Fender Squier ProTone Strat

I own 3 of these beauties! A 3 Tone Sunburst, Trans Red & Trans Blue (Now Green)! I paid about $200-$250 for each of these a couple of years ago! Got em before ebay'ers got wind of how great they are and started snapping them up.
Each one has its own personality but they are all Starts to their core.
The fit, finish and quality are excellent when compared to other Strats made anywhere in the world. Especially for the money!
All of mine are all original and in excellent condition!

Sound great. Would never swap out the hardware on these. They're great the way they are.

Set up is good on all of them. All stay in tune well and the action and playability are consistent with all.

All hardware is in good shape. A little rub off on Trans Red & Trans Blue models but all in all very good. The 3 Tone has chrome/silver hardware and is in good shape.
All guitars stay in tune well and everything works very well.

N/A

Excellent! The bang for the buck on these is incredible. Do not let the Squier logo dissuade you from picking one of these up! That is.. IF you can find one.

Mine was made in 1997. Gloss black with deep silvery pearloid pickguard, black matching headstock, gold hardware and Floyd Rose bride style, looks stunning. S/S/H. Maple neck. In the later 1990's Fender decided to have Cort build its Squier Pro Tone series. They are made in Korea around 1996-1998 then discontinued - Cort made these Squiers not only on the same level as USA Strats but many people will agree that they are much better. Solid Ash bodies, impeccable necks and fret work, etc. These Squiers are some of the best Strat type guitars ever made! Excellent - first class. If you look on your headstock and at the tip it says "Pro Tone" you have a collectible guitar (they are slowly becoming as collectable as the JV MIJ Squiers and are on a par with the E series MIJ Squiers).

Very, very good! Amazing sounding stock pickups! Very good string separation. It really nails that Gilmore tone i was after. I'm using it with tube amps and people just can't beleive it's a Squire. No noise at all; position 2 and 4 are wired to be humbucking (!) and it really makes a big difference. The sustain is remarkable. The humbucker is very good! It's not muddy at all, more P90s sounding. but still creamy.

Best Stratocaster i've ever played, seriously! The Pro Tone Series is a future classic. Truly amazing instruments. Everything is aligned perfectly, the fret work, and neck could not be better. The whole guitar "sings" if you play it unplugged. You can adjust it for very low action without buzz, i like my action a little higher though. Like others have said; it can compete with and beat custom shop Fenders! When i got it the action was a 7, but you always (almost) have to adjust a guitar so it suits you.

The hardware are of good quality, but off course; you can always get better! But the stock hardware is absolutley fine, much better than anything you buy from Squire or MIM/MIJ Fenders today.

Not much info on these. Guitar shops know how good they really are and sing their praises, prices are going up.

I've owned a lot of guitars but this is my main guitar now. I have not played a better strat, period. Mine is all stock, even the pickups. These Rolls-Royce Squires are very rare though, so if you find one, grab it!

Black finish over alder wood ( I was told) moderately heavy, silver perloid pickguard, s/s/h pickups, all Gold hardware, Floyd Rose copy double locking tremolo, rear mount locking nut, 21 fret maple neck with medium frets, Black Headstock with gold decals (sweet).

Suits my style well, I play 80's hair, Creed, Nickelback, and modern Gospel. Sounded a little bright for me, typical fender. I replaced the humbucker with a Ibanez V8, to get more growl and a deeper rich tone. Tends to hum some when my up is up loud. I play through a Peavey 212 transtube amp and use a v-amp multieffects. I can get any sound. The quality of this guitar is as good as my custom shop strat. I swapped out the gold hardware for black hardware and went with a single locking speedloader floyd rose that I prefer.

Action is killer. Parts of of the best quality, and finish is great. Very easy to scratch though. Gotta handle with care. Guitar is flawless except the locking nut was a 42mm and should have been a 41mm. Perhaps a previous owner changed it. I do prefer twin humbuckers, but have come to like the s/s/hum configuration.

Had to resolder the input jack. Other than that, never had a problem with her. Stays in tune incredible. Better than any guitar I've ever had. I never use my backup guitar (strat), no need.

I got this used off ebay for $250 with a cheapo case.

I have been playing since 1977. I have owned Les Pauls, Peavys, Fenders, and Charvels. This is my all time favorite. The quality is unbeatable. It is as good as my custom shop strat, and looks cooler. My favorite thing about this guitar is the tone it has. I will never sell it.

