Fender Squier Bullet Stratocaster Review 

The Fender Squier Bullet Stratocaster is a fantastic guitar for learning the ropes of music. Everybody starts out somewhere, right?

Music is a universal language. Through music, one can easily relay what that person is feeling. There are different forms of music through which one can communicate and express. As for me, I find it easier to pour out my emotions through the sound resonating through my guitar strings. And I know many others reading this feel the same way too.  

Along with the feeling of the person playing the guitar, the sound produced from the guitar matters equally. Therefore, it is really important to pick the right one and start practicing.  

If you are looking at this review of the Fender Squier Bullet Stratocaster then I know that you are a beginner. And I know you all are guitar fanatics too.

How? Because you guys are on this page reading the review. Every guitarist goes through a beginner phase and has a dilemma on the choice of their first guitar. I am here admitting that I did purchase Fender Squier Bullet Stratocaster as my first guitar. And let me tell you, it did help me a lot. 

Too lazy to read the full review? Here’s the quick summary!

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What We Think

The Fender Squier Bullet Stratocaster is a great guitar for beginners. If you are someone who enjoys playing blues or old-school rock then this guitar shall be a suitable choice for you.

This looks amazing, feels smooth, is comfortable, and sounds good too. Its’ lightweight, glossy finish and medium-sized frets make it easier for beginners to practice and get the hang of playing the guitars. Who knows, the beginners watching this review and practising with this guitar can turn to be legends someday in the future right?   

 If compared to other expensive guitars in the market, you can pinpoint many things this guitar lacks. This is true. But in comparison to other guitars in the price range this guitar is in, it has a lot to offer and is therefore impressive. 

Features

• Cheap
• Vintage Stratocaster look with a non-sticky glossy smooth finish.
• 5-way pickup selector switch
• Light basswood body
• C-profile neck
• Medium-sized frets of the rosewood

Let’s take a look at the details!

The Joint Effort of Squier and Fender- Is It Showing Results?

 Victor Carroll Squier first started building and repairing violins in 1881. His work was also supported by his son and the violins made by them became noted for their exceptional varnishes and were expensive during that time. Not only were they praised by the users but also were ranked among the best-known U.S.-trained violin makers. The exceptional quality of their products helped them in earning the name “The American Stradivarius”. 

His business grew and he moved to different places. The last place he moved to was the famous 427 Capitol Ave, S.W “fiddle factory” of Battle creek. But due to the limited market for violins there, the company could not prosper and then he started to make his own hand-wound violin strings.  This company started manufacturing strings not only for violins but also for banjos, and guitars. The company was well known nationwide and the products were especially popular among students because of their reasonable price. Through all this, we can say that Victor was good. in what he did and was recognized for his talent and the quality products he produced. 

The first contact of Squier’s with Fenders was when Squier Company began supplying strings for the company Fender. The electric Instrument manufacturing company, Fender, was founded in 1946 by Clarence Leonidas Fender. He first started the company as “Fender’s Radio Service” in late 1938 in Fullerton, California. He is a qualified electronics technician, he used to repair radios, phonographs, home audio amplifiers, public address systems, and musical instrument amplifiers. 

The company then later faced all the ups and down written in their fate. They did experience their hype but towards the late 1970s and early 1980s, Fender was not doing that good. It was because the lower-priced Japanese Fender copies were taking the market more than the original high-priced guitars.

Squier was acquired by Fender in 1965 and then later became defunct as a manufacturer as Fender chose to market the strings produced under their name. However, Fender themselves reactivated Squier in 1982 as its brand for more producing affordable and lower-priced versions of Fender guitars. Their plan was indeed a success and they were known for manufacturing guitars similar to Fenders’ but at a low price.

In the mid-2000s, they not only made copied versions but also started to make innovative designs; Squier moniker. Because of the benefit of having a good guitar for a low price, Squier guitars are really famous among new beginners. Not only the beginners but many gigging musicians are also seen satisfied with Squiers. 

The reputable history and also the present hype of this series are evident of the effort that goes in. Therefore, we surely can say that their joint effort is truly showing positive and noteworthy results.

 

A Detailed Review of Fender Squier Bullet Stratocaster

Design 

The Fender Squier Bullet Stratocaster has the standard vintage Stratocaster shape. Its beautiful glossy smooth finish with its timeless shape is something that attracts people first. If you are someone who is fond of classic things then this guitar shall perfectly fit your taste.

Even though the glossy finish, is not sticky at all and you can easily glide your hand while enjoying the strokes. 

This guitar is available in many different finishes among which the brown sunburst is the standard. Other available ones are arctic white, butterscotch, black, fiesta red, and pink. The white pickguard and chrome hardware give a nice contrast and are eye-catching. As there are many options to choose from, you can just pick the one as per your liking and rock it how you like it.  

