Chuck Berry Electric Guitar For Sale (2024 Update)

This is my first electric guitar so have nothing to compare with. However the guitar is well made with no marks or rough bits. It feels good to hold, the neck is easy to fret. Sounds pretty good to me. For the price I'm very happy with itmike b.

For the price, this guitar is awesome. The overall feel and look is outstanding, and the bridge pickup is clear and articulate (the neck is ok). The split coil sounds are chimey but not harsh and brittle which was surprising. No high frets, the nut is cut well for the strings, the tuners are pretty stable. Cosmetically the finish and general build quality is very good with some exceptions. Mine came with a crack in the veneer at the heel of the neck near the pickup. There are some pretty gnarly tool marks on the fret board and frets, but mostly on the higher ones which is pretty typical on something at this price point. there are some chips and what looks to be excess glue to where the nut is installed. Cosmetic stuff isn't THAT important to me, especially for lower priced instruments, although the crack in the veneer bummed me out so that contributes to taking away one star. What also is keeping it from being 5/5 is that the saddles could be a little more rounded off because the low E saddle has it's corner digging into your palm when muting, not painful just uncomfortable. Then finally I needed to add a shim because the angle of the neck was far too steep for me to get the action I wantedRuss

First off I was surprised with the overall quality although the tuners are it's weak point and should probably be changed unless the nut is causing the issue. Everything looks amazing and the sound is very impressive. The alnico neck pickup sounds beautiful. The bridge pickup does what you want to without a problem and overall sounds surprisingly great for rock and metal. The neck is very comfy thanks to those rolled edges and smooth roasted maple satin type finish and makes a big difference in the feel and comfort of the neck. This is a Fender Strat Killer. You get way more for the money and the overall attention to detail you just don't get with Fender unless you do it yourself. A little heavier than I would l would like it but an above average guitar in this price range.Doug

I’ll start with it out of the box. Please keep in mind this isn’t every guitar, just the one I paid for. The set up was pretty dreadful to be honest. I’m not sure if it was set up like that ready to ship, if it was sat in a warehouse like that before hand or if the shipment itself caused the major back bow. In either case, that caused a lot of fret buzz. A simple fix. I can’t fault it for being out of tune out of the box. The finish is great! A lovely, deep red that’s kinda sparkly. Very pretty… Apart from the tone knob which has dug into the guitar causing a scratch in the shape of a ring. The tone knob itself fell off after a day of having it (I think it’s quite funny as that happened to my 2015 ML1 after a few years). I imagine this being another issue caused by shipping. Fairly minor things for a guitar but not what I was expecting from one purchased brand new. I was really looking forward to loving this guitar but it seems somebody somewhere along the way didn’t put the care in to it. Next I want to talk about feel because that’s the thing you can’t understand until you’ve got it in your hands. It’s incredibly resonant and you can feel the guitar vibrate through your hands just like my Korean ML1. The neck is fairly thick, I like that. Some people don’t but that’s not the guitars fault. It feels like the Korean ML1 I mentioned earlier, just a little longer because of the scale length. The neck itself could do with being 5mm wider across to accommodate for the over crowned fret ends, leaving almost no room for the low B string to be fretted. Thus making it far too easy to pull (what would be the high and low E strings) off from the fretboard. I think that may be a flaw in the overall design of this guitar, particularly if you think about the floppiness of the strings even if they weren’t horribly down tuned. The fretboard looks much better in person and feels like an ebony fretboard [insert happy face] The frets are slightly dull and more importantly, heavily over crowned which makes it difficult to play those thick chuggy riffs we all know and love. Functionality: The locking tuners would’ve been a great addition to this guitar if they kept the guitar in tune. I might be going a little hard on this point but staying in tune is a vital part of any guitar and this one isn’t great at keep itself in tune. The pickups are ok, I love the ability to coil split and get some lighter tones out of a guitar. I’ve found myself spending more time with the coil split and it’s lovely. The full humbuckers just don’t have the bollocks they need. I would’ve preferred a HS or HSS set up but that’s a me thing and no fault of the guitar.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

