I got mine yesterday in the sunburst. I'm in my 60's, a jazz player and normally play on large jazz boxes like D'Angelico New Yorker, ES175 etc. I also own a Gibson 335 and a Fender Telecaster. I saw a review on here a couple days ago and thought why not for just $120? I'm really shocked at the great quality at this price. I'll have to put some better quality and heavier gauge strings on it. I think these come with 9's installed. On a guitar like this I would prefer 10s like on my Tele. I have to get a accustomed to this neck, compared to my jazz boxes it feels like I'm playing on a broom stick because it is thin in comparison, but well crafted and plays nicely. The satin finish in sunburst is nice and has a certain understated elegance to it. It sounds pretty good through a Twin Reverb. I don't really do much distortion. it's a keeper.
Considering my first electric cost me $65. It was crude, painted with a heavy flat blue paint. Truly a baseball bat with strings. For a little over a $100 this guitar is steal!
I bought a $99. Squire FSR SSH in 2018, plays ok, holds tune, and saves me worry if I lost it somehow. Then I bought a EART T-Style that still blows away new models. $279. We are truly in the Age of Affordable Quality budget guitars and basses. Thanks.
I have a bunch of Squiers and a bunch of knock-offs. I like them all. Some knock-offs have headstock shapes that I can't stomach, but there are others I'm totally fine with.
I agree with everything you stated. However from a business perspective I see no reason fir them to have to throw in accessories. If it is a better product people will over look the freebies. Fender play helps promote the brand and for new players provides at home lessons on a budget. The color limitations allows them to up sell the consumer to more expensive models . As I mentioned on previous posts I have personally reached out to Fender and each time I was very pleased with the outcome. In fact their associates all seem very knowledgeable about the Fender products and guitars in general. When buying these guitars I expect a Corolla not a Lexus. Budget guitars claiming to be like a Lexus is not realistic.
Makes sense but from a cost standpoint adding more colors is a wash or negligible. As far as Fender play it’s probably a third party sponsor that’s why they do it don’t think they really care how much or how well a child plays, they might to ensure lifelong guitar players that will become return customers.
You might consider a nice pickguard upgrade. A brown pearloid on that satin sunburst would totally change the look. A black pearloid on the red one would make it sell immediately in a guitar shop. That is a very easy and affordable way to bling one of these a tiny bit. Probably under 18$.
I get my OX Blood Red .. this Wednesday.and I am On a Budget mod . locking tuners.Black preloaded 500 k .pots HSS... Wilkinson Fatboy tremolo... graphtech nut.Brass Saddles . string retainer Bar .it's thin light And Deadly...Thank you Joe because Man i Been Hunting for a while now.for A good Budget.guitar . and thanks to you.Joe .my journey had come to turn point in my Axe Hunt..and now I have the OX Blood Red
Squire has been doing a really great job on their guitars. Had a chance to play an out of the box classic vibe 50s strat and was pretty impressed. It seems that these debut strats are an Amazon only exclusie. For the price I could not resist and ordered the sunburst. As far as the finish on the bodies, vintage strats were finished in nitro which is not glossy like bodies done in polyurethane so the flat look to me gives it a vintage look.
There have definitely been several reviews of this guitar now. As a matter of fact, just a couple days ago after watching yet another review of this guitar, I thought to myself……Joe was the first person that I’m aware of to mention anything about this guitar. Then I watch this video and you said it….LOL. Most definitely seems to be worth $199.99. So far, I have resisted the urge to buy one. But that resistance might be futile. I really, really, really don’t need another guitar. Glad you’re enjoying it Joe!
Really good job of analysis! People need to understand what the real difference is, Incredible and personal. They saved money on the paint job. Otherwise it's a squier. It will sound great from a good amp. Just saying.
I agree that this Squire is an excellent choice for a beginner since they seem to be playable right out of the box. Interesting that a viewer from India pointed out that these have been available in his country for the past two years. Another reviewer made a point that might be important for other potential buyers which is that the thickness of the body is "non-standard" for a true Strat in that it is too thin to allow upgrading things like the tremolo bridge. That being said, it does seem to be an excellent choice for a beginner guitar. Some "off-brand" Strats might still be better for more experience guitarists and those who want to later modify or upgrade their guitar.
I think I'm gonna buy one. I have a hardtail bullet $50 from a pawn shop. I like the debut doesn't have a skunk stripe. Mine does and no matter how much shaving and sanding I've done I can still feel it and the two woods shrink and swell at different rates throughout the year
You was the first one I saw... Debuting.this Debut.fender stratocaster.mine will be here tomorrow.along with some other goodies..I just wanted to say thank you Man .I really appreciate it . keep playing be happy..
I love mine. It's amazing the quality at this price point. The fret work is superior to any other guitar I've tried in this price range. I really like the matte finish (red). I had to intonate the low "E" string and that was it, other than tuning it. The tuners and strings are even good. I currently have 2 other off brand guitars in this price range and I spent quite a bit of time fixing fret issues and action with them. I was going to buy a Sonic when I came across your 1st video on the Debut. Glad I saw your video (and 1 or 2 other guys) and rolled the dice. Thanks for the videos.
Joe, thank you for your review. Your down to earth guitar reviews are very handy. In truth, if Robben Ford did a review on this Squier and used his pedalboard and his Dumble, I would know less about this guitar than I learned from your review. Thanks,
Off topic: If you are here reading this April Tue 24th 2024 - MF currently has Sea Foam Green Squier Bullet strats in stock with 10 percent off for members. I got one some months ago and was very impressed. Modded with a new CV maple neck, ss saddles and new plastic hdwr. Play it every day. Loved it so much I bought a second one in Lake Placid Blue. These last of the available new, Bullet strat guitars better than people think. If I didn't just get a new Fiesta Red CV (which is extremely excellent by the way) I'd get one just to keep new in box for future reference. Seems the 2023 Squier Bullet and CV strats coming out of Indonesia are pretty sweet. Cheers!
