Featured review by:
sargent112, on april 04, 2005 7 of 10 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 197.5
Purchased from: Kaos Music Centre
Features: I got my Strat last year in November. It was made in Korea, has a maple neck and body, thin frets, solid top. All black with a white scratch plate. A Tune-O-Matic bridge, active electronics. It comes with a 5 way selectore, 2 tone knobs. I got it with a hardshell case. // 8
Sound: This guitar is obviously not the best sounding in the world, but it still covers what I use it for. I have a band and I've used this guitar for probably 5 hours straight a couple times, and it was still almost perfectly tuned. I use a lot of distortion and it sounds really good. I recommend replacing the pickups if you're going to be using this guitar during gigs or if you jam a lot. This guitar has a great sound if you're trying to learn guitar and you don't want to spend a lot of money. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar was setup almost perfectly at the factory. I only had to adjust the neck pickup (I wanted a bit more bass out of the guitar). For your the only thing that was really wrong with the guitar is that it needed an intonation, which I got for free before I brought it home. The only minor thing was that the output jack was a little loose, but once I tightened that, it never moved again. // 10
Reliability & Durability: This guitar is ok for live playing. I know that the hardware will last though. I've probably used it for the equvalent of 1 month of 24/7 plaing. All the strap buttons are still perfectly solid. I would take this guitar to a gig, and not worry about it breaking down, or dying out. The finish still looks brand new. This guitar is one I plan to play for a long time. // 10
Impression: If you play a lot of alternative or punk rock (Blink 182, Green Day etc) I would definitely say "Yes, go ahead and buy this guitar." It has a good sound with distortin, just raise the neck pickup a bit. I love the maple neck with the black body. It looks awesome. This is a great 1st guitar. If, however, you get a choice between this guitar and a Fender Stratocaster, without even thinking twice, take the Fender. // 8
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on august 05, 2005 3 of 3 people found this review helpful
Features: I think this model was made in 2004 not sure where it was made. It is black with a tremolo arm (being an english guy I say tremolo arm as opposed to whammy bar but they mean the same thing) and a 5-way selector Switch. It has 3 single coil pickups. // 8
Sound: I play loads of styles of music from blues to metal and back again. This guitar suits pretty much all that I play. I run it through a Fender Frontman 15G amp and it sounds good on clean tone, yet the distortion is a bit crap unless you play through the bride pickup. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: The action for me is just perfect, not too high, not too low. The pickups were fine apart from what I mentioned earlier about the distortion being a bit crap unless you play it through the bridge pickup. The tuners are fine but the strap buttons are a bit wobbly and the top fell off the five way selector recently. // 6
Reliability & Durability: This guitar has withstood playing live without a backup twice so far. In fact, I was in a battle of the bands competition recently (which my band won and keep the trophy on my kitchen windowsill) and the girl in the other bands string broke, so I lent her my guitar, which performed excellently if I do say so myself. I wouldn't usually use it without a backup, but at the moment I don't have a backup so I have to but I think it would withstand playing without a backup. // 8
Impression: I play all styles apart from jazz and this is great for all of them. I've only been playing for about 11 months and this is the only guitar I own and it is a great starter guitar or a guitar for a guitarist who doesn't have deep pockets. If it were stolen I'd probably get an SG because those things rule but for now it's just fine. // 8
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on april 19, 2004 2 of 2 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: Academy Of Sound, Nottingham
Features: The Strat was the first guitar I ever bought, made in China; it has 22 frets, sunburst colour with a laminated top. A brilliant, feature rich guitar, three single pickups with a master volume control dial, two tone dials, a 5 way selector and a whammy bar, which, amazingly, doesn’t knock the guitar out of tune when used... A really nice comfortable guitar, with a cutaway body, and a nice weight. Came with a tone of extras, including a gig bag, a 15wt Marshal amp, a amp jack, a whammy bar, 20 plectums, Squire strap. // 10
Sound: I love the guitar, you can get a complete range of sounds, and when used with a amp with overdrive on, gain turned up, and really, really loud, theres nothing better! // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar was a dream from the moment I got it, sounding right, looking right, and it was like that from the start, I don't know if that was because the salesman fixed it up for me, or if it was like that from the factory. The finish was brilliant, not a scratch, chip or even smear in sight. And ofcause, it was sunburst (because sunburst rules!). However, if you had the amp up pretty loud, without playing a note, your would hear a faint click, every 15 seconds, but unnoticable, unless you was determind to find a bug to report... Despite this, I shall still mark this 5/5, because everything else was fine, and the click could only be heard with the amp up full ;) // 10
Reliability & Durability: Personially, I think this guitar will withstand anything you throw at it (literially), I would have no second thoughts if it came to playing this guitar live, with no backups, the strap buttons are solid, the finish is extreamly hard wearing (mine has had a few bangs, but is fine, not a single scratch). // 10
Impression: Out of all the guitars I played, this has been the best, sitting in Academy of sound (the staff of which are excellent ;) they did anything you asked) I had a wall amp plugged in, trying out many different guitars, and not one came close to the Squier Strat, by Fender. // 10
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on september 14, 2005 2 of 2 people found this review helpful
Features: // 8
Sound: This guitar is definitely good for people who would like to learn to play and come to websites like this one to get tabs for their favorite songs. It would also be good for old pros who just want something to practice with or beat around. I use a crappy amp that I got from a garage sale for like 50 bucks. It's 100 watts but I don't know the brand. The guitar sounds alright, but you get a lot of staticky hum from it when idle. However, you also get this from any guitar with magnetic pickups. It has a nice, bright poppy sound, and with a little distortion, it can also have a hard rock sound to it. I also use a wah pedal for some solos and it sounds great with that. Overall, it is a pretty ambidextrous guitar. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: This guitar is put together just fine. I had to adjust the bridge on it to get it the way that I wanted, and I changed the tuners because I found some better ones in the attic. The only problem I had with it was that the strap button began to come out, but I just slapped some wood glue into it and it holds fine. // 8
Reliability & Durability: This guitar is very reliable. I drop it all the time, and it only has a few scratches on it. I have had this thing for two years and nothing has really happened other than the strap button becoming loose. I would not take this as a main guitar to a gig, but I would take it as a backup. Finish is fine, no wear or anything some scratches on the pick guard but thats about it. // 8
Impression: Basically I would suggest this for beginners or for people who have played acoustic guitar and want to try out electric. Most will probably quickly go through this guitar and on to a new one, but I've had this one for two and a half years, and it hasnt done me wrong yet, however, I am in the market for another guitar b/c I think that I have maxed this one out with what I can do with it. // 8
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on march 10, 2004 1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 150
Purchased from: Guitar Center
Features: I got it used at guitar center in seattle for 150$, Its a 2-tone tobaccobust with a maple neck and fingerboard. Mine has a few chips in it but that only add to the sentimental value. 21 frets, and 3single coils. A 5-way Switch between them and 2-tone knobs and a volume. option whammy-bar which screws in, kinda throws it out of tune. // 8
Sound: I play just about anything on my acoustic but im learning to play lead on this, for the price I paid, the sound is amazing. I'm not using an amp but headphones and a pocketrocket. Sounds alright (but I got ripped off and the pocket rocket is a bass amp), so I'm not playing the guitar to its full potential. kinda buzzes when you're set to one coil but the two settings cancel that. Couldn't ask for much more with the tone, its as versitile as any Strat. Overall sound rocks. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: I mentioned chips but that was post factory (it was used). A little sloppy with the plastic, still some sticking out on the Switch, nothin to bother with. Action is good, fretboard is nice and smooth and the tuners hold nicely. // 8
Reliability & Durability: Very durable, this guitar would have no problem playing live, the hardware has been kickin so far, haven't owned it long enough to change the strings. Strap holds nicely and it's a very dependable guitar. // 10
Impression: Rock solid. I think I just got lucky, it plays just as well as a real Strat. So I gotta give my guitar the best. // 10
Reviewed by:
kennasty182, on january 19, 2005 1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 230
Purchased from: Holze Music Co.