I want to start by saying I did not get it from GC. I got it from another site where they had a charcoal option. This is a review on the guitar and not the supplier. They say a good guitar isn't necessary how it looks. I also read a lot about "a PRS sounds somewhere between a Les Paul and a Strat." For some reason people hold these sounds as the "gold standard" for musical guitar tone. Now I don't know about that either. What I can tell you is that what makes this a good guitar is how inspiring it is and how creative it's making me play. I don't know how to describe it- maybe a more experience person can weigh in (I've been playing on and off for a few years) but I seem so much more creative in my playing when I'm jamming with this as compared to my Gibson SG standard or Fender Player. At the end of the day, you want a guitar that not only sounds great (which this absolutely does) but also feels great and inspires you to play out of your norm. It does not have as much rock power when distorted when compared to my SG, so if you're looking for a rock heavy guitar, I don't know if this is for you. But it sounds incredible clean (which is how I mostly play). My Player sounds great clean too, but I love the wider and thicker neck profile it has compared to my strat (I got big gorilla hands so I like a chunkier neck). I've only had this for 2 weeks but it's become my grab guitar.Robbie A

I was looking for an entry level guitar that was priced right and built well. First of all, how can you go wrong with this beautiful style. It is also very light and wont leave you with back pain after a couple hours of riffing. Tuning keys are solid without any dead spots and dont slip. The guitar stays in tune very well with only slight adjustment needed due to temperature changes. Pick up selector is smooth and not notchy. Havent used the whammy bar and have been playing with studio headphones, so sound is subjective, but as someone that has been playing several instruments for 30 years, I like to think I have a good ear. All in all a great purchase decision.oxouk

Sound: The stock pickups sound great especially with high gain. Nice crunch and break up. Features: For me the reason that I bought this model is that it is the least expensive way to get a real Edge tremolo. I can do subtle things with the Edge that I can’t do on an Original Floyd Rose. The bar is easier to position and it stays where ever you put it. As long as the torsion bushings on the bar aren’t worn out, the pop in bar is neither too tight or too sloppy. Value: This guitar is worth every penny. Manufacturer Support: I did not use Ibanez customer service and I did order half a dozen sets of torsion bushings, but had to order them from different places. The Wow Factor: I love the color of this one, Desert Sun Yellow. Overall: In the last 2 months I’ve bought 5 different Ibanez guitars, both lower and higher price. I must say that this guitar is the most bang for the buck out of any of my 21 guitars that I own.Got more than 200 bucks off on mine as it was sold as a slight blemish. When the guitar arrived, I noticed it did have a hairline crack in the paint on the bass side at the neck pocket. That was the only flaw I could find and it probably would have happened anyway if I would have got a “new” one.This is the shreddiest guitar that I have. The only thing that I had to address is that the 6th fret was a little proud. Other than that the fret job was good. All the frets were shiny and smooth and no fret sprout.This is the guitar that is at the price point where if you spend more money, you aren’t going to get much better. And the fit and finish were top notch.Scott

Overall: This guitar was a total impulse buy and I’m so glad I bought it! It’s easily worth twice the price of it. Can’t get too many mid tier guitars that are neck thru with decent pickups and a 5-way switch that has a fast and slim neck at this price. I mostly play baritone 6 strings and 7 strings but I needed a 25.5” scale for drop C and this is perfect for it with 10-54 strings. I did upgrade the nut with a Graphtech tusq nut and Hipshot locking tuners with knurled tuner buttons and looks even more badass while staying in perfect tune! I have an Ibanez rgib6 Iron Label 28” baritone and this is up there with that as far as quality and playability. The stock pickups aren’t bad at all and definitely surprised me cuz that’s usually the first thing I’ll change in an inexpensive guitar. As you can see by the other reviews people say it’s a great guitar and they’re not lying so if you’re on the fence about getting it then go for it! You won’t be disappointed at all and if for some reason you are then zZounds has a return policy within like 30-45 days so you won’t be stuck with a guitar you don’t love.Josh

I love this little guitar. I bought mine from the GC store. I have Taylor GS mini for my RV, but it's still too big and too loud in a small rv with others. I saw the Traveller guitars and thought I'd go to a GC and try it out. I'm too new at this so got the GC sales person to play so I could hear the difference using a big amp. The ones with the pickups were hot and a little bitey for me as I only really play acoustic. The Piezo pickup acoustic sounded mellow and it was on the guitarathon sale for 100 dollars off. That tipped it for me. It's small, extremely light and when unplugged, extremely quite quiet. It's so small, I'm finding that I pick up this one more than the regular guitars. Bear in mind, it's not acoustic or electric, so it's not going to sound like anything else. I bought a headphone amp and also use a regular amp when I can be loud. When practicing unplugged at night, it's loud enough for me, but nobody else can hear it. Also, I've found that if I press it tightly to my side, the lower notes reverberate in my chest. With the acoustic pickup there is no tone or volume controls, so everything has to be done through the amp. I'm getting used to that. With no body and only the wire bottom, it takes a little time before it begins to feel normal. The only negative is if I don't hit the notes perfect, I can get some fret buzz. All in all, it's so different from any other guitar, I would suggest trying it in person first. You will either love it or hate it. And remember it's a small travel guitar you can also use regularly. Play it both amplified and unplugged and see if you think it will work for you.Mike

