I am writing this short review after almost six months of having this guitar so I think I know know what are its pros and cons. The truth is that you cannot buy a better stratocaster for that price (we are talking about new guitars, not used ones). I've had almost all Squier guitars in my hands and, really, the only Squier that could be said to have been equal to this HB would be the Classic Vibe - which is now 3 times more expensive. But straight to the point
- The neck is probably the best part of that guitar. It is rather thin than thick, yet the fretboard is quite wide which makes it overall very comfortable to play. Not to mention, that the neck comes with a great glossy finish and a real-bone nut.
- Roswell pickups are also great in terms of sound. This is just as close to that bright, stratty sound as you can get. Really no need to replace them, they sound great, especially some dirty clean/crunch presets.
- Very good tremolo bridge. The block is much thicker than in other strat guitars. The tuners are OK. The guitar stands in tune most of the time and you can do some tricks with the whammy bar but you have to be careful. It's good overall but a divebomb is to much for the tuners to handle - but it was to be expected.
- The strings were quite high above the frets when I unboxed the guitar so bear in mind that before you start playing - the hardware needs to be set up.
Overall it is a great Stratocaster guitar. I am very pleased with it.