Features: This guitar was made in 2002 in Indonesia. It is the full-on Squire Stratocaster, as opposed to the Strat or Affinity. It's a 20th anniversary edidtion.
- 21 middle of the road frets on a medium-thin rosewood neck
- Metallic black finish
- 2 stock humbuckers
- 1 volume, 2 tone, 3 way selector
- Standard Stratocaster tremolo bridge. // 8
Sound: The pickups are fairly hot, and suit my punk playing style very well. They also produce nice clean tones and they are hot enough to play decent metal, although this isnt a partucularly dark guitar. The guitar is virtually noiseless. Being a Strat, it could theoretically suit any style of playing. The bridge pup is a little bit muddy when distorted in my opinion, but it works well to produce a bright-yet-full clean sound. The only problem I have encountered has been that the springs for the tremolo were reverberating inside the body of the guitar, so I deadened them with a peice of ducktape. // 6
Action, Fit & Finish: When I bought the guitar, there were no overt issues with the craftsmanship. There was a ding in the back of it, so I got a discount on the guitar for that, but the ding was caused by some guys who had come into the store earlier that day and knocked over a bunch of guitars. Over time, however since the guitar was new, the neck settled in and the fretboard cured, so I had to have it readjusted. I found that the frets were slightly uneven due to normal settling, so I need to get them worked on. The only other issue I had with it was the tremolo. I don't use it, so I had the bridge set down onto the body of the guitar. // 6
Reliability & Durability: I use it to gig regularly. It's solid enough to gig, but I bring a backup Telecaster just in case of any mishaps onstage (one time at a gig I was skanking during a song with my guitar on and the headstock got caught in my bassists strings. Needless to say, it ruined the song and we were both terribly out of tune). Backups are like seatbelts: never a bad idea. Since I dont really take excessively good care of my stuff, some of the hardware is starting to rust because I live in Texas and sweat is a frequent issue. I should have wiped down the guitar after playing it, but I never have. Other than that, this axe is solid and I expect to be playing it for years to come. // 8
Impression: For almost any style of music, this guitar could do the job. The only thing I wish it didn't have is the tremolo. I never use it and it's just a big cavity in the guitar that I dont need. I would not buy this guitar again because I feel that I am ready to move one to greener pastures, but I still use it for a backup whenever I was able to get a better guitar and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a decent guitar at a low price. The bang for the buck factor on this guitar is thru the roof. The sound is versatile and quality. I compared it to Ibanezs, Epiphones, Washburns, etc. and ever time it still kicks the pants of guitars twice its price. I even stacked it up against a Gibson Les Paul Special and although I was biased in favor of the Les Paul, the Strat still won in my mind. Despite my somewhat lukewarm ratings elsewhere, in the overall bang for buck department, I give it a five. // 10
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on october 17, 2003 1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 390.26
Purchased from: Sobers Music
Features: I bought a new 20th Anniversary Squier Strat, from Sobers Music in a town near my place. I searched for about 2 hours in the store, and found a blood red Squier at the back of the stocking shelves. Unluckly to me it was later found out to be an affinity *sigh*, but it turned out ok. This is a 21 fret, Strat, with med size frets. Rosewood. I got a gigbag, tuner, set of extra strings, all the junk with this buy. It's a 5-Way selector pickups, 2 single coil and another single at the bridge. Volume and two Tone knobs. // 8
Sound: It suits and does not suit my style. The sound depends a lot on the ampage your running, and this guitar sounds good in most Fender amps. It has a bad tone in the bridge pickup, very chrisp and annoying. On the single coils nearest to the bridge, it sounds great. I think its just fine but its not the greatest thing ever. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: Well, the only thing I found wrong with factory prep was the plastic stuck around the inside of the tone knobs, making them harder to turn. Everything else was good. // 8
Reliability & Durability: It will withstand live play, as long as you dont break it on your knee... or burn it... or throw it at a wall... etc. The hardware will probobly destroy itself eventually, its only an affinity. The finish scratches easily with the simplest pick stroke. The strap buttons give out occasionally, I wouldnt depend on it fully. I would NEVER play this at a gig without backup. Bring me a Guild Bluesbird, theres your standalone. // 6
Impression: Ok... Music... anything that I like... Pearl Jam, Blink, Audioslave, Micheal Jackson, all of it. I own a Bluesbird, a nice Martin Acoustic, a Fender-Deville Amp, some Fender P-Basses... enough to run my own show. If it was stolen, id laugh at the person to take it. It has an average sound, for an average price. What can you expect from Affinity. I wish it wasnt a Affinity. Enough said. // 6
Reviewed by:
NY773, on may 30, 2006 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: Sam Ash Music Store
Features: My Daphne Blue Squier Stratocaster was made in 2004 in China. It has 21 frets on a maple neck. It has a laminated top with a Chinese hardwood body. It also has a white pickguard, 3 single-coil pickups, 2 tone selector switches, a volume control, a 5-way selector, a tremolo bridge, and non-locking tuners. It didn't come with anything, but the guitar was enough. // 10
Sound: It fits my rock-and-blues music style just perfectly. It is light (lighter than a Gibson Les Paul, anyway), and fit for swinging around on-stage if you are so-inclined. It is noisy when on the "treble" setting, and even on the "rhythm" setting. It has a rich, bright sound that is fantastic. It has a very wide variety of sounds that it can make. // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar seems to be in perfect shape. It came new from the manufacturer with no visible flaws, and has yet to spontaneously combust. // 9
Reliability & Durability: The guitar will withstand several hours of consecutive playing (your strings, however, are another manner). The hardware lasts, and the strap buttons hold very nicely. I use it all the time without a backup. The finish seems to be good enough to last, but I've only had it for a couple of months. We'll have to see. // 10
Impression: This is a great match for my musical style. I've been playing for 4 years, and I own a Dunlop Wah pedal, a Squier Bullet, a Squier sidekick amp, a Squier Bass guitar, and a Squier bass amp (I do love the folks at Squier). I should have been a bit more careful with the whammy bar, as I cannot help but break alot of strings. Besides that, this is a great instrument. Perfect for any player, whether 12 or 60 years old. Compared to my friend's Gibson Les Paul, this instrument is a much easier one to play and more enjoyable one to play as well. I love everything, and my favorite feature is the whammy bar. That is about 75% of the reason I bought it. It is fantastic. // 10
Reviewed by:
Love_METAL, on may 24, 2006 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Features: I have the left handed version of this guitar. This guitar has a thin neck and 22 frets. The one I own is a sunburst colour but many many colours are available. The bridge is a thru-body design which can get a bit annoying but oh well. there is a 5-way selector, two tone controls and a volume Control. There are three single coil pick ups in this guitar. // 9
