Fender Squier II Strat

I don't know how old this thing is. When I bought it from the pawn shop, the strings were rusted to hell. The pickups are a little rusty too. 21 frets, usual strat controls, all single coils, maple neck, slightly-thinner-than-normal squier body, plastic tuners, non-tremolo bridge.

Well, a violinist friend of mine bought a white Squier Strat II from a guitar store for $100 bucks, and it plays great. So when saw a black one at a pawn shop, I had to have it. I took about a half hour comparing it side by side with a regular squier they had, and though the other one looked nicer, this one sounded better--more Strat-like, at any rate.

The pickups are cheap, it's true, but they don't sound half bad. I will replace them with some Seymour Duncan Alnicos eventually. The tuners are really cheap, but the guitar stays in tune really well despite the fact. And no tremolo unit also greatly helps tuning stability.

As far as feel, it feels very similar to my Fender Standard Tele--that is, it feels really good. You can tell all the hardware and electronics on this thing are cheap, but they're also usuable. Who knows, I may eventually have to replace it all, but the guitar itself is good, and buying new electronics is cheaper than buying, say, an American Standard Strat.

Tone... sounds pretty stratty. Chunky, glassy, however you want to describe it. My Tele sounds smoother, but that may change when I trade out the strat's pickups. It sounds good overall, but a little less clear than I'd like. I think the guitar is pretty old, judging from the rusted pickups.

Music style? What style? Ha ha. I play blues, rock, pop, psychedellic/experimental stuff (my favorite), classic rock, a little punk rock, sometimes some pseudo-metal, a little psuedo-classical stuff, reggae... pretty much anything except "contemporary Christian worship." Whenever I hear anyone talking shop in here and they mention that they play that shit I become enraged. I'm a Christian (in the sense that I believe in Jesus), but I HATE Christian rock/punkrock/metal whatever. Rock is all about rebellion. Punk rock for Jesus? If Joe Strummer were dead, he'd be rolling in his grave.

Action is great. The pickups were too low, so I raised them. Had a few dings on it, but I don't care. It's a Squier, it's supposed to be a ghetto guitar. It was black with a white pickguard, but I painted the pickguard black and painted green Tim Burtonesque designs all around the edges. It looks pretty damn cool now.

The guitar itself will probably withstand most anything. The hardware and electronics may possibly give out, but this guitar is somewhat of a backup, my Tele is my favorite axe. I do enjoy playing it though, and it will probably be a lot better once I upgrade it.

Not a clue.

Been playing for 3.5 years. I'm doing pretty well for my relative inexperience. At least that's what I'm told. My biggest guitar influences are Andy Summers, Jimi Hendrix, and Jonny Greenwood/Ed Obrian from Radiohead. Starting to be influenced by NIN and latterday Bowie stuff. I play through an exorbitant number of effects (Wah, Multi-fx, Fuzz, Flanger, Tremolo, Chorus, Pitchshifter/whammy/reverse, echo) to produce very synthesizerish and ambiant weird sounds, and just as often through minimal effects for playing good old classic blues rock Hendrix/Zeppelin stuff. Here's a tip, kids. If you can make your guitars sound like keyboards and your keyboards sound like guitars, you will have some unique, bitchin sounds indeed.

Oh yeah, the guitar. Sounds good. Not great, but good. I'll put in another $200 bucks for pickups and such, and I'll bet it will be a match for most any American made strat. I've found that when it comes to Fender products the price tag means jack squat. You can spend $1000 for a piece of crap or spend $200 and have a great guitar. Or vice versa. The important thing is to always play it before you buy it. Despite Fender's inconsistancy, they do make the best guitars in the world. The Fender Telecaster was the first ever large production electric guitar, and no one's been able to make a better guitar, even 50 years later. Different, but not better. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

This guitar was made in '94, and had a few problems w/ it at first. I bought it used from a pawn shop for 110 bucks and it came w/ a 12 watt Marshall practice amp, a shit-ass strap and some alful picks. The volume pot didn't work so I replaced it and had the intonation checked and the action set. Recently I replaced the tuners w/ Fender American Standard tuning machines (i think they're schaller). I play in a band, so staplocks were a necessity as well. It has three stock single coil pickups and some unknown kind of body material. The neck is maple w/ 21 frets and has a great feel. It also has one volume and two tone knobs and a 5 way pickup selector switch.

