Candy Apple Red Electric Guitar For Sale (2024 Update)

I couldn't be more happy with this guitar! It is solid and has great sound. I have a lot of electric guitars and this is my favorite by far! The curved neck makes this guitar so easy to play. Kramer hit this one out of the park!Christopher

I got the candy apple red Cyclone for Christmas 2021 and I'm deciding to review it after a week of owning and playing it. It has an incredibly beautiful finish, the red sparkles in the sunlight. The plastic covering on the pickguard came off easily, which is a plus. Overall, the guitar is very well made and is definitely above the typical Squire level. The Jaguar tone switch makes it easy to experiment with many different sounds and tones. Here are my personal cons: it's meant to be a grungey, garage-rock sounding guitar but I haven't found that sound yet. The Cyclone has 3 single coils which don't closely imitate a humbucking sound if that's what you're expecting. Other than that, the clean tones sound great. One other thing I don't particularly like is the gloss finish on the neck. It becomes uncomfortable to play for long periods of time if your hands get sweaty, and that's why I've found myself playing my other electric guitar that has a less glossy finish more often. To wrap up, I think the Cyclone will grow on me if I give it more time, I mean, I have only had it for a week. I'd recommend this guitar for intermediate players generally.Kayleigh

This is a stunning guitar. The Candy Apple red finish is deep and rich, and the pearloid pickguard really pops. But what I really love is the sound. It is absolutely *not* a Strat. This sounds more like a traditional Mustang with an extra pickup and lots of different tones. If you like jangle and chime, this is your guitar.Tommy

I'm not a great player but enjoy guitars and have a few. The box says, "Everything you need to start playing." That's true! Here's some detail: It's made in Indonesia, not China. The guitar is a beautiful candy apple red (limited edition – though "bullet Stratocasters" are available in other colors too) with a great paint job. Like most Stratocasters it has a contoured body, very comfortable unlike most squared off Telecaster bodies. The neck appears to have little to no finish on it but is very smooth and quite playable. The fret ends I'd describe as normal on a budget guitar, no sharp ends, but some weren't very smooth either. I noticed no high frets, and after fingering every fret on every string, no fret buzzing. It comes with a spare tremolo spring, tremolo arm, and two Allen wrenches one to adjust the truss rod, one for adjusting string height. Even came with 2 owner's manuals and 3 months of Fender Play online guitar lessons – which are great! The only thing I had to do was tune the guitar and it stays in tune pretty good during practice sessions. The pickup switch, tone and volume controls, and input jack were all fine. It came with what appeared to be a cheap Fender strap, but upon further inspection it's made of sturdy nylon with leather ends that were easy to install on the guitar. It's rather short, so I extended it as far as it would go, which was good enough for me, but if you're tall of play with a guitar hanging way down, it will be too short. It came with 3 Fender tortoise-shell-colored medium picks. Also came with a 10' (9' 10" is what I measured) Fender brand guitar cord. I think the cord is high quality. The amp is a Squier 10G which is the same as a Fender 10G, just with a different logo (I have a Fender 10G also). The amp cord is about 5' long, which is nice and better than the short cords on my Marshall MG15FX amps. The amp has a 6" speaker and provides 10 watts of power into 4 ohms. Most guitar speakers are 8 or 16 ohms, so it really is a small solid-state amp (would have 5 watts into an 8-ohm load). The size of the amp is amazingly small. It will take up less space than a pair of shoes in your closet, fit under your bed easily, in a backpack, school locker, etc. You'd think it wouldn't be able to produce any good sound because it's so small, but it's quite surprising. I own two to of these amps and smile/giggle every time I play them. I know one professional music school that uses only these amps for numerous students – it's all they need to learn to play in a small classroom. If I put the amp on volume 5 and the guitar on 5, it's plenty loud in a bedroom for practice (actually I prefer "4" on the guitar). If I put the amp volume on 8 and the guitar on 10 its way too loud and uncomfortable in a bedroom environment. The tone controls on the guitar when set from 1 to about 4 or 5 sound bad, horribly muddy. But from 5 up (mostly 8 to 10) it sounds good. Want to play "Sunshine of Your Love" and need a little "crunch?" Put the gain on 7 and push in the button to select the gain channel (it has clean and gain channels – it's so small you have to be careful not to knock the amp over when you push the button in) and voila' it has crunch and sounds better than you'd think! Will it sound like a Traditional Gibson Les Paul with Gibson "57" pups through a Marshall Origin 50 cranked or an American Fender Strat Ultra through a Fender Deluxe Reverb (tube one)? No, it won't, don't expect it too, but you won't be paying thousands for it either! Look at the price! All I can say is, WOW! For the money if you don't own any guitars at all, or if you're a curious collector like I am, I think it's an amazing value. The Affinity Strat packs are nice too!Nigel