I love CV but wish they had a thinner body. When will the old school mind set of big fat ass bodies that weigh 800 pounds equate to quality and tone ever end? BTW where did you buy CV neck?
Joe, I totally agree with you. I have the same model and it sounds and plays great. Plugged into a boss katana, this baby rocks! Keeping it real! Guys show your support, Subscribe!
Great deal on the guitar! I bought a 600 dollar squire tele 40th anniversary, but waited for it to go on sale, was around 300! I agree about the headstock, even like the smaller fender strat style headstock vs the large 70s fender headstock, but prefer the Fender headstock! My favorite pickup is a Seymour Duncan ceramic!
Scar just went over it with a fret rocker and found all the frets were level. I mean it would be crazy to buy another strat. I mean I have 8...but I do need a humbucker maybe I could put humbuckers in it because they're routed for humbuckers too...
I've often wondered whether manufacturers who ship without a gig bag, apparently for economic reasons, aren't being penny wise and pound foolish because the gig bag would greatly reduce the number of guitars returned for damage, including minor cosmetic damage, that would be prevented if the guitar were in a decent gig bag. So customers are happier because they get undamaged guitars plus a value-added item in the form of the bag, and Fender eats fewer losses from damaged returns. Would seem to be a win-win but I guess Fender et al don't see it that way.
Speaking only for myself, I don’t know that the name and “correct” headstock are much of a selling point. Especially if I’m still on the hook for buying a gif bag fro another 25-30 dollars. Now I’m in for $150+ as opposed to $110-$130 for a knockoff with a nice bag. Maybe that wont matter to most, but it is a consideration that Fender shouldn’t ignore
it's just not practical, those paper thin plastic bags do nothing to protect the guitar and usually end up being the reason the guitar is scratched/dented bouncing off the zippers during a rough transport , it doesn't cost them anything to replace a guitar damaged in shipping for the consumer, and are able to re-sale the items at small discount as "open-box" items, if they are too bad they just trash them and get full refund from the shipping companies insurance.
I can't wait to pick up one of these guitars used in perfect condition for $50. Because someone wanted to play and found out that it's not that easy and it takes time and dedication to be good enough to play out.
There seem to be a lot of anti Fender channels on CZcams. I am 65, and have been playing guitar since age 16. I have owned a number of Fenders. None of them had any serious issues. I modified a few of them. The Strat has always been my favorite electric guitar. I have owned several, and currently own two, a 2009 American Standard, and a 2013 American Professional II HSS. Yes, those are expensive guitars, more expensive than an amateur like myself needs. But I wanted them, could afford them, so I bought them. And I have been very satisfied with them. Last summer, my 12 year old grandson became interested in playing the guitar. I wasn't about to let him handle my Fenders, so I ordered a Squier Bullet Strat (hardtail) in high gloss Lake Placid Blue from Guitar Center. They were on sale. I got it for just under $100 shipped to my door. Overall the quality was very good for that price, but it had one major problem. The frets literally stuck out 1/16" past the edge of the fretboard. It was so bad that the low E sting would actually get caught under the ends of the frets. It was completely unplayable. While I have swapped out mechanical and electronic parts before, I have never worked on frets. Fortunately I know someone at a local music store who dressed up the ends of the frets for me. I also replaced the strings, but I expected to need to do that. I know it was a very cheap guitar (that model is now selling for twice that price) and I was not expecting perfection, but that was ridiculous.
Even if they threw in a gig bag it wouldn’t be much more than a dust cover. I never take a guitar to an actual gig in one of those thin single layer cheap gig bags. It wouldn’t really protect the instrument and couldn’t carry the cord, tuner, capo and pics that you need when playing out anywhere. There are reasonably priced gig bags that are more than a dust cover. Ibanez Powerpad is one that comes to mind. At the minimum get something like the Fender FE405 gig bag. It’s only $25 from Sweetwater.
I keep looking at those, mainly because I have a loaded Strat pickguard with a set of Texas Special pups in it. I don't want to spend a lot of $$ on a body to put them in, so something like this would fit the bill, so to speak. If they had a hard tail version, I would buy one in an instant. As far as the gig bag goes, they could at least include a discount coupon for the purchase of one. I used to feel the same way about headstock shapes, but I'm mostly over it. When I realized that Leo Fender had a hand in designing G&L and Music Man guitars, both brands that have "funny" headstocks, I began to care less. As of now, about the only headstock shape that I can't abide with is the older Epi "clipped wing" headstock on LP shaped guitars. They look awful except on the bigger bodied guitars, such as the Sheraton, IMO. Keep on letting us know about these cool deals, and keep on rockin' Joe!
You were definitely the trailblazer on this, Joe - no doubt about that. Now, of course, *everybody's* talking about it. I feel like it's being a little misrespresented by some enthusiasts, though. Don't get me wrong - I have one and really enjoy it, but it's essentially a matte finish Bullet with better QC - and, at that price, that's more than enough to make it a great value.
How was the intonation on yours? Mine was off. I filed out the nut slots and adjusted the saddles and it's a ton better now. My issue with these guitars is the body thickness, so makes modding tough, and pickups. The pickups in mine a very thin and brittle sounding. I'm actually thinking of taking the neck off this and putting it on a different body and add some better pickups.
