Pignose Stratocaster Electric Guitar For Sale (2024 Update)

besides the weird booming sound coming from the amp when strumming, and the guitar constantly being out of tune. i would suggest this to a friend when starting out. however if you have more prior experience, get a better guitar and amp than this one. other than that, the price is somewhat equal to the quality of the guitar.thao

…so I purchased this as an alternative to my acoustic guitar. The 1st thing I noticed is how light it was. The maple neck was a different feel and gave me more accessibility to the frets. Once I got the guitar in tune I was surprised how nice it sounds. The amp is not the best, but if you don't have one, you won't notice. Overall I like this guitar. Thank you Fender for making an affordable electric guitar. I would get this again for a beginner. As I progress, this guitar is pushing me to upgrade to another Fender. It's that good. I have a lot of fun with this G-tar.No name

I have always been pleasantly surprised at the quality of these cheaper Squier Affinity and other similarly priced Squier guitars. I have played Squiers for decades, including jazz basses, Teles, and of course this Stratocaster. It plays as well as a guitar can play. It looks absolutely gorgeous. It sounds like any much higher priced Strats and the humbucker is a great go-to for playing leads without having to have a pedal boost or having to go to the amp controls for boost. It set up as well as any Fender I have worked on and I have worked on quite a few over the years. I would not hesitate to use this guitar on any stage or in any studio production. The frets needed no top or side dressing and no leveling.bobvarns

I am stunned.Been playing for 22 years. I need another guitar like I need a hole in the head. This was a condition 3 scratch and dent and I was leery given the reviews out there on condition 3. But I couldn't resist taking a chance at almost 50% discount. Been wanting a sunburst strat but something different than the standard burst.The antique burst was the ticket. Gorgeous finish. Thing is, I can't find any flaws! Just one small knot in the back of the neck at 7th fret but it plays great. Low action, no buzz. Some complain that these alnico 5 pick ups are too bright. Not this set. Very warm, mellow and blusey. I think the pu's in the 50's classic vibe are much brighter sounding. Sounds very much like the duncan designed sc 101's in my squier vintage modified strat. I have a candy red standard squier strat and those pickups do sound bright. This neck is a little chunkier than the candy red standard, more like the vintage modified w/o the high gloss finish. Very comfortable. I would not be disappointed had I payed the full price on this instrument. And would replace it if stolen. Very nice guitar.Timex

I bought this "for parts not working" but was able to repair it in a flash, & besides the slight damage, it was brand new. This is one of the more pricey Squier strats, top of the line. Still, I was a bit disappointed that it was neither stained nor lacquered–which is the case for most inexpensive Fender makes these days. So I stained it and shellacked it myself, looks cool. The wood grain body is totally outa sight, with a reddish swirl tint both front and back I've rarely seen. I'm tempted to replace the pickguard (just to make it different), but anything I do to this guitar will de-value it, so I'm leaving it completely stock. It appears just as good as any Mexican Fender, except for the neck which isn't quite as smooth at the back. I wish there had different pickguard choices from the factory, like pearlescent, but this is a good guitar to grab with a coupon or if on sale. Use caution not to mistake it for the similar, much lower priced Squier that's also sunburst, with tortoise shell but not the rich red swirl. They are night and day. Kudos.danle6819

I have been a musician well over 50yrs. and, have owned and played many guitars of all brands. This particular Strat just blew me away! I picked this up on a Black Friday deal and, it was sweet. MF always seems to come through with a good deal at just the right time. I have owned several Fender Strats MIA, MIM, and Squier, and, this one is really a Great Guitar. Granted it is not an American model and, does have a few limitations but, the value of this instrument can't be beat! Truthfully in the Squier line you need to move up from the bullet and, the Affinity to this model Standard then good things will happen. This instrument required very little setup. Set the action and, no fret buzz, adjusted the trem just a little, intonation was spot on, stretched the strings and, retuned 3 times, put a little No.2 lead pencil lead in the nut grooves, Left the truss alone and, plugged it in to my Fender Twin and, cut her loose—Perfection. Squier has really stepped up their quality and, the color on this instrument has to be seen in person to be appreciated! It is Beautiful !!! I just really can't say enough about this guitar so I'll just suggest that you check one out and, see for yourself. All the good and, positive reviews should tell you something.terrygh

I was pretty impressed with this little guitar. I bought some I could learn how to install pickups, do light fret work, and luthier type stuff. However, I found this guitar already had really nice frets and good sounding pickups. So, I just swapped out the saddles and the tuners…this guitar is great now! For the money, it's well worth the price!Shane

I started looking for a “real” Strat with Fender on the headstock. My budget would work with a Player Series Strat so i started doing my research. The first couple I played weren’t overly impressive, the necks didn’t feel great and the switch & pots felt just like the Squier guitars I had. I saw a couple Squier CV models but I was determined to have the name Fender on my next guitar. I finally picked one up and was blown away! I loved it so I checked the specs and tried another CV and came away impressed. That night I placed my order with AMS, used their payment plan and a couple days later had one of my own. My other guitars are not seeing much use these days – just too fun and easy to play my real Strat! Thanks Squier/Fender.BigBuzz

