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Fender Squier Classic Vibe 50s Stratocaster
Ibanez APEX30
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Playability
70
Sound
69
Build
59
Value
76
Score
66
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Playability
73
Sound
80
Build
63
Value
67
Score
72
FIND IT ON:
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Squier Classic Vibe 50s Stratocaster vs Ibanez APEX30 Specs Comparison
Squier Classic Vibe 50s Stratocaster Ibanez APEX30
General
Brand: Fender Squier Ibanez
Year: 2019 2020
Configuration: SSS HH
Strings: 6 7
Made in: Indonesia Indonesia
Series: Classic Vibe APEX
Colors: White, Black, Red, 2-Color Sunburst Gray
Left-Handed Version: No No
Body
Type: Solid Body Solid Body
Body Material: Pine Nyatoh
Bridge: 6-Saddle Vintage-Style Synchronized Tremolo Evertune
Neck
Neck Joint: Bolt-On Bolt-On
Tuners: Vintage-Style Gotoh machine heads
Fretboard: Maple Ebony
Neck Material: Maple 3pc Maple
Decoration: Black Dot
Scale Size: 25.5" 25.5"
Shape: Modern C Wizard II-7
Frets: 21 Narrow Tall Nickel Silver 24 Jumbo Nickel Silver
Fretboard Radius: 9.5" 16"
Nut: Bone Plastic
Nut Width: 42mm (1.654'') 48mm (1.89'')
Electronics
Bridge Pickups: Fender Designed Alnico Single-Coil (Single Coil / Passive) DiMarzio Blaze (Humbucker / Passive)
Middle Pickup: Fender Designed Alnico Single-Coil (Single Coil / Passive)
Neck Pickup: Fender Designed Alnico Single-Coil (Single Coil / Passive) DiMarzio Blaze (Humbucker / Passive)
Switch: 5 Way 3 Way
Knobs: Bell Dome
Pickup Mods: None None
Volume Controls: 1 1
Tone Controls: 2 1
Hardware
Strap Lock: No No
Hardware Color: Nickel Black
Show Diagrams Comparison
Fender Squier Classic Vibe 50s Stratocaster pickups switch selector and push knobs diagram
Fender Squier Classic Vibe 50s Stratocaster's switch options
Ibanez APEX30 pickups switch and push knobs diagram
Ibanez APEX30's switch options

Reasons to Get
Squier Classic Vibe 50s Stratocaster over Ibanez APEX30

Neck Profile
Modern C vs Wizard II-7
Comfortable neck that works for most people
Nut Material
Bone vs Plastic
Good quality nut with rich tone
Strings
6 vs 7
Narrower neck and fewer strings to change
Switch Positions
5 vs 3
More tone options
Tone Knobs
2 vs 1
More tone control
Pickups
SSS vs HH
Beautiful cleans and good tone versatility
Nut Width
1.654'' (42mm) vs 1.89'' (48mm)
Favors small hands, easier bar chords and other shapes
Bridge
Tremolo vs Evertune
Simple vibratos without too much maintenance
Fretboard Radius
9.5'' (241.3mm) vs 16'' (406.4mm)
Easier to play chords without muting strings
Value Score
76 vs 67
Better price/quality relationship

Reasons to Get
Ibanez APEX30 over Fender Squier Classic Vibe 50s Stratocaster

Decorative Top
Maple vs None
Finished with beautiful natural wood patterns
Release Year
2020 vs 2019
From a more recent year
Neck Profile
Wizard II-7 vs Modern C
Thin neck for playing fast
Pickups Brand
DiMarzio vs None
Pickups from a renown brand
Strings
7 vs 6
Allows you to play lower notes
Pickups
HH vs SSS
High output without hum
Number of Frets
24 vs 21
Allows to reach higher notes
Nut Width
1.89'' (48mm) vs 1.654'' (42mm)
Less likely to mute strings by accident and more space for fingerstyle
Luminescent Sidedots
Yes vs None
Assists you when playing in dark environments
Bridge
Evertune vs Tremolo
Fixed bridge that will keep the guitar in tune forever
Fretboard Radius
16'' (406.4mm) vs 9.5'' (241.3mm)
Flatter fretboard makes it easier to play single notes and bend

Other Key Differences
Squier Classic Vibe 50s Stratocaster vs Ibanez APEX30

Bridge Pickup
Fender Designed Alnico Single-Coil vs DiMarzio Blaze
Different Bridge Pickup
Neck Pickup
Fender Designed Alnico Single-Coil vs DiMarzio Blaze
Different Neck Pickup
Body Wood
Pine vs Nyatoh
Different Body Wood
Fretboard Wood
Maple vs Ebony
Different Fretboard Wood
Headstock
6 vs 7
Different Headstock
Nut Material
Bone vs Plastic
Different Nut Material

