Squier Classic Vibe 6-String Solid Body Electric Guitar - Right-Handed, White Blonde Finish (Model 0374005501) | Perfect for Beginners, Home Recording & Live Performances

I'm a casual intermediate player of roughly 10 years on and off. I've borrowed or owned several budget to mid-range guitars including a Yamaha Pacifica, Early 90s Japanese Fender Heartfield, mid 2000s MIM Stratocaster, and Peavey SC-3. All of these were either sold or given back 6 months ago before a series of moves. Recently, I decided to buy another guitar to get back into it.I was prepared to get the American Strat of my childhood dreams, but I knew that kind of money would have been overkill for my skill level and intentions. The Player Strat was the next best alternative, but I wanted to test out something a little cheaper just for kicks. Research led me to Squire, particularly the Affinity and Classic Vibe series. I can’t lie. Seeing "Squire" on the headstock instead of "Fender" stung a bit at first, but I realized I'm not nearly talented enough to be that picky so I swallowed my pride. I ended up testing this guitar alongside a Squire Affinity Telecaster. Long story short, this guitar is my personal favorite over anything else I've owned/borrowed, and it's also what I believe is the greatest value I've ever gotten for a guitar.When I first received this guitar, I was very disappointed because it arrived with some cosmetic damage and blemishes. It definitely appeared to be a factory QC issue or was a return/floor model. Fortunately, Amazon was able to fix the situation quickly. Overall, it appears this was an uncommon issue.With that out of the way, I'm glad I gave the Classic Vibe another chance. This guitar screams quality and classic style. The color is a beautiful Fiesta Red that I swear changes throughout the day. Sometimes I see hot rod red, sometimes coral, and sometimes even orange. The neck, fretboard, and headstock of the guitar are maple with a heavy lacquer "gym floor" finish that make moving up the fretboard quick and smooth. The headstock has a classic narrow shape and vintage style tuners. What sets this guitar apart is that the quality of the materials seem very high for the price. This is an Indonesian factory model while the Affinity Series Tele I tested was a Chinese factory model. It honestly had shockingly good sound and looks for just over $200, but I could still tell the quality of materials took a significant hit and probably wouldn't have stood the test of time. I had the same experience with my Peavey SC-3 from six years ago; great sound for $399 but cheap paint and materials immediately started to degrade. I will update this review as necessary with time, but I have a great feeling about this Classic Vibe.Sound-wise, I'm pretty blown away. Out of the box, I experienced zero fret buzz and great action. The sound is bright and clean, and I believe it matches or exceeds the sound quality I got out of my mid-2000s MIM Strat. I'm no audiophile, but this guitar truly sounds like something more expensive.Make no mistake. This is not a $1200-$2000 American Strat. However, based on my experience and that of several Youtubers, it appears Classic Vibe can at least give the $699 Fender MIM Strat and even the $899 Fender Vintera a lot more competition than you would expect. Now knowing what $300-$500 gets for a guitar these days, I'm not sure I'll ever be able to justify the cost of a name brand Fender as a hobby guitarist.Conclusion: This is a lot more guitar than I expected for $399. It screams quality, and I've fallen in love with its classic style. This appears to be as good as it gets for the beginner/intermediate casual guitar player, yet I bet it could hang just fine with a more talented gig musician too. Unfortunately, they may get fewer groupies with "Squire" on the headstock!Additionally, the price jump between the Affinity Series Telecaster at $229 and the $399 Classic Vibe Stratocaster is definitely something I advice biting the bullet for. While the sound quality of the Affinity really was impressive, the quality of materials and construction are pretty far apart. I can't speak on behalf of the Affinity Stratocaster, but I assume the same. Do yourself a favor: buy this guitar and play your favorite song from the 50s to break it in. I don't think you'll be disappointed.Edit: One picture has a switched out pickguard