Squier Paranormal Super Sonic - On the Bench Today

On the Bench today is the Squier Paranormal Super Sonic.

Originally released as a Japanese made Squier series called the Vista Series as the Squier Vista Super-Sonic. The guitar was released in four colors:

1. Black
2. Blue Sparkle
3. Olympic White
4. Silver Sparkle.

The bodies were basswood with a maple neck with a rosewood fretboard. The humbuckers were designed by Seymour Duncan like the Squier Vintage Modified line with the Duncan Designed pickups.

Squier Vista Super-Sonic was produced from 1996 to 1998. Amazing how much these versions go for according to historical records on Reverb $591 - $1,082 used depending upon condition. Currently there are 8 of these guitars listed on Reverb for sale ranging in price from $950 to $2500. Actually, ALL the guitars that came in the Vista Series are crazy in prices. The Vista Series JagMaster goes for $850 and up. The Vista Venus guitar goes from $500 to models I saw today listed for $1600. Crazy!!!!

I have read in multiple posts and articles and cannot confirm that the design, conceived by former Squier marketing manager Joe Carducci, was inspired by a photograph in which Jimi Hendrix is seen playing a Fender Jaguar
upside down.

There have also been Fender made models of the Super-Sonic.

Now the guitar is part of the Squier Paranormal series of guitars released in 2020 to 2024.

Retail price for a new guitar is all over the place. Currently I can see them priced from $429 to just over $500 plus shipping.

A used guitar priced based upon condition of the guitar with pricing ranging from $300 to $429.

I do not know why Squier released this as part of the Paranormal series of Squiers because it is a stand-alone model that has been produced before and not an amalgamation of multiple guitars. I have read that there are some dimensional differences from this model to the other models that were produced including string spacing and thickness of the body.

The Paranormal version of the guitar comes in four colors as well:

1. Blue Sparkle
2. Graphite Metallic
3. Ice Blue Metallic
4. Shell Pink

Here are some of the specifications:

Reverse Offset Body made of Poplar with a Gloss type Poly Finish
Neck Material Maple
Fretboard Material Laurel
Narrow C-shaped neck
Fretboard Radius 9.5"
Number of Frets 22
Nut Width 1.65"
Scale Length 24
Bridge/Tailpiece Type Tremolo Bridge
Pickup configuration is HH with 2 Squier Atomic humbucking pickups

Observations

My guitar is Blue Sparkle!!!! Who f’ing cool is that? It is a very cool color for a guitar. I ordered a Squier Jaguar in this color about a week ago from Chicago Music Exchange that has the headstock also in blue sparkle. Blue Sparkle!!!!

I have several reverbs headstock guitars. I had serious problems restringing the guitar. I could not figure why until it dawned on me this is a classic tuner guitar with split shafts. My other guitars that are reverse headstock are not. Measuring the proper string length and just stringing in general is a cumbersome process.

This is the very first guitar where it is actually easier to tune the guitar and adjust intonation in a playing position. I know you are supposed to do these things in a playing position, but I tried to make some minor adjustments while the guitar was sitting on the bench and all I can say is it feels unnatural and awkward.

Normally if I am not going to like a pickup on a two pickup guitar it is normally the neck pickup. I really like the neck pickup on this guitar and really do not like the bridge. It seems muffled without any top end you would expect from a bridge humbucker.

I have many 24-inch scale guitars. This is the first time the fretboard seemed cramped to me and made it a challenge for me to play with my large fingers.

My guitar weighs 7 pounds and 9 ounces or 3.456 Kilos.

Measuring impedance, the neck pickup measured 9.8 k ohms, both pickups together measured 5.9 k ohms, and the bridge measured in at 14.89 k ohms.