Shared Features
Squier Classic Vibe 50s Stratocaster vs Ibanez APEX30

Neck Wood
Maple
Same Neck Wood
Body Type
Solid Body
Feedback free
Volume Knobs
1
Same volume control
Paint Finish
Poly
Resistant paint that ages well
Scale Length
25.5'' (647.7mm)
Same string tension and fret separation
Pickups Power
Passive
Cleaner sound and no battery needed
Neck Joint
Bolt-On
Allows you to detach and swap the neck
Type of Frets
Narrow Tall vs Jumbo
You won't feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings

Common Weaknesses

  • Neck-Through Build
  • Pickup Alter Switch/Knob
  • Weight Relief
  • Locking Tuners
  • High-Quality Frets
  • Compound Radius Fretboard
  • From a High-Quality-Standards Country
  • Strap Lock
  • 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • Active/Passive Preamp

Price History Comparison

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Hand Size Comfortability

And after taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that the Ibanez APEX30 favors large hands more than the Fender Squier Classic Vibe 50s Stratocaster.

Fender Squier Classic Vibe 50s Stratocaster:
Big Hands
Small Hands
Ibanez APEX30:
Big Hands
Small Hands

Beginner Friendliness

The Fender Squier Classic Vibe 50s Stratocaster meets 6 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Ibanez APEX30 meets only 3. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players.

New Player Friendliness

Fender Squier Classic Vibe 50s Stratocaster
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Tall frets
  • Narrow nut
  • Comfortable neck
  • Short scale
  • Locking tuners

New Player Friendliness

Ibanez APEX30
  • Comfortable shape
  • Tall frets
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Narrow nut
  • Short scale
  • Locking tuners
  • Easy-to-use bridge

Sound Quality Comparison

The wood used in an electric guitar or bass is not as important to determine the final tone. However, some people prefer specific wood types, so we'll take a look at those first. Then, we'll take a look at the electronics to determine the versatility and sound quality of each instrument.

Woods Used in Both

Maple wood pattern used for guitar building
Maple

Maple is one of the most popular necks for good reasons. It is a strong wood that is relatively cheap to make and looks beautiful. The highest quality maple is the hardest that comes from North America. Find out more about Maple.

Woods Used in the Fender Squier Classic Vibe 50s Stratocaster

Pine wood pattern used for guitar building
Pine

Some guitarists don't like Pine because they think it's too soft and dents easily. However, there are many types of pines, and the hardest pine is the one used for guitar building. The general opinion is that it tends to give a nice round and balanced sound.

Woods Used in the Ibanez APEX30

Ebony wood pattern used for guitar building
Ebony
Nyatoh wood pattern used for guitar building
Nyatoh

Ebony is a high-end wood, so it is not cheap. It's only used for fretboards because it's also very heavy. It does an excellent job as a durable material while looking elegant. Find out more about Ebony.

Nyatoh has been replacing Mahogany for guitar building. It's fairly hard, durable, more sustentable and common than Mahogany. Find out more about Nyatoh.

Winner: Ibanez APEX30.

Pickup Configuration

The Fender Squier Classic Vibe 50s Stratocaster has an SSS configuration while the Ibanez APEX30 has HH pickups.

SSS is perfect for players who like to play clean. The definition you get between notes and the crispiness is unmatched by most other configurations. You can still use it for distortion, but you won't get the same kind of output and power compared to a humbucker, and the hum they produce also makes them less adequate for high gain.

On the other hand, Double Humbucker (HH) is the choice for people who want a fuller, more round sound with tons of mids and lows. Humbuckers also get rid of the hum noise that plague single-coil pickups. They can work out for almost any genre going from Djent to even Jazz.

Pickups Quality

The Ibanez APEX30 pickups from a more specialized brand than the Fender Squier Classic Vibe 50s Stratocaster. Its pickups should give you a fuller, richer sound, although it all depends on what type of music you're going to play. We recommend these pickups for Heavy Metal and similar genres.

Both use Passive pickups. This is what's used for most music genres. They have a regular output and will serve you for both high-gain and clean tones. The alternative (Active pickups) offer a higher output that is mostly used for heavy music.

Winner: Ibanez APEX30.

Versatility Comparison

Some instruments offer you more ways to explore your creativity than others. Below you'll find how both compare when it comes to versatility.

Switch Options

The Fender Squier Classic Vibe 50s Stratocaster gives you 5 switch options while the Ibanez APEX30 gives you 3. This means that the Fender Squier Classic Vibe 50s Stratocaster gives you more options to find the right pickup combination for the type of sound you want to achieve

Neither of them come with some kind of coil split or pickup mod option. This makes both lacking in terms of versatility.

