Squier CV 70s Jaguar LRL BK

He comprado esta guitarra para añadir a mi coleccion y porque tenia curiosidad por esta "clasica" de Fender. La utilizo con amplis a valvulas Laney y Vox. Los acabados son discretos y no tiene fallos evidentes de pintura o barniz. El sonido esta bien teniendo en cuenta que no es una guitarra para hacer Metal y que llega hasta el Rock aunque mejor para Pop, Surf y Grunge o alternativos. Las pastillas son discretas sin una gran salida y no comparables a las que usa Fender en sus modelos americanos, diria que tienen menos cuerpo y claridad, esto se puede mejorar en los ajustes del ampli y con pedales interpuestos. El afinado resiste siempre que no se abuse del vibrato. El mastil es comodo y al ser de escala mas corta la guitarra muy aconsejable para manos pequeñas o medianas. Su punto debil : el puente con rodillos individuales no muy profunda la hendidura donde se apoya la cuerda, lo que obliga a un uso tranquilo de la mano derecha. Este puente (que se puede regular en altura) se apoya en dos puntos de metal que bailan en los agujeros receptores de una manera incomprensible porque el puenta tiende a irse hacia atras y delante a no ser que se pongan cuerdas mas gordas y tensas. Yo lo he sacado y forrado las dos patas de metal con cinta aislante hasta que ha encajado en los agujeros sin holgura. Otra solucion es comprar y poner un puente adjustomatic que utilizan sus hermanas mayores y la Squier jazzmaster J. Mascis. Decir que sin pasar por el luthier no se puede rebajar la accion excesivamente y hay que acostumbrarse a tocar por abajo del mastil a una cierta altura de cuerdas, no aconsejo tocar el alma sin saber muy bien lo que se esta haciendo. Los cromados sobre el negro y el carey quedan preciosos. En mi caso el volumen de la pastilla del mastil, una rueda, tenia una zona de roce interior pero no es grave. Hablando de esta pastilla, para mi da el mejor sonido de las dos ya sea en circuito cerrado (mandos de rueda arriba) como en circuito general cerrando la pastilla del puente. Si tocas algo de jazz te convencera siempre que le pongas cuerdas mas gordas. En doble pastilla no esta mal aunque se pierde tonalidad y con la pastilla del puente solo, apto para generos como el surf y cosas asi. La tercera palanquita produce un cambio de tono interesante en esta ultima pastilla. El precio esta ajustado a lo que se ofrece por 400 euros casi y gracias a que con el "bundle" me han regalado la funda puede valer la pena. No pagaria ni un euro mas por esta guitarra aunque para nada me arrepiento de haberla comprado. Da algo que no me daban las Strato ni las Tele.

La guitarra es una imitacion de su hermana mayor no muy bien conseguida (he tocado una Fender Jaguar una epoca). El Puente es de bajisima calidad y he tenido que meter dos piezas bajo sus patas para que deje de moverse hacia delante y atras desafinando toda las cuerdas. La pastilla del puente es chillona y poco Jaguar, la del mastil puede pasar. El mueble no esta mal hecho aunque los herrajes venian con fallos de cromado.

I was worried that there would be flaws that cannot be easily repaired but fortunately this was not the case. After a few easy fixes this guitar became really good. Very basic tools and skills were needed.
I have played Mexican and American jazzmasters/jaguars in the past. I think that this one is as good as the Mexicans. If you can overlook the "squire" logo, this feels more expensive than a classic player Mexican jazzmaster I played recently.
Keep in mind that Mexican Fenders and Squires can have big variations from one guitar to another. Having said that, here is my detailed review.
Frets:
The top of the frets was rough and needed to be polished. There was no need for leveling or recrowning. It was easily done with a fine sandpaper and minimal effort. The fret ends were properly cut and dressed without sharp edges.
Binding:
The binding had some dark stains near some frets (maybe it was just dirt). This was easily fixed with a wet scotch brite sponge. Other than that the binding was perfect.
Nut:
The nut was cut properly with correct spacing and height. I replaced the strings with 10’s without any problems. My only complaint is that the nut is bright white and it looks out of place. The binding and the back of the neck are tinted. The nut looks too “new” in comparison..
Neck:
There is very little shimming. I did not remove the neck to confirm that, but it looks that way. Even so, the action is low and the strings stay put. There may be a little buzzing but this is the case with most vintage spec’d jaguars/jazzmasters. It is part of the charm! I might experiment with the shimming angle in the future but for me it is ok as it is.
Fretboard:
The laurel fretboard is not dark. It does not look like a rosewood fretboard. Other than that it is very good looking. The inlays are fine with no scratches, gaps or height differences.
Tuning machines:
They look good and work properly. But the screws on the back of the headstock needed to be tightened. 2 of the 7 screw heads were stripped, so it was hard to tighten them. I will replace them asap. BTW this was also the case with a Mexican Baja telecaster I bought a few years back. The tuning machine and pickup screws were so badly stripped that it was very hard to remove them. (I mention this for comparison purposes between Mexican Fenders and Squiers)
Pickups:
These are 100% jaguar pickups. You can probably get even better performance with an upgrade but the characteristic jaguar sound is definitely there. I was impressed. They have low noise and correct “body” and output level. Not too hot nor too weak. And they are very well balanced with each other (neck vs bridge).
Bridge:
This is a mustang bridge. The strings remain firmly in the slots, even without significant shimming. There is no height adjustment for each string. This is not a problem but it would be better if the saddles were height adjustable.
Tremolo:
The tremolo feels solid and works well. The only problem I found is that the arm is not firmly mounted to the slot so there can be a very small annoying “delay” between starting to move the arm and the actual spring movement. It is very easily fixed with some masking tape. Maybe a threaded arm would have been a better option, although not as “authentic”.
Pots/switches/chrome plates/pickguard:
All 100% functional, firm and good looking.
Strap buttons:
There are small round pieces of black felt mat between the strap buttons and the body. Impressive!
Body:
The body finish is flawless and the internal cavities are painted with graphite for electrical shielding. Again very impressive. The sum weight of the guitar is 3.5 kg.

Pros:
Good value
Great as an upgrade platform
Very good looking
No major quality issues
Has real jaguar character

Cons:
Needs proper set up and some fixing before it is ready to play
Does not come with a gig bag

I hope this helps!

Amazing guitar overall, at a good price, with some work to do to make it play good.
Offsets at this price - squiers in this price range in general (I also own a Jazzmaster CV) - Often seem to come with a few issues out of the factory.

You will need to put a higher gauge of strings as these guitars were not inteded for 9's, aswell as maybe shimming the neck. I also have an electronic problem on mine where the bridge pickup has a much lower output than the neck, which can be annoying when switching. Also had to oil the fretboard a bit since it was really, really dry.

If you can do these things by yourself, or are willing to go to a luthier to have it done, I really encourage you to buy this guitar. Having tried both this and the Player Series Jazzmaster / Jaguars, this feels and sounds much better in my opinion, and it is a really good modding platform for a good price range if you're into that