marik
Refugee
so is a Squier Strat the biggest piece of junk you can play? i mean, it's thought of as pretty crappy right? any thoughts, opinions, comments, info about them?
Squier Strat question
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mikal
Blue Crack Addict
if you play in a band, you definitely don't want it as your main guitar. there are definitely worse guitars out there, though.
unosdostres14
Refugee
It's good for a first guitar if you just wanna learn how to play the guitar. In terms of being in a band and stuff, then you might want to get a better guitar just because they will sound better. Squier strats aren't total garbage tho.
marik
Refugee
is it really outta the question to be in a band with it? (ie. play gigs)
unosdostres14
Refugee
not really out of the question. It's an okay guitar but you won't get the sound quality of other guitars. That's all. It still creates sound when you play it. It's not like....they are unplayable in a band.
discothequeLP
Rock n' Roll Doggie FOB
i have one, and it's OK. the neck is really thin and there's no space between the strings. but the action is low and fast and the tone is almost as good as a mexican strat.
The new Strats made in Indonesia are pretty nice. I've had mine for about 10 months (my first guitar) and it's still holding out pretty well. The action is really nice, exept on the G-string, where it's too low and buzzes. Has nice tone. If I was in a band I'd want to have something quite a bit nicer though. Excellent guitar for beginners though
Shawn Bonneau
New Yorker
I use my SS for small rehearsals and song writing. Save the real axe for a show.
SMB
SMB
edge's girl
Acrobat
i have a squire strat, it's a good begining guitar and gives a decent tone but in terms of playing gigs it doesn't quite have the sound quality of more expensive guitars. however you could use it for playing gigs but if you want more versile guitar i'd suggest looking at something like a telecaster
marik
Refugee
what do you mean by a telecaster is more versile?
mikal
Blue Crack Addict
i actually tried out a squir telecast yesterday, and it sounded unbelievable. i was suprised. only $275. i may pick it up.
The new Squiers from Indonesia aren't bad actually, you could do much worse for the money. I'm not sure they're that much worse than some of the Mexi Fenders to be honest. The first series of Squiers made in Japan from the early 80s are collector's items now commanding very respectable money on eBay and the subsequent Korean models were pretty good too... so don't dismiss them totally.
Canadiens1131
ONE love, blood, life
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Honestly when buying my first guitar, I knew it had to be a Strat.
I was looking at the Squiers that were what, around 150 bucks. For 380ish, I got a 2003 Fender Stratocaster (Mexican, but the real thayng). The guitar plays wonderfully for gigs, is a great starting guitar because as my skills improved I didn't outgrow the guitar like I would have with a Squier.
Basically what I'm saying is if you have the choice, save up more and spend your money on a real guitar and not a paired down one from Squier, because if you buy a genuine Fender you will have a solid guitar to start out on, and when you move up to more expensive things, that first guitar of yours will still be good enough to serve as a backup for gigs for the rest of your life.
I was looking at the Squiers that were what, around 150 bucks. For 380ish, I got a 2003 Fender Stratocaster (Mexican, but the real thayng). The guitar plays wonderfully for gigs, is a great starting guitar because as my skills improved I didn't outgrow the guitar like I would have with a Squier.
Basically what I'm saying is if you have the choice, save up more and spend your money on a real guitar and not a paired down one from Squier, because if you buy a genuine Fender you will have a solid guitar to start out on, and when you move up to more expensive things, that first guitar of yours will still be good enough to serve as a backup for gigs for the rest of your life.
SWlondnr
The Fly
A strat is a brilliant guitar u thnk good value at that sort of money i'd think...i've used it for gigs before and it's been so reliable and the sound is quite good for a guitar and it allows to almost clone edge's sound in Vertigo and wtshnn, and it's very verstile and playable
marik
Refugee
how is a guitar verstile? please explain for me.
gareth brown
Rock n' Roll Doggie VIP PASS
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I actually did three or four concerts at school with a Squier strat...each and everyone fucked up. It wasn't the strat, but considering the thing's buggered already didn't help. The pick ups are all missing the screws since I opened it up...! So it's not really a guitar as much as it's a piece of shit...
SWlondnr
The Fly
well i played it at the concert and the sound was quite suprising how well it come out i wasn't expecting it to sound that well.
I've had mine for almost a year and i've played the thing to death everyday and there's nothing wrong with it.
But you must considering the quality regarding the price you're not exactly going to get a gibson sounding guitar at about £150. People expect to much these days.
I've had mine for almost a year and i've played the thing to death everyday and there's nothing wrong with it.
But you must considering the quality regarding the price you're not exactly going to get a gibson sounding guitar at about £150. People expect to much these days.
BB Mac
War Child
i have a silver series squire which i put 2 standard fender pick ups in it and a hotrail at bridge bought it in 1995 still my main guitar and anyone that has played it really liked it
if it stays and tune and the pick ups sound good and the neck is fine then your in the right direction ..and lastly its all about the playing
prince use to use a hohner telecaster maybe he still has it
the edge used a squire with the infinte sustain system
and daniel lanois used a squire but no doubt early 80s
or if you can get a silver series made in japan
BB Mac
if it stays and tune and the pick ups sound good and the neck is fine then your in the right direction ..and lastly its all about the playing
prince use to use a hohner telecaster maybe he still has it
the edge used a squire with the infinte sustain system
and daniel lanois used a squire but no doubt early 80s
or if you can get a silver series made in japan
BB Mac
marik
Refugee
serious, edge uses a squire? like the ones made by fender? i'm sure this is not his guitar with the infinite sustain (wowy), is it?!