Sound: I play everything on this guitar and it suits most sounds well. The main genre I play is metal and it could obviously do with some Humbuckers for that, but it still does the job well. I am using a Marshall MG250DFX amp and a Digi-Tech Death Metal Distortion pedal and they are pretty darn amazing to get a kick-ass metal sound out of this guitar. At loud volumes this guitar gives a terrible squeal with distortion which is a pain on the ears. // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: I haven't changed this guitar at all since I bought it, partly 'cause I wouldn't know how and also because it's amazing anyway. This guitar was set-up amazing when I bought it and has never needed a repair or had a problem in three years. // 10
Reliability & Durability: I have played a few gigs with this guitar, all without backup as I have no other guitar. But it goes through my gigs flawlessly, I love it! // 10
Impression: I do love this guitar, how ever it doesn't quite cater for my metal needs. If this guitar was stolen I would be very upset as it was a present and my first guitar, but I will be getting a new guitar soon (BC Rich Platinum Pro Left Handed Warlock). I do wish this guitar had humbuckers, but it goes well without them. // 9
Reviewed by:
darkdays420, on february 20, 2006 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 200
Purchased from: Picks n Sticks
Features: This guitar has 22 frets with a slim neck. A solid top with mapel body and neck wood, Painted black with a checkerboard pick guard. It's is in the style of a Strat, string-thru body mechanism. With active electronics and 1 volume and 2 tone controls. Non-locking tuners and the make of tuner is Schaller. There is an eight ball engraved in the head of the guitar. The guitar itself was 160 but with gig bag, strap, cable, picks, string, and a book came out to 200 dollars. // 7
Sound: It suits my music style to my liking, I have a Washburn practice amp that makes a good sound espcially combined with my friend's Crybaby Wah and Dime Distortion. Is it noisy? Yeah! When it's on full blast. It makes good full sounds to my affordability but the variety is limited. // 5
Action, Fit & Finish: It seemed this guitar was put together well counting pickups and such. It was good until someone dropped it (that asshole) and now the tuning rod needs adjusting but until then it had no flaws. // 9
Reliability & Durability: This guitar will stand live playing and the hardware will last for years. My strap buttons are so solid; sometimes its hard to take the fucking strap off. I would definitly count on this guitar and I have been playing this guitar a lot and have not had any trouble with the finish. // 8
Impression: I play metal/rock and this is a good guitar for that but it could also be used to play blues. I have been playing for a year and I own no other gear. If it was stolen I would buy something else because I like variety or I would track the motherf--ker down and kick his ass. I compared this guitar with an Ibanez ($300) but I decided this was the better choice and less expensive. // 8
Reviewed by:
Orneblad, on october 02, 2006 0 of 1 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 150
Purchased from: Local store
Features: The guitar was made '02 in Japan. It had 21 jumbo frets, a thin maple/rosewoodneck and no necktrough. The top was in solid alder. The finish was transparent blue and the bodystyle Strat. Beautiful! It had two passive single-coil pickups which was controled by one volume for each pickup (very good actually), 1 tone control and a 5-way selector. The tuners was in aluminium. // 8
Sound: At first: I sold this guitar to a friend a couple of weekas ago. When I started to play, the guitar was perfekt for me. It was easy played, light and had big frets. I almost just played chords, and the single-coils was perfekt for that kind of "rhythm" guitar. Very clear and nice sound. I used a little Fender Frontman 15w to it and they suited eachother perfectly. The guitar had like this "wannabie floydrose" bridge so you had the opportunity to do many kinds of sounds, but the bridge was really bad actually so you didn't want to use it very much. The single coil was good at clean, maybe to high treble sometimes though, but at dist they sucked. Really sucked. If I had this monsteramp, they stil made it sound like light-crunch or somthing. Maybe a bit cold and flat. And the pickups screams like madmans. It was becouse of this I sold it; I started to some play hardrock and metal.. Somtimes I regret the sell; the guitar suits nearly all styles toy could imagine. The guitar I have now, which coast more then ten times my old one, dosn't have that width at all. So when I play other things, like blues or just clean jam, the other oldone nearly was as good. // 5
Action, Fit & Finish: When I got the guitar from the shop everything was perfectly set up, and I don't know if Fender had anything to do with it at all. One thing that was both good and bad was that the strings was fairly high up which made it more hardplayed, but the tone got more clear. This is easy to adjust. // 9
Reliability & Durability: I have used the guitar live some times and it felt good. Everything (the hardware, strap buttons, tuners, bridge etc) felt reliable. Still I don't know if I would use it without a backupguitarist. Good, Japanees quality. I've heard that the Fender Squiers that was made in Japan was the best, even better then the cheaper "real" Fenders. And I belive it. // 8
Impression: I play, as I said before, some hardrock and metal. To this, the guitar dosn't work at all. The bass is to low and the pickup starts to scream, an still it's just crunch. To everything else I play then that the guitar works good. Maybe not perfect for the established guitarist, but maybe to the beginner. Now I've been playing for about three years pretty much, so I can't say I'm a beginner. If it was stolen when I had it, I think I would by a real Fender Strat with better pickups. I did love many things about this guitar; the look, the playability, the big frets and the nice clean sound. The things I didn't like was the screamy, cold crunch-pickups on distortion. that's the only bad thinf actually. Of course I could have bought new ones. When I bought it, I didn't compare it at all to other products. I was in love, and the price was so good to. I wish the guitar had better pickups. If so, I would never sell it. // 7
Reviewed by:
Opal Decept, on january 13, 2006 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 219.6
Purchased from: Not sure
Features: My Squier is quite new, about 2004 I think, and it was American. A 22-fret guitar, it has a quite long neck, laminated top, pine neck and body, and a sunburst finish. With one volume knob, two tone adjusters, and three pickup settings, it is the perfect guitar for a first timer (also came with Fender Frontman amp). // 8
Sound: If your going to play it neat, with no gain or anything like that, it's basically an acoustic guitar. However, this sound can be tinkered with to create a rich britpop sound, to a full Editors like sound. It's also pretty top quality through my Frontman amp. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: Third pickup was placed at a slight angle to increase the treble, and, basically, everything was where it was supposed to be. No loose knobs, bent strings, or scratched paint. // 10
