REVIEW > FENDER
major quack, and the guitar had a percus-
sive, spanky quality that made it a perfect
fit for funk or soul rhythms. Sliding 9th
chords around the fretboard sounded
great, and the guitar’s bright voicing made
each note distinct, so you wouldn’t have
to worry about subtleties in your play-
ing getting lost in a dense band setting. I
turned up the Special 12/20’s reverb to full
soak and ran through some surf riffs. The
VHT was a great match for the Squier, and
the two produced some excellent three-
dimensional reverb tones that seemed to
hang for ages in the room, without losing
the guitar’s nice metallic ring in the depth.
At first, the tremolo bridge had a strangely
stiff action that made its usability question-
able, so I loosened the claw screws and
removed a spring in the rear cavity to get
the resistance where I needed it for some
light Ventures-like trem use. It was the
whole vintage package—a heavenly concoc-
tion of reverb-rich clean tones and deli-
cious tremolo dips.
considerably. The essential issues though,
like fret leveling and nut slot shaping,
were fine. The medium-slim C-shaped
neck felt quite comfortable, and the fret
polishing and dressing were much better
than you’d expect from such a high-value
guitar. This gave the neck a broken-in feel,
that, when combined with the comfort of
a Stratocaster body, made the instrument
feel at home, ready to be played.
As I switched through
the various pickup
configurations, I noted that
this ’60s-looking Strat
was putting out crisp,
chiming ’50s tones.
when I switched to the bridge pickup. The
Duncan Designed pickups are refreshingly
well balanced—no Stratocaster ice pick
bridge sounds here. They’re flexible enough
for more saturated modern distortion tones
as well. Kicking on the VHT V-Drive
pedal and rolling back a lot of the highs on
the both the pedal and the amp produced
a dark, sustain-heavy early Weezer sound.
Bass output isn’t one of the Squier’s strong
points, so it wouldn’t be the best match
for more aggressive, heavier impact rock or
metal players, but, like the classic instrument it’s based on, its sonic versatility is
excellent nonetheless.
The Surf Stratocaster had a lively acoustic sound with ample body vibration that
gave it distinctly musical feel—an attribute
often lacking in instruments at this price
point. Admittedly, I was a bit skeptical
before plugging in, thinking that because
the guitar looked so great, it was bound to
come up short in the sound department.
But I was shocked to discover some totally
convincing ’50s Stratocaster tones coming
out of the VHT Special 12/20 RT. Yes, as I
switched through the various pickup configurations, I noted that this ’60s-looking
Strat was putting out crisp, chiming ’50s
tones. The middle pickup produced the
sweet, glassy leads you’d expect from a
good Strat, plus, with the Tone knob rolled
back a bit, some excellent jangly rhythm
tones like Steve Miller’s on “Serenade.” The
positions 2 and 4 on the switch supplied
The Verdict
Fender really nailed it with this new
Vintage Modified Squier. For a street
price of $299, you get a solid instrument
with styling detail that channels decades
of heritage. It’s impossible not to think of
Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Charlie when you
look at the lipstick pickups. If you’re not
comfortable with your basic setup skills,
the Surf Strat might need a visit to a shop
to play its best, but it will be well worth it.
I was shocked, and a little dismayed, that
in many ways the Squier sounded nearly as
good as my Custom Shop Strat that cost
me about eight times the price! Whether
you’re a budget Fender fan or someone
looking for access to single-coil action
that’s easy on the wallet, get to your local
shop and plug this Strat in.
The Tide Is High
With the VHT fully cranked, I found that
the Surf Strat’s vintage to medium output
broke up the amp nicely for a classic light
grit. Great for blues, the neck pickup
had picking-hand sensitive touch that let
me control the amp’s breakup well. I was
getting an added dose of sizzling high
end harmonics that had me channeling
Clapton’s lead tone on “After Midnight”
RATINGS
Pros: Solid, classic sounds. Good basic build quality for price.
Outstanding looks.
Squier, Vintage Modified Surf Stratocaster, Street: $299, fender.com/squier
Cons: Might need a professional setup to truly shine.
Somewhat lacking in sustain and tonal complexity.
Tones
Playability
Build
Value
9. 5" fretboard radius
premierguitar.com
PREMIER GUITAR APRIL 2012 DR6
