Fender Squier Affinity Series Strat

Standard Strat features, made in Indonesia, not sure of year. Alder body, which is nice as opposed to poplar, 3 single coil pickups, magnetic blades under the pole pieces, tremelo, rosewood neck.

For a beginner guitar, very good. I bought this guitar to modify as funds are a question and I liked the alder body. Actually the guitar plays nicely, and despite the cheap pickups, the sound isn't really that bad. I plan on installing better pickups soon. The thinner body acutally helps as it keeps that nice strat treble bite, despite the rosewood neck.

Bought at a pawn shop, it needed a setup as well as new strings.

Seems pretty solid.

I give it a good rating as the guitar is actually quite playable, with the modifications I plan on doing, I feel this is going to be a fun guitar to use.

Mine was purchased around 2001, made in Indonesia. There are 21 frets, thin neck. S/S/S pickups, most strats are. The 5 way pickup selector is very noisy. Positions 1/3/5 are noisy, 2 and 4 aren't bad (I'm assuming that is standard for most S/S/S guitars). Pickups are stock pickups from either Fender or Squier. I'd like to replace the pickups when I can afford. I think the body is alder. The tuners aren't the best, one day I may replace them. The tremelo sucks, it detunes the guitar pretty easily. The input jack rattled the first few weeks of owning it. I tightened that up and is fine now.

The sound lacks the higher treble and lower bass. Right now I have 9 guage EB's on them, I plan on switching to a heavier guage soon (Hopefully that'll help the sound). I play the blues, Beatles, Rolling Stones. The guitar suits that style pretty nicely.

The action on this thing is incredible. The pickups were setup pretty good.

The guitar seems like it'll withstand the test of time. I have never dropped it nor treated it badly, though I haven't cared for it like I should a guitar. I changed the strap buttons to strap locks. I would use this guitar as a backup. It's rather reliable, except for the tuners which can be inconsistent.

I have had no problems that needed customer support.

I would buy this guitar again if it were ever stolen or lost. I like it's great action and ease of playing. I strongly dislike the tremolo bar, but that's alright (I keep mine off). I didn't have much money at the time of buying it (still don't) and didn't both comparing it to many other guitars. I have played a few Les Pauls, a few American Strats, and a couple Ibanez. This guitar does compare with the $700+ range.

22 frets, vol and 2 tone dials, candy apple red, strat, string thru body bridge, non locking big, gumpy tuners, got a gig bag with it

Not so great. I played my dads mexican fender strat and now hate my squier. Doesn't stay in tune, shorts out, puts a lot of extra hum through my amp. The only thing I really like is the bridge on my squier is better than what comes on a mexican fender strat and not much worse than that of an american fender strat.

The bridge is nice. The tuning pegs are just not very good looking, too big. The pick up switch shorts out frequently. I have heard all squiers have short problems with the wiring. Easy to fix though just take your pick guard off and resauder. Also, the guitar is awckward feeling to hold compared to other strats.

Never could you play this live! Hardware has lasted the two months I've had it so far and the kid i got it from had it for a year with no troubles. The finish is good and the strap buttons are sturdy. Never would I gig with this just do to poor sound quality. It has shorts in the wiring or pickup switch.

haven't dealt with them

Not a great guitar. I've been playing just a month and already i can tell all the flaws. Pay the extra few hundred bucks to move into a mexican strat because you wont want to keep this guitar very long and you'll end spending money again.

Pretty sure it's and Affinity (for some reason they sanded off the series name and the country it was made in). Blue w/ white pickguard. 3 single-coil pickups. I got it for free. My mom picked it up and gave it to me. Don't know how much she payed for it. I guess it has all the features that a Strat should have.

I mostly play rock or blues. Sound is good to me. I run it through a Boss DS-1 into a Crate GFX-20. I get real bright sound from the bridge pickup and real crunchy distortion. I use the bridge and middle pickups together and mess with the tone knobs a little to try and get that "Hendrix-type" sound. The neck pickup can be used for some lead stuff. Just depends on what ya like.

