The Fender Squier Stratocaster is an electric guitar manufactured and sold by Squier, a marque of Fender. While it is essentially a re-branded Fender Stratocaster, it does not qualify as a Strat copy, as the Stratocasters are still considered to be of original make since Squier is a subsidiary of Fender, whereas manufacturers of Strat copies do so to use the classic Strat body shape that hundreds of manufacturers without any affiliation to the Fender company have used since 1954. Squier Stratocasters, being inexpensive, are popular amongst beginner and novice guitarists.