Squier Classic Vibe 50s Stratocaster Electric Guitar, with 2-Year Warranty, White Blonde, Maple Fingerboard

12.20.24 Full disclosure. I am 62 years old. My journey of learning to play started about 20 years ago with the intent of trying to learn to play, or at least play portions of the music I grew up loving. The first song I focused on was Led Zeps Rain Song. A beautiful song with some unique tuning and chords. I would say I got about 95% of it down and was very pleased with my progress. I ventured into other songs and enjoyed discovering the many different learning aids available online. As life sometimes does, things got in the way and I drifted away from my guitar time. Recently I decided to pick it back up, I am an empty nester and it is just me. It is time to rediscover the joy of making music, learning things and otherwise just enjoying my guitar time again. I am trying to be realistic however, I am not throwing a lot of money at top of the line equipment. As much as I would love a genuine Gibson Les Paul or Fender Strat, I know my ability and budget does not support that. So, I did some reading and looked at some other options. I recently bought an Epi Les Paul and have been very pleased with its construction and playability. Take that last statement with a grain of salt as I am still very much in-between a beginner and a intermediate player. Anyway, the Les Paul feels and sounds great. I also had wanted to play a Strat. So as much as I hate the name "Squire" I decided to pick one up. So far I am a little concerned with some string buzz but a simple adjustment may take care of that. Also, I am not crazy about the tuning machines as they seem very loose. Will monitor to see if they hold proper tuning. May have to put some after market machines on it. Otherwise the guitar is solid and I have not noticed any blemishes or other issues. It has a beautiful finish and looks really good. I will update this review as I settle into a definite opinion with time. I believe these reviews are helpful for us and I enjoy reading them when I am considering making a purchase.12/31 UPDATE. Now that I have had some time to get to know the guitar and do some practicing, I love it.So far the tuning pegs are holding very well, only minor adjustments needed which probably more about the new strings than anything else. I love the fell and action on this guitar.

I'm a casual intermediate player of roughly 10 years on and off. I've borrowed or owned several budget to mid-range guitars including a Yamaha Pacifica, Early 90s Japanese Fender Heartfield, mid 2000s MIM Stratocaster, and Peavey SC-3. All of these were either sold or given back 6 months ago before a series of moves. Recently, I decided to buy another guitar to get back into it.I was prepared to get the American Strat of my childhood dreams, but I knew that kind of money would have been overkill for my skill level and intentions. The Player Strat was the next best alternative, but I wanted to test out something a little cheaper just for kicks. Research led me to Squire, particularly the Affinity and Classic Vibe series. I can’t lie. Seeing "Squire" on the headstock instead of "Fender" stung a bit at first, but I realized I'm not nearly talented enough to be that picky so I swallowed my pride. I ended up testing this guitar alongside a Squire Affinity Telecaster. Long story short, this guitar is my personal favorite over anything else I've owned/borrowed, and it's also what I believe is the greatest value I've ever gotten for a guitar.When I first received this guitar, I was very disappointed because it arrived with some cosmetic damage and blemishes. It definitely appeared to be a factory QC issue or was a return/floor model. Fortunately, Amazon was able to fix the situation quickly. Overall, it appears this was an uncommon issue.With that out of the way, I'm glad I gave the Classic Vibe another chance. This guitar screams quality and classic style. The color is a beautiful Fiesta Red that I swear changes throughout the day. Sometimes I see hot rod red, sometimes coral, and sometimes even orange. The neck, fretboard, and headstock of the guitar are maple with a heavy lacquer "gym floor" finish that make moving up the fretboard quick and smooth. The headstock has a classic narrow shape and vintage style tuners. What sets this guitar apart is that the quality of the materials seem very high for the price. This is an Indonesian factory model while the Affinity Series Tele I tested was a Chinese factory model. It honestly had shockingly good sound and looks for just over $200, but I could still tell the quality of materials took a significant hit and probably wouldn't have stood the test of time. I had the same experience with my Peavey SC-3 from six years ago; great sound for $399 but cheap paint and materials immediately started to degrade. I will update this review as necessary with time, but I have a great feeling about this Classic Vibe.Sound-wise, I'm pretty blown away. Out of the box, I experienced zero fret buzz and great action. The sound is bright and clean, and I believe it matches or exceeds the sound quality I got out of my mid-2000s MIM Strat. I'm no audiophile, but this guitar truly sounds like something more expensive.Make no mistake. This is not a $1200-$2000 American Strat. However, based on my experience and that of several Youtubers, it appears Classic Vibe can at least give the $699 Fender MIM Strat and even the $899 Fender Vintera a lot more competition than you would expect. Now knowing what $300-$500 gets for a guitar these days, I'm not sure I'll ever be able to justify the cost of a name brand Fender as a hobby guitarist.Conclusion: This is a lot more guitar than I expected for $399. It screams quality, and I've fallen in love with its classic style. This appears to be as good as it gets for the beginner/intermediate casual guitar player, yet I bet it could hang just fine with a more talented gig musician too. Unfortunately, they may get fewer groupies with "Squire" on the headstock!Additionally, the price jump between the Affinity Series Telecaster at $229 and the $399 Classic Vibe Stratocaster is definitely something I advice biting the bullet for. While the sound quality of the Affinity really was impressive, the quality of materials and construction are pretty far apart. I can't speak on behalf of the Affinity Stratocaster, but I assume the same. Do yourself a favor: buy this guitar and play your favorite song from the 50s to break it in. I don't think you'll be disappointed.Edit: One picture has a switched out pickguard

I’ve never picked up a guitar in my life until this was delivered so I can’t attest to playability or quality. I did swap out the strings when I got it but more because I wanted to learn how to do it than any perceived problem with the strings that came with it. I can say I have enjoyed experimenting and learning with this guitar. I paired it with an “Orange” amp and despite not having a clue what I’m doing have been able to replicate sounds like ‘old school’ heavy metal to clear/clean tones that could pass for country or blues if played by someone who knew more than 2 cords. I suspect in trained or experienced hands this guitar would be a good, but not great, guitar.A few things I did notice…1. There are some exposed wires coming out from under one of the pickups and the middle pickups are not level. 2. There is some discoloration on the body of the guitar 3. The tuning peg for the high E is finicky and sometimes feels unresponsive which can make tuning a pain.For what I paid, I didn’t expect perfection, and I have no idea if the uneven pickups impact playability or sound quality, the remainder are cosmetic or just frustrating. I think this probably represents a solis starter guitar or a good rehearsal/travel guitar for more experienced players.

Amazing Guitar, I love it.

My experience went very well with this strat, the action and set up were better than i was expecting.