Fender Squier Debut Series Stratocaster !!! New Star? OR JUST ANOTHER CHEAP GUITAR?

[@truthray2885]

I just got one, and it doesn't feel or sound "cheap" at all. I'm glad to have it, and I think it was a helluva deal.

[@doubledonuts5968]

same its very good

[@cartilagehead]

try getting a matte body for less than like $180 otherwise, never mind the solid build and finish quality on the Squier neck. Even if the parts were junk it’d still be worth a shot as a partscaster

[@RonJames-rb7eg]

Just got mine too, and it's a great guitar, and yes you can put a better trem in it, you can get a shorty that has a smaller block. aint done mine yet because I have crapped out on cash for the upgrades to my sonic.

[@michaelrosebud]

As a luthier for many years, it's not what it says on the headstock, it's all about "Sound & Playability"....:-

[@KenTeel]

Bravo, you're a man of knowledge on this subject, and your words make sense.

[@CarbonGlassMan]

I'm waiting for some AI effects pedals or processors. They should be able to make a $10 guitar sound like a $2000 guitar.

[@yoster77]

Just wanted to say thank you again for your channel. I love that you read our comments and even mention them sometimes in videos (you addressed my neck hole question the other day, thanks!). I also want to report that you encouraged me to try my first fret level and recrown last week. Scared me to death but it turned out pretty well! Did it on a cheap Indio strat but now the thing plays like a machine!

[@timmooney7528]

Ironic that the Fender fanboys slam makers such as Grand Reward or Cort, and these companies are placing the Fender name on their products.

[@jaminjimlp]

Cort makes guitars for many brands...

[@wasteddude9387]

Wow. Clues are free and still…

[@timmooney7528]

@@jaminjimlp Cort is one of the largest guitar makers in the world. Back in the 80's when I started playing, they were known for entry level, budget guitars. They have gone a long way since then.

[@stewarttomkinson3356]

I think the Squires are made in the court factory. I got a telecaster from Sweet Water worst neck ever. I tried to refret it because they had cut off a fret really short so when you push down on the string, it was off the board no matter what unless you bent it, I just changed the neck sounds better than ever

[@stewarttomkinson3356]

@@timmooney7528 yeah I bought one of their guitars in the 80s. It was horrible, but I got more for it than I paid for it course I fixed it.

[@TranscendentBen]

13:55 "If you're a modder I don't know if you want this if you're a modder. Only 21 frets." I was frustrated a while back (one or two decades ago), was trying to pull the pickguard out of a cheap strat-like guitar-like thing, and realized it was that extra fretboard length on a 22-fret neck overhanging the pickguard that was the problem. One extra fret doesn't do anything for me musically, so I'd rather have those old-fashioned 21-fret guitars. Fender started making its guitars with 22 frets and all the cloners went in lockstep behind 'em. Surprised to see these cheap "new" guitars with 21 frets. Maybe they save money on fret wire.

[@chrispatrick5715]

i liked the sound of the low output pickups, very vintage sounding

[@williamj.sheehan2001]

I tend to agree with you, Chris. When he started playing the guitar amplified, I was pleasantly surprised at the tone.

[@jaminjimlp]

They do make short fat blocks for squires bridge

[@Pondo1221]

Musiclilly has brass blocks for all of them.

[@josephabrams3051]

I think the flat finish on those Amazon exclusives is excellent

[@slimturnpike]

That finish is the same on all Debut strats wherever buy them

[@SIXPACFISH]

RIP Dicky Betts.

[@briano.1503]

🇺🇸🎸🎼🎵🎶🔥

[@caseylee12]

Dickey was one of my all time favorites, from the time I was 9 yrs old in the 70s. 😢

[@stewarttomkinson3356]

Great guitar player

[@timmackenzie8145]

Dicky Betts was an awesome player. He’ll be sorely missed.

[@onefatstratcat]

Dicky could make this $120 sing :)

[@gfwii8912]

I didn’t know these were out. I jumped right on Amazon and grabbed one (starburst) before they’re gone 😂. Looks like it shouldn’t need much, if anything, so I’m gonna learn some set up on this one. Then give it to my 13yr old grand daughter, who’s learning to play. It’s perfect for what I’m looking for. Thanks a lot bud.

