Reviews for Squier by Fender® USB Stratocaster Guitar

First, I really love this guitar but there are several things I did and had to figure out before it made me this happy ...

All new guitars come from the factory playable but not yet adjusted to make them play or sound their best. This process is called the setup and you will want to do this or have it done to every new guitar.

There are many videos on YouTube showing how to properly setup guitars but the most practical ones I found were by Frudua TV. These showed me how to make the fine tuning adjustments (and why!) myself with a minimum of tools and fuss and also a minimum of time.

Not only did this show me how to adjust the truss rod, set the string action and intonation and to properly adjust the pickups but also how to setup the bridge as a truly floating bridge which still keeps the guitar in tune.

Because I had literally no prior experience setting up guitars, it took me a full day to watch all of the videos, take notes and get it right but the results are much better than I'd hoped for. You could take this to a local music store and pay them $60 for a similar setup but why not do it yourself? The process is very straight forward. Check out the free YouTube videos and see for yourself.

The guitar now plays like a dream and sounds amazing! It's a great electric guitar to learn on. It is also a lot of fun for more experienced players to jam with. And is one of the best ways that I've ever seen for recording your musical ideas (on your iPhone!) anywhere you go!

Beyond setting up the guitar to make it play and sound great, you should know that the bottom knob on the front of the guitar which is marked, "Volume", controls the volume of the headphone jack and has no effect on the pickups, at all! Only the top know controls the volume from ALL of the pickups as is the tone controlled for all of them with a single tone control knob. The 5-way selector switch lets you select the combination of pickups you wish to use.

Using the guitar with a Mac, iPhone or iPad is as easy as connecting the included cable (and possibly an Apple 30-pin to 5-pin adapter if you have one of the new Lightning connectors on your iOS device) AND connecting a set of headphones to the guitar.

The other step is in GarageBand where you must change the default setting and turn ON monitoring!

And don't forget to regulate the headphone volume with the bottom volume know on the front of the guitar!

When used like this, you can select any of the GarageBand amp simulations and you will hear (and record), with no detectable lag or delay. It's perfect! No other method that I've used to record live guitar over simulated amps has worked this well!

Laying down multiple guitar track along with various loops, couldn't be easier! What you hear over the headphones and what you play on the guitar blend together, perfectly.

Finally, the guitar is really pretty, too. The paint finish looks great and the sound of the guitar, even without any amp is crisp and clean ... which is still critical to the sound that will be amplified.

For $200, this was an amazing deal!

I can't get over how far this technology has come! I started playing guitar back in the sixties. Back then, to do what I can now do with this guitar and my iPhone, would have required a multi-track recording studio costing more than the average home! What a bargain this is!

And as Steve used to say, there is one more thing! I liked this Fender so much that when I went to buy an Amp, I first researched the Fender amps. What I found was the $99 Fender Mustang I which also uses USB to connect to my Mac! Check it out on the Fender website for more details. I only wish the AppleStore sold it, too!

29 of 30 people found this useful

My background...played since the late 70s. Currently own 6 guitars including my 25th Anniversary Strat that I acquired new in 79. The Squire Guitar is fantastic value for money. The frets are a bit (physically) sharp but really not bad (and just as good as my 79 when it was new). The pickups are decent. The setup is pretty good. The fit and finish is not bad at all. Plus the sound is good. For $200 you can't do any better, IMO.

17 of 19 people found this useful

Fit and finish are good to excellent. The guitar is boxed very well and mine arrived in perfect condition. The neck on my Strat had a slight bow in it but one turn of the neck truss rod bolt later the neck was straight and true. By the way the Allen key to adjust the neck truss rod is included.

Action is very good, plays like a more expensive Stratocaster.. The intonation on my Strat was right on. The whammie bar however is very basic and quite stiff.

FYI, there is no manual included in the box for this guitar - only a very basic set up sheet. Also be warned that the white pick guard and the pickups have protective plastic covering them that will need to be removed.

Pretty impressed with this guitar. For the price I was expecting much less. Now all I need is an old Fender tube amp!

10 of 11 people found this useful

The guitar arrived last week in perfect condition. The sound quality is great and I love the way it plays. I have an iRig that I have been using previously, but this is a nice improvement. Fender has done a quality job putting together the Squier at a price that's hard to beat. The connections make it easy to use with an iPad, iPhone or laptop. I love the variety of amps in GarageBand. Apple and Fender have really put together a winning product that will provide any guitar player, beginner or expert, hours of enjoyment.

16 of 16 people found this useful

Lately I have been totally disgusted at the builds coming out of Fender USA with their nitro finishes on the neck. Give me good old yellowed lacquer like this crafted in Indo Squier . Cheaper? sure but plays like my older Strats necks vs that plastic feeling from Nitro. This make my 2nd Squier with my first being a classic Vibe Tele and both play better that my American builds I have had as of late. (Add the USB connectivity and for 199.00 you have a heck of a nice playing guitar. Upgrade the saddles and tuners and you have a fun guitar the iOS world.

Neck was straight and needed no adjustment. Frets were clean with no buzz or side hang. Pickups a little weak but I like the humbucker option and will upgrade it some time I am sure. Stayed in tune playing it for an hour so no complaints for 199.00

23 of 25 people found this useful

Ordered the Squier USB Strat from the Apple Store on Wednesday November 13, got it on Friday November 15, and it's a dream come true. Finally, I don't need an external sound interface; just plug the Squier Strat using one of its two included cables and it just works on GarageBand.

Fit and finish are incredible; it must be some kind of loss leader. It's an HSS (2 single coil pickups and 1 humbucker) so it gets a big variety of tones, all of which sound excellent. Action was nice & Fender low but not buzzy.

For me the only problem is the plug & play aspect of it. Half the time I fire up GarageBand the guitar has a buzzy sound, sort of like when your headphones aren't plugged in properly, but it's clearly a digital artifact. I've had to restart GarageBand or even the Mac itself to get rid of this problem. Don't care--it's such a gorgeous instrument and such a freeing thing to be able to just plug straight into my Air. Highly recommended.

146 of 160 people found this useful