New sub here from the states. I think you can make a log with Forrest droppings on it sound good bro. Elmo your channel is one of the best im glad i found you man! Peace!!
@D-bomb Really? Do you play guitar or watch the videos at all, that you consider potentially serious playability issues 'knitpicking' (sic). Or are we casting shade for the purpose of shilling?
I own a Squier Affinity Telecaster. I love this guitar. I recently updated it with Fender Tex/Mex pickups. I love it even more now. But I hate it when people say something like "My Squier Affinity is better than any Fender". Inexpensive guitars should be appreciated on their own merits. It would be beyond bizarre if a guitar that costs ten times as much wasn't a significantly better guitar.
People say that crap just to cope because they already bought one and/or can't afford better...squiers do tend to make good modding platforms though if you're comfortable putting more money into them
My squier affinity now has super jumbo jescar stainless steel frets,kinman woodstock plus pickups,new electronics in general,hipshot tuners,bone nut...the works...now all those things are top parts and frankly better than an actual strat that costs thousands has..the difference is that i pay the big bucks for the right parts not for a dead slab of wood that the ad man convinced others it resonates like an acoustic.....so after all this i have a top guitar for around 600 that is as good as anything. Now think about how much a signature fender costs and if those parts that are on that guitar are better than the above.....then you ll understand why people say "my squier is better than any fender".
Jet sends people over to small guitar shops . Asking if they can hang up some jet guitars for sale in the store ... fender is a nightmare if a small shop orders 1 guitar .. they dont care they rather have the superstores order 30 at a time.
@@TFFSRAD Someone I know who owns a guitar store said that they have to sell a certain number of Squires to even "qualify" to sell Fenders. That's ridiculous. I know, for one, if I go into a shop and they aren't carrying the brand I want I usually don't go back. That sort of policy hurts the very stores that are selling their product. Not sure how much they care since the bulk of their sales are through large online retailers.
Of COURSE they don't care, those are bygone days!...along with malls and othere brick and mortar retailers. Starting with covid, there's been a "sea change" in the way commerce functions. We must adapt and adjust if we're to keep it moving.@keithangstadt4950
I always enjoy your reviews. You’re so brutally honest kind of goes back to the old saying you get what you pay for. Thanks again for the review Elmo Cheers from Long Beach, California.
Appreciate the thorough and honest review. I might still get the coral one and use my store’s included free set up to fix all the fretwork right after buying.
I just bought this guitar earlier today, in California Blue. I was looking for an inexpensive but playable guitar I could leave in my locker at work, so Id have something to pick on during my downtime. You cannot beat this guitar for the price!! Its friggin' great, I love it. I had to run a file along the edge of the finger board on both sides, and scrape some glue off the fingerboard. I played that thing for more than three hours tonight. Buy this guitar. Its a no brainer.
Elmo, this is probably the first completely honest review of the new Sonic series on RU-vid. I actually tried one myself in a store. And you're right. They are just NOT that great. I really don't get all the hype about the Squiers generally, there are many better alternatives out there in every price range. The colour options of the Sonic series is interesting, the wiring is a bit better, tuners are an upgrade from the Bullets, sound is OK, but that's it. The frets are uncomfortable, they're too thin, it's just not fun to play. The Ibanez GRX 40 is way better for the price, just feels way better.
the main difference in this and the bullet besides a bit better fret work is the fretboard and neck are 1 piece and the body is a hair wider on the examples i have. oh and there's 1 string tree instead of 2. i have bought 2 already and have none of the issues elmo has. i'm quite impressed actually
Yeah. Maybe because nearly all HB Strats are not that good. The DC and SC Models are quite nice, especially compared to Epiphone, but in the Strat Sector there is much more competition. The HB Fusion are to expensive, they compete also with a Ibanez AZES 40, which is at the moment the best cheap strat. The sonics are fine though, but nothing in comparision to the Azes which you get for around 250 Bucks.
Electric guitar beginner here. Picked up a lime green Squier Sonic with Laurel board and have been having a blast jamming and learning with it (since yesterday basically). My only gripe so far is the finish from the laurel board ends up on my fingers and I have to give my hands a good wash after a nice sesh.
I've been playing guitar since 1985 and playing strats just as long, first getting a Squier Strat, then American made including a '61 and just about every brand out there. But strats have always been my thing. I recently got the HSS model of the Sonic Strat and love it. It's not just a great guitar for beginners but longtime players. I have no complaints. I got a tremendous value for the money. I'll eventually do some mods, starting with the bridge pickup, probably loading in a Duncan Custom. But right now, I'm having fun playing it. I also love the light poplar body as I've got a horrible history of backaches. This is a very comfortable guitar to play and has a nice, big, warm tone.
