Jazzmaster and Telecaster), one Chinese (the short lived Modern Player Stratocaster HSS).
There have been many times where I've tried out Fender guitars in guitar stores but haven't bought them. Strats, Teles, Jazzes, Duo-Sonics and Mustangs of varying models. I've had my hands on guitars from Fender USA, Fender Mexico, Fender Japan and Fender China. It's probably true I've played over 100 of them.
While Fender makes good guitars, I've been playing Squier for so long that I now know that Fender axes do not agree with me. The necks don't feel right in my hands, the sound doesn't agree with my ears, and no matter how hard I've tried to get along with a Fender, it's just never worked out.
Squier is owned by Fender and is licensed to use Fender designs. But the character of Squier guitars is different compared to Fender. A Squier axe might look like a Fender, but feels different, plays different, sounds different.
Neck
It's the neck where I feel the difference the most. The overall shape is different. Fender neck shapes are thicker, rounder and wider while Squier neck shapes are thinner, slightly "squashed" in the back and have a different shoulder shape. The fret wire size and shape is also different from Squier to Fender.
When I pick up just about any Squier in a guitar store, be it an Affinity, Vintage Modified, Bullet or Classic Vibe, it feels like home to me. I get that familiar Squier neck feel. It doesn't matter if the neck is sealed in gloss urethane, semi-gloss urethane or satin urethane. The feel is there.
When I play a Fender, I don't get that familiar feel. Whether the neck has a Modern C, Vintage Big C, U, V, Soft V or whatever shape it has, my fret hand just doesn't get along with it and I find myself fighting with the instrument.
Sound
Fender, obviously, has higher quality electronic components in their guitars compared to Squier. But most Fender electronics have tonal character that doesn't sound right to my ears. This happens regardless of model, be it Standard, Professional or Elite series.
Squier pickups are, obviously, cheap. But they have what I call "rat tone" to them. The single-coils are usually brash and trebly, and the humbuckers usually have a honky blare. No advanced tech is present in the construction of the pickups. What you get is what you get, and it's usually noisy and clacky. But the pickup sound has character, and that's what makes the sound of the guitar great and fun to experiment with.
Would my opinion change if I played a guitar Fender from the Custom Shop?
No.
There are two main reasons I don't care for USA Custom Shop builds from Fender for two reasons. Price and style.
Currently, the lowest priced FCS guitar available to me new is just shy of $3,000. Too much.
But let's say I did have the money. I still wouldn't want it because most FCS guitars are "relic" styled, which is a style that doesn't agree with me at all.
If I was going to spend big cash on a Fender, I'd get an American Elite model to avoid that relic crapola. Elite models sell for around $2,000 at the time I write this... BUT... the feel and sound doesn't agree with me so I go right back to Squier again.
It's more than just price now
Originally I went with Squier because the guitars were cheap. But now it's solidified as my "my Fender."
I've been through enough Fenders to know that the only way I'd ever truly like one is if one were built using Squier specific shaping.
In other words, I know now that when I want a Fender, I actually want a Squier.
How to find a long lasting cheap electric guitar
You can play cheap guitars and have them last a long time - if you know what to look for.
Take the Fender Custom Shop Merle Haggard Telecaster; it is a ridiculously expensive guitar. However, this Telecaster is very non-standard and without question costs a lot to make. It is tone chambered. It does have a center maple block with alder wings. It even has set-neck construction. No bolt-on.
Something you'll notice on the headstock of that guitar is the "TUFF DOG TELE" decal. This guitar is more than just a pretty face. It's built to take a beating. An absolutely ridiculous amount of urethane is used on this guitar, particularly on the fretboard. On most Tuff Dog Teles out of FCS, you can physically see the urethane prominently on each fret edge on the board. While true this makes it a nightmare to refret, the advantage is that it's basically impossible for this guitar to develop fret raising or fret sprouting...
...which is something you can get on some really cheap guitars for next to nothing.
And that brings me to things to look for on cheap guitars that should make them last longer compared to others.
Thick urethane maple fretboard finishing
It is typical on cheap guitars with all-maple necks to be finished in a very thick coat of urethane pretty much everywhere. Like with the Tuff Dog Tele, this does make refretting a nightmare, but at the same time makes for a very long-lasting neck. This is why made-in-Korea Squier electric guitars built back in the '90s with 1-piece maple necks still work fine today. The electronics may be falling apart by this point (easily replaced for cheap), but that neck is still going strong.
New cheaper guitars with all-maple necks still have the same way-too-much urethane finishing to this day, such as the Squier Classic Vibe '50s Stratocaster. Yes, the neck is super-shiny all over, but that's just the way it is and will in fact stand the test of time.
