All user reviews for the Fender Stratocaster [1965-1984]

I got this guitar at Jasper Music in jasper Indiana. I think i payed about 400 bucks for it and a Champ 15 amp that came with the guitar. I got ripped off because this thing is a piece of crap. The reason i am submiting this review is because no one esle should get ripped of with this hunck of crap.

Ha Ha Ha, like something about a Squier. Who would like something about a Squire?

I dought that they have enough on this web page for me to list all the things i dont like about this guitar, so i'll just keep it short. The pickups buzz louder than a jet engin. The volume knob is preaty much an on/off switch because the volume dosn't change frome 2-9 or so. The tone knobs are basically just there, taking up space because they dont do anything. The pickup switch is just taking up space also because, there is no difference in tonal qualities between the two extemes. This guitar has 3 pickups but only needs one because they dont sound any different. The thing has absolutly no sustane. To play any rock you must keep picking the strings untill your hand falls off. The sound is horrible. A piece on twine tied around both ends of a 2x4 with a microphone duct-taped in the middle would sound better. If
you blew hard on the wammy bar it would probably go out of tune. Saurry that was about as short as i could possibly make the list of dislikes

The constructon is better than the sound but ultimatly crap. If you touch the wammy bar i think it might fall off. I am supprised this thing didn't fall appart as soon as i took it out of the box. I have seen guitars in the toy ile in wallmart that looked more sturdy.

No offense to any Squire owners but you couldn't find a bigger log of crap in a Wallmart restroom. I am subbmitting this review in hopes that knowone else will make the same mistake i did of buying something like this. Trust me just save your money for a little longer and buy a quality guitar that you will be proud of. If there was a choice of giving this guitar a rating of below 1 i would do it.

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

I was walking though my neighbourhood when i saw that a guy down the road was having some kind of garage sale. I had a look and saw he was selling a strat! This was in standard form and in good condition. But this wasn't any old strat according to the owner. This was a guitar signed by some weird rock player i had never heard of and he was asking $600 for it. I said to him i aint payin 600 for some shitty strat, he asked me if i was questioning his authority so i poked him the eye. He looked pretty pissed so i decided to split, not empty handed though, i managed to take it before he could open his eye again! As i ran i fell over and dropped the strat. Shit! I picked it up and took it home hoping it was alright.

When i got home i plugged it in to my amp. I had an amp but no guitar? No i had Les Paul custom before but it suked after i threw it out of the window in a blind rage. The Fender sang to me then i got pissed of coz its volume switch wouldnt budge. I pulled it off in a sort of "turn you mutha fuka!" I then went from bad to worse by dropping again on the floor. I piked it up and yes it woz screwed ladies and gentlemen.

It was pretty damn nice for the first minute of its short life with me. But because it didnt withstand my accident prone mishaps, this guitar is a worthless lump of shit that i shitted out last week.

Can i just say a guitar that shatters into little pieces on tiny impact should be pissed on set alite and used as a satanic weapon of war.

Its short lived experience with me sucked!

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

I bought this guitar about 8 months ago from Music-Go-Round for 104 dollars with tax. never owning an electric i decided to make a small investment first.

The Price, for a hundred bucks i dont think i could have gotten a better deal on a brand new guitar. The quality is better than i expected for one hundred dollars and the color is nice. I havent had any problems with it, no adjustments needed to be made, the tremelo was perfect and it has nice action, it could use a little adjustment but its not worth the hassle. Its also pretty light compared to all the guitars my friends play. Plugged in it sounds decent both distorted and clean.

THe knob where i plug my chord in constantly becomes loose and needs to be tightened. THats the only real complaint i have.

Construction seems pretty sound. The quality is about on par for the price. It does feel cheap. A hundred dollar guitar isnt going to feel like a Fender or Gibson. The Reynolds has yet to let me down so far. Nothing has broken and the sound isn't bad. The strings seem to stay in tune fairly well, it usually takes some beating to get them out of tune, everythign seems pretty tight except for the chord plug in. Its held up quite nicely, i haven't been super carefull with it either so its taken some beating.