No issues with the intonation or nut slots. Saddle was like any other low end import guitar (pot metal and "bare bone") I actually like the sound of my ceramic pickups (again, a personal "thing"). I don't buy guitars to "mod". My playing ability warrants the best playable guitar out of the box for the "buck". This fits the bill for me.
The thin body makes it impossible to put in a bridge with a bigger tremelo block, but mine was okay for the price, I had to adjust the neck and change the shitty strings and do the intonation, but I have to do that with all new strats.
Fender has been good at layering their guitars at all price points. The range of Squier guitars Fender has on offer now is pretty impressive. My mim standard strat came stock with ceramic single coils that I've never felt the need to replace. Cheers!
@@strat1999 Horses for courses. The alnicos in my player tele and cv strat do sound good but so do the ceramics in my standard strat. I wouldn't say one is better so much as different. Cheers!
Makes no sense to have Squire debut, sonic, and Affinity series come so close in component choice, but a wild swing in pricing. Which is the serious beginner guitar, and why aren't the others? The Consumers are the ones asking for stainless steel frets, roasted necks, extra tonal capabilities, and other options...and the Overseas offbrands are listening while Stateside brands offer cheap paint schemes to offset prices. We just need to let our $$$$ speak louder to get what we want, not just shell out more for them compromising.
@@Gene_CaliAt first, it might be confusing, but after spending time with it, it becomes clear. None of my guitars have the options you mentioned. I experimented with stainless steel frets but didn't like the sound. I had a guitar with a roasted maple neck, but I sold it because I didn't like its appearance and the neck felt dull. Features like splitters, push-pulls, push-push, dry, focus, passive, and kill switches suit some, but not everyone. Cheers!
Great information and video Joe. One very good thing that the knockoff Starts has called out Fender on their over priced guitars embarrassing Fender. Fender shows what it is actually capable of making a good playable low cost quality guitar for the home user and hobiest. Wouldn't it be great Gibson if does this. As always thanks Joe!!!
Amen! But folks underestimate how brilliant Leo Fender's strat design is. Set necks, tilted headstocks, arched tops and horizontal drilling to route wiring, makes many Gibson designs tricky. Leo got a lot of his inspiration from working at a toaster factory. He invisioned a guitar that could be built on an assembly line by folks with minimal training. Fender can simply contract OEM factories and the result is a pretty good musicical instrument. Fender contracts many OEM manufacturers. That is their strong point. They use Chinese factories, Indonesian, Mexican and for a while even a factory in India. Gibson contracts Quingdoa factories for many Epiphones. Folks will wrongly say Gibson owns it. Lol Foreign companies can't even own land in China. Gibson is tricky. Their literature reads " Gibson opened a factory in Quingdoa" Folks fail to realize " open" does not mean " own" . Gibson spends a lot ( 100 million$ last year) on promotion and advertising to maintain that customer perception of quality.
compared to a Kramer Focus 211, thats in the same price range, the fit and finish and set up outta the box is probably miles ahead. Im normally not a friend of the big F and S bc they are so ubiquitous, but theres little that can go wrong if you wanna give this to a beginner without doing any work yourself.
Mine came yesterday & it’s fine. After playing and spending the night here there are a couple of buzzing frets. That could happen to any guitar 🎸. I think some new strings would help. I really like the matte rubbed finish on the neck.overall I like it and I have several high end Strats. This one feels nice. 👍☮️🌞🎸🎵🩵
Those are very similar to the Cort Indonesia built Squiers. Slimmer body, slim neck. Nice guitars. Mediocre pickups. A working musician could gig on one. He'd probably want to replace the pickups and maybe replace the saddles with bent type vintage style. An entire pickguard/ pickup assembly with nice Alnicos can cost as little as 35$. Saddles are about 7$-12$. It'd be a great gig axe then and so fun to take to an open jam where hobbyist who can barely play bring their 2000$ axes.
Two both of you guys, thanks for the outstanding answers, I know what I am going to do, I once had a Japanese strat, I miss that axe but can't afford one, I think I'll take my chances with this one. Again thanks!
@@HHarry64 At 120$ and free returns it is worth considering for most folks interested in a strat style guitar. Depending on where you live and your knowledge etc. pawn shops can still be amazing sources. Those older Squier strats with CXS serial numbers can be very nice guitars. Very Strat-ish and full size body. I think of Agathis wood. They show up for 60$ or 75$ sometimes.
I watched one other guy that got out a video early like you did but you were earlier than him by a couple of days, and your followups were great. I LOVE mine! In fact I'm about to sell my 40th Anniversary Squier now that I have it simply because I don't need multiples and neither do I collect or gig anymore. If something goes bad wrong I'll treat it like my weedeaters that go bad almost every rear and buy another one, and of course that's just me. Thanks for all these honest reviews!
I can gives you 1 reason why somebody goes a knock-off : Those are Amazon exclusives and I can't, one reason or another, buy one. If I Try, they Put up this: "currently unavavailable" If anybody can help me or explain why I can purchase so few guitars via Amazon, and so many I don't, i'm very thankfull!
To me, Squire is a Fender knock off. I’ve not found a Squire Strat that is better than many of the other brands. They got lazy. The Debut has all of the same Chinese cheap parts. !! Authenticity has nothing to do with sound.
I absolutely agree with you. I had 2 Squiers, a strat and a Bass. Both were extremely inferior. I own 2 Fender Starcaster s and they far exceed the Squier. They are machined more like a real fender. And the Starcaster strats have the fender headstock and the measurements and are easily upgraded. My Squier strat refused to be intonated. That's because it was measured wrong when built. Good Luck!
