For this amount of money there is no better guitar. The raptor exp sounds and feels much better than any fender squier series guitar. It may require some simple setup tweaks (you can find pretty simple guides to guitar setup anywhere online) but it does sound good. It is very light compared to a fender, it has a pretty thin neck, and the pickups produce sound that has a lot of color to it. I used mine as a cheap guitar to do some cosmetic customization but I was surprised to find out that it is my favorite guitar to play with. Just make sure you use good strings to unlock it's true potential.