NGD version 2.0 Squier CV70 Vintage white Stratocaster

I was surprised yesterday to find that my replacement for the defective guitar had arrived. I didn't bother to wait 24 hours this time. I did some much-needed laundry (yay, finally !) because my back was feeling up to it. I fell asleep before putting the wet stuff into the dryer. About 5.5 hours after I brought the box, slit it open and let it sit, I unpacked the guitar.

I gave it a very thorough eye-balling, no defects were seen this time. Today I'm going to take the strings off, polish the frets and give it a setup. It has exactly the same gritchy scratchy gritty feel as the other one. I know they're trying to make a price point and they're still far, far better than entry level guitars were nearly 50 years ago when I was first starting out. They do not, however, match the playability and set up of the MIC Squier Classic Vibes from the mid '00s to the mid '10s. All three of my 2020 CVs had the same feel when new. It is only partially the crappy strings they come with.

I wouldn't steer a first time buyer away from them but I would tell them that some adjustment and tweaking are necessary to make these the fine instruments they're capable of being. It is really only when you start noodling and playing leads when you feel that lack of smoothness that high end guitars are associated with.

I still say these are better than the 1974 Fender Stratocaster I bought brand new.