Fender Squier Affinity Series Strat

Made in korea, 21 frets, 1 volume, 2 tone, 5 way switch, 3 singlecoils, alder body, vintage style vibrato, slim maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, came with some tools that i lost before i had a chance to find out what they did.

I play a range of styles from metal to some bluesy stuff, and the three pickups and vibrato unit give it a great versatility, and the tones available are classic strat, made better by the use of a marshall MG30DFX, although the bridge pickup gives of a lot of feedback, and all pickups hum a bit, but they are singlecoils.

A very slim neck and deep cutaway provides easy access to all 21 frets, with a low action to help fast playing and shredding and a vintage style vibrato set up with 3 springs that returns to pitch well, exept when used for kerry king style exessive divebombs, but it's not a floyd rose, so don't go crazy with it.

this guitar has withstood many a live show, all without a backup, i may add, and always delivered. beware of the screechy bridge pickup though, so try to turn down the volume when not playing. You could get it potted, at least i'm considering it, or buy a replacement. the scratch plate can chip easily, but replacement ones should be cheap, and it is still a dependable lump of guitar, easily playable.

never needed any help from them.

i have been playing for 3 years now, and it is great for starters, and with replacement pickups, intermediate and semi-pro too.

Korean Made. Basic Strat setup. Alder body. Three single coils, 21 frets, rosewood fretboard, maple neck, standard tuners. Has a red finish. Think Jack White of the White Stripes Airline guitar. That's the color. 5 way selector. Basic tremelo bridge. It's reliable. Not the greatest, not the worst.

My nusic style is basically classic rock/blues rock with some modern stuff and early 90's. It fits all of these pretty well. I play it unpluggd alot, but I also play it thru my small 10 or 15 watt amp. I also have a Digitech Rp50 effects processor and this works well with the setup. It makes it sound alot better. The guitar has the slight hum of a single coil when not using an out-of-phase setting, but all single coils are like this. The pickups are pretty good, especially for the price paid. The bridge pickup is really good. It has that classic Strat sound. The neck pickups is also good. It gives you that nice bluesy feel. It sounds pretty good clean and distorted. Good sound. I like to use the bridge-middle pickups together and cranks the tone volume down to get that sound. I can't really explain it that well, and it doesn't sound as well clean like this, but with the distortion on it has a nice sound, almost like a humbucker. Really good rock tone. Once again, not the worst, not the greatest.

The action and intonation was set up at the factory. The action is medium or so, I don't know the exact measurement. It's sorta high I guess. I like my action a like that, so I am very satisfied. The pickup hieght was fine. No dents or anything out of the box, although there are some now from all the usage it has been thru. Bridge and saddles set up fine. Very good set up.

This is one tough guitar. Very durable. It has some minor dents and very minor, almost undetectable scratches, most of which are my fault. It has been thru one talent show gig and will go thru another in a couple of days. Hardware seems good. It has a little rust, but that is ok because this is a player, not a looker. You can't really see the rust unless you are looking closely. Finish has no cracks or chips. Very good finish. Strap buttons are rock solid. Never had a problem with them. Very dependable. The only problem I have had is that one of the screws holding the selector plate in would fall out. A little tape or a sticker fixes that however. This doesn't affect the playability whatsoever, so its fine. I think is could do a gig with out a backup. I would bring extra strings of course, but who doesn't when playing a gig. I use 49-11's so I don't break a whole lotta srtings. Reliable guitar.

Never dealt with the company. I can give no info. No use even gining a rating.

I have been playing for 1 1/2 - 2 years. I also own a vintage Gibson acoustic. I have been told ny many people that I sound like I have been playing for longer than I have, even from other guitarists who have been playing for a long time. Not to brag, but a am probably at least a year ahead of most people who have been playing the same length of time I have.
This is my first electric and it has served me well. I have learned alot on this and I plan to keep it as a backup for quite some time. I should be getting a new guitar, hopefully and Agile, pretty soon, so this will sink down to my number two axe. If it were stolen, I would probably kick the persons ass, and then laugh at them, partially because they stole a Squier which can be bought a a low price anyway.
This is a very good guitar for beginners and intermediate players, and even advanced players. Not the greatest guitar in the world, lso not the worst. Good axe overall. If you have any questions feel free to email me.

