The ULTIMATE vintage style Strat comparison! Squier, Vintera, American Original and Custom Shop!

[@Hexspa]

CV nk: 3:03 p4: 4:01 md: 4:25 p2: 4:55 br: 5:10 jam: 6:34 RW nk: 10:47 p4: 11:11 md: 11:41 p2: 12:01 br: 12:24 jam: 12:49 OG nk: 16:38 p4: 17:30 md: 17:45 p2: 18:06 br: 18:28 jam: 19:49 CS nk: 22:12 p4: 23:01 md: 23:14 p2: 23:47 br: 24:00 jam: 24:50

[@JDog_Unchained]

Thank you!

[@deeperblueofficial]

Thank you

[@Hexspa]

@@deeperblueofficial Welcome

[@400_billion_suns]

Thanks Hexspa!

[@RickMcCargar]

The American Original in shell pink with the dark rosewood fretboard...yeah...that's killer! Nice job!

[@klimt5]

I got it: it’s awesome!

[@vyvynylification]

I'm looking for one!

[@mikec3454]

Just picked up the AO 1960s in shell pink… AMAZING. Went in thinking I would buy an American Pro II, but it just felt too modern for me. I’ve owned many Strats and the AO 1960s is by the far best sounding and feeling I’ve ever played. I don’t think you’ll find another Strat in production that delivers those true “Strat tones” we all crave. The shell pink is a beautiful colour too.

[@macuse2008]

He had the most fun playing the squier. That says a lot right there

[@b-music9329]

The Vintera road worn really is extremely vintage-true (I have a 50s) with a lot of character and I like it a lot especially for bluesy stuff, but the original 7,25" neck radius is not ideal for wide bending. The Squier Classic Vibe 50s strat which I own too has a more modern 9,5" neck radius which is much better for bending. I don't own an American Vintage, but from what I know these have much thicker necks. The neck of the Squier is not as thick and very comfortable. I generally think that the necks (apart from the pickups) are the main real difference between the different Strats. You really have to feel comfortable with the neck, so you must try it. Also regarding laquer. The Squier has a thick glossy laquer, while the Vintera has a smooth "used" nitro laquer. this also makes a big difference regarding feel. What I didn't like about the Squier is the poor tuners which don't turn smoothly which makes it hard to tune it, and that the temolo was adjusted way too hard. What also was unusable is the plate-shape (original is eyelet) strings-retainer which detunes the Guitar completely upon wide tremolo bending. I simply unhooked the B and E strings from the retainer which in fact isn't needed at all (the strings don't jump out of the saddle) and tuning stability increased dramatically. I think when you buy a Squier, replace the mechanics with proper original ones and maybe also replace the pickups with custom shop ones you've got a very good vintage style Strat for very little money if you don't necessarily need to have the Fender logo on the headstock.

[@vincentbull]

Bit of Monty's Montypresso - The Original Guitar Relic Wax On the pau ferro and it darkens up really nicely

[@morrisonmcqueen1364]

I second that about the Monty’s relic wax. I treated the fretboard of my roadworn Vintera (the shoreline gold one as featured in this video) with Montypresso. Well worth the money

[@vyvynylification]

For me the sweet spot is the AO60s (it's why I have 3). I agree CS's have a little extra in them but an AO is basically a CS at half the price because of the specs and quality. That said, I'm a huuuge fan of MiM because of how good they are for around 1k

[@josephec835]

Wow I just skipped to the vintera one thinking it was a usa one and it sounded great.

[@RickMcCargar]

The guitar that you can't put down is the one with the most value. You look at it on your stand and think, man, I have to pick that up right now...you get your mileage out of inspirational guitars.

[@fabrizioluccitti6960]

Fantastic playing mate, I have to say I like all of them. I was impressed from the neck pickup on the original.