Sound: If you're looking for the Strat sound this will obviously work. Features: I'm impressed with the quality of it. It stays in tune and it came perfectly set up right out of the box. Ease of Use: It is not playable at all for me. This guitar would be much better suited for a small guy or a female. Certainly not for somebody with big hands. Quality: I managed to get a good look at the pickguard when I dropped a Seymour Duncan JB Jr pickup in the bridge position. Everything looked good. My only complaint is that the output jack was loose. Value: Yes, but I wouldn't pay more. Manufacturer Support: N/A The Wow Factor: I got it because I wanted to have a lefty Strat. I had planned on painting it and making modifications to it anyway but the neck is too thin and it's unplayable. Overall: The checkout, delivery and everything with the zZounds went fine. But be warned that this has a VERY thin neck and every time I play it, it makes my hand hurt so I have to set it back down after two minutes.Craig

Having previously purchased a lemon drop second hand I was impressed with the vintage brand. I've previously owned custom shop guitars by Fender and Gibson so have perspective on how "good ones" should sound. The v6 was ordered from Richard as I enjoyed his YouTube videos and liked the thought of the guitar being essentially hand picked and set up prior to delivery. Richards pricing is not the cheapest but it does ensure that the guitar you receive plays as well as it possibly can. The guitar itself arrived in tune, set up to my specifications with a blocked trem and 10 gauge strings. The finish was flawless and the fact vintage spec the correct woods for these guitars (alder and maple) really sold me. It has a full size tremblock, bent steel saddles and sounds like a good strat should. The Wilkinson pickups in the lemon drop where excellent paf approximations and the single coils are no exception. Plus the bridge is wired to the second tone pot which is something I always do as I tend to roll off the treble when soloing. The guitar is also very light and can be played comfortably for hours. Packing was top notch. Double boxed. Comms excellent and I would wholeheartedly recommend purchasing from Richard again. In fact I have Gas for a Eastman Les Paul in 2020😊Matt S.

If you've ever put a guitar together from after market parts, even 2nd hand, its doesn't take long to rack up an expense. For Richard to offer this guitar for £287 with a full setup is quite extraordinarily extraordinary. The QC on this one is exceptional from Vintage and despite thorough inspection I cannot find any flaws at all. It is a very lightweight guitar, slightly neck heavy, so I'd recommend purchasing a good quality leather strap to prevent slippage. The highlight of the VS6 would be the neck which is a wide C profile and very enjoyable to play. The setup from Richard again is exceptional and you really have to applaud the effort invested making these very affordable guitars so playable. On that note, I would also recommend that these are perfect guitars to learn some basic setup skills on; though very well setup I have made small adjustments as can be expected as you break a guitar in. All in all, a great value guitar which Richard and his team have helped punch well above its weight.Jordan T.

I can't speak highly enough of my experience with Richards Guitars. The guitar itself is great value for money. Highly playable and light-weight. Lovely finish, and great to look at, which is saying something, as I've never been into 'road-worn' finish, generally speaking… The instrument feels great in the hand, and it's been played every day since I got it 🙂 The setup on the guitar was spot-on too, so I couldn't be happier. Richard (and team) agreed to have the guitar ready and delivered in a pretty tight time-window too, and it was right on time, which was greatly appreciated. Last but not least, I needed the exact dimensions of the guitar in a pinch. Richard answered the phone and got the measurement for me while I waited. Quality 🙂Tim C.

I got one of these in the Burgundy Mist color. It's a beautiful guitar! I was very interested in a Strat-style guitar with only humbuckers. I must say, that for the price, the pickups sound very good. I'm guessing swapping them out for Seymour Duncans or DiMarzios would be an improvement, but probably not a big one. So I'll keep the stock pickups. Unfortunately, out of the box, the action was WAY too high, the intonation wasn't even close and the tuners were unreliable, at best. I ended up getting a pro setup and swapping out the tuners for Fender locking tuners. That cost another $180. So the total price of this guitar ended up being around $460. But it's still a pretty good deal, compared to what you'd pay for a Fender version of this (around $1,900). This guitar, with the new locking tuners and pro setup, plays and sound very nice.Russell

The guitar I purchased passed my own multi-point inspection (weight, neck joint tightness with no gaps, action, vibrato functionality, smoothness, etc) with a much better subjective score than all the other much more expensive guitars that I had been auditioning for months and months before deciding what to buy, including some from prestigious brands . Not a fan of high output humbuckers, tonally, therefore I was already foreseeing changing pickups and pots/electronics any way. Tuners will also be upgraded. Regardless, this is an excellent chassis from which to build an excellent guitar that really works, and this is very cost-effective. To me this is much, much better than buying a vintage or boutique guitar, no matter the model, that is going to be undeniably overpriced simply because it unavoidably will need to be changed to suit my taste in different areas. Must say that I am not the typical guitarist who is constantly changing components due to perpetual dissatisfaction, but I know very well what I want in an electric guitar, long before i begin shopping for it. The Stratocaster is the best design for this approach.Sonic Alchemist

Pretty great guitar overall, especially for the price. The only issue I've had is some ringing on the G string when muting after strumming forcefully. It seems to be happening because of the angle of the strings going from the nut to the pegs, which is preventing the string from muting properly in that region. Changing the strings might fix it, but I just tied a ribbon around the G string upwards of the nut to attenuate the vibration. I have no idea how widespread this issue is though, so I might've gotten unlucky.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

