Product Review: Fender Squier Bullet Strat

A genuine Fender Stratocaster can be pricey, so a lower end Squier model is appealing to many beginning and budget guitar enthusiasts. But is a Squier Bullet a decent electric guitar, or should you look to other low-cost brands for your newest axe?

The Fender Squier Bullet Strat offers many of the same features as a higher end Stratocaster without the hefty price tag. The specs given on Guitar Center's website indicate that the Bullet Strat is has a basswood body, rosewood neck, machine head tuners, chrome hardware, and three single coil pickups-all relatively standard for a Strat style guitar. For being a budget guitar, the pickups have surprisingly high output, fitted with nice staggered poles and Alcino magnets. And, if you want to change out the pickups or add any other mods to the guitar, the design allows you to do so very easily. I've opened up over a dozen Bullet Strat's over the years, and depending on the batch they look a little different inside, but typically there is plenty of cavity room to add humbuckers, and extra room is easily created without ruining the guitar's face (due to the wonderful cover that a Strat pickguard provides).

In terms of tone, the Bullet Strat offers most of the range featured by a higher end Strat. It contains the standard five way selector and two tone knobs for multiple tonal options. Also, as aforementioned, the output is decent. The tremolo bridge is about what you'd expect; it creates a nice whammy effect but can sometimes get your guitar out of tune if you haven't installed a roller nut (it is a difficult install, so do not try it yourself without previous experience). The only failing in the guitar's playability is its neck. Overall, the fretboard is a bit rough and makes chord changes a bit bothersome for newer players. It is not anything that you can't get used to with a few hours of playing, but it can be a bit of a nuisance if you're trying to do a slide or bend. The neck isn't perfect, but it is close to the quality of other cheaper guitar models on the market.

The guitar comes in black, arctic white, fiesta red, pink, daphne blue, and brown sunburst-of course these colors are subject to availability; at most stores you'll find black, white, red, and sunburst. Every model has a traditional white pickguard, but this can be changed out very easily with almost no customization experience necessary. Simply unscrew the pickguard, pop out the components, pack them into the new pickguard, and screw the new model into the guitar's body. Such easy aesthetic modification makes this guitar ideal for anybody who wants not only good tone, but also a nice looking guitar.

Because of its great tone, good playability, and easy customization options, I give the Squier Bullet my stamp of approval. Overall this guitar gets an 8 out of 10. There is room for improvement, but it is a really nice guitar for the price.

Sources:

Gutiar Center, Squier by Fender Bullet Electric Guitar with Tremolo, Guitar Center.