Squier Mini [2005-2016]

I've been playing here and there for about 10 years as a rythym guitarist. I mainly play 80's big-hair rock riffs and love the power chord!

I bought it at a ProSound music store in Colorado for around $220 around 2001-02. At the time I was playing a Washburn G2-V and I wanted something to stand out against that guitar in both looks and performance. I now have four other guitars, and the Squire still gets the most shred time, even against my X-Series Washburn.

When I go into a song with a cleaner rythym section, I don't have to do a lot of adjustments. Where my other guitars are geared more for the down and gritty rock riffs, this Squire just has a really clean tone, and when I do need to adjust it, it is a quick change and I'm back to a little darker tone. Plus, the wammy just works amazing compared to some of the other guitars I've played in this price range. Very durable guitar.

Other than some string noise when I change frets (I've changed strings numerous of times. It gets better, but never goes completely away), there really isn't much about this guitar to complain about.

Nothings fallen apart yet! No cracks in the paint or tuning screw failures. Quality is good!

This would be a great guitar for the person graduating from the cheapy beginner guitar all the way to the jam-band guitarist. I'm glad I bought one.

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

Purchased last May from Musicians Friend for $99. It was a birthday gift for my twelve year old son who wanted to learn to play guitar.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that this little guitar was really quite good. After I bought it I started hearing horror stories about Asian made guitars, but I must have been lucky, this little guitar plays easy and has a good feel to the neck. The scaled down size is perfect for my son. And although the pickups are not high quality, it sounds pretty good. And, best of all, my son likes it and its small size and ease of use have encouraged him to continue to practice despite the frustrations that one encounters when learning any new instrument.

The strings that came on the Mini Strat were less than spectacular. A quick string change using a spare set of Super Bullets from my guitar case made a big difference. Also, the strap lugs work loose every now and then and have to be tightened up. The pickups hiss a bit more than I like, but overall they sound pretty good.

Despite the low price and poor reputation of Asian-made guitars, I found this to be well constructed and the fit and finish is very nice. All the bolts and screws are tight (although the strap lugs loosen up every now and then).

For a youngster of small stature who wants to learn to play electric guitar, it is hard to beat the Squire Mini Strat. It is fairly light, easy to handle and sounds good – oh, and its looks are pure Fender. Perfect for the aspiring rock star. You can find other scaled down guitars, but most are a disappointment. The Mini Strat is not a high quality instrument – but for the money, it delivers good tone, good construction and good value. I give it a 3 out of 5 because the reality is just that – this guitar isn't meant to be a 5. It is meant to be a scaled down strat copy for those who want a small electric guitar and for kids on their way to arena stardom. And it does so, admirably.

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

Small-scale neck
22-3/4" scale length
Three single-coil electronic pickups
Master volume and tone controls
Maple C-shaped neck
Rosewood fretboard
20 medium frets
Hard-tail 6-saddle bridge
60 cycle hum

UTILIZATION

This guitar...

I honestly don't have a lot of good to say about it. It's ok. It works, it plays notes. It's somewhat decent for a kid that wants to learn and has to have a Strat like his dad or mom or uncle. It's certainly a better choice than a First Act guitar from Walmart. But the Ibanez Mikro guitars can be had for a tad more, and with much, much better quality.

These Mini Strats suffer from crap tuning machines, a bad fret job, and terrible pickups that hum constantly. Also, the wood that the neck is made of seems to be much more affected by humidity and temperature changes than others.

SOUNDS

It sounds like a Strat. A bad, noisy Strat, but it still sounds Strat-like. It won't sustain forever, and it's not a studio-worthy instrument, but it does plug in and make sound. If that's your only requirement, this does it. It's a bland sound, but it functions. It's just not a good sound.

OVERALL OPINION

Again, it's a bland guitar. I love a lot of Fender products, and even a few Squier products, but this is not one of them. Please, if you're a parent looking to buy a kid his or her first guitar, consider the Ibanez Mikro series instead of these. They are much better quality guitars, and will keep the kid from getting discouraged better than this Strat will. If the kid MUST play a Hendrix guitar, or a Stevie Ray guitar, this will probably inspire them to pick it up more, because it is somewhat like their idols guitar. But this Strat is just a bit better than a First Act beginner guitar, and that's saying something.