This is a gorgeous guitar and plays amazingly well. The frets are rounded perfectly with no jagged edges. The frets are polished extremely well. The body is very comfortable, and the Duncan JB and '59 pickups are THE standard in rock pickups especially if you want those 80's rock tones ala VH, Ratt, Crue. BUT the ability to SPLIT the pickups makes this guitar extremely versatile for Blues, Country, and even Jazz if you roll the Tone off to warm it up. The Pro-Mod San Dimas is a sure to be a classic – Charvel guitars from the 80's are still highly sought after and retain their value very well. Not many people like to get rid of them though because they play so well and are made with quality craftsmanship. The Transparent Green Burst finish is gorgeous too. The spoke wheel makes for on the flow truss rod adjustments and it is DOUBLE reinforced – which makes it very resistant to warping. And finally, the Floyd Rose system is not the cheap version. The studs are quality metal which ensures smooth movement, the arm is also closer to the original FR bar which is also nice. TIP: wrap some plumbers tape along the outside of the collar to help close the space between it and the arm to tighten it so it doesn't swing so easily (old school trick 😉 FR bridges are incredibly stable and once you tine them and lock them down they stay in tune VERY well. Get a tremolo stabilizer or block it down to make string changes easier. Get this guitar – the combination of a basswood body, maple neck, jumbo frets, JB and '59 pickups, and a quality Floyd Rose bridge make this THE standard for rock and metal guitars. And they come in other great colors.mobiletechman

Sure, there are more expensive guitars that might have a bit more to offer…but for a grand? This is really superb quality and value rolled into one. The pickups are more than great. Seymour Duncans all around. JB in the bridge with no load tone. Cool thing is, if you feel its a tad too bright, just click down to 8 or 7 and it warms up nicely. I was afraid of the no load tone pot at first, but the little click helps tremendously. You know exactly where you are. The neck feels great. Like a thin C shaped Fender. Super fast! HSS config gives you plenty of options. It comes equipped with a Floyd 1000. Not their number one unit, but it is just fine and stays in tune very well. Even after a few dive bombs. I dont generally live in that realm, but nice to know it will hold its tune. Another thing, the guitar came set up just perfect for me. Zero adjustments needed. Quality on the build, paint job and finer points, is excellent. I bought this without even playing it beforehand and I was not disappointed. Good job Charvel/Fender!iluvnicki3

Pros: Neck feels amazing Coil spit delivers great tones Floyd Rose stays in tune great Sounds amazing Get lots of compliments about it Cons: The one thing I wish I knew before buying this is the "Extra Jumbo" frets. They're too darn huge and I often wish I knew that before buying this. The block where the neck is bolted on is huge and playing passed the 17th fret is tough. The pickup switch has a "dead spot" when switching so it's possible to go silent when moving the switch. I wish I tried the DK 24 HH FR before buying this because I feel that I would've been way more satisfied. Overall it's a great guitar. I love mine to death, but yeah beware of the cons if looking at this.Dan H

This has got to be the most value I've ever seen in a budget instrument. Out of the box it was set up good. Finish was perfect. I purchased the ruby red version. Stock pick up is aggressive and hot. Tremolo works as it should. Although I ain't a big user of them I can dive like EVH does on the first record with this thing and it comes back up in tune. Many people prefer something better but this works perfect for me. The only flaws I could find was one of the drill holes on the back plate was not lined up correct and a screw fell out. Not a big thing because I have take. It off for access to the springs and to change strings. The hardware is not the best. The screws on the claw stripped a little when I was taking it out for whammy use. Over all a very enjoyable guitar. Incredibly hot sounding and fast. The look is great too. I don't plan on upgrading anything just yet. Many buyers of this do hot rod them and that's also a very cool thing. Maybe in the future I'll consider some upgrades but stock is fine. I'd trust it on a stage no problem. Get them before they all go! There's a reason why very little of them are on the used market. For this price you cannot go wrong! Maybe if a yellow one of these was to come along I'd be all over it. Would definitely buy again!Cris w

