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Squier Stratocaster
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The Squier Stratocaster is an electric guitar manufactured and sold by Squier, a marque of Fender. While it is essentially a rebranded Fender Stratocaster, it does not qualify as a Strat copy, as the Stratocasters are still considered to be of original make since Squier is owned by Fender, whereas manufacturers of Strat copies do so to use the generic strat body shape that hundreds of manufacturers without any affiliation to the Fender company have used for fifty years.
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Encyclopedia
The Squier Stratocaster is an electric guitar manufactured and sold by Squier, a marque of Fender. While it is essentially a rebranded Fender Stratocaster, it does not qualify as a Strat copy, as the Stratocasters are still considered to be of original make since Squier is owned by Fender, whereas manufacturers of Strat copies do so to use the generic strat body shape that hundreds of manufacturers without any affiliation to the Fender company have used for fifty years. Squier Stratocasters, being inexpensive, are popular amongst beginner and novice guitarists.
Origins
After Fender's decision to switch Squier's production from strings to guitars, the Stratocaster was one of the first models to be put under the Squier production line, then located in Japan, as it was the most commercially successful guitar Fender had produced. Originally, the headstock had a "Fender" name written in large script, followed by "Squier series" in smaller script. This was later changed to the current '60s headstock featuring "Squier" in larger script, followed by "by Fender" in smaller script.
In 2002, for the 20th anniversary of the Squier line of Stratocaster guitars, that year's model was offered in a limited-edition green finish, as well as a "Freedom of Expression Since 1982" engraved neck bolt cover.
Construction
A standard Squier Stratocaster is mass-produced in factories located in Indonesia or China. For its construction, Squier usually uses woods readily available in those countries, such as agathis and basswood. They also use stamped metal hardware and multiple pieces of wood in construction to prevent wastage and to lower costs. A notable cosmetic difference from most Fender Stratocasters (except its vintage reissues and Highway 1 series) is the use of the larger 60's headstock. The Stratocaster included in the SE 100 starter pack, the Vintage Modified Stratocasters, and the 2007 Deluxe Stratocaster are the only Squier branded Stratocasters not to use the 60's large headstock.
Unique models
While Squier Stratocasters are predominantly inexpensive versions of Fender Stratocasters, some models are also unique to the Squier brand, these are:
Series
Pro-Tone Series
The pro-tone series of stratocasters was produced between 1996 and 1998 and featured a solid ash body, a 1-piece maple neck, and three single-coil alnico pickups. The Pro-Tone line was manufactured in Korea (many in the Cort factory). It was available in a handful of finishes: vintage blonde, crimson red, black, three-tone sunburst, trans sapphire blue, and olympic white. The crimson red, and trans sapphire blue finishes came with gold hardware.
There was a special edition Pro-Tone called the 'Fat Strat' which came in black with a black painted headstock, 22 frets, a bridge humbucker, and a Floyd Rose double locking tremolo.
See also
External links
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