My Fender Squier Mini Stratocaster Review on YouTube
Since you came for a review, here’s my YouTube video.
PLEASE: I do hope you stick around and read the rest of the blog post. Thank you.
Fender Squier Mini Stratocaster on Facebook, $50
Here is the photo of the Fender Squier Mini Stratocaster from Facebook Marketplace in Chicago, IL USA. It was October, 2025.
I liked her the moment I saw her on Facebook Marketplace.
I have named her Dakota. It suits her. Also, she is Dakota Red which is a Fender color.
Dakota the Fender Squier Mini Stratocaster Looked Even Better in Person
I met the seller in front of his Chicago apartment building on a busy street. Joel was his name and he was barely 20. I followed him up 20+ steps to his 2nd floor apartment.
The red Fender Squier Mini Stratocaster was laid flat on his dining room table. I picked her up.
Positives:
- Gorgeous red.
- Light.
- Neck straight as an arrow.
- Fritz Ruler indicates the “action” is just below high. I can live with that.
Neutral:
- Frets a little spikey but OK.
Negative:
- The guitar input jack was very loose, I was worried the Mini wouldn’t play.
I tuned up “Dakota” which took a minute or two. Then I plugged the red Mini Strat into my Orange Crush 12 to see how it played.
Upon Purchase, the Fender Squier Mini Strat Played Wonderfully
I used my Orange Crush 12 for amplification rather than the cheap amp that came with the purchase.
Even with wearing only one hearing aid, the Mini sounded great.
I played my usual riffs:
- G, Em, C, D, and G
- Ode to Joy riff
- Deep River Blues
- Proud Mary Riff
I Offered $40 for the $60 Dollar Guitar, Bag, and Cheap Amp
The loose guitar input jack was loose. I didn’t know if I could fix it easily or if it needed a new part. Consequently, I offered the Seller less for the 3 items. I think the Seller knew that was fair. I am pretty sure he knew the guitar input jack was loose but didn’t declare it in his Facebook Marketplace listing.
I have done this twice. When an offered guitar doesn’t work properly, I explain the problem and offer less. I offered $40 for the previously agreed $60. The Seller countered for $5 more.
Yes, the Facebook Seller agreed to $45.
- Fender Squier Mini Strat
- Road Runner case for 3/4 electric guitar
- Cheap Traynor amp
Testing and Minor Adjustments to the Mini Later that Evening
Let’s start with something very positive about Dakota, my grandson’s red Fender Mini.
“I played the Fender Squier Mini Strat for easily 30 minutes. It was wonderful. I had headphones plugged into my Old Faithful amp as I used the Peavey Vypyr VIP-1.
For me, the Fender Squier Mini sounds were every bit as good with headphones as my 3 other strat styled guitars: Jet JS300, Jet JS400, Harmony H80T.
I hope my grandson likes it as much as I do.”
Fender Squier Mini Strat Adjustments
- Tested truss rod. It works fine, just testing to see if it was stripped. It was fine.
- Two strings buzzed. I raised up 2 x 2 screws on the bridge for two strings that were a little too buzzy on the frets.
- I tightened the guitar input jack (loose bolt) so it’s firm, no longer loose as purchased. Hurray.
- I tightened the 12 tiny Phillips head screws that hold the tuners in place.
- I have read somewhere that this can help keep the guitar better tuned. We shall see.
“This was a delightful 45-60 minutes with “Dakota”, the red Fender Squier Mini Stratocaster for my 5 year old grandson. Tomorrow I will clean “Dakota” and test the cheap amp that came with the purchase.”
First Day with my Fender Squier Mini Strat
“Dakota, the Mini Strat is a “baller” of a guitar. Can a 74 year old guy say that??? I have played, testing Dakota on different amps (Roland Cube GX40 and Fender LT 45) and she flat out plays. Unless you were an advanced guitarist you wouldn’t know you were playing a $45 Fender Squier Mini Stratocaster. Awesome.”
Basic Second Day Setup on Dakota the Squier Mini Strat
Set-up is too fancy a word. Let’s just say I am adjusting the Squier Mini to play better.
- Clean the body.
- Nomad Tool Set. I brushed down the Mini and used the small wiper to get into the tiny places to clean it.
- Alcohol Prep Pad. I used this to wipe what looked like paint chips. It was just smudgey stuff that the previous owner never cleaned. Cleaned up great.
- Dunlop 65. I used this to clean and polish the guitar.
- Cleaned down the old strings. At best, 1 1/2 years old. Not brand new, not original strings from 2011.
- I used a product called The String Cleaner to run up and down the guitar neck cleaning the strings.
- Tighten the two strap button screws. One was a little loose in my opinion.
- Small Phillips screw driver was all I needed.
- G String still buzzes a bit; too low.
- I raised the bridge screws as much as I could, still buzzing.
