Fender Squier Debut Stratocaster
Testing the Cheapest Fender Stratocaster on Amazon — is the Squier Debut Strat Any Good?
Squier by Fender has long been known for being an affordable way to get into the looks and sound of classic Fender guitars, and their quality is generally higher than their low prices would suggest. But at just $119, is the Squier Debut Stratocaster any good? Does the Squier Debut Strat sound and play like a real Fender Strat? Our No Fear Guides just had to find out — here’s what we learned.
Squier Debut Stratocaster Fast Facts
Out of the box, the Squier Debut Stratocaster makes a great first impression. Here’s a rundown of what you’ll find:
Specifications
- Poplar body
- Maple C-shaped neck with satin finish
- Laurel fretboard
- 3 single-coil pickups with 5-way pickup selector
- Tremolo bridge with removable arm
- 25.5-inch scale length
- 2-year warranty
- Free 3-month subscription to Fender Play for lessons and instructional videos
Compared to other electric guitars in this price range, we were pleased to see recognizable woods being used. Let’s face it, at this price you will not be getting figured swamp ash or aged rosewood, nor were we expecting to. But the lightweight poplar body is contoured well, laurel is a very common substitute for rosewood, and real maple is used for the all-important neck — for such a low-priced guitar, that’s a good combination in our opinion.
We did notice the Squier Debut Strat’s body appears to be slightly thinner than a traditional Fender Stratocaster body, although you probably wouldn’t notice unless you switched between the Debut and a Fender Strat. And while the matte-finished poplar body is perfectly adequate, it definitely doesn’t have the visual allure of fancier tonewoods dressed in a glossy finish. Besides those details, everything here adds up to an authentic Stratocaster playing experience — let’s plug in!
How Does the Squier Debut Stratocaster Sound?
Our No Fear Guides — Ryan Burke and Jay Leonard J — definitely know their way around a Fender Stratocaster and the vast range of tones it can create. So how does the Squier Debut Stratocaster stack up to a real Fender Strat? Very well it turns out!
With three single-coil pickups and five-way switching, the Debut Strat offers the same range of sounds you’d get with a Fender Strat. The neck pickup sounds throaty and vocal, the middle pickup is well-balanced, and the bridge pickup delivers plenty of snap and chime. And the in-between positions (neck+middle and middle+bridge) give you the quacky, plucky tone you really can only get from a Stratocaster.
We have to give big bonus points to the Squier Debut Stratocaster for its modern electronics configuration, with a tone control for the bridge pickup. The “traditional” Fender Strat wiring configuration does not give you tone control for the bridge pickup, leading to some extremely shrill and ice-picky tones — most players prefer to have a tone control on their bridge pickup to dial back the bite. The Squier Debut Strat offers modern wiring with tone control over the bridge pickup, and we couldn’t be happier about it.
It sounds like a Strat! — Ryan Burke
How Does the Squier Debut Stratocaster Feel to Play?
As you can see in our video demo, our No Fear Guides had no trouble picking up the Squier Debut Stratocaster and getting down to work. The Debut Strat’s maple neck features a C-shaped profile, which is a good starting point for new players and should be a familiar feel for experienced players. We’re fans of satin-finished necks as they usually feel faster and less sticky than glossy necks, so we’re pleased with the feel of the Debut Stratocaster’s neck in general.
One highlight for us was the fretwork — at this price point, we’ve felt plenty of rough edges and unpolished metal under our fingers. If you’ve played other guitars in this class, the Squier Debut Stratocaster will definitely stand out when you get it in your hands. It’s clear that someone took the time to at least make sure the frets were properly seated and that the ends weren’t rough, and that really is a luxury at this price.
When it came to testing the tremolo bridge (whammy bar, “wiggle bar”, etc.), we were sure that was where the Debut Stratocaster would fail to live up to a real Fender Strat — we were wrong.
Here’s the thing: even a real Fender tremolo bridge can be tricky to keep in tune when you use it (more on that below). It’s actually a very complicated mechanism, and the generic tremolo bridges you’ll find on low-price guitars are rarely built with the precision of name-brands like Fender. In other words, even if guitars in this price range offer a tremolo bridge, they are rarely useable — not so with the Squier Debut Strat.
In our play testing, we felt the Debut Strat’s tremolo bridge performed very well. For subtle warbles, surf rock shimmers, and soulful blues dives, the Debut Strat was up to the task. And with a bit of preparation when tuning up, we think you can achieve the same tuning stability as you’d expect from more expensive guitar.
There are $300 guitars I’ve played that are not as good as this. — Jay Leonard J
Tips for Tuning a Tremolo-Equipped Stratocaster
The Strat-style tremolo bridge has been around for a long time, and players have learned to optimize its pitch stability by the way they tune it up. This tuning method takes longer than you’re probably used to, but the reward is a tremolo bridge that returns to perfect pitch when you release the bar.
- Tune your strings from the inside to the outside. This means tuning the D and G strings first, then the A and B strings, and finally the low and high E strings. The bridge balances the tension of all six strings, so tuning from the center outward helps maintain that balance.
- Always tune up to pitch rather than down. This prevents slack around the tuning post and improves tuning stability.
- After tuning each string, press the tremolo bar down and release it. The string will usually go slightly out of tune. Bring it back up to pitch and repeat until it consistently returns to tune.
- Because every string affects the bridge tension, you'll need to go back and retune the other strings several times before everything settles.
This tuning method takes longer, but is the best way to achieve stable tuning with any Fender-style tremolo bridge.
Of course, you don’t need to use the tremolo bar at all, and many players leave it out entirely. The Debut Stratocaster’s bar is removable, and if you want to quickly tune up and rock out without the bar, the Debut Strat is perfectly capable of that.
The Squier Debut Stratocaster Is a Great Value
When it comes to sound and playability, we definitely give the Squier Debut Stratocaster a thumbs up. Squier has earned a reputation for offering quality instruments at low prices, and while the Debut Strat is inexpensive even by Squier standards, it doesn’t have the air of a cheap imitation that you usually find in this class — it simply feels like a quality starter instrument that gives a new player what they need to succeed, without trying to pretend it’s something other than what it is.
And it’s worth noting that if a new player learns on the Squier Debut Stratocaster, they’ll be familiar with the feel of one of the most-played and widely-available guitar styles ever created.
Whether you’re looking for your first guitar, a gift for a new player, or something to jam on at the office, we can confirm the Squier Debut Stratocaster delivers the classic Strat experience.
