Squier celebrates a big birthday with 40th Anniversary Gold Collection
Going for gold with ten new models split between two editions
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.
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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.
Matt is a freelance journalist who has spent the last decade interviewing musicians for the likes of Total Guitar, Guitarist, Guitar World, MusicRadar, NME.com, DJ Mag and Electronic Sound. In 2020, he launched CreativeMoney.co.uk, which aims to share the ideas that make creative lifestyles more sustainable. He plays guitar, but should not be allowed near your delay pedals.
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