I got my Olympic White Pro Tone off EBAY after playing one or two in guitar stores. Got a set up, fret dress and bought a Fender Tortoise Shell pickguard as I don't care for the red shell one that came on it. Delightful guitar. I have found that there is not much available information about Pro Tone Strats and their features. I found a spec sheet somewhere on the net and I thought I'd pass it on below. I can't vouch for it's accuracy, but it seems right to me. The necks are all Satin Finish, the bodies are shiny Poly Finish over Ash. The bridge and vibrato system are vintage style and are impressive when compared to other offshore Strats. I found the standard tuners to be somewhat lacking - slippage has been an issue. As observed in other reviews the necks are on the thin side, C shaped, thin vintage style frets. The pickups, pots and selector switch are, I believe, offshore manufacture but toneful and solid.
Squier Pro Tone Stratocaster
PART NUMBER: 033-2700-300, SERIES: Squier Pro Tone Series, NECK: One-piece Maple
BODY: Solid Ash White Shell Pickguard, FRETBOARD: Rosewood (9.5 ??? Radius) , MACHINE HEADS: Standard, NO. OF FRETS: 21, SCALE LENGTH: 25.5??? (648 mm) , WIDTH AT NUT: 1.650??? (42 mm, HARDWARE: Chrome, BRIDGE: Vintage Style Tremolo, PICKGUARD: White Shell Pickguard, PICKUPS: Three single coil Alnico pickups, PICKUP SWITCHING: 5 Position Blade, CONTROLS: Volume, Tone, Tone, COLORS: 300 (3-Color Sunburst) (Poly-Urethane Finish,)STRINGS: Fender Super 250L???s (.009 to .042) Nickel-Plated Steel pn#073-0250-003
SOURCE: Korea, U.S. MSRP: $499.99 (Comes with gig bag), STATUS: DISCONTINUED
ACCESSORIES: Deluxe Gig Bag, INTRODUCED: 1996, DISCONTINUED: 1998
Models were:
* 033-2900 Pro Tone Stratocaster, RW Fretboard. Crimson red transparent, white shell pckgrd, gold hrdwr.
* 033-2902 Pro Tone Stratocaster, Maple neck and fretboard, saphire blue transparent, white shell pckgd, gold hrdwr.
* 033-2802 Pro Tone Stratocaster, maple neck and fretboard, vintage blond, aged pickguard knobs and pu covers.
* 033-2822 P T Strat Left hand same as last
* 033-2700 P T Strat rw fretboard 3-color sunburst, white shell pckgd.
* 033-2600 P T Strat rw fretboard, Olympic white, red shell pickguard, matching painted headstock

I'm a vintage guy and I play vintage Rock, Country and Blues - American Garage Music. The Pro Tone excels in this style. The Alnico pickups have a kind of shiny new Strat sound - lots of boingy bounce and a beautiful clean Strat sound. Think Sultans Of Swing, although the neck pickup can produce a nice Hendrix-y, Bluesy darkness. I have a 3 single pickup model and have not heard the SSH configuration. I had a humming issue before I shielded the pickguard. The number 2 and 4 pickup selector positions are wired to be in a humbucking mode unlike Vintage Strats and frankly, they sound a little mushy to me. I'm not crazy about the 2 & 4 Sounds on the Pro Tone. My other Strat is a '58 that I have had for 35 years and the Pro Tone is a brighter, louder, cleaner sounding Strat by far. I am having to retire the '58 and got the Pro Tone hoping to replace it. It's different but it works.
At home I play the Pro Tone through either an old Silverface Fender Champ or a new Vox Pathfinder 10. The guitar breaks up nicely through the 6V6 powered Champ, and chimes chimingly through the solid state Vox. Gigging I play it through a Music Man RP 100 single 12 with a Danelectro Daddy-O Overdrive, MXR DynaComp and a Danelectro Tremolo. It exhibits the same kind of bright clean-ish tone through all the amps, but responds nicely to the dirt in the Daddy O. I'm tempted to put a Duncan Custom Hot pickup in the bridge to take away some of the brightness and add a little more midrange growl. Like all Strats, this is a versatile guitar and can sound nice or nasty.

These guitars are well made. I got mine used and so I had to get a setup and have the frets dressed, but I have had no problems with it. The rosewood board may not be as thick as a vintage slab board, but it is plenty thick enough, The frets did need some attention but that's common on a used guitar. The tuners look good, but they are the weak link here. I may get them replaced with the real tuners that these are imitations of. Another potential problem area is the pickup selector assembly. While I was changing out the pickguard I got a good look at it and it seems very delicate and prone to breakage and loose pickup wire connections. We'll see how it holds up over time - I've only had it two years so far. The bridge and vibrato block was a pleasant surprise - as big and massive and sustain producing as a vintage Strat. Mine came without a whammy bar and I had to get three before one fit. (American, Japanese and finally Korean) I guess the Korean factory uses metrics or something. Also, the holes in the Fender 11 screw pickguard that I got didn't line up exactly right. Had to get out the drill and drill a couple of new holes. The satin neck and the Poly body are nicely done, though.

I bought this guitar with hopes that it would be gig worthy and I now believe it is. The guitar is 9 or 10 years old and is holding up nicely. It is heavy, though. Not Les Paul heavy, but 70's Strat heavy. Nice solid Ash. The Olympic White finish is yellowing nicely, the chrome hardware is solidly milled and durable, and the strap buttons are better and more secure than those on vintage Strats. This axe's versatility is a big plus and the electronics seem solid so far. So far so good. I'd confidently take it out without a backup.

Strats are Strats are Strats. They can be adjusted or repaired anywhere no problem. Warranties are moot at this point in time.