[@ayericky4903]

Yeah the neck pick up on the original is just Gorgeous, sounds like the 60s 🙌🏼

[@geoffreycarter3981]

Im 28 years old and have been playing for 14 years. I have a Gibson ES335 and Les Paul Standard and some Martins. I've had every kind of strat at some point or another, but I'm looking for a strat now to keep the rest of my life since I've checked every other gear box (for now). For me, even though the CV or Vintera would be an excellent guitar and serve my purposes very well (weekend warrior who plays for beers), I think it's worth spending an extra $1,000 or $1,500 to secure a US made guitar. There is something about Fender being an american company and their products being American icons that always makes any Fender made abroad not feel like the real thing in the back of my mind. Since I have my whole life ahead of me, I want a guitar that I won't ever feel the need to replace. I think Custom Shop guitars are amazing obviously (and you CAN buy nice preowned CS's for around $2500-3k) but I think that caters more to professionals who rely on their instrument for a living and are advanced enough to justify minute spec differences. i just ordered an American Original 50's in Aztec Gold for about $1,500. I don't have a lot of money and it was a big purchase, but I don't feel one bit like I spent too much. I think they offer great value. (also a hard case is a MUST for me and you have to factor that into the price). The CV and Mexican made Fenders have always been good, and are great for people learning, or for modding, but i'm looking for a life long friend now and that's my story thanks for reading lol

[@chuckwolfboyer7830]

THAT 2 TONE SUNBURST WAS COOL 😎 AND IT SOUND THE BEST 😊 the very best best best

[@i.r.theofficial]

I own American Original, which is essentially a Custom Shop not handcrafted on an industrial scale. Great guitar. The paint is very thin and peels off quickly, the wood breathes. By the way, my color is Candy Apple Red 2018 and it doesn't have a primer.

[@pramesh.gurung]

Is the neck chunky??

[@i.r.theofficial]

@@pramesh.gurung Exactly!

[@christiancatedral1141]

So it peels off quickly? I heard the coat is thick. I’m planning to buy an Am Orig 60’s strat

[@brandall101]

@@christiancatedral1141 I have an AO 60s tele and the prior gen AV 59 Strat and AV 58 tele. The AOs have a more durable finish, more prone to ding instead of chip... the AV series had a flash lacquer coat/sealer, whereas the AO have a poly sealer - technically the AVs 'breath' better and are much easier to wear down to the wood, but I prefer the durability. I believe both finishes are roughly the same thickness.

[@400_billion_suns]

@@christiancatedral1141 It's definitely a delicate finish. It chips, scratches, and wears pretty quickly and easily. To some people that's a great thing; to some people that's a terrible thing. I have a few AO series guitars and two of them already have finish wear-thru and various other visible aging. If you like aged/worn lacquer finishes you'll enjoy them, but if you like your guitars to look perfect you will hate them. :)

[@christiandude3149]

the Vintera and the Original... thats my Choice.... because the Squier is a little shy in the opposide of the others and the customshop in my ear not really better than the original.... but this is only the sound i hear over headphones... for a real feeling i have to play them all in an store....

[@benallmark9671]

The Tim Shaw pickups in the Vintera’s sound amazing, in my opinion anyway.

[@jimmyparris9892]

I must be a little weird but I liked the tone of the Squier Classic Vibe the best. I liked the looks of the Vintera the best, though.

[@openwingchun]

Yes. CV really cool guitar

[@400_billion_suns]

For tuning floating trems, a Polytune clip-on tuner is the ticket. Lets you crank all the strings into the ballpark really quickly. I prefer floating trems -- to me they sound better with more of that Strat jangle and you can get some beautiful vibrato out of them.

[@DougMen1]

The Classic Vibe on the neck pickup has more spank and sparkle, and nails the vintage bluesy Strat tone more than any of the others, which all sound more flat and bland in comparison to me. The AO comes closest to the CV, with the Vintera in last place.

[@GuitarMav]

Where you notice the difference with a custom shop is not in the sound, they sound like any other guitar, it is in the feel. When you pick one up and play it you notice a huge difference between the cheaper models. American originals are great and come close but the one I owned was a bit too heavy and the nitro was too thick and flaked off. Vintage guitars don't do that, the nitro wears off after years of playing. Maybe they have fixed this now.

[@400_billion_suns]

None of my AOs have flaked but they have definitely worn through in places.

[@bonedale]

I’m still waiting for the vid that show the less you spend the better it sounds, but this is good

[@guidoVX]

Wonderful video and amazing playing! which chords are yoy jamming on exactly? I’m from Italy and I hope to visit your store one day! Thanks!

[@maxguitarstore]

Always welcome!

[@PsychologyWorksOfficial]

@@maxguitarstore I’d love to know what chords those are too. Sounds great.

[@lofijunky]

Time stamp?

[@cassalinson]

The Squier CV 60 in this video is made in China or the new Indonesian (with nyatoh body wood)?

[@vladzubac5360]

the amp is the one that matters I think in this comparison between the strats...put the custom shop through a cheap behringer or Orange crush...and it will sound bad..like really bad..

