All user reviews for the Fender American Standard Stratocaster [1986-2000]

I bought the guitar and a Marshall 30 watt digital effects amp at a local music store (not a huge discounter)- around $200 for the guitar and $250 for the amp.

The Squire Strat is basic- a good beginner's guitar (my level). Despite other reviews here of Squire guitars, it plays well enough (and better than others I've tried) for what its designed to be. Don't expect it to be an $1,800 US made Strat, you're expecting the wrong thing. But, if you don't know whether you're ready to sink even $500 into a guitar, then you're quite well off with the Squire. It will teach you the basics of single coil sound and Strat feel, the fat frets notwithstanding. (leave the 10-guage strings at home- they're not for the Squire unless maybe you really are a Guitar God. Otherwise, the fretting will sound out of tune most of the time because there is too much bend in the string just to get it fretted. Also lock the bridge and lose the whammy bar- that will also help keep it in tune. You can add it back later if you want, but there is a lot you can do without it)

It's modifiable. When you're ready to spend some money, you can move up to a mid-level guitar or modify the Squire (which I intend to do). Since the basic difference between the Squires and the US strats is the quality of the electronics and hardware, change the electronics and hardware. You'll learn more about the instrument than you thought imaginable, and you'll end up with an amazing guitar. Good pickups, Alembic Strat Blaster, new pots/controls (maybe one with a midrange booster), new bridge construction and tuners- maybe a new neck, all for what you'd spend on a new guitar, but you end up with a custom built guitar that you would have coveted anyway.

The fat frets, but that's a matter of changing the strings for a heavier guage. The Squire Strat got me started, and I can experiment with it without tearing up an expensive guitar. I was less impressed with the Marhall, and traded up for a larger Fender. This wasn't a matter of the quality of the Marshall, but of the sound that I want (and it isn't solid state, no matter who makes the amp). As for one reviewer's comment on the lack of sustain- any single coil instrument needs more volume (and power in the amp) to drive it. A 15 watter is a basic learner's amp- nothing wrong there. Through the Fender Princeton I'm using, with the gain on and using the guitar to control volume, I get plenty of sustain. I also get plenty of sustain from the 40 watt Fender Deluxe (tubes again) at the local music store.

Basic, proletarian axe. No, it's not an Eric Clapton Signature Model, but it isn't supposed to be. For what it's supposed to be- good industrial strength beginner level instrument- it's great. And, as I said above, it's all modifiable (and you get to learn something in the process)

For the money, a more than decent guitar (Mom & Dad, keep that in mind when Junior discovers all your old Hendrix or Stevie Ray CDs and begs for a Strat). A few simple modifications (lock the bridge, take of the whammy, 11 guage or higher srings) and you're on your way. And yes, you really can hear differences in the pickup configurations. It will get you to the next level, and if you're that serious about playing you can trade up or customize.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I purchased this guitar second hand off a mate, who was wanting to get rid of it to make some extra cash, for £125.

As a beginner i found it so easy to play, and now as a quite a good player stll find it to be a great guitar. I've played many different guitars from Gibsons to "proper" fenders and i still like my squier the most. The action - fantastic, the sound - fairly good (through a decent amp) and they are reliable as anything. Two words "Great buy".

nothing really... the only downfall may be the sound but you can fix it by putting it through a good amp.

it has 22 fret maple neck, tremelo, 3 single pick ups, two tone knobs and a volume knob! Jet black body with white scratch plate.

This is a great buy for beginners, they are also great for gigging or even just as a reliable back-up. All i can say is why fork out £300-400 on a strat when you can get virtually the same thing for half the price. Some people think that if its cheap then it must be pretty rubbish, but how misguided some people are...