So I hesitated on buying this Guitar because I just didnt care for the finish. Well It looks nothing like the pictures. Beautiful 3D flames in the top.Am Very pleased. So that brings me to what I expected from a PRS and didnt get, a playable set up. I know its an SE but the action shouldnt be 6mm at the 22nd fret. How QC at the factory allowed it to leave puzzles me. The pick ups are good for Drop C but even at B standard get really muddy on the lower strings. I put in a Nazgoul, Sentient set and these in another standard guitar. They sound really nice in standard E to drop C. IMOTwayne72

I have used this guitar with my band, live and in rehearsals… Plays fantastically once I set it up to my desired specs (Std D tuning, 10-52 strings, FU Tone brass block), but these PRS stock pickups have no grunt and snarl to them, so I plan to add an SD Black Winter set like in my EC Black Metal FR (dropped C). I have reverted back to using my Kramer Assault Plus which came loaded with the SD Alternative 8 set. Will likely use Custom 24 as primary D guitar again after replacing pickups. For this pickup issue alone, I'm giving it 3 stars, otherwise, it would be 5, as spending over 200 bucks more is a bit off putting after spending over $1100 for this plus a hard shell case for an import.Steve

Absolutely love this guitar! As with all SE Custom 24 models, the feel and balance on the strap and also on the knee are prerfect. The action is fast and smooth, and the whole guitar just oozes quality. The roasted maple board is a really nice variation from the mahogany or ebony boards, which are usually found on Custom 24 models. This particular guitar has the most amazing and deepest "3-D" effect quilted maple veneer that I've ever seen on a SE series model. I believe that PRS would probably rate this as a 4A (AAAA). The sound is as good as you'll get from stock pups in a sub- 1000 guitar and the way that PRS wire the coil tap gives a convincing single-coil tone. What upgrades would make this even better? Probably locking tuners, and maybe a satin neck. After- market pickups, if you want to change the tone.kentishkeith

Overall: This guitar was sold as blemished. The actual blemish on the guitar was on the back of the body. I very small pin hole like indent, maybe 2-4mm. Almost ingenious. What I mean by that, is that is saved me 200.00 dollars and when you notice it, it looks kind of cool. Hard to explain, maybe a relic touch or something. Besides that, I can’t help but loving this guitar, for its simplicity, good taste and the extra birds on the fret board and lightness. Maybe someday, I’ll replace the stock pickups with something more extravagant, but right now, I’m completely satisfied. Thank you zZounds.Rodrigo

Overall: This guitar is amazing. It plays well right out of the box. The neck is smooth and no sharp frets. The pickups sounds great. I play a mix of rock, metal, and Jazz and it can handle all of those no problem. I love that you can split the coils on the pickups. It really gives you a wide range of tones.John

Overall: This rating is for the instrument itself, not zZounds. Their customer service is amazing and unparalleled. I've been waiting for the release of the Holcomb SVN for some time now. The finish is great, it's beautiful, the fretboard and neck are beautiful, the pickups are great. The flat radius fretboard is insanely comfortable! Unfortunately, there are an equal amounts of negatives. The nut is garbage. It's plastic, very sharp, and has slag hanging off of it everywhere. I doubt very much that it's properly shaped or set. It has made tuning impossible. The tuning machines themselves are also extremely low quality and seem to have a gap in the gearing, which also makes tuning a very aggrevating process. The low A# string seems impossible to intonate correctly, the saddle is maxed out and it's still registering extremely sharp. This is all in the tuning and string gauge that Mark plays in so… quality control seems to be an issue with these first run Holcomb SVN's. All in all, an extremely beautiful guitar for a ridiculous price while PRS's competitors build far better instruments in the same budget. I would return this if alllowed.Dayne