[@cemylgn1363]

16:31 lol

[@Amir14Ameero]

sascha tell me whats ur recording rig? whats ur settings to record this video…what interface…are u using micing and what camera?

[@maxguitarstore]

I use a Boss TAE into a UA Apollo to record guitar. Voice is captured straight to camera with a Sennheiser wireless set. The camera are Sony A7 III

[@thirtyoneaudiochannel3235]

American original sweets , Killerrrr all day playing

[@marktheshark99]

Pound for pound, the AO is prob the "best".

[@davegreeley]

That sounds strong my friend.

[@constantinsanna7]

pour moi la custom shop l emporte .car plus de brillance dans les micros et le soustain corp et manche resonne mieux.

[@刘冉-f7k]

sq cv very amazing

[@deeperblueofficial]

I have the pink AO. In this video, I think the Vintera sounds best.

[@400_billion_suns]

Yeah... I have a few AOs and I have to admit the Vintera pickups sound more "vintage" in almost every comparison I've heard. Not sure what kind of secret sauce they put into them, but they just nail the sound of vintage strats to an impressive degree.

[@leandromendes5994]

American Original!!!!

[@tonyjohnstone5157]

They all sound the same....lol!!! How fortunate are we that we can get custom tones at classic vibe prices.

[@jacquesadda9370]

Américain original

[@Phoenix_cataclysm_in_2040]

Considering price difference vs sound I simply don't see how I could justify paying hundreds, if not thousands more. Once you have Fender written on a headstock it's all the same to me. So would never pay tons of cash for a Custom Shop axe, money that I'd never get back.

[@CoomerGremlinDGGfan]

What's the most you'd pay?

[@Phoenix_cataclysm_in_2040]

@@CoomerGremlinDGGfan Well, my most expensive guitar is my 2020 Fender Stratocaster Vintera (modified) that I paid £600 for. I could go up to £1000 for some more special and desirable axe (not even sure what that could possibly be), but that would be my max, beyond that point it's people just falling for a hype.

[@CoomerGremlinDGGfan]

@@Phoenix_cataclysm_in_2040 yeah I agree. Vinteras are actually really good quality guitars. The american made ones are not thousands of dollars better. I'd like to try the 7.25 radius version.

[@morrisonmcqueen1364]

I get it, but those custom shop strats can look and feel SO nice! The Vintera series in nitro are amazing for the money with great pickups I think.

[@Phoenix_cataclysm_in_2040]

@@morrisonmcqueen1364 Yes, I fancied the 50s road worn Vintera, it's a nitro finish with some moderate body and neck wear. As always, Fender discontinued them for reasons not known and they are not easy to find (I mean a sunburst one), and usually priced £1000+.

[@skatetodeath666]

The classic series 60s MIM is better than all of them.

[@sathira_anuk5179]

😂😂 Not even close

[@xtheory]

I've owned both, and I can confirm that the fit and finish of the AO 60's is far better than the MIM Classic series. Though the MIM would sound very similar if you threw Pure Vintage 65 pickups on it.

[@lukestrat93]

what do you mean by Classic Series? The Standard before Player series?

[@petarkosovic6455]

There is no such a thing as a thin polyfinish. That stuff is so durable, even 1/10 of millimetar of spray would be sufficient to protect guitar against every condition imaginable for centuries. That must come with a price. Imagine breathing with plastic bag over your mouth. Not very airy is it!?

[@jacebeleren1703]

It's an electric guitar. Unless you like the guitar having noticeable wear after time (which i hate) , it's not gonna affect it in any other way. Definitely not gonna affect the sound as well. And if it even does, you can just adjust the amp.

[@petarkosovic6455]

@@jacebeleren1703 There is a good rason why 64' strat sounds very different from 69' strat. Very very different.

[@jacebeleren1703]

@@petarkosovic6455 Of course there's a good reason. Different pickups.

[@petarkosovic6455]

Yeah right

[@gerdpfeil]

1. What type of poly are you talking about (rhetorical question, meaning "google it!")? 2. Guitars are made quite deliberately from wood that has stabilized because it has no appreciable metabolism anymore, it's as dead as it gets (otherwise guitars would keep growing and turn into basses, then dreadnought gunships) and 3. you might be confusing NC lacquer with shellac or something, imagine breathing through an ever so thin coat of NC finish (which is not less or more "plastic" than the other stuff), it's totally not airy either (apart from being toxic while being applied).