Consensus on YouTube seems to be that the Squier product coming from China is quite good, particularly for the money. I see the Classic Vibe series being suggested as a great guitar from beginning up to a back up in case your main guitar has an issue. At the $399 price tag, (all pricing Dec. 2020), Classic Vibe guitars hit the mark well. Build quality is good, electronics are fair to good. Only minor improvements are needed for a more "serious" musician.
Then comes the Paranormal series. Fender has been doing some pretty cool stuff over the last few years. You can find all sorts of "mash-ups" of different model Fender instruments,... and they are being offered in the Squier line as well as the Made in Mexico and U.S. product.
We've decided to do some upgrades on my son Zac's Paranormal series Offset Tele. With just a little set up, It played well, sounded pretty good,... all around pretty solid. Digging a little deeper you'll find the input jack and electronics to be inexpensive versions of classic designs. You could say the quality of these components were as to be expected.
Although I already had the parts we needed, except for the saddles, I figure the parts could be upgraded to "high end", as used in this upgrade, for as little as $250. All in $650,... not cheap, but U.S. built money either. I guess it's all about what it's worth to the owner of the instrument.

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