As another strat into plexi style amp guy , you're channel is fast becoming my go to for gear nerdery. It's just nice to hear someone who can play their ass off dialing in tones close to what i like.
Thank you for the honest review, I had a feeling the old bullet was better, (contoured body and all), but wondered about the neck. Great advise, try before you buy, but some of us live too far away from retail stores, so we need honest guys like you. 👍👍👍 Thank's Elmo.
Great review, Elmo. And good to see, as always is the case, in-depth analysis and reasons for your evaluations. And I LOVE your tremolo bar playing - AWESOME indeed! I have a Bullet Telecaster that I love that I got for $149, so I'm guessing your Bullet Tele is similar to mine.
Hi Elmo, spot on. I bought half a dozen Bullets to modify for friends and students. Every single guitar was crap. String buzz, poorly cut nut, wouldn't stay in tune and fret sprout. The Sonic was probably meant to rejuvenate the Bullet line...but it's just as bad. Thank you for your honest review. In regards to the dozen or so regular RU-vidrs who review guitars and gear, they have zero credibility. When they start with: "I was given this guitar to review by XXX but my review is completely honest", anyone with half a brain would smell the fraud through the monitor. No regular RU-vid reviewer who regularly gets gear for free will rubbish a product because he'll never get another piece of free gear ever again. Basta. That's reality folks. So, when these sell-outs throw in a minor issue to appear credible, but overall, they wholeheartedly endorse the product, they are committing fraud. They are trying to sell you something that is not fit for purpose...think about it.
If you want em to playing better drop 300$ into them I mean what else do you want your getting a whole guitar for less then 600$ no matter what and you can argue the whole buy a MIM thing but they don't come in colors like this they not modern and they are heavy asf these are light weight and easy to play hours on end . Want my advice replace everything but the neck and the body and then you've got yourself a better then midrange guitar 🎸 or you can just cry about it 😢 but I much rather be playing then crying . No response will be given back . Have a nice one 👍
@@entertainmentWeekly19 Puh, what an attitude. One doesn't buy a guitar to then have to spend another $300 in making it playable. If no-name brands can make excellent guitars for under $600, then so should Fender. Imagine buying a Mercedes C-class (the cheaper range) and the engine rattles, the steering is off and the brakes don't work? Your advice is to shut up and invest some coin, right? You have clearly missed the point of Elmo's review and company ethics.
That HSS Squier Sonic in Tahitian Coral would look (and sound) amazing with all black hardware, Seymour Duncan Trembucker bridge pickup and some SSLs in the middle and neck positions 😊
I've ordered the pink one-pickup Squier because I really loved the concept of it. I did send it back the day after it arrived. Every aspect of the guitar felt really cheap. It had a fixed bridge, which is cool in concept, but you had to pull the strings through the rear of the bridge instead of through the body. That's something you'd see on 90 EUR Harley Benton T-Styles. The neck would have needed a rather thick shim to make it work. The screws for the saddles were almost bottomed out and the screws were sticking far out the saddles and the action was still rather high. Absolutely terrible. It's a shame because I really, really liked the color and the 1-pickup + fixed bridge concept.
Fender just wanted to remove the word Bullet, even though that has a storied use and meaning. I have personally heard of folks who refused to buy one for their kids because of the word. Still think the double humbucker Bullet Mustang will remain a legend. I have a competition striped model modded with a custom pickguard and a sizzling Nashville Tele pickups set. So it became a Squier Nashville Competition Bullet Mustang ... a name that feels either like a race car or a wild west six gun showdown.
Hello Professor Elmo. Great guitar review! (And I have seen a few...) What a Great work and a Great help to beginners (and not just beginners...). Thank you for sharing. Best wishes. Luis (Portugal)
Appreciate cutting through the bull**** Elmo as usual ; competition is really fierce at this price as I also agree that there are far better offerings by Harley Benton, Jet Guitars, etc. I always need to keep an eye out for cheaper guitars to recommend to my students, as I don't think the older-bigger brands can afford to do decent QC with their products anymore in today's economy.
@Tommi Nyström Fair enough - I too have had experiences with Harley Benton guitars that needed a tech to sort them out (neck pockets too high and scratchy frets) ; good to avoid online guitar purchases if you can.
I find it's the opposite, when I started playing guitar 25 years ago, the low end Squier guitars were absolutely garbage, the QC was terrible. Every Squier I've played made in the past few years has been good, they seem to have massively improved QC.
