New Member, I need your opinion :)

aladeen

aladeen

Squier Talker
Jan 24, 2023
18
US
Hey guys, new member here! Let me give you guys some background about me, so I've been playing for only 3 years now (although I stopped for a couple of months because of my college assignments) and my current guitar is Squier Cyclone Sawao Yamanaka Signature. I bought that guitar because of the pickup config. (H-S) and I was a fan of Nirvana at that time. There's nothing wrong with that guitar, but now I really want to get a Strat because I've been listening to John Frusciante of RHCP and Jimi Hendrix. I want to get a Squier because a Fender is way too expensive for me and I don't have that much talent yet to deserve one. My budget is around $150, so my choices are either a Bullet Strat or a used Strat (affinity or standard). The reason behind the Hardtail is that I don't really use the tremolo that much (I also heard the tremolo on bullet Strats are trash), and the reason behind the used Strat is that their body is a full dimension (?) or thicker (please correct me if I'm wrong) and I think it'd make a difference in the tone. I'd like to get anyone's opinion on which one I should get :)
 
wickedtools

wickedtools

Dr. Squier
Gold Supporting Member
May 16, 2010
8,704
west texas
Yea like people said you can block off the trem. If yo can find a used Standard would be great with Alnico 5 pickups. The other to consider is an SE comes with a full size body that you can mod later and will be a great player. You can get lots of help here and welcome aboard!😊👍🏼
 
Shaytan

Shaytan

Squier-holic
Apr 10, 2018
2,033
Lisbon, Portugal
aladeen said:
Hey guys, new member here! Let me give you guys some background about me, so I've been playing for only 3 years now (although I stopped for a couple of months because of my college assignments) and my current guitar is Squier Cyclone Sawao Yamanaka Signature. I bought that guitar because of the pickup config. (H-S) and I was a fan of Nirvana at that time. There's nothing wrong with that guitar, but now I really want to get a Strat because I've been listening to John Frusciante of RHCP and Jimi Hendrix. I want to get a Squier because a Fender is way too expensive for me and I don't have that much talent yet to deserve one. My budget is around $150, so my choices are either a Bullet Strat or a used Strat (affinity or standard). The reason behind the Hardtail is that I don't really use the tremolo that much (I also heard the tremolo on bullet Strats are trash), and the reason behind the used Strat is that their body is a full dimension (?) or thicker (please correct me if I'm wrong) and I think it'd make a difference in the tone. I'd like to get anyone's opinion on which one I should get :)
Click to expand...

Hello and welcome aboard! Firstly, I had to Google your guitar and dang, what a beauty! Japanese sigs are some of the coolest models around IMO, plus some cool Danganronpa vibes from that one. ;)

Yours has pretty much what it needs to sound in the ballpark of what you wish, to be fair. I'd get a nicer humbucker, one perhaps that pairs better with being coil-split, and have a push-pull pot taking care of that, and that'd probably be more worth it for you with the same amount of money than buying a brand new Bullet that QC wise will likely be inferior to yours...

You've been playing for long enough that should be able to tell if something's obviously wrong with a guitar while testing it, so I'd advise you to try your local used market. With some luck, a used CV or, more attainable at those prices, an older Standard can be picked for around as much or less than a new Bullet/ Affinity, while offering better pickups and hardware, as well as a nicer fit and finish overall. Some other worthy mentions besides Squier/Fender at those price ranges are the Ibanez AZ lineup, the Yamaha Pacifica and the Cort G models (Cor-Tek makes most if not all those brands these days, you may as well consider their own in-house brand).

Regarding your remark you're not "worthy" of a Fender (or any material possession, really) - all it takes to own a Fender is being able to afford one. Someone fortunate enough may pick one to start on and never go past the cowboy area and that's okay: it's just a thing you can buy at a store, the cashier won't demand your redemption of Snow in order to let you check out a CS Strat. What I'll agree with is that in today's day and age, you certainly don't need a Fender or any other high-end brand to get a great playing and sounding guitar, and in that regard a well set-up Squier (even a Bullet or an Affinity) will do just fine!
 
Last edited:
aladeen

aladeen

Squier Talker
Jan 24, 2023
18
US
Eddie said:
My opinion is to go to GC and play a bunch of different guitars and see what fits you.

$150 should get your a decent used Squier Strat. Maybe even a Squier Standard.

Good luck on your quest.
Click to expand...
Yeah, that would be ideal, but the nearest GC is 3 hour's drive from my home and they only sell new guitars sadly :) That's why I'm trying to find good deals on Facebook and hopefully the owner would let me try the guitar before purchasing it. Thanks for the answer, mate!
 
