Squier is a brand owned by Fender Musical Instrument Corporation – FMIC – and is drawn from the V. C. Squire company, a prominent string manufacturer.
V C Squire was a major American string manufacturer and importer of strings, and in the early 1950’s supplied the new Fender company.
In 1965, V C Squire was purchased by Fender, and the string names changed to ‘Fender’ by the mid 1970’s.
Also in 1965, Fender was itself acquired by CBS.
Fender now uses the Squier brand name for a wide range of instruments, and this began in 1982 with the JV series.
Fender management purchased the Fender company from CBS in 1982, but the deal did not include the Fullerton plant and for a short period, much production was done by Fender Japan. To differentiate levels of instrument while providing a clear path for upgrades, the Squier name was revived.