[@goofyjohn6191]

Found a squire at a pawn shop $70 out the door, looked up the serial # on fender, it was built in 2007 looks and sounds great.

[@jckelley10]

I got the black one for $100. It seems pretty well set up. The frets are nicely leveled and polished. I bought a $36 Musiclily pickguard loaded with 3 dual rail humbuckers to replace the Squier ceramic ones. We'll see how it goes! Thanks for your video!

[@SouthwestTechTV]

It sounds like the amp settings are different when you compare the two models. Anyone else?

[@ricknagy1639]

Guitar Fetish makes a full size but shorter trem block for imports like this.

[@ultimatesteve]

i like that red a lot better than the picture on amazon.

[@johnsmith-hf1hm]

I dig you man, you are a no nonsense man of the people! I'm subscribing so we can get you to 50 k!

[@nerdsforcardgames]

I bought a fojil after watching the video. Converted it to a single Seymour Duncan invader. It is literally my favorite guitar I’ve ever owned.

[@mikebaird6788]

I bought the special edition red sparkle telecaster from squire 3 years ago and finish and the paint on it was just spectacular

[@johny3barr]

Thanks for tearing it down Sean, I wanted a look at the pickup cavity & now I don't need to take mine apart 😂, got the black one as my van guitar. Can't be driving around with my good guitar in the van...

[@rsdave809]

It would be cool to see a shootout between this and the sonic !

[@danhurst4100]

Guitar Fetish sells a tremolo bridge with a full size block that fits the thin body imports. They also sell the "shorty" trem blocks separately.

[@jordanlucas1381]

they make these so much better than they did when i was a kid. and its inexpensive

[@DaVinci0963]

A friend of mine is a gigging musician and makes pedals. I've picked up tools to work on my guitars to upgrade some of them. We have a project or two planned. I want to thank you because you cut to the chase and are a great reference source. Good luck to you and your wife. Thanks again Sean, great videos!

[@scarmyguitar]

Very cool!

[@Mytwocentsisallicanafford]

I've got a 93 squire mim about 10 years ago that plays like a dream it stays next to me next to the coach 24/7 plays and sounds as good as my 04 deluxe anniversary

[@soulagent79]

GFS has a shorter tremoloblock for thinner guitar bodies.

[@scarmyguitar]

An "upgrade" from GFS? No thanks lol seriously

[@Bruh-jt4gv]

Wasn't the greatest sound, but I didn't think it was awful. Give it some eq and put some snot behind it, and it'd probably sound fairly decent.

[@orgelkraft]

I put one in my cart (red) and wanted to hear what it sounded like before I pulled the trigger.. I'm doing a catch and release on that one. It does sound bad.

[@bulkvanderhuge9006]

You claim the FOJILL guitar was "Better", but you added $119 Fender Pickups to it, you also had to do fretwork on it, etc. Meanwhile the Squire didn't need anything done to it except to straighten the neck, and If you put those Fender Pickups you put in the FOJILL, in the actual Fender Guitar it would've been a heck of a lot better than that FOJILL.

[@skelolion6939]

Thank you for this because I was struggling on which one to get but clearly the squier is the winner

[@bulkvanderhuge9006]

@@skelolion6939 Yea, there's something fishy going on with all these Guitar KZbin channels all pushing the FOJILL guitar all of a sudden. From what I've seen it's garbage, yet they all rave about it. They must be getting paid to boost it. This hap[pens all the time on KZbin when suddenly see a bunch of channels raving about the same item and giving it glowing reviews.

[@michaelmillican5592]

I noticed that the only pickup that was raised up was the middle one. The neck and bridge were almost flush with the pick guard. Usually I'm with you, almost always. They are making decent guitars for beginners. I grew up in the 80s. A $250 Cort was the best instrument I could get my hands on. The kids today are truly lucky!

[@Alan-zf2tt]

@ 8:55 what do you reckon to swapping out ceramic magnets for alnico ones? Apparently it costs about $5 ...

