Squier Classic Vibe Mustang

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Fakir Mustache
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Squier Classic Vibe Mustang

Post by Fakir Mustache »

I just got one from Rich Tone UK, just before Brexit (or not).

It's the best Mustang I ever played or owned. The neck feels great, it was well set up (and mostly in tune!?) when I got it even if the strings are a slightly higher gauge than I normally use. The bridge is very good. The pickups are not bad either.
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Truss rod wooden insert looks really classy.
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I'm not a fan of tort, but I actually like this one. It's hard to photograph, it's kind of reddish. Looks a little better in real life.
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Comparing to my Vintage Modified, on the Vintage Modified you can kind of slightly feel the fret ends, but not to the point that it bothers me. On the CV you don't notice, and the frets seem smaller, although I noticed more by looking at them than playing. Nicer finish on the neck and truss rod plug on the CV.

The neck on the CV is thinner back to front. Also the pickups on the VM are hotter.
NickD wrote: Fri Mar 25, 2022 11:44 pm
plopswagon wrote: Fri Mar 25, 2022 7:05 pm Fuck! My car runs on Tubes!
When you press the accelerator past halfway it doesn’t actually go any faster, but the engine noise distorts
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Post by Noirie. »

Nice one. I agree they're real nice. Way better than the VM I used to have.

Had one on layaway but I switched it for a Tele Thinline.
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robroe
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Post by robroe »

jesus they actually released this without the switches matching the pickup covers.
you guys had me convinced it was just a photoshop Ad error. you fucks!
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Post by robroe »

which neck has moar gloss ?


the blue VM i played in a shop years ago had a fuck ton of gloss on it. I loved it. more the better.
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Fran
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Post by Fran »

You just can’t fault Squier these days, if I was in the market for a new guitar they would be my first port of call.
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Post by Fakir Mustache »

robroe wrote:jesus they actually released this without the switches matching the pickup covers.
you guys had me convinced it was just a photoshop Ad error. you fucks!
I knew that would be the first thing you would post in this thread.

robroe wrote:which neck has moar gloss ?


the blue VM i played in a shop years ago had a fuck ton of gloss on it. I loved it. more the better.
Maybe the VM has more gloss, but it's hard to say because neither is matte and they're both glossy.

They used a different tint, the VM is yellowish, the CV neck has a yellow-brownish tint, more woody looking.
NickD wrote: Fri Mar 25, 2022 11:44 pm
plopswagon wrote: Fri Mar 25, 2022 7:05 pm Fuck! My car runs on Tubes!
When you press the accelerator past halfway it doesn’t actually go any faster, but the engine noise distorts
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Post by robroe »

awesome
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Post by sunshiner »

HNGD Fakir, it looks classy(vibey :D ) Good to know about the differences between the VM and CV models. Squier has been the best budget guitar brand for at least a decade and only gets better
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Re: Squier Classic Vibe Mustang

Post by NickD »

Fakir Mustache wrote:I just got one from Rich Tone UK...
My local shop, and the source of a good proportion of the gear I have owned (my R9, Martin and 18 watt Marshall came from there). They are good people.

Your new Mustang looks really nice. I've yet to see one in person, but the quality on them looks great for the price point.
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Post by SAVEStheDAY »

According to the offset folks Fender is coming out with some new classic vibe mustang colors (lake placid blue, olympic white, and candy apple red). I would love to grab one in LPB.
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Post by dots »

something about the classic vibes series... they always seem ahead of the curve in attention to detail.
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Post by Fakir Mustache »

I tried the reverb handle, set up the assembly the same as my og 1966. It was a bit tighter (which I prefer) on the vintage, not a huge difference though. Also using the bar from the CV, I can push it all the way down on the vintage, on the VM as well, but on the CV it stops into the wood and you can't get the bar to touch the scratchplate like on the others.

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I also don't think the VM is less good than the CV, I like the thicker neck on the VM and the hotter pickups sound good.

I can't get any of them to sound like my 1966. Of course it's the pickups, but they won't sound similar unplugged either. On the other hand, the body is too light for my tastes and I find the neck too thin...

They're all really different.
NickD wrote: Fri Mar 25, 2022 11:44 pm
plopswagon wrote: Fri Mar 25, 2022 7:05 pm Fuck! My car runs on Tubes!
When you press the accelerator past halfway it doesn’t actually go any faster, but the engine noise distorts
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Post by Fakir Mustache »

I measured the pickup resistance:

Fender Mustang original
neck 6.1k
bridge 5.7k

VM
neck 6.9k
bridge 11k


CV
neck 5.7k
bridge 5.7k

The original sounded a bit brighter than the CV, even the neck pickup. Wasn't a huge difference, and to be fair the two sounded more different unplugged than plugged in.
NickD wrote: Fri Mar 25, 2022 11:44 pm
plopswagon wrote: Fri Mar 25, 2022 7:05 pm Fuck! My car runs on Tubes!
When you press the accelerator past halfway it doesn’t actually go any faster, but the engine noise distorts
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Post by dots »

wow, that's a massive difference, and the VM is wound super hot!
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Post by Fakir Mustache »

I got pretty sick of the Classic Vibe pickups. They're neither here nor there (is there another expression for this in English?).

