Fender Squier Vibe Duo-Sonic Guitar Review

Fender, as most musicians know, has been around for an awfully long time. During their long and tenured stretch, they have made some guitars that bombed, and others that have stood the test of time to become staples among guitarist and music fans alike. Others, meanwhile, just simply got lost in the shuffle. They are only to be seen on old live performance videos of classic bands. In an effort to bring one these lost guitars back, the Fender Squier Vibe Duo-Sonic '50's electric guitar is now offered. Let's take a closer look to see whether or not it should have just stayed in our memories.

Features: The body of the Fender Squier Vibe Duo-Sonic is made of Basswood. This is the preferred material for Squier's better quality instruments. The finish is clearly paid close attention to, and is describe by Fender as polyester with a desert sand color. It's certainly a very vintage look. The neck is bolted onto the body and is made of maple wood. In one small deviation from the original Duo-Sonic line, the shape of the neck is the more modern C. The fretboard is made of maple as well, and has twenty one medium jumbo frets with black dot inlays as position markers. The hardware, including the tuning heads, bridge, and input jack, are chrome. Interestingly, the bridge has three saddles instead of the usual six found on more modern style Squier guitars. Also, the tuning machines are vintage style. Electronically, the guitar has two Alnico V custom Duo-Sonic single coil pickups, one volume and one tone control knobs, and a three way toggle switch for pickup selection.

Playability: The body of the Fender Squier Vibe Duo-Sonic guitar is very similar to Fender's more famous Stratocaster. The only real difference is that its "wings" or extensions from the cutaways, are a little thicker. This doesn't have much bearing from a practical standpoint, however, as fret access is still excellent. The neck is thin and quick. Ironically, it's very easy to play faster and more metal style music on this vintage instrument. Also, the old three saddle style bridge helps to keep the guitar in tune even when you're jamming intensely.

Sound: The sound of the Fender Squier Vibe Duo-Sonic guitar is, for lack of a better word, vintage. The two Alnico brand single coil pickups put out good and versatile tones. The treble side is thin and bluesy, and the rhythm side is deep and heavy on the bass. All things consicdered, you can play just about any genre well when this guitar is matched with the right equipment.

Overall: The Fender Squier Vibe Duo-Sonic 50's style guitar is a nice, uniqe piece to add to any collection. It has awesome vintage looks, it's easy to play, and its sound can cover nearly all scopes in the musical landscape. You can find the Vibe Duo-Sonic in music stores for around $280.