I just bought this guitar today, in the same color. I was really pleasantly surprised by it! I wanted something inexpensive but playable that I could leave in my locker at work to play on my downtime. This guitar fit the bill perfectly. I had to run a fine file along the edges of the fretboard and scrape some glue of it, but after that I played it for a few hours. You really cannot beat this guitar for the price. Its great.
Thanks, Mike! Not as grumpy as I expected, but great stuff. Squiers have become pretty playable out of the box in recent years. 15 years ago they needed a FULL setup before you could even dream of plugging them in.
I recently purchased a Squire Affinity, and it was just $300 so I was not expecting much, it has the nicest fret ends of all my guitars, all perfect little ball ends, maybe I won the guitar lottery or they have the process down to a fine art. Budget guitars have made leaps and bounds in the last 10 years. I have new locking tuners coming today and roller trees, I will upgrade a lot, but the basic bones are very solid. My version - FMT HSS Guitar Maple Neck Black Burst. I really liked the unfinished feel of the neck, I still ended up sanding the backside with 1500 grit to polish it out a little, super smooth now.
Mine needed the fret ends dressed but was super after that. I did the opposite I polished the back of the neck why makes it very slick. I would rather have a smooth finished neck vs raw wood. The idea of bare wood is just erroneous programming from the guitar community.
Heard your name many times on Know Your Gear podcast, first time running across your channel. I dig your vibe, sir. Subscribed. You chose the correct color. Manchester City blue!
I have had the Squier Sonic HSS Strat in Tahitian Coral on order for 9 days now from GC and it still shows on backorder, the blue you have looks great looking forward to seeing more on these guitars.
Hey Mike LOOKs nice! Love black and Blue. Always look forward to a new GM video. cant wait for the next on this guitar. Enjoy, and Im tyrying to be good✌
My #1 go to has been a Squier Affinity Jazzmaster HH after a Grover upgrade. I liked it soo much I got another one, but didn't gel with that one as well. Squier IMO has been killing it with the QC on their affordable offerings for well over a decade. My bass is a VM Jaguar HB, and I wouldn't sell it for world. Great vid man!
I'm not sure, but my bigger issue is that "new" gear shod arrive in its original packaging. Dealers shouldn't discard the original box, then ship the guitar in whatever box they have laying around.
Good looking guitar! It should be a good one once you put new string on and get it dialed in. I also don't like it when guitars show up and they're not double-boxed. Especially if the guitar isn't in a case or gig bag. Is the body thinner than a Fender Strat?
I’m looking to pull the plug on one of these when they hit the UK, can I ask with the thin body does it affect the tone or playability at all, Great Video
@@grumpymikeguitar thank you for getting back to me and that’s good to know, I tried one of the squire bullet mustang and the thin body made the tuning go flat if you was a little heavy handed with the neck, thanks for the response and enjoy the guitar it looks great
Nice! I love mine. I have two Fender Squiers Back in 2017 I bought a new lefy Stratocaster Standard series made in Indonesia. I put a graftech nut on it along with roller saddles and string trees and ratio locking tuners then I ordered mojotone electronics and SRV Type pickups. Then I blacked out every thing. I replaced the tortoiseshell pickguard with a pearloid black and gray pickguard. Knobs covers, switches everything Black. It has a Rosewood fretboard and the body is in Dark oxblood red and black burst. That was my first upgrade project and I learned so much. It is bad to the bone and a forever guitar. My other squire is a Affinity Stratocaster and it's just the way I got it new and got a good one and I have only replaced the nut and saddles along with new string trees all by Graphtec. It looks like you got a good one too. It looks and sounds like it to me. Looking forward to seeing what you do with your new one. Thanks for the great unboxing video. It always makes my day to see your videos and you doing well. Thanks again.
Thanks for the kind words. Those guitars sound like they're fantastic. I've gotta admit, I've gained a lot of respect for the Squiers over the last few years. They're great for beginners and easy to upgrade as you advance. Gotta love that.
@@grumpymikeguitar this is usually the limiting factor with the Bullet, now Sonic series WRT limiting options to upgrade trem block or 5 way switch. I'm sure you know this already. So I'm interested to see what you do. I like them due to reduced weight. I have a cheap thin bodied beater strat I picked up secondhand. The front routing for pickups and rear routing for springs intersect, there is no wood there!
Awesome review. Appreciate a realistic look of the blue, have one of the precision basses in the same color on order but couldn't get a grasp of the real color not under studio lights.
Mine had a hard to see small hairline crack in the neck pocket but mine is the hh model mustang california blue and the neck pickup is very crooked in the hole, is there a way to make it straight or am i just stuck with it that way?