1 month review with guitar being setup professionally: Great pickups and tone and overall good sounding guitar after a proper setup, gorgeous nitro finish and paintjob. Relic effects are beautiful. The nitro finish feels thin enough for you to eventually make your own marks from repeated playing – a perfect way to tell a story and give the guitar character. Worn in neck feels amazing to play and not sticky to touch. Worth noting that the Pure Vintage 59 pickups on these don't have a reverse-wound middle pick, so there will be hum including positions 2 and 4. If you are easily annoyed with single coil hum, these pickups might not be for you. Also worth noting that these pickups do sound a bit warmer than a stock Fender Player pickups. These respond so MUCH better to high gain type of playing, all while still sounding amazing on low-gain and clean playing. Despite the pros, there are still some areas are lacking and needs improvement. The guitar had razor sharp frets along the binding that could easily cut you, meanwhile I have a $700 MIM fender player didn't have this problem straight out of the box. It's crazy to think that $700 guitar went through better QA than a $1200 guitar, but whatever, the frets are bound to be polished and worked on anyway with your initial setup regardless. CME's shipping page policies say "Every guitar gets a full inspection, as well as basic setup." Guitar came with an inspection card that had overall playability specs checked but some of it was questionable. The guitar was not playable at all out of the box despite letting it acclimate for over a day before opening BUT that is a given considering it spent time in a delivery truck trunk in freezing winter. However, it was a bit bogus how they even checked off volume output when the pickups were NOWEHERE near the appropriate height out of the box and there was BARELY any audible output on the treble side of the guitar. I highly doubt weather and temperature fluctuation will make the pickup screws spin by themselves to the degree at which the pickups came out of the box. Secondly, the tremolo springs at the back also weren't ******* in the appropriate depth for a either a floating or flushed trem setup – it was just sort of in the middle of the cavity. Weather fluctuation from their shop and may have affected string tension, but I also don't think it would make the claw springs in the back unscrew themselves to the degree the guitar came. Makes me wonder how thorough the inspection was. These might not matter as much to some especially those who will get their new guitars setup anyway, but it's good to note that you may still need to budget for a setup if you aren't doing it yourself. Although there could've been improvements on Fender and CME's part that I don't think could be blamed on external factors such as weather and climate fluctuations, overall, I would still 100% recommend this guitar, and it's a gem. The guitar played well after a proper setup, so I'm happy with it now. The price may be too expensive for some considering it's not made in USA, but it must be considered that this is the cheapest proper nitro-finish guitar you will currently find. The next best thing are Fender custom shop, so this guitar is perfect for those looking to enjoy vintage style paint/nitro body finish, and vintage specs without paying custom shop prices. The appearances are just a plus, since they sound and play amazing after a proper set up.Carlos T.

I've been playing for a little while, I rehearse with my band once/twice a week so my guitars definitely get played quite a bit, I've preferred Stratocasters from an early age. The shape is legendary and the tone is versatile. I own Chinese, Japanese, U.S. and Mexican Strats. This one is very comparable to my American Professional Stratocaster, the neck profile, the weight and intonation. Electronics are great, single coils produce a sweet twangy clean tone and the humbucker roars really nice with the right amount of gain/distortion. Makes it a very comfortable instrument that plays as easy as mantequilla on a hot tortilla. Only issue, (hence the 'almost comparable to MIA strats comment in the headline) are the frets… They are a little bit on the sharp side, I'm guessing it comes down to a player's preference? A competent luthier can dress the fret ends and make this one a real player/main axe. Other than the sharp frets, everything else is pretty solid and straight, the vatos down in Ensenada MX do great work producing these!Benjamin

So my story goes like this, I flew into Portland Oregon for work and immediately drove from the airport to Guitar Center. Upon walking in, someone was shredding on a guitar and it went on for a good 10 minutes. The guitar he was playing was the Candy Red Burst Fender Stratocaster Player Series. After he was done, I grabbed it and saw why he played it so long. It felt just solid in the hands. The strings, fret board and neck were silky smooth; Super easy to glide up and down with no fret buzz. The pickups are all Fender Player Stratocaster series which I have had no issue with and perform great out of the box. Also, just holding the guitar is a treat in the hands. It's a beautiful guitar. The Candy Red Burst has a very high functioning coat that gives a deep black fade anyway you turn it. It also fit my bill for something to remember Oregon by since the guitar is a deep Rose Red and Portland is know as the City of Roses.The Pau Ferro fingerboard is also eye candy as it has black veins that run through the grain matching the black hardware of the guitar. Other then that, I have had this guitar for 5 months as of this review and absolutely love it. The guitar holds its tune very well I enjoy playing it every time. Wait, you still reading this? Go get one already!Allan

