As a guitar enthusiast who’s always on the hunt for instruments that blend classic style with modern playability, I recently got my hands on the Squier Classic Vibe Custom Telecaster SH with Bigsby. This beauty, finished in a stunning Lake Placid Blue, pays homage to the double-bound Telecaster models from the late ’50s and ’60s. It’s part of Squier’s Classic Vibe series, known for delivering Fender-inspired quality at an affordable price point. In this blog post, I’ll dive deep into its features, playability, tones, and a secret weapon I use to transform its sound without any hardware modifications. If you’re searching for a Telecaster SH review, Bigsby vibrato guitar options, or ways to emulate guitar pickups virtually, stick around. I’ve also embedded a demo video below where I showcase its clean and distorted sounds through a virtual amp.
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Unboxing the Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster: First Impressions
Right out of the box, this Squier Telecaster caught my eye with its glossy polyurethane finish on a poplar body. The double-bound design gives it that premium, vintage aesthetic without the hefty price tag of a full Fender Custom Shop model. Measuring in with a classic Telecaster shape, it’s equipped with a Bigsby B50 vibrato tailpiece that’s string-through for easy restringing and paired with a vintage-style floating bridge featuring Mustang saddles. This setup ensures excellent intonation stability, making it ideal for those expressive bends and wobbles that define rockabilly and surf rock tones.
The hardware is all nickel-plated, adding to the retro vibe, from the knurled flat-top control knobs to the vintage-style tuning machines. The neck is a maple “C” shape with a tinted gloss urethane finish – smooth and fast, perfect for long playing sessions. It features an Indian Laurel fingerboard with a 9.5-inch radius, 21 narrow tall frets, and pearloid dot inlays. The bone nut measures 1.650 inches wide, and the scale length is the standard 25.5 inches. Strung with nickel-plated steel gauges from .009 to .042, it came setup nicely, though I always recommend a quick adjustment to suit your style.
One quirky note: My model doesn’t have a skunk stripe on the neck, unlike some photos I’ve seen of the Arctic Gold version on Fender’s site. If you’re picking one up, drop a comment below – does yours have it? Colors include Lake Placid Blue, the gold variant, and possibly limited editions, so check Fender’s website for availability.
Electronics and Pickup Configuration: SH Magic
What sets this Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster apart is its SH pickup configuration – a Fender Designed Alnico single-coil in the bridge and a humbucking pickup in the neck. This hybrid setup offers the best of both worlds: the twangy, bright snap of a single-coil for those classic Tele leads, and the thicker, warmer humbucker tones for rhythm work or overdriven sounds. Controls are straightforward with a master volume, master tone, and a 3-position blade switch: bridge only, both pickups, or neck only.
In my demo video (embedded below), I ran it through Amp Hub, a virtual guitar amp simulator, to showcase its versatility. On clean settings, the bridge pickup delivers that crisp, country-inspired chime – think Brent Mason or early Keith Urban. Switching to the neck humbucker adds girth, perfect for bluesy bends or jazzier chords. When I cranked up the distortion, it handled gain beautifully without muddiness, thanks to the alnico magnets.
Under the hood, I peeked beneath the pickguard and control plate. It’s routed only for the neck humbucker, no extra space for Nashville-style mods. The humbucker looks splittable if you’re into wiring tweaks, but I prefer keeping things stock. Why? Because I’ve got a secret software tool that lets me emulate any pickup sound without touching a soldering iron.
My Secret Weapon: Blue Cat’s Re-Guitar Plugin
Here’s where things get exciting for tone chasers. In the video, I reveal my go-to software for transforming guitar sounds: Blue Cat’s Re-Guitar. This plugin is a game-changer for anyone recording or practicing with digital amps. It emulates electric pickups, acoustic guitars, and even hollow body tones right in your DAW, with zero latency.
Re-Guitar comes loaded with presets for single-coil pickups like hot, vintage, modern, active, Tele-style, neck+mid, bridge+mid, P90, and P90J. For humbuckers, options include vintage, classic, Ricky, modern, rails, bright, wide, jazz, and jazz box. Acoustic simulations cover solid body piezo, pedals, dreadnought (modern and vintage), jumbo, mini jumbo, 000, and small bodies. You can even create custom emulations and adjust hollow body thickness, brightness, gain, and virtual volume/tone pots.
In my demo, I first switched the neck humbucker to sound like a single-coil, mimicking a Strat middle+neck combo for quacky, funky rhythms. Then, I flipped the bridge single-coil to a humbucker emulation, adding beefy sustain for leads. The results? Endless tones from one guitar – P90 snarls, acoustic strums, or hollow body jazz warmth, all without mods. It’s perfect for home recording setups or if you’re producing tracks and need to “fix it in the mix” post-recording.
If you’re into guitar tone modeling, virtual pickup emulators, or software for changing guitar sounds, Re-Guitar is worth every penny. Links to it and the Squier Telecaster are in the description of my video.
Playability and Sound Demo: Hands-On Experience
Plugging in, this Telecaster feels alive. The “C” neck profile is comfortable for both chord work and shredding, with the narrow tall frets allowing easy bending. The Bigsby adds fun vibrato effects – not as dive-bomb extreme as a Floyd Rose, but smooth for subtle warbles or dramatic swells. In the video, you’ll hear me riffing through cleans: bright, articulate highs from the bridge, and creamy mids from the neck. Distorted, it roars with harmonic richness, holding up against virtual amp overdrive.
Pros:
- Affordable entry into vintage Telecaster SH territory.
- Versatile pickups for multiple genres: rock, blues, country, indie.
- Bigsby and floating bridge for expressive playing.
- No-mod tone expansion via software like Re-Guitar.
Cons:
- Poplar body might not resonate like alder or ash in higher-end models.
- Stock pickups are solid but could be hotter for metal enthusiasts.
- Limited routing if you ever want physical mods.
Overall, it’s a fantastic beginner to intermediate guitar, or a mod platform for pros. Paired with Amp Hub and Re-Guitar, it’s a tone machine.
Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster SH with Bigsby Video Demo
To really hear what this Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster SH with Bigsby can do, check out my full demo video below. I play through various settings, showcase the software in action, and give you raw, unfiltered sounds. If the embed doesn’t load, search for “Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster Demo with Re-Guitar” on YouTube.
Final Thoughts: Is This Telecaster Worth It?
If you’re after a budget Telecaster with Bigsby vibrato, alnico pickups, and vintage flair, the Squier Classic Vibe Custom Telecaster SH is a winner. Its Lake Placid Blue finish turns heads, and the SH configuration covers a wide sonic palette. Add in tools like Blue Cat’s Re-Guitar, and you’ve got infinite tones without risking your warranty.
Whether you’re a hobbyist exploring electric guitar reviews or a seasoned player seeking Telecaster tone modeling tips, this axe delivers. Grab one, experiment with virtual amps, and let me know your thoughts in the comments. What’s your favorite pickup emulation? Happy strumming!
Check Out The Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster SH with Bigsby Here
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