I just bought the same one up in here in Chinada, paid 279$ canadian yens, canceled my aliexpress strat taking to long to ship, now this one should get to me in a day or 2 looking forward to it owned a bullet many years ago looking forward to this one
Hey I’ve seen your name on Phil’s channel. Nice to put a face to the name. Squier’s got good stuff now, I’m taking apart my 40th anniversary Jazzmaster as I watch this.
Which one you go with? I got one on the way. I was so torn on the 4 40th jazzys. The colors are so cool. I'm.hoping I don't regret not getting the seafoam. I like the maple board.i like the others tho as they have block inlays but I'm sick of laurel. So I went with the desert sand. Looking forward to the satin feel and aged hardware vibe they went for
@@NintenDub I went with the seafoam. If I can get a green guitar that’s what I’ll go with lol. Not sure if the shop set it up or it just came from the factory but it played great out the box. The satin feel is nice, and I like the neck shape because it feels a little flatter than a regular C neck.
Always love to watch your videos, but I don't get notifications when they come out. I usually just stumble into them. I love the bullet series, and I hope these Sonics are as good as the Bullets.
Not sure why you aren't getting notifications, but if you follow me on Instagram, @grumpymike335, I always post that I have a new video. As for the Sonic Series, judging by this Strat, I think it's definitely better than the Bullets. Thanks for watching the channel.
@@deadchannel8031 yes, I will most likely put a set of Fender locking tuners on it and upgrade the pickups. Down the road, if I decide to hang on to it, I might even make a bone nut for it.
@@deadchannel8031 I always put better saddles and bone nut, polish the frets , oil fretboard . Then change the pickups and controls later if u want. Tuners are the last to change for me and if I do change them I prefer vintage over locking as I hate neck dive. I shimmed the neck a bit on one of the 3 FSR bullet mustangs I recently bought too and am gonna re-shape and colour the headstock on another to match the body.. Some custom stickers and now have 3 awesome guitars customised , (SS, HS, P90) . Love ,‘em. The bullet fsr also has contoured body and comp stripes too and look great.
Would've been nice to hear the clean tone of the neck/middle pickup position 4. That's immediately the sound I imagine when I think of a Stratocaster. Think John Mayer "Slow Dancing In A Burning Room". I definitely enjoyed the unboxing though!
Sonic series missing the roasted maple neck of many budget offerings seems like a lost opportunity. I have so far avoided ordering a guitar online, preferring local new or used sellers, and I always play before I buy or how will I know if I'll bond with it. With many online purchases we aren't going to bond and there will be a compromise we're stuck with since RMAs are a PITA and few of us will bother. Face to face purchase generally we will catch those potentially annoying things, so long as we check everything carefully.
I agree, I much prefer to try before I buy. Unfortunately, that is something that is rapidly going by the wayside. These days, the odds of finding the exact guitar you want at your local shop are getting pretty dam high. At least with most reputable online retailers, the return policies are pretty good. You still get to try it before fully committing to the purchase. The biggest drawback is that the whole process consumes a lot more time. As for roasted maple necks, they a great and I do like them. However, I've played more than one roasted maple neck that just flat out sucked. I think they have their place, but I don't think they are the be all end all.
Hey Mike you don't look too grumpy to me thanks for sharing your new guitar sounds great have a good day
I just bought this guitar today, in the same color. I was really pleasantly surprised by it! I wanted something inexpensive but playable that I could leave in my locker at work to play on my downtime. This guitar fit the bill perfectly. I had to run a fine file along the edges of the fretboard and scrape some glue of it, but after that I played it for a few hours. You really cannot beat this guitar for the price. Its great.
Yup, it's really is a pretty good guitar. I love the fact that you wanted something for down time at work. 🤘
@@grumpymikeguitar Lol, thanks. I played that thing for three hours straight last night!
The frets are too small for my taste.
Thanks, Mike! Not as grumpy as I expected, but great stuff. Squiers have become pretty playable out of the box in recent years. 15 years ago they needed a FULL setup before you could even dream of plugging them in.
I recently purchased a Squire Affinity, and it was just $300 so I was not expecting much, it has the nicest fret ends of all my guitars, all perfect little ball ends, maybe I won the guitar lottery or they have the process down to a fine art. Budget guitars have made leaps and bounds in the last 10 years. I have new locking tuners coming today and roller trees, I will upgrade a lot, but the basic bones are very solid. My version - FMT HSS Guitar Maple Neck Black Burst. I really liked the unfinished feel of the neck, I still ended up sanding the backside with 1500 grit to polish it out a little, super smooth now.
Mine needed the fret ends dressed but was super after that. I did the opposite I polished the back of the neck why makes it very slick. I would rather have a smooth finished neck vs raw wood. The idea of bare wood is just erroneous programming from the guitar community.
Heard your name many times on Know Your Gear podcast, first time running across your channel. I dig your vibe, sir. Subscribed.
