The Fender Squier Debut. Cheap, Chinese and Name Brand? 

No problem. Thanks for watching.

No problem. Thanks for tuning in. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

Joe seems like a great guy, I enjoy his channel.👍

@@kennyg63 I agree. I like the live show.

There are some better Squiers for sure. If you can get a MIM Fender in the $400 to $500 you're getting a good deal. I'd say out of all the "cheap" guitars I've reviewed, I'd put this one near the bottom of the list.

I appreciate that thank you.

Just keep in mind, it is the 1.6" thick body not the 1.75". They are thinner than a regular Fender.

@@JayceAllanGuitar will Fender pickups fit in it?

@@Yougotadollar I don't know for certain, but they should. Pickups are typically pretty universal.

Keep me posted.

Makes sense. Plus, just like car makers, guitar manufacturers know that people think cheap = poor quality and performance and the expensive = high quality and outstanding performance. Which may have been true back when both cars and guitars were made by just a handful of companies by manual labor. But automation has leveled the playing field. So now manufacturers just make multiple tiers of prices just because they know people will pay for a “perceived” increase in quality or performance. When in reality there isn’t much difference between the cheapest Chinese no name guitar and the most expensive Fender or Gibson. About the only thing that you should see is some better components like full sized pots, higher quality tuners, and maybe better fretwork. But will any of those things translate to better tone? Probably not. Maybe a longer lasting instrument. But the frets, neck, body pickguard etc are all the same. I really want to get an American made Fender then get a couple of my good friends who are amazing guitar players and have them play the same song on all the different levels of guitar and do a blind test. Then do another video where I reveal the result.

I noticed that "Trend" too and had a feeling it wasn't just spontaneous or inflation and the Classic Vibes from the excellent Chinese Yako factory were better than the Indonesian ones today. The "CY" serial number usually means it's going to be made well from my own experience even with Affinities years ago.

Oh right! I didn't even think of that.

I agree. A thousand dollar should be ready to go.

I've been wanting a Classic Vibe. They are nice looking.

@@JayceAllanGuitar I ordered the sunburst debut strat and amazon delivered it today. For $119.00 it plays well and I am really impressed.I like the matt look as vintage strats were finished in nitro which gives it the vintage look.

I tend to agree with that. I assume every player is different. Some might like higher string height, some lower.

​@@JayceAllanGuitarI was pleasantly surprised to find the setup on the fsr squier sonic bronco I ordered direct from fender was great right out the box...so I ordered a different fsr bronco from guitar center and it wasn't anywhere near as good

Yes and yes. Different climates also are a huge factor.

Every once in awhile you might buy one used where the dude before just happened to like it set up the way you did but yeah 99% of the time everyone of them needs a set up.

Hello Sir if you fretted your chords correctly you'd sound in tune.none of your fingers are placed correctly on your frets.

It was cool that you were part of the live stream on Joe's channel today! 👍

@@toddr2375 Yeah that was fun. I dig his channel. He's fun to watch.

@@JayceAllanGuitar I agree. I like the more grassroots channels like his. I got tired of guys like Darrell Braun making Glarrys sound like high-end Fenders, with all of the overdone post-production... I only recently found your channel, and subscribed after watching the 1st video. 🙂

I dig Darrell, but some of his guitars are way beyond my budget. But he's a fabulous guitar player. I try to give the "average" guitar player's perspective. I'm not an amazing player, just a noodeler, but I love guitars. Just love em. I just find it fun to play them and talk about them. I appreciate you tuning in.

I'm a big fan of Epi's but they are going up in price lately too!

@@JayceAllanGuitar Yes but still way cheaper than a Gibson SG or Les Paul or a Fender Strat, not made in mexico.

I was fortunate enough to have recently bought an Epi Street Kat at £265 (reduced on Ebay by £50 as an interested looker) and I have to say that if I'd bought it at the original £619 fee, I'd be happy as it's an all round quality Guitar Some guhs have all the luck eh? 😆

I love a good bargain. I buy a lot of second hand guitars. So many aren't even touched. I've bought guitars from Goodwill (a donation facility) and they still had all the plastic on the pickguards and tuners.

I had a Purple Classic Vibe made in China much better than the new Indonesian ones. Tone Rider pickups. I regret selling it, that color was a mistake and never seen again.

Great loss. I've heard many times that the Chinese-made Classic Vibe had great pickups. I bought the Squier 40th Anniversary Telecaster Vintage Edition in Dakota Red at a bargain price and I am very pleased with it. The neck is made very well. No sharp frets. Rolled fretboard edges. Nice to the touch satin finish. The only drawback is that muddy neck pickup.

