Starter Kit Review

Features:	5.7
Sound:	5.3
Action:	6.3
Reliability:	7
Impression:	5.7
Overall rating:	6
Users rating:	3.2
Comments:	9

overall: 6.8

Featured review by: JPaul17, on may 12, 2004

Price paid: $ 160

Purchased from: Sight and Sound Audiotronic

Features: Made in China, 21 frets with volume and two tone knobs. 5 way Switch does some difference between pickups but not alot. 3 single coil pickups. White pickguard and black body. Strap holders on bottom and top left. Comes with black pocketless gig bag, squire tuner, SP-10 10 watt amp, whammy bar, 5 Fender picks, and strap. The stuff it comes with is a bargain, and is great for beginners. Pulloffs are a bit harder to play, but otherwise its fine. // 6

Sound: Good for any playing style, but some of the harder manuevers are near to impossible to do. The pickups are mediocre, and the strings supplied aren't anything special. The tone knobs do next to nothing, and the pickup Switch has little effect. Stays in tune for a long time though, unless you use the whammy bar. The amp is a small practice amp, at 10 watts it can almost make my windows rattle. There is bad distortion once all dials are at 10, and the distortion is a button. // 6

Action, Fit & Finish: I found no flaws on this guitar, save that the nut holding the wire to the amp sometimes comes loose. // 8

Reliability & Durability: After about 6 months of constant daily use this guitar is still in the same shape as it was when purchased. the amp as well. I would reccommend changing the strings that come with it, since they arent that great. A locking strap would be the best bet, but the strap buttons are dependable if not. I wouldnt use it in a gig without a backup, or in a gig at all, because it just doesnt compete with the better models for sound. // 8

Impression: I play metal and a little rock, and this guitar can keep up with most of the stuff I play. Soloing isnt easy on this guitar, since the pickups and frets arent that great. I chose this one because it was in my price range, and had an amp. had i more money, i would have gotten a better guitar. // 6

overall: 5.6

Reviewed by: unregistered, on december 12, 2005

Purchased from: Carroll

Features: 15 watt Frontman amp, 21-fret Strat, tuner, gig bag, picks, strap, book, cable, and a replacement spring & strings. This package comes with everything you need to begin playing guitar, but it sure has no frills. The Frontman amp is great for beginning players but if used with the supplied guitar it will sound rather flat. The gain on the amp is horrific and makes more fuzz and noise than crunch. I had to return my first Frontman after it died for no reason but the second Frontman I own works like it should; hardly. The guitar itself is a fairly good basic instrument. If you are using what comes in the package and not planning to add anything to it, you'll get a brite, noisy instrument. In fact, the pickups in the guitar are so bland that if you don't change atleast the bridge you'll be left dissapointed if you ever rise above the title of beginner. An overall very passive sound, but for the price, what more could you ask? // 5

Sound: I've gotten quite a bit more experienced than when I first got the set. I decided to have some fun with the Strat and installed Seymour Duncan "Hotrails" in the bridge, put on GHS Boomers and now D'Adario 11 Gauge strings, and then spruced up the apperance with a pearloid pick guard and a fancy art strap. The guitar after these modifications sounds and looks excellent. Before these modifications though, the guitar is passive and very "low powered." A trill or hammer on is virtually impossible even with the amp and guitar at maximum volume. Any form of distortion on the bland single-coil's sounds terrifying and muddy; nothing cuts through the fuzz. The guitar with the supplied pickups and strings can play little more than "Smoke On The Water" and sound acceptable. // 5

Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar out of the box was acceptable. The neck wasn't too bad. The action was a little bit high but when you're first starting you probably won't even know what the action is or that it is badly adjusted. The strings out of the box were crap to begin with, as they were Fender bullets and broke after a few weeks. An issue I had and only recently fixed was that the screw holes holding in the plate over the jack were worn out and it was constantly loose. The tuning pegs work great but when the strings are off the guitar they get very loose. The Pickup selector is noisy and sometimes "clicks" when you're switching through it although single coils hum anyway. // 5

Reliability & Durability: The guitar now, after I fixed a few things, got a locking washer, replaced the pick guard and bridge pickup, and keep it well maintained, clean, and polished holds up great. It's durable and doesn't have a scratch on it other than a bit of wear on the finish where my elbow is near when playing. The strap buttons are solid but sometimes come loose and have to be tightened with a screwdriver. Because it's my only guitar at the moment I would not do a gig with it other than playing for friends, simply because although it is dependable it would be risky. The hardware and wiring inside is a bit shotty and covered in sawdust. The wires to one of my knobs/pots is partially broken for no apparent reason, making my tone knobs do close to nothing. The finish is fine although can be easily scratched and worn, therefore you need to take extra good care of the guitar if you want to maintain it's appearance. // 7