If your looking to just start up with a guitar, or want to play an electric but dont want to make any big investment you cant really go wrong with this guitar. Just dont come in expecting to buy something that can compete with a higher end model. You cant really expect to get anything more than a basic guitar for one hundred dollars. All in all the Reynolds knows its role and gets the job done and once you move on to bigger and better things you can smash it. I give it a five for a beginner guitar. I'm not comparing it to higher end guitars.

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

I bought this bad boy from some sweet ass music shot by my house. I paid roughly 99 dollars for this baby. Not a bad price for a slice of heaven.

First the Reynolds is ultra light. So when im rocking out and get really crazy i can swing the Reynolds around like its my job... SINCE IT IS!!! When i rock i get crazy and i need a light guitar that can fly. Its so much lighter than my friends Johnson strat. Action is sweetness not to mention i looks bitchin as shit. I hate the Reynolds logo. Its written in pussy font but thats ok. Nothing a phat sticker cant solve!! This thing is nothing but pure quality, my friend plays a Fender and he is like whoa dude that is a sweet guitar. I want a Reynolds. I totally blew his Fender out of the WATER!!! What a deal i saved 400 dollars on this and got a way sweeter guitar.

I dont like the stupid Reynolds Writing on the neck. BUt i got over it and slapped a Slayer STicker over it. Now i look hardcore as well. The strings were total crap but that problem is fixed because i slapped on some blue steels for true rocking ability.

The quality is beyond superb. Once i was rocking out and threw the Reynolds around my back and the strap came off the knob and the reynolds went flying into a wall. it almost knocked my dog unconscious but luckily he has fast reflexes. NO biggy just a small ding so i plugged back in and continued rocking harder! I bought some dunlop strap locks and now i i cant throw this baby anywhere. Shes so light.. I dont know how reynolds packed all this gear in there and still maintained such a trim weight. These pickups will outblast a seymour duncan anyday.. THEY ARE SICK!

If you are thinking about getting a Fender or Gibson.. Just kill yourself b/c you just pissed away 400 dollars, or even like 2000. Just get a Reynolds. ULtra light for supremem rocking ability and killer pickups for those face meltings rifffs. I kill ladies with this thing they reynolds has single handedly gotten me LAID!!! I give it a 17!!!

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

i paid $250 for this piece of crap. I didn't have much money so i looked for a cheap one.

Absolutley nothing....

EVERYTHING!!! It looked like crap, the feel was horrible, the strings were shitty. the sounds were twangs on the low strings and on the high notes were tones that gave me a headache. It never kept it's tune either.


The construction of the guitar was alright.
The neck was bent significantly, so you couldn't even acheive a proper tone

THIS GUITAR IS A PIECE OF SHIT!!!!!!!!
BY A GIBSON LES PAUL SPECIAL INSTEAD OR AN IBANEZ JS1000



SQUIER IS THE DEVIL

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

i got this guitar because it is just a great sounding guitar and at a very reasonable price of $200.

i love the look of it, the shape and design is just amazing.

uhmm, thats is tough. but i would have to say the pearl pick-gaurd. it looks good, but it doesnt fit the style and looks of the guitar. that is about it

it is a "silverburst" paint job. alder body, maple neck, rosewood fingerboard, 22 frets, 5 position pick-up change and whammy-bar. and is
medium quality, enough for a medium beginner such as myself.

uhmm, i just enjoy playing this guitar, in fact im a dabbling right now. i have been playing for about 3 months, nto much, but i love it. and you have to start somewhere dont you?

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

It was quiet good and I needed a second guitare for my shows. I bought it in Paris In California Guitares, I paid 310 Euros for it.

