I'm planning to buy my first start 3 pinagpipilian ko Squier Standard/Vintage modified, Yamaha Pacifica 112v at Tokai Strat (Lyric around 9'900php). Need your comments and suggestions. Medyo marami nabako npanuod reviews bout Squier so fun nlng sa Yamaha andbTokai. Thanks.
I have owned a Squier Classic Vibe Strat and I currently own a Tokai Strat so I guess I'm in a good position to give some inputs.
I bought a Squier Classic Vibe Strat around 5 years ago from a notable seller here in PM. I was floored by the quality of the finish. It trully looked and felt like a professionally made guitar. I was so much in awe that I actually couldnt wait to get home to play it so I popped it out of the case while on the backseat of a cab and started noodling. When I finally got home I plugged it in and it.. Well.. It sounded like a Strat. Which is a good thing! It sounded like a real Strat. At that time I also owned the MIJ Fender ST72 pictured in one of the posts above so this Squier had some tough competition but it held it's own.
I took it to shutterbugjohn and asked him to replace the tuners and the neckplate, install a Fender decal, a bone nut, and sand down the finish on the neck. After these modifications, the guitar became even more stunning. Once I got a matching red tort backplate from PJC Music, the project was done and it was allll goood. To this day I'm regretting why I ever thought of selling it.
January 2015 I passed by Lyric Glorietta and my jaw dropped when I saw a Daphne Blue Tokai Strat with a maple cap fretboard, Kluson style tuners, bent saddles and a Fender looking headstock. I took it off the shelf and I immediately fell in love with it. It played beautifully. The action was perfect right off the shelf and there were no dead spots, wolf notes, or buzzing whatsoever. But the best thing was yet to come. I was informed that it was selling for 9.9k marked down to 8.9k. I rushed out of the store and begged my wife to let me buy it haha.
Everywhere it went, the guitar was an instant hit to the ladies. It helped that it sounded amazing on stage too.
Bottomline:
If 25k is within your budget and you want a good first Stratocaster, i suggest you look for a 2nd hand MIJ or MIM in the classifieds haha. Do not buy a Squier Classic Vibe from Yupanco brand new at that price. If you can get one second hand for around 15k then go for it. I'm all praises with the SCV except for the waffer thin bridge block but it still sounds awesome anyway so thats a minor hickup.
If buying anything above 10k is not an option for you then the Tokai Strat selling in Lyric stores right now would be a great option. Do not expect it to be faithful to a real Fender in terms of measurements though because some parts are not exact copies of real Fenders (the headstock is smaller than a CBS headstock but bigger than the 50's style headstock, the pickguard screw holes are non-standard, the knobs are closer to each other, etc). But for an entry level Strat, this one is hard to beat.
BTW, sound-wise it's gonna be hit or miss. You have to test as many as you can before you pull the trigger. Test them unplugged to see if they are resonant and "alive" then plug it in and crank it out loud.
In the end, aside from your wallet, it's your ears that will eventually decide.
Happy hunting.