[@Pondo1221]

Just bought that exact guitar. Putting on new tuners and some classic Fender low output pickups. About $260 all in for an outstanding guitar is pretty hard to beat.

[@caseylee12]

The matte finish gives it Highway One vibes

[@christopherhorton4634]

It would be a good mod project, Shawn. New pickups and a TUSQ nut will make it cool. Throw some Scarred pickups in there!

[@batautomat]

Guitar Fetish sells a brass thick shorty trem block that fits the thinner Squiers. Probably not as good as full size but much, much better than what that came with.

[@TheChef470]

For the love of Christ it's a $120 guitar ! I would have played it before ripping it apart.

[@tylerstravels0610]

Hey, brilliant channel, and well put together, nice to see not to expensive guitars get the credit they deserve as there are really nice ones out there, are we all just brand snobs 🙂 keep up the excellent work, just subbed as well, take care Trev

[@zubeystinzen540]

Anything that plays well straight out the box is ok by me as learners need it from the start, great reviews Shaun

[@TheGhostGuitars]

There are now aftermarket steel, brass and, IF ye search for it, even tungsten bridge blocks sized to fit the thinner bodied Bullets, Affinities and Debuts.

[@danielktdoranie]

It’s surprising to me that nobody has done a video on the Squier debut series Telecaster

[@carlfrei2419]

Hold on 1 darn minute there is 1 important detail... its a Squire by FENDER and they are trying to put better guitars in the hands of beginners not like that other company that starts with a "G" they keep raising the price of there other brand that may start with an "E".

[@BoltRM]

Put the same $99 Fender Ventura pickups as used in the Fojill & whaddaya have in comparison? 🤔

[@Darkseidx]

Got a candy apple red one, beautiful guitar. Added a set of Tonerider City limits in it and plays like a dream.

[@lesliefranklin1870]

In the video on Jan 31, you put $120 Fender pickups on that Fojill, making it a $220 guitar. What would change if you put the same pickups on that Squier?

[@scarmyguitar]

The sound would be right.

[@johncollins5552]

A pickup is some itty bitty magnets and copper wire wound with plastic cover so how do you know fender ones aint made the same way maybe even in the same asian sweatshop.

[@lesliefranklin1870]

@@johncollins5552 Not all pickups are made the same. You could take them apart and see for yourself. (That exercise might be a little expensive, as they can be hard to put back together.) Also, many players will notice differences when they use them.

[@bill-the_virtual-deal-maker]

Easy fix for you on the sound, just gotta place an order with Scar My Pickups

[@allenmitchell09]

Yeah it’s hard to compare those pickups to Cathy’s. Compare to the original Fogio. Or however it’s spelled.

[@Bbbbad724]

I want to put a single Cathybucker in a single pickguard for a Tom DeLonge Stratocaster and a volume , tone pot and a toggle coil split like my 80s HM Silver Stratocaster. That thing would give you chills. I just can’t see to build the pickguard. The soldering, etc. The Silvertone has a good neck 9.5 radius and I set it up. But I hate ceramic magnets and those farty pots.

[@scootergold]

Squier is the grandfather of awesomeness. Squier was brand b4 even fender 1890 by victor squier up here in Michigan.

[@marlan3rd]

Nice honest review. I have found that the Squiers that are made in Indonesia seem to have better quality control than the ones that are made in China and have better finishes.

[@rockerbuck967]

Okay, I stand corrected about the hole in the neck for painting, I'm not too proud to admit when I'm wrong. Maybe it's a cost saving method, who knows LOL.

[@calbrockocat8728]

I've seen 5 reviews of this Amazon only Fender. First time I've heard a mention of the sound not being even reasonable. ANd no one said anything about not being able to upgrade the hardware. Good job, SMG!

[@MadManUSMC]

Love that matte red. Loaded pickguard would do it right.

[@josephabrams3051]

But he upgraded the pickups on the blue guitar so let’s hear the red one with the same pups

[@kuyt20]

He ain't gonna do that, because that would mean admitting he made a dishonest comparison.

