Squier

Squier is the cheaper brand of guitars manufactured by Fender. Squiers are generally made in Mexico. Those models manufactured in other countries with cheap human labor forces vary in price, but essentially all of them are much cheaper then your American made Fender. The models are rather well made, and are targeted towards kids and beginners. The cheapest kinds often have problems with the neck, but a good Squier is almost as good as an American made Fender brand guitar.

Also Fender's line of inexpensive bass guitars. Important to not that frequently "almost as good" just doesn't cut it. My Fender Squier bass (parts: Korea; assembled: Mexico) has a number of problems contributing to its inherent crappiness.

1. Really crappy pickups; really muddy.
2. Bolt-on neck not well bolted-on, providing a real dead sound and no sustain*.
3. The neck was not quite true and the frets were horribly uneven in height, providing lots of annoying string buzz in places.

*Thankfully there's ta cool solution to this one, stolen from Billy Sheehan: cut a plastic pick in half, wedge the two halves in between the neck and the body. Remove the strings and place the bass face-down on the ground. Climb onto the bass, pushing the whole weight of your body through your knees down onto the body, and tighten the screws on the bolt-on as tight as you possibly can. The neck won't wobble any more, and the instrument will feel more solid and (most importantly)sound better.

Save up. Hit the pawn shops. Check the classifieds. Do what you have to do to avoid the Squier and step up to a real Fender (Jazz bass, Telecaster, ... whatever your preference).

Fender Squier series (guitars and basses) is group of cheap replicas of genuine Fender instruments. They were originally crafted in Japan, but nowadays there are models from China and Korea also. (NOT in Mexico. Mexico model is much more expensive and better)

Price compared to original Fender is about 1/5, but of course also quality is lower. For examle microphones are much less sensitive and adjusting the neck isn't possible.

Squier (?), n.

A square. See 1st Squire.

[Obs.]

Not the worst of the three but jumps twelve foot and a half by the squier. Shak.

 

© Webster 1913.