Squier Solid Body Electric Guitars

I aquired this from a friend for $50 (no, it isn't a bad guitar, he just didn't feel like charging very much for a friend), which is an amazing price as the list price is close to $160! Well, I like pretty much every thing about his guitar. It sounds great, very easy to play, lightweight. The frets are put on pretty nicely. There is only a couple of things I don't like about this guitar. Firstly, the amp has no destortion on it at all. Which sucks, as I like to play classic rock on my guitar. Also, when I strum string number 1 to hard, it slides down a bit and gets caught on the neck, but all you have to do to get it back is like press down on the string and it goes back into place. The contruction is very good. Again, very good job on teh frets, and especially the tuning pegs, compared to my last guitar (some Aria model) which the tuning pegs were pretty much rusted still. This is a high quality guitar. This is a high quiality guitar, as I have said. It could have used a better amp though. So go out and buy the Boss DS-1 Distortion Pedal and you should be all set. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

This was bought from George's music for $170.00.This was bought because I tested it out first,and it played the same as an american Fender but it cost $603.00 less. It plays like a dream.It is gorgeous,it also had a super silm maple neck.Tremelo bridge,three single-coil pickups and 5-way switching. Positions:1-neck pickup 2-neck and middle pickup 3-middle pickup 4-middle and bridge pickup 5-bridge pickup The top tone knob is for the neck pickup and the tone knob in the bottom is the bridge pickup.The volume knob is for all of the pickups. There is nothing I don't like about this guitar.I hate heavy metal,so I am glad there are only single-coil pickups.The distortion is very smooth though,so all you need is more wattage to do heavy metal. This is one magnificent axe.Ok.first,let me tell you something.Saying Squiers aren't real Fenders is NOT true!It even says Fender under the Squier name on the headstock.It is exactly the same as the one with only Fender on the headstock! It has that good old 60's twang.It also looked gorgeous.It had a slimmed down body,too.And you see,most affordable guitars are laminated.This can be one of two things. 1.It is made of ply wood. 2.It is made of cheap compressed varieties of wood in one guitar. The Squier affinity strat is SOLOD ALDER. The body is contoured to fit who ever is playing it.It is a musical instrument as well,not just a tool to make music with. It is the perfect guitar unless you like humbuckers(pickups better for heavy metal).The pickups give no feedback(most single-coil pickups do.)It has a variety of sounds.It's a "real"guitar.However if you like both heavy metal and 60's rock,save money and buy an affinity fat strat.The have a humbucker at the bridge,a single-coil pickup in the middle and a single-coil pickup at the neck. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

It was sitting on a rack at the local music store, I already have an old 78 USA Tele and was curious to hear what this was like. It was bought at Trevor Davis music in Leominster England for £149. I just started playing it and it sounded really good so I bought it! It is a nicelightweight guitar with great sound, it is also nicely made and finished, it is ideal for songwriting with and just for playing, the action is also superb, making it an ideal first or learners guitar, the price is also good allowing a learner to get a good quality guitar if they are on a budget. doesn't have strings through body like on my old Tele but that could be rectified with a retro fitted bridge. Some hardware might be worth upgrading if you so desire but the standard equipment is good enough. In a word superb, it is a guitar that is probaly underestimated because of it's budget price tag. I have refinished and repaired many big name guitars over the last 20 years as a hobby, with this knowledge, I think this is superb. I wish when I started playing electric guitars that I had been able to get my hands on this one. I am astounded by the build quality and the playability in this superb guitar. It is just another example of the great guitars now coming out of Asia. I love this guitar! This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I got this as a Christmas present at a local music store. I was going to get an electric for Christmas and I went to the music store with my parents to try the guitars out and tell them which one I liked. It came in a pack for $299. Considering it's my first electric, (I have an acoustic I've been playing for almost a year now)I wasn't going to go off and have my parents spend a thousand dollars on a guitar that isn't really my favorite anyway. So I tried it out out at the store and I figured it was a good deal so what the heck. I like the feel of it, slightly slender than other strats. The look of it is amazing; I have a black one but it came in other colors. On my own personal preference I like the 9 gauge strings they put on it since my fingers aren't that callused and it sometimes hurts a little after a really long time of fretting the strings.The pick ups are great except my amp, I got with the guitar, has a hum. Though, when I plug it into any other better made amp it sounds fine. The only thing I don't like about this is the fact that it's not a Fender. haha I mean, I'd prefer Fender over Squire anyday because of some so-called differences in quality. Plus Fender is what most of my fanortie musicians play. I believe it's built quite solid. It just "feels" like it is. I haven't dropped it because I always try to be careful with my instruments when carrying them somewhere or whatever. I think this is a great guitar for it's price. I personally prefer acoustics ten times more than electrics but this is a good guitar for being "my electric". This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I bought this guitar for 99 bucks off the Musician's Friend website in September '02. I gotit to play at church. It's a guitar.I guess that's a good point. It stays in tune pretty long. It's a good beginner guitar. It was too small. The neck was so narrow. The action stank. One pickup was crooked. It buzzed very much. It was built very poorly. I opened it up, and it had sawdust in it. They painted over the sawdust. This guitar is a piece of junk. Do not buy it if you are planning on playing it. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

