Squier Vintage Modified Stratocaster Hss Electric Guitar For Sale (2024 Update)

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

This guitar is the Squire Stratocaster Bullet by Fender. The guitar is an excellent guitar for the price. The tones have a wide range. You can get a very clean sound, a very bluesy sound, and good distortion when running through a pedal. I use a Zoom II 505 effects pedal and a Marshall practice amp. When I do not want to disturb the neighbors I can use just the pedal with headphones. Bright sharp sounds are crisp when run through the pedal. This is great for rhythm and leads because the guitar can get clear notes on distortion when playing from the Double Humbucker position. Playing from the neck pickup results in a rich tone that can sound like Iron Maiden. The fret board has a good feel to it. The frets are not as good as on higher end guitars, but a good player will feel comfortable with the smoothness in playing this guitar. The guitar also stays in tune remarkably well. I have not played in some time so I have yet to be adventurous with the Tremolo. So I do not have an opinion of how it stays in tune when using Tremolo. When holding the guitar on the lap it tends to slide on the leg. Strats are best played while standing up, moving around and playing with your whole body involved. The light weight of the guitar allows a freedom to move. The neck is a good shape and easy onthe hand. The body has a great finish and the wood grain comes through the lacquer. This makes for a very attractive instrument that will look good on stage or in front of your friends in the living room. Disclaimer: If you are a good guitar player you will get a great sound. If you are not a good guitar player you will get a sound like someone killing cats no matter how expensive the guitar is. That is what makes this guitar such a great guitar. For a starter guitar, you won't spend a lot on it. If you give it up then you haven't wasted a lot of money. If you get better and make the guitar sound great, you will want to keep it even when you buy a more expensive guitar. Why, because this is a great guitar with great sound, great feel and great look at a great price!!!chuckamania35mm

Overall great beginner or budget guitar, sounds great with both the single coils and humbucker, quality wise there were a few issues I found with the fret work on my particular guitar but nothing a little filing can’t fix. Superb service from PMT as always, arrived exactly when they said it would and packaged great.George F.

I had been looking for a first guitar for a while. After lots of research I decided to go for the Squier, knowing the build had a relation to Fender. I'm happy with the guitar. You can see where they have cut corners to save money, things like the volume and tone knobs are quite plasticy, but for a first guitar I'm very happy. I went for the hard tail option as I didn't feel I needed a tremolo. Overall very happy.Jack H.

The build on this strat is impressive. Frets are smooth, body finish is flawless and looks better in person. The satin neck is not my favorite as I prefer some sort of finish but I love the nut width and it plays great. The only thing that I think needs replacing are the pickups. I replaced them with an inexpensive metallor brand SSS set and now it sings. It has that classic strat range from jazz to rock and country. The thin body does make it a tad less resonant than a full bodied strat but once plugged in you can't tell. Btw, a standard mim or USA pickguard fit just fine and it's factory routed hsh so this axe easy to mod.Player

Bought this to keep the kids away from my guitars and amps. Wow, what a great guitar. I have probably spent a little too much time on it. Sounds great and stays tuned during play right out of the box. Adjusted the action a little bit and put new strings on it and actually enjoy playing it as well as some of my other guitars. As for the amp, it was a little more then expected from a $300 starter kit, sounds really good and has some serious power behind it for the price. Makes me wonder why I have spent so much on "higher end" guitars sometimes.Toddius

I own a Gibson Les Paul Custom and a Fender MIM maple neck Strat. This is the perfect marriage of these two instruments. The humbucker gives extra drive you would expect from a les Paul type guitar while retaining the spankyness of a strat. It can't do all the mim does though in terms of that 2nd position quack and the 1st position single coil goodness. I would describe the classic vibes as more mellow than the mim and more suitable for Rock than mim. The alnico pickups sing and are alive. The mim ceramic pickups seem darker. mim has that Skynyrd vibe while the CV has more of a Molly Hatchet/BlackCrowes/Zeppelin/Aerosmith quality to it. If you're on the fence between a les Paul or a strat then get this. If you want straight up spank get the sss strat. If you're looking for a edgier strat then get this. I am not disappointed. It is different than a les Paul but on the humbucker it's close. The main feel difference between this and my mim strat is the CV had a smaller neck. The mim has a chunkier feel to it.JB