[@TheGhostGuitars]

As for the sound, I've noticed the ceramic stocker pups are better if they're mounted a bit lower than normal compared to alnicos. I distinctly prefer alnicos pups. I would swap out the pups for alnicos, verify the rest of the electronics and upgrade them as needed. I will swap out the zinc bridge block and saddles for their steel or brass versions. The modern tuners are ok so they can stay (for now) until they get worn out OR I use the guitar ofen enough to warrant swapping to locking tuners for quicker string changes. Oh and swap the plastic nut for a TUSQ nut and the strap buttons to good Straplocks.

[@schreds8882]

The coating you feel on that neck pocket is likely a sealer sprayed on before the paint.

[@3cardmonty602]

The problem I’ve had with Squier’s is the neck. They make them so thin, and out of bad cuts of wood that I have to adjust the truss Rod every change of the weather. They’re very prone to movement.

[@jsupe]

The cost savings are coming from a matte finish, cheaper tuners, lack of a channel guard by the truss rod, unstamped neck plate, a plastic nut, thinner tremolo block and a thinner body. But for what it is, it is a good starter guitar. As others have pointed out, there are alternatives for the trem block if you are hell bent on modding this model. The matte finish color that comes closest to the adverts of the actual guitar is the black.

[@James-fu8fj]

OK, I’ve already hit the like button so let’s get started

[@Bigpantz]

I love the way it sounds I have one in red

[@brucet4667]

.... And that's why I dig your stuffs! New big fan from Newfoundland Canada my dude! Thanks for the real deal man ✌️

[@scarmyguitar]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@TONY-lu4mc]

I got the red sttrat too , love the matt ox red

[@GuitarZombie]

The great Squires came from Japan in the early 80's

[@vyger6336]

I have a Japanese Fender Strat ( not a Squire) I bought it in 1984 .One of my favorite Guitars. Plays great.

[@jehuspirit8375]

I find the thin body keeps you from some pickup upgrades and putting full size pots and switches might require some surgery. Although a thin body might be a good thing otherwise.

[@jasonmast1982]

you can still put the bigger bridge in it ,but it will stick out the back a little.

[@MarkStroup]

Your site is so informational,honest,& funny

[@matthewjdouglas6471]

When you string this up and tune it will the neck bend again, even after you got it level before stringing it up??

[@scarmyguitar]

Yes it will need another slight tweak. But always check the frets with a level neck.

[@onefatstratcat]

Give it a good few days setting out before you make any adjustments. These Asian wood guitars can take up to a year or two to really become stable.

[@JonInTexas-88]

They make upgrades for short trem blocks now.

[@TexanUSMC8089]

That red looks great! Pull the trem and put a hardtail bridge on it...or block the trem. New strings and it'll be good enough for most.

[@Hambonebodi]

Checked a few myself, The new squires are spot on right out of the box for beginners and usually don't require anything but strings , like some have said I wish my first electric guitar was that good.❤❤

[@ibberman]

Barely got to see, but it looked like there was room for humbuckers top and bottom without having to router?

[@AnthemBassMan]

Yep, it’s routed for the H-S-H pickup configuration.

[@averagegearreviews4109]

For first timers, it's a Great Start. No expensive fretwork, that beginners don't know how to do. Easy to put a set of PUPs in later, after you can actually play.

[@hanovergreen4091]

I exclusively buy Indonesian, Korean and Japanese (when I can afford it). QC is second to none outside a boutique house like Suhr. Strandberg, Ibanez, everyone makes their guitars in SE Asia.

[@earlbaker7099]

Add a graphic equalizer 7 band or better and it would sound great. Boost the highs and turn down the lows.

[@strangeuniverse1199]

It almost seems like he wanted it to sound bad for some reason. It sounded like his amp settings were mismatched for the guitar and he did not want to try and get a better sound by switching amps.

[@scarmyguitar]

Yeah you're "seeming" too much. Every guitar I demo gets the exact same amp settings. It's a preset on an amp sim lol. Get over your need for it to sound good cause it says By Fender on it. And if ya can't take an honest review for what it is, go watch the paid ones.