The Squier Deluxe Series Hot Rail Strat is a recent offering from the company that harkens back to the era when walls of Marshalls ruled the world and the tones being dished out were thick, meaty and rockin'! This guitar pays homage to that in its looks and its tones. It features a basswood body, a maple neck with rosewood fretboard and 22 frets, an oh so cool CBS style headstock, sealed tuners, 6 screw fulcrum point tremolo and a trio of Seymour Duncan designed Hot Rail pickups mated to standard Strat controls. They're based on the real deal Seymour Hot Rail pickups that are often found in much more expensive guitars, but built overseas to a price point. This does offer some better tones than what you would find in a stock Squier Strat with OEM pickups. UTILIZATION The design of this guitar is reasonably ergonomic. Much like the seventies Fenders it is a little bit blockier and less contoured than some of the more vintage themed models. However being many shredders with fleeting fingers have played on guitars like this, it's not a major issue. Squier's QC on these guitars isn't as good as some other models in their line. I've noticed issues with sharp fret ends, poor setups, cheaper quality parts, etc. Not particularly impressive when the Classic Vibe models are flawless and sell for less than $100 more. The upper fret access isn't bad but again, the blocky neck heel and the sharp fret ends really do compromise things. Getting a good tone out of this guitar is not difficult. The stock pickups offer a nice meaty tone that really works well for more punchy rock and shred settings. They're also Hot Rails so noise isn't a paramount issue like with the standard pickups. The guitar isn't as versatile as a CV model, but it does offer some nice tones when you use it for gutsy distorted tones. SOUNDS This guitar was built for heavier sounding tones a-la Deep Purple, Iron Maiden, Yngwie, etc. It's not really meant for cleaner blues or country tones, at least from my testing. I found the cleans to overdrive too early to work for true vintage flavour, and the the mid gain tones just had too much output for what I perceive to be right for that. However, the higher gain sounds through a nice EL34 loaded tube amp were right on the money for punchy rock rhythms or lead tones. The neck pickup is nice and fluid sounding, and the bridge pickup is very punchy and clear a-la Ritchie Blackmore. Definitely a better sounding instrument than I was expecting. OVERALL OPINION All in all I think the Squier Deluxe Series Hot Rails Strat is a decent guitar. It offers a cool rocky look and great sounding rail pickups for heavier music. The fit and finish really leaves something to be desired so be prepared to put in a little bit of work if you want this thing to play like butter. At $280 new it's priced on the average side... you might be wiser to get a used Squier Strat and drop the pickups in later, thus saving the $$$. Try before you buy... you might find one that just rocks.