Maybe not in every case, but this particular guitar was immaculate out of the box, except for a single rough fret edge on the highest fret. Played and sounded great and I don't think this guitar needs anything for a beginner, nor will it give a beginner many problems. I'm a bassist and compared to other guitars I've held, the neck is a little on the chunky side… medium chunky. I directly compared the Squier Classic Vibes with Fender Player series model guitars and the difference in quality is almost imperceptible. I did buy this as a mod platform (image attached!). If you're doing the same, save yourself a few hunny and go with the CV. 🙂Seth

Ultimately, this guitar is terrific! It seems to be one of the few Squiers that has better than not appointments (considering the fact that they are generally "bare bones" in terms of body woods, etc …) If you're new & want a good single coil strat sound…..yep…….if you know what you're doing already & want a strat you can woop on……yep…..if you want a nice sounding guitar that would normally cost a few $$ more for equal quality?? ……..still yep…… Automatically, add a couple sets of strings to your cart too (I snagged a couple DR Blues 10-46 sets, although the stock Fenders don't sound bad at all honestly) & stretch em on! The only tuning issues I experienced was due to needing to stretch em out a few times to stay tuned (***….tug the string from bridge to nut, back n forth like you were playing a chello with a bow hahaha ….., while also continuing to tune them back up repeatedly). From there, you should be dialed & throughly enjoy this killer, cost efficient strat just about as much as you'd appreciate one that cost a grand!!! Cheers!!T Dogg

This is an incredible guitar ! I bought it as a modding platform, but after having spent a few hours with it, I quickly decided it what mostly stay untouched. These are economic tuners, but man do they stay in tune. After polishing and dressing the frets, graphite-ing the nut, and replacing the strings, I had to tune twice in a 2 week period ! The original plan was to replace them with vintage style tuners, but why waste the money, they're great ! I bought the shell pink, and the color, fit and finish are perfect. It weighs 7.5 lbs, so on the lighter side, which I love. The neck has a better looking wood grain than my Vintage Modified '70s, and about the same feel, at least I don't feel a difference. I don't know if it's because of the top load hard tail bridge or what, but this guitar is VERY resonant, and sustains forever. The pick ups are definitely not top of the line, as the price implies, but they sound really good. My original plan was to replace them with Kent Armstrongs, but I really liked the neck PU a lot, and while I don't have strong opinions either way about the middle and bridge, I thought I would try replacing the electronics first. I installed a Gunstreet Wiring Shop Blender harness (blends neck and bridge PUs), and now I get all the tones I could possibly want. I'm definitely keeping the stock PUs ! Like I said, with a little fine tuning of the set up, it plays and sounds like a dream, looks fantastic, and is priced incredibly well. I couldn't recommend it more.Playin for fun

This is my first electric guitar. It is well made and arrived in great condition. The Scan set up is a real plus and ensured it was ready to play straight out of the box. Everything you need to start your guitar journey is in the package. The included amp is small and simple to use. More than adequate for practice and home use. The Fender Play Instruction is well worth looking into. Overall an excellent package worthy of serious consideration.Heathpk

A lot of the reviews posted here are for Strats, so I'm not sure what's going on. Anyway, I bought the red sparkle Squier Bullet Tele. The finish is gorgeous and that's what prompted me to do a spontaneous purchase. I have only experienced owning USA Teles, but I've played some Squiers that really impressed me. This one? Not so much. I don't detect any finish on the back of the neck although I'm sure it has a sealer of some sort. The body finish is nice, but the bridge hardware is cheaply made and I'll be replacing that for sure. Same goes for the tuners. I'm pretty sure it has some high frets because it goes dead starting at the 10th fret, but some of that was back bow. I loosened the truss and got rid if it, but now when I sight down the neck the forward bow is pretty obvious. I don't notice the frets being sharp on the ends. It now plays plays pretty good after sitting long enough for the truss Rod to settle, but I may need to tighten it just a little to get rid of some of the forward bow. The neck has a very comfortable profile. The body is thinner than my American Teles, but it doesn't bother me – in fact it's lighter which I enjoy. The body is Poplar and that's fine by me. I may leave the back of the neck alone for now because it actually feels pretty good, aesthetics are certainly lacking, but the body makes up for that. I'm sure with a little patience and help from my friends I'll have a nice instrument. All the basics are there. As is, it's not all that great, but still better than my first electric guitar! -!an old Kalamazoo single pickup thing with a bolt on neck back in the mid sixties. Like the title says, this thing has potential. I probably couldn't buy a finished body for what I paid.Ronnie

