Squier Debut Series Stratocaster Electric Guitar, Beginner Guitar, with 2-Year Warranty, Includes Free Lessons, Dakota Red with Matte Finish

I paid like $159 for a Stratocaster. It sounds great to a new player of guitar. Been meaning to learn to play my whole life, I got this and a 5w spark mini amp, a music teacher and professional blues musician both recommended it. It looks beautiful, also it’s cool. 1. High build quality 2. Tuned and just learning 3. Size is a proper Stratocaster, any guitar, right for me though. 4. I got the spark mini as my amp which is perfect for my use. Any amp will work. 5. I got the bare guitar but it had good strings. 6. I’m a student so can’t rank playability. I have been meaning to learn guitar for 29 years, Stratocaster made the perfect setup for an apartment dweller, and I think this is a perfect guitar for a student. It fits in a case, I keep it on a stand in the corner, I tried a keyboard so it’s super portable by contrast. Normal sized guitar.

This guitar is the cheapest Fender Stratocaster that you could buy. Looking at other brands that have a similar guitar that's cheaper or at the same price. I think Fender has managed to make something that is decent and playable right out of the box, whereas other brands make guitars that require massive setup right out of the box with high action issues with staying in tune. If you're going to get a entry-level beginner guitar then you should definitely get this one instead of anything cheaper or other brands. Fender definitely knows what they're doing. I didn't have any issues with the guitar. When it arrived, the action was set properly. The intonation seems to be good and the guitar definitely stayed in tune even though the strings were new. Haven't really replaced the strings because I didn't feel that it was necessary and a couple months I'll probably swap them out for some D'Addarios. Overall, I plan to slowly upgrade and mod this guitar because even though it does play and sound great, there's a lot of cheap hardware that could be easily upgraded for not too much more. Overall, this is a great instrument for a beginner. A cheap guitar is not the only thing that a beginner needs. They also need a guitar that doesn't require setup out of the box unless they're willing to learn that sort of thing, which is a little bit intimidating for some new players. And if you're willing to mod your guitar to save a little bit of money, it is a great modding platform. The only slight issue I have with it is that I ordered the black color and even though the pickguard is supposed to be white, it seems to have a slight tinge of a red Hue that's extremely subtle. It's just weird looking. It seems like they were trying to make it fully white and then some kind of dye or powder from another guitar got on it or something. I honestly cannot tell you why but it just looks a little bit reddish and I don't know why. Hopefully I in the future can replace it with like a more white looking pickguard.

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 and thought why not for just about $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 fret ends are finished and smooth so no worries cutting your fingers up. No buzzing, and the intonation seems pretty good right out of the box. The guitar seems a little lighter than a regular Strat and I welcome that. 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 these days but I tried it through my MXR Super Badass Distortion and it sings. Sure, you can mod this guitar up but that defeats the purpose of purchasing a decent guitar this cheap. Will it last 100 years? who knows. it's a keeper!

Excellent and good looking guitar that is great for beginners like me. The look, feel, and features of a Fender Stratocaster at a reasonable price.

Out of the box, this is a playable but unfinished instrument. The raw build is better than I expected for the price, but it absolutely needs a proper setup before it shows what it can really do. What I had to adjust: • Neck relief (truss rod) • Saddle height / action • Intonation • Pickup height After that work, the guitar became shockingly good for the money. It bends cleanly, stays in tune, intonates properly, and feels like a real instrument instead of a novelty. If you’re a beginner, I would strongly recommend having this guitar checked or set up by someone experienced. Out of the box it’s playable, but not optimized, and a new player might not realize that simple adjustments can make it dramatically easier and more enjoyable to play. One visible cost-saving area is fret finishing. The fret ends were a little rough compared to my American Strat — not unplayable, but noticeable. I plan to dress them lightly with a fret file, which is a straightforward fix if you’re comfortable doing basic guitar work. Compared to my American Strat, the neck finish feels more like polyurethane over wood rather than the smoother, more refined feel of a higher-end instrument. That’s expected at this price and is one of the places where some of the cost savings show up. A few important clarifications: This is not a “perfect out of the box” guitar. If you expect that, this is not the right product for you. But if you’re comfortable doing a basic setup (or having one done), the underlying geometry is there, and that’s the hard part to get right. For context, I also own an American Fender Stratocaster, so I’m not judging this as my first or only guitar. This doesn’t replace a high-end Strat, but as a platform it is absurdly good for the price once dialed in. Why four stars instead of five: Because as shipped, it’s unfinished. Setup work is required, and that should be part of the buying decision. Why it earns five stars after setup: Because once adjusted properly (and with minor fret edge work), it becomes a genuinely playable, musical instrument at a price that feels slightly unfair to everyone else. If you want a cheap guitar that becomes good with a little work, this is a great choice. If you want perfection out of the box, look elsewhere.