The Squier Classic Vibe '60s Stratocaster is yet another model from Squier's recent Classic Vibe series that has been such a hit with musicians since its inception. It basically is a reissue of a mid sixties Fender Strat with great quality, but built to a very attractive price point. Like the original Fender, it features an alder body, maple neck with rosewood fretboard, and smaller vintage frets (the neck is a 21 fretter). The tuners are standard closed models, the bridge is a standard 6 screw fulcrum point model, and the pickups are made by Tonerider for Squier. It has the standard volume/tone/tone/pickup selector layout of most Strats too. Squier produces in various factories overseas so you can find guitars built in China, Indonesia, or maybe even other places too. UTILIZATION The design of this guitar is reasonably ergonomic for a Strat. The original Fender models of that time had more sleek contouring and were generally lighter guitars and this one follows those ethos quite well. It's reasonably light itself and sits on the body quite well for my liking. It's not quite as sleek as an original '60s model Fender from my experience, but for the price one can't be too picky. The upper fret access is decent, though there is only 21 frets, and the blocky neck heel can impede pure shredding somewhat, but most Strat players find a way to adapt. Getting a good tone out of this guitar isn't difficult. Much like the other Classic Vibe Strats, this one is made of decent quality wood, and the Tonerider pickups are a diamond in the rough. Dialing in the tones are pretty easy overall. I find the only real issue is the quality of the controls used, which affects the roll-off and other things that control dynamics in a Strat. All in all though it's pretty easy. SOUNDS This guitar seems to sound best with a more vintage voiced tone to my ears. The pickups are lower output and the tones are pretty mild when compared to some more modern sounding guitars. Using a clean amp like a Fender is great for blues, country or some more artist specific clean tones by guys like Hendrix and Knopfler. The stock pickups have a nice responsiveness and attack and I'm quite impressed with their bright nature coupled with the darker alder/rosewood combo wood wise. Switching over to a drive channel brings in some nice bright rock tones that are gritty yet have a wonderful Stratty snap to them. SRV type tones come with ease, or you can do some great classic rock as well. The pickups do get noisy when hit with a ton of gain and they can also be kinda thin in that department so it's less ideal for modern rock or shred. OVERALL OPINION All in all I think the Squier Classic Vibe '60s Strat is a great deal for someone looking for an affordable vintage style Strat that plays great, sounds great and is priced great. At about $350 new, it's hard to find this kind of value in anything else out there, and given Squier's increased quality control as of late, they're much more consistent than the guitars of older times. Definitely give this one a whirl!

Model Name: Vintage Modified Strat® Series: Vintage Modified Body Body: Indian Cedro Body Shape: Stratocaster® Body Finish: (0301200500, 0301200530, 0301200525, 0301200505) Polyurethane Neck Neck Shape: "C" Shape Number of Frets: 21 Fret Size: Medium Jumbo Position Inlays: Dot Position Inlays Fretboard Radius: 9.5" (24.1 cm) Fretboard: Rosewood Neck Material: Maple Neck Finish: Polyurethane Nut Width: 1.650” (42 mm) Scale Length: 25.5" (64.8 cm) Neck Plate: Engraved Neckplate Electronics Pickup Configuration: S/S/S Bridge Pickup: Duncan Designed™ SC-101 Single-Coil Bridge Pickup Middle Pickup: Duncan Designed™ SC-101 Single-Coil Middle Pickup Neck Pickup: Duncan Designed™ SC-101 Single-Coil Neck Pickup Pickup Switching: 5-Position Blade: Position 1. Bridge Pickup, Position 2. Bridge and Middle Pickup, Position 3. Middle Pickup, Position 4. Middle and Neck Pickup, Position 5. Neck Pickup Controls: Master Volume, Tone 1. (Neck Pickup), Tone 2. (Middle Pickup) Hardware Hardware: Chrome Bridge: Vintage Style Synchronized Tremolo String Nut: Synthetic Bone Switch Tip: White Switch Tip Tremolo Arm/Handle: Vintage Style Tremolo Arm Miscellaneous Strings: Fender® USA Super 250L's, NPS (.009-.042 Gauges) Unique Features: Vintage Style Tremolo, Custom Pickguards by Color, Gold and Black Squier Logo, Engraved Neckplate, White Plastic Parts, Dot Position Inlays Accessories Control Knobs: White Plastic Knobs UTILIZATION This is such an interesting guitar - it is made in India (huh?) out of Indian Cedro wood (what?) and has vintage features with modern flame top stylings (really?). I've not really played a lot of Indian-made guitars yet, so this was a good first impression. The guitar looks great - the flame top has a good "3d" quality to it. Playability is just as good as the Classic Vibe series, which is super nice! SOUNDS These are some nice pickups - they get the best of the "in-between" tones, cutting bridge tones, warm and smooth neck tones, and a balance middle pickup. SRV, Hendrix, Scott Henderson, Chris Duarte, John Frusciante...these are the range of tones that are instantly achievable with this axe. Of course, more tones are possible, but this will give you an idea of the "out of the box" sounds one can get. OVERALL OPINION Overall, this is a good choice for someone looking for a lower-midline Strat guitar. It compares very favorably to the Classic Vibe, series, only it offers some more modern looks, and a much glossier neck. If that sounds like your bag, this is the axe for you. 8 out of 10.