Impression: I play all types of music. With the guitar out of the box and without the modifications I have put on it, it is not good for all types of music. The only music you're going to be playing with skill is Mary Had a Little Lamb. I have been playing for going on two years now and I'm only now deciding that its time to get some more gear. I'll probably get a better Fender or Squier guitar and amp but I'll keep the Strat in this pack along with it. If the guitar and amp out of the package was stolen or lost I wouldn't bother and would try something else instead. If my guitar as it is modded today was stolen I would be angry and want it again. I don't have any favorite features with this package, it's all just OK. For the price and what it comes with, you can't complain, though. If there was one thing more this guitar should have is a bigger sound and richer tone. // 6

overall: 5.6

Reviewed by: dewthedew2323, on october 01, 2005

Purchased from: Local Store

Features: Well this piece of art, bad art, but art was crafted in Indonesia, has 22 frets, 5-way pickup selector Switch, 3 single coil pickups, a volume knob, and 2 tone knobs. The amp, Fender Frontman 15G, is really and purely a beginners amp. That's what it is made for so I won't bash it too much, and because it got me through my first year and a half or so of playing. It has 2 channels, clean and gain. Gain is really not a good thing with this amp but once again I loved it when I was just learning. This pack comes with the guitar, amp, cable, and strap etc. Everything you need to get started playing. // 6

Sound: Well at the time I bought it was just getting into guitar and had no "style" so to say. Now I play hard rock, a little metal, and bluesish stuff. I still use my Squier Strat but the Frontman hasn't been touched for a very long time. The pickup configurations are quite messy. In a sense that its very hard to find a satisfying sound. But it does contain some! The amp suits a beginner well, but doesnt Shine in any areas and lacks some in just pure quality. The cable is a piece of crap and I suggest replacing it as soon as possible. Broke on me pretty fast. // 5

Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar was pretty crappy, there are deffinately better Squiers. The neck was a little offset and the knobs came offset too. Some of the knobs take more force than others to turn and get stuck often, which is a pain. The amp I saw no problems with and it came just how it should have. There were some minor flaws but overall I guess it came decent for a packaged starter pack. // 6

Reliability & Durability: To play live? Or not to play live? Sure! But never without a backup. If you had a backup though chances are its better than this. The strap buttons both fell out and stripped the screw holes and I had to take it into the shop. Its not very dependable. The finish is fine, if your worried about the finish on this guitar then you shouldnt play live anyway. This'll get pretty dinged up but its ok. It's a cheapy. // 6

Impression: I would personally get a totally different set up if I knew what I know now way back when. This pack served its purpose, but did not excell at all where others can for the same price. I would now recomend this for a new guitarist nor an experienced one. And if it were taken or lost I would not replace it. // 5

Comments

[dant-33]

i have been using this guitar NON-STOP for 3 years, and it means the world to me!!
i agree with some of the stuff that is sed
and i think mine has had its time
im gunna get a bc rich instead
but it is a good guitar for beginners

[fender_rules728]

i have this... i've been playing for a year with it. its good for a starter guitar but its really not that good

[Scarface735]

never heard of this. send in a picture please!!

[Anders88]

i've been using this guitar just about every day for the last 2 years.. i think i might actually be a better guitar player having endured it lol :P buy a decend amp or an effects board and it sounds alright

[metal jello]

Scarface735 wrote:

never heard of this. send in a picture please!!

Trust me, you don't want to see this, but an Austin ERA Professional.

[asaladybug]

i have had this guitar for almost a year and after going and playing other axes on other amps this one is a piece of crap but if you are broke and stupid it is good

[jakecko17]

it might cost a teeny weeny bit more but a Yamaha Pacifica 112, its 100x better and makes a gret 1st guitar.

[Decembero]

Ive had this guitar for 7 years, and it still works like a f*cking dream. I got it with a 15watt Fender frontman and that f*cking broke earlier this year, ghey!

[jacobparker]

Meh. I bought it for like £215, The amp sucked, replaced it with a spider III 75, it sounds a lot better now, but guitar is still shit, **** loads of feed back, sometimes even ringing because of it, happens on all pick-ups. Going to replace with a minarik inferno. I guess if you just want to muck around with something and you don't care about sound quality, but this, but if you do care about sound quality, remember: but cheap, buy twice.