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

I would first like to begin with- I normally would be giving a 5 star rating of this unit/Squier, as I have typically never had problems prior to the recent/earlier this year upset regarding shipping containers/etc being paused/sitting in the ocean/etc, delaying container delivery. PLEASE READ ON FOR FULL EXPLANATION. Two imperative points- 1. The fret ends were so sharp, when I say it was not playable (both sides/neck in its entirety), I mean, it was not playable (THE DATE OF INSPECTION WAS EARLIER THIS YEAR, AND I IMMEDIATELY ASSOCIATED THE FRET ENDS PROBLEM BEING DUE TO THE SHIPS BEING DELAYED/SITTING IN THE OCEAN/ETC- It looked to me like maybe between March and July of this year, although, I couldn't quite make out the stamped month). As well, the serial # of the guitar, of course, was of this year/'22. I maintain/work on most all my guitars, and I normally would've tightened up the fret ends myself, however, there was a hairline crack on the red sparkle finish at the bass side neck joint (which i just couldn't accept, visually), as well as a small tooling gash along the top edge of the headstock. The replacement/reordered guitar arrives tomorrow. 2. THE NEWER UNITS (AS, ONCE AGAIN, THIS IS A 2022-BUILT UNIT) ARE TOP-MOUNT/STRING THROUGH THE BACK OF THE BRIDGE, NOT "STRING-THRU" as the description indicates (and, with Squier bridge mounting, these are 5-screw mount plates, which, if ever you want to upgrade your hardware, particularly, w/the bridge, you must find an aftermarket unit that is "string through the back", along w/the correct string spacing (with Squier, they're 54mm, typically), and you'll typically need to redrill given it's rare to find plates that have Squier mounting dimensions that provided string through the back holes. I'm upgrading to a Babicz, given the results found. Also, there are two string trees (the second being a tree for both the D and G strings), and it looks great, actually, with both. Overall, I was impressed with the finish, as it was nearly flawless (aside from the hairline finish crack mentioned previously). The fretwire/fretwork, felt great….I found maybe two or so "slight" dead spots, which weren't enough of a "ping", or string buzz to be of concern, or critiquing the fretwork negatively. Rather, I was impressed with the fretwork. As well, it's important to note that the mounting of the bridge, along with the neck positioning/etc, was spot-on. No misalignment of the bridge mount/etc (and the same goes for the nut spacing). I've always been impressed with what Fender/Squier/Jackson are putting out. The quality is typically quite high…as for this unit, the quality is high, but the results of the environmental dilemma with either being stuck in a container offshore, or, sitting in a facility for weeks/months/etc, have had quite the impact on this guitar. As an important example, I had purchased a Bullet Tele last year (the unit in Burst color offered here through MF), and it was/is flawless, and I completely upgraded every part. As I own approx'ly 53 guitars ranging primarily from ESP to Jackson (some of which in the better than $2K range), I love to take what's titled as a "beginner" guitar, and totally hotrod it with high end parts (such is the case w/this guitar). As mentioned above, I've reordered the guitar, as MusiciansFriend provided me a generous discount (without having to ask) to accommodate me. Upgrades- 1. Babicz Full Contact Tele "Ashtray" bridge Gold, 2. Genuine Fender Gold control plate, 3. Fender Infinity Gold strap locks, 4. Gold input jack Ferrule, 5. Custom built Gold Sparkle w/star cut-outs Tele pickguard, 6. Philadelphia Luthier Tools "Fat" neck plate/Gold w/gold neck mounting screws, 7. Earvana compensated nut (Ivory), 8. Philadelphia Luthier Tools Gold string trees, 9. Fender locking tuners, Gold, 10. EMG T-52 set (black), or, EMG T-set, Red., 11. EMG Gold Telecaster knobs. 12. Powder coated Red pickguard screws, 13. Gold pickup mounting screws. Beginner guitar?……no more (ha).Dave