Reliability & Durability: Perhaps backup would be usedon a live gig, I fell that this guitar could not withstand some real punishment. The knobs are removeable, in fact, the come off to eaisly, however the sunburst finish seems like neither hell nor high water will bring it off. // 7
Impression: My "I play whatever I can" style is a perfect match to this guitar, due to it's flexible sound. After three weeks of playing, this seems to be a perfectly reliable guitar, however, if I do lose it, I will probably buy another one, just for the skae of variety. // 8
Reviewed by:
*Spoonman*, on december 06, 2006 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: ToysRus lol
Features: // 8
Sound: Well it is a Squier so don’t expect miracles but it's done me well for the past 3 years. The pickups have very little tonal difference between them like you would expect from better quality guitars. The bridge pick up can give out some decent distortion and I find it it’s not bad for the palm muting style you hear on pop punk. I don’t ever use the middle pickup I've just put it as low as it will go so it's out of the way:]it doesn’t really have a purpose and the tone is really a bit pointless. Neckpick up can be good for "solos" and I like to turn it's tone all the way down which gives a nice warm sound, other wise there is little difference from the bridge. The 5 way selector Switch has very little effect on the tone at all, so there’s no point in putting it at the 2nd and 4th position, to get. The tone of 2 pickups because you really won’t be able to tell. The tone knobs also have little effect, other than if you put them full on 10 or off at 0, anything in between don’t change the tone at all. I have been playing through the squire 10 watt practice amp that it came with, and if you mess around with the settings and guitar enough you can get a nice sound. I did once play it through a 100watt Vox and it improves the sound 10 fold, but still nothing amazing. The clean tone from this isn’t half bad if you volumes low, I like to play country and blues. Playing with distortion there is interference. // 6
Action, Fit & Finish: I can’t remember what it was like when I got it. A high action is suggested to stop fret buzzing and adjust the pickups so they are high at the bass strings and lower at the treble strings as a kinda crude tone control. the tuning pegs can become lose and easily knocked outta tune but simply tightening them will solve this, at least for a day or two. I sometimes have to tune my guitar 4 or 5 times before it actually stays in the tuning I want. The bridge is good quality but I need to loosen the screws and raise it well above the guitar so I can use the tremelo arm, to increse the string pitch. Playing this guitar is tiring and barrechords are really hard to play for any amount of time, and even after adjusting the truss rod a thousand times the Relief is anything but comfortable. // 7
Reliability & Durability: The Strat is a very reliable guitar and it hasn’t broken on me yet even though it’s been dropped countless times and kicked a few others. The hard wear is surprisingly good quality and has showed no sign of rusting or braking even though I don’t look after my guitar. I may take it to a gig because it's reliable and never suddenly stops working like so many other budget guitars but as I've said before it's a squire so no. It probably wouldn’t stay in tune for more than a song. // 9
Impression: I play Metal like Lamb Of God and pantera but it doesn’t really have the crunch for anything past like Linkin Park. For punk like Greenday or Agent Orange it would be suitable. Country and blues play well on the neck pickup. I have been playing for 3 years and I now own a Epiphone Les Paul Studio which I'm much more in love with. I would’nt have asked anything before getting this because I was rather young and naive. If it was stolen I wouldn't be happy but I wouldn't cry about it really. I love it's reliability but I hate it's pickups. I wish it had some hum buckers but I wouldn’t waste money moding this. If you are a beginner I would highly recommend this guitar because you won’t tell. The difference or really care about features such as pick up tone and action. // 6
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on april 18, 2008 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Features: Bought it in 2005, Black with mirrored pick guard, 2 single coil pickups + bridge humbucker, 3 chromed knobs + 5-way selector. Looks great, but upon closer inspection the quality obviously isn't there (but then again, what do you expect from a $400.00 guitar). // 8
Sound: Humbucker has an everpresent buzz which is annoying during rests, but otherwise sounds ok, especially when mated with a tube amp. Other pickups work fine. Low E string doesn't stay in tune, especially when using the whammy bar a lot, other strings keep their tune pretty good for a while, although it does tend to go out of tune if left for a while. The whole guitar is actually quite difficult tune from scratch, I keep having to go back and retune strings during the tuning process, which can take a while. I tend to use this guitar most with just a 60W Fender red knob tube amp, although I run it through an old DigiTech RP-1 if I need additional effects. Over all the guitar seems fairly versitile, with a good bright sound using the bridge pickup that's good for metal and heavy distorted rock, and the humbucker doing a good job for a more grungy/bluesy sound (aside from the buzz that is very annoying). // 7
Action, Fit & Finish: I was dissapointed with the build quality of this guitar. I don't care if it is a cheap model, the build quality and factory setup needs work. My pickguard had a crack in it radiating from one of the screw holes (very noticible with the mirrored pickguard). I ordered a new one from Fender and they sent me the wrong one (different colour, slightly different screw pattern). Playing high up on the fretboard sounds like crap, strings make a horible buzzing sound, especially on the lower strings. The controls became very loose. After two years, the guitar suddenly stopped playing, so I took it appart thinking a wire came loose or something. The insides were covered in sawdust! Again, I understand that it's a cheap guitar, but still! I'm pretty sure you can make a $400.00 guitar and not have any of these problems. // 5
Reliability & Durability: Aside from the above gripes, this guitar should hold up fairly well to the odd Live gig. I wouldn't want to have to rely on it for touring though. This may be just the fault of the strap I have on it, but every now and then it slips off the strap button, and I've almost dropped the guitar a few times. The finish is fairly good, I have no scraches on the body which is pretty good considering that I abuse the guitar a fair bit. The pick guard, on the other hand, seems to scratch pretty easily, like they made it out of really cheap soft plastic. Again, this may be more noticible because of the mirrored guard, but you would think they would make the guard out of harder plastic then the picks! Despite it's faults, the guitar has been fairly reliable until the other day, when it quit working. Took it apart, thinking the wires were loose, however, everything looked good on the inside. Aside from the sawdust that is. // 6
Impression: I've been playing since 2000, and honestly this is the best guitar I've owned. It's also only the second guitar I've ever owned, my first one being a really crappy one I bought off my buddy for $25, so I haven't had a good comparison. It's a good beginners guitar, or a guitar for that last song of the set when you want to smash it afterwards. It plays well for rock, metal, blues, etc. provided you have decent pedals and amps to back it up. I have done pretty well with it over the past 2 years. However, I think my next guitar will definatly be something more upscale then this though. Maybe a real Fender Strat. // 7
