The Toronado was originally introduced by Fender in 1998 and discontinued only a few years later. It has since gained a bit of a cult fanbase for its originality and unique looks and style. 

This year, Squier has brought it back from the dead as part of their Paranormal Series. It has retained a lot of the original features that made the Toronado so unique but this time it has a much more affordable price tag.

Body & neck

the Toronado features a lightweight Poplar body and is joined to a very comfortable "C" shaped Maple neck with Laurel fingerboard. The combination offers a very balanced tone with plenty of snap and vibrancy from the top end. Staying true to form the Squier Toronadfo features the unique 24.75" scale length which can be a little more forgiving as it has less tension so it's easier to bend and add vibrato.

Pickups and Hardware

Squier has installed two incredibly big and fat sounding Atomic Humbucking pickups on the Toronado. These offer harmonically-rich tones that handle everything from light crunch through to serious high-gain and also clean up beautifully with the use of independent volume controls. Other features include a string-through-body bridge, 3-way pickup selector and dedicated tone controls.

Specifications

Body

• Body: Poplar
• Body Finish: Gloss Polyurethane
• Body Shape: Toronado

Neck

• Neck Material: Maple
• Neck Finish: Gloss Polyurethane
• Neck Shape: "C" Shape
• Scale Length: 24.75" (629 mm)
• Fingerboard: Indian Laurel
• Fingerboard Radius: 9.5" (241 mm)
• Number of Frets: 22
• Frets Size: Narrow Tall
• String Nut: Synthetic Bone
• Nut Width: 1.650" (42 mm)
• Position Inlays: Pearloid Dot
• Truss Rods: Single Action, Head Adjust

Electronics

• Bridge Pickup: Squier Atomic Humbucker
• Neck Pickup: Squier Atomic Humbucker
• Controls: Volume 1. (Neck Pickup), Volume 2. (Bridge Pickup), Tone 1. (Neck Pickup), Tone 2. (Bridge Pickup)
• Pickup Switching: 3-Position Toggle: Position 1. Bridge Pickup, Position 2. Bridge and Neck Pickups, Position 3. Neck Pickup

Hardware

• Bridge: 6-Saddle Strings-Through-Body Hardtail
• Hardware Finish: Chrome
• Tuning Machines: Vintage-Style
• Pickguard: 4-Ply Tortoiseshell
• Control Knobs: Knurled Flat-Top
• Strings: Nickel Plated Steel (.009-.042 Gauges)