I have a fender roc-pro 1000 full stack w/ several effects in this order: Boss GE-7, Ibanez TS10 tube screamer, Boss DS-1, Dunlop Crybaby wah, and in the effects loop i have a boss CS-2 chorous and a phase 90. The squier has a kick ass clean tone on the neck pick up. The roc pro really complements the squier well. I also have an Ibanez RG520QS. The ibanez doesn't have as good a clean tone. As for distortion, I love good heavy distortion...and w/ just the amp's distortion, it sounds almost twangy. But once I add the GE-7, it's quite heavy and looses the twang. The sounds on both clean and distortion are awesome.

The set up when i first got the squier blew ass. The action was good though. The intonation was horrible esp in the upper frets. I have already mentioned my improvements...money well spent. The finish is alright, it now has a few battle scars and whatnot, but it still looks good. I alway doubted Squier guitars until I played on this one.

I gig with this guitar all the time. It's durable as hell and could withstand the armageddon. The hardware will last as long as I am around and shit. I can always depend on this axe.

I called fender once to find out what year it was made in...the bastard who sold it to me said that it was made in 1979...what the hell??? the support was helpful and I didn't have any problems, but I did wait on hold for freakin' ever.

This is definately a great guitar. I've been playing for two years now and I can say w/o a doubt that I spent my money wisely. My friends have les pauls, american standard stats, and mesa boogie amps. The Squier could obviously never compare to that stuff, but can hold it's own.

Hey guess what. Turns out that these squires are made more like vintage strats than 90-98 american made strats.
The 90-98 americans used a venear to cover up the fact that they started making them out of cheaper basswood. The glue in the venear kills tone!
Also, 90-98 american strats have a HUGE single cavity routed out under the pickgaurd instead of 3 seperate cavities like vintage strats (and squires).
I've read that Fender has sinced stopped doing this. But don't all you people who paid all that extra cash for the word "American" on your strat feel kinda silly.

OK all you ignorant 15-year old kids. SINGLE COILS HUM! DUH! You should have known this before you bought on of these guitars and tried to play Mettalica.
IF you're looking for funky strat tones hear they are. The pickups sound nice for classic strat tones (don't expect Les Paul/humbucker tones from a strat kids), but also keep in mind we're not talking Lindy Fralins or VanZants here.
But, it did sound MUCH better than one of my student's Deluxe American Strats equiped with Lace Sensors. I think the reason for this was because his Deluxe had a laminated metal flake finish with a super thick clear coat.
Also, this guitar might just be made from a nice plank of tone wood instead of the normal second-hand scrap wood that gets sent over seas.
Bottom line: 1. Use your ears. 2. Know what you are looking for tone-wise.

Strats aren't known for playing like silk. Unless you're Yngwie Malmsteen, pick a different shred machine. The fit and finish/action is middle of the road.

I'm just pulling it out for the few tunes that call for strat tones. But I'm sure it will hold up to live playing well enough. Why shouldn't it? It's not like I'm using it to dig a hole or cut down a tree.

Does what it's supposed to do.

This guitar was made around 1990 or so probably in Japan. It has 21 frets and a laminated cherry red finish. It has a volume and two tone knobs with a 3 way selector switch. It has a S/S/H configuration, and I am not sure what kind of pickups, probably some cheap factory pickups. The body is probably cheap compressed plywood, and the neck looks to be Maple. The bridge is the standard strat bridge, and it has regular tuners as well, nothing special. It seems to have jumbo frets on the mahogany neck piece. It's a pretty basic guitar.