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

i paid about 150$ at a little music shop and i didnt know what i was getting myself into of course

i have absolutely nothing i like about it besides that it looks like a fender stratocater.

absolutely everything sucks on this thing the pickups have crappy sound and the third pickup never even worked, also the volume nob basicly is like an on off button, it starts its sound at 1 and dosnt change untill 10, also the tone nobs dont even do anything, this thing has so much humm to it it drowns out the guitars sound, not that its worth hearing anyway

CRAP,PAINT CHIPS,PICKUPS SUCK,ABSOLUTELY THE WORST GUITAR EVER!!!WORST GUITAR EVER!!!WORST GUITAR EVER!!!WORST GUITAR EVER!!!WORST GUITAR EVER!!!WORST GUITAR EVER!!!WORST GUITAR EVER!!!WORST GUITAR EVER!!!WORST GUITAR EVER!!!WORST GUITAR EVER!!!WORST GUITAR EVER!!!WORST GUITAR EVER!!!WORST GUITAR EVER!!!WORST GUITAR EVER!!!WORST GUITAR EVER!!!WORST GUITAR EVER!!!WORST GUITAR EVER!!!WORST GUITAR EVER!!!


i made the mistake of buying this peice of crap because i didnt know anything about it, but now i realize that realy got hosed, i would say it was worth about 40$ MAX. dont buy it unless you plan on customizing the hell out of it

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I bought this guitar as my first and I've been playin for about 1.5 years w/ it now. It was only 120 dollars (American). I bought it on the store owners own personal recomendation for a sweet, cheap guitar that will last a long time, and man was he right!

I like the way it sounds, it sounds exactly like a Fender strat and it is lighter and less than half the price! Its got a glossy fretboard that makes for very easy finger slides and pretty good pickups, although I did decide to put a humbucker in it, the others are still good. It doesnt have to be tuned very often and its just an all around great guitar.

There's relly nothing that I dont like about it, it's great.

very durable, nice solid body, great coated maple fretboard and nice pick-ups.

SAMICK RULES!

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

i picked this baby up ages ago after christmas 1996 from a great UK gitar store and was a sweet £199 about 250$ i think!

ever since the day i started plaing the guitar, my strat has been the most loyal to me compared to some of the other rip offs from people like peavy. i would definitely recommend this to the beginner. it's not too expensive and easy to use. the neck isn't too thick which benefits those with smaller fingers. and a good set of fender strings will last you all year round. it's compatible with most effects and can take a lot of pounding for the price, but dont TRY and break it! or you will.

red isn't my colour! it requires a lot of maintenance i.e. change of strings! and i have found that the pickups always seem to come loose every now and then. there is a limited amount of colours available. black red and woodgrain i blieve.

again! the maintenance is a bummer! but if you are a dedicated guitarist, you wouldn't mind sitting down and repairing the pickups and strings!

but whatever you do dont buy the box set that includes the amp and cables. my cables broke and you can get a better amp than that! but for MAJOR beginners the books and video will come in handy!

the begginer's best buy! not too expensive and is a great introduction. at the price of £199 you won't need to be afraid of tampering with the pickups and readjusting the strings as you need to learn how to repair before moving onto a more expensive guitar.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I got this guitar as a gift for my 21st birthday so I don't know how much it cost, but I do know it was bought new. So you could probobly guess how much it might have cost...there's enough of these things to compare it to. Its a 1999 model.

Not much. Maybe the color is alright though. It does hold it's tune well and intonation is not bad.

Where to start. The pickup selector is put in a horrible place (not convenient), the pickups sound wimpy and generic (I hate the fact that almost everything played sounds like a Stevie Ray Vaughn lick). The neck feels weak (like I could break it off just by pulling back on the neck while playing). There is no way this thing would last in a live gig. The volume and tone knobs are hard to reach while playing and offer very little tone difference when turned. I guess overall the guitar has no real character of its own. (I've played other Strats and I find the same thing).


Its made decently enough but so are alot of guitar in this price range.