SWlondnr
The Fly
Well if Egde thinks its good enough then it certainly is a decent guitar
guitarzan
Babyface
Actually there are 2 years that Fender made the Squire Protone series '96 and '97. Made in Korea in a few diff strat versions and at least one tele version. The strats are solid ash and actually fairly well made. I have a '97 Protone strat that is a very nice guitar, came factory with gold hardware, vintage style tremolo, and translucent red finish on the solid ash, looks really nice. and plays very well. These are comparable to a MIM deluxe strat and if you're lucky, you can find them occasionally on eBay for a song...I bought mine off eBay for about $200 and it looks absolutely brand new. And they are starting to become collector's items. Go to nocaster.com and look in the Fender forum to get more info.
schoo2
Babyface
actually edge did use a squire strat to produce his infinte sustain on with or without you. granted edge being edge i would think he and micheal brooke did a lot of work to that guitar to get it to sound right.
Only Alive
The Fly
I was quite impressed with the squier strat I picked up. I've since upgraded to a Fender Highway 1 strat, but I still play the squier from time to time.
-Nick
-Nick
gareth brown
Rock n' Roll Doggie VIP PASS
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get an 80's Japanese Squier...as good as a US Fender of the day!
Muad'zin
Refugee
Getting a real US made Fender strat is no guarantee either. I own one and its at the guitar buildert again for the 2nd time for the same problem. G string gets out of whack whenever I use the tremelo. On the other hand my made in Japan Fender strat is like the f***ing energizer bunny. It keeps on going, no problems whatsoever. No matter where you get them, some guitars will be good, some rubbish. So you could get lucky and get a good Squier strat. Mind you, you'd still have to replace the pick ups though at some point. Cheap pick ups will never produce a killer tone even if the rest of the guitar is good.
This winter I bought a Squier Standard Strat, and it's a great guitar. I already had a mexican Fender Strat, but I found the Squier was too good a deal to pass up. It had pickups with Alnico magnets (like the US made strats) and the body was made of alder (also like the US strats). It also has a two point tremolo (again like the US strats do). These days I think the Squier Standards are made of agathis instead of alder, though.
After having had both guitars for a couple of months, my conlusion was that the playability of the Squier was better than the MIM (Made In Mexico). So was the sound of the guitar. I can even use the tremolo on the Squier without the guitar going out of tune. The guitar itself is also more ressonant than the MIM. In the end I sold the MIM and kept the Squier and I haven't looked back.
I have been playing for 17 years and have played in a bunch of different bands over the years. I would NOT hesitate to gig with this Squier. It's a great guitar and great value for the money. And I love the big headstock
My point is, don't let anyone tell you that Squier guitars are not good enough for gigging. I'm not claiming that all Squiers are better than the mexican built Fender Strats, but in this case the Squier was the better guitar. Maybe I got lucky with this particular strat. I don't know. I tried a couple of different ones, and I didn't encounter any dogs or lemons. I don't know how the cheaper models (such as the Affinity) stacks up, but I have heard good things about them as well.
On a side note, the new Squiers are supposed to be built after the same blueprints as the US made strats. This means that parts for the US made strats should fit the Squiers as well. Indeed I did buy a black pickguard (made to fit a US strat) for my Squier and it fit perfectly. I didn't have to redrill a single hole.
Finally, off course you won't get Gibson Les Paul sounds from a Squier Strat. Les Pauls have different scale lengths, are made of different woods (mahogani and maple), and they have two humbuckers instead of three single coils. However, you will get great Strat sounds from a Squier Strat.
After having had both guitars for a couple of months, my conlusion was that the playability of the Squier was better than the MIM (Made In Mexico). So was the sound of the guitar. I can even use the tremolo on the Squier without the guitar going out of tune. The guitar itself is also more ressonant than the MIM. In the end I sold the MIM and kept the Squier and I haven't looked back.
I have been playing for 17 years and have played in a bunch of different bands over the years. I would NOT hesitate to gig with this Squier. It's a great guitar and great value for the money. And I love the big headstock
My point is, don't let anyone tell you that Squier guitars are not good enough for gigging. I'm not claiming that all Squiers are better than the mexican built Fender Strats, but in this case the Squier was the better guitar. Maybe I got lucky with this particular strat. I don't know. I tried a couple of different ones, and I didn't encounter any dogs or lemons. I don't know how the cheaper models (such as the Affinity) stacks up, but I have heard good things about them as well.
On a side note, the new Squiers are supposed to be built after the same blueprints as the US made strats. This means that parts for the US made strats should fit the Squiers as well. Indeed I did buy a black pickguard (made to fit a US strat) for my Squier and it fit perfectly. I didn't have to redrill a single hole.
Finally, off course you won't get Gibson Les Paul sounds from a Squier Strat. Les Pauls have different scale lengths, are made of different woods (mahogani and maple), and they have two humbuckers instead of three single coils. However, you will get great Strat sounds from a Squier Strat.
nickypiemcg
The Fly
IrishDawg said:
Why don't you take it into a store with a guitar tech and get it set up? That would sort out the buzzing.
nickypiemcg
The Fly
Using the Squier strat for gigs is fine. Anybody that tells you you can't use it is talking rubbish quite frankly. OK so it might not sound as good as a Standard Strat but do you really think an audience is going to notice, to be honest I bet half the people who have replied here wouldn't be able to tell the difference if blindfolded. I had one for years and it was fine. Alot of guitarists (I'm not slagging anyone here by the way) get kind of snobby about equipment but you just have to ignore that. Music is not about not being able to play gigs unless you have the best equipment. So much of what is a "better sound" just comes down to personal preference it is not that one guitar sounds good and another sounds bad. Good luck!