Reviewed by:
morbid89, on october 10, 2008 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Features: It was made in this new century in china, have 22 frets, I really don't know much information about it; (the neck wood and body )you can describe it a simple Squier guitar made by Fender for Who do not have much money to have an original Strat and it's really not a waste of money for a beginner, with it's simple bridge and active electronics and the 2 controls of tones and 1 for volume it's the perfect guitar for beginners and not professional guitarists // 5
Sound: I play death metal and I use this guitar only in rehearsall and practising at home, at stages and for recording I'd rather use my uncle's Aria pro guitar and I also rent Jackson and ESP guitars, about amp I'm using right now a novanex amp and a Zoom 505two as an effect box and I'm not really happy about my equipment cause it's simply does not giving me the sound I need, but I always keep using my friend's equipement(Boss mt2 metal zone)and chavrel guitar, my Squier guitar really sucks in death metal or any kind of metal // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: The only problems I met in my Squier guitar is in the controls; sometimes they make me insane with the noise they made but that's happenning a few times; all other are great like I just say it's a very simple guitar and so for that it's quit perfect for chords and arpegios and clean music // 8
Reliability & Durability: No, no, no never. This guitar is not for live playing (not in my style, not for death metal )! and about hardware it's really seem like it hard and will last, the strap buttons are good manufactred they're awesome!... About using it in a gig I don't using it not for reason that will not stand or resist but it's sound is really don't fit with my musical scales, I use distortion for 90 per cent of my material so I have to use a double bobbinage captors system, like EMG pickups or something powerfull else! but in my soft playing in the hotel (cause I do this for work ) it's really hard like a stone I'm using it and it's ok and last for the last second of show! // 9
Impression: Not it all! I'm playing death metal as a principal intention but I love music in general, so for metal it don't belong but to soft rock, classic picking, it's a great match. I'm playing guitar for nearly four years and I own a lazer four strings bass and a hand made classical guitar and that's it. I do love my guitar but if it were stolen or lost I will cry for it, it's like my dariling I love it so but I will not buy it again, this is my first guitar and for that I love it so in this guitar I learn how to play guitar so I wish you to understand me. // 9
Reviewed by:
anarchy_skater, on january 05, 2008 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 164.7
Purchased from: Nicholl Brothers
Features: Made in Korea in 2005, purchased in 2006. Bought this and recieved a Squier amp, extra Fender strings, five picks, cable and a tuner for free. // 7
Sound: I play anything, from Death, to Malmsteen, to Zeppelin, to Radiohead and back, and this guitar manages it with a little help from effects. I've been playing almost a year and a half and everything I know I've taught myself on this guitar, and I'm glad. Nice to play, If you can fiddle until you get the right tone, It's a great soudning guitar. I've played Strats that I couldn't make sound like this. I plug it into numerous effects (Big Muff, DD-6, Metal Muff, RAT, Crybaby) and then into a Cube 30. Sounds good when tweaked to perfection (I spent nearly two hours setting it all up to Standard). I sometimes use my Pocket POD for portability and it still sounds great. can handle most of what you could throw at it. Little bit of fret buzz sometimes, Bright sound, good versatility. // 7
Action, Fit & Finish: Set up as best as I could set it up myself, no flaws found. Easy to dent and scratch though, as I was playing a Live set and my bassist collided with me and left a great big dirty gash down the side. Now worn down much more, the gash looks less extreme than it previously did. // 8
Reliability & Durability: I certainatly think it would withstand live playing, as it has and still does for me. I think I've gigged 5 times with this guitar, with no backup. Strap buttons are cock. I was playing live the first time, all nerves and I tilted it upwards the slightest bit and the guitar just dropped and ruined our first song. Worst concert ever. But alas, replacements cost about a tenner, and I might have just got a black sheep in the production line. Finish is Mediocre but I gig hard so it may be less drastic than I put out. // 7
Impression: It's a good match for a nice Original rock introduction into guitar and everything that comes with it. Nice to play, sweet to sound. The only things I dislike is the feedback you get, which is still necessant when you use a noisegate and that if you really use the whammy bar your High E Will usually brake. I use low gauge strings, so this could also be it, But I still dislike using the Whammy. If it were stolen I would, as most people would over a small issue, resort to violence and Kill the swine Who had stolen it. If I couldn't find the person, I'd cry a river, build a bridge and get over it. I have a PRS Tremonti SE now so I use my Strat only when I gig with my Softer Rock Group. This guitar is my backup for the PRS, and I think you'd need a backup. I had compared it to an Epiphone Les Paul Special with an Orange Crush amp, and although I'd love an Orange Amp, The Epi didn't cut it for me. I wish it had better Strap Buttons, a maple neck and nicer pickups. // 7
Reviewed by:
alecj72450, on october 24, 2007 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: Pawn Shop
Features: I don't really know what year this was made. Mine was made in Indonesia. It has 21 rosewood frets. I believe mine has a solid top. I think it's made from maple. Can't exactly tell what the finish is. It's black around the edges and near the middle it gets to a polished wood feel. Strat body. I believe a Tune-O-Matic bridge. Active electronics. 1 volume, and 2 tone knobs, and a 5-way distortion selector. Where I bought it I got just the guitar. // 9
Sound: I usually play punk or hard metal, but I tend to move around on music alot. It sounds pretty well for what I'm using it for. I'm using a Rocktron Rampage R20 amp. This guitar can go pretty loud on my small amp. It can vary from a soft acoustic sound or a thick, heavy metal sound if you tune it and set it to the right settings. I got it this weekend so I'm pretty happy with it so far. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: I thought the set up was great. I got mine used. There was black stuff all over the guitar. The pawn shop said it was Permatex. Once we replaced the worn strings and cleaned it up, it looked like new and played smoothly. haven't had trouble with it yet. // 10
Reliability & Durability: I think it could withstand live playing. Something may need replaced over a few years but that's normal. The strap buttons are made of a firm metal, so they probably wont budge. I would probably always take a backup anyway, but yeah I beleive I could depend on it. It looked like new when cleaned it, and it had been used for years before, so yeah it can withstand alot. But any finish it bound to come off. // 9
