Pricing and availability
We compare 600+ stores and found this item at 2 stores. Prices updated .
Store
Reviews
Price
Average Price: $208
Budget/Beginner
$400
$1001+
Price Tier
Budget
Standard
High-end
Price History
Based on price data from 1 merchant for "Squier Stratocaster". Prices shown reflect NEW condition. Tracking began Apr 2, 2026.
* Product prices and availability are updated by Equipboard every 24hrs and are subject to change. Equipboard may receive compensation for purchases made at participating retailers linked on this site. This compensation does not affect what products or prices are displayed, or the order of prices listed. For more information, please refer to our affiliate disclosure.
Description
The Squier Stratocaster is a classic icon reimagined for budding guitarists and seasoned players alike. Known for its Fender-quality craftsmanship, this guitar offers a seamless blend of vintage charm and modern playability. Its solid body design coupled with a sleek maple neck ensures both durability and a comfortable grip, making it ideal for hours of jamming without hand fatigue. The laurel fingerboard, adorned with 21 medium jumbo frets, allows for smooth transitions and effortless note bends, catering to both rhythm and lead guitarists.
Equipped with three standard single-coil pickups, the Squier Stratocaster delivers the signature crisp, bell-like tones that have defined rock and blues for decades. The guitar also features dedicated tone controls for the neck and middle pickups, offering a tailored sound experience that aligns perfectly with your unique style. Whether you're experimenting with a new sound or perfecting your solos, this Stratocaster promises versatility with every strum.
The Squier Stratocaster's vintage-style synchronized tremolo adds an expressive edge to your performance, allowing for dynamic pitch variations. Its standard die-cast tuners ensure stable tuning, so you can focus on your creativity rather than constant adjustments. This guitar embodies the essence of Fender at an accessible price, making it a perfect match for musicians seeking quality without breaking the bank.
Key Features:
- Fender quality at an affordable Squier value
- Three single-coil Strat pickups for dynamic tone
- Individual tone controls for neck and middle pickups
- Solid maple neck with laurel fingerboard
- 21 medium jumbo frets for comfortable play
- 6-saddle vintage-style synchronized tremolo
- Standard die-cast tuners for reliable tuning stability
Videos
Darrell Braun Guitar
Make Your SQUIER Sound Like a FENDER for $20!!
Make Your SQUIER Sound Like a FENDER for $20!!
Darrell Braun Guitar
Fender vs Squier Stratocaster | Which one sounds better? | Tone Battle |
Paul Davids
Unboxing The Squier Stratocaster Pack | Fender
Fender
How To Turn An $80 Squier into a John Frusciante 1962 Stratocaster
Wilson Guitars
Gear Thursday: Fender vs Squier Strat Comparison | Marty Schwartz
Marty Music
SQUIER vs FENDER - Stratocaster Tone Comparison!!
Darrell Braun Guitar
Exploring The Squier Affinity Series Stratocaster Models | Fender
Fender
The 5 best Squier Strat mods
Pherotone Studios
Reviews
Owner Insights
We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Squier Stratocaster.
Setup and maintenance
-
It's recommended to adjust the saddle heights for optimal playability, as improper saddle setup can affect action and intonation significantly.
Source
Mods and upgrades
-
Owners suggest adding a heavier bridge for improved sustain and tone; a recommended option is a $29 aftermarket bridge.
Source -
It's suggested to opt for the Classic Vibe series for better tuning stability and sound, comparable to a Mexican Fender.
Source -
Users recommend Squier Vintage Modified models with Duncan Designed pickups for superior sound quality over stock Affinity pickups.
Source
Features and functionality
-
The tremolo system can benefit from adding all springs and screwing it down for stability, making it easier for beginners to handle.
Source -
A humbucker is recommended to avoid the 60-cycle hum common with single-coil pickups in lower-end models.
Source -
Newer Affinity Strats include a 2-point tremolo system, noted for its improved stability and ease of use.
Source
Comparisons
User experience
-
The factory setup on a Squier Strat is often adequate for beginners; however, many find that a professional setup enhances playability and enjoyment.
Source -
The Classic Vibe series is praised for its quality control, making it a safer bet than cheaper $200 Squier models, which may have tuning and setup issues.
Source -
Affinity Strats are regarded as excellent modding platforms, with their thinner bodies being advantageous for portability and casual, unplugged play.
Source
Value and pricing
-
Classic Vibe models are highlighted as rivaling Mexican Fenders in quality, suggesting they're worth considering despite being a Squier.
Source -
Older Affinity models, especially pre-2000 with rosewood fretboards, are often found at pawnshops for as low as $80 and are praised for their sound quality.
Source
Use cases and applications
-
Players who enjoy electric guitar music, like Iron Maiden, find transitioning to an electric guitar from an acoustic significantly boosts motivation and practice frequency.
