Review: Squier Classic Vibe Starcaster

I recently acquired this Squier Starcaster. It has proven to be an exceptionally fun guitar!

[@GWGuitarStudio]

Sunburst - amzn.to/43FqYS0

[@picker63028]

Good review. Nothing wrong with using a bass amp. For jazz I prefer it and forget the distortion stuff. Hearing a guitar in its clean tones tells me more about the instrument capabilities. Thanks for that.

[@banjomandan7199]

Good review! This is also set apart from the ES-335 and 335 copies in that it has the longer, 25.5-inch scale, which also improves the "snap."

[@dancingclair]

Looks like a strat compatible neck pocket. Baritone conversion would be something!

[@Leinarth_]

Great review, now I really want one! Greetings from México!

[@robertbennett6418]

Just Recieved this same Starcaster yesterday. I was pleased to find it 99% setup. A couple intonations and full set up. I am most impressed by the sustain. The more I play it the more I like it. I play it through a Fender D-dec (For the effects) into a Fender Rumble 25 bass amp.

[@GWGuitarStudio]

I think it’s best guitar in the Squier line. The quality is exceptional.

[@charlesthomas6748]

Squire will take you higher 👆 🔥 butternasty tones 🎶 i have one of these. The sunburst. It is by far my fav guitar out of the many guitars I have. It is a absolute monster beast maestro 🎉❤

[@davidshirk2024]

Dude! What a GREAT review! Thank you!

[@GWGuitarStudio]

Glad you liked it!

[@stevewf9072]

My beef with the Classic Vibe Starcaster is that the neck pickup is too wide for the string spacing. See for yourself in this very video at 4:19. For this guitar, I think Squier just grabbed the widerange pickups that were really designed for their Classic Vibe '70s Telecaster Deluxe. The tele has "Fender" string spacing that fits the pickups; there's a Fender-esque bridge (i.e. with height and intonation screws for each of 6 separate saddles) there for it. So the Widerange pickups were also made, as with tradition, for wider string spacing. The trouble is that here on the Starcaster, there's a Tune-O-Matic style bridge (intonation screws for each of 6 sliding saddles, with dual height screws for the whole bridge), with traditional T-O-M spacing, and the Starcaster's neck width matches this narrow bridge. The old Fender Starcaster version also had a tweaked Fender-style bridge. The 2012 reissue had a TOM bridge, but the strings fit the pickups. I think that's because the reissue pickups were simply standard humbuckers with repositioned bobbins under a special 3/3 cover, and matching screw polepieces. In other words, the reissue pickups were Gibson-spaced, so they fit the TOM guitar. I think the Squier CV Starcaster's polepieces are threaded magnets, like the original Fender version (and not like the reissue), and that the pickups were made to git another guitar, but they don't fit this one, and the sound from the outer strings suffers from it, even raising the polepieces up progressively higher and higher.

[@GWGuitarStudio]

Interesting. I just like the feel and the sound. For the price as a used instrument, I feel I got my money’s worth.

[@stevewf9072]

Update: this very day I got a personalized reply from Fender's online support page (quick!). I had asked if my Starcaster got the wrong pickup for the neck. I was assured that all the Starcasters came like that, with a photo attached showing the very thing I've complained about. I was also assured that the sound is not adversely affected. Add to that the good sounding reviews available online (like this one), and I think I have to become more objective, and ignore what I'd identified as a defect and just play the thing and listen. So I'm off to do that.

[@LoboNaranja]

we need a new video of this guitar greg!

[@wmpopper]

Very informative, thank you.

[@GWGuitarStudio]

Very welcome.

[@stevecarter9027]

Mine came with most of the screws camed out. The pick guard screw was wrong (flat style) and the end of the screw was binding on the guitar top. Both pickups were wobbly due to the screws not being properly tightened. Pretty disappointing, but now fixed, love the neck.

[@GWGuitarStudio]

Did you buy yours new or was it a used one?

[@stevecarter9027]

@@GWGuitarStudio new! (Online)

[@kurtphillion9670]

Really appreciate your review, got a lot out of this, I’m stoked about the idea of the amp your running it through, a wedge bass amp, that’s the sound I want, can you give me the detail about the amp please, thank you,

[@GWGuitarStudio]

The amp is made by Acoustic, the B25C model. I use a little of the built-in drive feature and then I have a pedalboard with two different distortions for additional gain stages when needed. In the video, it’s mostly the amp sound. I played with a combo band for a bit that did mostly Stones, Van Morrison, Allman Brothers, etc. and it worked fine for practice sessions. I never had to turn it up past half most of the time.

[@PatrickGeneLeBlancHardy]

Thanks For Sharing

[@pedropadel141]

Very good review thank you ☘👌

[@GWGuitarStudio]

My pleasure 😊

[@hustlinc3540]

are the bridge saddles radiused correctly? thank you

[@GWGuitarStudio]

I really didn’t look at that. It played great, thus I didn’t bother to check.

[@stevewf9072]

I (an amateur hobbyist) measured a 14" radius on the bridge and a 9.5" radius on the neck.

[@qqvc6338]

What bass amp do you use?

[@GWGuitarStudio]

For practices, I use an Acoustic B-25 wedge amp. For anything requiring more wattage, I have an old Crate BX-160. The Crate bass amps of that period were built by Ampeg. Mine has a JBL 15” speaker in it.

[@qqvc6338]

Thanks

[@LoboNaranja]

cool review. i also play guitar on a bass amp

[@GWGuitarStudio]

Thanks. I tend to talk too much and play too little, but that’s just how I am. Maybe I will do a video on playing guitar through a bass amp. That could be an interesting topic.

[@dr_tomK]

I just bought a blonde Squire classic vibe starcaster. Love this thing. Really well built and set up. Pretty impressed with the stock pickups.

[@GWGuitarStudio]

@@dr_tomK Seriously, this guitar is worth way more than its price. I have owned many guitars over the past 47 years. This one is a keeper.

[@bencarpenter3785]

🎸🇦🇺👍👍