2 volume knobs, 2 tone knobs, and a 5 way selector switch. Pretty standard for any strat. It also has a whammy bar.

This thing sounds more or less like crap. It picks up almost any electrical device you come anywhere near. I tend to keep the tone switch all the way up, or in the middle, and the tone knobs around half, to try to combat this problem, which doesn't work well, since it's still quite noisy. The output on the guitar is very weak as well. I generally only bring it for one or two songs during my set, if at all.

The guitar was set up all right at the factory. I'm more used to set necks, so I don't really bother with adjusting it too much.
One thing I did do, was put extra springs on the tremelo arm which I took from my old Lotus strat imitation. I'd rather use the Lotus, except that it's about twice as heavey.

This guitar seems to hold up pretty well. I generally use this guitar to literally "throw around" at the end of my set from time to time. So far nothing has broken that I couldn't fix, or live without. The paint's chipped in two or three places, the headstock has a dent in it, and the "high E" tuner is slightly broken, but still works well enough.

Never dealt with them.

I bought this guitar about 3 years ago so I'd have a guitar I could dink around with and not worry about damaging my les paul. If I could go back, I'd spend the 150$ on a different guitar with better electronics, or a good effects pedal or two.
If it got lost or stolen, I probably wouldn't notice for about a week or so. And I sure as heck wouldn't buy another one. You're better off going with some cheap SG imitation with halfway decent humbuckers than this thing.

My Squire was made in China. The year on the neck says 1996.It has 22 frets, 5 way selector, alder(I think)body, rosewood fingerboard, strat bridge and wammy bar,generic tuners(I plan to get better ones),and medium frets. When I bought this guitar, I took off the origional white finish and repainted it light blue. I also took out all the electronics and put in a Fender 57/62 pickup for the bridge, lace sensor for the middle, and I left the stock squire pickup in the neck position because it has quite a beefy tone.I also replaced the origional switch and the pots. I personally think the origional electronics are garbage.

I play mostly country, blues/rock, and surf. For amps, I use a 1979 Peavey Mace with Celestions for gigging, and an old 60 watt Lab Series for practice. For effects,I use a Boss CS-2 compressor, Boss super overdrive, Boss Turbo Overdrive, and a Crybaby wah. Soundwise, the only thing I don't like about this guitar is the weak bridge pickup. It has a nice, bright tone, but no balls. I would eventually like to put in a Seymour Duncan Hotrails for the bridge. Other than that, the guitar sounds great with all my modifications. Like any other strat, It's very versatile. I,m mainly a Telecaster man, but I think that this guitar lends a lot of variety to my sound. Good backup guitar as well.

Like I said, I found the electronics to be garbage, and I would recommend them to be replaced. I think the wood is fabulous, nice and light. Whenever I shop for an electric, I try it out unplugged first. If it has a good, resonant tone, then I know it's going to sound great plugged in, whether or not the electronics need to be replaced. I have small hands, and I find the neck to be pretty thick in the upper register. I like maple fingerboard better than rosewood, so I would like to get another neck.

All things considered, I find it to be very solid and durable, just like any other Fender electric. Definitely a good backup guitar. LOTS of potential for upgrading.

NA

As an overall rating, I would give this guitar a 6 in stock form. To belabor a point, the rating gets better with better electronics. I would give my guitar an 8 with the mods. I have been playing for 26 years. My other guitars include two TElecasters, a 1976 Ibanez Les Paul copy, A Fender copy bass, 1977 Yamaha acoustic and a 1950's Kay archtop electric(my first guitar when I was 16) I bought this guitar because I couldn't afford an America made strat, but with all the mods, I was able to turn this guitar into a good sounding instrument. The only things it really needs is a more powerful bridge pickup and a neck with a maple fingerboard with better tuning gears. If it was lost or stolen, I would't consider it a huge loss compared to my other guitars, but I still would be disappointed.

Made: 1996, in China. 21 Frets. Basswood as far as I can tell. Traditional Strat S/S/S layout & controls. Rosewood fingerboard. Arctic White finish. "Vintage tremolo." Smaller headstock shape--not like today's big CBS-style pegheads. Gave a "10" for features because it is a dead-on copy (aesthetically) of an American Fender.

