My girlfriend is buying a starter guitar for her daughter for xmas and i was wondering what is the difference?

I've read pretty good reviews of squire strats but know very little of the Starcaster other than the guy from Radiohead has an old one.

She is 13 so please also consider that a smaller scaled guitar may be easier to learn on also.

Personally, ive never owned either, i own a mexi fender strat but her mom doesnt want to spend too much until she knows her daughter will stick with it.

Any information is greatly appreciated

Stay away from the Starcasters, get her a Squier. My first guitar was a Squier Affinity Strat which I got for Christmas when I was 11 years old. I still gig with it now.

I didn't really start actually playing guitar until I was about 13 though. Sticking with it doesn't always happen instantly.
I wouldn't get her a short scale guitar, because at 13 she's practically already outgrown it. A normal guitar will last her a lot longer, and she should have no problem playing it now.

As far as Squiers go, the bottom tier are the Squier Bullets. But they're still good guitars for the price. Second to the bottom are Affinity series guitars, which I like a lot but you're bound to have issues with them sometime down the road. But with the right modifications you can get them almost up to being a Fender level guitar. Next is the Standard series, which are good because you can find replacement hardware for them. With the Affinities and the Bullets they have thinner bodies, which means that most replacement bridges for Standard series guitar will not fit.
The new Classic Vibe series of Squiers is very good, IMO they're right about at the MIM Fender quality level. And keep in mind that you can sometimes find used MIM Fenders in the $200-$300 range.

Also, think about what amp to get her. It would be better to get a Squier Affinity Strat with a decent amp than to get her a higher end guitar and cheapy amp. The amp that came with my guitar was a used Squier amp which only worked about 50% of the time, and you had to bang on it and jiggle the wire just the right way to make it work at all. It also sounded terrible.

I remember how amazed I was when I got my first decent amp. It sounded like there was music was coming out of it instead of a bunch of bees buzzing around in it. lol
I'd highly recommend getting a Roland Micro Cube, it's loud enough that she can use it when she begins playing in bands. It's not loud enough for a gig, but it can keep up with the drum set in practice.

My last tip is to buy used. I know some people have a problem with buying used gear, but it's the best way to maximize the quality of the gear you get and stay in budget.

_________________
Website: http://www.rebeccalaird.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rebeccalairdmusic
Twitter: https://twitter.com/beckslaird
Instagram: http://instagram.com/beckslaird

Thx for the advice guys! Texas i own the Roland Microcube myself, when a friend found out i was buying a tele for my first guitar he sold me his cube for only 60 bucks.

It was mint and seemed pretty powerful for the size, i was quite satisfied with it and still am. I've since seen that Fender and Roland have combined to produced to a strat and someday hope i can try it.

The Starcaster is a "Drug Store" guitar. They are the very bottom of FMIC's catalog as far as guitars go. With a lot of serious modifications, and a really good professional level set up it can be a decent guitar.

The Squier has different levels. It really depends on what your price range and whether or not she is going to be serious about playing. I recommend a Standandard Squier, Affinity, Vintage Modified, or Classic Vibe. No offence to anybody who owns another make, I really have not played on them so I cannot recommend them.

Fender also has different levels to get into, as mentioned before a good used Fender Standard can run $200-$300 bucks.

I do recommend a regular sized guitar for her at this time...she will grow into it pretty fast at her age.

I will give you a link, look at the different FMIC Starter Packs.

http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/navi ... 7c0&rpp=20

RK

_________________
RK

2007 Fender Highway 1
2012 American Deluxe
2015 MIM Dave Murray HHH
2010 Fender Blacktop
1987 Fender Avalon Acoustic
2012 Marshall DSL 15 watt head