The body is thin and therefore, handling it is easy while playing. Also, the C-profile neck of this guitar makes the playing much easier, which does benefit beginners.  

Weight

The body of this guitar is made up of basswood and therefore it is light. It weighs only around 7 pounds but some differences will be there depending on the model of the guitar. Lightweight makes it so much easier for beginners to carry it around and get used to playing the guitar for long hours of practice without getting sore. 

Neck

The neck of this guitar is made from Maple.  This dense wood provides the neck with the required strength and also resonance. The satin finish of Maple in the neck reduces the friction and helps in gliding between the transitions. 

The C-shaped neck is comfortable and makes fretting much easier. 

The frets are made up of Rosewood. The rosewood does play a role in bringing out quality sound as it smooths out the high frequency and also softens the overtones. 

There are 21 frets in this guitar and are sized medium-jumbo. The not-so-small but not so big size of the frets helps beginners get the hang of placing their fingers in the frets without stretching them too much.

Electronics

There are three single-coil Stratocaster pickups in this guitar. One is the bridge pickup, another is the middle pickup, and the last neck pickup. Therefore, the pickup configuration is SSS. The single-coil pickups generally provide leaner or tighter high frequencies.

But you can get a buzzing sound with the single-coil pickups. So, it’s a good idea to replace it with another humbucker to get the quality of sound that you like. 

There are 3 controllers; one master volume control and a two-tone control volume (of the neck pickup and middle pickup). 

You can switch between 5 configurations because of the 5-way pickup selector switch and get 5 different tones. Moving the pickup switch downwards allows using only the bridge pickup. Similarly, if you shift it up by one notch, you will get the combination of the bridge and middle pickup. Shifting it one more notch up will get you middle pickup only and then a combination of the middle and neck pickup and lastly the neck pickup only if you keep on moving a notch up. 

The sound produced is not on par with the classic strat sound but you can definitely work with it. 

Hardware

The guitars with low prices have a difficult time maintaining or keeping the guitar in tune. But you won’t find that difficulty in this guitar because of the presence of the hardtail bridge saddles and die-cast tuning setup. This bridge flexes with the movement of the strings and the die-cast prevents the guitar from getting out of tune. Therefore, after turning this guitar, you will be able to enjoy playing a tuned guitar any time you want without the hassle to tune it every time you use it. 

The presence of the Tremolo bridge makes it easier to change the pitch while playing. You can actually decrease or increase the pitch of the note more with this bridge than when you would be using your fingers to bend the strings for changing pitch. But the thing is that when you use this bridge more often, the guitar will not stay in tune that well. 

The strings on them are Nickel-plated ones.  In comparison to other expensive strings, these do not seem that great but they do produce nice tones. These strings are durable and also light on the fingers.

Closing thoughts

As this guitar is of low price, the material and the components used are not of that high quality. So, expecting too much from it is not something you might want to do. But that does not mean it is not in the competition. In comparison to other guitars in this price range, this is definitely a worthy opponent. 

The sound is also good and with the addition of some appropriate hardware, you will be able to achieve the sound as per your liking. Sometimes, budget guitars can be just what you need to get started!

The frets, design, hardware, and electronics are indeed assembled to make it easier for beginners. We all know that the guitar we used during our early phage is surely going to get replaced later by another one. Therefore, for those who are just starting their jamming journey and don’t want to spend a fortune, later being replaced by guitar, then this is just the right one for them. If you are someone who is in love with Fender Stratocaster’s look and feel then this is a win-win deal for you! 

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I play Fender Squier Bullet Stratocaster on Gigs?

Yes, you can definitely play Fender Squier Bullet Stratocaster on Gigs. But as this guitar is cheap, the sound quality this guitar produces might not be on par with that of expensive guitars. Therefore, you might want to replace some of the hardware before doing any gigs in-order to increase the sound quality.

Is Fender Squier Bullet Stratocaster worth the money?

Of course, it is! For this price, you not only get one of the best guitars for beginners but also get to experience the feel of the Fender Stratocaster. 

Can Fender Squier Bullet Stratocaster be used by children?

Yes, even the children can use this guitar. This guitar is not only lightweight and easy to carry for children but is also comfortable. The medium-jumbo-sized frets, C-shaped neck, and light strings do show that children will be able to get the hang of it in a short period of time. 

What is the difference between Squier and Fender guitar?

Fender actually produces high-quality guitars in the higher price range. The Squier produces the Fender designs but at lower and much more affordable prices so that Fender lovers with a low budget can experience how Fender feels.