I bought my black metallic Squier Bullet eight years ago when GC was having a Columbus Day sale. I was looking for a guitar to which I could permanently mount my Roland GR-33 guitar synth's GK2a pickup. Previously I had the pickup mounted on my '96 Strat, and I didn't like this fit because I couldn't close my Strat's case with the pickup installed. I have a gig bag for this Squier, and it fits fine in the bag with pickup installed. Anyway, about the guitar. Right out of the box, it played great, requiring only a minimal amount of action adjustment. I was surprised at how good the pickups sounded, it being a Bullet and all. But the humbucker sounds especially nice when playing the guitar through my Marshall. The neck pickup has a decent sound, but not quite up to the snuff of a good alnico pickup. Still, for what the guitar cost, I really can't complain. If I want to, at some later date, I can always change out the neck pickup to a better alnico model. One thing I especially like about this black Bullet is its looks. The photos here at GC don't show it off all that well, but the guitar body's finish is metallic and the pickguard is a heavy metal flake. It looks spectacular under the lights. And the black hardware does a great job of completing that black look. The Bullet's body is thinner than a typical Strat or Squier Affinity or Classic Vibe body. The result is a light weight guitar, but there is no sacrifice in tone.Michael

Purchased the Squier Affinity Telecaster from local GC store. They had this and a bullet in stock. I chose the Affinity due to the overall feel and fret ends we're more smooth. For a sub 250ish price guitar you cannot expect it to play like a 1000+ price guitar and I totally get that. Now I did expect it to at least stay in tune. One thing to add however is I am uncertain how long this particular guitar had been in stock. Now after a few hours of playing I noticed I could not get this guitar to intonate. No matter what I did the low e and a string always sounded sharp. I ended up replacing the stock tuners with locking tuners, cleaned the fretboard, gently filed and lubricated the nut, and replaced the strings with Ernie ball 9's. Now she is in tune, intonation was a breeze and she stays in tune. Sounds like a whole new guitar.Steven

My teacher set this up at practice and declared it one of the best Strats he has ever played and he owns 4. He loved the neck, pickups, tone. From a distance it looks OK but up close the finish appears to have been heated and put in a freezer. The finish fracture is worse up close with thousand of spider web, broken glass specs which could not be photographed. Sounds amazing but I prefer NOS.William

All right… First, I have to thank Brad at Musicians Friend for seeing this purchase thru, for me obtaining a true Time Machine. In 1958, I would have been 9 years old, but I was already listening to Rock and Roll music on the AM radio, here in the San Francisco Bay Area(KEWB). If my parents would have given me this guitar, I know I would still have it, and now I do. I'm not a big lead player, so, I'm content to be the rhythm guy in the band. Not a problem. This guitar is Aztec Gold, but the Custom Shop aged it to Perfection. When I hold it, and play thru my Bassman Re-Issue, my mind goes now where no other guitar in my Collection can take me. I've noticed that there aren't too many reviews on these high-end axes because maybe their minds are blown by how good they feel, or they're too busy jammin' to write a review. I don't know. But this I do know, these Relics, from 50-odd years ago, will get you thinkin' about what your life would have been like IF you had one in Grade School, and how your life would have changed. Just a note: Leo Fender started making the Esquire when I was born, so maybe I feel like I'm in a parallel universe with the solid body guitar in California. So, if you think you can afford one of these Relics, pick a year, and get one that you like from the looks, and I think you'll be on your way to a totally different place when you plug in…..Hope this helps.John out by the Golden Gate Brid

Guitar arrived quickly and double boxed as a guitar off this level should be. As I tuned it up I noticed that the bridge was pulling way up, like it was never tightened to where it should be for a playable set up. So I looked down the neck and saw that the low E side appears to have more relief than the high e side, such a let down.. The nut was cut just enough to hold strings. Due to that poorly cut nut, strings.were really far from first fret So even though I already wasn't going to keep it, I plugged it in and WoW! This strat has just enough glass in the highs and still has grunt with a little drive. I'm not sure how it does both, but despite how poorly it played, it sounds incredible! If the neck wasn't twisted and it had even a decent set up, I would keep this guitar forever.D

I bought the Honey Burst because I didn't have a burst and honestly not a big fan of "bursts." But when I saw this honey, and it lacking a really dark edge like most bursts do I decided to play it. Sounded fantastic, played so sweetly, just as fine as my Miami Blue American Pro II, and my American Showcase. Don't spend the extra money on one of those if you're on a budget, tryin to save some money, but want USA made, this performer stacks right up with them, you won't be missing much if anything. I uploaded a YT vid, its my American Showcase, In the process of making a vid of this Performer, like sub and stay tuned! If you mention this review and leave a link to on of your vids I will reciprocate!CHARLES

Manufacturer Support: Did not contact manufacturer. Overall: I just got done demoing the floor model at my local big box store and I have to same I'm really impressed. For comparison, my main Strat is an American Special with three single coil Texas Special pickups and the new Yosemite pickups and the Doubletap humbucker have a lot more output. I used a floor model Boss Katana amp (distortion) as well as a Marshall amp (clean). The Doubletap humbucker sounds great with light to heavy distortion. Even with max distortion, it is very clear and pronounced and I was able to distinguish all the notes being played without it sounding muddy (first position and coil split off.) The second position (coil split off) sounds amazing. Even with heavy distortion, I was able to get some great sounding blues solos with the first and second position. With positions three, four and five, I was able to get those classic Strat tones that everyone loves. Going from humbucker to the single coil via coil split, the pickup still seemed to have a higher output than the Texas Specials. Just to make sure it wasn't the coil split, I also demoed the traditional three single coil setup and still, they seemed very hot. I played the opening riff and the solo to Paranoid and was very happy by the sounds the guitar made but the clean sounds are what really sold me. I played various chords (major, minor, 7th, different positions, coil split on/off, etc.) and was not disappointed at all by what I heard. To me, it sounds very different from any other Strat I've played. I use my current Strat as an all round guitar but that's soon to change. The finish is satin and for those who haven't played a guitar with a satin finish, the finish may feel a little rough as if it needs to be sanded but it doesn't. I prefer a gloss finish myself but that aspect can be easily overlooked if you want an amazing sounding guitar.Russell

