Fender Squier II Strat

It's a Squier II with no other identification. It had a humbucker at the bridge position. I was given a used Squier pick-guard and pick-ups. To make it a Standard setup. Year? Manufactured?
Has a tremelo system. Wouldn't stay in tune, installed Schallers and now it's rock solid stable.

I have a '96 Strat. and this sounds like @#$^ compared to a real one.
I replaced the bridge pick-up with a vintage '59 pick-up, it just isn't capable of producing a nice sound. The body is heavy and I don't know what kind of wood it is. It is not standard plywood though.
I'm going to replace the body with a Warmoth, Alder body. Should sound good with that and a set of Fender Noiseless pick-ups.

This guitar is comfortable and has great playability. I use it 90% of the time for practicing. This is an excellent beginners guitar (afer replacing the tuners). This guitar isn't excessively noisy like I've read in other reviews. If you have that problem, have it fixed (grounds are usually the problem).

Nice rugged guitar, electronics are minimal quality as expected.

Great playing guitar for any level player. Sound is crap don't expect much. If you like effects you can sweetin' it up though. Or Overdrive it so it doesn't matter.

not sure of the year. made in korea(yeah i know...usually if it's not american people look down on it but this one's awesome i think). 21 frets. 5-way selector. has volume and tone knobs. not sure of the make of pickups, their configuration, etc. white finish...age has caused a small shine to it. good fret size.

sounds really good, especially with the diversity of my style. sounds good for rock, funk, any type of music pretty much. i dont' have an amp. i actually hook the guitar up through a karaoke machine. it has a light but sometimes thick sound. a good variety in sounds. great effects with a whammy bar and the whammy bar doesn't throw it out of tune. it sounds good clean but any jazz effects(in my opinion) sound crappy.

as far as i can tell everything is factory. no real flaws. i did lower the height of the bridge for possibly faster maneuvering.

very reliable. has been dropped, dented, banged, everything(unfortunately). strap buttons are good but the strap i'm using easily slips off because the strap itself is cheap.

never dealt with the company nor looked for much information on it. just played.

i've been playing nearly a year and a half. it's a very good guitar if you know how to use it and know how to play. if it's not fitting someone's sound though i wouldn't recommend. it fits mine so i think it's awesome. it has a good clean sound, great action, good grip, great neck and body. light.

Was made in 1998, 22 fret, V/T/T pots, 5-way selector, String through body, black with white plastic laminamte scratch guard, solid maple neck, FAT neck, body is wood/wood materials laminate, *(have heard it called 'plywood', but I have never seen any plywood like this!)

I play rock, jazz-rock, blues-rock, and jazz-rock-blues-fusion with some new sounds worked in, but not too obivious. I usually play "bottleneck" syle with some slide when needed with sliding cords.

I'll probably be good on the guitar if I live to be 150 years old, but can hear very well and was blessed (or cursed) with perfect pitch. ( I told this to a guitarist when I wanted to use his tuner--the high e string centered with his tuner--I had used an electronic organ, he was very suprised) The 'plywood' body is in damn near perfect resonance with the rest of the guitar, I suspect by design. This gives a wonderfull hamonic 'distortion', presence and feel to the guitar.

I use a crate 80w and this guitar really matches it well. Just about the time you may think the sound is not bright enough, adjust for max treb., you begain to realize that this guitar really responds to operator input and can make the full range of sound by how you hit the strings. (I do tend to break a lot of 11's though)

Dislike creaky tuning keys, volume control too close to where I play ( I am going to reduce the heightof it by 1/2 or so

I bought this guitar at a hock shop and noted when I got it home that it was untouched since new, probably had origional strings on it, which I replaced before trying it out.

If this reflects the 'factory' set up, it's terrible, and many of you who said this guitar plays terrible may have been playing an unadjusted or poorly adjusted version.

I have spent at least a 1000 hours making my cheap strat bad knock-off
play. Mine plays like grease compared to this unadjusted guitar.
So I did a very basic leveling of the frets and string hight adj. and intonation. Like magic! Have never heard such a dramatic change in sound for these adjustments. Pure harmonic resonant sustain--this guitar's got it! Not surprised some compare it to very costly guitars(sound only)

Overall finish average. ( had an SG with perfect finish, sounded like crap even when worked over)

Love the fat (wide) neck, always wanted this. This is the first guitar I have had out of five that when I am playing it the music I imagine suddenly shows up on the guitar, as I am playing.