This would be a pretty good blues guitar, it has a relatively good sound. I don't use the single coil pickups very often, but they have a warm tone which would be great for a blues guitarist. Most of the time I stick to using the humbucker, but it has no tuning knob so it has no range what so ever, but it is much better suited for metal then the single coil.

The action on this guitar is very low, with surprisingly few buzzes, which I like very much. I love how thin the neck is on this guitar, it makes it very very easy to play, which was very good for me when I was learning. This is probably about my favorite thing about this guitar.

I have used this guitar to play one gig, and I would probably never do it again, it weighs a ton! It is pretty durable, but it snaps strings very easy, and it does not hold tune very well. I would use this as a backup, but never as my primary guitar.

I have no clue how their customer support is, I have never had to deal with them.

I have been playing for a year and a half and this is a pretty good guitar. It was very nice to learn on, but I wouldn't use it as my regular guitar. If it was stolen I would probably be a bit upset, but nothing to get really upset about, I am sure I could find another just like it, and for probably cheaper. I prefer using my Westbury Standard, which is a very nice guitar.

-Made in Korea -typical Strat specs with cheap parts though -the body has unknown type of wood (which is a lot heavier than most strats I have used) -S/S/H pickup configuration -maple neck, rosewood bridge

I play hard rock, blues (like some SRV, Clapton and Hendrix) and heavy metal. I use a Zoom 1010 and some other stompboxes through a Mesa Boogie Studio Caliber. All I can say is that this guitar doesn't really cut as most strats can. I'd attribute that to the cheap electronics. However, I tried to compensate this by adjusting the pickups' height and using .010 -.048 gauge strings.
I guess this guitar fits blues or other light music. This guitar doesn't suit heavy metal or crunchy hard rock.

Good side: -jumbo frets -standard action -properly routed bridge -standard strat specs
Bad side: -Frets easily get pitted -The guitar gets out of tune so easily because of the lousy tuners. -Electronics produce hum at certain times, even at the humbucker position. -Pole pieces of the pickups are staggered but they do not align with the fretboard's curvature. As a result, it is hard to have proper string balance. -THIS GUITAR IS HEAVY. I don't know of what kind of wood this thing is.

not that dependable... Hardware and electronics are cheap... I just changed the volume pot recently. I also reset the neck and bridge lately. I had to relevel the frets to get the right action. Generally, the parts are not heavy duty.

I have a Japan Floyd Rose Strat, a custom elec. guitar with Duncans and a Floyd Rose bridge, a Gibson SG 61 Reissue, and I think this guitar is the one I least liked using. Good thing it ain't mine. For a low-priced guitar this is quite satisfactory, but if you are serious with tone, better spend a few more bucks to get a better sounding guitar. Or, if you have this guitar and have fallen in love with it, you can try changing the pickups and that would dramatically change the sound.

Purchased new in 1991, made in Korea if I remember correctly. This was an upgrade for me, after a year-long stint with a Harmony! Maple neck and fretboard, with 21 frets. Strat-shaped body of unknown hardwood, with thick black gloss finish. Stock S/S/H pickups, standard Fender 6-screw trem, chrome volume and tone knobs, 5-way selector. No pickguard on the Squier II model, and a humbucker in the bridge as stated above, which is why I bought this instead of the Squier "Standard" Strat. Chrome tuners, plastic nut, the usual cheap appointments for an Asian Strat.

At the time that I owned this guitar, I was just getting into metal. For Metallica, Guns n' Roses and what I perceived to be "hard stuff" at the time, the Squier II was the way to go for me. Although a little noisy, the pickups sounded as good as any other through the variety of cheap practice amps I played it through. Sufficient crunch from the humbucker for hard rock and most radio-friendly metal, and I never really used the singles enough to judge their quality. At that stage in my musical endeavors, I was purely a rhythm player, for which the stock pickups and rather lacking sustain were good enough.

