SAME GUITAR, 4 BUDGETS! (Can you hear the difference?)

Summary by Krater

The creator compares four Fender Stratocasters ranging from $400 to $60,000 to determine how close affordable models get to the original pre-CBS sound and build.

From the video

Answers: How does a $400 Squier Stratocaster compare in sound and tone to a $60,000 vintage 1962 Fender Stratocaster?

• Fender Stratocaster price comparison
• Pre-CBS Stratocaster characteristics
• Electric guitar tone and hardware
• Guitar manufacturing eras

What it concludes

• The $400 Squier Classic Vibe is not a bad guitar and was used in the Giant Guitar String Shootout, but it has some issues when compared directly to higher-end models.
• The $2,000 Fender American Vintage II presents a remarkably accurate take on the 1961 Stratocaster with meticulously voiced year-specific pickups.
• The $5,000 Fender Custom Shop Cunetto Relic '97 has incredible creamy, full, and thick body tone and represents a great balance of tone and playability.
• The pre-CBS era from 1954 to 1965 is considered the golden age of Fender guitar building, producing instruments that remain the epitome of guitar building.
• The Squier guitar has less stable, brighter notes with less clarity, string separation, and definition due to hardware components like inferior plastic nuts and cheaper bridges.
• Pre-CBS strats and older instruments have a certain quality that is hard to replicate and not easily found in new instruments.