I've been playing a long time and I own a bunch of guitars and amps. Telecaster, Stratocaster, Pro Tone Strat, Silvertone Danelectro. Champ, Tweed Deluxe, Super Reverb, Vox Pathfinder and Music Man amps. Several acoustics as well. The Pro Tone holds it's own among all these instruments. I love the boingy Strat sound of this guitar and the way it contrasts with the much darker sound of my old Strat. It plays easily, I like the way it responds to pedals and I love it's versatility. I have had to adjust to the thinness of the neck. I prefer a little more chunk on the neck, but the plusses so outweigh the negatives, that it's not an issue anymore. I also love that it is a Squier. Almost nobody knows about the Pro Tone series and as a result I turn a lot heads with how good this guitar plays and sounds. Nobody believes that it's "only" a Squier! Now I've got my eyes on a Blonde one. If this were lost I'd get another, no doubt. I tried other Strats before I got this one including Custom Shop Vintage series and Mexicans and Highway Ones but couldn't justify the cost of those when compared to the Pro Tone.

blue(fast turning green)3 piece ash body
maple neck
staggered pole alnico pickups(s/s/s)
vintage trem
5 position switch
korean made

terrific classic strat sound. i play it through a stinger 200w combo amp,and i can get a good range of sounds from the guitar,the 4th position on the switch is pure mark knopfler.Obviously you won't get a big meaty heavy metal sound out of it,but then you don't buy a guitar like this for that kind of sound

bought it second hand.it was in the shop for months before i actually got round to trying it out.it wasn't the dreaded squier logo on the top that put me off-more the way it looked,greeny-blue with gold hardware and a tortoise shell scratch-plate. tasteful it is not.As soon as i picked it up though it felt right. it is quite a heavy guitar,and i wouldn't want to make any wild manouvers with the tremelo arm either.....aside from that, no complaints.

losing a bit of the gold from the bridge,but has coped with everything that has been expected of it. totally dependable,i'd never gig without a backup because that is asking for trouble.

N/A

been playing for 26 years and have owned many guitars.This squier thrashes any mexican fenders ive played and is vey close to any recent american fender.if it were stolen (anyone who "loses"a guitar is plain clumsy)i'd have a hell of a job getting another one as they only made it for 2 years and are,as a result,fairly rare.People will avoid these guitars because of the Squier logo.....and they will miss out on a great instrument. Oh well, more for the rest of us........

There's enough reviews on the features of this guitar that you know I either have a blue ProTone or a red ProTone. I have a blue Protone. It's a regular strat configuration, and it doesn't get any better than that. The strat as a whole gets a ten, and therefore the ProTone too.

One of the other reviewers who wrote about the Protone said he'd had it long enough to know. I've had mine since 1997 - I bought it brand new from the store. I wasn't quite old enough to play the blues, but the ProTone was "beginner" enough for me at twelve years old, but "intermediate" enough for me because I'd already been playing for four years. Now, almost ten years after first playing that guitar, it's "advanced" enough to do everything I need. The pickups can still rock and the sound is clear (but can just as easily be muddied up). This isn't a two thousand dollar Fender guitar, and that's the only reason it isn't a ten.

In ten years with this guitar I've resoldered the jack once and had the guitar rewired once. Total cost to me: $20 (includes new pack of strings).

Beautiful workmanship and setup right from the factory. I don't want you to think my review is a little *too* glowing, but pick one up and you'll find out why.

Again, it's not a ten because that would suggest it's better than a two thousand dollar guitar, which it's not. But it's almost as good, and that's pretty impressive.

I've used this as my primary electric guitar for ten years. It has never let me down for a performance or practice. The hardware is getting old, but it still works perfectly - only the colours fade. A glowing review again. Perhaps this is a nice guitar?

I didn't have a problem with this guitar for so long that I knew there was no way a warranty could still be covering me! It was about seven years before I first soldered the jack and nine before I rewired it. It was cheap to fix too.

I've been playing guitar for a long time and this guitar has been there for quite a bit of it. Plus, it's getting to be a pretty rare guitar. Buy one if you get a chance, you won't be disappointed.

As near as I can tell this Strat was made Korea in 97. I got it used at a local music store so I'm not sure about the history. It has 21 frets, staggered p-ups and 5-way switch. It has been very difficult to find any specs for Protones on the Internet so I'm guessing the pickups, bridge, tuners, trem springs and all other electronics and hardware are stock.

The finish is a clean translucent red with a white pearloid pick guard and gold hardware. The neck is a little thin for me but not as thin as Peavy's strat copy. It's thicker than the Peavy but I could use more.

I like blues and this one does it well. I string it with 10-46 GHS Boomers and it has a good amount of warmth and grit in the usual neck\center p-ups. The bridge is really bright - which is naturally expected, but this guitar has more tonal range than my Am Std with Texas Specials. The body also has sustain that is WAY better than I expected.

I have a black face Fender Pro Reverb, a Fender Chorus and recently added a Roland Micro-Cube for practice. The warmth, grit and signature tonality are there no matter which one I use. As far as noise, it's no worse than my Am Standard Strat. I get some slight buzzing with the selector in the second and fourth position but it's certainly nothing major. I'm just picky about noise and single coils are going to do that.

I set the intonation when I changed to 10's and and haven's had a problem of any kind. The neck is VERY clean in appearance and in sound. No buzzing and the action is very close to factory. I might get more sound out of it if I played with the p-ups but to be honest it works fine and sounds great just the way it is.