The ones made in Indonesia are better quality, they sell for more. A squire CV on amazon is 400, might as we'll just buy a fender strat made in mexico. When I buy squire, I just look on the used market, can find some that have thicker body or even made in mexico. Old used squires still cost upwards of 200. The older ones say fender on them too, having the name brand is important in terms of value and recognition. Squire isn't a knockoff, its doesn't have the expensive bits of the fender. Even real fenders are hard to tell, cheap guitars are getting so good now, but you pay a lot more for the fender name. I just hope they don't start making fenders in China, making rock and roll guitars in a authoritarian regime is kinda losing the point. Made in the USA or mexico, all the way.
Any new guitar with sharp fret ends is essentially a rip off. Unfinished junk people pay good money for. Headstocks and colors are just cosmetic it's about playing feel and sound.
I live in a very dry desert environment and I have been a liscensed repair tech for many guitar brands. In a place that has 5%relative humidity guitars tend to get a bit of fret sprout. Guitars are a bit like dirt bikes and tractors. They will require some minor repairs from time to time .
@@johnnynbk I am on your side! As a kid decades ago, my job was to unbox EVERY guitar and do a complete setup. Sadly those days are over. There won't be a single guitar at my Guitar Center that is set up. Even the 3000$ stuff will have a high nut ( over .040") so open chords are more painful sounding than a Slim Whitman concert.
Amen, It is like buying a bike from Walmart that has good parts but a 16 year old Walmart employee assembled it using only a pair of pliers. A guy absolutely has to invest in a good set of nut files etc now. It is an opportunity to add some basic set up skills and now it is essential. As a kid, even a 100$ Hondo got a full set up. That complete setup today would run about 80$. Ouch!
40th anniversary far and away is the better guitar. Not even close. I have both and the 40th is head and shoulders the better guitar. Not saying the Debut is bad at all. For the money it is a no brainer. But everything about the 40th anniversary is higher quality than the Debut. The Debut is inline with the Sonic/Bullets and I dare say may approach the Affinity series.
@@tomwilson4353 I bought an Affinity which is very attractive but I didn’t bond with it……until. I set it up at a shredder level, smoothed fret end and put high output pickups now it feels and plays better than my old Classic Vibe ( I loved that CV). I am an engineer and very good on working with guitars. If I had to guess your opinion is based on doing a high level setup on both you take them as shipped and do bare minimum.
I go on a case-by-case basis. There are "other" reasons why I might buy some other knock-off. A full thickness body. And maybe I want that particular body... for modding. Or I want the neck. I dig the color. Etc. But... that said, I want one of these. Mainly b'c I love the color and matte finish. It's different, and it's about time. I have always had great luck with Squier stuff. Love the necks. And apparently, this one is super thin, which I like. Etc etc. Mainly.... I just dig it, and at that price... Holy crap! But you might get $40 for a knock-off Strat clone. And maybe you get $60 for this one. I couldn't care less at that point. I just like the guitar. I'm going to grab one, and mod it with a loaded pickguard, HSS with a smokin' hot Bridge pup. And lastly... yeah the head-stock is great. That's why I won't buy a Monoproce Strat. I want to puke every single time I see the head-stock.
knockoffs don't offer the same attraction as well built inexpensive guitars. Cheap garbage knockoffs only serve a cosmetic desire for those who dupe themselves into believing that they'll have something of quality once they sink more money changing or fixing shoddy material, hardware & manufacturing issues, which is silly. Guitars like Squire, EPI, Yamaha, etc.. offer budget instruments that can be set up well, and made comfortable for players from the start
guitar modder's always cry about not being able to blow money on these for "upgrades" , the money they waste "upgrading" they could go buy a gibson les paul, or american strat!, but , you know they would still find something to cry about, so it's just them, not the guitars.
Sometimes folks simply don't consider price vs ability to do the job. A guy could spend a lot of money putting some nice Alnicos in this guitar. He could spend 200$ or more, easy! But he could also find a nice set of Artec too...etc for 30$ and oh!!! That 30 bucks would be tone- elicious thru a Princeton or a Deluxe. Those thin bodies can sound good. Light too. Total gig guitar for a bar gig.
@@rustyshackleford9557 yeah i know, it's crazy to me, to blow all that money trying to get a "better tone",... I just use the EQ to adjust tonal output, it seems like 99% of todays musicians have no clue about what or why EQ exists, lol
and if you wanted a shiny finish you could always put a buffing wheel on your hand drill and blow it over the matt until the shine comes up ;)
Many of the knock offs have been climbing in price which makes the Debut a real bargain.
Is it possible this move may cause the knockoffs to get even less expensive?
@@lewis45acp Economic theory suggests it should but practically it depends on a whole lot of things
I got mine yesterday in the sunburst. I'm in my 60's, a jazz player and normally play on large jazz boxes like D'Angelico New Yorker, ES175 etc. I also own a Gibson 335 and a Fender Telecaster. I saw a review on here a couple days ago and thought why not for just $120? I'm really shocked at the great quality at this price. I'll have to put some better quality and heavier gauge strings on it. I think these come with 9's installed. On a guitar like this I would prefer 10s like on my Tele. I have to get a accustomed to this neck, compared to my jazz boxes it feels like I'm playing on a broom stick because it is thin in comparison, but well crafted and plays nicely. The satin finish in sunburst is nice and has a certain understated elegance to it. It sounds pretty good through a Twin Reverb. I don't really do much distortion. it's a keeper.
Amazon deliverd my sunburst debut strat today and for $119.00 I am impressed.