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

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

Sound: The vintage tone noiseless pickups are perfect for what I wanna play on this guitar. All my other are humbuckers, high gain passive and active humbuckers at that, so the vintage tone single coils give me that sound I simply cannot get from my other guitars. Granted, my other guitars have split coil options, but there is a noticeable difference between a split humbucker and a noiseless single coil. Features: The S1 switch serves me no purpose, just turns the tone into mud. Ease of Use: It's not rocket science, but I'm used to 3way pickup selectors, and an all or almost nothing attitude when it comes to my other guitars volume controls, and never touch the tone controls, so for me personally there is a learning curve when it comes to all the tonal possibilities that come with a typical Strat setup.If I could change one thing on the guitar, it would be using 6100 jumbo frets, but generally speaking the guitar is a breeze to play, after a day or so… It's very stiff out of the box.The tremolo has a very nice feel to it, and the pop in arm should be standard on all trems at this point. Quality: The guitar is very well made. This is a professional guitar! Value: This is where my issue is… I just can't see how this guitar is worth $400 more than the Professional series. With everything being made on CNC machines, that little contour on the cutaway and the compound radius fingerboard seem like an unjustified mark up, the only thing on this guitar that should be a logical price mark up are the locking tuners and the pickups, neither of which equate to $400 in parts… But I liked the finishes more, and didn't feel like swapping out tuners and bridge saddles. Manufacturer Support: Never had to deal with Fender customer service. Overall: This guitar is a purists nightmare, but it's a dream to me. Compound radius fingerboard and satin neck finish are up my alley.Rob

First things first, the manager and the guys at Guitar Center in Pensacola were very helpful. About 3 weeks ago I bought the Plus Top Stratocaster and I loved the guitar but wanted to upgrade to the Ultra so I started shopping around for one and found one at a different music store down the street for a significantly lower price than what was advertised at the local Guitar Center. So I figured I would have to return my guitar to the store. When I got there I asked about the price match guarantee that Guitar Center provides and I brought it up to them that I found the Cobra Blue Ultra guitar at a lower price at another store and after a few minutes and the manager doing some research he pretty much told me " if you're are going to buy this guitar, I would rather you buy it from us " I was very surprised. In my mind I thinking that he was going to come up with some sort of excuse to not match the price. That is what customer service is all about!!!! Middle finger to other stores! From here on out I am a lifelong customer of Guitar Center. Oh and this guitar is the best of the best!! It's like being handed the keys to a brand new Corvette ( or a Ford Cobra, whichever you prefer). So, hands down the best guitar and the best customer service you could ask for!! I'm already looking forward to getting an Ultra Tele this year!Steve

This is my third Fender. I previously owned an "standard" Ultra that I traded towards another guitar, and I also currently own a Lincoln Brewster model strat. While those guitars are very good, the Ultra Luxe is next level. The craftsmanship, feel and sound of this guitar truly deserves the "Luxe" name. Before ordering, my biggest concerns were how the stainless steel frets would affect the tone and how the new neck shape would feel. But I have ordered from Musicians Friend off and on since the late 90's and have always had excellent service, so I figured I could return the guitar it I didn't like it. Both concerns were put to rest within moments after plugging in. The tone is definitely that unmistakable Fender strat sound and I had no trouble dialing a nice funk and a very serviceable SRV tone. You can also get a pretty good variety of other tones thanks to the switching. I was kind of expecting a thin neck shape based on reviews/descriptions that I read, but it is pleasantly thick without being too chunky. I can't stand thin Ibanez style necks and thankfully the neck on the Luxe is not like that. It fits the hand nicely. Not a chunky as the Lincoln Brewster model (which I also really like) but feels a little thicker than the neck on the standard Ultra. I believe it has the same bridge found on the standard Ultra model which is the push-in style. So no thread to wear out over time. Overall, I am so happy that I bought this and it has already become my new #1 guitar.Matt

Not going to lie but this was an impulse buy that I actually tried to cancel after (had already been picked up by FedEX though). Glad I didn't! I own pretty much every era of Kramer guitar and the newest ones have been decent for the price but I think all have had atleast some issues (frets, wonky wiring, finish issues). That brings me to this one – PERFECT! First of the newer Kramer's I've purchased that seemed to have finished frets! The candy apple red is actually the correct color – exact match to my 86 pacer deluxe (neck feels almost identical as well). Light weight and even so no neck or body dive. EMG's sound like EMG's so either you like them or not. The gig bag was also great.Brandan

Overall: This is an awesome guitar! Looks great, feels great, sounds great, plays great. The finish is perfect, great book matched top and the Myers blue is beautiful. Feels and plays perfectly; neck is nice, action is nice, setup is nice. PRS goes over the top on quality control. It was in tune right out of the box! Plugged into my Orange head and has bright clean tones to a nice bark with the gain turned up. There is a reason PRS has a great reputation and it’s because of the ultra high quality even on their affordable guitars. Some people might not get over it not being a Les Paul, but this is just a flat out awesome guitar and will outshine anything in its price range all the way up to a super high end guitar.T.j.