Tim Shaw double tap humbucker with yosemite pickups great combo! Covers a wide range. The humbucker in the bridge gives you that fat extra distortion. And when you want that single coil sound pull up on the tone knob and split the coils. Well balanced. Plus you can still get that Sweet Home Alabama sound in position 2 with the HB in single coil mode ! Yosemite Pu's have classic Strat tone in clean channel. The rosewood neck plays and feels good. Came set up out of the box. Fender did a nice job on their Performer Series. Definitely worthy. Kudos!Mikeb

I've owned several Strats over the years, including a 1968 (my first real guitar) and a Custom shop with Ibarra pickups. The Eric Johnson is as good or better for me than any of them. I play mainly blues-based classic rock, Hendrix, Clapton, Zeppelin, Beatles, etc. I've had this white-blonde with maple fingerboard for a little over two months at this writing. The larger-than-usual neck is outstanding–much like a Custom shop. Although the 12" radius isn't as comfortable for chording as the standard, rounder 9.5", it provides a more consistent feel for fast playing, runs, etc., imo, because my fingers don't need to adjust to the larger curvature. It's like a classical guitar in that respect. The pickups with their staggered pole pieces sound lovely–almost vintage sounding with loads of classic character. The neck position is honky, midrangy, not smooth like normal Strats, so it cuts. Where I might have preferred the neck position on other Strats, I prefer the 4th position on this one, which has the fat smoothness appropriate for mellower rock rhythm or fills. The middle pickup (without tone control) is louder, and a great go-to for a quick volume and tone change for solos. 2nd position is quacky and biting, great for distorted solos that cut, and the 1st (bridge) position is good for higher gain leads (with the tone rolled back a bit) or for twangy country licks. I've never much liked the bridge pickup on Strats, but this one is less harsh than usual, and with the tone rolled back to 5 or 6 is definitely usable. I'm leaving the tremolo with five springs on, flat to the body for tuning stability; but I do miss being able to whammy in both directions rather than just downward. The staggered tuners undoubtedly help maintain tension, and a bounce on the whammy bar resets intonation pretty well, though not perfectly (this could be due to other factors such as the nut, string gauge, etc.), so I don't use it much. I'm using NYXL9544 (the 9.5 "half-size" gauge).Tanuki

Very nice guitar that is era correct. Has flash coat nitrocellulose finish like original 50's strats that is thinner than other model ej strats. Even has correct '54 patent pending stamped saddles and smoothed headstock corners. These are slightly heavier than alder body EJ strats and doesn't have as deep of contours but is correct for '54 models. Neck is dead on with '54 profile, very slightly larger than previous models. It is listed that it has quarter sawn neck but mine isn't, it is more between flat and rift sawn like original '54. You can tell that fender went through some effort, likely from ej's request, to make these as close as possible to original'54 specs. Only non '54 items are pickups and Bakelite knobs but "Virginia" had these changed out.N. Collins

Beautiful white blonde finish, silky smooth neck finish. The soft V is quite round and is a robust neck, but the V keeps it from being ball bat. If you really like the "Modern C" you may find the neck a little large. It's certainly comfortable to play, and I like it a great deal, even though most of my other guitars are modern C's or similar. So, maybe you won't. I've found that I like larger necks more the longer I play, and the resonance of this neck is just a great feeling. Hard to explain, but it seems more alive than most strats I've played. Some folks have found the neck sticky, but I didn't think that at all. Plays amazing right out of the gate. Intonation was perfect out of the box and setup was just fine, although I may play with it a little for my personal preferences. Tuning stability is good. Came with all of the springs installed on the bridge, so the trem bar was not even usable, but with one spring removed, it allows the trem to be functional while still keeping the bridge hard against the body for better resonance and stability. Pickups are amazing. I have some strats with Texas specials and I've had just about every pickup out there, but these are just perfect. Sounds like a strat should sound, and the "in-between" positions are more usable and pleasing that on any other strat I've ever played. Volume knob reacts perfectly and really changes presence and drive in a predictable fashion. Break up is sweet, and can get quite crunchy on the bidge. Neck is just a perfect blues tone with lots of options to shape character with volume and tone. The treeless headstock is nice…I've had better tuning stability for my plain strings than other strats, and I didn't find the plain strings dead or lacking in any way. This is certainly my new favorite guitar. I don't really know how much having no trem pocket cover on the back of the guitar helps tone, and it kind of looks unfinished without it, but I don't know that I'll bother to add one. Case is great, also.DJ

Just love it. This is the perfect guitar for me. The quality is excellent. The sound is amazing. The neck and feel of the guitar is possibly the best that ive come across. Oh, and it looks good too, a vintage vibe. Fender Strat USA Jeff Beck model. Enough said.Damien T.