[@Mr.PhatsVarietyVibesShow]

yeah, but it's true, it doesn't sound good... from what I had heard it doesn't sound good at all. if that's how it really sounds ,I doubt I could make it sound better with my basic Amp & set up... & that paint being thin ,& matted , it won't hold up for many years to come.. I could see me buying this thing & throwing it away after 5 years or something... it's like 120 USD ,or something, but for a little more money ,I could buy an entry level Yamaha Pacifica with solid paint , & thicker body to mod out with better pickups if needed.. I doubt this Debut is going to be a big seller for Fender... For like 75 bucks more , one could get a better entry level Squirer . I see very little reason to buy this Debut .. By Fender making this they giving the no name or the off brands a platform.. in my opinion there's no reason for Fender to try to tap into that market ,& build something to compete with a Chinese brand all Fender is doing is dumbing down their brand & watering down their brand just to meet that market which is very stupid..... For the price of this Debut I could buy a used Squier with an acceptable body to mod out.. I don't see this Debut taking off .. I venture Fender will discontinue this model cutting corners on paint & fit & finish to compete with the off brands is the dumbest thing to do.. we don't see car makers do such a stupid thing.. Enough said... Just my opinion..

[@NintenDub]

You can get pretty great bridges and blocks for import guitars. I just spent 25$ on a Wilkinson that has a fat,but shorter block. Has a press in trem arm with retaining screw built into the block. Bent saddles. Came with a new claw,springs screws. It's great for a swuier bullet I got. If I got one of these debuts, I'd get that bridge. So you'd be at 145$. Than get like 35-40$ eBay pickups from guitar madness. 200$ and you can play it all day. No locking tuners needed. My swuier bullet puts fenders to shame. If you played it, you'd agree

[@BoltRM]

Or use the same $99 Fender Ventura pickups as in the Fojill 🤔

[@brownkr]

Hello and thank you for the video. I was unable to find any info about the Foggio guitar you mentioned. Do you have a link that might help me to learn more about that instrument, please?

[@iiTzLeeroy]

YOU say it sounds horrible but for the price it pretty good

[@mikebaird6788]

I've seen people put the big block fender bridges in these The only thing is you could just leave off the back plate or you could put a spacer screws made of plastic in between the plate you have a small gap but you would still get that that big bridge

[@CarbonGlassMan]

What makes a Fender Stratocaster better than a Squire Stratocaster? Is it only the electronics or is it that plus the type of wood & the thickness of the wood. I have a Squire 25th anniversary somewhere around here. I'm going to have to find it and try to play it again.

[@Donyourmom]

Besides cermaic pickups and chrome hardware, not really much of a difference, plus those can easily be replaced.

[@CarAudioEnthusiasts]

Chili Pepper Red..and yea it does sound a bit muddy

[@jharvey433]

Matte crimson?

[@greg6509]

Love my Firefly FFST. Ash Body, Roasted and Flamed Maple Neck, 2 pt tremelo with screw for tremelo bar, locking tuners, SSH, Stainless Steel Ball end frets, $189

[@richardherrington3815]

Great review Sean !!!! You tell it like it is !!!! Your a Class Act !!!!!

[@TURBOCAST]

Truth! The blue one sounds amazing! 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@TheNoShows]

Hey I just got my debut Strat in Torino red and was thinking this thing looks like an ibuprofen pill! I kinda like it though 😂😂

[@timothytobin1481]

I'm pretty sure the hole is there to accommodate a micro-tilt neck. This was, of course, a Fender thing, which then became a standard feature on copy-cat bodies. I have the micro-tilt neck standard on my 1995 MIA American-Standard Fender Strat.

[@sandraspears6389]

Squires are usually made with basswood.

[@lordseph]

Just a note, there are actually excellent tremolo blocks (Big blocks) that are 36mm. They'll definitely fit in that guitar. I got mine from Musiclily, and it's a Wilkinson-branded one. I have it installed in my Squier affinity. That's about the thickness of that Squier you have there.

[@pedrt69824]

I bought a Debut but sent it back on Friday. Just couldnt get into it. Ive been playing bass off and on for 25yrs. Played guitar for a bit about 15yrs ago. Wanting to get back into guitar and want to get something cheap to learn on. For some reason I didnt like the Debut. I decided to try a Tease guitar. Heard a few good reviews and looks pretty decent. Got it for $135. Comes with a bag and says it will be set up. Should be here some time this week. Have you tried a Tease guitar?

