2022 is the year that Squier turns 40. Fortunately, instead of buying a motorbike and moving into a downtown loft apartment, the brand is celebrating with a 40th Anniversary Collection.
The range of 10 classic guitars and basses includes anodised aluminium pickguards, Fender Designed Alnico single-coil pickups and vintage-style hardware.
The collection is split into two sub-groups, with five Vintage Editions and five Gold Editions. The more luxurious gloss-finished Gold Editions use (you guessed it) gold hardware and are further jazzed-up with perloid block inlays and bound Indian laurel fingerboards.
The Vintages, meanwhile, offer more traditional looks, with chrome hardware, dot inlays and maple ‘boards, complemented by a satin finish.
The Gold Edition models will be available in February and the Vintage Edition models in June 2022.
40th Anniversary Telecaster Gold Edition $599.99, £499, €599
This pairs a nyatoh Body with a slim, C-shaped maple neck and a bound Indian laurel fingerboard with perloid block inlays.
There’s a three-saddle string-through-body bridge, vintage-style tuners and Fender-Designed Alnico Single-Coil pickups. Available in Black and Sherwood Green Metallic.
40th Anniversary Stratocaster Gold Edition $599.99, £499, €599
Featuring a nyatoh or poplar body, maple neck and Indian laurel fingerboard. The gold hardware is contrasted nicely by the three gleaming Alnico Single-Coil pickups.
Offered in Lake Placid Blue, Ruby Red Metallic, and Sienna Sunburst.
40th Anniversary Jazzmaster, Gold Edition $599.99, £499, €599
A glittering Jazzmaster with a poplar body, maple neck and the similarly styled combination of percoid block-inlaid, bound Indian laurel ‘board featured elsewhere in the series.
There’s a a six-saddle vintage-style bridge, complete with non-locking floating vibrato. Available in Lake Placid Blue and Olympic White.
40th Anniversary Precision Bass, Gold Edition $599.99 USD, £499 GBP, €599 EUR
The Gold Edition treatment somehow looks more at home on the P Bass, perhaps it’s the sweep of the sizeable pickguard or simply that it calls to mind the glitz of numerous funk legends.
It’s loaded with two Fender Designed Alnico Split Single-Coil pickups, vintage-style tuners and a four-saddle vintage-style bridge. Available in Lake Placid Blue and Black.
40th Anniversary Jazz Bass, Gold Edition $599.99, £499, €599
Again, the Jazz Bass seems to suit gold. Like the P-Bass and most others in the collection, this has a nyatoh body and maple neck. While hardware include a four-saddle bridge with barrel sales, vintage-style tuners and there are two Alinico single-coil Jazz bass pickups onboard. Available in Olympic White and Ruby Red Metallic.
40th Anniversary Telecaster, Vintage Edition $599.99, £499, €599
These models drop the gold hardware in favour of aged chrome hardware. An anodized aluminum pickguard, a vintage-tinted maple neck, engraved anniversary neck plate and a satin finish throughout feature on this Tele.
A 'C'-shaped neck, vintage-style tuners, 3-saddle string-through-body bridge, and Fender-Designed single-coil pickups with alnico 5 magnets also feature. Finishes are Satin Vintage Blonde, Satin Mocha, and Satin Dakota Red.
40th Anniversary Stratocaster, Vintage Edition $599.99, £499, €599
With the same core appointments as the Tele, but there's also a 6-saddle synchronised tremolo bridge here.
Finishes are Satin Seafoam Green and Satin Sonic Blue with Gold anodized pickguard, or with a Black Anodized Pickguard in Satin Wide 2-Color Sunburst.
40th Anniversary Jazzmaster, Vintage Edition $599.99, £499, €599
This poplar body beauty is offered in Satin Seafoam Green or Satin Desert Sand with a 1-ply Gold Anodized pickguard.
There's a 6-saddle floating bridge and tremolo and Fender®-Designed single-coil pickups with alnico 5 magnets.
40th Anniversary Precision Bass, Vintage Edition $599.99, £499, €599
Finish options here are Satin Vintage Blonde and Satin Dakota Red with a Gold anodised pickguard. A four-saddle bridge with barrel saddles, Fender-designed split single-coil pickup and 'C'-shape maple neck also feature.
40th Anniversary Jazz Bass, Vintage Edition $599.99, £499, €599
Lastly we have the Vintage Edition Jazz Bass in Satin Seafoam with Gold anodised pickguard or black anodised pickguar with the Satin Wide 2 Color Sunburst.
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