Ive played guitar for probably around 5years now, and ive also played quite a number if higher-end guitars. The "Bullet Strat" from Squire is probably one of the best that I have had my hands on (Literally) The pickups had a little noise to them, and i knew this going in, but i had a friend who had one identical to the one i bought (brown sunburst). He changed the pickups and it took care of the problem, although dumping an additional 100 bucks to the note I left it alone and played it "as is" and delt with it. UTILIZATION From the comfort in your hands to the smooth action, to the signature "Strat" sound, I believe this is a great guitar all around even though im still early in my guitar playing career. SOUNDS sounds great, couldnt ask for more out of one of my first guitars! OVERALL OPINION Overall, if your looking for a guitar to start out on or to give to you kids this is the one. When i first got this guitar it use to buzz and pop really bad when you would touch anything metal. This was caused from lack of shielding. actually there was no shielding inside i opened it up and it was just bare wood. however with a roll of aluminum foil tape from the local hardware store and three hours later when i plugged it back in there was absolutely no buzz or pop at all except for when you touch the actual pickup slug itself. this now a amazing sounding guitar. my only complaint is that when turned to the bridge pickup it tends to get way too hot and can pickup sound coming out of the speaker and squeal. the selector probably should be replaced because of when selecting a single pickup (neck, middle, or bridge position) it tends to hum a little more then the other slots

Fender has a sub company that is known as Squire which is basically a cheap and budget friendly guitars for someone looking to learn how to play the electric guitar. Most of their builds of these guitars are built overseas or in Mexico and can come off pretty cheap and cheap feeling. Again this is a budget friendly guitar for someone learning how to play the guitar or someone is trying to find out whether or not that you don't want to play the electric guitar. This is a beginners guitar and the prices to match. UTILIZATION * Model Name: Deluxe Series Deluxe Series Colors (505) Olympic White, (506) Black, (Polyester Finish) * Body: Basswood Neck Maple, C-Shape, (Polyurethane Finish) * Fingerboard: Rosewood, 9.5” Radius (241 mm) * No. of Frets: 22 Medium Jumbo * Pickups: 3 Duncan Designed™ HR-101 Hot Rails Pickups * Controls Master Volume, Tone 1. (Neck Pickup), Tone 2. (Middle Pickup) * Pickup Switching: 5-Position Blade o Position 1. Bridge Pickup o Position 2. Bridge and Middle Pickup o Position 3. Middle Pickup o Position 4. Middle and Neck Pickup o Position 5. Neck Pickup Bridge * Synchronous: Twin-Pivot Tremolo * Machine Heads: Standard * Die-Cast: Tuners * Hardware: Chrome * Pickguard: 3-Ply Parchment * Scale Length: 25.5” (648 mm) * Width at Nut: 1.650” (42 mm) * Unique Features: Large ‘60s Style Headstock, Gold and Black Squier Logo, Engraved Neckplate, Black Plastic Parts, Dot Position Inlays * Strings: Fender Super 250L, Nickel Plated Steel, (.009 to .042), p/n 073-0250-003 * Introduced: 4/2007 SOUNDS This guitar features actually a flamed maple top with a nice looking pick guard that is a white color with a pearl inlay. You have a vintage looking headstock with the Rosewood fretboard match. You have three single quilt pickups and basically if you've ever played Fender Stratocaster guitar than you know exactly how this guitar is used. The neck pick up is going to be your most Fender Stratocaster town and one of the most frequented tones even get out of the Fender Stratocaster guitar. The body of the wood is a base wood which is not my favorite tone would it all. The feel of this guitar is a very Fender Stratocaster town and you would be very hard-pressed to really hear the difference in this compared to a Fender Stratocaster Mexican made guitar. The build qualities can be very cheap and the feeling and balance of it is not to be very good. You'll definitely feel a difference in this guitar compared to an American made or custom shop Fender Stratocaster guitar. However, if you're looking just for a guitar that is a basic beginners guitar than this is a pretty good starting point. It has a good enough time to get you where you need especially for the price that they're asking for this guitar. OVERALL OPINION At new you can find these guitar so right around $300 and less. I seen them for around $250 but they usually range around the price of $280. They generally come with the gig bag and a cable in most cases so they have everything that you need to get started other than the amplifier tuner that you would need to get started. This is a good guitar for someone learning how to play the guitar and need something just to get started. It's a decent price and it's a fun little guitar for someone just learning how to play.