I honestly feel that the Jeff Beck Stratocaster is the best value guitar that Fender offers today. For just a couple hundred dollars more than an American Professional Stratocaster you get an upgraded, hot rodded, American made Stratocaster second to none! Anyone that knows the history of the Jeff Beck Signature Stratocaster knows that it inspired the Stratocaster Plus of the late 1980s. Roller nut, locking tuners, cutaway heel, noiseless pickups, tweed hardshell case, and American made for just a little more than the American Pro?! Duh! Despite all the upgraded "value" I keep going on about, the Jeff Beck Signature Stratocaster plays great! My model needed slight tuning straight out of the box but the action and intonation was perfect. Remember, these are standard production line guitars, not Custom Shop pieces. Whoever is doing the assembly and final setup of these guitars really takes pride in their work! I highly recommend this guitar regardless of your opinion of Jeff Beck. Jeff Beck happens to be my favorite guitar player and I always wanted a white Stratocaster with a rosewood fingerboard like the one he plays and was on the cover of the Wired album. This is the first Signature guitar I have ever bought and I could not be happier.Ty

I have wanted an American made Strat for the longest. Not just any American Strat, but The One built to my specs from the looks right down to the pots and of course the feel and sustain. This is it and AMS made it easy and in reach just as they've helped me to make other musical dreams to come true! This guitar feels great, sounds amazing, beyond my hopes & expectations, and even the price tag was a pleasant surprise! Tech has come a long way, but in a lot of ways we've lost craftsmanship. Well, not out of Corona California. Crisp tones, nuanced variation, and that wonderful Fender sustain! I have some other expensive guitars, which I love, but at under their price point the Professional II is going to be a close lifetime friend. If you are looking at these and don't need boutique trimming of the Ultra line or the royal treatment of the Custom Shop, look no further and pay no more. Strat-Halla is right here at a reasonable price point for a heritage worthy instrument. I won't waste time going over the specs. It's all here. Get acquainted with your new best friend!Pete

This is my second American Stratocaster. My first is from 2007 and it has a rosewood fretboard. I wanted a maple neck strat as well. I bought the Miami blue version and love it. To me, Strats are each very unique in the way they play and sound. My other Strat has Dimarzio Area pickups in it (which I love), so I’m having to get used to the stock single coils. I love the bridge, but to my ears the neck pickup it too muddy. The trem system is good, and the overall construction is good. I had to re set it up because I use heavier strings. I may end up changing pickups before it’s all said and done. Only time will tell. I wish Fender would have put Locking tuners on from factory! That’s a must for me.Justin

I purchased this guitar about 3 weeks ago (working with Zach), it has quickly become my favorite guitar I own. The full rosewood neck is incredibly smooth and the the deep C shape is extremely comfortable. I mostly play through a Helix Stomp and have been really happy with the sound and tone variability I can get with it using the various pickup selections especially with the push/push for adding the top pickup to the mix for positions 1 and 2. The pictures in the listing look great, but it looks much better in person. The pictures have a lot of light which makes the blue appear lighter than it would in a normal room. The picture where the guitar is positioned in the case is a great representation of the color in a normally lit room.Kevin

I was initially a little disappointed, the neck seemed really “dry” and not pleasant to use, the frets were really rough and scratchy and there was an audible “ping” every time I bent the the 1st and second strings. I oiled the neck, polished the frets and eventually replaced the nut (after much filing). Now it plays really nicely but before that was not great. For an experienced player it is no problem to have to do a bit of work to get a guitar playing well but for a beginner it could have been off putting and demotivated them from playing this instrument.Phil C.

I bought the Squier Classic Vibe '70s Stratocaster Electric Guitar Natural. The fretboard is rough and extremely dry. Frets seem too tall, or something?? — my fingers seem to be pushing to hard, doesn't feel good. Strings were rusty. I've spent a couple hundred at luthier trying to get it right, and it's still not quite there. I had pickup switch replaced. I've been using Fender Super 250 10s. I'll try 9's. NOT impressed with fretboard at all. The trim where neck goes into body was loose and dangling. OTHER THAN THAT — It's a beautiful guitar. Sounds nice. I'll figure it out eventually. The quality control people were asleep on this one.Michael