As far as workmanship, I have no complaints there either. The body, finish, neck, fretboard and tuners are all clean and solid. The gold hardware is in need of a good polishing but that's not the fault of the guitar. I think Fender did an fine job with this model.

If I ever learn to play really well I would certainly like to have this with me at my first live gig. I bend a ton and it stays in tune. The tuners are tight and the trem is on par with my Am Standard. I don't do dive bombs. I like to have the bridge float and it gives me what I want and comes right back every time.

The finish hasn't shown any decay or given any indication that it will. With a little polish now and then I fully expect it to look this clean many years from now.

I didn't give this guitar a 9 or 10 in any area, not because it isn't a very good guitar, but because when comparing it against the entire Strat family it isn't going to be a signature model. That's a David and Goliath match and a very tall order for any guitar! However, compared to other guitars costing 3 times as much it holds its own or exceeds them in sound and quality. I've had this guitar for 2 years and I still get a thrill when I pick it up.

It came as-is and I have never had to contact Fender, but I do wish they would provide information on their website about products that are no longer in production. Just because they stopped production doesn't mean people stopped using them.

This guitar as a lucky shot in the dark. I went to the local shop for strings and saw this hanging on the wall. I pulled it down and it instantly felt good in my hands, which does not happen very often. I played it for about 5 minutes before I noticed the dreaded Squire logo on the headstock. I hung it back up and went on to playing other guitars but kept going back to this one. I've handled and played around with Squires and thought something must be wrong here. Squires are not supposed to feel, play or sound like this. I saw "Protone" on the headstock but had no idea what it meant.

In my mind I was actually sold on it before I knew it was a Squire so I decided to ignore my ego and go with what my hands and ears were telling me. I bought it and haven't regretted it for a single moment.

The only thing I would change if I could would be the neck. I plan to keep this for years to come and I would hate to lose it. They don't make these anymore and finding a clean one now is very hard.

1997 Korean Squier Protone Stratocaster
21 Frets
Two piece ash body / 3 color sunburst
Rosewood fingerboard
Vintage frets (the smallest frets I've ever seen)
Bought it used - came with a Squier 15GR amp (with spring reverb!), a Fender gig bag, an electronic tuner, and a bunch of other stuff the poor sap who bought it new got suckered into buying.

This is the finest sounding Strat, regardless of the ethnic background of the assembler, that I have ever played. The stock Alnico pickups are fantastic, but because I'm an idiot, I replaced them with GFS Vintage Alnico Staggered pickups (like Fender Fat 50's? Wanna save $100? Buy these pickups).

With either set of pickups, this thing rings like a bell through my Traynor YCV20 (JJ tubes, set up for blues). I can't believe this thing. I set it up to my liking and it's like butter, except not so greasy and it doesn't stain my shirt. I, as I always do, changed out the pots, switches, bone nut, added some trem springs, etc., but none of this was necessary to make it sound any better than it did.

Everything you look for in a "real" Strat is here, and I can't think of anything it lacks in the way of tonal range, playability, whatever.

I bought it used on E Bay from a guy who had it in his closet for God knows how many years. The fingerboard was caked with sludge - not the type that builds up from playing - the kind that builds up from humidity, dirt, dust, and general neglect. I cleaned it up on my buffer and it shows absolutely no sign of fret or other wear. I swear this thing was never played. There were a couple of scratches in the pickguard, but I buffed those out as well.

The fit and finish, once I scraped off the crud, is better than an American Strat. Flawless.

I'm not a professional, but I would not hesitate to rely on this for a living. It is now my favorite guitar, and has taken the "place of honor" on my collection wall.

NA

Absolutely a fine guitar, comparable to any Strat at any price. I own a "real" Fender Strat, a couple of Squier Strats and Teles, an Ibanez AG75, a '77 Yairi and some project guitars, but this one is the cream of the crop.

If you're a logo worshipper, you won't like the label on the headstock. That's fine with me, because I now intend to buy as many Pro Tone Strats as I can get my hands on. One day, future logo-worshipping morons will be looking for the little Pro Tone Series decal and paying top dollar for these.

This beaut has three single coils, a three-piece ash light-weight body (the third is just one inch wide), transparent red laquer, one piece, the headstock is also just one piece, rosewood fretboard with nice swirlings, 21 good-sized but not huge frets, skunk-striped neck, vintage tremelo, so-so tuners, real Fender saddles, one volume, two tone controls. 4-bolt neckplate. This one has gold hardware. The gold is holding up okay over the years. It is almost ten years old. It has 500k tone pots, a five-way switch, and a mother of toilet seat scratchplate from a nice toilet seat. The pickups have staggered pole pieces. The neck is rather thin. I would prefer it a bit thicker, but it's good. Basically, a vintage styled strat with the features. It's the lightest guitar I own. Have to laugh at the idea that great tone can only come from a heavy slab of mahogany and a set neck.

I am rating this guitar for what it is supposed to be-- a vintage styled strat. It has all those features from the classic. One point off for the somewhat thin neck.

In a few words, astonishing clarity, crystalline, glassy, bell-like-- amazing!!! Well-balanced lows with some guts. Strat heaven!!!