I just got a nut slot file set, so I'm going to do a video on a setup for this guitar, see if I can't get it playing better.

I actually play bass in a bar band. I’m not great at it. I had no idea there was a Debut bass. I’ll see if I can get my hands on one.

I dig the thin finish on a lot of the acoustics lately. The open pore.

Your story seems to be common nowadays. We all like to play and collect guitars but when a US made Fender is pushing closer to $2000 and Gibsons are well above that cost, even Epiphones are getting up there, these inexpensive Asian made guitars really fit the bill. I’m very impressed by guitars $200 and under.

@@JayceAllanGuitar I have made some killer telecasters by modding bullet guitars. I put quarter pound pickups and twisted pickups in them and they just play!!!

I upgraded it. It's not stock anymore, but I'd be willing to sell it if you're actually serious.

Kind of how I feel about cheap guitars. I'd never worry about someone walking off with a $100 Chinese made guitar...an American made Fender Strat however? That would grow legs pretty fast.

A few others suggested that too. I’m going to order a nut slot file set and give this guitar a full setup.

Yeah the stock pickups are pretty thin sounding

@@JayceAllanGuitar That's why I love how modular Strats are.

@@christopheraaron8299 And most stuff fits too.

Valid question, but in the case of the Squier, I was able to intonate it. But I did end up upgrading this guitar and did a separate video on that. I will say the neck on the Debut is excellent. I might build a new body for it.

Thank you.

@@JayceAllanGuitar - You're welcome! 😊

Beginner here! … How do I know if mine needs a set-up?

@@GG-jw8pt a properly set up guitar is easier to play. The strings don't buzz, they aren't high from the fret board, the picks ups are correctly distanced from the strings, and it's intonated so the notes stay in tune at all positions on the fretboard. MOST guitars will need a set up, unless it was done at the store before you bought one. Even the best guitars could need set-up work doing as humidity changes and transit can affect them.

@@AuramiteEX Cheers mate! 👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Answer to your first question is “maybe”. There are a few different things that effect tuning. If you have the proper intonation and notes are equal at the 1st and 12th frets then check nut slot depth. If the string height is too high when the notes are fretted it can bend the string and cause the note to go sharp. If that isn’t the problem then check the fret measurements and make sure they are correct. If the frets were set at the incorrect distances then your guitar will never intonate. Second comment: I agree. I think with a lot of playing the oils from your hands would get into the wood.

@@JayceAllanGuitar Years ago, I used to get gunky necks on my acoustic guitars from my sweat. That doesn't happen anymore. It's probably because I don't press as hard. Once in a while I'll notice a touch of grey discolouration on the neck of my Affinity tele, and it wipes off with a damp cloth. I hated the thing you used to get on Fender maple necks, where because of poor sealing, the moisture would get into the wood, and turn it black. Of course people loved that because it was "vintage".

@@martymcfly1776 Yuk. I’ve never owned any one guitar long enough to get worn like that. Longest guitar I’ve owned in my Eastman acoustic since about 2015 I think, so almost ten years. Gets a sweat line where my arm rests on the body but cleans off easily. That guitar has matte, open pore finish.

I have a couple guitars with the ball end frets, ans they are sized pretty well. There's a very slight wave on one of the guitars, but nothing dramatic.

9-1/2"

amzn.to/3TPYcup

Thanks.

Poplar body, lighter than my Ash and Alder guitars, but not as light as basswood. This one is 21 frets. Nut slots could probably be a tad lower, but overall it definitely needs to be intonated. I'm going to order a set of nut slot files tonight.

That would be…a different guitar than this

Are you sure it was made in Mexico and it was this one on sale on Amazon.

This one is definitely made in China, says so on the back of the headstock. I can't imagine why a Firefly wouldn't hold up, unless it was one of the older models. The ones released in the last year are pretty amazing. I think I'm going to do a video on upgrading this Debut.

@@sunnohh some were made in mexico, like in the 90s. I see a few on eBay.

Is that code for something! LOL

Seems okay. It didn't act like it wanted to screw in very far, like a couple turns and it was already tight, that doesn't seem normal to me. It functions as it should though, I won't know about tuning stability until I get it intonated.

Good to know. I think you can still use the full length sustain block but it sticks out a bit. I suppose if you have a hack saw you could cut it down! LOL

They have a lot of issues.

For less money one could by several guitars that are as good or better.

