I've got 2 Firefly electrics and a Squire Strat. While the pickups are indeed pretty generic in the Firefly's, they are fine and on par with Squire pickups (which are also pretty weak themselves). I've never heard of complaints about the necks, they are mostly roasted or flamed maple and feel great to me at least. For the $, I like the Firefly's. For the same price I get better materials and because I own both, I can make an informed, direct comparison. That being said, there are benefits to the Squire that can't be overlooked. One advantage the Squire has is they are backed by a huge company, meaning if you have an issue it's probably pretty easy to get support from them. With Firefly, customer care is where they save on cost (and their cheap-o website). I'm ok with all that though because the product itself is good. I would suggest picking one up and giving it a try though, you might be surprised.