Squier Classic Vibe 70s Jaguar

[unreal77]

Now I’m reading that the tuners are bad, that the bridge is questionable and the pickups are weaker than the VMs. It seems there’s a whole lotta moddin’ going on...

[JasonTMays]

So, after playing this for a bit, I think it’s a really awesome guitar...if you’re intending to Mod it. I threw in some Antiquity I’s. And I was pleasantly surprised at how much this changed it up. After doing that, It’s easily become my 2nd favorite sounding Jag that...and I’ve gone through an AV65, 2 - 50th anniversary Jags, A Thinline Jag, a 94 CIJ jag, and a VM jag. The hardware is okay, the fender designed pickups are a lot better than I was expecting...but, I do prefer Duncan pickups over most things...so, idk I’m pretty biased. The tort pickguard is soooo much nicer looking than the VM. The bridge is definitely an improvement over the VM, but not by much. It just works better. I would say overall, it’s definitely an improvement over the VM...but it’s definitely not Mascis/original classic vibe quality. Quality wise, it sits somewhere in-between the VM and CV. Still definitely worth buying if you like it.

[Embenny]

That's pretty disappointing to hear, that they're going to be running the CV name into the ground. I guess "MIC CV" will become one of those things, like "MIJ Squier". The pickups and necks on the MIC CVs were things of beauty. If there's finish flaws in the binding and pickups that bear replacing, that's definitely lower than the bar the original CVs set.

[Mechanical Birds]

I took it to rehearsal yesterday and I broke 3 (!!!) High E strings and had to tune the thing every minute. I changed the strings to 11-56's right now and it seems to be fine, but kind of defeats the purpose of a short scale guitar.

I doubt the strings breaking are because of the bridge. I've had this same thing happen on 3 Jazzmasters and the problem usually occurs at the tremolo. The tale-tell sign is that the high E string keeps going out of tune and you keep tuning it up. Essentially, what's happening is the hole for the string (or perhaps that big screw on the tremolo?) starts compromising the winds at the ball end until it breaks. I used to have to keep a stock of high E strings because I was breaking them once or twice a week.

Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to fix this:

1) Get Fender Bullet strings - they don't have any windings at the end; the string just goes straight into a metal 'bullet' at the end.

2) Take about 3/4 of an inch of heat shrink tubing (3/32" - 3/64") and put it at the end of the string before you put the string on the guitar. Heat it up with a lighter, and pull it snug to the ball end of the string while it's still a little malleable. Then put the string on. Make sure the tubing is long enough that it is above that screw on the bridge. Note that this is my preferred method as it allows me to still use my favorite GHS Boomers strings, and I haven't broken a high E string since.

3) Get a new bridge (American Vintage, etc). Honestly, I would only do this if you wan to upgrade the tremolo anyway. You have just as much of a chance of the same thing happening on the new bridge. I've had it happen on a Squier, MIM, and American Vintage bridge, fwiw, although not every bridge is affected.

Anyway, I would say you could have this problem fixed today with options 1 or 2.

Thanks The super heavy strings seem to have fixed the issue and a few others, but will have to try the heat shrink tubing method. I have specific string requirements due to an allergy to most alloys that strings are made of
I also set up the trem a bit (all the screws were pretty loose by my standards, and assembled and reassembled it per quite a few "how to adjust a jazzmaster trem" videos) but they have no contact with the string. I appreciate the advice!

Always real weird to me when I hear people call a set of 11s big or fat or huge. Notice it a lot in YouTubes and it’s usually a guy who’s wearing several non-wedding rings and shit who doesn’t know much about the guitar they’re showing you but is totally fine with repeating his misinformation... I’m really thinking of those dickheads who make the Anderton’s videos.

They’re what I use, 11-52 or whatever, I may have 12 flats on my Mascis, but I’ve always felt like they’re pretty thin. I honestly don’t know how someone uses 9s or even 8s - feels like they’re all high e strings to me. 10s aren’t nearly as bad but still really light.

And using thicker strings on a short scale guitar, especially a Fender Jaguar, is typical and definitely doesn’t ruin the purpose of it in any way. Like, they were specifically designed to use 12/13 gauge strings.

[vistavision]

Always real weird to me when I hear people call a set of 11s big or fat or huge. Notice it a lot in YouTubes and it’s usually a guy who’s wearing several non-wedding rings and shit who doesn’t know much about the guitar they’re showing you but is totally fine with repeating his misinformation... I’m really thinking of those dickheads who make the Anderton’s videos.