Setup at a reputable guitar shop, I can't complain about the condition of the guitar at the time of purchase. It's pretty tough to mess up a plain black paint job, and I never once adjusted the action on the generic bridge. The neck was certainly too thick for the fast lead playing I do now, and was somewhat uncomfortable even then, but typical for Strat standards. While not the sort of feel I would prefer now, it was flawless as setup and finsh go.

Abused on a regular basis as part of a garage band guitar rig, this guitar held up well...although the current owner (my younger brother) has done his best to let it go to hell. When properly cared for, even a low-end guitar like this can last a long time. Unfortunately, that does not mean you should leave it in your trunk overnight in the middle of a Minnesota winter. I did just that, and the wiring headed south when I finally brought the guitar in from the cold. After being fixed, it was as good as new.
I can't complain. Take care of your guitar, and it'll take care of you.

I started playing in 1990, and this was my second guitar. I gave it to my brother a couple years ago, he beat the piss out of it and then set it aside to collect dust, and now I'm fixing it up for him after years of neglect. At the time that I owned it and played it, most of my friends and bandmates were suitably impressed by it. At one point, a "friend" who was fixing a wiring problem for me "went out of town" with my guitar still in his posession. I assumed it was stolen, but eventually he returned it intact. I would have missed it, considering that I don't like the typical Squiers with pickguards and S/S/H pickup arrangement. But since then, I have grown accustomed to the Jackson Dinky body shape and neck, so no more Fenders for me.
Not a bad guitar, and a LOT better than the Squier Affinity series out there now. If you like the Fender style nad can find a now-discontinued Squier II, it's worth the money. But with dozens of guitars in that price range now, take the time to shop around. I tried other guitars at the time and this is what I picked, but there are a lot more options worth considering...especially now that Jackson, Ibanez, ESP (LTD) and other brands have budget lines available.

1990 Korean made. Made like a 50's Strat. Put S/D pickup's in it. Maple neck is the best of all my guitar's. White body. Added TBX tone control.Hardware is cheap but works well. I keep it very clean. Custom shop pickguard. Gig bag. Bought new 1991. Body seems to be made of compressed wood of some sort.My first Guitar.

I play blues so does this guitar. I also own a Hamer archtop and Fender Super Strat.And this Squire keeps up with both of them.I play thur a Fender Deluxe reverb (reissue).When you put in on 2 & 4 It,s as sweet as it can be.I baby it because it was my first.The only down side is the hardware it's junk. It's a great first guitar.

It was not set up very well.I bought a book and did it myself.The neck is it's best side just right.You must hotrod these guitars.I slowly put in about 200 big ones.I want to keep it and play it.The pickups that came with it were junk.

This thing is tough. My cat run into one of my guitars and they all hit the floor. I had a PRS then and the neck got all loose and messed up the Squier lost the white cap on the selector switch. The PRS is bye bye now.

YA right.

I have compare it to other guitars and it can stand on it's own. It's not a 1800.00 guitar but it plays like one to me. It has a tone all it's own.I don't know if it's the cheap hardware or the pressed wood but it's got IT.

this is a korean made strat, though i'm not quite sure of the year. it came with a little 15-watt amp so i not complaining about the price. it's got a 21 fret maple neck and what i beleive is an alder body. it has a volume and 2 tone knobs and a 5-way selector switch, though the tone knobs seem to just be for show. it has a s/s/h pickup configuration and what looks to be a remake of the old synchronized tremolos of older strats but i'm probably just giving my hopes up. it also has a black finish with no pickguard. i haven't been dealing gutiars for too long so i couldn't tell you much else.

i mostly play classic rock and metal and this suits me just fine. i play through a little fender bullet amp along with a dunlop hendrix wah, a boss ds1 distortion and ph2 super phaser. i can a pretty wide variety of sounds out this setup though i tend to prefer the amp drive to the ds1. the pickups aren't top of the line i admit but they don't sound like shit. the single coils' hum is a little noisy but its nice a more vintage sound. i've grown to love the humbucker on this guitar. i play stuff from led zeppelin, pink floyd, hendrix, van halen, metallica, and so forth and it sounds pretty good.