I like Classic Rock, and it did okay for that, but the pickups were very noisy at higher volumes. 60-cycle hum killed the fun. I had to play in the in-between settings on the five-way switch (positions 2-and 4) to keep from deafening the audience with squeals and interference. Other than that, the guitar is in the Stratocaster ballfield--but is thin and weak. However, you cant really expect more for the price.

Straight out of the box, this guitar played lovely. When I'm sitting around the house, it is still my go-to guitar to play unplugged. For a asian-made guitar, it is quite solidly built. No neck-joint issues. All frets cleanly dressed--no burrs. The only gripe I have with the craftsmanship is that the dot inlay-markers are not perfectly straight. It is noticable up-close (although I didn't notice it at the guitar shop.

As with nearly any entry-level guitar, the electronics left much to be desired. After a year or so, the pots became scratchy and the switch got finicky. I really had to set it so that it didn't screw up, and then NOT TOUCH IT. A couple of years ago, I replaced the entire pickguard/electronics assembly with a drop-in unit I bought on eBay. It cost me $59.99USD (+ shipping), and had no-name "Texas Rockem" pickups. They actually sound beautiful. So, for the price of a Squier and replacement pickups, I have a great-playing, great-sounding Strat. Finish is great--nice and slick. Solid strap buttons, etc.

Never had to deal with Customer Support. Never worried about warranty either.

I've been playing for eight years. I have this Squier Strat, A custom built Stratocaster, Dean acoustic, and a Strat set-up for slide. If it were stolen or lost I would buy another, because these are GOOD and cheap (I'd still replace the electronics, though). I like the fact that these guitars are well built structurally. If you can get past the chincy electronics (or replace them) the make great guitars. They have the Fender pegheads (decals are available, boys). They are actually better than most 70s Fenders I've seen. With my new pickups and electronics, this makes a killer Fender clone.

This is a Squire strat with the standard strat setup: 3 pickups, 5 position switch, one volume control, two tone contrls, and strat wammy bar. These are basically the same features as on the 1962 strat I used to play in college back in the 70's, so I rate it a 7. Locking tuners and Floyd Rose setup would bring it up to a 10. So I rate the Squire a 7, which is what I'd give a standard strat.

This guitar has the standard strat sound but with slightly less output than a "real" strat. If your trying to overdrive your 40-year old tube amp that's been retrofitted with some crappy East European 12AT7 tubes, you won't be happy. But if you have a modern amp you can get that standard strat sound by cranking up amplifier gain a bit. So sound is like that of a standard strat, an 8.

Here is where the Squire falls short of a standard strat. Quality is pretty variable on the Squires I played, and I'd say they range from 1 to 8. The one I bought is an 8, but you there are plenty with quality probalems and bad setups out there. But if you play a few of them (like I did) you should be able to find a good one. So I score my strat an 8 in this dept.

Hey! This guitar is a big block of wood and metal. WHat could go wrong?

No idea.

I'vw been playing for 30+ years. Bought this guitar for my son and we both love playing it. (I play this baby more than my Les Paul Custom.) It';s got all the strat karma at 1/3 the price and that rates an overall score of 9 in my book. Back "in the day" I gigged with a '62 strat into a Fender Twin, a setup that could set you back $10,000 today. To be honest, the Squire strat through a Princeton Chorus sounds 95% as good at 10% the price.

If you can hear the difference (or think you can) sell the car and pick up the 1962 strat. But if you can't afford it, just buy the Affinity and lie.

This Squier Strat Affinity Series model was made in 1999. It is a glossy olympic white, with a maple swirly neck. It has 21 medium jumbo frets and a tremelo that stays in tune (during *normal* use)!
I did not expect such a fine instrument when I bid and won this beauty on eBay for $78. This guitar is my favorite (of six) and I love the skinny, fast neck and low profile on action.

This guitar suits my style perfectly. I am a rock musician and use this guitar when I don't want to bring my expensive guitars, for what it is, it holds it's own !

The action was a perfect .067 off the 12th fret and the pickups are powered with 500KOhm pots, so a lot of mid & high end. The whammy bar is the best I've ever played on a non-floyd guitar !