I'm not a Strat guy. I'm pure Gibson and when it comes to Fender I'm a Tele guy. But I'm obsessive about sound and I'm missing the Strat sound in my collection, so I decided to trade an American deluxe Tele for a Strat. The sound I want is the Stevie Ray Vaughan Southern blues style. I tried a lot of different Strats including american deluxe, standards and customs, but the owner of the shop noticed that I kept coming back to the cheaper Mexican made '60 Road Worn so he let me borrow it for a week. Smart man, now I won't give it back, so I guess I owe him some money. What draw me to the RW was the pickups, I love Tex Mex pups, they just scream dirty southern blues, their not the loudest but hey I don't mind turning up the amp a bit. I'm not to sure about the bridge pickup though, it seems a bit weak to me, but when mixed with the middle pup they sound great, so I'm scared to change it (besides I'm new to strats so it might be a perfectly normal bridge sound). The number one issue I have with Fenders Strats is their colours, especially in their higher end guitars. Boring colours with pure white pick guard, no character whatsoever. But the RW works for me, because the finish is satin, so no blinding shine, and the pick guard is yellowed to make it look like a chain smoker as used it for forty years, now that's character. The aged look is definitely an gimmick, but one that works. The aged process is real, not a paint job, the only bad thing about it for me is the neck; Fender sand blasted the back which feels weird certainly not naturally used, but the neck still plays nice. There's a couple of faults with the guitar like knobs that are to close or far from the pick guard, but these faults actually work with the aged look. A stupid advantage of this guitar that I noticed is because it 's already beat up, I'm not afraid to bang or scratch it, so I'm always carrying it around with me and it gets lots of use. After playing many different Strats, mostly high ends, I ended up buying this one. It's not the best quality but it's perfect for that barroom gig feel. The only other Strat I'd consider is the SRV signature Number One (which I haven't played yet) but I figured I would save a grand and I have no regrets yet.Sebforget

I felt a need to have a proper Fender in my rack. I am not yet able to judge a guitar after ten minutes in a shop but if I own it I get a feeling about it fairly soon. It wasn’t love at first sight. I have a few PRS guitars which felt like silk straight out the box – this Roadworn Strat had a great played in feel except for the fret ends and strings. I fettled and smoothed the fret ends and put on a new set of 9s and a dose of Fret Doctor. Now I am definitely starting to love it. It has something my other guitars don’t. I don’t know if it will be my number one but it’s a keeper for sure.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

I felt compelled to write a better review based on purchasing a New Road Worn 60's strat in Olympic White. My first review was based on a Level 2 blem that had issues which most likely were from the first buyer. However, I never could get this particular strat out of my head, so bought it new this time. Mine came properly set up and I have made no adjustments. I have no fret buzz on any part of the neck, and it sounds great. These guitars warrant a bit higher action (to my liking) due to the curved 7.25' board radius. Some small details- the small pencil sized dings all around the guitar don't look authentic and I'm curious what would make those in the real world- no big deal. Fret ends a bit sharp, but is unnoticeable when playing. Other than the picture of the smoked pickguard being wrong (it's mint green), so far this is a very cool looking and great playing guitar. They could have matched the back guard with mint instead of white. This guitar has the big block trem, which isn't even on some of my USA Fender strats. My CP 60s has it as well and I also like that guitar a lot. The only main bummer is that MIM fender strats continue not to wire up the bridge pickup to the tone. And on this guitar, it needs a tone roll off on the bridge when eq'ing your amp to the neck pup.. I'll have to mod this like I did the CP 60s. 4 stars for these small issues. The high gloss nitro looks sanded, but I'm ok with that too. These guitars have some serious Mojo. Think of it as the High End strat across the border. No regrets.Jammin Salmon

My bass looks to be excellent quality for the price point. The neck and frets are perfectly smooth with no sharp edges. Straight out the box all it needed was a quick tune. I love the sound. I'm only a beginner so I can only compare this bass to my Ibanez which is also great. This is a perfect bass for a beginner that wants that P bass sound and for great value.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

After umming and arring about Squier guitars I figured for the price I couldn't go too wrong. I've owned many epiphones in the past and figured the Fender subsidiary should be of similar standard. I was not let down! For the price I paid, the instrument is absolutely magnificent. It looks, feels and plays like a telecaster should and is well setup out of the box. The only downside? Try putting it down after you get playing. Impossible!Anthony L.

It's a great beginner guitar but it cannot play drop D tuning. When I finished tuning and went back to play the first string that I had tuned it had already gotten noticeably far out of tune. Great for the price I guess but if your serious about playing maybe invest in a guitar of better quality.Ben

I just got a grey aerodyne SSH strat. I've never gelled with a fender before. After playing my first gig with this thing I'm so impressed. The neck is amazing. Looks are a amazing. The weight is perfect. That top contouring is so comfortable. The controls… I thought I would want to swap the metal knobs out for traditional plastic knobs because they were smooth, however I had no issues making adjustments to the volume and tone mid song… and they look amazing. The knobs are staying. The pickups. wow. just wow. The traditional strat sounds are here, but they offer more to my ears. More aggression when I needed it. The neck and middle pickups worked perfectly with that bridge humbucker. Switching to the bridge for leads was so satisfying. The sound guy came over after we finished and complimented my tone. He asked me what pedals I was using, and was surprised when I told him I just used delay and reverb. Everything else was the amp and adjusting the controls. These pickups… even when I roll off the tone they somehow still retain clarity. The right kind of clarity. I've played other strats, even American strats (but never custom shop), and these aerodyne pickups are in a league of their own. Bottom line… I've never bought a guitar and wanted to immediately go out and buy another if the same guitar "just in case" something happens to the first one. This guitar is THAT good.Sam

Everything they said about this guitar in the reviews is correct. Quality product and great pick ups. Like the colour, sound and feel.Will M.

