Paranormal neurosis.....HELP ME!

[hanskung]

I have a Fender player Duosonic, which I've never really liked, thick neck, thin sound, I recently acquired a much more inexpensive Squire Paranormal Supersonic and really like that much guitar much better, thin neck, narrower nut, better sound, although I might put Fralin pups in. As a result of preferring the cheaper guitar, I've been having feelings of embarrassment, guilt, shame and feeling apologetic, why is thus? Why do I feel this way? what is the cause of my neurosis? Please help.

[Embenny]

There needn't be any correlation between the price of a guitar and how much you like it. Some guitars click with you, some don't. All there is to it.

Say three Hail Kurdts before bed and go with J Mascis, my child.

[hanskung]

Not sure what that means but bless you, excuse me I have a happy with my therapist.

[Fiddy]

The only guilt and embarrassment should come from calling Squiers, Squires.

No shame on liking cheaper guitars.

[JSett]

The only guilt and embarrassment should come from calling Squiers, Squires.

Quite.

No shame on liking cheaper guitars.

Quite, again. Most of us here started buying these offsets when they were 'cheap' and unloved.

[Wucan]

I also have the Paranormal Supersonic, it's honestly a gorgeous guitar and the neck feels great. No shame in liking a cheaper guitar better.

[Embenny]

Here's a funny and relevant story about how mass opinions change.

In the 90's, my guitar teacher had one guitar - an old, beat up 80's Squier strat. At that point, 80's Fenders were regarded poorly, and 80's Squiers all the more so.

He played in a jazz fusion group, and one day after a gig, someone came up to him and asked if he was playing a vintage strat or a reissue. The guy was horrified when he found out he was admiring an old Squier.

Today, the MIJ Squiers are regarded as a sort of golden era, but my teacher just played it because he liked it and it took him ages to find a newer, nicer guitar he liked more (a Godin LGX, which is a totally different beast).

So the guitar itself didn't change, but over the course of 30 years, other people started catching up to what my teacher already knew - it was a good guitar.

There are lots of other examples, from Harmony et al with goldfoil pickups to our beloved Offsets, which were once unloved pawnshop guitars, themselves. When I first got into Offsets, part of what drew me to the Jaguar was the fact that, even among Offsets, it was unloved. The sentiment on the early internet was that a Jaguar was a toy version of a Jazzmaster, with all of its bridge and tone "problems" exacerbated by a plinky short scale meant for babies.

Of course, that was all nonsense, and when I got my hands on one (a '93 MIJ in LPB) it confirmed what I already knew - it was a kickass guitar.

Today, we have $10k vintage Jags and new models coming out from Squiers to the Custom Shop. Not much about my Jag has changed in the two decades I've owned it, except the pickups and pickguard .

If a guitar feels good and sounds good, it is good, and the pricetag or the name on the headstock have little to no bearing on that.

[ainm]

I don't have a Paranormal Supersonic (although I've been considering a Japanese one), but I've a Paranormal Toronado, Baritone and Offset Tele. They're great guitars. I don't personally like the necks on them, but not for quality reasons. I just don't gel with the thin, modern profile. Some folks love that and fair play to them! My Paranormals all sound great - not top-end great, but better than many of the American Fenders. If you like the necks, they're a wiring and tuners upgrade away from being top guitars. If you're running them through good amps and loads of effects, there's not much wrong with them at all, tbh. Fabulous range of guitars - I got 3 of them cheaper than Fender would sell one of them if they were Mexican, American or Japanese.

A guitar is a vibrating string over a pickup - that's all.

Watch this: https://youtu.be/hnsQRpgYmaE

Or this for something a bit more scientific: https://youtu.be/n02tImce3AE

You've found a guitar you love - rejoice! Fashion's change, but sound remains.

I bought a Vista Venus for £200 when nobody wanted them. It's in excellent condition and people have finally realised what great guitars they are. Mine would go for £1000+ these days (but I ain't selling it). I've a Japanese Strat I probably overpaid for back in the day, but even with the wear I've put on it, it has kept its value with inflation. I got a VM Mustang recently for £275 with upgraded nut, tuners, Stay Trem bridge and with an official Fender Mustang hard tail drop in. It's a pickup change away from blowing the most expensive Mustang you can get today out of the water if hard-tailed Mustangs are your thing - seriously impressive guitar that I think only an actual modified vintage could match. I've got a £1500 Jag that's nice for recording but not £1100 nicer than some of the Squiers - think what you could do with an extra £1100 on one of those!

You do you. Congrats on a smashing guitar!

[hanskung]

I also have the Paranormal Supersonic, it's honestly a gorgeous guitar and the neck feels great. No shame in liking a cheaper guitar better.