Have not had it long enough, but beats every guitar I have had except the Gibson SG I had that always sounded flatter that the floor.

No warrenty, but lots of information available about guitar.

I would get another one right away if I lost this one. Am going slow with the adjustments and replaceing hardware, can use everythingbut the tuning keys, but they work too

this is a pretty basic stratocaster style guitar. 5 way selector, tremlo, white finish,maple neck, 21 frets etc. I think the body is made of either ash or alder. I've put some gotoh tuners on cos the other ones were pathetic, but these seem to hold up well. Cos its qite old the frets are worn, so i lowered the action and now she plays perfect. I got it with a strap and a hem lock. I think the picups are just standard.

This guitar suits my playing style. This is hendrix,berry,clapton any blues. I also play classic rock like led zeppelin and santana etc. This guitar can have a good range.Although the picups are factory standard it can have a good mellow tone but also has the characteristic bright tone of a stratocaster. It does have quite a bit of feedback ,but this can be expected from single coils. Overall this guitar has a nice bluesy tone to it. I play it through a marshall 65 w valvestate reverb amp and it sounds sweet. This guitar would be no good for metal, it hasn't got enough power from the single coils. If you are wanting to play metal i suggest that u get something with humbuckers eg epiphone les paul.

i bought this guitar second hand so did not get it factory prepared. When i recieved it, it was in good condition but a few adjustments were needed. AS i have mentioned i have put new tuners on as the other factory standrd were poor. The bridge and pickups are a bit rusty but this doesn't seem to have affected the sound. The bridge is the same ones used on the stratocasters at this time, so are of a good quality. I have adjusted the action because of the frets and now it plays great and feels like a proper 60's vintage style strat. Everything else seems to be working fine.

It has got a few bumps and cracks, but this can be expected from an older guitar. The hardware has lasted quite well but has rusted a bit and the finish seems to be in qiute good order. It is quite reliable but i would need a backup if i was playing live just in case any problems occured.

never had to deal with them. Prefer doing stuff myself.

I've been playin for a couple of years now. This was not my first guitar, i had a crappy legend. If it were stolen i would probably buy it again, or if i had enough money buy an original 60's strat (the dogs bo**ocks). My favourite thing about this guitar is the way it plays nad feels. It feels like a 60's vintage. I don't like the factory tuners, they definately need replacing and if i get some more money will possibly change the pickups and replace them with some polarised 60's strat ones.

korean-made, unknown year, mystery wood, typical strat controls and pickup configuration, maple neck. i loved this guitar for it's jimi-looking white-discolored look. i never really played it when i first got it at the pawn shop (about 6 months ago), i knew the electronics sucked and i was going to replace them anyway. somebody had already replaced the stock tuners with schallers, bonus. i was pawing through a spare-parts bucket at a guitar shop and found two gold lace sensors attatched to all the rest of the electronics i would need to finish it off ($55 plus tax, with no wear on them). the used "regular" good quality pots and switch didn't fit in the space allotted for the crappy electronics, so i had to rout down some wood to make them fit. i also replaced the crap 2-ply pickguard with one from a real strat. i painted the compartment with conductive paint also to minimize noise. i put a duncan mini 59 in the bridge position (leftover from another guitar i sold)

i play kind of hard rock/punk distorted stuff. i have this guitar laying around my basement studio to bash on for fun. hell, it's the only one i ever play around the house any more. i play locking trem, humbucker beasts on stage and the squier is a beautiful change of pace. i love the old jimi-kind of feel and look, i get a reak kick out of playing it for fun, but it's not the sound i look for on stage. it's very quiet, and i get a real variety of sounds from it, i love the mix of the bridge mini 59 and center lace sensor. it has a whole bag of tricks when it comes to a variety of sounds. bright and glassy to "sophisticatedly crunchy", i guess. i love the feel and look of the neck. i really play rough at times, so it goes out of tune often. i tune down a full step (two full steps to C on the low e), so i can't say i ever break strings. i think i'm going to have to break down and replace the bridge with something a little more solid, the out-of-tune thing gets old sometimes, and i know this guitar is one i'm going to hold on to. my basement setup is a marshall 50-watt combo and no effects