I bought my black metallic Squier Bullet eight years ago when GC was having a Columbus Day sale. I was looking for a guitar to which I could permanently mount my Roland GR-33 guitar synth's GK2a pickup. Previously I had the pickup mounted on my '96 Strat, and I didn't like this fit because I couldn't close my Strat's case with the pickup installed. I have a gig bag for this Squier, and it fits fine in the bag with pickup installed. Anyway, about the guitar. Right out of the box, it played great, requiring only a minimal amount of action adjustment. I was surprised at how good the pickups sounded, it being a Bullet and all. But the humbucker sounds especially nice when playing the guitar through my Marshall. The neck pickup has a decent sound, but not quite up to the snuff of a good alnico pickup. Still, for what the guitar cost, I really can't complain. If I want to, at some later date, I can always change out the neck pickup to a better alnico model. One thing I especially like about this black Bullet is its looks. The photos here at GC don't show it off all that well, but the guitar body's finish is metallic and the pickguard is a heavy metal flake. It looks spectacular under the lights. And the black hardware does a great job of completing that black look. The Bullet's body is thinner than a typical Strat or Squier Affinity or Classic Vibe body. The result is a light weight guitar, but there is no sacrifice in tone.Michael

Purchased the Squier Affinity Telecaster from local GC store. They had this and a bullet in stock. I chose the Affinity due to the overall feel and fret ends we're more smooth. For a sub 250ish price guitar you cannot expect it to play like a 1000+ price guitar and I totally get that. Now I did expect it to at least stay in tune. One thing to add however is I am uncertain how long this particular guitar had been in stock. Now after a few hours of playing I noticed I could not get this guitar to intonate. No matter what I did the low e and a string always sounded sharp. I ended up replacing the stock tuners with locking tuners, cleaned the fretboard, gently filed and lubricated the nut, and replaced the strings with Ernie ball 9's. Now she is in tune, intonation was a breeze and she stays in tune. Sounds like a whole new guitar.Steven

This is the first Acoustic/electric that I have owned that I actually love playing. The action is great even with the large gauge acoustic strings on it. Comes with a very nice gig-bag/case. I love the way the neck and back of the guitar looks. I also love the Strat 5-way switch that selects the degree and type of acoustic sound. The only downside with this guitar is the cover that serves as a cover for the electronics and pick guard. It looks cheap, more like a decal than a cover. I think Fender can do better on this detail for the price of the guitar. However, if you can get past that then it is a fine playing and sounding guitar. I have owned several Acoustic and Acoustic/Electric guitars. The action on even high-priced acoustics was so terrible I just ended up selling them. I also do not like the large back ends of most acoustic and acoustic electric guitars, but this guitar is small and easy to play. I would give it an A-.Bill

The research I did on trying to learn more about this instrument via general internet, YouTube, assorted standard Music Company's like Sam Ash; Sweetwater; Guitar Center; Alamo; and other assorted Music Guitar critics provided a good array of opinions and product test results that produced a positive majority with impressive perspectives for the instrument I purchased. The Fender American Acoustasonic Stratocaster Acoustic-Electric Guitar Cocobolo I purchased from Sam Ash was not a disappointment. Aside from the 10 different options of Guitar unique sounds it provides from Acoustic and Electric mixes. The one-of-a-kind Cocobolo wood identifies a further fingerprint in supporting its own private one-of-a-kind signature sound with relationship to the Cocobolo wood unique to it alone. That just blows me away with how special the sound of specialty signature sound it produces with the ten different built in technical sounds the Fender Guitar company developed with this special edition. I feel overwhelmed in learning to continue how to play this guitar. It allows me so many more possibilities with playing soft country to hard rock a really strong guitar enjoyment experience.Guitar Enthusiast

Overall, I am very happy with this guitar. It exudes classic Fender looks and tone. The quality and craftsmanship are decent for the price point. I have a US Tele and, after putting some TLC into this player strat, it feels and plays almost as good as the Tele. I would give it five stars if it were not for fretwork that was needed. Body – The finish and surf pearl color are gorgeous. The wood grain is barely visible (raised) so I would not say the finish is flawless, but the grain is very subtle and adds character in my opinion. The routed cavities for the electronics (top) and the tremolo springs (back) are precisely cut and clean. The electronics cavity was even finished with black paint. Neck – The finish and appearance are great. However, all 22 frets had sprouted; some as much as 1/32". I can't say this is a craftsmanship issue as the frets were probably fine when it was assembled. It must have been a very high humidity environment, though. Nevertheless, after painstakingly filing and redressing all 44 fret ends it feels good. The frets themselves were well seated and leveled. The 3rd and 11th frets were a few thousands of an inch high, but not enough to cause any buzzing issues. The frets were well rounded and polished. Hardware – The tuners are just okay. One of them feels a little rough turning, and they seem to have a low turning ratio making it very touchy to dial in perfect pitch. The 2-point fulcrum tremolo bridge seems like a better design than the traditional (six screw) bridges, but I did not test it. I prefer to block them for more stable tuning, which worked great with this bridge. I have upgraded electronics I had planned to install in this guitar, but the stock pickups aren't bad. They are very quiet and have good tone – there is no rush to replace them. Setup was a breeze. Truss rod adjustment was smooth, nut slots were to spec, and intonation was perfect. The action needed adjustment since I blocked the tremolo, but that was easy.Dave S.