It is light, really like a Fender strat, the sound is very good, the neck surprisingly comfortable, easy to play, and cheap.

the tuning, It take me one week to settle the intonation properly. I also use some oil on the strings when I use the vibrato.

this guitare have a black solid body whith white knobs a 5 position selector for the pick ups, 3 pick-ups and a nice thin neck with the normal mechanics. use with 0.10 - 0.56 strings set.

overall this guitar is great to play with, I would suggest to change the mecanism or better still going for a nice floyd rose, so no intonation problem. pick ups are very nice...

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

I purchased the Fender Stratocaster at Guitar Center. I paid roughly around $250, including a case and some accesories. I had just started playing guitar, and due to the fact that this guitar has a small neck, I thought it would be a good learners guitar. I was right, the value of this guitar astounded me. I have experienced different types of guitars, and I still enjoy the warm tones that this guitar produces.

This is an excellent learners guitar. If I could describe everything that I like about this guitar, it would take a very ling time. So I will give a brief overview of why this guitar is such a good deal;
1:the neck is small, making learning finger placement a bit easier for beginners.
2:The guitar has a warm tone. It is a good tone for a first guitar because you can play many different types of music with out any distortion.
3:It is a durable guitar. For instance, I dropped it down three stairs, and it is still functioning like perfect.
4:It is a comfortable guitar. I enjoy a guitar that fits nicely under your arm. This guitar is very comfortable, and does not cause any discomfort after many hours of playing.
5:It has all the bells and whistles of most guitars that are twice the price. It is light, durable, it sounds wonderful, and it only costs around $200 dollars.
6:It is a good progressive instrument, meaning that you can use it for many different levels of playing.

The only complaint that I have about this guitar is that I personally do not like the position of the cable jack. It is located on the front of the guitar, below the tone dials. I like the jack to be located under the guitar, on the bottem.

Extremly durable. It tends to scratch easily, but that is a fault of many guitars. The guitar itself if very durable and does not dent easily. The neck of the guitar does not give too much flex, which makes the neck a bit more durable. The pickups and the frets are very well made. The pickups are very stable, and the frets themselves show no excess glue and are very nicely rounded, making the guitar sound very clearly. The silver plating on the guitar does not scratch easily, and keeps its luster for a very long period of time. Overall, it is a very dependable guitar.

This is an excellent deal.
If you need a guitar, as a begginer or an expert, this is a great deal.
It sound wonderful, its durable, and it is a huge value.

This is the guitar for anyone who needs a good guitar on a budget.

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

I bought this MIN Strat from a friend in my church band for 200.00.

I was very pleased with the finish and workmanship. Thats right, it was a beautiful cream with a stunning flame maple neck and rosewood fretboard. It looks flawless and is a 1996 model; go figure.

The pick-ups need some help. In fact, the pots need to be replaced also. I guess the electronics are the weakest point. I have ordered a SRV setup with American pots and switch. The age may be the problem with the electrics.

Seems to me it is a very well constructed insturment. I have been playing for 30 years and have owned many guitars. It is a great axe and with a few simple mods will be something I will never part with.

Don't be afraid of the MIM. Just be prepared to upgrade pickups and pots in a few years. My Strat is beautiful and plays as well as I can play it.

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

I received this guitar as a gift for my birthday two years ago and MAN was I pleased! I had been hinting around that I REALLY wanted a strat like the one I had back in the 70's, but didn't really think everyone would pitch in enough $$$ to make it happen!

I love the feel of the neck, the look of the maple fretboard, the sounds of the 5-way pickup switch system and the crazy whammy bar dive bomb Hendrix like sounds you can coax out of this baby! Who says you can't have it all? Looks great, plays like a dream, live or studio!

What I don't like about this unit is that they don't grow on trees so I haven't been able to get one of every color!

Solid feel, caring construction. Whoever builds these things plays guitar because all the little things that would be annoying have been given close attention.

I've looked up what one of these things costs, and you can't get a better value for the money! Great Axe, that's why you see them ALL OVER THE PLACE!

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

I purchased a Squire Strat, a Fender Frontman 8 inch Reverb amp, hardshell case, Zoom effects pedal, misc chords, a book, etc. as a Christmas present for my son last year for about $500 from Music 123.com. This was not one of those "Strat Paks"; I picked the items out separtely.