The Strat is probobly one of the most over-rated guitars ever built. For the price it offers nothing special. Very one dimensional, no individuality. I can't wait to sell it. Spend your cash on something that suits your character, not on this just because of the name.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

i bought the guitar at andertons in guildford about a year ago. i thought it would be a good priced, quality strat copy. i was wrong! it was £200 quid in a pack with the 10 watt amp and loads of other stuff. its all cheap rubbish.

er....well i guess it was an introduction to guitar for me. LOL oh yer and soon i'm gonna flog it for as much as possible to finance a little trip to fendersville via a REAL strat. ha ha! and i guess if u can play well on this THING then once you grow tired of riffing the wreck you can upgrade and you'll play real well on ya new guitar. MAN i hate squier lol.

like all cheap guitars,the tone seems to lack any depth. there is a very low output from the pickups which sounds absolutely nothing like a classic real strat with bluesy, rocky, gnarly, good tone.

its made in china and it shows. if the tone kills it then the construction nails the coffin shut. the wood these things are made out of - unless its like, fake wood, mdf or something - would be better off on the trees. after a few months of very undemanding use (i looked after it all well) the lead broke, the strap snapped and the bag strap broke. useless!!!!

if you're in the mafia and you need to get rid of 200 quid before the cops get ya, then buy this guitar. otherwise, dont even think about it. better off with an ibanez gio or whatever they're called - ANYTHING but this. the squier strat belongs in my room 101 along with boybands and osama bin laden.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Some years ago I was looking for a reliable and cheap guitar, since my budget was really low at the moment and i wanted to learn to play guitar at any cost, I choose the old Squire Strat. It looked good, sounded good and I had enough money to buy it. I paid 165€ for it, plus a little amp (nothing too fancy really). I ran home as quickly as I could, afterall, it's not everyday you buy an electric guitar...

Everything really! Since I was pretty much a guitar "virgin", at the time I couldn't say if the sound was good or bad: but at least it sounded right. The cheap Amp didn't help in anything, but it still sounded as it should. The sound doesn't amaze but it doesn't disappoint either really, and I can't complain since I got an extremely good product for the little amount of money I paid. It was extremely confortable, opposed to my accoustic, and i never had any trouble reaching the frets with my small fingers. The neck was extremely smooth (unlike many reviews state)and the body was also solid. I also like the guitar design, it looks and feels like the "classic" electric guitar we grew to love and worship in our younger days, looking at our heroes playing. The finishes are good, even though the guitar material isn't as high quality as it could be.

Nothing, probably besides the cheap material it is made of and the sound. It can easily get scratched even if you have a great care handling it. The sound isn't my main problem, mind you, but when compared to my friends Epiphones or Les Pauls it just fades. It still satisfies me, and it serves the purpose well. Aside these two minor problems, i don't think i can rant about anything more. Some things could have been better, as you may imagine...but we must remember this is a budget guitar.

As I mentioned already above, it can get easily damaged. But the production and construction was flawless, at least with my unit. Every screw was well tide, and every piece was were it should be. I bought it without a single scratch, and we must remember it came from a Japanese factory, probably by plane, and things like damaged parts are a common occurence. However, besides that and the fact the materials aren't the best around, I have nothing left to say.

Mind you it's nowhere as good as, let's say, the cheapest Gibson manufactured guitar, but it still offers an average quality guitar for a low price. Optimal if you're thiking in start playing. So resuming, I'm glad I bought one Squier Strat as my first guitar, and if I could buy another one I would do it without much thinking. I'm rating this guitar following the fact that it is a budget guitar made for beginners. And the best one around, as far as i can tell... So if you're thinking in buying one, just go ahead, you probably won't be disappointed.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Well, you see I bought this guitar from a music store called Giovvani's for around 300 dollars. I wanted a good beginer guitar that i could basically learn how to play an electric.

Let's see, I liked the way the guitar was put together, pretty durable (having dropped it a few times with nothing more than a scratch). The tone of the guitar was perfect, and I really liked the neck. It wasn't too fast or hard to move your hand around.

I didn't like the the tone controls...they really didn't have any sort of effect on the sound....Also, the neck was a bolt on, which i didn't like either. It didn't stay in tune very well, but like I said, I only bought it to learn.

