THE SQUIER ARTIST MODELS AND THE REGIONAL ARTIST PROGRAM
Launched in 2002, the Squier Artist Series debuted with the Squier Tom Delonge Stratocaster. Featuring only a volume knob and a humbucking pickup, this Squier closely resembled the Mexican Fender-branded Delonge model released just a year earlier.
Soon after, the Squier Artist Series transitioned into the Regional Artist Program. This new approach focused on offering signature models exclusively in countries where the musician was highly popular, regardless of their recognition elsewhere. Richard McDonald explained: “They started coming up with these artists and I started approving them. We’d do international artist models that are meaningful for a particular market, and they'd be Squiers, so they are affordable for the customer. It made total sense: local players to inspire and create a local sense of belonging.”
The O-Larn Stratocaster was the groundbreaking first Regional Artist Program model, launched exclusively in Thailand in 2008. Per Fender’s Thai distributor, Beh Ngiep Seng Musical Instruments, saw O-Larn as a perfect fit for the initiative. The guitar featured a Duncan Designed Hot Rails pickup set and only the volume knob.
Building on the success of the O-Larn Stratocaster, Squier introduced a second series in 2013. While keeping the minimalist single-volume layout, this version added a vintage-style pickup.
After these early efforts, the Regional Artist Program expanded further. Squier released the 2009 Sham Kamikaze Stratocaster, sold only in Malaysia, and the Simon Neil Stratocaster, which was based on Biffy Clyro’s frontman’s Custom Shop model and sold exclusively in Europe.
Sham Kamikaze, born Shamril Salleh in 1976, grew up in a musical family and was exposed to various musical genres from a very early age. He began learning the guitar at the age of 12, and by 14, he was already playing in bands.
Building on his early musical experience, Sham took a teaching position at the Guitar Institute of Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur. In 1999, he formed Kamikaze and recorded three albums—Kontroversi, Inspirasi, and 3. All were nominated for Anugerah Industri Muzik, Malaysia’s music industry awards ceremony and equivalent to the U.S. Grammy, as best rock album of 2001; Inspirasi won the award. Kamikaze has performed with musicians such as Andy Timmons, Neil Zaza, and T.M. Stevens. The band also opened for the Joe Satriani/Steve Vai/Yngwie Malmsteen G3 tour in 2000.
The Sham Kamikaze Stratocaster put Kamikaze’s own personal touch on a Squier Classic Vibe series instrument. Its most distinctive feature was the non-traditional reverse headstock design and reverse string arrangement. Features included Kamikaze’s signature on the front of the headstock and a Sigma logo on the back. The guitar also had three custom vintage-style single-coil pickups, with a reverse-angled bridge pickup and reverse-staggered AlNiCo 3 magnets.
It was launched with a special event in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, June 20, 2009, at Bentley Music, the longtime Squier/Fender distributor in Malaysia.
The Simon Neil Stratocaster was launched in October 2009, on the eve of the November 2009 release of the new album, Only Revolutions. It was based on Biffy Clyro’s frontman’s Custom Shop Time Machine ’60 Stratocaster. It featured the Biffy Clyro band logo on the headstock and a set of mixed-magnet pickups: AlNiCo 5 for the bass strings and AlNiCo 3 for the treble strings.
Soon after, the Squier Artist Series transitioned into the Regional Artist Program. This new approach focused on offering signature models exclusively in countries where the musician was highly popular, regardless of their recognition elsewhere. Richard McDonald explained: “They started coming up with these artists and I started approving them. We’d do international artist models that are meaningful for a particular market, and they'd be Squiers, so they are affordable for the customer. It made total sense: local players to inspire and create a local sense of belonging.”
The O-Larn Stratocaster was the groundbreaking first Regional Artist Program model, launched exclusively in Thailand in 2008. Per Fender’s Thai distributor, Beh Ngiep Seng Musical Instruments, saw O-Larn as a perfect fit for the initiative. The guitar featured a Duncan Designed Hot Rails pickup set and only the volume knob.
Building on the success of the O-Larn Stratocaster, Squier introduced a second series in 2013. While keeping the minimalist single-volume layout, this version added a vintage-style pickup.
After these early efforts, the Regional Artist Program expanded further. Squier released the 2009 Sham Kamikaze Stratocaster, sold only in Malaysia, and the Simon Neil Stratocaster, which was based on Biffy Clyro’s frontman’s Custom Shop model and sold exclusively in Europe.
Sham Kamikaze, born Shamril Salleh in 1976, grew up in a musical family and was exposed to various musical genres from a very early age. He began learning the guitar at the age of 12, and by 14, he was already playing in bands.
Building on his early musical experience, Sham took a teaching position at the Guitar Institute of Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur. In 1999, he formed Kamikaze and recorded three albums—Kontroversi, Inspirasi, and 3. All were nominated for Anugerah Industri Muzik, Malaysia’s music industry awards ceremony and equivalent to the U.S. Grammy, as best rock album of 2001; Inspirasi won the award. Kamikaze has performed with musicians such as Andy Timmons, Neil Zaza, and T.M. Stevens. The band also opened for the Joe Satriani/Steve Vai/Yngwie Malmsteen G3 tour in 2000.