I haven't had an electric guitar since I was a teenager and wanted an inexpensive one just to get back in the game. After reading many positive reviews and watching several videos on YouTube, I thought I would give it a chance, although I had very low expectations given the price point. Boy, was I right. This thing is junk! It will not hold tune even during the tuning process. By the time you get all 6 strings "tuned"…the first string is already flat. And don't even think about actually playing it in tune. It ain't happening. I hate that they call this a "beginner's" guitar. I'm sure many kids have completely given up on the guitar, as I did, because the lousy Chinese piece of wood with strings was just too frustrating to enjoy learning. Now, you could do what all the bloggers and Youtubers suggest and put another $300 worth of upgraded parts in this piece of junk to make it close to playable. Or, you could save yourself, and/or your child, the frustration and just pony up the money for a good guitar. Also, the amp in this kit is about as good as the backseat speaker in your grandmother's car. If there is anything good I can say about this guitar, it is a nice color and seems to be painted well. I wanted a white guitar to offset my black Yamaha APX600 acoustic. Which, by the way, is a much better guitar.GSW1

Played bass and electric guitar in high school, I recently retired, and got back into playing with an acoustic guitar about 4 years ago, and I wanted a electric guitar just for playing around. Strings were dirty, and some minor adjustments needed to be made, but overall a good guitar. As long as you remember it's not a $800.00 guitar and don't have any unrealistic expectations, and know how to do minor work on it, you'll be just fine with this, you can't beat the price.Anthony

Excellent guitar for the money……I originally purchased the Burgundy Mist 60s Stratocaster and liked it so much I also got the Classic Vibe 50s version. Since then I have picked up a second Classic Vibe 60s Stratocaster. I always heard nice things about these Squier guitars, but never really gave them a chance. I usually play my American Standard or Deluxe Stratocasters, and kind of looked down on these as cheaper copies. I recently purchased a Limited Edition American Vintage '65 Stratocaster in Burgundy Mist, but the Squier Classic Vibe 60s Stratocaster is more fun to play! I do prefer the sound of the 60s Classic Vibe over the 50s one……Not that the 50s is a bad choice, but it has the Alnico III Pickups, which are not as punchy as the Alnico V Pickups in the 60s version. These Squier Classic Vibes have an excellent fit and finish, unlike some other brands that offer cheaper alternatives. They are lightweight and balanced with a very solid feel. No cheap copy/imitation here! They have quickly become a favorite go to guitar for all genres of music.Laredo

Wow…people weren't kidding. This thing is a beast right out of the box. Fit and finish is what you'd expect on a Mexican Fender. I bought this for my 9 year old daughter….well, that's what I told my wife anyway. After playing it I might keep it for myself. I watched countless YouTube videos where folks go on and on about how great they were. After going on clearance I went ahead and pulled the trigger on a burgundy mist with matching headstock. They're quality guitars much nicer than my Squier II that I started with as a teenager in the mid-nineties. I will say I'm not crazy about the pickups, they're not terrible by any means but an experienced ear can tell they're lower quality. A set of Texas specials or even Tex-Mex pickups would turn the guitar into a absolute screamer. If I was gonna go that far I'd probably replace the dime sized volume and tone pots for good measure as well. That being said as far as a first guitar goes this is a beautiful place to start. It'd be a guitar that would be a joy to play for any level player. If you're an intermediate to experienced player this is a solid platform to modify and experiment with. They can be bought cheap enough that you can feel comfortable upgrading some of the budget appointments. Vintage frets feel nice, no sharp edges. They do cut corners here and there. The rosewood fretboard is laughably thin BUT had I not owned Mexican and American strats previously I probably would have never noticed. It's also pretty light bordering on too light but that can be an advantage for younger/smaller players. Overall though I'm thrilled with my purchase. **If you're a parent shopping for a budding guitarist pay the extra money. Nothing discourages a beginner guitarist like a guitar that is poorly set up and uncomfortable to play and I put a lot of the base model squiers into that category. If you're considering a Squier Starcaster with an amp in a box you're practically buying a throw away instrument.**JohnnyA

The guitar arrived with no tool kit or case candy, labels, etc. There was a piece of thread where a label should have been, but no label. I restrung it and tried for two days to get the tuning and intonation right, to no avail. (I have been playing a lot of years…not a beginner). Worst of all looking around the guitar there was a patch of, what appeared to be, dried blood. My conclusion was that this guitar had been sent out to someone else. They had possibly pricked a finger whilst stringing it, then realising it was badly made had returned it. When I ordered, PMT just sent the returned guitar out to me hence no label or tool kit. Like my review title says…very disapointed.Hugh C.