Crafted in China Body: Alder Finish: Polyester Neck: 1-Piece Maple, Modern "C" Shape Fingerboard: Maple, 9.5" (241 mm) Frets: 21, Medium Jumbo Scale Length: 25.5" (648 mm) Nut Width: 1.65" (42 mm) Hardware: Chrome Tuning Keys: Vintage-style tuning machines Bridge: Vintage-style, 6-saddle tremolo Pickguard: 1-ply white Neck pickup: Custom Stratocaster pickup (AlNiCo III) Middle pickup: Custom Stratocaster pickup (AlNiCo III) Bridge pickup: Custom Stratocaster pickup (AlNiCo III) Pickup switching: 5-Position Blade: Position 1. Bridge Pickup, Position 2. Bridge and Middle Pickups, Position 3. Neck Pickup, Position 4. Middle and Neck Pickup, Position 5. Neck Pickup Controls: Master Volume, Tone, Tone Strings: (.009 - .042) Nickel Plated Steel Unique Features: 2-Color Sunburst over alder; 21-fret vintage tint gloss maple neck; 1-ply white pickguard; aged plastic parts; vintage style tuning machines; vintage style, 6-saddle bridge; custom Stratocaster pickup set with AlNiCo III magnets UTILIZATION This guitar is very easy to play. I had to set it up myself, as I had expected, but once I did, wow! The fit and finish of the guitar are impeccable. I am blown away with this instrument coming from Squier. The tremolo is very responsive, yet stable. A change to the to a brass tremolo block added a lot of sustain and tone, for not much additional money. I feel like the tuners are good, great even - I'd use these on an American Fender. SOUNDS Sound wise, this does everything one would expect from a great Strat guitar, with the exception of the bridge pickup. I could not get that pickup to sound balanced or as full as the other two, no matter how much I raised it or lowered the others. It just sounded thin, so I changed it for something else, and I am extremely happy with it. OVERALL OPINION This guitar is incredible, especially for the price. I fully expected to have to change some parts, but not as much as I ended up swapping out. The bridge pickup is a weak point, as is the actual wiring and pots - I'm going to change those out next. Overall, a great guitar.

This is a chinese made tele, however they've limited the run so that each one that's made is more focused and not so mass produced, thus the quality of these guitars is superior and meant to be on par with american made guitars. FEATURES: Body Pine Neck 1-Piece Maple, Modern “C” Shape, (Gloss Polyester Finish) Fingerboard Maple, 9.5" Radius (241 mm) No. of Frets 21 Medium Jumbo Frets Pickups 2 Custom Vintage Style Single-Coil Tele® Pickups with AlNiCo 3 Magnets (Neck & Bridge) Controls Master Volume, Master Tone Pickup Switching 3-Position Blade: Position 1. Bridge Pickup Position 2. Bridge and Neck Pickups Position 3. Neck Pickup Bridge Vintage Style Strings-Thru-Body Tele Bridge with 3 Brass Barrel Saddles Machine Heads Vintage Style Tuning Machines Hardware Chrome Pickguard 1-Ply Black Scale Length 25.5” (648 mm) Width at Nut 1.625” (41.3 mm) Unique Features “C” Shape Maple Neck, Knurled Chrome Control Knobs, Vintage Tinted Neck, Black Dot Position Inlays, Gold Squier Logo, Original Barrel Switch Tip, Synthetic Bone Nut UTILIZATION Pretty nice, surprisingly very very light too, and I've tried a few models, all of them are quite light, I likey! upper fret access is not what the tele's about so if you want to spend most of your time there you won't enjoy it. The ergonmics aren't there either, the tele was the first electric guitar type to be made thus the ergonomics weren't thought about the first round. Generally it's just like your typical 21 fret tele with the 2 pickups and a 3 way. SOUNDS For a tele, it sounds like a tele. Damn good. Clean, bright, twangy, all that country twang you'd ever want is in this tele. The stock pickups are amazingly clean and deliver it! Classic signature tele sound! You want another type of sound you'd better start looking into aftermarket pickups, but as is, and what it's originally designed for, it gets the job done for anybody wanting to play clean/blues/jazz/country stuff definitely! OVERALL OPINION I think this series was underrated! Definitely! Maybe because the options were so limited? Only 3 finishes, with specific neck woods etc. The 21 fret thing always kills me with fender guitars I never knew why they did that, it's just so uneven and I'd always feel better with at least a 22 fret neck. The quality is great though, the build is good, every one of these I've seen has been really consistent, the fretwork is VERY good, the neck is perfect, the finish is great and I see no flaws with the binding anywhere on the body. And it's light weight. What more does anybody need? I actually think these are better than any of the mexican stuff coming out of the factory. It just seems to have been thought out more, with more effort put into these models. I guess the pickups are what would be lacking but even in that department it's quite decent. Not super versatile for every kind of genre, but definitely good for the genres mentioned previously. Of course, they're not noiseless, cause then THAT'D be too good to be true.