Squier Debut Series Stratocaster

The Squier Stratocaster is everything you could want in a first electric guitar—affordable, reliable, and packed with that classic Strat charm. It’s got the iconic look and feel of a Fender, but at a price that makes it accessible for beginners without compromising on quality. What really stands out is how playable it is straight out of the box. The neck is smooth and comfortable, the action is just right, and the controls are intuitive. Whether you're learning your first chords or experimenting with lead lines, it’s a guitar that makes you want to keep playing. For the price, the value is outstanding. You get a solid build, decent pickups, and a tone that’s versatile enough for rock, blues, pop—you name it. It’s no wonder so many guitarists start their journey with a Squier Strat. It’s a brilliant stepping stone into the world of electric guitars.

It was identified as a must have by my Son, currently he is into Dire Striates and was keen to recreate the same sound. after he had done an amount of research, it appears it was similar to the one Mark Knopfler used. what can be said the sound is crips and everything my Son wanted, he has been more than impressed and has not stopped playing it. he is pleased with the finish of the guitar and the quality was as expected. The big plus side for me was the price, it appears you get a lot of guitar for not too much money.

It's a nice well made guitar as you would expect from Fender. I can't play a note but I can make a nice sounding noise. It fits nicely in my hands and played well it would sound really good. I wont be replacing any members of Iron Maiden yet but it's enjoyable thinking I have a great guitar and all I need is a lot of practice. And for the money it's very good value considering your getting decades worth of Fender knowhow.

My Debut Stratocaster (matt black) is relatively lightweight at 7lbs which is very important for me as I’m not getting any younger. My friend’s weighs in at 6.5 lbs so there are variations in weight. The ceramic pickups are smooth sounding when used with a quality low power valve amplifier. These pickups work really well with most clean/treble boosters. So try one of these pedals before shelling out on replacement pickups. The current Debuts have a slight 60s vintage look with their dark laurel fretboards, no skunk stripe and a 3-ply pick guard. The slim ‘C’ shape neck does have a bit of early 60s Fender feel about it This one feels a little thicker and more tapered than my friend’s Debut. Again, there seems to be variations in neck shape and size with this range. It has a rolled fretboard edge and the back of the neck is very smooth with a ’no finish’ feel (but there is a finish there). The fret ends are finished to an acceptable level with no signs of ’fret sprout’ (this seems to be less of a problem in humid climates). The supplied strings were .009s and sounded and held tune ok. I changed these to Rotosound Pinks. Out of the box, the action was very low with the saddles set high, and it had fret buzz over the fretboard. It had next to no relief (straight neck). After leaving the guitar for a day or two, I adjusted the truss rod to give about 8 to 10 thou neck relief. This got rid of the fret buzz and it played cleanly with a reasonably low action (less than 2mm). The truss rod is dual action type. I don’t know the design of this, but generally the adjustment nuts are not replaceable. So don’t ‘round off’ the hex socket by using the wrong size key or applying too much force. Truss rod adjustment needs to be done by someone who is competent. The tremolo is ‘decked’ at the factory. It makes the guitar easier to tune and keep tune. I’m not sure how well it works if set it to float, but the guitar would probably need a better nut, string tree and possibly saddles. Tuners have worked and hold tune very well. If they feel too tight or slack the little screw on top of the button adjusts the gear meshing. These Debuts are great for money .

Got this as my first electric guitar, having never played the guitar before, and it's fab, particularly for the cost. I'm sure if I knew more about guitars I could adjust it on someway that might make it sound better or what-not, but even so, as it was straight out of the box, it sounds lovely, and better than I was expecting having read other reviews here about it needing some adjustment!

Very nice! My grandad loved it 😁🩷

Plays superbly- well crafted.

The best squire I’ve owned bar none, I’ve had Chinese, Korean bullet, affinity etc, and this is by far the lightest and stable squire I’ve owned. Tuning is superior to the prior ones I’ve owned, fret work as good as Mexican made, pickups for the money are best sounding ceramic I’ve heard, the green surf is not as nice looking or feeling as the Mexican obviously but again for the money, cannot knock this at all. This squire new model is great value for money.