They’re what I use, 11-52 or whatever, I may have 12 flats on my Mascis, but I’ve always felt like they’re pretty thin. I honestly don’t know how someone uses 9s or even 8s - feels like they’re all high e strings to me. 10s aren’t nearly as bad but still really light.

And using thicker strings on a short scale guitar, especially a Fender Jaguar, is typical and definitely doesn’t ruin the purpose of it in any way. Like, they were specifically designed to use 12/13 gauge strings.

Ever since I saw the string listings an old 1966 Fender catalog I always make sure to remind people that what you used to get on your new Fender electric Spanish guitar was "Smooth Round Wounds" .12-.52

[alexpigment]

Always real weird to me when I hear people call a set of 11s big or fat or huge. Notice it a lot in YouTubes and it’s usually a guy who’s wearing several non-wedding rings and shit who doesn’t know much about the guitar they’re showing you but is totally fine with repeating his misinformation... I’m really thinking of those dickheads who make the Anderton’s videos.

They’re what I use, 11-52 or whatever, I may have 12 flats on my Mascis, but I’ve always felt like they’re pretty thin. I honestly don’t know how someone uses 9s or even 8s - feels like they’re all high e strings to me. 10s aren’t nearly as bad but still really light.

And using thicker strings on a short scale guitar, especially a Fender Jaguar, is typical and definitely doesn’t ruin the purpose of it in any way. Like, they were specifically designed to use 12/13 gauge strings.

I don’t disagree with this entirely but I did want to throw in another point. I historically used 11-50 on everything and 12-52 on shorter scale stuff but none of those guitars had floating trems.

After setting up my #1JM the way I wanted, I started to notice that the tension seemed higher than other guitars. I think it may be a combination of the floating term and the neck at a slight angle.

Anyway I use 10s on my JMs now and the strings don’t feel much looser than the 11s on my Tele. So talking about string gauge in a vacuum I think is pointless. Realistically, a turn of the truss rod can have the same effect as going up or down a whole string gauge. That’s my 2 cents anyway.

[Mechanical Birds]

Yeah no offense to anyone talking about this, it’s just always something that throws me off. When the white guy with dreadlocks that’s always wearing a tall bandana across his forehead like he’s fuckin Hulk Hogan or the other mediocre white dude he sits across from have anything to say about stuff like string gauges they’re always saying that 11s are massive, or that they’re not typical/are obscure or like it’s some taboo shit nobody knows about.

It’s one of my biggest guitar pet peeves. Mediocre white dude is just straight up an asshole most of them time, talking shit on the products they push in their videos with a really obnoxious sense of self importance.

Sorry, sorry I know this isn’t the pace to complain about those bums but it’s impossible for me to overstate how horrible they are. TL;DR - it’s weird to me to hear someone say 11s aren’t thick enough

[Pacafeliz]

QUESTION:
...so what kinda pickguard would I have to order to fit one of these? A nice mint/parchment would make it heaven.

MIJ size?

...just asking...

[valley_parade]

I know the VMs fit AVRI pickguards. Would guess these are the same.

[X-Ray Spex]

Yeah no offense to anyone talking about this, it’s just always something that throws me off. When the white guy with dreadlocks that’s always wearing a tall bandana across his forehead like he’s fuckin Hulk Hogan or the other mediocre white dude he sits across from have anything to say about stuff like string gauges they’re always saying that 11s are massive, or that they’re not typical/are obscure or like it’s some taboo shit nobody knows about.

It’s one of my biggest guitar pet peeves. Mediocre white dude is just straight up an asshole most of them time, talking shit on the products they push in their videos with a really obnoxious sense of self importance.

Sorry, sorry I know this isn’t the pace to complain about those bums but it’s impossible for me to overstate how horrible they are. TL;DR - it’s weird to me to hear someone say 11s aren’t thick enough

This is my life, both myself and the other guitarist in my band both use exclusively 11's on our guitars. Everyone else who tries to play our stuff always mentions that they're difficult to play with ''such heavy strings''. I'm always like every Fender guitar was basically designed for these'' heavy'' strings and in fact 11's are actually at the lighter end of the scale.

I think it's because it's standard that most people play 9's because that's what beginner electrics usually seem to arrive strung with and then people never change or experiment with string gauges over time.