Here is a quick rundown. I received this on 11/29/2024. It was set to spec as far as the neck relief and string height. The tuners worked smoothly and held the tuning. The strings as fine. No sharp fret ends and the frets were highly polished. Confortable neck shape. The pickup switch felt and worked well and the tone and volumes were smooth. The output jack was properly tightened and works well. The pickups sounded just fine and the pieces aligned under the strings just as vintage ones do. It sounds very good unplugged. The trem arm screws in properly but the trem took a lot of pressure to work. This is really no issues and I am sure they did this to keep it in tune. If you are new to Strats, the vintage trem rarely ever stood in tune, don't use the trem as it is really for show in most Strats. In the real world it takes a lot of skill and know-how to get a Strat trem to work properly and costs more than the guitar to setup, which I am telling you will be impossible anyway. These are set with the rear decked on the body so it returns to tune meaning you can only go down. If you are learning you should learn to play for real and not be a poser playing with the trem. Leave the trem arm in the bag. There is nothing needed to be done or replaced to have a good guitar to learn on. It appears the price is so low as to be get you started and updating the phone app and taking lessons online and later buying a more expensive guitar, that is where they plan to profit. The guitar is like an when you buy a low cost inkjet printer for very little money and have to buy their ink forever. Is the guitar worth it ? Absolutely. Also buy a $30 or so case to keep it in might be a good idea. Realize if you are buying this for a gift for someone to learn on, most new players quit as they rather stare at their phone or play a video game so buying a low cost guitar is a good idea. The 2-year warranty is worth more than the guitar alone. Be careful removing the plastic on the pickguard and pickups, the pickguard plastic is very soft and scratches easily. After a few days I decided that the nut needed to be filed slightly for each string so I took care of that. I also lowered the action lower than Fender specs to 4mm with no buzzing. None of these things were out of the ordinary for a new Strat guitar. I am very happy with this guitar. After a few months after being too dry in my house the fretboard did shrink somewhat making for fret sprout (sharp frets past the edge of the fretboard. Fret sprout is not uncommmon even in much more expensive guitars. So I filed the edges and polished the frets when I was at it and put a set of Ernie Ball Super Slinky 9-43 (2223). Guitars are made of wood and wood is affected by moisture. That's life. I am still happy with the guitar. If you are just learning it is unlikely you will be running you hand up and down the neck so it may not matter at all if there is some fret sprout. It was not really that bad when it happened.

I think I paid $120 or so on a deal and for that, I thought what the heck, never owned a Strat and the reviews say it's a decent little knockoff. I've got 50's era Les Paul, an SG and others so I do know a good guitar though I'm no expert or luthier. Only mild negatives, the dull matte finish is a bit disappointing, I guess I just didn't look closely enough at the photo and it looks, well, cheap. And it is cheap $$$ so I can't complain really. The tuners have some slop in them but again, for the $, it tunes up and stays tuned. And it arrived set up very nicely, no buzz, nothing. I will file down the fret ends a bit, they're little daggers. Plays great, sounds very good. Honestly playing it with my eyes closed I'm not sure I could tell this isn't one of my 'good' guitars. Helluva a deal for twice this price, nice job, Fender!

The Fender Squier Debut Series Stratocaster Electric Guitar is an excellent choice for beginners, especially those just starting their musical journey. The quality is impressive for the price—well-built, comfortable to hold, and easy to play, which makes learning more enjoyable and less intimidating for new players. My daughter purchased this guitar using her Christmas money, and it has been such a joy to see her so happy and motivated. Instead of spending her time on screens, she’s choosing to practice and explore her passion for music, and that alone makes this guitar worth every penny. The sound is great for a starter guitar, and it truly captures that classic Stratocaster feel Fender is known for. The setup is beginner-friendly, and it feels like a guitar she can grow with as her skills improve. My only wish is that cases and straps were more easily available or offered alongside the guitar, as those are essentials for beginners—but that’s a small detail compared to the overall value.

Pedazo de guitarra eléctrica, buena construcción y perfecta en sonida para la gama de entrada, la compré de segunda mano aquí en Amazon y venía perfecta.

Ottima chitarra per chi inizia a suonare. La qualità è davvero buona per essere un modello entry level Fender: ben costruita, comoda da suonare e con un suono più che soddisfacente per lo studio e la pratica quotidiana. Il manico è scorrevole e facilita l’apprendimento, mentre l’estetica è quella classica Fender che non delude mai. Rapporto qualità-prezzo eccellente. Consigliatissima a chi vuole avvicinarsi alla chitarra con uno strumento affidabile. 🎸

Item description did not mention if this is new or refurbished. It came in bubble wrappers with no original packaging. And the item was not in perfect order

Auspacken, Sichtkontrolle, keine Mängel, nicht so schwer wie die originale Strat aber überraschend gut zu spielen . Ein Mal Stimmen und loslegen die erste Gitarre bei der ich Nichts korrigieren musste. Die originale Strat klingt ja schon etwas fetter, braucht aber auch mehr Feintuning. So muss die ideale Gitarre zum Proben und für Neueinsteiger sein.

Calidad muy justa. El relieve de la veta de la madera de ve y se nota al tacto a través de la pintura. Puente muy malo. Pastillas básicas, poco volumen. Clavijas pésimas, cambiadas a los pocos dias porque no mantienen la afinación tras un par de bendings. Guitarra de iniciación para quien no sabe nada. O como es mi caso, segunda guitarra para casa de vacaciones.