Review: Classic Vibe Duo Sonic Guitar

I've been playing guitar since I was in high school, which was, let's say, more than a few years ago. Unfortunately, my fingers just aren't as nimble as they were back then, and lately I'd been finding guitar playing to be an increasingly frustrating experience. This led me to look into short scale guitars. As the name suggests, these are guitars which have a slightly shorter neck than standard guitars. Short scale is generally considered to be 24" long or less (by comparison, the standard Fender Stratocaster neck is 25.5" long).

I'd generally thought of short scale guitars as rhythm guitars, as they have been played by some great rhythm guitarists, including John Lennon, Elvis Costello, and Kurt Cobain. These guitarists, and many others, found it easier to play chord changes on the shorter neck. But I like to solo as well, so I was pleased to discover that excellent lead players such as Brian May (of Queen) and Ted Nugent have also played short scale guitars.

Squier's Classic Vibe

Not having a great deal of money to spend, I began the search for an affordable short scale guitar of decent quality. My research led me to an unlikely guitar: the Squier Classic Vibe Duo Sonic. Squier, of course, is Fender's line of low-end guitars. Squier offerings are often inexpensive replicas of Fender models, such as the Stratocaster or Telecaster. They were, I thought, cheap guitars for beginners.

Not so with Squier's Classic Vibe line, however. This line is based on classic Fender guitars of the past. They aren't intended to be exact replicas of those classic instruments, they merely attempt to capture a "classic vibe" through the use of hardware, colors, finishes, and tonal qualities that reflect those found on Fender instruments of past eras. I think they've succeeded. These instruments look cool, and the one I purchased sounds great.

I was particularly interested in one member of Squier's Classic Vibe line - the Duo Sonic, a short scale guitar with a 24" neck. The more I read about this guitar, the more intrigued I was. The reviews were overwhelmingly positive, and at $329.99 (street price), the price was right. After viewing a few demos on YouTube, I was sold.

I've owned this guitar for a few weeks now. To say that I'm happy with my purchase is an understatement. I am seriously impressed with this guitar. It has made playing the guitar fun again! Despite the classic vibe, the maple neck actually has a modern C-shape design, with a 9.5” radius and medium jumbo frets that are slightly higher than vintage Fender frets, for easier string bending. It’s very easy to play. The guitar’s two pickups are single-coil, so this is not a guitar for playing metal. If you play rock and roll, blues, country, or R&B, however, these pickups sound great, and are quiet - I've heard no hum at all. And I really like the cool retro look. It's nice having a guitar that doesn't look like everybody else's.

I was very pleased with the overall quality of the workmanship. The metal hardware is solid and good-looking, the controls are nice and tight and the frets are set into the neck perfectly, with no rough edges. The guitar does have plastic tuning heads, but that's in keeping with the classic vibe. They work fine, but if you don't like them you can easily replace them yourself with a better set. Personally, I'm perfectly happy with them.

In my opinion, this Squier guitar plays and sounds as good as much more expensive guitars in the Fender line (of which I own a couple). I was concerned about the 3-barrel bridge, where each barrel supports 2 strings, but it turns out not to be a problem. The height of each side of the barrel can be set independently, so you can set the intonation perfectly by first determining the correct length for the pitch of one string, then adjusting the height of one side of the barrel to set the intonation of the other string.

I like to play old-school rock and roll, blues, rockabilly, classic rock, country, even surf guitar - whatever suits my mood when I sit down to play. The Squier Classic Vibe Duo Sonic, in combination with my new Fender Mustang I (a very versatile practice amp), is the perfect set-up for me. Bottom line: this is a great guitar, and a great value. Don't dismiss the Classic Vibe series just because it says Squier on the headstock. If the rest of the line is as nice as the Duo Sonic, then Squier has produced a great line of guitars with its Classic Vibe series.