[601210]

Yeah no offense to anyone talking about this, it’s just always something that throws me off. When the white guy with dreadlocks that’s always wearing a tall bandana across his forehead like he’s fuckin Hulk Hogan or the other mediocre white dude he sits across from have anything to say about stuff like string gauges they’re always saying that 11s are massive, or that they’re not typical/are obscure or like it’s some taboo shit nobody knows about.

It’s one of my biggest guitar pet peeves. Mediocre white dude is just straight up an asshole most of them time, talking shit on the products they push in their videos with a really obnoxious sense of self importance.

Sorry, sorry I know this isn’t the pace to complain about those bums but it’s impossible for me to overstate how horrible they are. TL;DR - it’s weird to me to hear someone say 11s aren’t thick enough

This is my life, both myself and the other guitarist in my band both use exclusively 11's on our guitars. Everyone else who tries to play our stuff always mentions that they're difficult to play with ''such heavy strings''. I'm always like every Fender guitar was basically designed for these'' heavy'' strings and in fact 11's are actually at the lighter end of the scale.

I think it's because it's standard that most people play 9's because that's what beginner electrics usually seem to arrive strung with and then people never change or experiment with string gauges over time.

Unless my knowledge is completely wrong I always thought Hendrix popularized light-at-the-time 10s and the unwound G String, but then SRV used 13s or something so being a bluesdad isn't even an excuse for thinking 11s are some alien technology.

I think the only time I ever bought a set of 9s in my life was when I needed a High E in a pinch and couldn't find a set of 11s.

[rumfoord]

I can, of course, very much tell the difference, but the thing that I don't understand about people that "can't play" a guitar with 11s is that it's not like 8s and 9s are standard on acoustic guitars. Can they really not play an acoustic at all?

Maybe it's more that when you haven't played a very wide range of different guitars, you have a wtf reaction to your process being messed up. If heavy strings are what's different, you have a strong reaction against them. If a neck that's thick, thin, wide, skinny, etc is the thing, then you "can't play" that guitar. I've definitely felt a little like that. But nowadays it seems easier for me to explore (or something) each guitar for what it is (or something). A no-truss-rod archtop is going to be different than an RG, but I might happen to totally love both. Wait, well, almost no chance that I'll like the RG though.

[lespaulfreak93]

I doubt the strings breaking are because of the bridge. I've had this same thing happen on 3 Jazzmasters and the problem usually occurs at the tremolo. The tale-tell sign is that the high E string keeps going out of tune and you keep tuning it up. Essentially, what's happening is the hole for the string (or perhaps that big screw on the tremolo?) starts compromising the winds at the ball end until it breaks. I used to have to keep a stock of high E strings because I was breaking them once or twice a week.

Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to fix this:

1) Get Fender Bullet strings - they don't have any windings at the end; the string just goes straight into a metal 'bullet' at the end.

2) Take about 3/4 of an inch of heat shrink tubing (3/32" - 3/64") and put it at the end of the string before you put the string on the guitar. Heat it up with a lighter, and pull it snug to the ball end of the string while it's still a little malleable. Then put the string on. Make sure the tubing is long enough that it is above that screw on the bridge. Note that this is my preferred method as it allows me to still use my favorite GHS Boomers strings, and I haven't broken a high E string since.

3) Get a new bridge (American Vintage, etc). Honestly, I would only do this if you wan to upgrade the tremolo anyway. You have just as much of a chance of the same thing happening on the new bridge. I've had it happen on a Squier, MIM, and American Vintage bridge, fwiw, although not every bridge is affected.

Anyway, I would say you could have this problem fixed today with options 1 or 2.

Thanks The super heavy strings seem to have fixed the issue and a few others, but will have to try the heat shrink tubing method. I have specific string requirements due to an allergy to most alloys that strings are made of
I also set up the trem a bit (all the screws were pretty loose by my standards, and assembled and reassembled it per quite a few "how to adjust a jazzmaster trem" videos) but they have no contact with the string. I appreciate the advice!

Always real weird to me when I hear people call a set of 11s big or fat or huge. Notice it a lot in YouTubes and it’s usually a guy who’s wearing several non-wedding rings and shit who doesn’t know much about the guitar they’re showing you but is totally fine with repeating his misinformation... I’m really thinking of those dickheads who make the Anderton’s videos.