Shaytan

Shaytan

Squier-holic
Apr 10, 2018
2,033
Lisbon, Portugal
aladeen said:
Yeah, that would be ideal, but the nearest GC is 3 hour's drive from my home and they only sell new guitars sadly :) That's why I'm trying to find good deals on Facebook and hopefully the owner would let me try the guitar before purchasing it. Thanks for the answer, mate!
Click to expand...

If the seller does NOT let you try the guitar beforehand, say goodbye, get back on your car and skidoodle from there! There's no reason for someone not to let you try the piece of gear you're buying, it's usual in the music scene, so if you ever feel rushed by the seller or get a straight no, just back out. There's no deal good enough worth being possibly scammed for.
 
aladeen

aladeen

Squier Talker
Jan 24, 2023
18
US
wickedtools said:
Yea like people said you can block off the trem. If yo can find a used Standard would be great with Alnico 5 pickups. The other to consider is an SE comes with a full size body that you can mod later and will be a great player. You can get lots of help here and welcome aboard!😊👍🏼
Click to expand...
I actually already found a used Standard with SSL-1s but it's a bit out of my budget range, I couldn't find any SE that's for sale right now but hopefully, it'll pop up in Facebook Marketplace around where I live soon :) If not then I'd have to save a bit more money for the SSL-1 Strat. Thanks for the welcome and the answer, mate!
 
Eddie

Eddie

The Artist formerly known as Chug Berry.
Nov 5, 2016
27,128
New York
Shaytan said:
If the seller does NOT let you try the guitar beforehand, say goodbye, get back on your car and skidoodle from there! There's no reason for someone not to let you try the piece of gear you're buying, it's usual in the music scene, so if you ever feel rushed by the seller or get a straight no, just back out. There's no deal good enough worth being possibly scammed for.
Click to expand...

Yep, you beat me to it. No legitimate seller would not let a potential buyer try out the guitar. Granted, you may need to bring your own portable amp.
 
aladeen

aladeen

Squier Talker
Jan 24, 2023
18
US
Shaytan said:
Hello and welcome aboard! Firstly, I had to Google your guitar and dang, what a beauty! Japanese sigs are some of the coolest models around IMO, plus some cool Danganronpa vibes from that one. ;)

Yours has pretty much what it needs to sound in the ballpark of what you wish, to be fair. I'd get a nicer humbucker, one perhaps that pairs better with being coil-split, and have a push-pull pot taking care of that, and that'd probably be more worth it for you with the same amount of money than buying a brand new Bullet that QC wise will likely be inferior to yours...

You've been playing for long enough that should be able to tell if something's obviously wrong with a guitar while testing it, so I'd advise you to try your local used market. With some luck, a used CV or, more attainable at those prices, an older Standard can be picked for around as much or less than a new Bullet/ Affinity, while offering better pickups and hardware, as well as a nicer fit and finish overall. Some other worthy mentions besides Squier/Fender at those price ranges are the Ibanez AZ lineup, the Yamaha Pacifica and the Cort G models (Cor-Tek makes most if not all those brands these days, you may as well consider their own in-house brand).

Regarding your remark you're not "worthy" of a Fender (or any material possession, really) - all it takes to own a Fender is being able to afford one. Someone fortunate enough may pick one to start on and never go past the cowboy area and that's okay: it's just a thing you can buy at a store, the cashier won't demand your redemption of Snow in order to let you check out a CS Strat. What I'll agree with is that in today's day and age, you certainly don't need a Fender or any other high-end brand to get a great playing and sounding guitar, and in that regard a well set-up Squier (even a Bullet or an Affinity) will do just fine!
Click to expand...
Thanks, mate! It is a pretty beautiful guitar, even though it's not very popular hahaha.

Yeah, I was actually considering a new set of pickups but I don't think I would be able to get that "Strat sound" without actually having a Strat. And I don't want to get rid of my Cyclone because it's my first guitar and it's really good to play (especially for grunge/punk rock).

A used CV would be nice, but most of them are still around $300 in my local used market :( But like I mentioned above, I actually found a pretty good condition Standard Strat with SSL-1 for $200 which is a bit out of my budget range. Thanks for mentioning those other brands, I'd have to check them out later!

Haha! a used Mexican Strat is pretty affordable in my opinion, in my local used market it's about the same price as a new CV. I'd probably get them once I have a job in the future :)

Anyway, thanks for the answer mate, really appreciate it!
 
aladeen

aladeen

Squier Talker
Jan 24, 2023
18
US
Shaytan said:
If the seller does NOT let you try the guitar beforehand, say goodbye, get back on your car and skidoodle from there! There's no reason for someone not to let you try the piece of gear you're buying, it's usual in the music scene, so if you ever feel rushed by the seller or get a straight no, just back out. There's no deal good enough worth being possibly scammed for.
Click to expand...
I agree! I really don't want to waste hours of driving just for the seller not to allow me to test the guitar. Thanks for the answer, mate!
 
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