the setup a-la-pawnshop sucked ass, i planned on rebuilding it anyway so i suppose it really didn't matter. white (slightly metallic and pearly-looking) paint was lovingly discolored to the yellowish-thing. i love the way it looks

love the action. feels tasty

i've changed it so much that i don't really know that my opinion on this really matters, but here goes anyway (i know these guitars will grow on you if you end up with one like mine, and you'll want to fix her up a little)

the finish seems fine, but without the thickish 15 coat laquer over the top (i prefer the thinner laquer coat, i kind of like the little dings, considering the color/aged jimi look) the guitar is mechanically very solid, but the bridge just sucks ass and won't stay in tune under abusive circumstances. i would definitely depend on it (and check tuning every two songs) it's reliable enough to play without a backup (like i said, i don't break strings) i've never had a bad sound out of it

don't need them, i get more of a kick out of working on it myself

been playing 4 years, lifelong guitar fan, own a carvin dc, kramer pacer backup. if my squier II was ripped off, i'd definitely replace it. i ditched my 3-year-old mexican standard strat that i bought new the second i picked up the squier II and haven't looked back since. love the vintage feel and look, although it's probably not even 10 years old. dislike the cheezy original hardware, naturally. if you want a guitar that feels like a great strat, without spending your ass off, you can't go wrong with this guitar (with upgraded parts, that is)

This guitar was made in Korea. It has a single-single-hum configuration. It is a plywood peice o crap. It is definately one of the worst guitars i have ever played. The tuners will start untwisting as you look at them. I can't believe i learned how to play on this hunk of junk. I promise to break this one day on stage.

It is very noisy and has a very annoying continuous hum to it. Hardly any sustain. The sound just goes away almost as you play it. I've seen guitars in toys r' us that are better than this one.

The action on this thing is horrible! No matter what i tried, it would not get lower. Don't even waste your time on this garbage.

I brought this guitar onstage with me for the first time. I plugged the cord in and,...it fell out. I tried again and it would not even hold the chord in. JUNK! I think that happened after or before the strap fell off because of the crappy strap buttons. Depend on this? yeah frickin right! The only reason i would have this guitar at a gig is to smash that sucker!

I've never dealt with the company.

Don't buy this guitar. don't accept it if it is given to you. It might spoil your inspiration to keep playing. It will not hold up on stage, or in your room. It is evil. I absolutely despise this guitar. Out of a scale of 1-10,...i give it a -50.

I bought this baby at a pawn shop a couple years back, and let me tell you it was one of the best deals I've ever come across. Yeah, sure, it's got a plywood body, but it is rock solid and had a darker tone than a standard solid body Strat. No douby about it, this is a ghetto guitar, but it holds its own in a rock band.
The neck is very good and hasn't needed an adjustment in years and I regularly tune down a full step to D. Currently I'm in standard tuning. Maple fingerboard. Standard black finish. Fat frets.
Three single coil cheapo pickups. Intonation - very good.

This thing sounded like a hunk o junk till I put in some Hot Rails in the bridge, a Silver Lace Sensor in the middle and a Vintage Rails in the neck. Now it cuts like a hot razor. I've gigged for three years with this as my main guitar. It is very good for all types of classic rock, country (When the Rails are split) and anything else I feel like doing. I don't care if I paid 150 bucks for it, it works.
I scalloped the neck and now the bends are slidin like butter!
I don't like it's weight too much, pretty heavy, but it is lighter than a bass. I run it through a Crate Vintage Club 30 watt. Great clean tones and very good crunch and sustain.

This guitar has a decent finish, pretty rugged. Action has always been good. It holds together well and is very solid. The plywood body does bother me sometimes when I think about it. The trem goes out of tune quite easily, but I run it with the springs tight and the bridge against the body- better sustain.