I have a few guitars that are worth thousands, but they are all Telecasters (except for one 1977 Mustang). I had a Stratocaster, but I sold my it over 15 years ago. I didn't want to spend a lot of money on another guitar, so I thought I would give this Squire Bullet a try. I have never owned any type of Squire so I figured why not? My first impression was that it is a very pretty guitar. The finish is good and the neck feels smooth. The NECK feels smooth. I would like to emphasize that. Some of the FRETS on the other hand, are so sharp that I cut a groove in one of my fingers while sliding up the neck. To be precise, it was the 11th and 12th fret. Several others are sharp as well, but those two could be put in a Ninja's arsenal. I actually expected to see blood when I pulled my hand away from the neck. Jeez. Sharp frets suck, and should NEVER happen no matter what the price of the guitar. But, I can fix that. The only other issue I had with this guitar was the volume pot didn't want to work correctly. Being that it is a new guitar and I did not want to void any warranty it might have, I took it to the local Guitar Center (across two towns from me). The tech pulled the pick-guard off and sprayed the pot with cleaner. Easy solution. It works great now. No charge. I can't say enough about that particular Guitar Center. The folks there are always helpful and friendly. I will take care of the sharp frets myself. I could send the guitar back, but then I would not know what I was going to get in return, so I will keep it unless some other problem pops up. Why did I want to buy this thing in the first place? I missed the "Quack" of my old Strat. This might not be the best Strat out there, but it is serving it purpose. I just wish somebody would take care of those knife edge frets before selling these things. :p I would not hesitate to recommend this guitar friends, but I would warn them about the frets.JACB

I decided, after months of thought, to try my hand at guitar playing once again. At the age of 66, I'm not anticipating being on stage. I simply felt like fiddling around with a decent guitar at home; sort of as a hobby of sorts. After checking out numerous guitars and amps, I decided the Squire Bullet series was a good fit. I bought the Limited Edition in red sparkle. I also bought a Fender Champion 20 amp. The pros: A really nice looking guitar. No visible flaws. Nice slim neck, excellent for those looking for a great starter guitar, especially if your hands and fingers aren't big/huge. Could be a potential candidate for modification further down the line. Super pick ups for a guitar in this price range! Cons: One, some fret buzz on the 5th and 6th string. Not 100% sure though that this is caused by the guitar or my novice playing skills.Joe G.

This was my first guitar and I must say the feel is better than my American standard strat. It's very light, the Finnish is stunning and keeps in tune pretty well. Although there were a few minor flaws for one one of the screws running heads popped off. I was just playing and I popped off. Another thing the pickups are really really sensitive and playing through an amp will make it sound dirty. Also the frets will buzz a bit.Lastly some of the fret ends were minor lay sharp. This guitar is good but it had a "cheap" fell to it. I would only recomend this for beginnersColin

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.

I own a Gibson Les Paul Custom and a Fender MIM maple neck Strat. This is the perfect marriage of these two instruments. The humbucker gives extra drive you would expect from a les Paul type guitar while retaining the spankyness of a strat. It can't do all the mim does though in terms of that 2nd position quack and the 1st position single coil goodness. I would describe the classic vibes as more mellow than the mim and more suitable for Rock than mim. The alnico pickups sing and are alive. The mim ceramic pickups seem darker. mim has that Skynyrd vibe while the CV has more of a Molly Hatchet/BlackCrowes/Zeppelin/Aerosmith quality to it. If you're on the fence between a les Paul or a strat then get this. If you want straight up spank get the sss strat. If you're looking for a edgier strat then get this. I am not disappointed. It is different than a les Paul but on the humbucker it's close. The main feel difference between this and my mim strat is the CV had a smaller neck. The mim has a chunkier feel to it.JB

