Fender Squier Affinity Series Strat

Fender Squire Afinity 20th Anniversary 2003 Stratocaster. Made in China. MODEL NUMBER 031-0603-(Color#)
SERIES Squier Affinity Series
BODY Alder
NECK Maple, C-Shape,
(Polyurethane Finish)
FINGERBOARD Maple, 9.5? Radius (241 mm)
NO. OF FRETS 21 Medium Jumbo
SCALE LENGTH 25.5? (648 mm)
WIDTH AT NUT 1.650? (42 mm)
HARDWARE Chrome
MACHINE HEADS Standard Die-Cast Tuners
BRIDGE Synchronous Tremolo
PICKGUARD 1-Ply White
PICKUPS 3 Single-Coil Pickups
PICKUP SWITCHING 5-Position Blade:
Position 1. Bridge Pickup
Position 2. Bridge and Middle Pickup
Position 3. Middle Pickup
Position 4. Middle and Neck Pickup
Position 5. Neck Pickup
CONTROLS Master Volume,
Tone 1. (Neck Pickup),
Tone 2. (Middle Pickup)
COLORS (578) Aztec Gold,
(Polyurethane Finish)
STRINGS Fender Super 250L, Nickel Plated Steel, (.009 to .042), p/n 073-0250-003
UNIQUE FEATURES Large ?60s Style Headstock,
Black Plastic Parts,
Black Silkscreen Logo,
Dot Position Inlays
ACCESSORIES None
INTRODUCED 1/2003

I play rock and metal. I like 80's hair bands.
I only have a pignose and a Pandora PX2. Still sounds great to me!
The pickups are very noisy! In positions bridge, middle and neck. It was so bad i put in Fenders noisless pickups and now it sounds amazing!
With Strats you can get just a bought any type of sound you want. Just change pickups.
What I like about the guitar the most is the neck! The frets are Medium Jumbo!
I have to give it a 8 because of the pickups.

The guitar was set-up very well at the factory. Way to go Fender. The auction was good but I did raise the E and B strings a little because of string bends.
The finish is Aztec Gold and not a flaw in it. Looks great!
I have had this guitar for a couple of months and besides changing the pick-ups I sanded down the Fender Squire logo and painted the neck in clear. This is more to my liking. The neck I used up to 2000 grit wet dry sandpaper to sand off the over spray and its better than new. I want to add all gold hardwear. A little at a time.

Everything is soild on this guitar but the pick-ups. I would take and play this guitar anywhere.

Don't know

2002 20th aniversary affinity stratocaster,21 fret maple neck with rosewood fretboard, three single coil pickups,dark blue finish and "vintage style" tremolo bridge.pretty good guitar for my uses. i give it a 9 because of the lack of 5 bridge springs.

this guitar is my only one and compared to other guitars in this price
bracket it really stands out.i run it through a danelectro dan-o-wah,
a boss DS1 and then to my fender frontman 15G. the guitar can emulate
many distinctive tones such as S.R.V. hendrix and clapton which suits my style. i wouldn't play metal on this guitar however.nice neck pickup sound and not too much noise.

this guitar was not set up very well. lots of fretbuzz and it had poor inotation.finish is good on it. the only real problem is that the output jack continues to come loose. otherwise I give it an 8

I could probably rely on this guitar for many years to come.it probably wouldn't be the best choice for gigging.have dropped it many times and has held up extremely well

I have never had to deal with fender. the only problem is finding parts for this guitar.

this is the part of the review where old rich guys who've been playing for 30 years bitch and complain that their '57 strat blows this thing away or where some punk rocker comes to whine that this guitar sucks (even though they have only been playing for a week).Like the old saying goes a bad carpenter always blames his tools this can be applied to musicians too. people easily forget that this is a BEGINNERS GUITAR and it cannot be compaired to a vintage pre CBS axe. If this exact guitar design made hendrix,S.R.V. and Slowhand famous then it is good enough for me therfore I give it a 10

and if any of you cocky fuckers wanna protest that email me
at guitarman_sm@hotmail.com

22 frets, solid body (really solid! starts to hurt my leg while sitting down), volume, two tone,5 way selector, S/S/S, I'm not sure what kind of body it is but whatever it is I don't like it! I'm not sure what scale the neck is but another complaint I have with the guitar is its neck, its so big makes for playing hard Wasn't bad untill I played my friends Jackson!

