Description
Review of the Fender Squier Stratocaster Electric Guitar Daphne Blue Bundle
This is a Squier Stratocaster in Daphne Blue sold as a complete beginner package with an amplifier, gig bag, cable, strap, picks and an instructional video. It is aimed at someone starting from nothing who wants the traditional Stratocaster layout and a single purchase that produces amplified sound on the first evening.
Pros & Cons
- The bundle covers everything needed to start. Amplifier, cable, gig bag, strap and picks between them remove the second shopping trip that catches out buyers of a bare guitar, and none of those items are optional for a beginner.
- Three single-coil pickups give genuine tonal range. Moving between the neck, middle and bridge positions changes the character from rounded and warm to thin and cutting, which is why this layout has survived unchanged for seventy years.
- The two-point tremolo is a better design than the six-screw original. Pivoting on two posts rather than six screws reduces friction, which means the bridge returns closer to pitch after the arm is used.
- Sealed tuners and a slim “C” neck profile. Enclosed housings keep dust out of the gears so tuning stays consistent, which matters on a guitar with a floating bridge, and the shallow rounded neck back keeps the thumb in a natural position.
- The listed 24 pound weight contradicts the lightweight claim. The description leads with a thin, lightweight body while the item weight is recorded as 24 pounds. That figure is the packed carton with the amplifier inside, and the listing does not distinguish the two, so the number cannot be used to judge comfort.
- The Squier series is never named. Squier makes several Stratocaster lines with different bodies, pickups and hardware. The listing says only “Fender Squier Stratocaster”, so which model this is cannot be determined from the published data.
- The amplifier is not specified at all. No wattage, model, control layout, speaker size, headphone output or aux input is stated anywhere. The amplifier is a substantial part of a bundle like this and nothing about it can be checked before it arrives.
- Scale length and fret count are not published. Two of the numbers that most affect how a guitar feels are absent, so string tension and upper-fret reach cannot be confirmed.
- Single coils hum, and tremolos complicate restringing. Neither is a fault of this guitar specifically, but both are consequences of the design that a beginner should expect.
Detailed Product Description
The body, back and top are all poplar. Poplar is light, close-grained and tonally neutral, which is why it appears so often on affordable electrics. Its lightness is the practical benefit here and it takes the Daphne Blue finish cleanly. It is soft enough to dent, so a strap with secure ends and care around belt buckles are sensible.
The neck is maple with a laurel fingerboard. Maple is stiff enough to hold against string tension without being carved thick, which is what allows the slim “C” profile. Laurel is a dense mid-brown timber used as a rosewood substitute; it feels slightly drier under the fingers and benefits from occasional conditioning once it starts to look grey.
Electronics follow the classic three single-coil arrangement with a five-way selector. Single coils are bright, articulate and highly responsive to pick attack, and they respond to how the player touches the strings more than humbuckers do. The trade-off is mains hum, which is inherent to the design and more noticeable near computer monitors, dimmer switches and fluorescent lighting.
The bridge is a two-point tremolo, floating against spring tension inside the body. Strings are nickel, the standard electric string material. Because the bridge floats, the guitar has to be tuned as a system rather than string by string, and a broken string will pull the remaining ones sharp until it is replaced. What a starter bundle should contain, and what to check on arrival, is set out in the starter bundle guide.
What Comes with the Product
The listing states the package includes the guitar, an amplifier, a gig bag, a cable, a strap, picks and an Austin Bazaar instructional video.
Not included: a tuner, a stand, spare strings, headphones, or setup tools such as hex keys for the truss rod and bridge saddles. Whether the amplifier has a headphone socket is not stated, so silent practice cannot be assumed. A clip-on tuner is the first item to add, since an electric guitar is hard to tune by ear and playing out of tune trains the ear badly.
Who It Suits
This suits an absolute beginner, a teenager, or a parent buying a first electric where one box that works on the first evening matters more than any individual specification. It also suits a returning player who wants a knockabout guitar and a small amp without assembling them separately.
It suits less well a player who already owns an amplifier, since the money in the bundled amp would go further in the guitar itself, or someone who wants to know exactly which Squier model they are buying. Anyone playing heavier styles will find humbuckers handle high gain more cleanly. Alternatives sit in beginner starter kits and electric guitars.
How to Maintain
Wipe the strings after every session, since skin oils dull them faster than playing does. Keep the guitar out of direct sun and away from radiators, because heat and humidity change move the neck and alter the action.
With a tremolo bridge, change strings one at a time so the spring tension never drops to zero and the bridge stays where it was set. Check the neck relief a few weeks after arrival and at each seasonal change. Check the output jack nut periodically, since a loose jack is the most common cause of crackling on a new guitar. Oil the laurel fingerboard once or twice a year if it looks dry, and store the guitar in the supplied bag rather than leaning it on a wall.
Tips and Recommendations
Consider decking the tremolo during the learning phase. Tightening the spring claw screws so the bridge sits flat against the body removes most of the tuning trouble, and it can be freed again later once the basics are secure.
Keep the amplifier clean and quiet for chord practice and leave distortion until later, because gain masks muted strings and sloppy fretting. Expect frequent retuning during the first fortnight while the strings settle. If the guitar buzzes on open strings or frets out high up, a setup is the fix, and the action and setup guide explains what a technician adjusts and in what order.
Product FAQ
Which Squier Stratocaster is this? Not stated. The listing gives no series name, so it cannot be matched to a specific Squier line from the published data.
What amplifier is included? Not specified. No wattage, model, speaker size or control layout is given anywhere in the listing.
Does the guitar weigh 24 pounds? No. That is the packed shipping weight of the whole bundle including the amplifier and carton.
What comparable bundles are there? Alternatives include the Squier Stratocaster pack with a Frontman 10G amp, the Squier Sonic Stratocaster and the Squier Debut Series Stratocaster.