A fantastic SE model. I have core models and various Fender Gibson Schecter Epiphone guitars. This is in my top 3. I've been playing 30+ years. Mostly hard rock and 70's bands and metal. It handles all of the above. I sometimes just playing it acousticly. I did change the tuners to Kluson black locking tuners. Much better.Skip

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

So this is my first PRS and I took a gamble on getting an import SE model. Normally I prefer US made Gibsons and have got used to the fit and finish on those. So with that said that should put you into my mindset. So the finish is spectacular no blemishes, runs, or bubbles. So if you’re looking for a wall hangar yes! Now into the playability, the frets are finished and smoothed out perfectly. The fretboard is channel bound and rolled, so it feels really good. The tuners feel like real tuners, meaning not wiggly and they all have consistent turn pressure (not too loose, not too tight) hopefully they’ll stay that way, but since they are to standard PRS specs, easy replacement with an upgraded tuner if need be. The bridge is solid with brass saddles, feels great against the palm with no sharp edges. Wood under transparent finish has a little bit of movement and a nice grain. Electronics leave something to be desired. The push pull tone pot rolls like a skateboard wheel while the volume has a nice resistance with consistent roll. The selector switch is middle of the road, not great, but not “I have to replace this now”. However with electronics easily swappable this is not a negative mark at this price point. So to summarize everything wood that can’t be fixed doesn’t need to be, electronics are going to get you down the road but are candidates for full upgrade. For $699 this is a solid guitar and I have no regrets. It will stay in my rack.Clay

I have owned many many guitars and am a Guitar Tech and Professional Musician by trade. So a well built, reliable, extremely versatile, easy to play guitar is essential! This guitar fits that bill and the some! Outstanding value for an American made guitar! This guitar is what I love: simple, solid build, can play literally everything, is very easy to play and setup, and sounds ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! I literally play every genre: Metal, Classic Rock, Country, R&B, Worship, Funk, Blues, Jazz, Pop, etc. This guitar handles all those flawlessly! I love how the pickups are very full, chunky, and warm sounding, but also have the extreme clarity and dynamics that I love. Definitely worth the money for American made! This is my first PRS and it won't be my last.Alex

I've played guitar for 56 years and I have to confess that I'm not the player who hangs on to any guitar forever. I still have my first guitar, but I even sold it as a kid, but got it back later. Early in 2020 I decided to sell all my electric gear to buy the best acoustic I've ever owned, because as this stage in life – that is what I perform with. Toward the end of this summer I was getting close to the last payment on the acoustic and felt a tug to get another electric, but not one that would break the bank. Since 2004 my electric guitars were typically PRS core models (some 10 tops) or Don Grosh custom models (and Grosh guitars will always be my all time favorite). At this time I couldn't afford the Grosh I wanted, and though I could have pulled off a more high end PRS, I knew that I've always felt that the gorgeous flame tops were too flashy for me. The PRS S2 Standard 22 offered the pickup combo I wanted and the coil tap option. I wanted a trem and I wanted a simple finish. On top of that "made in America" was a must. Having enjoyed PRS necks and quality build, the S2 was a good sound choice for a guitar I could pay off in a few months. The pickups can sing, and I can dial in many tone options. I'll admit that I hoped the split coil feature would be bolder, but I'll be using the full humbucker mode 99% of the time. The pickups can rock, do jazz, country-fry your licks and even though others say they won't – I've dialed in some serious metal. Playing around the other day with a new pre-amp, I found myself with that amazing feedback you hear on many Larry Carlton tunes. I also need to mention that the trem and locking tuners wrok great and you won't find this combo on many USA guitars in this price range. Sustain, resonance, comfort, great frets and a ba-zillion other things that make this a wonderful guitar. These compliments come from a player who has owned many guitars now selling for $3500 to $4800 dollars.Jon