They’re what I use, 11-52 or whatever, I may have 12 flats on my Mascis, but I’ve always felt like they’re pretty thin. I honestly don’t know how someone uses 9s or even 8s - feels like they’re all high e strings to me. 10s aren’t nearly as bad but still really light.

And using thicker strings on a short scale guitar, especially a Fender Jaguar, is typical and definitely doesn’t ruin the purpose of it in any way. Like, they were specifically designed to use 12/13 gauge strings.

Good for you, you have a preference, congrats, we all do. Some like 8's. I like 10's and 11's. Some of the other guys made some real good points about setup.

11-56's are pretty heavy for me. I don't feel a need to fight the strings. I can play, but why force myself to work with something less comfortable? Usually I go for 10-46's on my many other guitars. 11-56 seems pretty massive, the 11 is fine (11-49 is my favorite set) but a 56 is really thick. Someone mentioned acoustics - on acoustic I have 13's. Different feel, different alloys, different instrument.
It's not difficult, just different. One of my guitars has 13's on it (Hagstrom Swede) in Eb tuning and that's fine. Personally the aim of a short scale was for me to have an easy and soft playing guitar, like it was with the stock strings. It's not the case anymore with the replacements and the sound is slightly different, in my opinion a bit less pleasant than it was (more low end). I still really enjoy the guitar and play it a lot. Actually since I got it, I'm using it much more than my main player (2017 Les Paul Traditional)

I tried to show my constructive criticism and what I THINK about a guitar that was of obvious interest to a large amount of people on this forum.
In general I'm very satisfied with it even though it has a lot of flaws for a price that's not in the "low range" anymore, at least where I'm from. I am overlooking them however as the guitar is beautiful and plays really well.

In terms of string breaking, they broke in a similar area. I don't use the trem much, checked the string and it doesn't make contact with the screw. It was probably the base with a sharp end, so I put a little bit of cotton cloth (the type you use for cleaning guitars) on the end of the string and now it's fine!

[alexpigment]

Good for you, you have a preference, congrats, we all do. Some like 8's. I like 10's and 11's. Some of the other guys made some real good points about setup.

11-56's are pretty heavy for me. I don't feel a need to fight the strings. I can play, but why force myself to work with something less comfortable? Usually I go for 10-46's on my many other guitars. 11-56 seems pretty massive, the 11 is fine (11-49 is my favorite set) but a 56 is really thick. Someone mentioned acoustics - on acoustic I have 13's. Different feel, different alloys, different instrument.
It's not difficult, just different. One of my guitars has 13's on it (Hagstrom Swede) in Eb tuning and that's fine. Personally the aim of a short scale was for me to have an easy and soft playing guitar, like it was with the stock strings. It's not the case anymore with the replacements and the sound is slightly different, in my opinion a bit less pleasant than it was (more low end). I still really enjoy the guitar and play it a lot. Actually since I got it, I'm using it much more than my main player (2017 Les Paul Traditional)

I tried to show my constructive criticism and what I THINK about a guitar that was of obvious interest to a large amount of people on this forum.
In general I'm very satisfied with it even though it has a lot of flaws for a price that's not in the "low range" anymore, at least where I'm from. I am overlooking them however as the guitar is beautiful and plays really well.

In terms of string breaking, they broke in a similar area. I don't use the trem much, checked the string and it doesn't make contact with the screw. It was probably the base with a sharp end, so I put a little bit of cotton cloth (the type you use for cleaning guitars) on the end of the string and now it's fine!

Glad to hear the string breaking problem seems fixed (so far). As I mentioned before, it's a pretty common problem and sadly is not constrained to cheaper offsets.

And don't listen to the others about the string gauge thing. I tend to think that heavier strings sound a bit 'better' but honestly, that's really only because you're pushing the pickups more and you get some natural compression. The other side of that coin is that you lose a lot of dynamics with bigger strings, and I don't know any guitarist who has finesse that plays bigger strings. All of them are 9's or 10's guys. I'm OK with lacking a little finesse though I use 11s on hardtails and 10s on trem guitars.

tl;dr: most people who are better at guitar than I am play lighter strings. I tend to think there's something to that

[lespaulfreak93]

I'm learning to adapt to the different string gauge and general "feel" and requirements of this thing more and more...
To put it plain and simple, I'm in love with the damn thing! Just look at it... But most of all I love how this thing challenges me and forces me to re-think my entire way of understanding the concept of guitar playing.
Yeah, forget the issues, I'm going for that Jazzmaster next month or in June.