Incredible guitar in all respects. Plays very nicely. Plenty of volume, and killer tone. Built like a truck! Finish, and look are stellar! Light weight, and balanced. Great for rock, blues, and jazz! Neck is really nice! A simply super quality guitar thats worth every penny. Way above a starter guitar. Used for pro recording, and concerts. Fender has this one done right. If you want more tones, go the the 399 model, but this one is great, and versatile enough for me. Gets many comps from the crowd, and other musicians! Very original cool design!Jack

Best guitar I have ever owned! I play mainly in Drop A#, and this guitar intonates perfectly for low tunings. Amazing clarity in really heavy tunings. Fretboard is fantastic and very fast. I have never been a fan of EMG's, so I switched it out for a Seymour Duncan AHB-3 Blackout, and the sound improved a lot. Definitely recommend this guitar!Kevin

Excellent craftsmanship! The neck feels really great. Had no sharp fret ends and the satin finish is top notch. It came with a really nice set up and low action out of the box. Electronics are really decent to. Bridge pickup got a bit muddy with heavy distortion, but did well under a crunch setting. Middle and neck positions were buttery smooth with clear differences in tone. The 3-way switch is excellent quality as well, which is usually isn't the case. Wiring is great, but I opted to switch it out with Emerson wiring harness anyways. Overall, you can't beat this guitar. I bought a Vintera 60s Jazzmaster before this one and I would pick this Squier over the Vintera any day..Diego

I'll second the review that says he'll leave her stock. I do like it as is as well, and I also hear Strat/Teleish sounds out of this thing. I thought when buying it would be a heavy rock type guitar not so it's very fender single coil like w/ out the hum… nice! I will say the amp makes loads of difference tube vs solid state. It sounds great through a tube amp and mehh through the other. Had some fret buzz that needed adjusted out but other then that I like it. It's a good buy in either color I'd say.👍🏼🤘🏼✌🏼Brado

Overall: Always wanted a Nashville Tele but several things were stopping me from buying it. I could have made some mods myself but that kind of defeats the purpose of a new guitar. No bridge + neck pickup option was a biggie.No locking tuners. All my guitars have locking tuners. 3 saddles instead of 6 individual. I just prefer the 6 even for a Tele.No noiseless pickups. Now they've also done a couple of things I wasn't necessarily looking for but are nice addition. The rolled fingerboard edges are a really nice touch as well as the belly cut. Again, not expected but very nice additions especially since I can roll my own fingerboards but have never attempted my own belly cut on a Tele and probably wouldn't but they are really nice on my G&L's. For the not so great stuff. The neck had entirely too much relief in it but this was rectified with a truss rod adjustment. I did have to do a fret level, crown and polish. The guitar also had a bit of fret sprout and some sharp ends. I easily fixed these issues but would understand others might have to take it to their local tech for a fret job. After a little work on my part the guitar plays wonderfully. The neck is really comfortable. This is every bit as good a guitar as the US produced Fender's I have played recently. The sounds are exactly what you would and should expect from a Nashville Tele. Overall, this is a very well made guitar. Played 4 gigs with it over the New Year break and I gotta say, this is probably going to be right there onstage with my EBMM's. No, it's not as good as my Cutlass and LIII's but it doesn't need to be. I think this guitar is a great bargain and I'm pretty picky. Fender finally got the Nashville Tele right. It's really nice to see.Richie

What a absolutely beautiful instrument. I got mine surf green and the online pictures don't do it justice. Guitar arrived flawless and played great out of the box. Action seemed a little higher than I like, but still plays great with the vintage frets to my surprise. Definitely has that telecaster sound with very nice cleans and twang. Also hitting it with a tube screamer or distortion pedal it has a snarl. Playing through a PRRI, 78 SFDR and 67 Vibro Champ. The C shaped neck does seem slightly beefier than other C shapes on my AVRI strats, but I find it just as comfortable and a nice difference. Clay inlays look really good on the rosewood neck also. There is also a tint to the neck that's more than what was on the previous line of AVRI guitars but I think it looks good.Don

This telecaster is legendary. First, the noiseless pickups immediately distinguish this tele from others and result in ZERO hum and stays that way on all pickups. Second, the C-shape fretboard design makes for effortless phrasing. Third, this guitar is impressively light (much more so than my strat) and is therefore my go-to guitar for gigging. And I should add the unique color configuration makes this tele stand out from the rest. Apparently "Aged Candle Apple Red" is Fender's own thing. Finally, I should note that I run this guitar through my Marshall DSL40CR. The combination makes for great depth and a fullness that rivals my strat — including on clean tones. I'm very happy with this purchase and highly recommend it to anyone seeking a compliment to their rig (particularly if you have a strat and want to expand the universe of sounds).Chad the Bad

The perfect travel guitar, great for working out tunes, busking, small jams without having to set up or carry an amp but becomes an awesome guitar when you get that moment when you can plug into an amp…..just one thing tho, the supplied strings are not great and I'm not fused about the case either. Change the strings asap for a great sounding and improve playability. Enjoy.David S.

Nut made out of chewing gum. No adjustment available on the neck so unable to set neck relief. High E struggled to be heard over the other strings even when adjusted. Inbuilt speaker sounds like any other 9v practice amp… 50/50 good sounding/bad sounding. Short scale length a bit narrow for large handed players. Apart from all that.. if you were to spend some money and time on it sorting what you could and adding a few upgrades it would make a great grab and go guitar… they come in a great range of colours and are really fun… but out the box they are disappointing. Returned.Christopher