Considering my first electric cost me $65. It was crude, painted with a heavy flat blue paint. Truly a baseball bat with strings. For a little over a $100 this guitar is steal!
I bought a $99. Squire FSR SSH in 2018, plays ok, holds tune, and saves me worry if I lost it somehow. Then I bought a EART T-Style that still blows away new models. $279. We are truly in the Age of Affordable Quality budget guitars and basses. Thanks.
I have a bunch of Squiers and a bunch of knock-offs. I like them all. Some knock-offs have headstock shapes that I can't stomach, but there are others I'm totally fine with.
I like this Squier but, I wish they would do more colors. The red one is the only one I would consider buying.
Agreed . That is a problem with Squier.
I do like the red, but I would consider the black--it looks good to me as well.
I agree with everything you stated. However from a business perspective I see no reason fir them to have to throw in accessories. If it is a better product people will over look the freebies. Fender play helps promote the brand and for new players provides at home lessons on a budget. The color limitations allows them to up sell the consumer to more expensive models . As I mentioned on previous posts I have personally reached out to Fender and each time I was very pleased with the outcome. In fact their associates all seem very knowledgeable about the Fender products and guitars in general. When buying these guitars I expect a Corolla not a Lexus. Budget guitars claiming to be like a Lexus is not realistic.
Makes sense but from a cost standpoint adding more colors is a wash or negligible. As far as Fender play it’s probably a third party sponsor that’s why they do it don’t think they really care how much or how well a child plays, they might to ensure lifelong guitar players that will become return customers.
You might consider a nice pickguard upgrade.
A brown pearloid on that satin sunburst would totally change the look.
A black pearloid on the red one would make it sell immediately in a guitar shop.
That is a very easy and affordable way to bling one of these a tiny bit. Probably under 18$.
I get my OX Blood Red .. this Wednesday.and I am On a Budget mod . locking tuners.Black preloaded 500 k .pots HSS... Wilkinson Fatboy tremolo... graphtech nut.Brass Saddles . string retainer Bar .it's thin light And Deadly...Thank you Joe because Man i Been Hunting for a while now.for A good Budget.guitar . and thanks to you.Joe .my journey had come to turn point in my Axe Hunt..and now I have the OX Blood Red
Squire has been doing a really great job on their guitars. Had a chance to play an out of the box classic vibe 50s strat and was pretty impressed. It seems that these debut strats are an Amazon only exclusie. For the price I could not resist and ordered the sunburst. As far as the finish on the bodies, vintage strats were finished in nitro which is not glossy like bodies done in polyurethane so the flat look to me gives it a vintage look.
A black, grey or aged white pearloid pickguard would look great on that satin finish.
A silver anodized aluminum pickguard and some chrome knobs and it would be a show piece.
Yes. A light grey would look nice against the Fiesta Red
There have definitely been several reviews of this guitar now. As a matter of fact, just a couple days ago after watching yet another review of this guitar, I thought to myself……Joe was the first person that I’m aware of to mention anything about this guitar. Then I watch this video and you said it….LOL. Most definitely seems to be worth $199.99. So far, I have resisted the urge to buy one. But that resistance might be futile. I really, really, really don’t need another guitar. Glad you’re enjoying it Joe!
Really good job of analysis! People need to understand what the real difference is, Incredible and personal. They saved money on the paint job. Otherwise it's a squier. It will sound great from a good amp. Just saying.
I agree that this Squire is an excellent choice for a beginner since they seem to be playable right out of the box. Interesting that a viewer from India pointed out that these have been available in his country for the past two years. Another reviewer made a point that might be important for other potential buyers which is that the thickness of the body is "non-standard" for a true Strat in that it is too thin to allow upgrading things like the tremolo bridge. That being said, it does seem to be an excellent choice for a beginner guitar. Some "off-brand" Strats might still be better for more experience guitarists and those who want to later modify or upgrade their guitar.
I think I'm gonna buy one. I have a hardtail bullet $50 from a pawn shop. I like the debut doesn't have a skunk stripe. Mine does and no matter how much shaving and sanding I've done I can still feel it and the two woods shrink and swell at different rates throughout the year
You was the first one I saw... Debuting.this Debut.fender stratocaster.mine will be here tomorrow.along with some other goodies..I just wanted to say thank you Man .I really appreciate it . keep playing be happy..
Joe I'm glad you like this guitar, its not easy to find an economy guitar online that just fits you & your playing style. Glad your happy!
I love mine. It's amazing the quality at this price point. The fret work is superior to any other guitar I've tried in this price range. I really like the matte finish (red). I had to intonate the low "E" string and that was it, other than tuning it. The tuners and strings are even good. I currently have 2 other off brand guitars in this price range and I spent quite a bit of time fixing fret issues and action with them. I was going to buy a Sonic when I came across your 1st video on the Debut. Glad I saw your video (and 1 or 2 other guys) and rolled the dice. Thanks for the videos.
Joe, thank you for your review.
Your down to earth guitar reviews are very handy.
In truth, if Robben Ford did a review on this Squier and used his pedalboard and his Dumble, I would know less about this guitar than I learned from your review. Thanks,
Great review think Im picking one up
Off topic: If you are here reading this April Tue 24th 2024 - MF currently has Sea Foam Green Squier Bullet strats in stock with 10 percent off for members. I got one some months ago and was very impressed. Modded with a new CV maple neck, ss saddles and new plastic hdwr. Play it every day. Loved it so much I bought a second one in Lake Placid Blue. These last of the available new, Bullet strat guitars better than people think. If I didn't just get a new Fiesta Red CV (which is extremely excellent by the way) I'd get one just to keep new in box for future reference. Seems the 2023 Squier Bullet and CV strats coming out of Indonesia are pretty sweet. Cheers!