@@KEVBOYMUSIC A fair few of my students have Squier and they play really well ; I have seen a couple really bad ones as well as Epiphone and Ibanez in the same price brackets. QC is a hard one to gauge as there are just so many products available these days - I have seen issues with Harley Benton and Jet guitars before so nothing is infallible.
Are the shield holes compatible with other shields? I want to change the pickguard and pickups on this guitar, but I'm not sure if they will be compatible. I'm going to add a Fleor kit from Aliexpress.
Have a tele bullet that was absolutely horrible out of the box, but I redid literally everything on it and finished the neck(frets and stock oil).. now it's an amazing guitar. All these cheap guitars will need work, some more than others.
The prior Bullet series, besides the Mustang HH a few years ago, was never something that ever peaked my interest, but conversely more than a few of Squiers Affinity and Vintage Modified series have become modded mainstays within my "guitarsenal". Great QC for mod-box platforms IMO. Great vid Elmo. Cheers!
@@ptrisonic Seriously, I have an O.G. white finish 2017 (alder/rosewood) Affinity Jazzmaster HH that's NEVER leaving my side. I freaking love that guitar! I later got a black finished one that was their later poplar/laurel build, but that one just didn't have the same mojo for me as the original. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Those originally NAMM dropped w/ the Bullet Mustang & super over hyped 30" scale JM Baritone FYI. 🤓
I’m thinking of getting one of these to turn into a budget Yngwie strat of sorts. Will put a brass nut on it, and scallop it myself. I think I’ll leave the pickups as is, they sound quite good here and a set of HS3s would be more expensive than the whole guitar anyway so it wouldn’t make much sense.
@@MrPolevaulter Thanks! I did some research and found the few differences. Though yes, quality is supposedly the same, they differ greatly on frets. Sonic has high thin frets, and Affinity has lower, fatter frets, each for different playing styles. I’m not sure which I’d prefer actually. No music shops close to me, so it’s hard to find a place to walk in and try them out. I’m stuck with online comparisons and web orders.
Fender should step up and put a price freeze on their guitars but they wont, just like Gibson wont coz they make huge profits. Other manufacturers are stepping up though and that is what Fender needs to do imo. A helpful informative review as always Elmo! Thank you!
@@peterwilson8039why would you puzzled. Fender skyrocketed their prices without improving their instruments and there are many companies, smaller newer companies with much better products that are less than half the price of Squiers and Fender guitars. Thats why!
@@dragan4658 Fender and Gibson customers, like the guys that buy Harley Davidson motorcycles, are loyal to their brand. I would recommend that if you believe you can get better product at a lower pice from another manufacturer, I would recommend that you buy that manufacturer's product, not that it's any of my business.
Yeah, I agree. I have a squier bullet hss strat from 2018, and a harley benton bass, which costs around the same price, and the HB bass is better quality, even though basses usually cost more since they're larger. The finish was nicer, and it just feels more premium. The bullet wasn't bad, though. No fret sprout on mine, stays mostly in tune. You can just definitely tell it's a cheap guitar, whereas the harley benton apart from tiny cosmetic issues looks and feels like a higher quality instrument, despite costing less. It does seem like you're paying extra for the name and fender design, and also the distribution costs. If that exact guitar was sold by harley benton, or another cheap brand, it would probably be closer to 115 euros, maybe less.
That HSS Squier Sonic in Tahitian Coral would look (and sound) amazing with all black hardware, Seymour Duncan Trembucker bridge pickup and some SSLs in the middle and neck positions 😊
It's hard to take your critique seriously when your playing and your tone is so godlike it makes these little guitars sound like they're top shelf instruments 🤣 you've inadvertently convinced me to buy one
Dear Elmo K...Something thank you for your great reviews. I need your opinion about two amps Lirevo token 15, is this rubbish noname amp or something good and Fender champion 20.
Good honest video! I have a Squier Affinity Stratocaster that I got a good deal on and bought just so I'd have a guitar with 3 single coils to play some because I didn't have any that you don't have to split the coils on. Mine has the 2 point tremolo and had a little fret sprout but I fixed that and it pretty good now and I paid $200 so maybe for just a few dollars more you can get a better Squier Affinity Stratocaster.
Worth buying the hss just to try and sound as good as Elmo playing "Jeff Beck type stuff", I must get some Jeff Beck stuff, Ive had all of Jimis for years and most of Rory Gallaghers, mostly strat players but Ive never liked the strats others let me try!