- I loosened all strings and then gave the truss rod a 1/4 turn counter-clockwise to bow the guitar neck slightly.
- It worked, no more G string buzz.
- Perhaps put the nice Green strap on the Red Mini. Done.
- Looks like a tiny Christmas tree 🙂
- Play out loud to compare headphone sound with “out loud” sound.
Should I Put New Heavier 10’s on the Fender Squier Mini Stratocaster
So far I am undecided.
In playing for 30 minutes today, I didn’t notice an immediate problem with the Mini going out of tune.
Should I Put New Strings on Dakota the Fender Squier Mini ?
The strings are at least 1 year old, maybe more.
Supposedly, stringing with 10’s or 11’s on the Fender Squier Mini Strat will give it greater tuning stability.
Should I Install New Tuners on the Squier Mini Start ?
I think I will play it for a few days to test or learn Dakota’s Mini tuner stability. If the guitar seems to have trouble holding tune, then I will decide if new tuners are necessary.
I know what it sounds like when a decent little 3/4 electric guitar goes too flat after a few songs. That’s why I sold my 2017 Epiphone Les Paul Special Express. I couldn’t depend upon it to stay in tune for at least one session.
Although I am leaning towards putting fresh 10’s on the Dakota Mini so that it’s a totally fresh guitar for my grandson (and me).
Multi-Amp Sound Test for the Fender Squier Mini Stratocaster
I guess it’s time to record the Fender Squier Mini Stratocaster and prove its wonderful sound.
I will do my test with probably with the Roland Cube 40GX for cleans and the Fender Mustang LT25 for a variety of sounds.
Second Day with my Fender Squier Mini Strat
Fixes for Tuner Slippage on my Mini
- Bone nut upgrade. First upgrade. Some Internet users believe this is the first step in improving tuning stability for the Squier Mini Strat.
- 10’s. Second upgrade. I do have fresh D’Addario XL 10’s for the new strings.
- Locking Tuners. Third possible upgrade.
- But first I want to see if a bone nut upgrade and new strings improves tuning stability. If not, then affordable locking tuners are my next choice.
I ordered a bone nut for the Mini. I already have D’Addario XL 10’s for re-stringing it.
Tom Thinks the Amped Fender Squier Mini Stratocaster is a bit “Thin”
As my friend Tom pulled to the front of my bungalow, I was busy taking a mechanical pencil and putting graphite on the cheap bone nut slots.
I connected the Squier Mini to the Kustom HV30 which is an awesome amp with a pre-amp tube. My friend Tom played it a bit.
“It sounds different than the other guitar I tried (cheap Glarry telecaster). It sounds thinner by comparison.”
Tom has good musical ears compared to my moderate hearing loss even with hearing aids. Tom’s right. The Squier Mini is a bit thinner in sound. But it still sounds darn good a 2011 Indonesian Squier Mini for $45 plus Road Runner case.
Third Day with my Fender Squier Mini Strat
Playing my Fender Squier Mini Strastocaster through my 20 year old Fender B-Dec built for bass amps.
First I tuned up my Mini Strat.
Then I played and played for 30 minutes.
“Is it my imagination or does the Squier Mini Strat continue to play well, even on a bass amp. I couldn’t help but feel pleased. Most likely, this 2011 Mini Strat never had anyone pay attention to it. But it “sings” nicely in my opinion now that someone cares about it.”
And after 30 minutes of playing, only the low E had slipped out of tune. That’s progress from 3 days aqo.” – Shoshin Guitarist
Waiting on Bone Nut for the Fender Squier Mini Strat
I already have D’Addario XL Nickel Wound 10’s ready for the Squier Mini.
I ordered a genuine bone nut that supposedly fits the Squier Mini. I will have two.
My next steps will be to do a minor set-up on the Fender Squier Mini Strat.
- Remove the strings.
- Clean and oil the fretboard.
- Remove the old plastic nut and replace with a bone nut.
- Install the D’Addario 10’s.
- I am upgrading from old 9’s to new 10’s.
Then I will play and test the Fender Squier Mini Strat. If it still has slippage problems I may go to inexpensive locked tuners and maybe 11’s. We shall see.
Grandkids Love “Dakota”, the Fender Squier Mini Stratocaster
A few weeks after purchasing the red Squier Mini, my grandkids came over. My granddaughter is 8 years old and my grandson is 5 years old.
They came into the basement guitar room to play some music and I encouraged them to play “Dakota” the Squier Mini.
They absolutely loved “Dakota”. I encouraged them to play the Mini hard loudly.
“If ever you want to make your grandkids happy. Just give them an electric guitar that fits them and ask them to play the electric loud. It’s a treat for grandkids to make as much noise as possible.”
Thanks for Visiting Shoshin Guitarist Today…
…and for reading my Fender Squier Mini Stratocaster Review.