This is one of the better guitars I've played in my life. Right out of the box it was intonated perfectly but needed to be tuned. If you haven't used a D-Tuna before (like me), I highly recommend looking up a video on how to properly tune it. Having owned floating floyd rose bridge guitars before, I expected tuning to be a hassle. But to my surprise, it tuned just like a regular guitar and I barely had to use the fine tuning pegs. My only problem that I've adjusted to my comfort would be the tension on the bridge was a bit too much for me, removing the cover on the back and taking out one of the springs fixed this problem for me. But everything else is perfect, you're getting the sound of a Les Paul in a strat style body. It's hard to not want to play this guitar. The neck is the smoothest I've ever played, it's finely sanded down and just feels like butter. The gloss black body is also stunning to look at, but keep a cloth around because it's a finger print magnet. If you're a fan of EVH or looking for a good hybrid between Fender and Gibson, this is the guitar for you.Glenn

Fantastic and great looking guitar but the lack of "strat contours" on the Specials has me returning it and getting EVH Standards. I knew they laced the contours when I purchased but I really wanted to love this guitar. Love the feel of the neck and the sound of the pickups. Recessed Floyd in the arched top is too clunky sounding landing back on the top. Pickup selector is noisy, not the electronic sound but the actual clicking sound when going into the middle position. Those two things could just be my guitar and might have a remedy. Ultimately returning because, the non contour (non-strat) shape of the Special is uncomfortable at my chest and forearm when sitting. Just my preference, a lot of guitars lack the contours. Bought two Standards (Bomber Black and Transparent Amber) and love every thing about them.Patrick

I went into my local guitar center yesterday and had close to 1k for a new guitar. I'm pulling off fenders and Epiphones off the wall that felt like they needed a lot of work done. I find this thing just chillin in a corner and the very first thing I do to every guitar is run my thumb and pointer finger along the neck to see if there is any sharp frets. It was smooth. Thought buzz would be bad. There was none. Thought tone would suck. Nope. Needless to say I went home with it. It does have a very few flaws. Pickup selector feels weak, tuners are so tight that they cause some sounds when moving them (stays in tune though), and pickups sound weak. What it is for $150 is a step above what Squier and Ibanez throws out in their budget price range. I can't wait to mod this thing. Despite a few flaws I'm giving it 5 stars due to it's price point.Matt

Overall: I wanted a new guitar because I primarily play Les Paul's and wanted something different. I found Kramer guitars and did some research and liked what I found but didn't want to throw a lot of money at a brand I've never played. I have played and owned B.C. Rich, Gibson, Fender, Washburn, Epiphone, and Ibanez guitars in the past and thought I found what I wanted to stick with. My Kramer Focus arrived today in the awesome purple finish. All I did was tune it up and check intonation and it was perfect. Very low action, smooth fast neck, no sharp fret edges even with the maple fretboard and a Michigan winter! The low humidity sometimes makes the frets stick out. The guitar is just awesome, it sounds good in all positions buy the middle and neck pickup are phenomenol, no buzz at all! The bridge pickup is good but I think it could be hotter so I may change that, the tuners aren't perfect but they'll definitely work, after an hour of playing and using the tremolo it holds tune very well. I highly recommend this guitar for any player, and I will definitely be entertaining the idea of purchasing more Kramer guitars from zZounds!Alex

I wanted to add a 335 style guitar to my arsenal, and finally settled on is one. A pleasant surprise to me was when I received the guitar and first picked it up. The neck felt almost exactly like my Gibson L-5: the thickness of the neck, the width of the frets and the remarkable build quality. I'm very happy with the purchase. The only thing I might change is the toggle switch to a Switchcraft. This one is fine but is a little noisy (mechanical not electro) for my taste. 😎Mike

VFM – 5/5. Beautiful player. We’ll set up. Flawless construction. Stunning new guitar shape and colour. Humbuckers are sweet and can be split. Highly recommended.Reviewed by Absolute Music custo

I have the Player Plus Nashville Tele and wanted another guitar in the series. I've been enamored with the Meteora since it first came out. This thing is amazing. It is the right mix between a Strat and a Jazzmaster. I love the fireball pickups and the S1 switch gives some awesome tonal options for single coil twang. Weight wise it feels like a strat or a jaguar. Rolled fretboard feels great, neck is a c shape similar in feel to a Les Paul but with a super nice satin finish. Overall this thing is an absolute beast!Dave

I have 5 other fender strat's all usa made and this mex made Meteora is my new "go to" Finish is flawless, neck feels awesome, fret work is better than my new $2,500 ultra strat. Super comfortable to play, The fireball pickups sound great. Way to go Fender Mexico !Don