Well the sound dosen't suit the stlye I play at all (Metal) I love bands like Metallica but Its pretty good for Jimi Hendrix and groups of the like. I'm playing through a Marshall amp a kinda cheap one but the sound isn't that bad but not the best. It you get just anywhere next to an electrical device It goes crazy! I could be all the way across the room (about 12') and it would still buzz. Its got a really bright sound on the bridge pickup so I tend to play it on the neck pick up where it plays much better for metal. I can't say it sounds bad and I can't say it sounds good either. I guess it depends on what style of music you play

I bought the guitar from musicians friend as a beginners guitar and I can't really tell you much about it because I got it over 2 years ago (I'm finally getting a new guitar and ESP KH 202!) but I did have a problem with the volume contol coming loose and the bridge not being able to handle the heavier strings and I had to put some more springs in it but besides that no problems

I don't know if anyone who is going to play live would have this guitar but it proably withstand it. The finish has withsatanded a lot I've only had one area with chipped paint and thats about it. I think during a live show I would just leave this one at home though! lol

Only delt with musicians friend and they're just as awesome as always!

I've been playing for almost 3 years now and Its been a good guitar but I finally moving up to a ESP. I'll probably take this guitar out only when I want to down tune or something like that. If it was stolen or lost I wouldn't buy it again now that I have a job and all. I have a little money to spend on a new one. I wish it had some better pickups though like emgs but I guess they wouldn't really look right on that guitar. I would althogh recommend it to a new guitar player who just wants to see if he has the intrest or not to keep playing.

made in china in 2001. 20 frets, s/s/s configuration. I've played a few of these in shops, and they don't have much to offer.

I mainly play hard rock (smashing pumpkins, radiohead, tom petty, van halen, etc) and sometimes a little neil young or CCR once in awhile. I've tried many of these out in shops before, and I didn't like the sound at all. Thin, frail, lifeless...this guitar offers nothing, really. The pickups feedback and hum like crazy, and the selector switch is weak. The wiring is no better than a cheap radio from the dollar store. Unfortunately, on the east side of the state, we only have a few guitar shops, and the ones that we have around my area only carry squiers, ibanez, and peavey...so as I'm going in to test pedals, I've had to test them out on the low-grade instruments.

If you're looking for fender sound, don't look at this...look at something that won't make you lose your dignity and respect for the company.

the body is light and solid, and the neck seems to be fit. the neck and fretboard are very clunky and uncomfortable. less than average tuners, poor selector switch, poor electronics, weak input jack. I really have nothing good to say about this guitar, except that it makes a good starter guitar...and if your 10 or 12 year old kid likes to bang it around, it doesn't cost a fortune to replace.

would I depend on it for a gig? yes.

would I depend on it for a gig without a backup? no.

This is an okay guitar to pull out for one song or two, but your options are pretty limited with this guitar. Pretty soon you'll tire of this instrument, (that is if you have others) and you'll want to switch.

the squier line is made cheaply. VERY cheaply, and on worklines in china. Chinese workers that get minimum wage. They don't get raises, and they don't get promotions. Just like any other citizen of any country, they figure "why put in extra work, if it's not going to get me anywhere in this job?" and that's exactly the attitude that squier puts out for the user...it's stubborn, it's not going to get anywhere, and it's a minimum wage guitar. I've said my peace.

nope.

For a beginner's guitar = great.

for a more experienced player = not so great.

I'm not saying that these squiers are totally bad, and that you should avoid them like the plague, I'm just telling you that you shouldn't use them for one of your main guitars.

To be totally honest, I would really recommend a Silvertone Strat copy over these...they're about the same price, maybe $30 less, and they have more of a "vintage" fender sound to them, or so I've heard. They're also constructed better, look nicer, and aren't a pain like many squiers are.

once again...great starter guitar. cheap price, carries the "fender" brand (unfortunately...ugh), and it will have a higher resale value over no-name or low-grade strat copies.

I currently own, use, and/or play a '73 Ventura SG (my dad's), and a 1993 MIM Fender Strat w/upgraded parts, as well as a Yamaha FG412-S Acoustic and an Austin AU341-S (kind of like Alvarez' squier brand; a budget line guitar from Alvarez) Acoustic. I have numerous pedals that I don't really care to list, and a couple amps as well.