The Sham Kamikaze Stratocaster put Kamikaze’s own personal touch on a Squier Classic Vibe series instrument. Its most distinctive feature was the non-traditional reverse headstock design and reverse string arrangement. Features included Kamikaze’s signature on the front of the headstock and a Sigma logo on the back. The guitar also had three custom vintage-style single-coil pickups, with a reverse-angled bridge pickup and reverse-staggered AlNiCo 3 magnets.
It was launched with a special event in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, June 20, 2009, at Bentley Music, the longtime Squier/Fender distributor in Malaysia.
The Simon Neil Stratocaster was launched in October 2009, on the eve of the November 2009 release of the new album, Only Revolutions. It was based on Biffy Clyro’s frontman’s Custom Shop Time Machine ’60 Stratocaster. It featured the Biffy Clyro band logo on the headstock and a set of mixed-magnet pickups: AlNiCo 5 for the bass strings and AlNiCo 3 for the treble strings.
La SquierTom Delonge Stratocaster (Courtesy of Scott from Squier Talk)
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O-Larn Stratocaster, first series (Courtesy of Fender)
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Simon Neil Stratocaster (Courtesy of Max Guitar Store)
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Sham Kamikaze (Courtesy of Fender)
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Ehsaan Noorani Stratocaster advert
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As the Regional Artist Program continued to grow, Squier approached Indian guitarist Ehsaan Noorani, who had risen to fame through Bollywood films.
After studying at the Guitar Institute of Technology in Los Angeles, Ehsaan returned to India in 1986. He began composing for advertisements. He also composed for the 2008 film Rock On!!!, which was widely regarded as a milestone, marking one of Bollywood’s first rock films. Noorani’s work with his band Shankar Ehsaan Loy took him from Indian clubs to venues in the United States. His increasing recognition helped make him an unofficial Fender ambassador in India, leading the company to reward him with a custom guitar crafted by John Cruz. Recognizing Noorani’s influence, Jasbeer Singh, who heads Fender’s Indian distributor Mumbai Reemal Investrade, suggested creating a Squier Ehsaan Noorani signature model to be sold exclusively in India. |
A Fender version, however, would have been too expensive for the local market, as the guitarist recalled: “If it was Fender—either USA or Mexico—the price would be fairly expensive for the average guitar player to afford. I could go for the Custom Shop... and I’d probably be the only one who’d buy it in India!”
Introduced in early 2011 after several design revisions, the signature model featured two humbuckers and a single-coil pickup. Noorani explained: “Most Indian guitar players have small hands: we're not as large as Caucasian people, we're smaller people. Very often you'd pick up an American Standard and you find you're struggling a bit with the width of the fretboard. I said we ought to go for a standard width but a very small shallow neck, because that would really help us wrap our fingers around.”
Introduced in early 2011 after several design revisions, the signature model featured two humbuckers and a single-coil pickup. Noorani explained: “Most Indian guitar players have small hands: we're not as large as Caucasian people, we're smaller people. Very often you'd pick up an American Standard and you find you're struggling a bit with the width of the fretboard. I said we ought to go for a standard width but a very small shallow neck, because that would really help us wrap our fingers around.”
Squier GRAPHIC SERIES
The Graphic Series was inaugurated in 2006 with the Stratocasters Obey Graphic Dissent and Obey Graphic Collage, both designed by Shepard Fairey, a street artist who had already collaborated with the Custom Shop. Fairey was thrilled to work for the Squier: “A lot of people who are learning the guitar might use a Squier. My feeling with my art, if I can, is to inspire people when they are young and optimistic.”
Fairey presented three drawings (there was also the Obey Graphic Propaganda destined to Telecatsers only) that would have been applied on the Indonesian Squier Stratocasters. They were the first Squiers with "rustic and worn" hardware.
Fairey presented three drawings (there was also the Obey Graphic Propaganda destined to Telecatsers only) that would have been applied on the Indonesian Squier Stratocasters. They were the first Squiers with "rustic and worn" hardware.
Obey Collage Stratocaster, Graphic Series (reverb.com)
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Obey Dissent Stratocaster, Graphic Series (reverb.com)
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To tell the truth, Fairey's were not the first Squier "art" guitars: the Jack Daniel's (of which there are two versions) was made since 2002 and the Rolling Rock Stratocaster since 2003.
Jack Daniel's, Model #1
Squier Rolling Rock Stratocaster
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Jack Daniel's, Model #2
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In addition to the Rolling Rock and the Graphic Series, the Heineken, Miller Genuine Draft, Miller Lite and 2005 Icehouse Stratocasters must be remembered. These were not guitars intended for large-scale sales, but for the best retailers, to be displayed, sold or given away.
Antonio Calvosa
Squier Icehouse (T-Bodz Terry B. from strat-talk)
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La Heineken Stratocaster del 2004
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La Miller Genuine Draft (guitabroker)
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Miller Lite (guitabroker)
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