Today, a lot of players, especially the younguns, are into extremely aggressive sounding guitars. This guitar has nothing to do whatsover with that style. I was weaned on Dire Straits and Mark Knopfler. Back then, I couldn't afford a real strat, and anyway, everyone was saying that Fender sucked because of the changes that the change of ownership brought. So it was frustrating... save up big bucks for a once golden name now turned to solder? What's the point? So I bought an Japanese import. It was a good value, but it didn't have the real strat character I was looking for. Fast forward a few decades. I read on this site about the Protones. I tracked down two in a huge used (and new) music chain in one of their stores. The first one was the one I bought. I played it through a Fender amp, and couldn't believe my ears from the first strum. I looked at the price tag, I looked at the saleman, I hit a few more chords... I couldn't believe this sound was coming from a guitar priced at it was-- on sale somewhat less than $300. It was the guitar and amp together that made the sound. Position four on the 5-way = Mark Knopfler. Unbelievable! That was around 1999. I am still in disbelief. I immediately told the salesman I wanted the guitar. He took it to the front while I went to check out the other Protone they had.

I much preferred the looks of the other Protone. It was blonde and very classy. However, I didn't come close to the other Protone in tone. Why? I just don't know. I didn't check the pickup height or a host of other possibilities. Maybe someone monkeyed with the electronics because it didn't sound good through their cheap practice amp. Maybe it was the different finish choking it, or maybe it was just a dud-- didn't have the magic. Anyway, it didn't sound like the other at all.

I have it strung with D'Addario 9's. I play through a vintage Musicman RD112 50W amp. Great combination! I add a bit of reverb from the amp. I sometime add a bit of an ancient analog delay pedal with no name on it to the signal chain. That's all I need. I have several tubescreamer pedals of various incarnations, and they are all useless with this guitar and amp. The pure sound of the guitar and amp is pure magic.

My complaint here is the tuners. I had to take two of them apart because they didn't turn smoothly. Not a big deal-- a couple minutes with a screwdriver and pliers and it was much better. I didn't get this new, but I am guessing it came like this. The scratchplate could fit down more snuggly on the top. Everything else is really good. The nut is perfect. The action is perfect. I might replace the tuners sometime, but I hesitate because I am afraid of changing anything on this that could even slighter alter the tone.

Almost ten years old, but it hasn't been used too too much as I have almost 50 guitars. I have decided, though, to sell a bunch of those because I am returning to my roots. This is my main player now. Why hasn't it been? I got distracted with those double humbucker power beasts for a couple years. My mind is right now.

Fender pulled this line pretty quickly. Thanks to this guitar, I don't need to spend countless hours looking in Guitar Center for The One, and then shelling out a grand or more. That could be fun, but with the existence of these, what's the point? I guess some other folks figured that out, so they only made these a few years. If I worked for Fender in marketing, I probably would have pulled the plug even sooner, or insisted that the Koreans be drunk on the job. Oh yeah, I didn't mention that these guitars were assembled in South Korea with Fender parts.

Never contacted them for support because this guitar has no real problems. I have searched their site forender jazz picks. I can find them as NOS in my music store down the street, but can't find anything on their website.

I somewhat marvel at posting on various sites about changing the pots and pickups. Yes, there are variations in how guitars within a certain model will sound, like I experienced when trying two of them out at the store. I guess if you get a dud, you will want to change the pickups. But this guitar is all stock and I can't imagine changing the pickups, pots, or anything! That would be like putting a Yankee hat on the Mona Lisa.

I wish this guitar looked like the one I rejected. It was a gorgeous Protone strat. For the looks of my red one, for it having a three-piece body, imperfect tuners, imperfect fitting scratch plate, having a somewhat thin neck, I deduct an entire point. But really, these imperfections mean nothing because the sound makes up for it in spades. For sound only, it's a ten, if a ten means vintage strat perfection.

Ebay can be great for buying some stuff, but it's better to buy guitars in a store so you can hear them before buying as they can vary within a model so much. If I get a Protone backup, which I plan to do, I need to be patient and look for a good one. It might take a few years. That's okay. I'm in no hurry.

I am amazed that these guitars still have such a low price. I think that it might be because some young players buy them when what they really want is a shredder. Of course it has the kiss of death "Squire" decaled on it-- those six letters devalue these Protones by hundreds. So when I get my backup Protone, I will probably get it from another clueless seller for a song.

Ash Body, Gold Fender Bridge ( I forgot what it was called) Gold Gotto Tuners (don't know the Spelling, Made in Korea, Maple neck and Fingerboard, 21 frets, before medium frets now Jumbo.

Before I didn't like the sound very much, cause of the stock pick ups! The output was so low! And it was to bright! I change the Neck pick up to a DiMarzio YJM, the Bridge to a DiMarzio Tone Zone Single, the mid stock. Now It's such a hot guitar! Yhe clean tones are amazing! They're so crisp and Crystal clear! Amazing guitar! And with distortion, if you put it on the bridge position, its so hot, if you put it on the neck postion it's warm. You can play Blues, Jazz, Rock (All Kinds), Country, Hillbilly (hehehe), Everything! It's so flexible! Shred of course! YOu can play from Steve Vai to Stevie Ray Vaughan with this guitar! It's amzing! But if it's stock you can't. So you really have to do a lot of things with this guitar! If you do, it beats any American Fender Stratocasters!