You chose the correct color. Manchester City blue!
Found your channel after jamming on TTK’s comments with you. Subscribed!
I have had the Squier Sonic HSS Strat in Tahitian Coral on order for 9 days now from GC and it still shows on backorder, the blue you have looks great looking forward to seeing more on these guitars.
Hey Mike LOOKs nice! Love black and Blue. Always look forward to a new GM video. cant wait for the next on this guitar. Enjoy, and Im tyrying to be good✌
yup, looks like Standard FedEx shipping to me, did you happen to find it in your neighbors yard?
🤣 No, the shipper required a signature so I had to sit at home all day to sign for it.
My #1 go to has been a Squier Affinity Jazzmaster HH after a Grover upgrade. I liked it soo much I got another one, but didn't gel with that one as well.
Squier IMO has been killing it with the QC on their affordable offerings for well over a decade.
My bass is a VM Jaguar HB, and I wouldn't sell it for world.
Great vid man!
You are correct, Squire has been killing it and so has Epiphone. It's a great time to be a guitar player.
Fun unboxing...can't wait to see what you do to it!
Looks like alot of fun for 200, thanks Mike have fun!
did you set your knife blade-down on a metal table....? ouch... otherwise, great vid..
I wonder if you told them to double-box it, when you order it, if they would do so?
I'm not sure, but my bigger issue is that "new" gear shod arrive in its original packaging. Dealers shouldn't discard the original box, then ship the guitar in whatever box they have laying around.
Good looking guitar! It should be a good one once you put new string on and get it dialed in. I also don't like it when guitars show up and they're not double-boxed. Especially if the guitar isn't in a case or gig bag. Is the body thinner than a Fender Strat?
Yes it is thinner
I’m looking to pull the plug on one of these when they hit the UK, can I ask with the thin body does it affect the tone or playability at all, Great Video
It sounds fine. It will certainly sound better with upgraded pickups. As is, though, it's well worth the price.
@@grumpymikeguitar thank you for getting back to me and that’s good to know, I tried one of the squire bullet mustang and the thin body made the tuning go flat if you was a little heavy handed with the neck, thanks for the response and enjoy the guitar it looks great
Nice! I love mine. I have two Fender Squiers Back in 2017 I bought a new lefy Stratocaster Standard series made in Indonesia. I put a graftech nut on it along with roller saddles and string trees and ratio locking tuners then I ordered mojotone electronics and SRV Type pickups. Then I blacked out every thing. I replaced the tortoiseshell pickguard with a pearloid black and gray pickguard. Knobs covers, switches everything Black. It has a Rosewood fretboard and the body is in Dark oxblood red and black burst. That was my first upgrade project and I learned so much. It is bad to the bone and a forever guitar. My other squire is a Affinity Stratocaster and it's just the way I got it new and got a good one and I have only replaced the nut and saddles along with new string trees all by Graphtec. It looks like you got a good one too. It looks and sounds like it to me. Looking forward to seeing what you do with your new one. Thanks for the great unboxing video. It always makes my day to see your videos and you doing well. Thanks again.
Thanks for the kind words. Those guitars sound like they're fantastic. I've gotta admit, I've gained a lot of respect for the Squiers over the last few years. They're great for beginners and easy to upgrade as you advance. Gotta love that.
Cool. Is the body thin like the Bullets? Would like to see you review the Sonic Mustang burst with single coils.
Yes it is thinner
@@grumpymikeguitar this is usually the limiting factor with the Bullet, now Sonic series WRT limiting options to upgrade trem block or 5 way switch. I'm sure you know this already. So I'm interested to see what you do. I like them due to reduced weight.
I have a cheap thin bodied beater strat I picked up secondhand. The front routing for pickups and rear routing for springs intersect, there is no wood there!
Awesome review. Appreciate a realistic look of the blue, have one of the precision basses in the same color on order but couldn't get a grasp of the real color not under studio lights.
Nice collection you have going there Mike!
Hey Grumpy Dude!! Thanks for the video!
Mine had a hard to see small hairline crack in the neck pocket but mine is the hh model mustang california blue and the neck pickup is very crooked in the hole, is there a way to make it straight or am i just stuck with it that way?
It would be hard to answer your question without seeing it. If you email a pic to grumpymike335@gmail.com, I'd be happy to take a look.
I just bought the same one up in here in Chinada, paid 279$ canadian yens, canceled my aliexpress strat taking to long to ship, now this one should get to me in a day or 2 looking forward to it owned a bullet many years ago looking forward to this one
Nice! Let me know what you think of it.
Hey I’ve seen your name on Phil’s channel. Nice to put a face to the name. Squier’s got good stuff now, I’m taking apart my 40th anniversary Jazzmaster as I watch this.
