The new Squier Classic Vibe '50s Stratocaster comes in a rare Shell Pink finish, nailing the '50s look without the vintage price-tag.
The original Stratocaster was introduced in 1954 with its famous vibrato arm, but in 1955, a Hard Tail model was introduced for players looking for a simpler option with better intonation and tuning stability. Since then, it has remained one of the most popular and beloved electric guitars in the world, having been made iconic by players like Buddy Holly, David Gilmour, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan and countless others.
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Shell Pink is one of the rarest colours from Fender’s early days, with virtually zero Shell Pink Stratocasters from the era still floating around. It became an official custom colour in 1960 and, like almost all original Fender colours, was inspired by a car, in this case a 1950s Desoto. Given its rarity, to have a ’50s style strat in this lovely colour, particularly one so affordable, is really cool.
The CV ’50s Strat is constructed with a poplar body and a maple neck and features ’50s-inspired styling that is beautifully simple. The vintage-tinted neck is a great match with the shell pink body colour and gives it an authentic old-school appearance. Some other ’50s features immediately obvious to the eye are vintage Kluson-style tuners and spaghetti-style headstock markings, evidence of some much-appreciated attention to detail. The nickel hardware has a warm, radiant appearance that adds to the vintage charm, all in all making this a very nice looking guitar.
The CV ’50s Strat feels extremely comfortable, with its famous contours and curves meaning it doesn’t poke into your ribs like other guitars I could mention, and its C-shaped neck feels just right. The maple has a nice grain and is silky smooth to the touch, making the neck super slinky and playable.
Loaded with three Fender-designed alnico pickups, all the Strat tones you know and love are readily accessible in this guitar. Unlike the original ’50s Stratocaster, which featured a three-way pickup selector, this model has the more modern and now far more common five-way switch. Early on in the piece, players like Hendrix discovered the ‘in between sounds’ now covered by the five-way switch by sticking a toothpick in the selector to wedge it in between positions. This produced the lovely ‘out of phase’ tones found in positions 2 and 4. Whilst a three-way switch would have been more period correct for this guitar, I highly doubt anyone is complaining.
In the bridge position, the CV Strat sounds chimey and bell-like with a generous amount of cutting midrange and shimmering treble. When set clean, it’s bright, snappy and clear, perfect for jangly sounds, and when overdriven, it howls like only a Strat can, perfect for screaming solos.
In the second position, the bridge and middle pickups are combined to create a funky tone often described as ‘quacky’. Luckily, this model’s modern five-way switch means you can leave your toothpicks at home and enjoy all the funky Nile Rodgers sounds you can muster.
The often overlooked middle position in this guitar retains some of that quack but rolls it back to a more natural sound that is focused and subtle. Whether set clean or dirty, this pickup has enough high-end bite to be heard without ever sounding sharp and is particularly popular with slide players for its even response. I also find it to be a good spot for some overdriven rhythm work.
In the fourth position, this Strat rocks that familiar out-of-phase sound used by so many famous players to achieve a smooth and strangely hollow tone. From beautiful spanky cleans to rich and harmonically dense distortion sounds, this position has become a beloved part of what makes a Strat a Strat.
Finally, the neck pickup in this pretty-in-pink stunner is as lush, warm and bluesy as it gets. Generous lows and mellow highs make this Strat’s fifth position perfect for jazzy chord work when set clean, as well as smooth, singing sustain when distorted or even just compressed. For a budget model, the CV Strat nails these tones really nicely and with its new shell pink paint job, looks mighty fine doing it. What’s more, it plays great and its hard tail bridge provides great resonance and rock solid tuning. Definitely a ‘gigable’ instrument.
This would make an excellent first electric guitar for somebody with a taste for all things retro. It’s clean, it’s simple, it’s very affordable and has a distinctive ’50s flair. Whilst it may not have the bells and whistles that some more modern guitars have to offer, that only lends itself more to the simplicity that appeals to new players.
Whilst not a fully fledged Fender, this Strat, like all of the Classic Vibe series, is popular for a reason. The vintage aesthetics, reliable build quality and solid sound make it an absolute bargain, as does its lovely new paint job. With a period correct colour as well as nice details like Kluson style tuners, which you don’t often see on a lower end model, this would make a really nice addition to any arsenal.
From Buddy Holly to Steve Lacy, the Stratocaster has been an icon for over seventy years. We all know what it is, we all know what it does, and some of us will swear by them for our whole lives. What this model specifically achieves, however, is that it allows new players without much of a budget to own a new Strat that captures the vibe of the original. To own a clean and simple ’50s style instrument that can become their own, helping them to become something themselves. The next Buddy Holly may be just around the corner.
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