Well, action before was to low! When you bend on the 20th fret the sound would be stopped by the fret! It sucks before! I had to refret it! Now the action is really nice! The finish is nice! The color is green but not the green like in starbucks! It's very classy! It's kind of dark and It's just like green varnish1 I don't know what it's called, but it's such a beatuiful guitar!

Reliability? Well it's okay. I had many problems with the buzzes and no body could fix them... But it hasn't given me any problems.

Customer Support? What customer support? There's none! It sucks! They can't even fix this guitar!

I'll give it a ten right now cause of what I did with it! It's so hot! I love this guitar so much! It's not like a Squier! It's like a Fender! Even better! I love this guitar! I would never sell it! If I would rate it as stock, 7

just about what all strats have.

i like it alot. I bought this off of the internet as a backup for my gisbon sg. I often find myself playing it instead of my sg though. It's really starting to grow on me.

The action was a little low for my liking, but that was nothing a little tweaking couldn't fix. unfortunately two of the frets buzz. Not a terrible buzz, but its still evident when played.

It seems to be doing just fine. I bought it used january of this year (2005) used back from the golden year of 1997. It looks like it was made yesterday. It seems to have held up just fine!

I have never had a reason to call. so i have no expierence that could form an opinion.

I've been playing for about 7 years. I haven't owned too many guitars. I'm more interested in playing them than in shopping for them. It's a very nice guitar, especially for the price. I'd tried out alot of strat style guitars before buying this one-including a usa strat. The sound of course was not AS good as the usa, but very good. Through my amp, it sounds like something you'd have heard in the 1970's. I run my guitars through a jtm600, with a 1960a cabinet. Unto a ds-1 distortion pedal, and a snarling dogs wah pedal. all in all VERY good value. I would recommend this to any guitarist of almost any genre, and any experience level.

The Fender Squier Protone line was made in Korea in 1996 and 1997. Word has it this model was so successful that it was cutting into Fender's USA and MIM strat sales and that's why Fender decommissioned it. Mine is a 1997 trans-aqua solid ash body with flamed maple slim "C" cross-section neck. The fretboard is lacquered maple with 21 frets and black dot position markers. The frets are regular size and nicely finished. The gotoh-type tuners on the small headstock are tight and positive. All the hardware is gold. The S-S-S pickups are alnico staggered pole-piece and have that characteristic 60's strat sound. The pup selector is the standard 5-position strat type. The guitar has the standard strat 1-volume and 2-tone pot config.

I play mostly blues along with some country-rock. My main amp is a self-built all-tube P-to-P wired Fender Deluxe clone. I use a Boss OD-1 when I want more overdrive than what the amp's 6V6's will give me. The guitar has all those sounds you expect from the best strats, ie, as bright or as dark as you want it. The volume and tone controls are positive and quiet. The alnico pickups are hot enough to overdrive nicely when really attacked.

I bought the guitar used but it was very playable just the way it was, with a nice low fast action. I had to adjust the intonation on the 6th string but that was it. A bit of the gold plating had disappeared from one of the pickup mounting screws and from a couple of pickguard screws but that's to be expected on a guitar that's 7 years old. Other than that, this guitar is perfect. Rivals anything Fender has made in the states or Mexico over the last few years.

This guitar seems rock solid. I've had it for a year now and played the bejeezus out of it and it never ceases to amaze me. Easily as good a guitar as any MIM or USA strat made in the last few years, and for a lot less money. The finish is durable and the hardware is standing up well. If you're a "strat man" (or woman) this is all the guitar you need. Treat it with a bit of respect and I'm sure it'll last a lifetime.

I've been playing for over 35 years and have owned many guitars, including 80's Ibanez's, Tokais and other Fenders and Gibsons. One of my favorites was a Strat Plus with gold lace-sensors which I sold 10 years ago. This Protone cost a lot less and I like it every bit as much. This one is bound to become a "classic" so if you get a chance to buy one, go for it. You won't regret it!

Bought used, unkown date of nmanufactur but these were only made for a brief period in the sixties.Classic Strat. This one has a transparent blue finish over a two piece ash body. Gold hardware, vintage style tremelo. vintage alnico pick ups. Classic rounded neck,maple with maple fret board small vintage fretts, sealed tuners. Small headstock.

This guitar sounds like a vintage strat, bright,crisp twangy.I play mostly blues now I can get a Eric Clapton 70-80's type cleaN SOUND AND A bUDDY gUY SOUND.I USE DIFFERENT AMPS. rIGHT NOW I,M MOSTLY USING A cRATE VINTAGE CLOB 30 CLASS a WATTS THROUGH 1X12" FROM 4 el-84'S. I,ve played it through a friends vintage bandmaster and vibrolux through all of them its great..