This guitar will take a lot of abuse, misuse, refuse, beer baths, parties, clubs, halls, gigs, champagne and a good old lickin' and just keep on tickin'

Very helpful, the best !

I've been playing since the Beatles were thinking of starting a band. They came out and blew me away, I learned my chords from listening to them harmonize ! Then I started getting into Steve Cropper and the Stax sound, then came Danny Gatton, Jeff Beck, Clapton, etc.. This guitar can do it all !

Crafted in Indonesia with parts from Japan (like the Sony TV's, etc..) this is a great player's guitar. You can leave it around, no one will rip you off. Who wants a Squier, I want a Fender. Well boys and girls, let me tell you...put $500 back in your pocket and buy the Squier and you'll be glad you did. It is a solid sounding guitar !

The sound really comes from my effects & amps, so ya, the sound is fine. The whammy is great, stays in tune pretty good ! Solid hardware and electronics, nice finish (alder), maple neck, sleek & fast !

Perfecto from the factory, just plug & play - and don't worry !

Could drop off a truck and would still play in tune !

Greatest people in the world (is my endorsement ready ? ) no, but seriously, The Squier is 2nd fiddle to the strats, but a very decent guitar that can hold it's own amoung the other $150 guitars from Ibanez, Epiphone, Yamaha, Cort, Hohner....

Been playing 'bout 20 years, singin' 'bout my fears,
Had I not this fine guitar, my eyes would be filled with tears;

GREAT !

This gittah was made in 2002, got 21 frets, made of plywood as far as i can tell, 3 singles (shit ones.) Its got a pretty standard tremolo bar too. The headstock is like a normal strat only a bit wider, the bride is pretty standard, normal tuners too. i got it in a pack with dodgy 15 watt frontman, plys a gig bag and some cables. yeah its got plenty of features i spose, so 6

ok. This guitar was fine when i started out and didnt really care what i sounded like as long as i had a guitar. But now i know a little more, it's really no good for me. the sound is really thin and whiny, sounds almost synthetic somehow with distortion. i use a boss ds 1 pedal and an old school wah from ebay, it sounds fair bodgy. i think its got alot to do with the amp too. I spose you can get a fair variety of sound, neck pickup can give you a decent bluesy sound, while the others all have their decent points. I almost always use the neck or bridge in conjunctiuon with the middle however, cos either of them by themselves has waaaay too much buzz. They hum more than an abo in an electric fence. Anyway, its fair shit

yeah the guitar really didnt have any bad problems, the finish was ok, pickups were alligned good, the tuners arent bad either. The only problem was a loose input jack, which had to be constantly tightened. other than that, twas ok

ah its pretty shit
the strap buttons are ok, the finish is still fine after a year and 3 months, the hardware as i said is ok. However i wouldnt gig with it cos it sounds like shit, i always borrow guitars, gonna get a new one soon. this is strictly a practice guitar

been playing a year and a bit, if it was stolen i wouldnt repleace it. I dont really regret getting it, because it was cheap and it worked for me. It holds a special place in my heart and i dont think ill ever sell it or give it away, cos its the guitar i found my feet on. If some coon stole it id run him down and take his nuts and attach them to the headstock as a trophy.

Your basic strat features. 3 single coils, 5 way selector switch, large 70's tyle headstock, standard bridge, etc. the only thing i was dissappointed in was the pickguard... one ply... makes it look kinda amatuerish. when the bridge is loosened a little you can do dive bombs with the whammy bar, and it stays in tune pretty well.

i'm more of a humbucker man, the single coils that came stock just weren't enough. i replaced the bridge pickup with a seymour duncan hot rails pickup. heavy. but for what came stock on it, i didn't like.

great action. best i've found on ANY fender made guitar. nice smooth playing neck. standard finish. black with white pickguard. rosewood fretboard.

this guitar seems pretty durable, although, it hasn't been tested adequately yet.

been playing 9 years, just got rid of a fender american strat because this one plays just as well, if not better, than the fender. and, since this guitar is so affordable i would definately replace it if stolen, although, not sure if i got a special guitar out of the squier bunch or what. love it's playability, smoothness (billy d. williams), and sound now that i improved the pickups. i hate the fact that this is the cheapest guitar anyone can buy at any guitar store, and it doesn't really seperate me from the crowd. but you can't beat the feel.