I spent 3 hours in Guitar Center today. I have an MIM Strat and a Player Tele. I Needed/Wanted a beater for when I travel for work, sitting on the couch, etc. I went in wanting the Jaguar, but it just was too fuzzy for me with the humbuckers..though it did play well. I played multiple brands at the $200 mark. Walked out with a Artic white maple neck/board Squier Sonic Strat. It plays surprisingly well. Does it sound amazing out of an amp at high volume…not really. But with an amplug3 and some D’addario 10’s on it, it is really really good for practice. I only have about 4 hours total with it today so not speaking in longevity terms but initial quality- yes it’s amazing for $200. Excellent beginner guitar or for practice and travel. Mine is made in Indonesia. Could that be a differentiator? Also did you change the strings out?
I hope this doesn’t come across as overly critical as I think your channel it’s brilliant, your videos are really helping me build an understanding about playing guitar and what to do when choosing a guitar…but…from the standpoint of a beginner, the sort I think this guitar is aimed at, some of the guitar playing gets a bit lost…I can’t tell the difference between this and another just by ear…
Efter min mening er japanske Fenders eller Squires meget undervurderede. Jeg foretrækker dem frem for USA-fremstillede versioner. Jeg har en 1983 Squire, den er overlegen i forhold til enhver USA lavet Strat, som jeg nogensinde har spillet.
How would you say do they compare with the bullet and affinity series? My first electric was a bullet and it has an amazing neck, really smooth, plays incredibly and has zero fret sprout.
Do you know Soundtrack guitars? I have a Stratocaster type, in Mexico it costs 120 dollars, it looks very good, but it is uncomfortable. Do you know anything about that brand?
I own a sonic esquire. It needed a bit of faffing around indeed. Luckily I'm into faffing around with guitars. After I fixed the sharp fret ends and set it up, it's a killer guitar. Stays in tune, nice neck. I put some probuckers in and it rocks. If you are a beginner, just buy a Harley Benton. It's way better out of the box.
Tengo una hardtail en artick White y la verdad que le hize solo una modificación le puse las cuerdas a través del cuerpo y le cambie el puente hardtail . Ahora esta perfec 🙌🙌🎸🎸
With the recent review of the Jet something guitar showing a big tremolo block and a not too dissimilar price, eh, I'd consider skipping the Fender tax.
Great review Elmo. It's obvious to me that Fender just discontinued the bullet series....and as they've renewed the affinity series recently, they've just changed the name of the old affinitys to sonic. Same guitar + different name= oh, it's new!!!!😂😂.
I just wanted to say that I was was . saying ladd.y .not lady So no disrespect intended you are correct 💯 the jet js 300 and 400 are awesome guitars these squire Sonic electric guitars are very good modding projects .plus they give you the real body shape and head stock.but for a beginner it would frustrate them.right from the beginning... keep shredding my friend . have a wonderful day...
Itse ostin muuan viikko sitten Squierin juhlavuoden straton. Satula päin peetä. Bendatessa kuului metallinen naksahdus. Nauhat hiton karkeat. Ei minkään sortin kiillotusta. Nauhojen päät terävät. E ja A kieltä oli mahdoton saada hienovireeseen. Kaiken kaikkiaan törkiä pettymys. Lähti palautukseen. Tilalle hankin Cortin G200DX:n ja johan on vallan mainio peli! Vieläpä yli puolet halvempi kuin Squier. Huushollista löytyy toinenkin Cort malliltaan G300 Pro, joka myöskin on spekseiltään monin verroin parempi soitin kuin saman hintaluokan Squierit tai Fenderit.
Very good review, but I think you were a bit unfair to a guitar that sounds so good in the demo and kept in tune so well as you abused the trem. Based on what I saw and heard, I'd buy one.
@@MrPolevaulter To be fair, it may be true that it's not the best cheap guitar out there, but the most available in many regions. The issues you pointed out should be looked out for. No one wants to go to a tech right after buying a guitar. I'd test it thoroughly and if everything is in good order, it would be my top choice for the look, the sound and the brand.
do you know fazley sheriff outlaw plus hhs, hh or sss what about those? those are not bound by high prices and brand as fender so maybe can be better for less?
I have a 40th anniversary gold edition stratocaster (my profile photo). It's more modern looking of course which I kind of love and hate. The tone is 10 out of 10... can't fault it at all. But I do like the look of these and also the vintage brand strats too. Still thinking 🤔..
The amount of budget Strats out there should convince people not to blow the bank on a Custom Shop or a Vintage. (But if you can then I can't stop you), people would complain about the tone but honestly, when have you ever kept a guitar stock? Let's be honest, when we buy new guitars excluding Custom Shops, we change a couple of the parts whether it be tuners, nut, frets, pickups, pots, and bridge. There is also little downside to having multiple budget guitars as they don't break the bank and if they do end up damaged, you could just replace the parts or buy a brand new one since it wouldn't harm the bank as a CS would.
i purchased an indio and this squier and in my experience the squier sonic was WAYYYY better than the indio. not even close. the indio had so many issues and the frets were the worst i've ever experienced. the sonic has almost 0 issues. my frets are all perfect, the neck is amazing, the body is thin and light.. the pickups are serviceable but probably the weak spot. i think if anything it just shows QC on budget guitars is spotty .
