opinion on Fender Squire Strat

[stevieraywannabe]

I know Dave said a good beginner guitar should be around $300, but you can get a Fender Squire Strat for about $125 to $150. I noticed Fender has an entire line of Squire guitars, and some of the Squires can get quite expensive. Whats the story with the Squire line of guitars.

[Whiskey]

Take a good look at what you're buying when you get a guitar. Ask someone there for help. Just because its a Strat doesn't mean it doesn't have cheap pickups.
I'm not saying there aren't great deals out there... but getting quality components makes a huge difference, even in a beginner guitar.

[stevieraywannabe]

I just found Dave's videos on choosing a guitar and he specifically talked about Squires. The way I took his explanation was a Fender Squire would actually work for a beginner BUT They aren't built as good(plywood body, not so good electronics and dont say in tune as long) and you would eventually want a better guitar so why not go ahead and fork out $150 more and get a good intro guitar that would last allot longer than the Squire. Maybe I should have searched the website more before I posted this question.:o

[ledzepcoda7]

well believe it or not my squire stays in tune and has been hassle free since i bought it........however the electronics are garbage and i cant get the tone i am looking for out of it. so my opinion is try it out b4 you buy it.

[Bently]

I'm kind of in the same boat as you. If I had the money, I would be buying a MIM HSS Strat today ($399.99). The Squier Standard Strat goes for $199.99 which has a little better parts than the Squier Affinity at around $150.00. I've been looking at the Squier '51 series that Musicians Friend has for $99.99, and from all indications from the majority of people that have bought one, it's a really good buy for $99.99. One thing that everyone says is you can always upgrade the parts on a Squier as you get to be a better player. I'm either going for the Squier '51 or the MIM HSS Strat. I'm really not nterested with the inbetween.

If you stick with it and are playing all the time then you'll probably show a lot of improvement and have a MAJOR CASE OF GAS within 6 months for sure. :cool:

[Zeppelin_Maniac]

I tell people if you know you're going to stick with playing guitar, then invest a little and buy above the entry level line. If you don't know, then buy the cheapest.

I still have my $100 Squire (I played it in the Kashmir video). But it's days are numbered.

[charlie]

I have a squire custom tele ll.the black one.Love the p-90 pickups.Put some nice extra slinky ernie ball's on it.Had it re-set up.No problems at all.Friend has a american strat.and prefers playing mine anytime..Frets are a little high in my opinion.but to me a great starter guitar.Well be moving up to something more in the 1200 dollar range before to long..Actually with the frets.If I keep my callouses filed down,they dont catch on them to much..

[james]

i have a squier affinity strat - the $150 one. it stays in tune fine and i think it sounds fine with my amp. i live in an apartment building so i cant have it loud...never really cranked it. if your new, just dont get the $300 package deal, amp is crap. just buy a 15 watt amp for $150-200 and its 4 times the amp that comes in the package. but if course theres always better stuff to buy. only thing was that the action was a little high but a half turn on the rod fixed that. i like my guitar and i dont care that it doesnt say fender on it....its how u play it

[gobuck]

I bought one for $ 85 and teamed it up with a G-Dec amp. I am a true beginner but I am having a lot of fun with it. I am making some "very cool noise". That's what my wife said.

[Blewbyou]

If you heven't looked at the Squier '51 check one out they got good reveiws and are going cheap here is a link to a thread on the forum here http://www.nextlevelguitar.com/aforum/showthread.php?t=538

[CrateMan]

I have a little Squid......I payed $100 for it and spent $40 having it set up by a local shop......MAN, this little guitar sounds & plays pretty good for no more than I got in it, I would recamind it any starter....imo

[bobthecow]

i've got a squier affinity series limited edition strat. It cost me about $200, and it sounds just as good as most of the cheap $300-$400 fenders. This being said, it sounds nowhere near as good as my '62 Strat Re-issue.

[Bently]

I got my Squier yesterday. After a quick inspection, I don't have any complaints on the craftmanship. I've got to wait to see how it sounds.

Looks like the inventory for the '51's is gone though.

[timmy_laf]

If your going for the Affinity model, go for the Fat strat (i.e. the one with a humbucker in the bridge)

Has a much fuller sound, which I like, and in my opinion sounds better, however it is true about the cheap pickups, they are a bit buzzy.

[bobthecow]

Hey dude, Squier has started making their guitars solid body now. They make them out of really good materials. They just started this about 2 years ago. I have a LE Squier Strat in sunburst and it is a great guitar, especially for me being a beginner. However, I do know a guy who has been playing for about 10 years. He played his squier strat for about 2 years, and now has a fender strat. At every concert he still carries his squier with him as a backup. He just cant bring himself to buying anything else as his backup because it has offered him 10 years of really good service.

However, once you get better I would advise installing new pickups. They make a world of difference. His Squier sounds 10 times better than mine, he put the Vintage Fender noiseless pickups in his. The sound GREAT!!!

[StratofOmens]

I have a Squier Deluxe Stratocaster and I absolutely love it. It plays just as well as a Standard American Strat does in my opinion. It has great action and the neck is fast and smooth. The pickups deliver the vintage Strat sound that I love. If I had to buy this guitar over again I would gladly do it again in a heartbeat.