@popsfereal3192 They seem to be hit or miss. I've seen some folks complaining about quality in some of the discussion groups, but the one I got (FFST) is absolutely amazing.

Not a bad guitar,but for $196 you can get a Firefly FFST with locking tuners,full size electronics, bone nut and stainless steel frets. Things that take the playing experience to the next level.

Lol😂 and you'll have to learn how to work on them too

I've only ever changed out pickups. I know some folks will update the trem block to the bigger version and maybe change tuners to locking variety. You can find parts on Amazon of course, Guitar Fetish or Stewart MacDonald. Loaded pick guards are an easy upgrade.

@@JayceAllanGuitar I appreciate the reply. I have heard that on the loaded pick guards the screw don’t always lone up. I would feel uncomfortable drilling into my guitar. Lol

Yes, that can be an issue. Some are 9 screw, some are 11, I think.

@@kennyg63 I would drill into a $100 guitar in a minute. A $1000 one, not so fast.

@@davidsteinberg8024 Lol

Definitely. I'll try to tackle that tomorrow and do a follow up video.

Nope. Standard scale length. 25-1/2”

@@JayceAllanGuitar 👍

Okay, a toober in another video said it has a 9.5 radius.

Yes, 9.5" Did I say 7.25" somewhere in the video? If I did I misspoke. The video description say 9.5" and my gauge measures 9.5".

No, you didn't say it was 7.25. I was just saying I'm interested in trying out a guitar with a 7.25 radius. I have a Cort with a 9.5 radius so it would be a bit redundant.

Ah. Got it. I’m not aware of too many off brand guitars with the 7.25” radius. I think you’d need to go with a vintage style like maybe the Vintera?

Yeah the nut slots aren't deep enough in my opinion.

@@bigbasil1908 Frankly, my $750 Fender American Special intonated much the same straight out of the box. So much for USA QC.

I just thought it looked sharp. I've owned a ton of sunburst strats!

Someone else mentioned that also. I'm going to get a file set and file them out. I think I'm definitely going to do a video on setting this up.

@@JayceAllanGuitar I have some hofner shorty guitars and each one of them plays sharp on the first three or so frets because the nut slots aren't deep enough. I haven't gotten around to sorting them out yet because the plastic nuts that are on them seem awkward to file, as opposed to bone nuts which would be a lot more simple to file. Because they are plastic, I don't get dust come off when using the nut file. I will get round to it in the end though, and I plan on eventually replacing all the nuts with either brass or bone. It seems certain guitar manufacturers don't bother to properly set up the guitar, and if you're buying from an online only store, they won't set them up properly either unfortunatey.

Interesting. I have never messed with nut slot depth, but I always tend to go sharp on open strings and chords closer to the nut. I always thought it was operator error, like I smashed on the frets too hard. But I think this might be my solution.

@@JayceAllanGuitar I've had a japanese squier strat since 1994 and that thing never plays sharp. But it was from a proper shop who had set the thing up. These days we often will buy a guitar from an online store, and unless those online stores are an extension of physical shops, the guitars won't be set up at all - or will be in factory condition, so it will depend on the factory if it has been set up or not. A lot of guitars are sold and are pieces of s**t only because they have not had a proper set up. I have a pretty looking ibanez electro acoustic that plays perfectly and is set up, which I also got from a physical shop - I had a go of the guitar and just wanted it to be mine. I have 3 hofner shorties and a hofner shorty bass that are not set up and the nut slots are too high on all 4. They play sharp and there is fret buzz on all 4 guitars lol. I will get round to setting them up. Terrible guitars from the factory but set up they are quite decent instruments

@@JayceAllanGuitar The only time the strings should go sharp when fretted is with scalloped fretboards in my opinion. On a normal fretboard you should be able to hold the strings down firmly and be perfectly in tune. It took me quite a while to figure out its the nut slots, but I finally got it through watching a few twoodfrd guitar repair videos (he's really good)

I would have to agree. I've played the Firefly brand which has been amazing, but a bit more money. The Harley Benton's I have played were very good. I also high recommend the Donner brand also. I've owned a few and they're great guitars. Also, eBay is a surprisingly good resource for refurbished or returned guitars for Donner.

Yeah. Check out my channel. I did a follow up video where I set the intonation and filed the slots. Plays way better now.

I couldn’t agree more

I agree. It should be ready to play out of the box.

Intonation is shortening or lengthening the scale length in order to make each note on each fret the correct pitch. Every note on every string up and down the neck should be in tune. But yes, if intonation is off, the notes can be more out of tune the further you go up the neck.