I bought it used and it was in sad shape.I think anyone who buys a used guitar and doesn't excpect to have to set it up is a bit niave.Their were no defects in the guitar.Took about a half hour and a new set of strings.I,m giving it a ten because the basic parts all were of a great quality and there were no problems setting it up.I've played many strat's and strat like guitars over the years. I first played one of these in a Guitar Center in the mid 90's and this is my 4th pro tone. 2 blue M/N and 2 Sunburst r/w all of thesae guitars were the equal of any strat I,ve ever owned or played. I,ve Had American and Japanese Fenders, and Squires, Tokai's, Fernandez,Ibanez silver series and rodstars.My #1 guitar is an '80's Ibanez roadstar and this feels and plays as well.

As I said thuis guitar is as good as any strat you will find anywere at any price. I never gig without back ups.

n/a

I.ve played on and off for 35 years.I own some 14 guitars I have a few I keep the rest I buy and sell. I play all the guitars I have. I will sell this just because I have a #1,2 and 3 guitar I,ve used for years. My #1 is an customized Ibanez Roadstar. It was the top of the line with a carved birds eye maple cherry sunburst top. I changed the neck to a maple neck and had a high power single coil added in between the two Ibanez humbuckers.#2 is a Fernandez Strat, MIJ r/w fretboard that I painted myself with a metal flake sunburst finish, this pretty much makes it worthless to anyone else so I 'll keep it.Right now I,m trying out humbuker guitars I have a Dillion PRS copy an Electromatic Gretsh Duo-jet,a Jay Turser JT-134 DCV and a dew others.
The pro tones are the absolutly comparable to any strat made by anyone any where at any price.

korean made like all the others. three singles, 5-way selector, maple neck. ugly tan color, but I still love this guitar!

very versatile, you can an ary of different sounds with different pick-up configurations. It sounds like a good strat sounds like, kinda twangy. I play through a 1967 vox pathfinder. good overall sound, I prefer humbuckers over single coils, but I've had this guitar for a long time so I'm very attached.

good action, good bridge, pickups are perfect. The only thing is the bridge was set to high at the back, so I just tightend the tremolo springs and it's great now.

I've had this guitar for 4 years and it's as good if not better than when I first bought it. durable finish. No need for backup with this guitar. and all the pickups and other electronics still work great.

none

I've had it for 4 to 5 years. It was my second guitar so I love it. If it were stolen I would try my hardest to get it back, but if I couldn't I buy something with a humbucker. I love the bridge pickup on this guitar though. Good guitar it has served me well over the years.

"Crafted" in Korea. I think it was made in 1996. I've owned it long enough to do a real review. (I love those reviews that say, "I've had this for almost a week and it sucks!") Cream color, 22 frets, maple finger board. 5-way pick up switch, S/S/S configuration. I like a real crunch, so I installed a Duncan JB Junior in the bridge PU slot. Sounds real nice.

Ash body, I believe. Kinda heavy. Nice tremlo system to it. Rarely have the bar installed because that just screems "Grab me!" to a kid. If this guitar ever hit the floor, man, I'd hit the ceiling! No problem with my tuners. Stays in tune very nicely. I may upgrade because it's easy to do, and I understand there is some good aftermarket stuff out there. Came with a deluxe gig bag. Got by on that for 5 years. As I'm falling more in love and appreciating this guitar more, I've gotten a hard shell.

This suits my musical style very well. Play in church for our youth group, rock pretty hard in my garage with friends (Improvisation, VH, SRV, Tom Petty, Eddie Cochran, Ramones, Stones, the Cult). I've got a Fender Deluxe 90 amp. Love that thing. I use a Digitech RP 200 multi effects pedal. That's fun. A butt load of sounds.

You get some hissing. Now that I've read more about single coil hissing and how to fix it, I'm more aware of it though. You can shield your guitar though to stop it.

Nice Strat sound. Nice pick ups. Bight crisp sound via maple finger board. For a good crunch, I often wish I had a rosewood board.

Guitar was set up at the shop where I purchased. No major flaws. I wouldn't cry if there was.

It has a slight finish crack where neck meets body. I think I may have done that though... Duh.

Nice quiet pick up selector. Firm pots. 3 layer pickguard. Nice look.

I wish I could see wood grain...

I play live. Without a back up. No one has paid to see me yet... I'll soon play an open mic. I don't think I'll bring a back up, as I'll be playing only a short time, AND the guitar has been perfect for reliability. I notice that no one else brings a back up. Some guys seem to play all night. No cover charge there. If you're getting paid, you'd better bring a back up.

I put locking strap buttons on all my guitars. Never had a broken neck, but it seems like cheap insurance.

Never had a reason to call.

I've been playing music all my life. Guitar for 7-8 years, maybe more. I've also got a Jay Turser Jazz Box DC, new Silvertone Bass, Peavey Minx 110 bass amp, Deluxe 90 amp, small Crate guitar amp., Marshall half-stack (mini, that is...), my Digitech, 12 picks, 6 chords, Korg tuner, an extra E-string and some unidentified fuzz-like substance in the bottom of my gig bag.

If a Pro Tone sells for less than $200, consider it stolen.

I seem to go through periods of time where I hate and love equipment. I've been loving this guitar for more than a few years. I play it all the time. The reason why I'll never sell it is that last time I started hating it, I played US-made Strats and Les Pauls (ugh, those have a strange feel) in local shops, and they either felt the same or worse. If I had to buy a starter guitar these days, I'd seriously look at the Squire Standard Strat (GREAT feel) or a used Pro Tone.