Out of 10, I would rate an Affinity Series Squier Strat a 6. If you can, save your dough and get a genuine fender strat...SO MUCH better than any squier (except early 80's MIJ) strat and they aren't much more expensive. If you've already made up your mind on a squier, then at least get a Squier Standard Series, not this Affinity crap. Squier II's and MIJ Squiers are a fair shot too, worth checking out. Hope this review helped somebody in someway.

PEACE I'M OUTTA HERE!

first of all i'm tired of people bitching about their sqiers and comparing with les pauls. it's $160 guitar, so treat is as that. i had 2 of them in black. my friend sropped one and cracked the finish, still in good working order though. he bought me new on cause he's like a spoiled rich kid. the one he broke was made in indonesia and sucked, I sold it at a music store for $40. the new on is made in CHINA. huge difference. this model may be an exeption, but it's quality quality is that of a much higher priced guitar. the neck is super smooth and so is the fretboard. the finish looks good and i'm careful not to scratch it. it has all the standard hardware, no need to go into that. the only problem is the nut with is 1&5/8"
good for smaller hands and maybe ast chords, but not for bends.

the sound is pretty good. bass and treble. with the flick of a switch go from rythm to lead. what more do u need?

the action is incredible, better than any guitar iv'e owned or played. this may just be an exceptional piece, so try out a few at the store before buying. no flaws neck is AAA construction.

no problems so far

don't know

it's good for a first guitar. better spend the extra $60, and buy a fender rather than a no-name imitation. it's a great value for the money, which is why i give high rating.

My Strat has been my first electric guitar. The features are nothing special, but good. Pickups are "Strat style", S/S/S. 21 frets, fuckin' 21, i sometimes needed the 22th and i had to bend... The fret scale is really good, I had the Rosewood version. It is Made in China. The pickup switch breaks too easily...

I play Blues and Hard Rock (AC/DC style) and for that it sounds good. The Neck-Medium pickup setting is good for 6-string chords.
Little noise on Bridge-Medium position.

They Squire fucking bastards didn't give me the vibrato bar! I had to buy one!

I played it hard, I hit many many times on my bed, I used it to break a window and it is perfect.

N/D

A good guitar, for 250?...

Good basic guitar in classic Strat trim - 5-way selector, three single-coil pickups, whammy/tremolo. Not a wholelotta features, but not a wholelotta money, either.

I play just for fun and relaxation - keep it in my office and play it during meetings to keep folks off balance! Also jam with friends and neighbors.

It's very "hummy" which is typical of single-coil pickups, though this is maybe a bit more than normal. No tone control for the bridge pickup which is much too bright. If playing over the bridge, I use the selection for the bridge/middle and bass-up the tone for the middle pickup - sounds nice and fat for blues leads, southern rock, etc.

Decent set up at the factory, acceptably low, good pickup adjustment, etc. Don't like the fact that the plastic crap that protects the pickguard from scratches is bolted down under the knobs and can't be removed without disassembly.

Thin finish, dents/chips easily. Nice neck and fretboard though.

Seems solid, good construction, strap buttons, etc. - I play it all the time, it gets dropped a lot and still does fine. I used to gig a lot in high school and college and played worse stuff than this without a backup. Kind of like a Timex watch. Takes a lickin' keeps on tickin.

Couldn't tell ya ...

I wouldn't buy it again - but would buy another Strat - an American or Mexican strat rather than a Squier. Good beginner axe.

made 2000. in indonesia, has 21 frets, 5 selector switch, volume and 2 tone controls, 3 single coils, maple neck with a rosewood fretboard, the usuall strat bridge, pretty good stock tuners (no-name though).Neck is pretty much comfortable even though 14th fret just jumped out, so i had to fix this, and it's obvious that the wood isn't top of the class...nothing unexpected, but nothing fancy or well done at all so...