Source
Critic Reviews
4.0 out of 5
Based on 62 Reviews and 256 Ratings
47
Meh
I have a Chinese one, probably from the 90's or earlier 2000's. It sounds like shit, but the build quality as a whole isn't that bad, especially for such a cheap guitar. It's an okay starter guitar, but after playing other, nicer guitars, and then coming back to this one and trying it again, it just sounds horrible with the stock pickups. So bad, in fact, that just holding this piece of shit in my hands seems to stifle my creativity. There's this nice buzzing sound it makes when you aren't touching the metal on the guitar, and there is absolutely no resonance when anything is played. The pickups hardly even pick up the sound the high e makes, and that kind of pisses me off. Overall, it's an OK guitar, i guess, if you're really short on money or just starting out.
124
the sound is probably bad because it either needs new wireing or your amp has bad settings or you just dont have distortion
174
[deleted]
174
[deleted]
174
[deleted]
174
I have a Mexican Player Fender and its not perfect, but new nut and overwinding the g and its buzz free, just needs a hotter bridge pickup really, but that's being picky once the pedals are turned on you don't notice. I love the Mexican Player, worth the money, just find a good one
Sometimes you just get a dud, a really bad one, and it's not fixable with gain or this or that, it should sound decent straight into an amp clean, and not have buzz, or tuning issues, or this or that. I'm going to cut my losses on an Epiphone, and will take a huge loss being I hate it and just want to leave the fixing of the nut/neck/frets to someone else, I've already replaced the pickups and electronics, but it just doesn't resonate right for more than 5 minutes even straight into the amp - this is how some guitars are, they're just crap. Mine cost more, 2nd guitar will be in store purchase once that's gone, and its a justifiable purchase.
342
It's an okay guitar...
For a beginner who just wants to start out learning how to play the electric guitar, BOOM. This guitar does it. It's literally the cheapest option. This is their target audience.
Not recommended for ANYBODY who actually wants to learn to play the guitar, however. Get a better guitar for just a couple more bucks. This guitar has three Single-Coil pickups (SSS), which are more for the purpose of blues, jazz, clean music, etc. But if you want to play rock or metal music, you should get a guitar with two Humbucker pickups (HH). They are better suited to play more aggressive styles of music, but also give a warm tone, and an overall better tone if you want to play clean music.
75
Really Good!
I love how it is so versatile it can metal, blues, indie, punk, pop rock, rock and so much more
great platform for upgrades. workhorse
It is a well built guitar, great for the money. I religiously modify them, the ones I use regularly in gigs have schaller locking tuners and different pickups, mostly seymour duncans but in the most recent project i have added the Lukather Dimarzio ones. I have expensive guitars and cheap guitars, the best guitar is the one that inspires you and fits better in your hands, not the one with the most expensive name on the headstock. I love the Indonesia made ones. Some knowledge is required, regarding setup, fret work etc, but you can get a really good gigging guitar out of them, without the fear of theft/damage. thanks
With a good setup the only issue with this guitar is the pickups.
I know Squiers get a bad rep. But the thing is that with Fenders current state of quality control and such, you're better off getting a Squier Strat than an American Fender. You just need to do a good setup and get the action sitting nicely. A basic truss rod and bridge adjustment for whatever gauge of string you use and you're set to shred. The pickups are a little lacklustre but it costs a hell of a lot less to replace them than buy an American strat. And if you're a beginner, theres probably not a better single coil guitar out there.
I'd still recommend humbuckers to most people but this guitar is nice for pop punk, country and blues.
59
Good for beginners or cheap guitarists.
If you really want to look like a good guitarist without spending a fortune, I recommend getting a Squier instead of spending on a cheap or fake branded guitars. The body is solid, the machines and electronics are built well, and the design is worldwidely recognised. If you want to stand out just for the sake of standing out, you can easily customise the Strat by making or custom-order your pickguard. Just by alternating the pickguard, you can have your own triple humbucker, double single coil, humbucker at neck, single coil at bridge, you name it. And lastly, one feature of the Strat that is widely acclaimed, is that of the (hyperbolical) nuclear-proof finish. You can have the Strat swinging for decades and not lose its initial glossy color. A very good product.
Spectacular first guitar.
This was my first guitar. Bought a black one used and sounded great. Replaced the pickups with a 920D Loaded Pickguard and sounds even better. Has amazing cleans and can handle gain with ease.
100
Artist usage
Add artist
Putting together a few sources, it can be inferred that one of John Mayer's first electric guitars - if not his very first one - was a Fender Squier Stratocaster.
From the documentary film Someday I'll Fly, starting at the 2:00 mark:
"I picked up the guitar from time to time at friends' houses, and I was always intrigued by it. It wasn't until I was 13 my dad rented one of my brothers and I an acoustic guitar from the music store. We were gonna take guitar lessons. caption reads: January, 1991 - John has lessons every Monday with guitar teacher Al Ferrante at Fairfield's Professional Music Center. I remember I'd get home from school, play for the whole rest of the night, and just never really catch up with sleep. My mom set up a rule - 9:30pm - so I would play all the way to 9:30pm, then I'd have to stop."
At 2:28 into the video, a Fender Squier sticker can be seen, with a sticker on top of it "Property of JCM." In the very next scene, a photo from 1994 of a 16-year-old John Mayer can be seen where he's holding what looks like a guitar with a Fender Stratocaster shaped body, black finish, white pickguard, and rosewood fingerboard. He shared this photo on his Instagram with the caption, "#tbt 1994. 16 years old."