If it was stolen, I'd be really bummed. I don't know what I'd do. Maybe buy a set-neck Strat (yeah, that'd ease the pain). I'm not sure if they made Japanese set-necks, so it'd probably be US-made. That'll be the next big purchase. I'd research set-necks with shielded electronics.

sunburst, ash body, great finish! Tremolo is great, but I'll replace with lefthand tremolo.

I use Boss BD-2 and MT-2 trough Marlboro sound works combo (50W), It sounds good, a bit noisy, great tone almost for every style! but i replaced these stock pickups to Fender Texas Special, because i play Blues, and i wanted more middle and bass. Now this guitar sounds Very Good!!!!

When I bought this guitar, strings were too high, but i made it good!

no problems....

don't need...

For this price, you cannot get better instrument! buy it!

ash body,tobacco sunburst,finish excellent. thin neck w/satin finish replaced a good trem system with an american fender system. didn't need to replace the pickups they are great.

using this great guitar through a hot rodded 72 fender twin and a 64 fender super reverb. i play classic rock, blues and a little country. what a hot sound!!!!

Very Good

i play live quite a bit, very reliable

i have been playing for 40 years. i use MJ guitars, which i love. i checked out american strats before i bought this one. it is FAR superior to the strats made here in the good ole USA.

This guitar has great features for the price. It was "Crafted in KOrea". I think it has 22 frets. Its has one volume control and two tone controls. its has three pickups one of which is diagonal. That allows great real stratocaster sound. A nicefeature has to be the Ebony fretbord with pearl fret dots. It has nice and shiny silver hardware. Mines black and has the ash brown body inside the black. I'm a pretty good guitar player I just don't know all these fucking terms like whast kind of hardware it has and shit. I just know this guitar has great looks and great sound.

I like to play kind of a fast type of rock with fire and emotion in it. You need a good guitar for the deep and changing tones and this has great sound for it. One bad part of this guitar is when you put it on the treble pickup it can sometimes buzz ..... Doesn't matter to me because cause i like deep not as scratchy tone. The tone is very rich and is definatly better than 250$. This tone is as good as and 1500$ strat tone.

The set up is so well configured I'd even say it is better than my 900$ strat's by far. I like the pickup layout alot, 3 single pickups one curved.The only problemed i noticed is that the bolt around the plug in comes loose. But that happens with alot of guitars.

THis guitar would be great for live playing. It has the looks and great sound , It's light, and easy to play. The hardware has lasted me about a year and trust me ,it's good . This is the kind of guitar for a clumbsy player thats good and expeienced. So if it gets danmaged it's not too expensive to replace.

WHO CARES ABOUT THIS IM REVEWING A GUITAR HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NOT THE FUKCING COMPANY OR WHATVEVER

Ive been playing about uh... maybe 1-3 years I don't really keep track. I own a deluxe fatstrat, a great guitar processor, a couple roadhog stereocables, a cry baby wah peddle thing,a rocktron r20 amp, a voxbull dog amp,a tuner, ok and im tired of listing almost everyone has this stuff.

If this guitar was stolen I would hunt down te robbber and KILL HIM HAHAHA....Nah I'd just be pissed atleast i'd still have my fender fatstrat still...hehe.i wouldnt waste money on another guitar one would be fine.I love this guitar and it loves me back with great sound I like to kiss it... notreally. I compare it to all sorts of guitars .. to tell the truth the only guitar I found better was a gibson les paul... those r damn good waste of money too

I'm guessing that these guitars were made in the mid to late 90"s ?
Real Swamp Ash body, 3 piece, But, It's impossible to find a 1 piece body unless it's from the Custom Shop.
Mine has a Translusive Blood Red Rosewood fretboard and all gold hardware.
Bridge has the 6 seperate piece like the old Pre-CBS strats do.
Nice Staggered Pole Pick Ups that sound every bit as good as a USA Strat sounds.
Mine came with a fender Gigbag.

Sound's exactly like a true Stratocaster should.
Play's and sound's Great !!
I love the Twang it has !!

Hard to believe that this is made in Korea ? Excuse me, It say's "Crafted in Korea"......

The action in great, I play 9's on mine.
Finish is stunning, Translusive Blood Red with Plenty of Wavey Gravey Grain in the Body. Swamp Ash, Nice and Light !!

The one & only Flaw that i could find was; Some of The Pickguard screws were stripped out, Same with the back plate covering the Tremolo. They don't fall out, But, When you tightien them up, They just kepp going around forever.....
No Big Deal !!

I've had this guitar now for 2 years, Usually, I would never own a Korean Nor a japanese, But, I heard about these Protone Guitars, I had to try one out, I've had USA Strats before, These measure every bit up to a USA Strat. How they can sell them so cheap, I'll never know ?

Never had to call before......

I have been playing since 1968.
If it got stolen ? I would get another one as long as i could get one at the price that i bought mine for.

I have noticed that there are Tons of Protone Necks for sale on the Internet, Something tells me that people are Putting USA Necks on the Protones and selling them as USA Swamp Ash body Strats ?? $1000.00 ?