LINK: Squier Deluxe Strat (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Squier-Quilted-Top-Deluxe-Strat-Electric-Guitar?sku=519616)

[gtrplr]

If you heven't looked at the Squier '51 check one out they got good reveiws and are going cheap here is a link to a thread on the forum here http://www.nextlevelguitar.com/aforum/showthread.php?t=538
there have been some great reviews on the 51's

[Roonels]

my first(and current) electric guitar is the squier strat. i thinks its really difficult for people to say whether they are gonna stick with playin guitar(lets not kid ourselves most of us are quitters!:rolleyes: ) ive had it about 4 months at this stage and im pretty happy with it and must say it stays in tune pretty well. i wud def recommend it for beginners to get a taste of guitar playin...but if you have been playin for a few months or years you gotta step up the level of guitar you purchase.

[richardm80]

My first guitar was a Squire Strat. I wouldn't say these are very good guitars. You will not be getting a Fender strat. It's just a cheap imitation. I guess they are ok guitars for beginners but other brands do better strat copies than squire do. The Yamaha Pacifica is a lot better than the squire for the money. MIM Fender Strats are much much better than these.

[LifeByTheDrop]

I have one and it has served me well in learning the basics. I will be upgrading my amp before the Squier, but I will eventually need to upgrade my guitar as well.

[Lythos]

Just make sure the body is solid wood and not plywood. Thats the main difference between an MIM and a squire, though I hear they may have changed that.

[jack the groove]

Mine is exactly like this one, same color, everything. Got it last year, with a hard case, for $25. :p

It's a mid-80s ? Squire II 'Fat' Strat, made in Korea. A little different. Has the humbucker at the bridge, no pick guard, side jack. I think it's a pretty nice guitar. If you guys see one in good shape, give it a try.

http://www.myfishpix.com/gallery/data/500/102430000037_17_02.jpg

[SpaceTrucker]

My friend plays a $100 squier and the frets seem to bite into my fingers when I tried it. I went a step or two higher with my last purchase (actually, I just bought it 5 hours ago :D) and got the MIM Fender strat. Nice guitar for beginners and anyone that has been playing any where under 2 years in my opinion. If you have a chance, try playing one of these guitars.

[jack the groove]

Good move, Space Trucker. I think you'll really enjoy it. What color? :)

[SpaceTrucker]

Red with black pickguard, chrome hardware. awesome looking if I do say so myself :D I'll try to get some pics up soon.

[james]

the old korean squiers are much better than the squier that is made today.

[123_Rizz_uk]

My brother has a squire from the first few months of them being made, quite old now, I can say I dont like it at all, but I thought they were meant to be the best of them, when I tried the mexican strat I couldnt believe the difference.

[james]

the korean squires are nice but ive also heard indonesian squiers of 3 yrs ago were much worse quality than the new indonesian ones today. (they have solid bodies now and stay in tune) not sure if its true but im jsut throwing it out there.

[Hendrix]

well believe it or not my squire stays in tune and has been hassle free since i bought it........however the electronics are garbage and i cant get the tone i am looking for out of it. so my opinion is try it out b4 you buy it.

Meh i bought a squier starter pack or whatever theyre called taht have the amp, strap, cable, guitar, picks, extra strings,tuner..etc. It didnt sound SO bad in my opinion, the combo that came in the pack, but I did change my strings and go up a guage.. it was a good starter guitar in my opinion. It was around 300-400ish.. Canadian

Don't care so much for the neck after getting my 60th anniversary strat though haha. If you get that guitar you should have it set up right away, cause they come straight from the factory and the action is way too high

[klooi]

well ihave some guitars here and have played a couple the last years from friends.
My favorite is my Fender Jazzmaster reissue of 1992 with custom seymour duncan elements and complete custom look just see the pic in the avatar.
But i know working on a project strat which started his live as a squier so the things i liked and hated about this guitar i will summon up here.
First the maple neck on this affinty strat is just horrible no finnish and very rough and hard to play keep in tune in comparrison my jazzmaster is smooth and not hard to play at all .
Its harder to work on this squier then on a spanish steel string acoustic but you can change that quitte easily.
Get a good fender or mighty mite neck and change all ellectronics by better ones and you end up with a great strat.
Which will sound great.
about pick ups i favor seymour duncans because you van hear them on his site so you have an idea how your guitar is going to sound once installed lot of usefull info there like wiring vids and diagrams so very usefull when doing this stuff.
I also fancy lace sensors but don`t have any experience jet with them.
as for necks just look on ebay and you will find decent necks at great prices.
Also good for any other parts you need to make your own guitar.
But back to the topic if i was a starter i would buy a guitar that worked for me when i bought my jazzmaster it was instant love but had a good budget so.
Just go and try some at your local music shop and then write down the make model and have a look on ebay or other sites that sell guitars and save your selve some money.
What also make a difference is your amp i would know always go for a vox but that`s just my opinion but they sound great and are relativly cheap aspecially the new valvatronic series we use them at gigs just get a 15 watt one and you have more then your moneys worth for it.
we use the 50 watt and higher for gigs and they always sound great no matter what guitar or effect you plug in to them.
just my thoughts so i hope i have been any help to ya.
nicolai holland