They're not as bright and sparkly like vintage Mustang pickups, and they probably have a bit more gain (despite the resistance readings), but not enough to sound good distorted. They just sound like crappy strat pickups.

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This is the neck pickup. I guess F means front.
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I suppose R means rear, this is the bridge pickup.
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I got this DiMarzio SDS-1 new a couple of years ago, but this is the first time I put it in something.
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It sounds great, kind of like a savage P90. I play the guitar for hours and can't stop. One of the best single coil pickups I've ever played hands down.

The only thing I don't like is mixing it with that neck pickup, it sounds horrible, except maybe for the out of phase position. I've tried lowering and raising it and couldn't get any good sounds in phase or with the neck pickup by itself, haven't tried clean though.
NickD wrote: Fri Mar 25, 2022 11:44 pm
plopswagon wrote: Fri Mar 25, 2022 7:05 pm Fuck! My car runs on Tubes!
When you press the accelerator past halfway it doesn’t actually go any faster, but the engine noise distorts
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Post by Doog »

Fakir Mustache wrote: Comparing to my Vintage Modified, on the Vintage Modified you can kind of slightly feel the fret ends, but not to the point that it bothers me. On the CV you don't notice, and the frets seem smaller, although I noticed more by looking at them than playing. Nicer finish on the neck and truss rod plug on the CV.

The neck on the CV is thinner back to front
That's good to know, I found the VM necks WAY too baseball batty and the frets maybe a bit too jumbo'd.

Really wish they'd put out some different colours though :c I guess they're the same bodies as the VMs?
Fakir Mustache wrote:I got pretty sick of the Classic Vibe pickups. They're neither here nor there (is there another expression for this in English?)
That's a pretty good usage of it there.. and I can't think of an equivalent.
robroe wrote:jesus they actually released this without the switches matching the pickup covers.
you guys had me convinced it was just a photoshop Ad error. you fucks!
Personally, I honestly prefer it; makes it look less cluttered. I kept the white switches with the new white p/g on my VM Mustang too, sleeeeeeek
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Post by Fakir Mustache »

Doog wrote:Really wish they'd put out some different colours though :c I guess they're the same bodies as the VMs?
Same creamy white and washed-out blue finishes, but the VM was supposedly basswood while the CV is allegedly poplar.
NickD wrote: Fri Mar 25, 2022 11:44 pm
plopswagon wrote: Fri Mar 25, 2022 7:05 pm Fuck! My car runs on Tubes!
When you press the accelerator past halfway it doesn’t actually go any faster, but the engine noise distorts
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Post by Fakir Mustache »

Finally played it clean, with the exact same opinion, except I wanted a good in phase both pickups sound even more, which I still couldn't get with that pesky neck pickup.
NickD wrote: Fri Mar 25, 2022 11:44 pm
plopswagon wrote: Fri Mar 25, 2022 7:05 pm Fuck! My car runs on Tubes!
When you press the accelerator past halfway it doesn’t actually go any faster, but the engine noise distorts
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Post by Fakir Mustache »

Changed the cover of the SDS-1 to a cream cover and put a Squier CV Duo-Sonic pickup in the neck position.
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I bought the Duo-Sonic pickups before I even had the Mustang, because I've heard demos of them and thought they sounded like vintage Mustang pickups. It certainly does deliver, sounds like a vintage pickup maybe a tad bit hotter and a tad bit less bright, but just right. They sound really cool out of phase, better than with the previous stock pickup. However, it is not humbucking when both pickups are on.

I am at a loss as do what to do next. I kind of want to try the Classic Vibe Duo-Sonic bridge pickup in the bridge position, but the SDS-1 sounds great too. I guess I could get another guitar for the SDS-1, not that I really want another guitar. I suppose if I put the Duo-Sonic bridge pickup in the neck position, it will buck the hum in the middle position, but I'm not sure I want to do that.

I've also thought about robroeing it, but they don't make cream switches, only white ones, and I'm not going to buy some and dip them in coffee. I'm decided I won't robroe it.
NickD wrote: Fri Mar 25, 2022 11:44 pm
plopswagon wrote: Fri Mar 25, 2022 7:05 pm Fuck! My car runs on Tubes!
When you press the accelerator past halfway it doesn’t actually go any faster, but the engine noise distorts
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Post by sunshiner »

I've tried dipping white strat control knobs in coffee with no positive change to them, even left them for a couple of days there and they came out as snowy white as they had been before. Maybe it was a certain type of plastic in my case
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