Squier for Beginners: A Complete Guide

Right, you've decided to learn guitar, and someone's mentioned "get a Squier" without explaining what that actually means. Fair enough, it's shorthand that makes sense once you know it and total nonsense before you do. By the end of this, you'll know exactly what a Squier is, which one to start with, and what to check before you hand over any money.

What Squier Actually Is

Squier is Fender's own affordable brand. It builds accessible versions of Fender's classic designs, the Stratocaster, Telecaster and a few others, using cheaper woods and hardware than a full-price Fender, but the same basic shapes and playing feel. For a first guitar, that's exactly the sweet spot: familiar, well-supported and not going to bankrupt you.

Do You Need a Squier, or Would Anything Do?

Technically, any playable guitar will teach you the basics. So why a Squier specifically? Consistency, mostly. It's a known, Fender-backed range with parts and setups that are easy to find help for, unlike some unbranded budget guitars that can be genuinely painful to play no matter how much you adjust them. Spending a little more for something reliably decent, and getting it properly set up, tends to save you money and frustration in the long run.

Which Body Shape Should You Start With?

Don't overthink this one. A Stratocaster gives you three pickups and a versatile, bright sound that suits almost any style you'll try in your first year. A Telecaster is simpler electronically and has a cutting tone that's brilliant for country, indie and rock. Either is a genuinely sensible first choice. If you've got smaller hands or you're buying for a younger player, a Mustang's shorter scale and compact body is worth a look too.

What to Actually Check Before You Buy

You don't need to be an expert, but a few checks will save you grief:

• Sight down the neck, it should look straight, not twisted or bowed.
• Every string should ring out cleanly at every fret when you press down properly.
• Plug it in and test every pickup and control, listen for crackle or dead spots.
• The tuning pegs should turn smoothly, not grind or slip.

If you're buying online rather than in a shop, buy from somewhere with a sensible returns policy, just in case.

Setting It Up So It Actually Plays Well

Here's the bit most beginners skip and shouldn't: get a proper setup done, either by the shop or a local tech, before you judge the guitar at all. That means checking the action, how high the strings sit above the frets, the intonation, whether it plays in tune all the way up the neck, and the neck relief, the very slight bow that lets the strings vibrate without buzzing. A cheap guitar with a good setup will out-play an expensive one that's never been touched. This one step matters more than almost anything else on this list.

Common Beginner Questions

"Do I need a good amp too?" Something small and clean is fine to start, you're learning technique, not chasing tone yet. "Should I buy new or secondhand?" Either works, just get it properly checked either way. "Will I outgrow it fast?" Possibly, and that's completely normal, plenty of players keep their first one as a backup for years afterwards. "Is a Squier 'good enough' to actually learn on?" Genuinely, yes, a well-set-up one is more than capable for years of proper practice.

Buying for a Child or Younger Beginner

If you're buying a Squier for a child, size matters more than anything else on this page. A full-size body and neck can genuinely put a younger player off before they've had a fair chance, so look at Mustang or other shorter-scale models built with smaller hands in mind. It's much better to size up in a year or two than to hand over something that's a fight to hold from day one.

Looking After It Day to Day

Wipe the strings down after playing to stop them corroding, keep it somewhere that isn't damp or right next to a radiator, and change the strings every couple of months if you're playing regularly. None of this is complicated, it's just a habit worth building early.

Where to Go From Here

Once you're comfortable, our full explainer on Squier's series and models covers the wider range properly, and the complete buyer's guide is there for when you're ready to think harder about specs. It's also worth glancing at the common mistakes other beginners make, and the best Squiers for the money if you fancy comparing options once you know a bit more.

The Straightforward Version

Pick a body shape that suits the music you actually want to play, get it properly checked and set up, and don't worry about upgrading until you know what you'd actually want to change. A Squier bought sensibly and looked after will teach you everything you need for the next few years.

Frequently Asked Questions