Fender Squier SA-100
My Review Of The Fender Squier SA-100 Acoustic Guitar Package
By: John Sizemore
Fender electric guitars have been my favorite ever since I started playing guitar in 1987. However, I have never picked up a Fender acoustic guitar in my life. I hadn’t heard much about them. Plus, they didn’t really manufacture any high end quality acoustics that I knew of. Until now I really didn’t think a Fender acoustic was worth my time even to review. Well, since I have started to review beginner acoustic guitars I’ve changed my opinion of them quite a bit. Here’s my take on the Fender Squier SA-100 Acoustic guitar pack.
“Why Should I Care About These?”
Key Features | Rating: 
- Top: Laminated Spruce
- Back and Sides: Laminated Agathis
- Body Style: Dreadnought
- Color: Natural
- Finish: Gloss
- Fretboard: Rosewood
- Neck: Laminated Agathis
Laminated Spruce Top
“Laminates can give off a pretty dull sound since its not solid wood”
The top of the guitar where the sound hole is located is what acoustic guitar manufacturers call the top. This is where the guitar gets its sound. So, it’s quite important to have a good resonant wood on the top of the guitar.
There are two different types of acoustic guitar tops. Solid and Laminated. A solid top is exactly that. A solid piece of wood cut to the perfect thickness and placed as the top of the guitar. A laminated piece is a thin piece of quality resonant wood bonded together with cheaper woods to the correct thickness.
Laminates can give off a pretty dull sound since its not solid wood. Its wood and glue. Glue is not very resonant. A solid wood however sound great and will improve with age.
The Fender Squier SA-100 comes with a laminated spruce top. However, I think it sounds pretty good for a laminate. It looks like the guitar was constructed well.
Laminated Agathis Back & Sides
“It is used to keep the costs down for people on a budget”
Agathis is really just a readily available wood in Asian countries where these guitars are made. It is very inexpensive. It is used to keep the costs down for people on a budget. Another thing is that the back and sides are laminated. So, it isn’t even solid agathis. This is not a very good thing as far as sound goes. However, I’d be more concerned with the laminated top than the wood used on the sides and back.
The Fender Squier SA-100 uses laminated agathis on the back and sides of the guitar.
Dreadnought Body Style
“It’s a standard shape for acoustic guitars and is the most common”
A dreadnought is basically the shape of the guitar. It’s a standard shape for acoustic guitars and is the most common. Other types would be a Jumbo & Cutaway. A Jumbo is a very large bodied acoustic guitar while a cutaway is used to have easy access to the higher frets. Usually the cutaway starts at the 12th fret.
The Fender Squier SA-100 comes with a standard dreadnought style and is large enough to get some pretty good sounds.
High Gloss Finish
“Basically, the finish of a guitar is just a preference”
There are several different types of finish for a guitar. However, the two primary are high gloss and satin. Satin is a very light finish and is less expensive to produce. A high gloss finish is what I prefer since it doesn’t show blemishes as much as satin. But, it will show more finger prints. Basically, the finish of a guitar is just a preference. Some believe it has a lot to do with sound. But, I disagree. I haven’t been able to tell much of a difference between satin and high gloss when it comes to sound.
Rosewood Fretboard
“It holds up well and is comfortable to the touch”
Again, this is the most common and preferred type of wood for any part of a guitar that get’s a lot of wear. It holds up well and is comfortable to the touch. That’s why so many guitars come with a rosewood finish. In fact, I’m not sure if I’ve ever played an acoustic guitar that doesn’t have a rosewood fingerboard. I have seen some ebony and maple fingerboards. But, not too many on an acoustic guitar.
Laminated Agathis Neck
“it’s just a cheap wood and exactly what you’d expect for a guitar in this price range”
As I’ve mentioned above… Agathis is just a cheaper wood with little resonance that I know of. This is probably why this guitar doesn’t have a ringing tone to it. It just seems like it deadens out after ringing a chord. But, I’ll talk more about that in my overall review. Anyway, it’s just a cheap wood and exactly what you’d expect for a guitar in this price range. I don’t really understand why they used a laminate on a neck though? I would venture to say that this lessons it’s reliability? Just my opinion. I haven’t heard of anyone having structural problems.
What Others Are Saying….
“I got this guitar about two years ago for Christmas. Since then I have been recording with it. I love it!”
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“I have had this guitar for a couple months now, and am truly satisfied with it. It sounds great when you strum on it, it has a nice finish, and is just a great instrument.”
Rating:
“Great guitar, perfect for me to practice on. The picks are good. I havn’t tried the tuner. It is an ok strap but not padded. The gig bag is garbage.”
Rating:
4.5 out of 5 Stars Based on 37 reviews
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“Well, Here’s My Final Thoughts On The Fender Squier SA-100″
Sound | Rating:
Well, I perform a lot of reviews and I guess this is what you’d expect from a laminate top. The sound is very average. I noticed it has some higher like treble tones with not much smooth under tones and sounds flat. However, this guitar is really designed for the beginner guitar player who does not want to invest too much into their first guitar. So, with that being said…. No wonder it’s so popular. It’s has a great sound in comparison to other guitars in this price range. If you’re a beginner? I’d recommend this one for sure.
Action | Rating:
Wasn’t too pleased. Again, this is what you’d expect from a guitar in this price range. The action is tough. If you’re going to be playing a lot around the twelfth fret? I’d probably recommend a different guitar. It will just plain wear you out. So, most definitely a guitar for a beginner since most of the playing is done in the open position while learning.
Reliability | Rating:
I would call this a camp guitar if you’re a more advanced player. Great guitar to beat up around while camping. So, I wouldn’t pay too much mind to it’s reliability. It’s really designed for the beginner. If you became more advanced you would be purchasing a different guitar. I will say this though… Many who have had this guitar said they’ve enjoyed it for years. So, it looks like it holds up.
Impression | Rating:
Great guitar for the price. However, compared to other it’s not that great. If I were to review this guitar for a total beginner? I’d probably give it 4.5 stars since this is what you would want to work on in the beginning. My overall impression is pretty good considering. You can’t go wrong at this price. I have not seen many bad reviews.
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