Which one you go with? I got one on the way. I was so torn on the 4 40th jazzys. The colors are so cool. I'm.hoping I don't regret not getting the seafoam. I like the maple board.i like the others tho as they have block inlays but I'm sick of laurel. So I went with the desert sand. Looking forward to the satin feel and aged hardware vibe they went for
@@NintenDub I went with the seafoam. If I can get a green guitar that’s what I’ll go with lol. Not sure if the shop set it up or it just came from the factory but it played great out the box. The satin feel is nice, and I like the neck shape because it feels a little flatter than a regular C neck.
Looking good Mike! Are they bringing a Sonic series Tele as well? Thanks for sharing bro!
I believe so. The Sonic series is replacing the Bullets.
Sounds and looks great. Congratulations.
Cool I am curious about the Sonic Strat. I have 4 very different Squier Starts and they're all great.
I'd say.....you be a "Blue Guitar" Boy, my Man! LOL! Seems pretty nice at First Glance.
No lie, I do love me some blue guitars. 🤣
A few hours of playing will polish those frets right up!
Frine for the win!
I want the new Sonic Mustang SS in Torino red. The Maple fretboard really pops.
No finish on the neck? How are you supposed to clean it?
My guess is that they apply a thin layer of sealer. I will most likely sand that off and give it an oil finish.
Cool, nice to see you
Can we have a Show & Tell of all your guitars sometime?
It's possible. I might do something like that at some point.
Always love to watch your videos, but I don't get notifications when they come out. I usually just stumble into them. I love the bullet series, and I hope these Sonics are as good as the Bullets.
Not sure why you aren't getting notifications, but if you follow me on Instagram, @grumpymike335, I always post that I have a new video. As for the Sonic Series, judging by this Strat, I think it's definitely better than the Bullets.
Thanks for watching the channel.
It’s a great color. Nice review.
Nice !!
I've been curious if these are nicer than a bullet series...
I have to say, I'm fairly impressed with this one. It's good for a beginner, and with a few upgrades, I think it can be a really nice guitar.
@@grumpymikeguitar Hello, what upgrades would you personally add to the guitar? I'm thinking of locking tuners for now.
@@deadchannel8031 yes, I will most likely put a set of Fender locking tuners on it and upgrade the pickups. Down the road, if I decide to hang on to it, I might even make a bone nut for it.
@@deadchannel8031 I always put better saddles and bone nut, polish the frets , oil fretboard . Then change the pickups and controls later if u want. Tuners are the last to change for me and if I do change them I prefer vintage over locking as I hate neck dive. I shimmed the neck a bit on one of the 3 FSR bullet mustangs I recently bought too and am gonna re-shape and colour the headstock on another to match the body.. Some custom stickers and now have 3 awesome guitars customised , (SS, HS, P90) . Love ,‘em. The bullet fsr also has contoured body and comp stripes too and look great.
Verdict? Thanks
It's coming. I have to put my studio back together first. Soon though.
Enjoyed the video.
Would've been nice to hear the clean tone of the neck/middle pickup position 4. That's immediately the sound I imagine when I think of a Stratocaster. Think John Mayer "Slow Dancing In A Burning Room". I definitely enjoyed the unboxing though!
I literally never think John Meyer.
@@grumpymikeguitar or just the classic clean Stratocaster sound 2nd or 4th pickup position. The reason the Strat is famous.
@@ssblu2112this was just an unboxing. There will be a review/demo coming.
@@grumpymikeguitar That's a good point you make! My bad. Cheers!
No worries, I appreciate you checking out the video.
Sonic series missing the roasted maple neck of many budget offerings seems like a lost opportunity. I have so far avoided ordering a guitar online, preferring local new or used sellers, and I always play before I buy or how will I know if I'll bond with it. With many online purchases we aren't going to bond and there will be a compromise we're stuck with since RMAs are a PITA and few of us will bother. Face to face purchase generally we will catch those potentially annoying things, so long as we check everything carefully.
I agree, I much prefer to try before I buy. Unfortunately, that is something that is rapidly going by the wayside. These days, the odds of finding the exact guitar you want at your local shop are getting pretty dam high. At least with most reputable online retailers, the return policies are pretty good. You still get to try it before fully committing to the purchase. The biggest drawback is that the whole process consumes a lot more time.
As for roasted maple necks, they a great and I do like them. However, I've played more than one roasted maple neck that just flat out sucked. I think they have their place, but I don't think they are the be all end all.
And i did get it new not used so im very dissapointed
The new Firefly FFST is way better for 169$ roasted neck body stainless frets locking tuners better Trem look out squier
I have yet to check out a Firefly. Maybe I'll do that sometime soon.
Found your channel after jamming on TTK’s comments with you. Subscribed!