Squier Satin Trans Fat Stratocaster HH

My wife surprised me with it for my birthday, so I'm not sure on the price ('cause she's an excellent haggler), but I'm guessing around $225.00. I know she got it at Guitar Center.
After playing an acoustic for 25 years, I wanted to find a new challenge. (You just can't do 'Little Wing' justice on an acoustic.)
I originally was looking at a Telecaster, but decided a Strat offered more options. I tryed out a few different Strat models, and decided on the Fat Strat with the single humbucker, double single coil pick up arrangement.

I was going to buy a Fender. When I was trying out the different Strat models, I didn't notice that the Fat version I picked off of the wall was a Squire.
After playing a Fender Standard Strat, a Highway 1, and the Tom DeLonge model, I didn't see any immediate difference playabilty-wise between those and the Squire. Once I realized that it wasn't a Fender, and really compared them, I found the Squire to have a slightly flatter, and maybe narrower, fingerboard. Other than that, for all intents an purposes, the Squire and the Fenders are pretty much the same guitar. They feel the same, they play the same, but the Squire's a hundred and a half cheaper. Once I got mine, I tweaked the bridge a tad, but that was about it.

Choice of finishes (big woo). Mine's Shoreline Gold. I didn't want Black or Red; that left Gold (I wanted Sunburst, it doesn't come in the Fat version.)

Maybe I lucked out, but so far eveything's tight and solid. The Shoreline Gold finish is flawless.

I ain't no Stevie Ray, I don't 'gig'. I wail on my Strat in my basement, any audience is comprised of my wife, kids, and dogs.
I play well enough to qualify for, and appreciate, a fine instrument, but can't justify a grand for a guitar budget-wise.
The Squire fits the bill perfectly, I can (finally) do justice to 'Little Wing', and I didn't miss any mortgage payments.

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