Maybe not in every case, but this particular guitar was immaculate out of the box, except for a single rough fret edge on the highest fret. Played and sounded great and I don't think this guitar needs anything for a beginner, nor will it give a beginner many problems. I'm a bassist and compared to other guitars I've held, the neck is a little on the chunky side… medium chunky. I directly compared the Squier Classic Vibes with Fender Player series model guitars and the difference in quality is almost imperceptible. I did buy this as a mod platform (image attached!). If you're doing the same, save yourself a few hunny and go with the CV. 🙂Seth

I own a Gibson Les Paul Custom and a Fender MIM maple neck Strat. This is the perfect marriage of these two instruments. The humbucker gives extra drive you would expect from a les Paul type guitar while retaining the spankyness of a strat. It can't do all the mim does though in terms of that 2nd position quack and the 1st position single coil goodness. I would describe the classic vibes as more mellow than the mim and more suitable for Rock than mim. The alnico pickups sing and are alive. The mim ceramic pickups seem darker. mim has that Skynyrd vibe while the CV has more of a Molly Hatchet/BlackCrowes/Zeppelin/Aerosmith quality to it. If you're on the fence between a les Paul or a strat then get this. If you want straight up spank get the sss strat. If you're looking for a edgier strat then get this. I am not disappointed. It is different than a les Paul but on the humbucker it's close. The main feel difference between this and my mim strat is the CV had a smaller neck. The mim has a chunkier feel to it.JB

Maybe not in every case, but this particular guitar was immaculate out of the box, except for a single rough fret edge on the highest fret. Played and sounded great and I don't think this guitar needs anything for a beginner, nor will it give a beginner many problems. I'm a bassist and compared to other guitars I've held, the neck is a little on the chunky side… medium chunky. I directly compared the Squier Classic Vibes with Fender Player series model guitars and the difference in quality is almost imperceptible. I did buy this as a mod platform (image attached!). If you're doing the same, save yourself a few hunny and go with the CV. 🙂Seth

Purchased this Telecaster Deluxe in December of 2016 thinking I was going to have to modify and update it. I was wrong! The only thing I had to change was the input jack which is pretty standard on Telecasters. It did that "giggle loose" thing and quickly and cheaply replaced it. After putting my preferred gauge strings and a nice set up…it plays amazing. Just as well, if not better then a guitar three times this price. Pick ups sound really good. They cut through really well in a band situation with ease…makes my Marshall really sing. I really love this guitar…very pleasantly surprised. I'm a Gibson guy and wanted to try something different but with a humbucker and fixed tail piece and this fits the bill. In my experience with guitars in this price range is that over time the switches, and volume pots tend to fail quicker with normal wear and tear. This is wear the $ is saved by the company producing it. This is by no means a reason to shy away from this awesome guitar! Plus….it looks really cool!kingadrock23

I decided to pick this guitar up during a sale. I’ve read many places how great the quality is lately of Squire instruments. For the money, we’ll worth it, but don’t expect it to be any kind of playable condition when it arrives, if your experiences are similar to mine: Price and shipping? Can’t be beat! Quality of workmanship? Uneven at best. While the paint finish is nice, the neck pocket looks very uneven at the edges, I would normally think of this as a factory second. The trimplate around the upper switches wasn’t flat and the screws were at a slight angle. I removed it to find that the drilled holes were never cleaned, the tops of the holes raised slightly and the screws put in at a slight angle because of this. It was easy to remedy by filling, sanding and redrilling the holes, but to me that’s a little extreme even at this price point! The action was terribly high, the intonation totally off and there was string buzz around the bridge. After watching a few Jag specific videos, I shimmed the neck pocket slightly with two small cut business cards to increase the break at the neck. Did a complete readjustment of the bridge and strung it with 11’s (per most articles I read). Now it’s a beautiful, beautifully playing instrument! So beware! P.S. no case or gig bag, I know these aren’t mentioned as being included but I was still surprised that it came “naked”. P.P.S. Surprising good tuners, I thought this would have the cheaply stamped crap you usually find on cheaper guitars, these are a decent facimily of vintage fender tuners!Drewfuss