Impression: I play heavy metal, or punk. It works fine for me. I've been playing for about a year. I have another guitar, it's acoustic. I didn't buy it, so I couldnt ask anything. My friend Who got it for me knows a lot about guitars though. I might get something different, like a Flying V or something. I love everthing about it. The best feature is probably the finish. Of course I'd rather have an actual Strat, but this works fine. I kinda wish it had more distortion pickups though. // 9
Reviewed by:
zunizoon, on march 19, 2007 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: Cosmo
Features: My Squier, which I got when I first started, was made in the US (about 90% sure). It has 21 frets, and I'm not sure if they're jumbo etc.The neck is made of Maple and the body is made of Basswood. Body style is obviously a Strat. There are two Tone controls and one Volume control. Pickups are 3 single-coils. Tuners are non-locking, and I'm not sure what brand. Included was a tremolo bar and a method book (from store). Not too many notable features. Ok I suppose for a beginner. // 6
Sound: My music is mainly hardcore/punk, mainly Rise Against, From First To Last, and it's suits it's ok, considering I was a beginner when I was using this. I used a Line 6 Spider III 15 with this guitar and no additional effects, just the Standard on the amp. Noise wise, it hummed a lot. When playing the guitar, lots of sounds could be made, but it was probably just the amp. Overall, it sounded good, for a beginner. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: Guitar was set-up perfectly. I loved it. Action was low, and I made no adjustments to it. Pickups were bad. Humming etc etc. The guitar had some flaws. It had a scratch on the head and I'm not sure what it is, but a stain on the neck. It was fine, until after 1 month. The nut for the input jack came loose. But, just screwing it worked, but occasionally comes loose. Other than that, it was good. // 8
Reliability & Durability: This guitar cannot withstand Live playing, but it could have just been mu guitar. I was playing a talent show, and the nut for the input jack came loose in the middle of a song, and no sound. But that could just be my guitar. Strap buttons are solid. In fact, it is kinda hard to take the strap off. And, no I wouldn't use it at a gig without a backup..again the input jack. Finish is good enough. It can withstand my little sister banging on it with her toys. Finish and everything can withstand it, but the input jack. // 7
Impression: Again, I play Rise-Against, From First To Last kind of stuff, and it's a pretty good match. I've been playing 2 and 1/2 years now, and occasionally I use it (friend's house Who has 2 dogs) so I won't get my "good" guitar scratched. Currently I use a Gibson SG and amp I still use Line 6 Spider III, but moved up to 75W. If it were stolen/lost, I'd definately get something else. What I love about it? I love the fact it's a Strat. What I hate is the input jack nut. Favorite feature has to be it's Strat body. I just like strats. Obviously, this guitar is not for intermediates and beyond. I recommend this to beginners, but I also recommend, if you can, before buying it, checking the guitar all over for loose nuts etc. As I've noticed some of the Squier Strats are poor quality. // 8
Reviewed by:
a real DEAD one, on january 03, 2006 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: East Coast Music Mall
Features: This guitar, I got, was made in 2002 and I bought it in 2002. I still have it and it is very reliable. This was made in the China. I have one with a maple neck and a Contoured solid alder body and a Rosewood fingerboard. Its got a satin green finish, you can get it in many colors I suppose. Its, of course, a Strat style body. Die-cast tuners, Classic '70s "big" headstock, Vintage 6-screw rocking trem, 21 frets, 3 single-coil pickups, 5-way switching. One volume, 2 tone controls, Single-ply white pickguard. // 6
Sound: This guita isnt for really shredding or even blues I suppose, it's hard to bend strings without adjusting it and the sound isnt to great I deal with it though. A few weeks after I bought it I snapped the whammy bar off but besides that the guitar holds itself together. If you play classic rock style and your short on cash then I guess this guitar would be a good choice, but if you play metal nd your short on cash get a cheap Jackson or ESP. This doest suit my metal style at all or the guitar I bought after this guitar (Jay Tursur JT500 Custom, yea I'm always short on cash) isn't even good for metal. I'm definetly buying a RR3 Rhoads though. This guitar had a lot of fuzz. This guitar doesn't have much of a good varietty though. // 4
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar is set up pretty well I personally don't like the pickups at all but its a very strong guitar and wont break easily. I don't think their were any flaws at all with this guitar. Fender and Squier are trustful companies. // 9
Reliability & Durability: The hardware doesn't seem to last, it does last! I've had this ofr a long time and beat the crap out of it its still alive. Everything holds together well. I wouldn't use it in a gig though not a real metal guitar but if I payed classic rock then I would use it without a backup maybe. I have bad luck so I would always bring a backup. The finish last very well I've played ever day for at least an hour with it for 3 years! // 9
Impression: This isn't a good match for metal at all. I've done a gig with it and the high 'e' string popped out during a solo of mine haha that sucked ass. I've been playin for a good 6 to 7 years used to play classic rock now I do metal and classical. It's good for classical too though. If someone stole it id defenitly buy a different guitar. It's mostly a beginners guitar the features arent that great nothing I like anymore. When I got it I didn't have much of a choice so I got stuck with it. // 6
Reviewed by:
ZoSo183, on september 06, 2005 0 of 1 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 126
Purchased from: rock palace
Features: This guitat is really good and it mathes my style. I play rock, heavy metal, grunge, ect. I don't know which year it was made in but it looks quite new (I bought 2 weeks ago). I also have a Tenson Strat, some random german copy. It's a classic Ferder red colour with 3 single coil pickups and a 5-way Switch. I got anoyed when the people at the store I bought it in told me that they don't have whammy bars! // 8
Sound: Like I said it goes really good with my style only I had to make the pickups higher because I wanted more bass and distorsion out of it. I have a Roland Cube 15 amp and I use it with a Korg AX10G processor. AX10G is a really good procesor but there is no place for my foot. The sound is full and it's really high but sometimes that can be a problem. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: This guitar was really well set upm like I said already I had to adjust the pickups. It has two finish flaws which I noticed after I bought it. It has a noisy selector. The knobs are really good. // 6
Reliability & Durability: I never played a gig but I am hoping to do it soon and I just joined a band. I was suprised by the strap buttons because on my last guitar they keptfalling out and my guitar kept falling. // 8
Impression: I really like the Strat shape, but I like Gibsons more than Fenders. I've only been playing for a year and it's going on well. If it were stolen or lost I would probably buy anothe one but I woud buy the Affinity series. I love the colour its so cool. I compared it to Epiphone Les Paul Special 2 it sounded way better but I just didn't have enough mony for it because they changed the price on it. I wish it had humbucker pickups. Overall good. // 8