The constuction was very good, not sloppy or poorly finished. VERY durable, because once my strap fell off while I was playing Fat Lip by Sum 41 onto the concrete floor and the only damage was, well, nothing!

If you want to learn how to play electric, BUY THIS GUITAR! It is easy to learn on and fun. But i strongly recomend that this guitar is not to be used for gigs or any of the sort. So, overall this is a great guitar to learn on, but once you get better i suggest a Gibson or a Fender. Peace.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Friend $40
Project guitar

Well stock the unit is poor. Luckly i was into completely rebuilding it. The old neck was bowed, the old single coil pickups were garbage. I replaced the neck with a mighty mite reversed head stock model and put in a Kramer quad rod booster pack, and now it can hold its own against my Ibanez (actually better for clean play in coil tap mode.

Everything stock on it is POS ish tuning keys are plastic knobed. The old frets cut a lot. I used to just sigh at it.

Well before I rebuilt it and took the time to sheild it and such it was poor no friggen sound came out of the pickups. Now it rocks

If you buy one get a standard fat strat or double and rip all the crappy 3rd world electronics out of it. The wood is decent now get it some decent pickups.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I purchased the guitar from a catalogue(Index)around six months ago.It came with a ten watt amp for £229.99.Now I think to myself why?,but then again it was my first guitar and at the time I didn't care what it sounded like or what make it was, as long as I had a guitar.(I'm sure you've all been there!)

Well..erm....It has nice clean tone,usually stays in tune fairly well and the neck is fairly comfortable.Also,it's not the worst looking guitar i've seen

This list is unfortunatly quite long,where do i begin.Well as a beginner this guitar seems to be a fairly decent .....until you actually have the chance to try guitars that are fairly decent and you realise this isn't.As a Korn fan this guitar just doesn't suit my taste at all(Thank goodness i got an Ibanez 7-String).For one:the pickups are completely useless,I suggest you don't even try to palm mute with distortion on this guitar
Two:It Lacks alot of sutain
And Three:I've heard stories of people who tried opening these things up,I haven't tried yet but supposedly the inside of them is totally messed up with loose wires and the such so.....doesn't appear to be well made.

As i said the inside of them is messed up so you can tell they are definetly not well made.Even though i've never needed it fixed(I Wouldn't Waste The Time Or The Money!),it has lots of little hitches ie:cutting out for no reason,pickup switches are flimsy,cuts out if you turn the volume knob higher than nine.

Oh well it sounds terrible and it is,But,bottom line is it's cheap,Badly made and isn't a proffesional guitar.But if you havent heard any better it doesn't sound so bad.Trust me though,You'll regret buying it in time!!

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I bought this guitar from a friend of mine who plays in a band that covers a lot of classic rock. I paid $650.00 for it.
It is a 1991 in great shape. It has a pewter finish, maple neck, and a pearloid pickguard. It is absolutely beautiful. The pickups have been replaced with Fender Lace Sensors (two golds and a red in the bridge).
I play a wide variety of music and this really fits the bill. The red lace sensor is very hot allowing a great "crunch".. The two golds give it a great tone.

I love the feel of the fast maple neck. It is light and comfortable. This guitar has great eye appeal..

nothing

The construction is great and very durable.

A great guitar. Would suggest one like it to anyone who wants to achieve any tone or sound under the sun.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I did not actually buy this guitar, but I have played many of them, and I will tell you why I did not buy it.

I don't like anything about it. this guitar sucks.

First of all, it sounds like crap. I read a review here where a guy gave it a five. That must be his age. What a moron. I personally own a Les paul. On this Squire, everything falls apart or breaks, inside and out. I couldn't finish a song because I could not keep it in tune! With just a little drop of a penny you will scratch the poorly made finish. And it plays terribly, too. The back of the neck is extremely sticky, not smooth at all.

The construction isn't very good at all. The neck is loose, every thing rattles. The screws keep falling out (maybe because I pound on my guitars pretty hard, I'm a hardcore guitarest...).

To sum it up, this guitar is great, you definately want to get this one if you like to burn guitars.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com