Squier Standard Stratocaster

The Squier Standard Series Strat is the company's typical Strat that you find at most stores. They retail at around $200 and are a popular starter guitar for many budding players. This particular model has an agathis body, a maple neck with maple fretboard and 22 frets, a large CBS style headstock, sealed tuners and a 2 point tremolo bridge. It's loaded with standard Strat electronics (3 single coils, volume/tone/tone controls and a 5 way toggle switch. It's basically a pretty standard Strat, hence the title of Standard Series Stratocaster.

UTILIZATION

The design is reasonably ergonomic. Strats in general are quite contoured and sleek and this one does follow that school of design well enough. I find the contours aren't as sleek and smooth as some Fender models though. The weight varies on these from fairly light to absolute boat anchors, so try before you buy to find one that suits your body. The neck has a nice fast feel, but is completely ruined by the sharp, protruding fret ends that actually drew a bit of blood on one occasion. Not good... I'm not particularly impressed with their QC on this model... it really lacks certain attention to detail.

Getting a good sound can be a bit more difficult as this guitar uses cheap electronics and is a bit noisy overall. The stock pickups are okay at best and don't offer much in the way of true Strat sounds. They're also too noisy to use for rock or shred unless you've got a good quality gate in line.

SOUNDS

The tones really don't impress me much. Maybe I'm just picky, or maybe the guitar truly doesn't sound great, but I walked away wondering why it was even on the market as a Strat. The single coils loaded in there as stock are thin, underpowered and generally bland. There's no real evidence of that classic Strat bell like chime that I look for, nor is there really any bite or girth to the sound for some thicker overdrive tones. To be perfectly honest, the $100 Squier Bullet sounds better than this one... so unless you want to do pickup swaps to get this to sound anywhere close to a Strat, don't waste your time.

OVERALL OPINION

All in all I think this "Strat" really isn't what it should be to hold the Fender name. It feels cheap and low quality, the parts really don't work as they should (the tremolo is awful cast metal that falls out of tune if you even look at it) and the tones are just... bleh. Not worth considering at all unless you're planning to buy it as a mod project where you do work to the neck and junk the parts that come stock. For $200 there are much better options out there such as the Yamaha Pacificas.

I used this while practicing in a garage band not too long ago. It was made in Japan, had 3 pickups, all of the stock configuration, with a volume and tone nob. My friend who owned the guitar said that the neck was maple, but I believe he bought that new.

UTILIZATION

The neck on the guitar originally was alright, but at times, felt pliable and brittle. The last frets were easy to access due to the style of the body. The guitar is well balanced and was not overly heavy or awkward shaped at all. The sound was alright, but could use a little tweaking, maybe new strings or some new pick ups.

SOUNDS

This guitar is suited for pretty much any style of music, as it only a beginners guitar, and with the right effects, can sound a lot better. I played it through a 15 watt old Kustom guitar amp, but my friend uses a Fender amp, and it sounds far better through the Fender amp. I use a clean chorus and a distorted chorus primarily, but switch to phase shifter and flanger from time to time. My favorite thing about this guitar is the price, but my least favorite part is the stock hardware, as it is very cheap.

OVERALL OPINION

I have used for about 2 months, and my friends used his for a year. The price is really what got us, but the hardware is horrible, and the pickups are pretty lame, but will get you by. I played on an Ibanez and an Epiphone but bought this as a lugging around guitar, as I didn't want to damage the others. For the price, this is a good guitar, but there are better out there, like the Epiphone Les Pauls or the Ibanez RGX20's are also better than the Squier guitars. I would probably just spend my money on a better Epiphone over one of these.

Mine is a very particular model of 1990 and t he made in USA very rare and therefore has some quivalant fender. it has 3 single microphones 2 adjustment of tonality and a master volume. it has a maple neck with rosewood fretboard 21 frets.

USE

The handle is very pleasant and is varnished so very convenient for slide. access to the treble is pretty good and the weight of the whole is very correct. the sound is excellent but fo that it was not the same on the new (moin good after me)

SONORITS

Perfect for rock blues metal quiet. I play with a Marshall MG30DFX the couple very well. all his sound good except very large distortion.

NOTICE GLOBAL

I tried a few other models mostly telecaster and stratocaster and I must say it is has good height and TV fender strat that costs all of even much more expensive.
I use it for about 5 years and is gnial for its price range even if it is more than a new one today (it is about 700 euro because it is very rare) with the experience I do not know if I would do this choice, but what is certain is that I never venderais.

- Manufacturing Japan, it must date from 1994 (Logo on the handle: Fender Squier big and small) around but has hardly been used by the previous owner. This is a Black Cherry Burst model I think (see attached photo found on the net) because I have not found it to AF.
- It is equipped with Floyd Rose II bridge that takes pretty good deal.
- The handle must be maple rosewood fingerboard. - The microphone set has been changed by a set EMG Steve Lukather it a little more modern guitar again.
- It has a 5-way switch, volume knob and a tone, which is not like the standard strats but it suits me very well.
- She has a gorgeous color that I love (see photo that is not mine, but it gives an idea)

UTILIZATION

- The neck is thin enough properly set it is very enjoyable to play, the finish is very good, no finished abnormally fret. Ergonomics is that of a standard strat, no more or less with the same access to acute.
- In tone with the EMG audio becomes slightly more crystalline, more acute in some cases too.

SOUNDS

Position 1: we have a good slamming his strat with a serious touch / midrange higher position 2. Position 2: we recover the typical sound and clear. Position 3: a more medium but used in some cases.
Position 3: I rarely use and I must say that I miss when looking fairly sound "country" (which may have on SSS models). Position 5: So the humbucker (EMG85) AC-blowing what to with mild or heavy distortion / saturation, compression as it should and little buzz.
I play on a rack eleven connected to an amp and cabinet Rocktron Velocity EVM12L.

OVERALL OPINION

This makes it a very versatile guitar but sounds closer to a Stratocaster anyway, making it a "super" strat! It may be less comfortable in his 60 'but is doing anyway with honors. It's not a guitar to 2000 euros but will do in 90% of cases. This is a good quality / price ratio nothing to do with what is happening now. I repeat that choice of course!