Squier guitars have often been underestimated by many guitar players – myself included. I've always wanted a Jag but didn't want to pay the high price for a Fender American so I decided to try it out. Happily to my surprise this guitar, for the price, is a fantastic deal. It plays very well, feels good, and sounds great through my Fender Champion 100. It's well made and has all the hallmarks that made the Fender brand famous. As someone who owns a Fender Stratocaster, Gibson SG, and Gibson Les Paul Standard, I can honestly say this guitar appropriately joins the ranks of those favorites in my collection. I tweaked the setup to my liking and it's pretty easy to do. (There are plenty of online tutorials for doing this). Bottom line – if you've ever wanted a Jaguar and want a great looking, great playing, great sounding guitar at a great price – then you need to pickup this Squier Jaguar!minnesodamac

This is my first electric guitar (I've played around with an acoustic for years but never seriously until now). For the price it sure feels and sounds nice. I wanted something that wasn't a toy but also wouldn't break the bank. I especially like the HSS pickup configuration because it offers a really broad range of sounds. It's beautiful, well-constructed, and sounds great on my little amp. A really excellent deal and the Customer Service folks were extraordinarily helpful. This was my second major purchase from Musicians Friend and in both cases I've been very happy with the product as well as the service.Packers Fan

I have played guitar to amuse myself, my friends, family, and sometimes my patients for about 50 years. About 10 years ago, I became interested in getting an electric guitar. After a cheap electric disappointment, I purchased the Vintage Modified Strat. Back then there were a lot of "Jerry Barton" types (see his review from 5/19/12) positively reviewing this guitar. Experienced players like that get my attention. They judge a guitar on its feel and sound, not on its name and price. For years I tried to replace my Squier with Mexican and American variants–I thought I needed Fender on the headstock. I finally found a good Mexican strat that worked well after I swapped pickups with the Squier. The Vint Mod Duncan Designed single coils are "stacked" and work similar to a humbucker to cancel out the noise typical of this type of pickup. Now pickup preference is very subjective, but I love these hum-free vintage-sounding single coils; especially since you can pump them up by adding in the moderately hot humbucker: Great tone combinations. The sound and feel of this guitar has colored all my subsequent electric guitar experiences. Not only do I recommend this guitar, I actually bought one and gave it to a friend.Dr. G

bought this to learn and practice on…. wasn't real sure about buying it from the open box sale… scratch and dent… I can't find a mark on it anywhere ! The only thing i noticed, it didn't come with a trem arm…. MF says that is one of the things that make it "open box special"….. no problem…. Very happy with what I got for a discounted price…jcv

I own a Gibson Les Paul Custom and a Fender MIM maple neck Strat. This is the perfect marriage of these two instruments. The humbucker gives extra drive you would expect from a les Paul type guitar while retaining the spankyness of a strat. It can't do all the mim does though in terms of that 2nd position quack and the 1st position single coil goodness. I would describe the classic vibes as more mellow than the mim and more suitable for Rock than mim. The alnico pickups sing and are alive. The mim ceramic pickups seem darker. mim has that Skynyrd vibe while the CV has more of a Molly Hatchet/BlackCrowes/Zeppelin/Aerosmith quality to it. If you're on the fence between a les Paul or a strat then get this. If you want straight up spank get the sss strat. If you're looking for a edgier strat then get this. I am not disappointed. It is different than a les Paul but on the humbucker it's close. The main feel difference between this and my mim strat is the CV had a smaller neck. The mim has a chunkier feel to it.JB

Maybe not in every case, but this particular guitar was immaculate out of the box, except for a single rough fret edge on the highest fret. Played and sounded great and I don't think this guitar needs anything for a beginner, nor will it give a beginner many problems. I'm a bassist and compared to other guitars I've held, the neck is a little on the chunky side… medium chunky. I directly compared the Squier Classic Vibes with Fender Player series model guitars and the difference in quality is almost imperceptible. I did buy this as a mod platform (image attached!). If you're doing the same, save yourself a few hunny and go with the CV. 🙂Seth