In another video entitled John Mayer 2007 summer tour, starting at 3:12 into it, in an interview John Mayer says:
"My first guitar - my first electric guitar - was a Squier. So I've kind of grown up native to the shape and the sound and the feel of a Stratocaster, and kind of learned my way around a guitar on it."
In this photo, Billie Joe Armstrong's signed Squier Stratocaster guitar can be seen as part of an auction where he sold a car, his ’72 BMW 2002tii. An article from Dec 2013 details the auction here.
In the photo, Stevie Ray Vaughan is seen playing a Squier Stratocaster, likely borrowed from a tour crew member.
In this video, Mac explains that he has been using a 1992 Squier stratocaster in his recent 2016 tour
.png?v=1783265543)
In a YouTube video titled "George Harrison & Eric Clapton - While My Guitar Gently Weeps Live 1987," at the 1:40 mark, the headstock of George Harrison's guitar is visible, revealing it to be a Squier Stratocaster. This guitar may be a Squier JV Stratocaster, known for its high quality between 1982 and 1986, rivaling American-made Fender Strats. It is suggested that George Harrison acquired this guitar for his son, but he found it to be superior to his recent Stratocasters. Despite his early preference for Fender Stratocasters, George initially struggled to obtain one due to availability issues in 1957 Liverpool, leading him to use a Futurama, a Czech Stratocaster copy. He later expressed dissatisfaction with certain guitars, notably the Fender Rosewood Telecaster, which he reportedly disliked.
This guitar is a red Made In Korea Squire Stratocaster. Not much else known about it. Assumed to be the guitar found in the trash and given to Tom by a friend but we don't have definitive proof of that. Covered with stickers over the years.
It has all 3 stock single coil pickups. Tom oddly played and recorded with this guitar set to position 4, using and blending the middle and neck single coil pickups. This gives the recordings it was used on a very odd, distinct sound, especially for punk rock.
The recordings this guitar was used on are Flyswatter, Demo 2, Buddha, Short Bus and Cheshire Cat. I have photos of Tom in the studio recording Cheshire Cat with this guitar. It's the only electric guitar we know of him owning until he used the advanced money from Cargo Records, after signing with them, and bought his 1994 Fender American Standard 40th anniversary edition Stratocaster aka the "sticker strat".
Photos: https://i.imgur.com/KU87wIh.png https://i.imgur.com/WnR16l4.png
"I got my first strat, it was a Squier strat. And it was 1986...I played it on Pablo Honey and The Bends," Ed O'Brien says, at 1:40 in this video. Ed is pictured here with his Squier Stratocaster.
During the "Art angels" tour, Grimes plays a red Squier Stratocaster Rosewood fretboard.
Dave Murray uses a Squier Stratocaster as one of his backup guitars, as shown in a user-uploaded photo on Lst.
Album Usage
The Squier Stratocaster has been featured on the following albums:
Genre Usage
Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.
Used With
Based on how musicians on Equipboard use Squier Stratocaster, it is most commonly used with the following gear.
-s.webp?v=1783250805)
-s.webp?v=1782327089)
-s.webp?v=1783264832)
-s.webp?v=1783249216)
-s.webp?v=1783234892)
-s.webp?v=1783263542)
Community setups
Show yours
.jpeg?v=1765061456)
.jpg?v=1753036878)
.jpg?v=1783112765)
Similar
Add recommendation3 alternative and related items for Squier Stratocaster, curated by the Equipboard community.
$619.00 - $719.99
$109.99
$400.00 - $679.99
Both Squier and Fender Stratocasters already have something in common. They have the same tone.
More Squier Solid Body Electric Guitars
$219.00 - $233.00
in Solid Body Electric Guitars Rank
$375.00 - $499.99
in Solid Body Electric Guitars Rank
$461.00 - $629.99
in Solid Body Electric Guitars Rank
-m.webp?v=1783289971)
$219.00 - $329.99
in Solid Body Electric Guitars Rank
-m.webp?v=1783177090)
$367.16
in Solid Body Electric Guitars Rank
$206.01 - $329.99
in Solid Body Electric Guitars Rank
$369.00 - $499.99
in Solid Body Electric Guitars Rank
$389.00 - $499.99
in Solid Body Electric Guitars Rank
-m.webp?v=1783291690)
$389.00 - $549.99
in Solid Body Electric Guitars Rank
$379.00 - $499.99
.jpeg?v=1782978863)
$206.01 - $298.00
$139.00 - $349.00
$359.00 - $499.99
$375.00 - $499.99
$249.00 - $329.99
$149.00 - $249.99
$230.00 - $429.99
.jpg?v=1783222977)
-m.webp?v=1783263612)
-m.webp?v=1783254653)
$199.99 - $420.70
$381.00 - $529.99
$399.99 - $579.99
$375.00 - $549.99
$189.99 - $199.99
$369.00 - $499.99
$139.00 - $199.99
-m.webp?v=1783249509)
$259.00 - $429.99
Accessories & Related Items
-s.webp?v=1783264362)
Gear Guides
Most Popular Solid Body Electric Guitars
Most Popular Brands