@@JayceAllanGuitar That's what I thought. My point is that if the G at the 3rd fret is off it is so close to the nut that the problem is far more likely the string being out of tune than intonation. At the 15th fret then yes, assuming the string is in tune it is certainly intonation but at the 3rd fret I'd bet more on a tuning issue.

Ah, got ya. That could be. Yes, usually the further down you go toward the nut, the more in tune it will be and worse as you go toward the bridge.

🤣😂

Thanks. My playing is definitely sloppy but this guitar was certainly out of intonation. I did a separate video showing the setup and it sounds a lot better. Thanks for the comment.

May I also add to this "heads-up" that the Low E-string is meant to be _silent_ when playing a D chord? 😊👍

Okay, I thought the Squiers were all Korean made or something like that, didn't know they had a line made in China. This one is just kind of an oddball because it just appeared out of nowhere on Amazon and is only $119. Do they still make the bullet?

​@@JayceAllanGuitarThe sonic series replaced the bullet series

Good to hear it. I did a setup on it, and shot a video for it. It sounds much better now.

Thanks. I’ve noticed that sometimes while editing. I should increase the volume on those parts. Not sure why I do that.

@@JayceAllanGuitar You have really good helpful info. Helped me a lot. Thank you.

@@johnlew5972 No problem, thanks for watching.

The CNC machines themselves are all made in China! 😜

Yeah, probably if you take it somewhere, but if you find a tutorial on YT it's not so far out of whack that a person couldn't do it themselves.

Yeah, they're a but thin.

Yup, I did, video is forthcoming. It's almost an hour long so I need to find the time to watch it again and make sure it's all good. Hope to post it this weekend.

I think so. I get so many comments about how out of tune the guitar is, so I think you're right. I'll stop, take it to the bench and do a quick setup, even if I add it to the video as a time lapse, then come back and show how it plays with proper intonation. Then I don't need to make a separate follow up video.

Kind of what I thought, but then someone told me that these are guitars they market in India, so maybe they were just trying to get rid of inventory. Will be interesting to see if they sell more on Amazon.

Turns out that the technology to fix intonation on an electric guitar is available to the public these days.

@@SDCromwell Awhile ago Sean at Scar My Guitar got in a guitar that couldn't be intonated the way it was. He had to mill out the bridge cavity and set the bridge back further.

@@SDCromwell I once owned a "Vintage" V6 Strat copy, and its bridge was so far out I had to plug the 6 holes and re-drill them to move it several millimetres before it would intonate.

@@timmooney7528 I've had a couple guitars that way, where you couldn't move the saddles back far enough. Luckily I ended up taking the springs out and cutting them. Then it worked, but if the scale length isn't right, or worse, if the frets aren't spaced correctly, then no amount of adjusting the saddles will fix it.

@@1man1guitarletsgo That sucks. I own one of those too, and it was a pretty nice guitar. I think quality varies on these brands because they probably use a handful of different plants in China to meet demand, and quality varies from one to the other.

Agreed. Looks like the cheapest Squier on Fender's website is $199.

That's a ridiculously stupid statement.

@@jasonodell79er Which?

Well it’s obviously not for the pro and doesn’t try to pass itself off as a pro guitar. It’d be a great guitar for a beginner or someone that just likes to sit in their basement studio and noodle around. Not all guitar players aspire to be a pro or to even play in front of people. And yes, not everyone has hundreds of dollars to invest in a guitar, which they may consider a frivolous purchase. So to answer your question, lots of people would buy one. I did.

Fair enough.

I don't care about the name brand or the price. If I play a guitar and it feels good in the hand and plays well I will buy it. With that said, I have played Squiers that played as good as an expensive American Strat. I have even played custom shop Strats that were nothing to write home about, and some that were amazing. The bad ones and the good ones still had the same price tag. On a separate note, I buy Toyota cars because they are better than any American car. That is the only "brand" product that I stand by. Have a nice day.

Some older squires were made in mexico, same factory that makes fenders. Only real difference was that fenders came with nicer hardware. As far playability, they sound the same if they both used the same hardware. They both hold their value very well, fenders usually can go for more if it were parted out. I would just practice on the cheap stuff, then buy the expensive ones when you are good enough to tell the difference. Probably won't big a big difference from what people say.

You mileage may vary.

Epiphone has upped their game in the last 5 years or so. Check out the specs on the 59 re-issue Les Paul with Gibson Burstbucker pickups, CTS pots with 59 wiring, and Switchcraft 3-way. Mine plays slightly better than my Gibson, due to the more comfortable neck. That's not the only example of Epiphone's current quality, and it's much more consistent than Squier.