Reviewed by:
Soad/rhcp/gnr, on july 01, 2004 0 of 1 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: Argos
Features: Luckily mine came with A Fender Frontman 15G amp. It Had 22 frets thats all I really needed. There are two tone switches one for overdrive, one for without, they could've just made on for both! But that doesn't bother me. It came with amp, strap, and video and no plec! I feel a bit ripped off because on the video it said it had free gig bag and I didn't get one. // 6
Sound: I like to play music which varies from Guns and Roses, Metallica, Thin Lizzy, Led Zeppilen and others and personally I found nothing wrong with the sound. The 6th and 9th frets of the d string seem to buzz slightly for some reason. It is to deep of a tone when attempting to done rythem guitar on clean mode. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: Tuning pegs are quite easily knocked (negative). The tremelo (or whammy bar) broke of when I tryed to take it off. // 8
Reliability & Durability: I have had it for 4 months in a messy bedroom, my little brother has being doodling with it numerous times and only one slight to show. Overall I do not gig (yet) but I think I would withstand for a while but it is not a guitar I would use "proffesionally". // 8
Impression: I am getting a differnet guitar in a week probably. This is a good begginers guitar but I had the knowledge of guitars that I have now when I first bought it, I would probably have bought a different guitar. And I bought the sunburst one, if I could choose agian I would get black. // 6
Reviewed by:
Volkl, on july 23, 2004 0 of 2 people found this review helpful
Features: I've played with this guitar (at high volume) in a specialist studio for practising and recording and it seems to give off a lot of feedback. I think this guitar will last me quite a while more than already (a year and a half). I would use this in a gig without back-up (mainly 'cos it's all I got) but nothing's ever gone wrong with the electronic's before. // 6
Sound: I like Metal music like Metallica so this guitar was not great for the style I prefer. Humbucker pick-ups would've been nicer.I use a Fender 15 watt amp along with a Jim Dunlop Crybaby wah-wah pedal and a Marshall jackhammer distortion pedal. With the jackhammer you can get a really nice sound and the wah-wah is brilliant with it. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: // 0
Reliability & Durability: // 0
Impression: I play a variety of styles and it's not too bad a match. I've been playing for about 20 months and I've mentioned all the gear I own. I wish I had asked the guy in the shop if this'd be a good match for playing music like Metallica and stuff but the only thing is I'm left handed so that was almost all they had. If it was stolen I think I'd probably buy something else (like an Ibanez). I wish it had more frets and humbuckers. This was my first electric guitar and was an ok choice although I'd recommend Epiphone or Ibanez 'cos many of my mates have them and they can get a much better sound than me. // 6
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on june 30, 2004 0 of 6 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 240
Purchased from: Good N Loud
Features: My piece of crap Squire was made in Indonesia, it has the original stock pickups, it's got terrible tuners and a bad bridge, the only saving grace is that its shape makes for comfortable playing, and the neck is easy to play on, other than that though it has the bare minimum and it sucks. // 2
Sound: I play a lot of punk and rock and this guitar can't do that kind of music at all. Its pickups are some of the worst quality I've ever seen. If you like rock music and want to be in a band, don't get this guitar. I've been playing in my band for a little over a year and playing this guitar has been embarrasing it feedbacks alot. Thank god I'm getting a new Gibson SG faded in a week and I'll never have to play this pathetic guitar again for as long as I live. // 2
Action, Fit & Finish: The strings always break on this guitar. The finish was nothing great but it served its purpose. The neck is easy to play on but that doesn't make up for this guitars overall shittyness at all. // 2
Reliability & Durability: I've had this guitar for 2 years and I've only had problems with it recently, the tuners always get loose so I'm constantly tightenging them. Also the main input comes loose as well. Finally, the wires inside the input broke off during a practice so my band and me spent an entire hour trying to sawder it back on. // 2
Impression: When I first bought this guitar I thought I would have it for a long time and was pretty impressed by it (it was my first guitar), but now that I know how shitty it is I can't wait to get my SG and get as far away from all squire guitars as possible. I'm not kidding, this guitar sucks ass. // 2
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on november 10, 2003 0 of 1 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 263.52
Purchased from: costco
Features: Made in China, 21 frets, rosewood fretboard, maple neck. It's black finish was perfect, nut is loose on leed jack though. Strap likes to fall off as well. // 8
Sound: Came with a crap 10 watt amp but sounds better with a different leed and an overdrive pedal. Slips out of tune every so often and it gives off a really terrible buzz but I got used to it. It has a nice sound with the higher tone selected. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: The factory set up was ok just had to give it a quick tune (it came with an electronic tuner as well but its a nightmare). The tone controls make no difference at all to the sound. It feels really nice to play the neck is really smooth and just feels right in your hand. // 6
Reliability & Durability: Its built like a tank, dependable, the scratch plate will mark easily though. // 8
Impression: Nice guitar for beginer it feels nice and will last forever, looks the part, sounds ok, strap buttons not good, leed jack is dodgy. The amp is a bit rough, the gig bag is very cheap as is the strap and leed. I know its not a proper Fender I still like it and it does say Fender in small writing under the squire logo! // 8
Reviewed by:
Alt_Metal_Luvr, on january 19, 2004 0 of 1 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 160
Purchased from: Guitar Center - Houston, TX
Features: Now I am kinda a new player (self taught, about half a year), so this might not help anyone who is more serious... My Squire has a red stained wood body (what would that be called?), a white fretguard, a black Maplewood neck, and looks really good. It has 3 single coil frets which enjoy picking up noise. Mine came with a tremelo setup (but strangely without a handle thingy, a guitar center policy maybe) that I later had stabalized. It has one volume and two tone nobs (<-just for show). // 6