This thing has never let me down. The tuners are pure junk, but keep it in tune. Maybe I'll change em when one of em breaks. I keep looking for excuse to get rid of this guitar in favor of a more expensive one ,but it earns its place in the arsenal due to its solid reliability. This thing is built as solidly as any other Strat I've seen.

n/a

I would look for another Squier II. Then I'd soup it up and see how it held up to this one. I've been playing for 20 years and I have 5 basses, Ampeg SVT III 2 Martin acoustics 12 String electric, Dano Sitar and a 56 hardtail Strat.

made in korea but i don't know when
22 frets
black body maple neck
volume & two tones
seymour duncan humbucker at the bridge
seymour duncan single coil at the neck
dimarzio hot rails in the center
string through body bridge
schaler tuning pegs
$100.00 in a pawn shop
best deal i've had in 10 years

i play a variety of styles and it stays in tune quite well

This is a Korean or possibly Japanese made Squire II Strat that I bought out of the closet of a repair shop for $80. I don't know the year but many of the Squires use a stick=on serial number that falls of easily. I think it's probably a mid-90's. I'm getting back into guitar after an 8 year abscence and I prefer to rebuild klunkers rather then spend the bucks. This guitar was complete although the electronics didn't work, so they were happy to part with it. It had a black body probably of Alder which I painted satin white. This body oddly seems a bit thicker then American Strats. The neck is maple with a rosewood fingerboard which I bleached and gave a maple stain. Looks good! This is a damn good neck!! But it seems a bit thinner then American Strat necks. I kept the white pickguard and the back two pickups as they seem to sound like older Strat pickups which I like. I put a red Lace against the neck. I do my own setups and totally reworked the tremelo bridge so it stays in tune.

Other then the thinner neck (I've got sort of stubby, fat fingers), this guitar sounds and plays somewhat like a good Telly, but with a darker sound. The pickups are noisy (including the Lace) but its not really noticable when playing/ I play in a Stevie Ray Vaughan style, mostly hard blues, and some Hendrix (figures huh?). I play through a homemade amp using my own tube preamp design and an old Hitachi power amp section. Sorta sounds like a blackface era Fender Twin Reverb. I use only a wah and fuzz (an old MRX) as I prefer that the guitar makes the noise.

Setup was crap when I got it, but as I said, I do my own setups (and repairs-and I build from scratch too), and its great now. The still stock electronics seem to work fine, but I can tell they won't last long. The stock nut was badly slotted so out it went. Actually, for a cheap guitar, the Squire II Strats seem to have nice workmanship, at least of the woods. Other then tweeking and recoloring, I found the neck to be as good as any Fender or quality replacement neck I've ever seen! The action is very smooth. The finish was too beat for me to rate and as I said, I have refinished it.

I'd use this guitar anywhere, and have. I am reminded of Hendrix needing multiple swings to smash his guitar at Monterey. I think my Squire would have lasted a bit longer. This thing is solid!! I can depend on it and would use it at a gig without a backup and have.

I have delt with Fender on other matters and found the experience to be rather like finding one's way through a maze! And when you finally get someone, they usually say that they don't work on that part. But this does not deminish my belief that Fender is the master electric guitar company of the world. I should point out that I have ALWAYS had better luck dealing with their authorised service centers then with Fender directly.

I own a fine Telecaster vintage 1968. I played in bar bands as a profession for some 20 years then quit to work in film and TV. But after retiring in that field, the call of the fretboard came back to me, and I play now mostly for fun and to relax. I like this guitar a lot and would consider getting another if it "dissapeared!" What I don't like, and in fact have never liked on any Fender guoitar, is the stock tremelo bridge. Seeing what Kramer and Floyd Rose have done over the years, I'm frankly surprised that Fender has not really changed their own in-tune killer design in so many years. You can make them stay in tune...but, com'on Fender!!

This is an update. I've now replaced the stock pickups with Lace Sensors, Blue neck, Silver middle, Red bridge. I can now say that this guitar kicks serious ass. Better than the more expensive Fender Strats now. I highly recommend the sensors. They are clear, sparkly, almost noise-free, and sound great clean or distorted. Overall rating now: 10