I love CV but wish they had a thinner body. When will the old school mind set of big fat ass bodies that weigh 800 pounds equate to quality and tone ever end? BTW where did you buy CV neck?
Joe, I totally agree with you. I have the same model and it sounds and plays great. Plugged into a boss katana, this baby rocks! Keeping it real! Guys show your support, Subscribe!
Great deal on the guitar! I bought a 600 dollar squire tele 40th anniversary, but waited for it to go on sale, was around 300! I agree about the headstock, even like the smaller fender strat style headstock vs the large 70s fender headstock, but prefer the Fender headstock! My favorite pickup is a Seymour Duncan ceramic!
Scar just went over it with a fret rocker and found all the frets were level.
I mean it would be crazy to buy another strat. I mean I have 8...but I do need a humbucker maybe I could put humbuckers in it because they're routed for humbuckers too...
I've often wondered whether manufacturers who ship without a gig bag, apparently for economic reasons, aren't being penny wise and pound foolish because the gig bag would greatly reduce the number of guitars returned for damage, including minor cosmetic damage, that would be prevented if the guitar were in a decent gig bag. So customers are happier because they get undamaged guitars plus a value-added item in the form of the bag, and Fender eats fewer losses from damaged returns. Would seem to be a win-win but I guess Fender et al don't see it that way.
Speaking only for myself, I don’t know that the name and “correct” headstock are much of a selling point. Especially if I’m still on the hook for buying a gif bag fro another 25-30 dollars. Now I’m in for $150+ as opposed to $110-$130 for a knockoff with a nice bag. Maybe that wont matter to most, but it is a consideration that Fender shouldn’t ignore
it's just not practical, those paper thin plastic bags do nothing to protect the guitar and usually end up being the reason the guitar is scratched/dented bouncing off the zippers during a rough transport , it doesn't cost them anything to replace a guitar damaged in shipping for the consumer, and are able to re-sale the items at small discount as "open-box" items, if they are too bad they just trash them and get full refund from the shipping companies insurance.
You appear to be quite enamored with that guitar, Joe:) Nice when that happens!
I can't wait to pick up one of these guitars used in perfect condition for $50. Because someone wanted to play and found out that it's not that easy and it takes time and dedication to be good enough to play out.
50$ with high e string missing, of course
@@johnnynbk of course
There seem to be a lot of anti Fender channels on CZcams. I am 65, and have been playing guitar since age 16. I have owned a number of Fenders. None of them had any serious issues. I modified a few of them. The Strat has always been my favorite electric guitar. I have owned several, and currently own two, a 2009 American Standard, and a 2013 American Professional II HSS. Yes, those are expensive guitars, more expensive than an amateur like myself needs. But I wanted them, could afford them, so I bought them. And I have been very satisfied with them. Last summer, my 12 year old grandson became interested in playing the guitar. I wasn't about to let him handle my Fenders, so I ordered a Squier Bullet Strat (hardtail) in high gloss Lake Placid Blue from Guitar Center. They were on sale. I got it for just under $100 shipped to my door. Overall the quality was very good for that price, but it had one major problem. The frets literally stuck out 1/16" past the edge of the fretboard. It was so bad that the low E sting would actually get caught under the ends of the frets. It was completely unplayable. While I have swapped out mechanical and electronic parts before, I have never worked on frets. Fortunately I know someone at a local music store who dressed up the ends of the frets for me. I also replaced the strings, but I expected to need to do that. I know it was a very cheap guitar (that model is now selling for twice that price) and I was not expecting perfection, but that was ridiculous.
Even if they threw in a gig bag it wouldn’t be much more than a dust cover. I never take a guitar to an actual gig in one of those thin single layer cheap gig bags. It wouldn’t really protect the instrument and couldn’t carry the cord, tuner, capo and pics that you need when playing out anywhere. There are reasonably priced gig bags that are more than a dust cover. Ibanez Powerpad is one that comes to mind. At the minimum get something like the Fender FE405 gig bag. It’s only $25 from Sweetwater.
I keep looking at those, mainly because I have a loaded Strat pickguard with a set of Texas Special pups in it. I don't want to spend a lot of $$ on a body to put them in, so something like this would fit the bill, so to speak. If they had a hard tail version, I would buy one in an instant. As far as the gig bag goes, they could at least include a discount coupon for the purchase of one.
I used to feel the same way about headstock shapes, but I'm mostly over it. When I realized that Leo Fender had a hand in designing G&L and Music Man guitars, both brands that have "funny" headstocks, I began to care less. As of now, about the only headstock shape that I can't abide with is the older Epi "clipped wing" headstock on LP shaped guitars. They look awful except on the bigger bodied guitars, such as the Sheraton, IMO. Keep on letting us know about these cool deals, and keep on rockin' Joe!
You were definitely the trailblazer on this, Joe - no doubt about that. Now, of course, *everybody's* talking about it. I feel like it's being a little misrespresented by some enthusiasts, though. Don't get me wrong - I have one and really enjoy it, but it's essentially a matte finish Bullet with better QC - and, at that price, that's more than enough to make it a great value.
How was the intonation on yours? Mine was off. I filed out the nut slots and adjusted the saddles and it's a ton better now. My issue with these guitars is the body thickness, so makes modding tough, and pickups. The pickups in mine a very thin and brittle sounding. I'm actually thinking of taking the neck off this and putting it on a different body and add some better pickups.
