- Excellent, authentic Strat with the classic vibe!
- Excellent craftsmanship
- Duncan-designed pickups
- All black, finished maple neck and fingerboard
- Not in production anymore
- Instead, go for the CV series
Hello there, here I am back again with another guitar review, but this time a very brief one. In this article, we will be looking at Squier Vintage Modified Stratocasters. As I have mentioned in the SGR by Schecter C-1 and Epiphone Les Paul 100 reviews, the Squier brand is a sub-brand of Fender and is aimed at beginner to intermediate players. However, I would say they make excellent instruments for the money and would call them the ultimate STEAL!
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The value Squier offers is unmatched in my opinion. There is natural product segmentation in Squier products too. You have your Bullet models for the lowest-budget options, Affinity models for a step up from the Bullet series, and your Classic Vibe and Vintage Modified series, which are really cool. Since I would like to introduce Squier and Fender models that I have played, loved, and want to recommend, this will be a short introduction to the series. Let’s hear the guitar in action briefly.
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The first demo I had with this guitar features our test room equipment, which is a Rode VideoMic Pro and a Marshall AVT50 amp + an old Boss SD-2.
Test Room – Sound Demo (no talking)
Tech Specs
| Squier Vintage Modified 70's Stratocaster | Tech Specs |
|---|---|
| Body | Basswood |
| Neck | Maple - C Shape |
| Fretboard | Maple |
| Frets | 21 Medium Jumbo |
| Scale | 648mm |
| Radius | 241mm |
| Pickups | Duncan Designed Single Coil Pickups SC-101 Models |
| Selector | 5-way Selector |
| Controls | Volume - Neck Tone - Middle Tone |
| Bridge | 6 Saddle Vintage Style Tremolo |
| Tuners | Vintage Style |
| Neck Plate | 4 Bolt Standard |
| Strings | Fender NPS 9-42 Set |
At the moment I am writing this review, it is at 52nd position at Thomann, so my assumptions on this guitar being an ultimate steal are quite spot on 🙂 I bet you would think that it can not have a basswood body for this price if you ever played it! Unfortunately, this model has been replaced by an HSS version of the same configuration. Just updated the links; please feel free to check out the new version yourself! 
This feels like quite an expensive instrument; everything is perfectly built, and even the look will mesmerise you. And if you are like me, I just fell in love with the 70’s big headstock; some hate it, but I think I love it. Also, note that in order to replicate the 70’s vibe on this instrument, I guess they applied the same kind of finish on the neck and fretboard, which I don’t like at all. I never like finished maple boards, but I guess if you play it long enough, it will tear off, and you’ll have your relic Strat 🙂 Unfortunately, we couldn’t capture every guitar in longer, no-talking style sound demos in our much-loved videos. 
I also had the chance to demo another variation of the Squier Vintage Modified, this time with an HSS pickup configuration. Let’s hear it in more detail, but this time recorded with a Marshall JVM205C valve amp + Shure SM57 microphone.
Sound Demo (no talking)
But I keep remembering this guitar: the moment I unpacked it to test and see whether any visual defects existed, I had to play in this short video above to keep posting about the instruments we received every day. All black, finished maple neck and fingerboard, excellent craftsmanship, Duncan-designed pickups, 70s big headstock and bolt-on neck joint with 4 bolts (not 3!). Unlike traditional Strat specs, this would come with a basswood body. But still a very nicely made, resonant instrument! The only spec I didn’t like was the double string tree! I never understand why guitar manufacturers still use string trees. 
These Classic Vibe Squiers were so good that we were shocked every time we received these instruments. These were the guitars aimed at people who wanted almost Luckily, Squier is still making these Classic Vibe Strats! As you will see, there are some changes with the tech specs, such as using poplar, nato or pine for the body, or using laurel for the fingerboard. Also, I don’t see the varieties with Duncan-designed pickups. Now, these are replaced by Fender-designed versions.
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If you still want to go for the most affordable, yet authentic Stratocasters that will definitely give you the classic vibe of these legendary instruments, you should definitely check out these models. There’s a price difference between Affinity Stratocasters and Classic Vibes, but it’s definitely worth it! Mind you, there are many Squier Classic Vibe Stratocasters in different colour options as well as a variety of tech specs, featuring different body wood, fingerboard material, etc.
Here’s another video of me playing a Squier Classic Vibe 50s Stratocaster, using the same gear: Marshall JVM205C valve amp + Shure SM57 microphone.
Sound Demo (no talking)
You may also question that I have made this article sound like I’m talking about the Classic Vibe version, which replaced the Vintage Modified version. This is not exactly true, and I’m not claiming a direct replacement. But there’s some truth to this thinking. Basically, the old Chinese Classic Vibe and old Indonesian Vintage Modified series were both discontinued throughout the years, and now the new Indonesian Classic Vibe essentially becomes the surviving higher-end Squier vintage-style line. 
Pricing & Availability
Fortunately, Fender & Squier still want to offer these instruments to us at still very competitive prices! Although the prices have increased throughout the years, I’d say these are still the king of affordable, authentic and vintage-vibed Stratocasters on the market.
Check out the Squier Classic Vibe Stratocasters on Thomann here
Since the price tag is pretty low and considered an entry-level price segment, you may be able to find many used ones on Reverb. So, in case you want to save even more, please check out Reverb.
Check out the Squier Classic Vibe Stratocasters on Reverb here
Also, since these are entry-level guitars, you may be able to find many sellers, including authentic Fender & Squier stores, on Amazon (in case you want to prefer buying from there!).
Check out the Squier Classic Vibe Stratocasters on Amazon here
Thanks for visiting my blog and supporting me so far! I will hopefully see you in the next review here!