Sound: I just had the whole thing gone over by a repair guy recently, and it sounds ok. I have been just playin tabs for alternative metal, punk rock, hard rock, metal, etc. I would say it fits my style because it has a good rang of sounds. Of these it is best for punk rock because the pickups generally get higher sound. You have to adjust distortion for really good low end, but they are still ok. These pickups are very noisy, however; and the fact that the frets tend to rattle if the action isnt high doesnt help. I have a Boss DS-1 Distortion petal, and if you set it right u can achieve some really good sound. Very nice for blink, sum 41, simple plan, as well as harder sound such as papa roach, boxcar racer, and some linkin park. I don't have experience but Im pretty sure it would work well for some styles that require a softer sound. It also has a nice clean sound, very clear and vibrant, and has a wide range because the pickup has 5 settings. The tone nobs are just for show. They do almost nothing. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: Like I said, recently I had the whole thing gone over at a repair place. The guy told me that the pickups were too high and he lowered the action, and maybe the tuning pegs were loose. I'm pretty sure that there were some other problems, but like I said, I'm not that experienced. My fretguard came with a cheap, peeling protective layer which was very difficult to get all the way off (there might still be some under the nobs). Maybe the shop shoulda taken that off, but they basically sold me the thing and sent me on my way without the slightest idea wat I was doin. The action must be high unless u want rattling, and if it is low there WILL BE rattling. In summary it didn't come from the factory very well set up but its not impossible to fix. // 6
Reliability & Durability: I haven't had any problems with breaking, etc. but I would definitely not recommend this guitar for live playing. Actually, any playing that is very hard would probably wear it out pretty fast. Its not a stretch to imagine something breaking if its abused for too long. That said, for my experience (that is, just playin for my own ears), it has held up very well. Despite the fact that I was an inexperience moron and bought the wrong strings and mistreated it for a few months nothing seems broken or out of place. Though it might not be perfect for gigs, it has done amazingly against my stupid mistakes. In total it is very solid but not the best material (or so I've heard). // 8
Impression: I would not suggest this guitar for experienced players looking for a good gig guitar. But I would definitely recommend it for a first guitar or people who are just learning to play. It is perfect if you arent sure you will play forever and dont want to spend a fortune. It is a good guitar overall but not the best out there. So skip this model if you want the best out there, but it is a very good value for its low price. // 8
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on august 23, 2004 1 of 2 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 366
Purchased from: ???
Features: the squire Strat has 22 frets, three single coil pick-ups, 1 volume control and 2 tone controls, and a 5-way selector, I'm pretty sure it has a maple neck (not 100% though). and because I bought mine in a package deal thing it came with, a gig bag, 10 watt squire amp, lead, strap, and a shit loads of picks. I have mine I an all black finish but its also avaliable in many differnet colours; white, red, yeah you get the point could have done with a humbucker or two. // 8
Sound: I play Metallica, Pantera, Slipknot, you know anything with huge amounts of distortion (no punk or anything). The sound quality is actually amazing but I think that is to do with my Roland Cube-30 because the sound I got out of the 10 watt squire amp sucked cock so with a good amp it sounds good. With the amp you get with it don't even bother. The only problem with he guitar is that when I select the bridge pick up on its own so the 5-way selector either completly left or right it does not shut up. It just makes this buzzing noise so I have hardly ever used it but if you avoid you can actually get a good sound.
Bridge pick up is great for stuff like fade to black intro solo apart from heavy metal (when ever my friend comes round and plays his punk shit) it sounds pretty good and on stuff like and justice for all intro and fight fire with fire so I guess the range of sound is pretty good, but once again that is mainly due to the amp cos I know some one who has a Gibson Les Paul Standard '69, and a crap and and I get better sound than him so get the point. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: I have to say I have been looking for a new guitar for quite some time now, seeing I've been playing for three years and this is still my first guitar but I have never played a guitar with a better action. I've played Ibanez, Jacksons, Gibsons, and I have never found a better neck the nearest I've come is an ESP KH-602, but that I probably due to the fact that I'm obsessed with metallica and forced my self to like it. But I did have some problems about a year ago and the guitar always seemed to go quite as in I had my amp full volume (the cube 30 is fucking load, suprisingly load for a 30 watt amp) and I could only just hear what I was playing, I took it to a guitar store and they spent three days reparing it so it was probably somwthing serious but now it seems fine. // 10
Reliability & Durability: this guitar is a bit risky to play with live. I've done it once and it seemed to have trouble with the high volume, also the input is a bit dodgey and seems to play up sometimes, so you have to put the lead round the strap or it can f--k up pretty easy, especially when head bangging. // 4
Impression: I play heavy metal music none stop, it is a good match but the songle coil pickups are starting to limit the sound, which would explain why I'm getting an ESP KH-602 with EMG-81 pickups but as this guitar is a beginners guitar it is perfect for what it is. I love the action on this guitar, the pick ups and the input are a bit gay. I wish I had a ESP KH Vintage 2 but 602 will do. // 8
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on august 24, 2004 0 of 1 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 366
Features: There are few better body shapes than the Stratocaster: it's comfortable, lightweight and perfect for all shapes and sizes of player. The single coil pickups on the Strat have become a benchmark for all sounds. Fender's Eastern Squire Strat does this justice by providing three Fender built pickups on a malaysian built body and just because its malaysian doesnt mean the body is bad: it's strong and gives great sound. // 10
Sound: In terms of diversity, the Squire Strat is an absolute rarity. Many people (including myself) by it as their very first electric but end up keeping it and using it forever E.G. I own a Epi Les Paul and a BC Rich KKV and I still prefer the sound that the Strat gives. The single coils give absolute clarity in the sound, just so clear it's unbelieveable. But if you're worried about providing that heavy metal sound you want, then do not fear. When distorted (I use a Russian Big Muff), it lets out an almighty roar with amazing low end punch while still managing to keep the trademark Strat sound. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: Considering this is a beginners guitar and is sold at less than half the price of the real Fender deal, the craftsmanship is incredible. It recreates the Fender's body and action to perfection. An amazing range of paintjobs is available. Mine is the classic red Strat colour. // 10
Reliability & Durability: I've owned my Strat for five years now and in those years I've never had the least bit of a problem with it. Okay, so there's a few tiny chips in the paint, but they're my own doing due to all the crazy guitar swinging antics I do. I can do a whirlybird without strap locks on the strap bolts without the guitar flying and hitting the drummer! // 8
Impression: Whatever you're style of music, whoever you are, if you need not a good but a great guitar, then get a Fender Stratocaster. However, most of us cannot afford the price of a real Fender, but a Squire is just as good and I guarantee you will never get a guitar for that price that sounds so good. // 10
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