Thank you, I'm not alone

[hanskung]

I don't have a Paranormal Supersonic (although I've been considering a Japanese one), but I've a Paranormal Toronado, Baritone and Offset Tele. They're great guitars. I don't personally like the necks on them, but not for quality reasons. I just don't gel with the thin, modern profile. Some folks love that and fair play to them! My Paranormals all sound great - not top-end great, but better than many of the American Fenders. If you like the necks, they're a wiring and tuners upgrade away from being top guitars. If you're running them through good amps and loads of effects, there's not much wrong with them at all, tbh. Fabulous range of guitars - I got 3 of them cheaper than Fender would sell one of them if they were Mexican, American or Japanese.

A guitar is a vibrating string over a pickup - that's all.

Watch this: https://youtu.be/hnsQRpgYmaE

Or this for something a bit more scientific: https://youtu.be/n02tImce3AE

You've found a guitar you love - rejoice! Fashion's change, but sound remains.

I bought a Vista Venus for £200 when nobody wanted them. It's in excellent condition and people have finally realised what great guitars they are. Mine would go for £1000+ these days (but I ain't selling it). I've a Japanese Strat I probably overpaid for back in the day, but even with the wear I've put on it, it has kept its value with inflation. I got a VM Mustang recently for £275 with upgraded nut, tuners, Stay Trem bridge and with an official Fender Mustang hard tail drop in. It's a pickup change away from blowing the most expensive Mustang you can get today out of the water if hard-tailed Mustangs are your thing - seriously impressive guitar that I think only an actual modified vintage could match. I've got a £1500 Jag that's nice for recording but not £1100 nicer than some of the Squiers - think what you could do with an extra £1100 on one of those!

You do you. Congrats on a smashing guitar!

Thank you for your thoughtful post.

[hanskung]

Here's a funny and relevant story about how mass opinions change.

In the 90's, my guitar teacher had one guitar - an old, beat up 80's Squier strat. At that point, 80's Fenders were regarded poorly, and 80's Squiers all the more so.

He played in a jazz fusion group, and one day after a gig, someone came up to him and asked if he was playing a vintage strat or a reissue. The guy was horrified when he found out he was admiring an old Squier.

Today, the MIJ Squiers are regarded as a sort of golden era, but my teacher just played it because he liked it and it took him ages to find a newer, nicer guitar he liked more (a Godin LGX, which is a totally different beast).

So the guitar itself didn't change, but over the course of 30 years, other people started catching up to what my teacher already knew - it was a good guitar.

There are lots of other examples, from Harmony et al with goldfoil pickups to our beloved Offsets, which were once unloved pawnshop guitars, themselves. When I first got into Offsets, part of what drew me to the Jaguar was the fact that, even among Offsets, it was unloved. The sentiment on the early internet was that a Jaguar was a toy version of a Jazzmaster, with all of its bridge and tone "problems" exacerbated by a plinky short scale meant for babies.

Of course, that was all nonsense, and when I got my hands on one (a '93 MIJ in LPB) it confirmed what I already knew - it was a kickass guitar.

Today, we have $10k vintage Jags and new models coming out from Squiers to the Custom Shop. Not much about my Jag has changed in the two decades I've owned it, except the pickups and pickguard .

If a guitar feels good and sounds good, it is good, and the pricetag or the name on the headstock have little to no bearing on that.

Amen brother

[hanskung]

Shout out to all the therapists who have helped me. Maybe you could help me further..... The saddles in the guitar are junk, to upgrade do I buy an entire bridge? If so, what do you recommend? Can you also recommend some low as output pickups? Also what pedal could I buy that would give the guitar a fuller sound? Thank you

[hexes]

Shout out to all the therapists who have helped me. Maybe you could help me further..... The saddles in the guitar are junk, to upgrade do I buy an entire bridge? If so, what do you recommend? Can you also recommend some low as output pickups? Also what pedal could I buy that would give the guitar a fuller sound? Thank you

fender saddles if the string spacing works out
larger steel block (callaham $$, import $)
OR whole assembly ($145 ish Callaham Complete Bridges
EQ pedal…

[hanskung]

So when you say "fender saddles" your saying buy the individual saddles?

[Stephen_42]

With guitars, especially as you're comparing two quite different models, a lot of things are different rather than better/worse.

As an extreme example, I imagine most people here would find a Squier Jazzmaster better (i.e. more suited to their subjective tastes) than an 8 string fanned fret shred machine with a £10,000 price tag. But I'm equally sure that the equivalent opposite is true in other corners of the internet.

In a lot of cases - certainly in my case - the limiting factor in how good a guitar sounds is person playing it. You'll sound better playing the guitar you personally like more even if it's theoretically inferior (though again, that's subjective) or cheaper.