In response to a previous thread...

[ibanezjunkie]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/FENDER-STRATOC...QQcmdZViewItem

the USA squiers do exist! 1989/90 Squier strat made in USA.

i saw a thread asking about these, and it they actually existed, and here is your answer, printed slightly blurrily on the headstock of a squier strat, 'Made In U.S.A'.

[wingsdad]

Sorry to burst the bubble, but you've been duped by another fine example of e-bay chicanery.

While the 'Squier by Fender' logo would [EDIT: may] be authentic, the 'Made In USA' decal is certainly not. The first Squiers in the 80's were Japanese-made, and later in the 80's, Korean-made. A few Squiers were even made in India. They've never been made in the USA.

EDIT: Here's the truth about Squiers, according to Fender:

The Squier Story

[mrmudcat]

Yes my flame -foto strat is jap and says fender .On the very end(where the original contour decal usually is) it has squire series.This is before the squire name series and I believe a preview of the standard series shortly before transition to mexico.They were never usa made:

[ibanezjunkie]

hmm well it would seem authentic to someone like me...but anyway, i guess i figured, there are USA made epiphones so why not squiers eh?

[Spudman***]

For a brief period Squiers were made in the USA. The factory in Mexico caught fire so manufacturing was moved to the California plant.

[just strum]

For a brief period Squiers were made in the USA. The factory in Mexico caught fire so manufacturing was moved to the California plant.

There is another version, but still includes a short period where they were made in USA.

"the fire in Mexico actually happened later. The USA Squiers were built at the expiration of the Japanese contract before Squiers were built in Mexico. It appears that Squiers were built in Korea after the US built and then there seem to be Mexican, Korean and once again Japan starting in 93.--also the extra rare earliest USA models had a 000XXX serial stamp on the neckplate with no letter prefix and no serial on the headstock."

[mrmudcat]

USA Squiers are very rare. Some of them have a serial number with a E = Eighties (1980s) prefix, and some of them have a serial number with a N = Nineties (1990s) prefix.

USA Squiers were made for less than a year spanning 1989 and 1990 before production of Squiers went back to Mexico. This was a period when Made in Japan Squiers had stopped and then they moved Squiers to Mexico, but there was a fire in the Mexican factory which disrupted things for a few months in which Fender USA made the Squiers.

Edit-- the fire in Mexico actually happened later. The USA Squiers were built at the expiration of the Japanese contract before Squiers were built in Mexico. It appears that Squiers were built in Korea after the US built and then there seem to be Mexican, Korean and once again Japan starting in 93.--also the extra rare earliest USA models had a 000XXX serial stamp on the neckplate with no letter prefix and no serial on the headstock.


Took the rest of the wiki article strum quoted from:

[ibanezjunkie]

squiers are made in mex? i thought they were made in china...

[Spudman***]

Mexico, USA, China, Korea, Japan, Indonesia and maybe India

[markb]

Squiers, like Epiphones, are built wherever Fender can get them made for the best price. Originally they were built by Fujigen in Japan. These MIJ guitars were later given the F-brand and Squier manufacture switched to Korea and Mexico.

Things have changed with Gibson running their own Chinese factory for Epis. Maybe Fender will go the same way. If the Classic Vibe series are an indication of where Squier quality is going the future looks pretty good.