The Squire came in a brillinat candy-apple red with rosewood.

This is a great looking guitar. The sound is very rich and clean and I thought the swithching and tone combinations offer very diverse combinations to modify the sound.

I recently volunteered to "guitar-sit" for my son who is in Costa Rica for a couple of months. The damn ting would not stay in tune, even through one song. I took it in to a local Sam Ash store, and the tech placed a third spring in the back of the unit, adjusted the bridge and put new strings on it. Other than the cost of the springs, the tech did not charge me anything for his work.

After I got it home, I was extremely impressed with this guitar. Now that it stays in tune, it truly is fun to play and it sounds teriffic.

Other than the bridge seeming to need some attention, I'd have to say the construction seems to be of the highest quality. The paint is metal flake candy apple red and there are no flaws or blemishes. The neck is straight and the strings are perfecty parrallel to the neck. The frets seem a little smaller than the frets on my friend's Mexican Strat, but for the money, this is certainly not an issue.

I bought this guitar for my son who did not play guitar, but wanted to try it while he was away at college. I can't wait for him to return from Costa Rica and play it now because it must have been frustrating for him, especially a beginner, trying to learn how to play and all the wihle, the guitar was not staying in tune.



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

I acquired this guitar, because my friends and I want to start a band. We have a name we have everything except the instruments to start. I paid about 456$ for this guitar and my friend wants to buy one, but we saw this offer, and decided to try it out. We thought we might get lucky.

What I like about the unit is, it's a good guitar to start out with. When you are learning how to play. I love the color of the guitar, the black and brown mixed to together, really caught my attention. Plus Fender is a really good brand of guitars, and i want one that will last, and will sound good. That's what i like about Fender.

What i don't like about the guitar shown above is the white on it. I think it really throws off the guitar color. I think it should with come a black one, it would look much better. I also dont like the way neck is a different color then the head of the guitar. I think that also throws it off, but other than that it's a really nice manufactured guitar.

I really like the quality of Fender guitars.
It really looks like they took time, and money to make all these Fender guitars.
So that's why i want a Fender, because all those other brands really dont show me the dedication in there guitars.

So the bottom line is,I really need this guitar cuase to start a band, and I dont have the money to buy a quality brand like Fender. It's been my childhood dream to start a band and without the money I have never been able to, but now with this offer I know there is a chance for my band and I.

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

I bought this guitar in Adirondack Strings in Albany, NY for $600. It was a toss between a new Godin LGX-SA (http://www.godinguitars.com/godinlgxsap.htm) and the Strat. The reason I went with the Strat (same money) is because it was a used, in mint condition, and I wouldn't have to wonder if I had made the right decision later on down the road.

The American made Strats can be played right off the shelf and there are literally hundreds of pickups, tremolos, and other hardware that are made to customize them. There was no need to buy the highest end model, because I was able to spend the extra on what I wanted and take my time figuring it out. I absolutely love the playability on the neck, as I can slide from position to position, feeling the frets beneath my finger to keep track of where I am, but minimizing extraneous sound. The action is light and the intonation is relatively forgiving to a tight grip like mine. (I played acoustically exlusively for years.)

I did some research and put some higher powered pickups into all three positions, and found the guitar to really open up. I put a Seymour Duncan JB Jr. in the bridge position for screaming leads; a DiMarzio Fast Track in the middle for heavy rock-n-roll tones; and finally a Seymour Duncan Vintage Rails pickup at the neck to play bright rythyms(sp).

My next investment will definitely be in a Floyd Rose pro tremelo system and locking nut.

I have a tendency to play with long strokes, and I bump my pickup selector, but not as much as I did on a Les Paul. It's probably just me, but I'd like to see it back behind and below the bridge. Of course, that would not be good for most musicians who use it constantly to flip back and forth between rythym and lead playing.

