Fender Squier Debut Series Stratocaster Electric Guitar, Beginner Guitar, with 2-Year Warranty, Includes Free Lessons, Dakota Red with Matte Finish

I paid like $159 for a Stratocaster. It sounds great to a new player of guitar. Been meaning to learn to play my whole life, I got this and a 5w spark mini amp, a music teacher and professional blues musician both recommended it. It looks beautiful, also it’s cool. 1. High build quality 2. Tuned and just learning 3. Size is a proper Stratocaster, any guitar, right for me though. 4. I got the spark mini as my amp which is perfect for my use. Any amp will work. 5. I got the bare guitar but it had good strings. 6. I’m a student so can’t rank playability. I have been meaning to learn guitar for 29 years, Stratocaster made the perfect setup for an apartment dweller, and I think this is a perfect guitar for a student. It fits in a case, I keep it on a stand in the corner, I tried a keyboard so it’s super portable by contrast. Normal sized guitar.

This guitar is the cheapest Fender Stratocaster that you could buy. Looking at other brands that have a similar guitar that's cheaper or at the same price. I think Fender has managed to make something that is decent and playable right out of the box, whereas other brands make guitars that require massive setup right out of the box with high action issues with staying in tune. If you're going to get a entry-level beginner guitar then you should definitely get this one instead of anything cheaper or other brands. Fender definitely knows what they're doing. I didn't have any issues with the guitar. When it arrived, the action was set properly. The intonation seems to be good and the guitar definitely stayed in tune even though the strings were new. Haven't really replaced the strings because I didn't feel that it was necessary and a couple months I'll probably swap them out for some D'Addarios. Overall, I plan to slowly upgrade and mod this guitar because even though it does play and sound great, there's a lot of cheap hardware that could be easily upgraded for not too much more. Overall, this is a great instrument for a beginner. A cheap guitar is not the only thing that a beginner needs. They also need a guitar that doesn't require setup out of the box unless they're willing to learn that sort of thing, which is a little bit intimidating for some new players. And if you're willing to mod your guitar to save a little bit of money, it is a great modding platform. The only slight issue I have with it is that I ordered the black color and even though the pickguard is supposed to be white, it seems to have a slight tinge of a red Hue that's extremely subtle. It's just weird looking. It seems like they were trying to make it fully white and then some kind of dye or powder from another guitar got on it or something. I honestly cannot tell you why but it just looks a little bit reddish and I don't know why. Hopefully I in the future can replace it with like a more white looking pickguard.

I'm in my 60's, a jazz player and normally play on large jazz boxes like D'Angelico New Yorker, ES175 etc. I also own a Gibson 335 and a Fender Telecaster. I saw a review and thought why not for just about $120? I'm really shocked at the great quality at this price. I'll have to put some better quality and heavier gauge strings on it. I think these come with 9's installed. On a guitar like this I would prefer 10s like on my Tele. I have to get a accustomed to this neck, compared to my jazz boxes it feels like I'm playing on a broom stick because it is thin in comparison, but well crafted and plays nicely. The fret ends are finished and smooth so no worries cutting your fingers up. No buzzing, and the intonation seems pretty good right out of the box. The guitar seems a little lighter than a regular Strat and I welcome that. The satin finish in sunburst is nice and has a certain understated elegance to it. It sounds pretty good through a Twin Reverb. I don't really do much distortion these days but I tried it through my MXR Super Badass Distortion and it sings. Sure, you can mod this guitar up but that defeats the purpose of purchasing a decent guitar this cheap. Will it last 100 years? who knows. it's a keeper!

Out of the box, this is a playable but unfinished instrument. The raw build is better than I expected for the price, but it absolutely needs a proper setup before it shows what it can really do. What I had to adjust: • Neck relief (truss rod) • Saddle height / action • Intonation • Pickup height After that work, the guitar became shockingly good for the money. It bends cleanly, stays in tune, intonates properly, and feels like a real instrument instead of a novelty. If you’re a beginner, I would strongly recommend having this guitar checked or set up by someone experienced. Out of the box it’s playable, but not optimized, and a new player might not realize that simple adjustments can make it dramatically easier and more enjoyable to play. One visible cost-saving area is fret finishing. The fret ends were a little rough compared to my American Strat — not unplayable, but noticeable. I plan to dress them lightly with a fret file, which is a straightforward fix if you’re comfortable doing basic guitar work. Compared to my American Strat, the neck finish feels more like polyurethane over wood rather than the smoother, more refined feel of a higher-end instrument. That’s expected at this price and is one of the places where some of the cost savings show up. A few important clarifications: This is not a “perfect out of the box” guitar. If you expect that, this is not the right product for you. But if you’re comfortable doing a basic setup (or having one done), the underlying geometry is there, and that’s the hard part to get right. For context, I also own an American Fender Stratocaster, so I’m not judging this as my first or only guitar. This doesn’t replace a high-end Strat, but as a platform it is absurdly good for the price once dialed in. Why four stars instead of five: Because as shipped, it’s unfinished. Setup work is required, and that should be part of the buying decision. Why it earns five stars after setup: Because once adjusted properly (and with minor fret edge work), it becomes a genuinely playable, musical instrument at a price that feels slightly unfair to everyone else. If you want a cheap guitar that becomes good with a little work, this is a great choice. If you want perfection out of the box, look elsewhere.

