Great Value!

I just got one of these Classic Vibe Strats from Squier after jonesin’ for a Stratocaster for a while. I used to have a ’62 reissue Fender Strat from the early ‘90’s (MIJ) that played better than any American-made strat I’ve played. I’m mostly a Les Paul guy, so I sold the Fender years ago and now I really miss it. This Squier Strat plays at least as good, with a smoother fretboard and a beautiful finish. Out of the box, I was surprised how low the action is – and with no buzzes. The frets are finished nicely and are all leveled perfectly. The neck is straight and the overall fit and finish are flawless. Well worth the money! Note that the thickness of the rosewood fretboard is much thinner than my old Fender’s was. The intonation on the upper frets is off a bit (nothing that can’t be fixed at the bridge) and it has difficulty staying in tune. The tuning issue may have something to do with the cheezy strings that came on it – or possibly the cheaply stamped tuning machines. Pickups sound okay with some great bluesy twang to it. The guitar sounds great unplugged, too. I’ll probably replace the tuners first, then perhaps the pots and caps, as those are also inferior. This guitar beats the pants off of the Mexican Fenders and in my experience is one of the best values in the guitar world!

awsome

I Have owned ALOT of guitars and Strats in particular and this little Stratocaster has build quality that rivals its Made in Mexico cousins! The amber gloss tint on the maple neck is absolutely gorgeous, many i have seen have subtle but visable flame in the maple, the alder body is very light weight with beautiful woodgrain shot in a vintage 3 tone sunburst (on 60's model) and the vintage style fender tuners really top it off! There are a few concerns though, as with any instrument.. The electronics are rather cheap with dime sized pots and thin sounding pickups on any setting, especially settings with moderate overdrive where the sound tends to become shrill and muddy even with boutique quality tube amplifiers. If the electronics are swapped out for quarter sized pots and your favorite single coils this guitar is a dead knockout in value! With very mild modifications this axe will be your go to instrument for years to come! Guaranteed! You will never put it down! My Gibson SG Standard had taken a back seat to this little beauty! Kudos Squier! I think you have gotten it right!

Wonderful!!

Im 70 years of age and have had Gibsons, Gretch and a couple of Fenders and one silvertone.
I saved the very best for last.
This is my first strat and Im in love again.
Out of the box it plays like a dream.

where the h3ll did this guitar come from?

Played on last weekend. Cant wait to own one. I sold all my gear about a year and a half ago and have been kicking myself for it.
The sales rep suggested this axe and I wont even consider another. Ive played for over 20 years and worked for a few years at a world reknown vintage string instruments store, have played strats that were priced at over five thousand bucks. I will never pay that much for a strat as long as fender keeps putting out guitars such as this. My styles range from bluesy to hard core metal. This axe handled everyting (as far as my taste goes)!!!
I cant believe they are under four hundred bones. now if only I can find an affordable orginal Plexi.

great feel

I picked this guitar up in a music store expecting to feel the same old sharp fret edges and poor quality neck. What I found was a guitar that had nicer smoother frets than the mexican made strats...and a neck that was just about perfection...
I did not buy the guitar today but I will buy one just as soon as I sell my other guitar.

Amazing guitar!

This is one fantastic guitar! The pick-ups are awesome, qulity is unbeleivable and sound is crystal clear! DO NOT be fooled by the Squier name because the quality is far beyond it's price. I think this Stratocaster is better then any guitar that is twice or triple the price of this guitar. If I were you, BUY THIS GUITAR!

Absolutely Pristine

I have been playing guitar over 30 years, and have owned a variety of electrics and acoustics. I am absolutely thrilled with my 60's classic vibe strat. Before I bought it I tested it against some Fender's - a standard (Mexican) Strat, a used Strat Plus with noiseless pickups, and an american standard. I played through a Fender Deluxe Reverb. In my opinion, the sound quality blew them all away - yes, including the American Standard. Why - crystal clarity - incredible bell-like tones that made some of the others sound - well - poor in comparison.

So where are the compromises - not the appearance, it looks stunning - I think the primary weakness is in tuning stability. Even there it is not bad - it tunes easily, but I may need to tune (adjust) more frequently - But for the sound quality and feel of the neck, who cares. For $300 this is the buy of the decade. I plan to buy some other classic vibe series guitars - the 50's Tele and the 60's Jazz Bass - I have played them both and am equally impressed.

GREAT GUITAR FOR THE PRICE

I LOVE EVERYTHING IN THIS GUITAR EXCEPT THE BRIDGE SADDLE.THE SADDLE LOOKS MODERN & NOT VINTAGE STYLE..SOUNDS GREAT,READY TO PLAY WITHOUT ADJUSTING THE ACTION,ITS ALREADY SET UP IN MOST OF THE GUITARIST PERSPECTIVE.I RECCOMMEND THIS GUITAR,FROM BEGINNER-PRO.

I love it!

I have had this guitar for about a month and have really fallen in love with it. It's my first strat, so I can only compare it to a Les Paul style Gretsch guitar that I've had for many years. It is light, but has beautiful tone. I spent a few hours setting it up of course, and experimenting with tension on the tremlo, using guidelines I found on Fender's website for setting up a strat with a tremlo.
The strings it came with were no good, so you won't get good sound until you replace them. The 5-way switch gave me alot of static in switching initially, but has improved. At this point, as a non-pro player who will use this guitar for occasional gigs, I see no need to replace anything on this guitar, although I probably will upgrade the pots and switch as a cheap way to wring a little more juice out of this axe. For the price you can't go wrong with this guitar. If your concerned about the name on the headstock just close your eyes when you play - it will sound excellent - and isn't that what counts?