Squier Standard Series Deluxe Stratocaster: Quality Built by Fender
Written: Jun 26 '06 (Updated Jun 27 '06)
Product Rating:
Pros: Great quality, playability, trademark Stratocaster sound, Affordable, Great for all levels of player
Cons: Hard Shell case is extra but highly recommended
The Bottom Line: The Squier Stratocaster is equal to the American models that cost much more. Don't tell anybody I told you, just go buy one now, before they raise the price.
George_Chabot's Full Review: Squier Standard Strat Rosewood Fingerboard
Squier Standard Series Stratocaster: Quality Built by Fender
I started playing electric guitar back in the early 70s and got my Les Paul Custom “Black Beauty” in 1973. This was the one with the gold hardware, gold hum bucking pickups and enough mother of pearl to put oysters on the endangered species list. This was the guitar known as the “Fretless Wonder” for the effortless playing action that was frankly a heck of a lot better than I could exploit at the time. But, I had a quality guitar that I could “grow into.”
Fast forward a couple years and I was playing gigs with the Les Paul but was looking to get something a little easier on my back as it was HEAVY. I looked seriously into the Fender Stratocasters as I really liked the sound palette that comes from the three single coil pickups and the five-way switch. The Fenders at the time were made by CBS, who had bought the original company.
I obtained a pretty rough 1957 Stratocaster and rebuilt it rather than pay the $600 or so it would cost for a new CBS Strat, which had quality control that varied all over the map. The 57 had a 3-way switch, if I remember correctly, but you could set the switch in between the positions and get that funky out-of-phase sound that is so characteristic of the Stratocaster. I believe that is how Fender got the idea to put in the five way switch. Anyway, somebody offered me enough to part with that Strat and I was back with a Gibson Flying V, which was lighter than the Les Paul with nice dirty mini humbuckers. Still, I knew I needed a Strat because I missed the sound. I held off on getting one because by now they were even more expensive and the quality was still “iffy.” Pick up maybe one out of four and I could play it without thinking. The others all felt different, somehow.
Since the early 80s, Fender has had its designs built in foreign workshops and trademarked “Squier.” I first saw one in Phoenix, Arizona and noted the obvious quality and also that it was made in Japan. “Squier, by Fender,” it was marked, and I bought it on the spot, with a Fender hard shell case. I think I paid $150 for the whole shebang. Well, I played that one for quite a few years to much acclaim but somehow came to sell it. A few years later, I bought another jet black Squier Stratocaster, this one made in China, and found it every bit as wonderful as my old ivory white one. Well, I kept that one and it has been my main electric guitar for a quite a while and no, I don’t plan on selling it; I’ve gotten past that phase. When I find something that works for me, I keep it.
What I did do, is augment my guitar arsenal by buying a Deluxe Squier Stratocaster from the Standard Series.
This new model, unlike the old fashioned Stratocasters, by Fender, or otherwise, does not have an opaque paint finish. It has a transparent sunburst finish over a quilted maple top that is just gorgeous. It has the appearance of a Stradivarius violin or one of the translucent finished Gibson Les Paul’s with the tiger maple tops. Superbly attractive and sounds as good as it looks. The pick guard, rather than plain white, is pearloid. It has a couple of other appearance factors that are better than the Standard Squier like a Gold name logo, but overall it is much like the regular Stratocaster, which never needed much improvement, in my opinion.
The bridge/tremolo assembly on the Deluxe Squier Strat is also upgraded over the old reliable Fender version that has graced so many guitars. It has heavier adjustable saddles that add to the sustain and positive dual pivot points rather than the six screws that hold the bridge onto the top of the normal Stratocaster.
Features common to all Stratocasters include, contoured body which allows more playing comfort. The back of the top that rests against your ribs is flared instead of being left at a sharp 90 degree angle. The rear edge of the top where you rest your picking arm is also relieved for comfort.
The 22 fret neck is available in hard maple or rosewood fingerboards. I always like the look of the blond maple neck but can play the rosewood much easier. It just feels better to me. Either neck is equipped with an adjustable truss rod in case the neck needs to be adjusted to your playing style.
Another trademark feature are the three single coil pickups, lead, rhythm, and mid-range. The single coil pickups give the Strat the biting, snarling sound that is world-renowned, but what makes them even more wonderful is the five position switch that allows selection of each pickup separately or a combination of lead and mid-range, or rhythm and mid-range. The two combination settings, positions two and four of the selector switch cause an out of phase sound to emanate from the guitar as certain frequencies of the combined pickups cancel each other out. This gives the Stratocaster its signature "hollow" sound and has been featured on countless hit records. Once you are familiar with this sound you will pick it out of a record whenever you hear it.
The asymmetrical headstock aligns the tuners all on the top side of the neck. The ball end of the strings goes through the tremolo, which is a heavy block hidden within the body of the guitar and accessible through a cover on the back. The tremolo works against the tension of five springs that balance the pull of the strings. I’ve never had one go out of tune by pushing on the whammy bar. If you have that problem it just means you need to pull your strings up through the tremolo block until the balls are firmly seated, then wind the strings evenly over the machine heads. The strings will slip unless both ends are firmly seated and the method I’ve explained to you ensures that they are. One fault with the Fender bridge is that if you break a string the entire guitar will go out of tune, but that’s the only defect I know. If you change your strings regularly you probably won’t ever break a string. I rarely do.
The Squier Deluxe Stratocaster costs about $100 more than the Standard Stratocaster. None of the Squiers come with a hard case, so I purchased a Fender hard shell case to protect my Deluxe Strat. The guitar itself was $250 and looks as good as a $1,000 + Fender American Strat and plays and sounds exactly the same. If you are a purist, you might want to stick with the American model, but I bought the Squier. It’s a valued part of my guitar arsenal and one of the best looking Stratocasters I’ve ever seen. The hard shell ABS plastic Fender case was $80, and well worth it. I highly recommend a hard case for any good guitar.
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