FenderSquier Affinity Stratocaster HSS - Lake Placid Blue Bundle with Frontman 10G Amplifier, Instrument Cable, Gig Bag, Strap, Picks, and Austin Bazaar Instructional DVD

No, it's not perfect. But WOW—in many ways, this is a wonderful guitar!Playability - It plays nicely right out of the box. Action is low, and the intonation is spot on. The strings are a bit rough but still playable; this is common among entry level stringed instruments and is an easy fix with a new set of strings. It has a decent voice. Unless you are a professional or advanced/experienced player, you will have no problem with the tone of this guitar.Size - I'm 5 ft 6 and I have short little fingers, and this guitar fits me beautifully. I have instruments ranging from tiny soprano ukes up to several full-size guitars (classical, acoustic-electric, and a couple of 25.5 scale Strats, and this 24 inch short scale eases into my arms better than any of them. Children, teens, and many adults will welcome this guitar enthusiastically.Build - Overall, the guitar has a solid feel to it. It is relatively lightweight in comparison to my other electric guitars, and is very comfortable to hold. There are no blemishes on the body or other parts. The neck has an interesting feel to it—not unpleasant, but a little rough as opposed to the extreme smoothness of my other guitars. I actually like the neck; it's just different. The only issue with the build is that there were a number of sharp frets that will have to be filed—again, not uncommon with beginner level string instuments, but even at this price point, one doesn't want to bleed on the fretboard. I have several other Squiers, including inexpensive ones, and these frets and strings are the worse I've seen on a Squier. There is a buzz on the B-string. Not excessive at low volumes and in chord strumming, but quite noticeable at higher volumes, especially when picking.Aesthetics - This is a gorgeous instrument! Aside from the fret issues, I have not found any blemishes. I love the transparent finish.Bundle - As is often the case, the assortment of accessories are kind of meh to me, but certainly not the bottom of the barrel. I'm a bit of a tuner snob, so I was surprised at how much I like the enclosed tuner. It's cheap and it might not last, but I like it right now. I’m not much for picks, but the medium Fender picks included feel quite good to me. I don't use a strap, but the strap seems perfectly serviceable. I don't need the amp, but it is a solid entry-level amp. I don't need another cable, but I like the feel of the Fender cable that comes with this bundle. Here's the thing though: while I don't need any of the accessories, this bundle is designed for absolute beginners, and for that audience, the accessories are fairly essential and are not abject junk; they are quite serviceable.I and many others would like to have purchased only the guitar, but this SS is only available bundled, and the after-market world has, as of this writing, virtually none available. I cannot count off for this because it's a marketing decision from the company and I knew this before I laid down my coins.So there you have it: Not a perfect instrument, but well worth five stars; with a relatively inexpensive setup, the guitar would emerge in excellent condition. What is great about this guitar far outweighs the things that aren't. Despite these caveats, I recommend this Squier Short Scale!NOTE: Customer Service at Austin Bazaar is superior on all counts!

This Christmas, I had the pleasure of giving my nine-year-old a Fender Squier purchased from Austin Bazaar, and it was nothing short of magical. The moment he laid eyes on it, his hands trembled with excitement, and he uttered what any parent would cherish, calling it his "greatest moment ever." That alone speaks volumes about the quality of the instrument.The guitar itself is fantastic, proving to be well worth the expense. The sound quality, build, and feel are exactly what you'd expect from a brand as reputable as Fender, even in their Squier line, which makes it perfect for beginners and young enthusiasts alike.But what really set this experience apart was the exceptional customer service provided by Austin Bazaar. They reached out to ensure my satisfaction, which shows a level of care and dedication that is rare to see these days. And when I encountered a hiccup with the instrument cable, their response was swift and considerate — they mailed a replacement immediately, no questions asked.I cannot recommend Austin Bazaar highly enough. Not only do they deliver on the promise of quality with the products they sell, but they also back it up with customer service that truly cares about the music journey of their customers. If you're considering purchasing a musical instrument, let my experience guide you — Austin Bazaar is the seller to trust!

First thing to note: read the description! This is a short-scale guitar.I am so happy with this purchase. I had a squier starter kit when I was a teen and i eventually gave up on guitar to focus on drums. I ended up writing songs in guitar for a few bands i played in, but i couldn't actually play it because I have embarrassingly tiny hands and my fingers just can't manage it. Fast forward 20 years and I'm building a home studio when my former vocalist tells me he got this kit for his daughter. Well if it's good enough for her, it's good enough for 37 year-old me! HahaI am very pleased with the guitar. As expected, this is much more comfortable and I am looking forward to building my dexterity so I can touch up some old tracks I want to use in an upcoming album. I have to say Fender suprised me with the quality of the accessories, but I guess a lot changes in 20 years. For anyone who plays, you know what to expect as far as a Squier goes, but for the uninitiated, you can't go wrong if you are just starting or have a child who wants to learn. You get the Fender quality (not sound quality, of course, but general product quality) and verything you need to plug in and play for a price you just can't beat if you piece-meal it yourself. Shipped quickly and arrived in perfect condition.Because I often miss certain details, I added the disclaimer at the top if this review hoping it saves somebody from a bad experience because this really was everything I wanted. That said, here are a few bullet points to really be aware of:1- SHORT-SCALE NECK! This is not a full-size guitar, guys, so read carefully unless you are a child or a child-sized middle-aged man! Haha2. No bag. I caught this before buying (pictures help, lol) but I am still suprised Fender made this decision. Of course I quickly found a bag here on Amazon that is even better than the old one I had from my teenage start kit and it was dirt cheap.3. Grab some pedals. I can't get into playing unless I've got the basics FX, so I also bought 2 mini pedals on here for $20 each. I've gotta review them, too, but they are the Crunch Distortion and Vintage Overdrive pedals from the Just Pro Animal Series. Be careful there, too, because they do not come with a power supply and cannot take 9V batteries, so make sure u have an adapater or order a daisy chain power supply like I did, but I am happy with ecerything from them so far.4. Picks... Order picks. Fender included 3... so yeah. You're gonna wanna do that sooner rather than later.Thanks to Austin Bazaar for getting it here quickly, safely, and as expected! Now my tiny thumbs are tired from typing so that should do it.