When evaluating versatility, we also take into consideration bridge and neck joint type, number of frets, switch options, amount of pickups and more.

Winner: Fender Squier Classic Vibe 50s Stratocaster.

Final Sound Quality Scores

Fender Squier Classic Vibe 50s Stratocaster
Pickups 70
Sustain 70
Versatility 72
Tuning Stability 65
Sound 69
Ibanez APEX30
Pickups 85
Sustain 75
Versatility 59
Tuning Stability 100
Sound 80

Build Quality Comparison

When it comes to build quality, we like to take into account everything used to build the instrument. This includes materials, hardware and the quality control expected depending on the country where it was built. Let's see how the Fender Squier Classic Vibe 50s Stratocaster compares to the Ibanez APEX30.

Country of Origin

The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. Both in this comparison where made in Indonesia.

Indonesia is becoming the most popular country for guitar building because they can make good instruments for a low price. Some people think that they're 'the new China' when it comes to build quality. But the truth is that Indonesian guitars are more consistent, although Chinese quality has improved a lot in the last few years.

Winner: Tie

Nut Material

If you want your guitar to stay in tune and sound good, you need a well cut nut. Nut quality can be inconsistent even when comparing two copies of the same model. The best way to make sure you're nut will be well done is by getting a nut made by an expert company like TUSQ or Micarta.

The Fender Squier Classic Vibe 50s Stratocaster has a Bone nut. It's a type of nut found in high-quality instruments. They sound similar to Ivory since they give a lot of sustain and a bright sound (at least when striking open strings). The only problem they can run into is that you may get a bone piece that simply doesn't sound as well as others because that's just how natural materials are.

On the other hand, the Ibanez APEX30 comes with a Plastic nut. This is a low-quality nut that you might want to consider upgrading soon. Bone and TUSQ nuts are the best for guitars with a fixed or simple tremolo bridge.

Winner: Fender Squier Classic Vibe 50s Stratocaster.

Fret Material

Most fret wire is made of nickel silver. This material eventually wears down after a lot of use and most instruments end up needing a complete fret replacement. However, some expensive models come with stainless steel frets. This is what you should aim for if you can afford it.

Unfortunately, none of them come with stainless steel frets.

Winner: Tie.

Bridge

The perfect bridge for you will depend on your playstyle because they all have advantages and disadvantages. However, some bridges are more expensive—like Floyd Roses and Evertunes—and thus add more value to a guitar.

The Fender Squier Classic Vibe 50s Stratocaster's brige is a Tremolo. Tremolo bridges give you more versatility than fixed bridges. They let you perform the intense vibrato effects that would be impossible with a fixed bridge. However, since the bridge floats and there's less contact with the body, the strings lose sustain slightly faster. They can also be a bit harder to restring and set up correctly than fixed bridges.

On the other hand, the Ibanez APEX30's is a Evertune. It will keep your guitar in tune and intonated until the next string swap. If you really like extremely subtle vibratos, this might not be the bridge for you because you won't be able to perform them as well. However, the fact that you won't need to tune your guitar is a huge advantage that many people will gladly pay the extra price for.

Since we need to be objective, the most expensive type of bridge will be the winner of this section. In the end, this doesn't matter if you're not going to use the bridge for its original purpose, so choose the bridge that fits your playing style better.

Winner: Ibanez APEX30.

Tuners

Both come with regular tuners. The Fender Squier Classic Vibe 50s Stratocaster's are Vintage-Style while the Ibanez APEX30's are Gotoh machine heads

Winner: Tie.

Neck Joint

Contrary to popular belief, the difference in sustain and tone that some neck joints give to a guitar is simply unperceivable—if they're all well built. However, some of them do have advantages over the others.

Both have a Bolt-On neck joint. This neck is joined to the body by 4 bolts that you can simply unscrew. This allows you to replace the neck or take it off for travel. It's the most common and cheapest way to build a guitar.

Winner: Tie.

Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:

Strengths & Weaknesses
Fender Squier Classic Vibe 50s Stratocaster
  • Bone Nut
  • Tremolo
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • Made in Indonesia
  • No Expensive Woods
  • No Top Brand Pickups
  • No Neck-Through Build
  • No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
  • No Weight Relief
  • No Luminescent Inlay
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock
Strengths & Weaknesses
Ibanez APEX30
  • Expensive Wood
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Stays in Tune (Evertune)
  • Luminescent Inlay
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • Made in Indonesia
  • No High-Quality Nut
  • No Neck-Through Build
  • No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
  • No Weight Relief
  • No Tremolo
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock

Final Build Quality Scores

Fender Squier Classic Vibe 50s Stratocaster
Quality of materials 56
Features 55
Quality Control 65
Build Quality 59
Ibanez APEX30
Quality of materials 55
Features 55
Quality Control 80
Build Quality 63

Playability Comparison

Let's now compare their playability. Bear in mind that the instrument will feel different depending on your hand size and play style. That's why you should always test before buying. But if you can't or want a second opinion on it, we can still take a look at each of the important measurements of the instrument for you. This way, we can predict how easy a guitar might be to play, or how different it will feel compared to the other.