I have to admit, at this price I'm toying with the idea of getting this Squier. Going to mull it over for a bit.

For sure. Epi has become better than Gibson. I'm eyeing those Inspired By Gibson Custom Les Pauls. Pretty nice looking. But Gibson has to do something to make their guitars more affordable. The manufacturers have learned the same thing car companies learned, you need a range of products that cover all price points.

AHHHHHHAHAHAHAHAA. You're hilarious. Rich! LOL. Thanks for that laugh. Wow. I spent $120 or so on this guitar from Amazon (no one gave it to me). In fact I own a total of one guitars that were given to me by a vendor. My channel has just over 500 subscribers, so I'm not even monetized yet. The one channel I run that is monetized (not guitar reviews) is raking in a whopping $1200 to $2000 a month! If I had the subscribers that Spectre Sound Studios has, then I might be "rich". But there a lot of variables when it comes to how much you make. But hey, thanks for the comment.

@@JayceAllanGuitar Just about every amature woodworker has a CNC in their shop, making a good guitar body and neck is only as difficult as it is to program a CNC machine, It's the rest of the guitar that is the issue. Sure you can play a $100 guitar, that doesn't mean it's enjoyable or good for someone just learning to play. For $100 more people could get a Yamaha Pacifica that is literally in a different universe than these budget guitars and it would set them up for a much better learning experience and path forward... You know this thing is crap, how many dreams do you want to destroy by claiming it's not ?

So you're going from me getting rich making RU-vid content to me destroying dreams. Now THAT'S what I call rich! I've played the Pacifica, they're a decent guitar, but at the $0 - $300 (or even $400) price points, you're not going to see a ton of difference in quality or even tone. So let me ask you something, have you actually played the debut? Or are you just making assumptions? Other than the lack of setup on the Debut, it's a decent guitar. I would have been completely happy to have a guitar that good when I started learning. The few Pacifica's that I've played I wasn't impressed with. For the price, they should be better than they are, so why spend more money on a guitar that is basically the same as the Squier Debut or any of the other cheap guitars? You won't agree with me anyway, but you seem to think that I'm some snake oil salesman getting rich off promoting cheap guitars at the expense of beginning guitar players. Which is hilarious because there's no incentive for me to promote these guitars. I get nothing for it. My channel makes 0 dollars. I buy all the gear I review with my own money. I'm trying to give people an honest picture of what they can expect if they choose to buy one. I love how people like you rush to the comments all in a yank, and none of you have put the time in to create a channel and publish your own reviews. So much easier to criticize other people's efforts. At the end of the day, I don't care what you do, buy one, don't buy one. It's your choice. I'm going to continue to make content about all sorts of guitars from cheap to expensive. The people that find value in the content will continue to tune in and I'm sure the people like you that just want to complain about everything will always be here as well. Makes me want to buy a Pacifica now and compare it to this Squier.

@@JayceAllanGuitar I quit playing guitar when I was a kid because of these cheap guitars, I don't want to see that happen to others. I'm all for low cost guitars but not cheap guitars, and that's exactly what these Amazon specials are, cheap guitars. But we will see, maybe in 35 years from now the Amazon Squire Debut will be in literally every guitar shop and be one of the number one recommended budget friendly guitar that punches well above it's price point... Like a Pacifica. As for the rest of your comment, Squire Affinity, Peavey Raptor plus, Yamaha Pacifica, the Ibanez ... There are lot's of companies that make lower cost guitars. These are what you should be promoting, not these toys designed for no other reason than to extract money from peoples wallets. Anyway, Good luck with your channel.

@@tr-lj2vx Again, unless you've actually held this guitar physically in your hands, you have no idea what you're talking about. You're just making assumptions. For people that are on very tight budgets, and surprise, surprise, not everyone is a "rich" RU-vidr like me, another $100 could be the difference between getting a guitar and not getting one. I too got frustrated by my first guitar, a 3/4 size Harmony with action 10 feet tall. I hated playing on that guitar. All the cheap guitars I review would be more than suitable for a beginner. And I am always very clear about whether a guitar will need work or not. Again, easy for you to cast stones, since you have nothing to lose. You just call this guitar junk and a toy, and go about your merry way. I have played a ton of guitars in price points from $50 to $2500 and this guitar is a very solid and usable guitar. I suspect your complaint is more about the country these guitars are made in and less about the guitar itself.

I'm sure your review is much better.

They’re really thin.