Gidday Elmo. Is it possible to get a really nice playing maple neck with extra well installed stainless frets and a locking nut for budget prices, or is it best to just cough up the bigger bucks importing a Warmoth neck to NZ? I want a So-Cal style super Strat, but with the stainless frets and a contoured heel, so I figure it's best to go the partscaster route. It will be HSS with a Super Distortion in the bridge and a YJM Fury in the neck. So it can do Dave Murray and YJM too. I am not sure about the middle pup choice yet, because it depends on wiring and if I use a vintage sounding one for the out of phase thing -- yeah, you can see I have put some thought into this -- hehe (I'll procrastinate and ponder options for a couple of years and then do it). More bloody questions sorry. My 2015 Mexican Standard Strat with a HS3 and two HS4s off an old YJM Strat (that i just had to wax pot, because they had gone microphonic). Great, comfy neck that I really like, but the bridge and tuners are kind of budget, almost junk feeling. Mexi Strats have different dimensions to US ones. Have you ever upgraded the six screw tremolo bridge on a Mexi one? If so, what did you choose and was it worth it? Tuners will be worth upgrading for sure, but I have to find out the hole size -- probably Gotoh size I guess. Cheers. 😎 P.S. I have been watching your vids since when you had less than 1K subs. You keep the YJM flag flying high. I have noticed you have ditched the DOD 250 style pedals for the Strymon Riverside (or is it the Sunset you use?). Better results for the 'more is more' thing? Yep, massive YJM fan. Jimmy Page fan too, who I have recently been informed is my cousin in law (so I wrangle in my head how I can possibly meet him and pester him with a million questions lol). The other tone I chase is Viv Campbell when he was with Dio. Killer tone with so much sizzle. Randy Rhoads too of course. Not so much EVH. Not because I do not like it though. That rabbit hole is just too crowded for my liking, if you know what I mean.
Credo che la prossima chitarra sarà proprio una Sonic Stratocaster. Non trovo problemi nelle chitarre elettriche economiche (per gli strumenti acustici è diverso), con un buon settaggio e qualche economica modifica si riesce ad ottenere quasi sempre quel che serve per ogni uso. Ho chitarre Harley Benton, Peavey, Gregg Bennet, ho avuto anche Fender, Ibanez e chitarre di liuteria (poi vendute, purtroppo sempre modelli di qualità non corrispondente al loro costo). Proverò la Squier Sonic perche mi trovo meglio con i tasti bassi e sottili e il radius abbastanza curvo, per qualche motivo quasi tutti oggi preferiscono tastiere piatte, per me che non sono un virtuoso 7,5" e 9,5" invece son perfetti. Ottimi anche gli economici pickup ceramici se si usano pedaliere digitali, ho necessità tra gli altri di avere anche il suono della chitarra acustica simulata, in questo gli economici ceramici mi sembra rendano anche meglio dei blasonati Alnico. Peccato che Harley Benton non faccia modelli con radius vintage.
Elmo must have done a hundred of these cheap guitars in videos over the years. In this video he points out a large established musical industry name charging a premium for a product sold by many. The product does not have characteristics that differentiate it from others. They sell basically the same guitar over and over with different names. They don't seem to work on solving some of the problems with the product. For example: My old Acoustic Suzuki guitar has a zero fret nut. Wouldn't that be a simple solution to some of the fret buzz that is often found with these beginner guitars? It would probably cost the manufacturer zero. Thanks for another review.
I actually had a Jet not so long ago, but in my case the tuners were absolute garbage, it had sharp fret ends and possibly one of the sloppiest paint jobs I’ve ever had on any guitar (overspray and runs under the clear coat). I kept it and sorted out all of the problems other than the paint obviously, but I doubt a beginner would get around them. It is refreshing to see an honest review on these though. There are far too many people getting these things for free and making nice with the manufacturers.
At the price point the sonics are coming in, for just a few quid more you can get a far bettet quality strat from JET guitars in my opinion. *They come with a full trem block as standard as well. Not wild on the JET necks personally, as they all have vintage frets, but if you whip them off and add a 60's style neck with medium jumbo frets for example. All good 😎👍 *love your vids Elmo, Im a new subscriber to your channel. You're class brother! 😎 cheers, Dave.