i can see this guitar in hands of a young punk musician (if they can be named that way), but certainly not in mine.i'm mostly a blues player and when you take this guitar out of the box forget about blues, first you should change the pickups then think about it otherwise it's very noisy.i'm playing it on a vox ac30 top boost (mostly anything sounds great on this) and with a marshall guv'nor plus distortion pedal.you can get very bright tones if you try hard, but don't touch the tone controls on the guitar cause the sound will get muddy.the in-between pickup selections are of no use neither until you change the pickup selector switch.considering the money and the quality you get what you expected...with new pickups and switch and possibly potentiometers i give it an 8, but for now:

factory settings are rough and unuseful, low action, poor strings, bad intonation and bad pickup height.my guitar got some finish flaws, so i managed to cut down the price a lot, but usually the finish is very bad, and some tuners were loose, not to mention the string buzzle, but the neck was good, and the body is well made too, it resonates very good which surprised me.

like i said before when you make some adjustments and spend some money on pickups you can take it wherever you want to, otherwise don't.finish allready (1 year) started to wear off, but i don't mind, it's lousy anyway, i'll buy some paint and draw something.strap buttons are solid and you could say that you can depend on it, but not without of backup on factory stuff.

no warranty, you're on your own and i never dealt with cust. support so...

i've been playing this guitar for a year now and i'm gonna change it.i'm stuck on a telecaster.overall you can buy this for a start, but don't think about it if you're expirienced.it's a very good deal if you find one with good finish and then get some pickups, you can get away very cheap and get yourself a great guitar, other than that get some more money and reconsider.

This gay guitar was made in 2001 in china it has 21 med. jumbo frets which doesnt mean anything much. it is black...really cheap paint job. 3 cheap fender single coil pickups. 5 way switching. volume tone, tone. maple neck and super cheap rosewood fingerboard. looks like plastic no kidding. diecast tuners. whammy bar. its ok with the number of features but i take points off for the quality.

it just barely suits my style of hardcore downstroking. i play punk. i am currently using a fender cyber-twin amp which kicks ass and is the only thing that keeps me going. if i had a fender frontman or something of that grade i would throw it in the trash because it has a dull noisy sound. very limited options with the switching. i give this just above half because i play music that really doesnt care if you sound not too great or awsome.

it was set up all right i guess. the input is a little loose. the bridge and pickups are satisfactory except for the noise factor. no major flaws. just a cheap practice guitar bearly worthy of gigs.

this guitar bearly withstands playing in my garage. the hardware is about as strong as a plastic army man. it will not last long. the finish is like spray paint. the strap buttons are reliable i guess. i would semi rely on this guitar. they say that cheap guitars are beginning to get better and this is true. i would only gig with this if my rick, les paul, amer. tele, and g&l were burnt to a crisp. this guitar was bought purely for teaching my little brother ryan michalko who doesnt know the difference.

never had to deal with them but i know that fender/squier has pretty good customer service. i did bring it into the shop once and they gave me a free repair :-)

I have been playing for about 17 years since i was about 9.
my gear list includes:
for guitar:
squier aff strat
gibson les paul classic
fender american tele HH
G&L commanche
Rick. 330
fender cyber-twin head and fender showman 412s
Bass:
squier aff. precision
g&l L2000
gibson thunderbird

The Features are featured below.

I have been playing for almost three years now. I play different music but I love to play blues. My review reflects this guitar's performance for Blues, Classic Rock, Modern Rock, and pop. This is an excellent blues guitar like any strat. This guitar is not a good metal guitar. It does not do great for jazz rythym but will do. I reviewed this guitar before and gave a harsh review. I did not have such discerning ears then and based my review on rumors of low quality and ridiculuos price. It wasn't until around three months ago that I really realized the excellence of it's sound quality. I've noticed that other oppions with lower ratings are written by people with crappy amps. I, a crappy amp owner, have to agree. This guitar does not sound its best through a crappy amp. Also, it is important to bring and use your primary guitar when trying out amps. My rating represents the sound in porportion to the sound. Yes, a more expensive guitar will probably sound better but for the price or any range up to 700 this guitar is a ten.

The action is low and has good intonation. I changed my strings to 10's and then 11's to give more mid-range and bottom-end. The stock action is perfect.

Built solid like any Fender. I gig without a backup.

The guitar is great for begginers or curious first time strat buyers. Squiers are not bad guitars. The affinity line is, in my oppinion, the best line. I have tried out the slightly more expensive Squier standard but my affinity sounds better for what I play. The affinity line has more color options now as well. I would recommend this guitar to anyone interested.