No issues with the intonation or nut slots. Saddle was like any other low end import guitar (pot metal and "bare bone") I actually like the sound of my ceramic pickups (again, a personal "thing"). I don't buy guitars to "mod". My playing ability warrants the best playable guitar out of the box for the "buck". This fits the bill for me.
The thin body makes it impossible to put in a bridge with a bigger tremelo block, but mine was okay for the price, I had to adjust the neck and change the shitty strings and do the intonation, but I have to do that with all new strats.
Fender has been good at layering their guitars at all price points. The range of Squier guitars Fender has on offer now is pretty impressive. My mim standard strat came stock with ceramic single coils that I've never felt the need to replace. Cheers!
@@strat1999 Horses for courses. The alnicos in my player tele and cv strat do sound good but so do the ceramics in my standard strat. I wouldn't say one is better so much as different. Cheers!
Makes no sense to have Squire debut, sonic, and Affinity series come so close in component choice, but a wild swing in pricing. Which is the serious beginner guitar, and why aren't the others? The Consumers are the ones asking for stainless steel frets, roasted necks, extra tonal capabilities, and other options...and the Overseas offbrands are listening while Stateside brands offer cheap paint schemes to offset prices. We just need to let our $$$$ speak louder to get what we want, not just shell out more for them compromising.
@@Gene_CaliAt first, it might be confusing, but after spending time with it, it becomes clear. None of my guitars have the options you mentioned. I experimented with stainless steel frets but didn't like the sound. I had a guitar with a roasted maple neck, but I sold it because I didn't like its appearance and the neck felt dull. Features like splitters, push-pulls, push-push, dry, focus, passive, and kill switches suit some, but not everyone. Cheers!
Great information and video Joe. One very good thing that the knockoff Starts has called out Fender on their over priced guitars embarrassing Fender. Fender shows what it is actually capable of making a good playable low cost quality guitar for the home user and hobiest. Wouldn't it be great Gibson if does this. As always thanks Joe!!!
Darn spell check on Strat. 😅
@@jerrymccabejr I don't grade on spelling! 😄Be well Jerry!
Amen! But folks underestimate how brilliant Leo Fender's strat design is.
Set necks, tilted headstocks, arched tops and horizontal drilling to route wiring, makes many Gibson designs tricky.
Leo got a lot of his inspiration from working at a toaster factory. He invisioned a guitar that could be built on an assembly line by folks with minimal training.
Fender can simply contract OEM factories and the result is a pretty good musicical instrument.
Fender contracts many OEM manufacturers. That is their strong point. They use Chinese factories, Indonesian, Mexican and for a while even a factory in India.
Gibson contracts Quingdoa factories for many Epiphones.
Folks will wrongly say Gibson owns it. Lol Foreign companies can't even own land in China.
Gibson is tricky. Their literature reads " Gibson opened a factory in Quingdoa"
Folks fail to realize " open" does not mean " own" . Gibson spends a lot ( 100 million$ last year) on promotion and advertising to maintain that customer perception of quality.
compared to a Kramer Focus 211, thats in the same price range, the fit and finish and set up outta the box is probably miles ahead. Im normally not a friend of the big F and S bc they are so ubiquitous, but theres little that can go wrong if you wanna give this to a beginner without doing any work yourself.
Mine came yesterday & it’s fine. After playing and spending the night here there are a couple of buzzing frets. That could happen to any guitar 🎸. I think some new strings would help. I really like the matte rubbed finish on the neck.overall I like it and I have several high end Strats. This one feels nice. 👍☮️🌞🎸🎵🩵
Hey Joe, how was the intonation when you first played it? Did you have to adjust?
No Arthur. Was pretty good.
Where is the telecaster version for this line? 😔
Sir, do you have a Fender strat, does it has the same feel or is it a complete different instrument.
Those are very similar to the Cort Indonesia built Squiers. Slimmer body, slim neck.
Nice guitars. Mediocre pickups. A working musician could gig on one.
He'd probably want to replace the pickups and maybe replace the saddles with bent type vintage style.
An entire pickguard/ pickup assembly with nice Alnicos can cost as little as 35$.
Saddles are about 7$-12$.
It'd be a great gig axe then and so fun to take to an open jam where hobbyist who can barely play bring their 2000$ axes.
A Fender strat is 9X the price of this guitar (Mexican ,that is)- and yes I own one. Is it 9X better- for me , personally, -no.
Two both of you guys, thanks for the outstanding answers, I know what I am going to do, I once had a Japanese strat, I miss that axe but can't afford one, I think I'll take my chances with this one. Again thanks!
@@HHarry64 At 120$ and free returns it is worth considering for most folks interested in a strat style guitar.
Depending on where you live and your knowledge etc. pawn shops can still be amazing sources.
Those older Squier strats with CXS serial numbers can be very nice guitars. Very Strat-ish and full size body. I think of Agathis wood. They show up for 60$ or 75$ sometimes.
I wonder how long it's going to take.... for the guitar to go for $199 ?
I watched one other guy that got out a video early like you did but you were earlier than him by a couple of days, and your followups were great. I LOVE mine! In fact I'm about to sell my 40th Anniversary Squier now that I have it simply because I don't need multiples and neither do I collect or gig anymore. If something goes bad wrong I'll treat it like my weedeaters that go bad almost every rear and buy another one, and of course that's just me. Thanks for all these honest reviews!
Hey Joe. Any word on a Tele model being close behind?
Amazon UK has them, so you can at least see pics.
I’ve never heard you play as well as you have as when you did using that guitar.
I really like this one. Thanks my friend!
Whats the difference beteween the debut and sonic ?
Matte vs Gloss finish. No skunk stripe on neck.