Remember that, even though the difference might seem small, every inch counts when it comes to feeling of the instrument in your hands. Any variation can completely change how comfortable a guitar feels in your hands.

Nut Width

Fender Squier Classic Vibe 50s Stratocaster Nut Width
Fender Squier Classic Vibe 50s Stratocaster Nut Width
Ibanez APEX30 Nut Width
Ibanez APEX30 Nut Width

The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the Ibanez APEX30 has the wider nut with 48mm (1.89'') vs 42mm (1.654''). This is a 6mm (0.236'') difference

This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Ibanez APEX30, especially closer to the nut. However, it's also easier to play without muting strings accidently. This favors people with big hands.

Scale Length

Fender Squier Classic Vibe 50s Stratocaster and Ibanez APEX30's Scale Length
Both have the same scale length

The scale length is one of the things that influences playability the most. This is the distance between the nut and the bridge and will affect everything from low action allowance, difficulty to perform bends, fret separation, and even tone.

In this case, both have a scale length of 25.5".

This is the scale used in most Stratocasters. It's slightly longer than the typical 24.75'' size found in Les Pauls, and it's one of the main reasons why Stratocasters have such a bright sound in general. A longer scale also means that the strings will have higher tension. This will help you get lower action without suffering fret buzz, which will also be helpful when playing in lower tunings without having to increase your string gauge.

However, this also means that there will be more separation between frets, which can make it more difficult to play. Also, bending the strings will require more strengths due to the increased tension, but remember that a tremolo guitar will offset this difficulty.

Lastly, remember that you can also affect the tension of the strings by changing your string gauge. You can use a thicker gauge for more tension and a lighter one for less tension.

Neck Profile

Fender Squier Classic Vibe 50s Stratocaster Neck Profile
Fender Squier Classic Vibe 50s Stratocaster's neck profile
Ibanez APEX30 Neck Profile
Ibanez APEX30's neck profile

No single neck shape is better than others. However, most people tend to prefer a thinner necks because it doesn't get in their way when playing fast and most hand sizes can adapt to it pretty well. However, some people still prefer thicker necks for a better grip, especially if they have big hands.

In this case, both have different neck shapes:

The Fender Squier Classic Vibe 50s Stratocaster has a C type of neck. This is what you'll find in most modern guitars. Most people feel like the thickness of a C neck is simply the less intrusive one for playing fast, while at the same time allowing you to grab the neck easily for resting if you want to.

The Ibanez APEX30, on the other hand, has a Wizard neck. This is thinner than most C-type necks. It won't get in your way if you want to play fast solos. It's not as slim as 'Super Wizard' necks, so it might fit you better if you don't like ultra-thin necks.

Fretboard Radius

Fender Squier Classic Vibe 50s Stratocaster Fingerboard Radius
Fender Squier Classic Vibe 50s Stratocaster's Fingerboard radius
Ibanez APEX30 Fingerboard Radius
Ibanez APEX30's Fingerboard radius

Most guitar fretboards are not flat; they usually have a curve or arc across their width. A curved fretboard will make it easier to perform chords without muting strings, while a flatter one will make it easier to play single notes, which is good for bending and soloing in general. The best fretboards have a compound radius that varies across the fingerboard, but they're not common since they take a lot more work to build.

In this case, the Fender Squier Classic Vibe 50s Stratocaster's fingerboard radius is smaller, which means it's more curved than the Ibanez APEX30's. This extra arc will make playing chords easier in this model. You won't be as likely to mute the strings, especially if you have big hands. However, playing single notes and bending will be easier on the Ibanez APEX30.

Fret Size

Fender Squier Classic Vibe 50s Stratocaster and Ibanez APEX30 Frets Size
Both have a similar Narrow Tall fret size

Both have a Narrow Tall fret size. Their height is very similar to Jumbo frets, but they have a narrower crown. They won't let you feel the fretboard when playing, which will make it easier to get clean notes. However, if you press down too hard you might get the notes out of pitch.

Final Playability Scores

Fender Squier Classic Vibe 50s Stratocaster
Bending & Vibrato Ease 70
Chord Playability 70
Solo Playability 70
Playability 70
Ibanez APEX30
Bending & Vibrato Ease 80
Chord Playability 50
Solo Playability 90
Playability 73