i'm not sure of its history though it did have a dings and scratches in it (what do you want its used)

the only problem i've had is i had to have the volume knob assembly replaced due to large amounts of unwanted static but other than that it's been great. i beat the HELL out my strings (i've snapped picks in half!) and the bridge holds up pretty well

never had to go to them

i've only been playing for two and half years and this is still my first guitar but i know i'm going to have it for a quite a while. i've become very attached to it and it would tske alot for me to part with it. i love this guitar but i'm looking into getting a big apple strat

I got this as my first guitar in 1989 as a gift. It's a Korean Fender Squire II. 21 frets, ebony finish, and has no pick guard. 5-way selector, 2 coils one humbucker, of unknown manufacturer.I believe the body is Alder (I could be wrong) and a maple neck and tremlo. Although none of the electronics and hardware are anywhere near high end, This guitar has potential.

I play on a Randal half stack and various effects pedals and this guitar sounds pretty good. The coil pickups suck (loud humming) and the stock humbucker was very a little high on the treble side. I replaced the stock humbucker with a Duncan JB Trembucker and it's really like playing a different guitar. I couldn't believe it! I play mostly blues and rock with a friend with a classic american strat and the two sound STUNNINGLY SIMILAR! The Squire II has a decent range of sounds (but not as good as my Epi Les Paul). One more thing... In order to have tone control you have to re-wire the humbucker to a tone knob or else you're stuck with treble, treble, treble. Still

I got this one brand new and the guitar was solid. I must be one of those lucky people who got a well made one because a lot of people bash this guitar. Intonation is still good after 9 years. This guitar has never failed me. The pick ups are obviously one of the major drawbacks (hence the lower price too) as the coils hum a little too much, especially under distortion. The tremlo is second rate too. Try not to pull too hard because it will go out of tune.Other than that construction was well done. Like I said, I might have gotten lucky.

Like I said, this guitar has never failed me. I have played with it live before, but in front of a serious audience, I'd opt for my Les Paul. This would probably come out on stage with me for some wild Hendrix or SRV. If you bash it a little or break strings... oh well! It's showing a little wear after 9 years but I still play it almost every day. I love this guitar.Still very solid after all this time.

Never had to call them.

I might have gotten lucky with a well made one but this is a great first guitar. Its rare, reletively inexpensive, and has a humbucker for some fat tone (once you re-wire it). Mine was (is) durable and with a few bucks can sound really great with new pickups. I've been playing for 9 years and have had several guitars (Ibanez aka I've-been-had, Epiphone and Fender) and I keep coming back to this one. All it takes is a little faith in what it can do to justify spending money to upgrade it. I'm telling you. it's worth the extra bucks.

its one of those japan ones I think, got it pretty cheep 21 frets laminated top 5 way selector crapy pickups okay tuners and it came with a 50 cent strap, a ibanez bass pick and 3 extra pick guards.......dont ask why I dont know, I felt kinda stupid getting all this stuff I didn't need. think the only think I got that was acualy used was the guitar and the mesa/boogie acoustic guitar polish for my satin sea gull acoustic......

I play this outa a laney GC-80 and it still sounds like poop. It has a terrible buzz in the back ground gets on my nerves. it sounds pretty decent when using a masive distortion like DOD's death metal or grunge. cant stand this guitar

um if I ever played this thing live I think I might do that thing at the end where you smash it on the groundand bust it in a million peices so at least I wouldn't get booed off stage

um it has lots of problems I never use it any more cuz I have a american standard strat with the texas special pickups so I might sell it for you know like a brand new pooper scooper or capo or somethin um I'm not gonna bother with a warranty

I've been playing for about 4 years and this thing in a peice of junk I wish I could have asked if this was a "good guitar"!!!! I bought it cuz I was just startin out and you know you always hear people talking about the strats and stuf so I thought "hey, its a fender why not!!!"the only thing that some what good about this is that squire "II's" are super hard to find and when I smash it they're gonna be even harder to find