[@Mr.PhatsVarietyVibesShow]

is the Debut junk in your opinion? would changing out the pick ups help?

[@stevesamosky3563]

Thanks for the video comparison. Quick question: What kind of pups did you drop in the Fojill?

[@scarmyguitar]

My wife made them. You can get them here-> www.ebay.com/usr/scarmyguitar

[@stevesamosky3563]

@@scarmyguitar Nice! Thanks

[@tallthinkev]

The biggest advantage of buying a Squier is the name, therefore more easy to sell.

[@TalmageL-pn2pv]

I bought 5 🎸 guitars from a friend's garage for 200.00 , they were all from the 1970's and 80's ,, they were all great after a quick set up.. very impressed with how well they kept in a garage for over 30 years..😊

[@terphunter1329]

I got the dakota red too cool for what it is.

[@paulcasner6549]

That's the second position. The Fender sounds more like a, Fender . Some people like that. After all, they did invent it. Before you we born. All Fenders, have that little ridge, by the neck.

[@nicks931]

Now that is a good review. Instant sub... Thanks very much.

[@DoubleDguitar]

If I was in California, they would probably put three or four tags like that on me. I like that satin, gotta say. 🤘🏻

[@jpizzleforizzle]

About "fake" fretboards. I kinda like the composite stuff. Richlite is nice. I had a Rogue fretless bass that had a composite fingerboard years ago, polished it up and it was hella nice. The finish on this looks like the same that Dean uses on their lowest proce Vendetta models. Its not great, but it shines up with wear and then starts to flake of really nice if you're looking to relic it.

[@TimRock1269]

I got a $70 delivered guitar off SHEIN. I bought it just for the neck and body. 1 5/8" thick, played out of the box, was loud, it was intonated and played surprisingly well. I changed the strings and I'm leaving it alone. I was totally surprised at the fret job. I'm not gonna touch it. Even more surprising, it's a Glarry!

[@Randy-jz9ox]

I have a sonic series tele and it's a poplar body as well. Has a killer maple neck though. Its the $200 model lol.

[@trukr817]

I have a Squire Affinity Strat (made in Indonesia) that I got cheap used. It has the skunk stripe, the darker wood in the truss rod access. It was missing a tuner, I got Fender locking. The tuners already used the pins and not the screws to stop rotation, but I had to drill new holes because Fender didn't want Fender parts on a Squire LOL. The body is 1.6". I thought the pickups sounded bad, got a loaded pickguard (had to fill and drill holes to mount it) with humbucker at the bridge and two single coil size rail humbuckers. She has three toggles for coil split. I put five springs in and put the bar in a drawer. Was a lot of fun doing it and it's not a bad player now. That said, I have a 1974 Fender Strat that is, well, better.

[@craigpimlott204]

Your lucky a 70’ cbs strat is better than the Squeir .

[@trukr817]

@@craigpimlott204 Yes, I guess I'm lucky, it's a nice guitar. The Squire is a beater I guess, I let almost anyone play it. I don't abuse it, but I don't worry about it as much as some of my other guitars.

[@craigpimlott204]

@@trukr817 I’ve repaired a 1970 CBS strat a few years ago the sunburst patina was spot on but the playability was awful

[@Lou-Daghda2468]

Is it offered as a Hardtail?

[@Rockr69747]

Sure. Crank down the trem springs and pivot screws. Instant hardtail.

[@jfalc394]

does the thin body mean you cant change pickups? not even the prewired $80 set ups?

[@RockandrollNegro]

You'll have to get low profile pickups that are specifically made for thinline Fenders/ Squiers. Even so, most have disclaimers saying "does not fit Bullet/Debut series." You'll have to do a lot of routing work either way. My friend ended up putting Thinline Tele pickups in his Debut Strat, since they're smaller than standard Strat pickups.

[@gergemall]

Great job 👏

[@gajapi]

I wish they had a hard tail model like the sonic series