Does this mean all-maple necks last longer than those with rosewood fingerboards?
On cheap guitars, if the neck has the thick urethane finishing, yes. Fret wear will still be the same, but because the all-maple neck has the thick sealant on both front and back, that also covers the fret edges and helps to prevent raising and sprouting.
In addition, the thick-sealed all-maple neck is the easiest thing to clean. No wood treatment on your part is necessary since the whole thing is sealed and no open grain is present. All that's required are periodic simple cleanings with warm water and paper towels. Doesn't get any easier than that. The only unfinished parts of the neck would typically be where the bolts go in at the heel, the inside of the tuner holes and nowhere else. And since those two parts of the neck are never exposed, there's no need to treat them.
Am I saying to throw out your rosewood-fretboard guitars and go all-maple?
Not at all. I'm just saying if you want a neck that stands the best chance of lasting the longest time (aside from regular fret wear) on a cheap guitar, the all-maple neck with thick urethane sealant is it.
Consider the all-maple neck to be extra "added insurance" to give a cheap guitar the best chance of lasting longer, so to speak.
Sealed tuners with adjustable tension screw and attached with one nut
My preferred tuner is the older slotted style, but I totally admit one of the easiest to deal with is the sealed type with an adjuster tension screw on top, and tightened to the headstock via one big nut.
The Squier Affinity Telecaster has these, as does my Squier Bullet Telecaster. They are, said very honestly, a joy to deal with compared to other tuner types. Easy to adjust and easy to remove from the headstock for cleaning. They also hold tune just fine and work without complaint.
Without question, the best part about these tuners is being able to remove them just by loosening one nut. No tiny screws to deal with. It's the easiest of the easy whenever you feel like cleaning the entire neck including the headstock area.
Are these the longest lasting tuners on cheap guitars? Typically, yes. They're sealed, and that prevents gunk from getting in the tuner gears. The only thing that can really make a sealed tuner fail is not using it for extended periods of time.
Covered pickups
Some cheap guitars like the Epiphone Les Paul Special II have "open coil" pickups. These are pickups that are uncovered on the sides where you can see the coils and the ribbon holding them in place.
Yes, it looks cool and I don't deny that. But it also makes it really easy for dirt and gunk to get in there over time.
Another cheaper guitar, the ESP LTD EC100AT, has covered pickups. This doesn't mean the guitar is any better or worse, sound-wise. But it does mean it's easier to clean and maintain since the covers prevent dirt, gunk or whatever from getting inside the pickups.
The best thing you can have to make cheap guitars work better?
DeoxIT D5 is a small miracle for guitar electronics; this is especially true for cheap guitars.
On cheap guitars, it's usually the electronics where you will find the most cost cutting. Tiny potentiometers, really thin wiring, cheap switchgear and so on.
A very light spray of DeoxIT D5 on all pots and solder points truly does help a cheap guitar last longer because it does what it says on the can. Dissolves corrosion and improves connections.
Better than WD-40? For guitar electronics, absolutely. WD-40 is a lubricant and doesn't exactly dry quickly. DeoxIT D5 on the other hand is specifically formulated for electronics, dries fast, truly does help to keep the gunk and corrosion away and is altogether better.
This is great stuff for fixing and outright preventing scratchy pots and pickup selector switches. And since it's plastic-safe, it doesn't damage pick guards or other plastic parts on the guitar.
Yes, you will spend more for DeoxIT D5. It's worth it. Better to spend the money on a can of this and using it rather than having to rewire/resolder/replace electronics in your guitar over and over again.
Gretsch Electromatic Double Jet Broadway Jade GSR Limited Edition
I thought I saw the coolest looking Double Jet before, but this one is even cooler.
The last time I talked about the Gretsch Electromatic Double Jet was when I saw a two-tone version that I thought was a seriously nice looking guitar.
But this Double Jet in Broadway Jade is even better.
There's no gold hardware on this one, but that's fine because the chrome works so well here.
The look of this one is like a classic Chevy Bel-Air from the 1950s. Gleaming finish, gleaming metal and just an awesome appearance all-around.
As far as the particulars of the guitar is concerned, this body is fortunately chambered basswood to keep it light in weight. Fingerboard radius is 12", frets are medium jumbo size and pickups are Filter'Tron.
The sound is something I best describe as "twangy humbucker". It has a bit of a semi-hollow body humbucker sound to it, meaning more treble and mid with less bass.
Killer guitar as far as I'm concerned, and what a look.