I have closely inspected this guitar and found no problems. There were those who told me that the maple necks had a tendency to have laquer(sp) on the frets, but I did not find this to be the case. This could be because the previous owner had it removed, but I highly doubt that, since it was a 'lessons only' guitar and never gigged.

I tried several other strats, American, Mexican, and Japanese made, and I kept coming back to this one. I found that I loved the maple neck look, and this was the only maple neck that I played that felt so smooth and quick.

The Fender Stratocaster has been played (almost exclusively) by some of the greatest guitar players: Jimi Hendrix, David Gilmour, Pete Townsend, Stevie Ray Vaughn, and Adrian Smith and Dave Murray (of Iron Maiden). That shows the versatility of this guitar. Now I do too, and I love it. We have 3 guitar players in our band, and all three of us play and love Strats. Fender has an excellent guitar on its hands.

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

I acquired this guitar from a newly-opened Tom Lee Music store in Abbotsford. I walked in with my mother and asked if they had any starter guitar sets for sale, the nice man said that they had just gotten a bunch of Affinity stratocasters in and that they were being offered at $550 per guitar pack. I thought about it and discussed it with my mom and finally she asked if that was a guitar i'd like and i replied "yes" so that plus g.s.t. and p.s.t. made my total ammount to about $600.

It came with everything i needed to start rocking: tuned to drop d, strap was easily on and adjusted, my amp was great, there was an instructional video, replacement strings, tuner, picks, and a great gig bag.

I really dislike the body of a stratocaster... it lacks edge, this is why i origionally wanted a warlock, beast, or gothic flying v. Other than that the tuner only came with one battery ,which wore out fast, and back plastic peice actually blocks the broken string ends that try to come out, so i have to undo the back to get it out.... not fun.

The construction is absolutely great... the neck doesn't move at all, no cracks or bumps, stiff tuners (the metal objects attached to the head) which is very nice so i don't stretch the strings to the point i snap them or i have to tune every five minutes. The body is well constructed, and very well painted, overall, i give the quality of my strat. a 9.5 out of a possible 10. (the strap buttons were so loose they came off...)

Overall this guitar is one of the best i have ever played. It is very well made and will probably outlast my lifetime... this is a guitar i would be glad to pass on to my grandchildren.

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

I bought it from a guy, who didn't need it anymore, I got it for very little money, cca. less than 100$.

For the price I've paid I got a LOT of "music"! Maybe I was just lucky to get such a good piece, but this one really "roars". i play funk, rock, blues music with it and it suits forr all of these styles! It rocks!

The only thing I don't like about it that it goes of tune when I use the tremolo. So I usually play without it. It plays perfect then.

It's solid, firm,... if you know Fender or Squier then you know how good they're built!

A great guitar for the money you pay for it. The best choise for beginners, but I recommend it also for more advanced players if they don't like it just to own a expensive guitar to look great. IT ROCKS!!!

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

How I came to know the Fender Stratocaster when I was little I always loved guitars. When I first layed eyes on that first Fender I fell in love. Then I got it i found it on clearence for $700.99 and it was a Standerd Fender Stratocaster I loved it and I always will

I like it because it has very juicy sound and very clean sound at that. I like the way it looks and hows it feels to play its a all around great guitar

Theres nothing I dont like.

ITS very simple and very good quality.

I LOVE THIS GUITAR!

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

i bought in a strat pack for 300 bucks at a music store about 3months ago.I got it because i needed a guitar because my old guitar broke.

what I like about it is that i force my anger to the guitar.It is fun to distroy it too ( but i cant aford to do that but it's tempting to do so).

Well,this guitar f***ing sucks its s***.The screws come out the f***ing guitar never stays in tuned nobs brake you cant select which pickup(s) you choise without hitting it.

The construction sucks it looks like drunk assholes built it .Quality is alright i guess.

I f***ing hate this damn guitar the strat imatations are better then this. Only good thing on the guitar is the pickups. I suggest dont get any squire that is 300 bucks are bellow it really sucks.My ratting is really -5 but i cant choise so i have to choise 1 but it is really -5.

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