I can gives you 1 reason why somebody goes a knock-off :
Those are Amazon exclusives and I can't, one reason or another, buy one.
If I Try, they Put up this: "currently unavavailable"
If anybody can help me or explain why I can purchase so few guitars via Amazon, and so many I don't, i'm very thankfull!
I'm with you on the headstock thing!
It's funny it has a nicer headstock logo than the Bullets and Sonics! I still want the Arctic White HT Sonic, tho...
To me, Squire is a Fender knock off. I’ve not found a Squire Strat that is better than many of the other brands. They got lazy. The Debut has all of the same Chinese cheap parts. !! Authenticity has nothing to do with sound.
I absolutely agree with you. I had 2 Squiers, a strat and a Bass. Both were extremely inferior. I own 2 Fender Starcaster s and they far exceed the Squier. They are machined more like a real fender. And the Starcaster strats have the fender headstock and the measurements and are easily upgraded. My Squier strat refused to be intonated. That's because it was measured wrong when built. Good Luck!
The ones made in Indonesia are better quality, they sell for more. A squire CV on amazon is 400, might as we'll just buy a fender strat made in mexico. When I buy squire, I just look on the used market, can find some that have thicker body or even made in mexico. Old used squires still cost upwards of 200. The older ones say fender on them too, having the name brand is important in terms of value and recognition. Squire isn't a knockoff, its doesn't have the expensive bits of the fender. Even real fenders are hard to tell, cheap guitars are getting so good now, but you pay a lot more for the fender name. I just hope they don't start making fenders in China, making rock and roll guitars in a authoritarian regime is kinda losing the point. Made in the USA or mexico, all the way.
Any new guitar with sharp fret ends is essentially a rip off. Unfinished junk people pay good money for. Headstocks and colors are just cosmetic it's about playing feel and sound.
I live in a very dry desert environment and I have been a liscensed repair tech for many guitar brands.
In a place that has 5%relative humidity guitars tend to get a bit of fret sprout.
Guitars are a bit like dirt bikes and tractors. They will require some minor repairs from time to time
.
I'm talking out of the box sharp frets. Yes, I know guitars require maintenance. Thanks bud.
@@johnnynbk I am on your side! As a kid decades ago, my job was to unbox EVERY guitar and do a complete setup. Sadly those days are over. There won't be a single guitar at my Guitar Center that is set up. Even the 3000$ stuff will have a high nut ( over .040") so open chords are more painful sounding than a Slim Whitman concert.
True. Even just 20 years ago you could buy a better cheap guitar that was playable and good. now it's more like buying a science experiment.
Amen, It is like buying a bike from Walmart that has good parts but a 16 year old Walmart employee assembled it using only a pair of pliers.
A guy absolutely has to invest in a good set of nut files etc now.
It is an opportunity to add some basic set up skills and now it is essential.
As a kid, even a 100$ Hondo got a full set up. That complete setup today would run about 80$.
Ouch!
Debut vs 40th anniversary Squier.
40th anniversary far and away is the better guitar. Not even close. I have both and the 40th is head and shoulders the better guitar. Not saying the Debut is bad at all. For the money it is a no brainer. But everything about the 40th anniversary is higher quality than the Debut. The Debut is inline with the Sonic/Bullets and I dare say may approach the Affinity series.
@@tomwilson4353 I bought an Affinity which is very attractive but I didn’t bond with it……until. I set it up at a shredder level, smoothed fret end and put high output pickups now it feels and plays better than my old Classic Vibe ( I loved that CV). I am an engineer and very good on working with guitars. If I had to guess your opinion is based on doing a high level setup on both you take them as shipped and do bare minimum.
I go on a case-by-case basis. There are "other" reasons why I might buy some other knock-off. A full thickness body. And maybe I want that particular body... for modding. Or I want the neck. I dig the color. Etc. But... that said, I want one of these. Mainly b'c I love the color and matte finish. It's different, and it's about time. I have always had great luck with Squier stuff. Love the necks. And apparently, this one is super thin, which I like. Etc etc. Mainly.... I just dig it, and at that price... Holy crap! But you might get $40 for a knock-off Strat clone. And maybe you get $60 for this one. I couldn't care less at that point. I just like the guitar. I'm going to grab one, and mod it with a loaded pickguard, HSS with a smokin' hot Bridge pup. And lastly... yeah the head-stock is great. That's why I won't buy a Monoproce Strat. I want to puke every single time I see the head-stock.
knockoffs don't offer the same attraction as well built inexpensive guitars. Cheap garbage knockoffs only serve a cosmetic desire for those who dupe themselves into believing that they'll have something of quality once they sink more money changing or fixing shoddy material, hardware & manufacturing issues, which is silly. Guitars like Squire, EPI, Yamaha, etc.. offer budget instruments that can be set up well, and made comfortable for players from the start
guitar modder's always cry about not being able to blow money on these for "upgrades" , the money they waste "upgrading" they could go buy a gibson les paul, or american strat!, but , you know they would still find something to cry about, so it's just them, not the guitars.
Sometimes folks simply don't consider price vs ability to do the job.
A guy could spend a lot of money putting some nice Alnicos in this guitar. He could spend 200$ or more, easy!
But he could also find a nice set of Artec too...etc for 30$ and oh!!! That 30 bucks would be tone- elicious thru a Princeton or a Deluxe. Those thin bodies can sound good. Light too.
Total gig guitar for a bar gig.
@@rustyshackleford9557 yeah i know, it's crazy to me, to blow all that money trying to get a "better tone",... I just use the EQ to adjust tonal output, it seems like 99% of todays musicians have no clue about what or why EQ exists, lol
I totally agree.