I own an 86 Squier MIJ, it has a Basswood body. Weighs just under 8 pounds. Lots of very high end guitars use basswood so nothing to worry about there.
Fender make CS guitars because there is a market for them and they make megabucks from every sale.
From the purchasers perspective he can order a guitar to his exact specifications, not a compromise that will do the job but never really be IT.
I bought a brand new E Series 1986 Strat. Still have it. Many years ago I compared it with my brothers US made Fender. No comparison, the Squier is so much better than his not so well made, overpriced Fender. In fact I have tried many US made Strats since and none of them were any better than...
My 1986 MIJ Squier is the bees knees, never found a Fender as good. I blocked off the trem and replaced the pickups. Job done. Cost £229 new, plus the custom shop pickups $99.
Great news. I went through something similar (stage 4) three years go. I’m still kicking. The treatments available today are marvellous. Enjoy your beer
I bought a bunch of Ernie Ball SuperSlinky strings in the guitar shop at Best Buy. They were closing down so got them for a great price. When I opened them up all the first, second, third strings were rusty. Packets were sealed and unopened.
the D'Addario strings I bought at the same time were...
New nut required. Take it for a set up. Had a similar problem with a Les Paul. The guitar tech adjusted the truss rod and replaced the nut with a new bone nut, dressed the frets $150. Plays beautifully now.