I'm a Les Paul guy but I just wanted a cheap strat because all my guitars have humbuckers or humbucker p90s I can say the price is great for a fender product, they're sub $200 strat copies that actually have a better value but they're generic brands and quality is a crap shoot. As far as this guitar it feels great, the fret work is excellent, the neck is actually bigger than I assumed it would be but it's not huge, tuners feel super cheap but work decent, the pickups actually sound surprisingly good but are very under wound relying on a strong ceramic magnet to make up for it but there output is very low they don't push the amp very hard so the gain needs to be cranked to get decent distortion, cleans it's fine. If you plan to upgrade it plan on a harness because it has cheap mini pots and tiny wire and trying to swap in Wilkinson pickups the harness was falling apart wires were popping of all over I chopped it out and tossed it, total garbage. All you need to do to hop it up is buy some decent $30 pickups and a $25 harness and your pretty much set, a $40 set of tuners is a good idea but not a must. The finish is pretty mehhh, it's matte which is fine but it's not silky smooth it has a very dry feeling. But whatever it's very low priced.

Excellent and good looking guitar that is great for beginners like me. The look, feel, and features of a Fender Stratocaster at a reasonable price.

I think I paid $120 or so on a deal and for that, I thought what the heck, never owned a Strat and the reviews say it's a decent little knockoff. I've got 50's era Les Paul, an SG and others so I do know a good guitar though I'm no expert or luthier. Only mild negatives, the dull matte finish is a bit disappointing, I guess I just didn't look closely enough at the photo and it looks, well, cheap. And it is cheap $$$ so I can't complain really. The tuners have some slop in them but again, for the $, it tunes up and stays tuned. And it arrived set up very nicely, no buzz, nothing. I will file down the fret ends a bit, they're little daggers. Plays great, sounds very good. Honestly playing it with my eyes closed I'm not sure I could tell this isn't one of my 'good' guitars. Helluva a deal for twice this price, nice job, Fender!

The Fender Squier Debut Series Stratocaster Electric Guitar is an excellent choice for beginners, especially those just starting their musical journey. The quality is impressive for the price—well-built, comfortable to hold, and easy to play, which makes learning more enjoyable and less intimidating for new players. My daughter purchased this guitar using her Christmas money, and it has been such a joy to see her so happy and motivated. Instead of spending her time on screens, she’s choosing to practice and explore her passion for music, and that alone makes this guitar worth every penny. The sound is great for a starter guitar, and it truly captures that classic Stratocaster feel Fender is known for. The setup is beginner-friendly, and it feels like a guitar she can grow with as her skills improve. My only wish is that cases and straps were more easily available or offered alongside the guitar, as those are essentials for beginners—but that’s a small detail compared to the overall value.

Pedazo de guitarra eléctrica, buena construcción y perfecta en sonida para la gama de entrada, la compré de segunda mano aquí en Amazon y venía perfecta.

Ottima chitarra per chi inizia a suonare. La qualità è davvero buona per essere un modello entry level Fender: ben costruita, comoda da suonare e con un suono più che soddisfacente per lo studio e la pratica quotidiana. Il manico è scorrevole e facilita l’apprendimento, mentre l’estetica è quella classica Fender che non delude mai. Rapporto qualità-prezzo eccellente. Consigliatissima a chi vuole avvicinarsi alla chitarra con uno strumento affidabile. 🎸

Item description did not mention if this is new or refurbished. It came in bubble wrappers with no original packaging. And the item was not in perfect order

Auspacken, Sichtkontrolle, keine Mängel, nicht so schwer wie die originale Strat aber überraschend gut zu spielen . Ein Mal Stimmen und loslegen die erste Gitarre bei der ich Nichts korrigieren musste. Die originale Strat klingt ja schon etwas fetter, braucht aber auch mehr Feintuning. So muss die ideale Gitarre zum Proben und für Neueinsteiger sein.

Calidad muy justa. El relieve de la veta de la madera de ve y se nota al tacto a través de la pintura. Puente muy malo. Pastillas básicas, poco volumen. Clavijas pésimas, cambiadas a los pocos dias porque no mantienen la afinación tras un par de bendings. Guitarra de iniciación para quien no sabe nada. O como es mi caso, segunda guitarra para casa de vacaciones.