Fender Squier Bullet Guitar Review

The Fender line of guitar has been a long standing tradition for American musicians. Ever since the first electric guitars were introduced, the best caliber musicians, including the likes of blues legends Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan, have chosen a Fender Stratocaster as their go-to instrument. The problem is, they are often very expensive, especially for musicians just starting out or wanting to learn. For this, Squier, a daughter company of Fender, makes the Squier Bullet electric guitar. Let's take a closer look to see what it has to offer.

Features: The body of the Fender Squier Bullet is made of basswood, and has a white colored plastic pickguard. The neck of the guitar is bolted onto the body, and made of maple. Its fretboard is made of rosewood, and there are 21 medium-jumbo frets. Also, it has white dot inlays. The looks of the guitar, including the inlays, headstock, body, and pickguard, are all in the tradition Fender Stratocaster style. It really looks just like a genuine Strat. All of the hardware on the guitar, the Tremolo bridge, the saddles, and the tuning heads, are chrome. Electronically, the Squier Bullet has one master volume and two tone control knobs, with a five way selector switch. There are three pickups, all of which are Squier brand single coils.

Playability: The fact that this guitar is so cheap means that there will obviously be a few flaws in the playability category. The factory strings should be changed, because they are often very flat sounding. Also, the tuning heads have a bit of a problem with keeping the guitar in tune. On the bright side, the slim Stratocaster style body on the Squier Bullet has an excellent feel. It's nice and light, making this a great instrument for kids just wanting to learn.

Sound: The three single coil pickups on the Squier Bullet deliver some pretty good Strat-like tones. Although, for some, they may be a bit screechy. If you aren't a beginner, it is probably a good idea to swap them out with some higher quality single coils. But if you are, they hold up just fine in trying to figure out your own guitar playing style.

Overall: The Squier Bullet by Fender makes a good attempt at putting in the essential qualities of the classic Fender Stratocaster without denting your wallet. Some playability and sound is sacrificed, but for a beginner looking to get into the guitar playing world, this is definitely a great introduction. You can find the Squier Bullet in music stores for about $100.