I tell ya what, I have a Squier Standard Strat, that I bought, last year,in brown sunburst, that I absolutely adore. I think I paid, like $180.00, for it, put a Fender white pearloid pickguard on it, and replace the stock bridge Pu with a white SD JB jr., with a gigbag, and it plays like a dream, 22 frets and all. Only thing I didn't like was the chunky 70s headstock, so I made a template off my other strat head (small style), and cut it down to that, and refinished the neck and headstock. I've had actual Fender strats that didn't play as nice, and were actually noisier. Besides my $235.00 Ibanez RD220, with an Edge III, this is the best bang for my buck that I ever found.