Overall its a cool looking Strat and a great sounding Strat even with the bad that I pointed out…many of the bad are things you would have to look very closely at to see and the other things can be corrected with a good setup. I played this thru my Bugera Vintage 22 Amp and My Heartbreaker Little Giant Amp/cab and it sounded great!! I would have no problem buying another one of these…maybe the red one! I own many of the latest Squires and I find they are great guitars that will last a lifetime Its your good Old Stratocaster with Lip Stick Pickups With cool Surf Green Paint! Lets start whats bad about this Strat…I'm a big fan of Fender and Squire Guitars and own many. First I pull this out of the carton and notice the frets were a little Sharpe and the rosewood fingerboard had file marks on the edge of the board. And the fingerboard had a little spot that looked to be filled in. As I inspected the paint I notice sand marks and small imperfections in the paint. And the Bridge as one reviewer pointed out needs to be set up. Mine had the bridge screw tighten against the body and the screws for the spring claw was tighten as far as you can go…even the mighty Hecules couldn't use this tremolo. Also the bridge saddles were out of alignment. As I was finishing setting this Strat up I was wiping it down with a soft micro cloth with nothing on it, I looked down and notice smuge mark on the volume knob, the gold paint was wiping off the volume knob…now I have a white volume knob with no gold paint. Anyway these are minor things for me as I will change the knobs to a chrome with pearloid tops. This is the bad…now the good! Great tone from the Semour Duncan (Designed) Pickups. These pickups have great balance between the bass and treble and they sound warm with clarity…if you like a Strat with Quack! dont pass this up!! The notes seem to jump off the board..guitar has a nice weight and overall is a wonderful Strat. For the money its a great Strat and you cant beat the Semour Duncan Designed Lipstick Pickups.Electrixblu

Like most, I was drawn to the surf green color and the unusual pickups. Why Fender does not offer this very popular color in their American models is beyond me. It is only available in the Jeff Beck signature models or the 50's Strat model. First, let me get the minor gripes out of the way. The guitar arrived dirty as if it had been in an Indonesian dust storm. I basically had to dismantle it and vacuum the dust out of the pickup cavities as well as give it a complete wipe down. Also, there were a few paint chips around the neck place but no big deal. There was also a slight bulge on the finish of the back of the neck but I've grown to appreciate it since it's exactly at the 7th fret and helps me find my way around the neck without looking at the fretboard. The good stuff… Aesthetically, the guitar is overall beautiful. Both the pickguard and the backplate are pearloid. The rosewood fretboard has a smooth grain with decent fretwork. The "Duncan Designed" lipstick pickups are a bit weak but manageable and sound great through a tube amp. If you want to replace them with the real Seymour Duncan lipsticks, look for the Duncan SLS-1 pickups. I have already worn the logo off the neck and middle pickups from how much I've played this guitar.GeetarMan

These are Fender's best kept secret for quality entry level guitars. I've been playing guitar for nearly 40 years and I own many guitars. These are Alder (body) and Maple (neck) for durabilty and tried and true tone. The pickups sound surprisingly good and no noise in the electronics. Btw, these are great to mod. If you know what you're doing, you can take an used Squire Affinity, mod it, and turn it into a guitar that that plays and sounds as good as any thousand dollar guitar. Fun guitars…great priceaxe541

After after 30 + years and many many strats over the years some of my favorite guitars have been Squires. But I would stay away from the Affinity series. They are poorly made, The Product coming out of Indonesia is far superior. I bought a Package deal for 80.00 That had not ever been used. It included an Champ amp the Stratocaster ( unplayable other then for a REAL beginner ) Chord, Strap picks, cleaning supplies. I sold the guitar for 90.00 The amp crapped out after about 4 months which annoyed me .Great practice amp with a headphone jack for my apt. Just get a reg Squire not an affinity. each. They are great guitars All you need unless your a Pro BUT if you can get a 20 th anniversary its is one of my favorite practice guitars. I play it all the time.I,m just guessing but they may have used better wood and upgraded the pups or wired hotter or i just got a really good one. Good luck Keep Playing !hblock321

Squier Strats w/China maple neck is best neck/fretboard that plays and feels identical to my original vintage '59 Fender maple neck/fretboard. I change out the p/u's to Noiseless and its a player. Own 3 modified China maple neck/fretboard Squier strats (2 gold) and this black one. Fender would do well to duplicate these neck shapes/fretboards on their U.S. built strats.ro_rued