The setup was bad when I got it, but that was kind of a good thing. Learned how to do the setup my self. Action was way too high. Pickups were too low. Slight truss rod adjustment too. Wouldn't stay in tune. Intonation was way off. After I adjusted everything (action, pickups, neck) it is great. The guitar player in my band couldn't beleive how easy it is to play now. Stays in tune really well for me and I really like to bend the strings.

I have a kid and it still works. Enough said.

Haven't dealt with them.

Got my 1st guitar when I was 16 and just messed around with it. Mostly played acoustic up until 2 years ago. As for the guitar, if it was stolen I would probably try to get an American Strat. I love it because it suits my needs right now. As much as I love SRV and Hendrix i'm not quite at that level yet, so this guitar is fine for me. If you can get one for around $100, I would pick it up if you didn't have anything else. As for value, I get it a 10. Mine was FREE!

Well here we go, mine is not very standard anymore. I bought it because it was cheap and it looked good. It had a rosewood fretboard, a 3 colour sunburst body end a white pickguard. Now it has an original Fender stratocaster USA neck with a flatter radius, new machine heads, a bronze topcam and jumbofrets. The rest i left original. From the factory it is a poor guitar, at least the neck is.

Alhough i changed the neck, i left the body and electronics orgiginal because it sounds great, believe it or not. I have several guitars, later on more about this, and this new born stratocaster does very very well. I mostly use my (faw faw faw) 3 Marshall 2500 SL-X stacks on wich this guitar really sings. The original pickups have great natural feedback now and then, you can really play with it. It happened often that people asked me where i got this really great vintage Fender Stratocaster sound hahaha, i normally keep quiet because i don't want to shame myself for playing a rebuilt squier.
For the rest, the trem is good, the knobs feel sturdy and the body is as i said, a great looking sunburst with wood patterns shining thru, looks great.

Factory set-up was really bad, i had my guitar tech place the new neck and do the whole guitar over, now it plays good but factory set-up was very poorly, i think fender should abandon squier and all these poor original low budget strats like the highway special and earlier american traditionals. Just go on with the best stuff, they may sell less but at least they don't need to be ashamed for this piece of junk with their name on it.

I would use it anytime anywhere. I would use it without a backup but i allways have more guitars with me anyway. The hardware, finish and knobs are sturdy. But, the hardware on the neck was very very v e r y shitty, replaced it so i give it a 7.

Never dealt with them.

I use all sorts of amps but mostly i play Marshalls, JCM900 2500 SLX amps, i also have 2204's, a 1987 and a modded Hi Gain Dual Reverb, i also use a Fender Deluxe Reverb reissue. I have a gibson LP with EMG's on it and a handbuilt Marco Messer guitar with ES135 pickups on it, a glued on neck and a hardtail (sound like a gibson LP but with more sustain and punch). Since i had this Fender Squier modded like i allready metioned i love it, it looks cool and sound great. I give it a 7 because of the poor neck and machine heads.

I don't know when this was made, I got it at a yard sale. It is for all intent the same as most strats, other than the fact that it is one of the indonesian ones, and as such far better made than most. The only differences between this and the vintage fenders I have had is that it has a 1 ply face plate (if that ever bugs me it is 30 bucks to get a 3 ply), the tuning machines are far better (they seem to be like Gotohs, which, are the best I have ever used) and, the neck stays where I put it (for some reason, every guitar I have had that says "Fender" on the headstock has had a neck that changed constantly, with the exception of my japanese made fender bass) The neck is not shaped exactly like the american made strats I have played, I am not sure how it is different, it seems more comfortable though. It is not a floating tremelo (thank God). It is painted red.

It sounds like a strat. I have another indonesian strat that I put EMG pickups in, and the pickups in this one side by side sound better. One of the guitarists in the band I am in has a Fender strat, it is an old one with the 3 way switch, and this strat sounds a lot like it, perhaps a little wider tone range. I use it in a variety of amps and recording situations. It has a very full sound that is kind of bright, it kind of leans toward the real bright but lower end balsy bright like a telecaster in the bridge position. The neck pickup has a very nice sound for blues, real fat sounding, and does not bottom out easily. I am afraid to so much as change a pickguard screw on this guitar out of fear it will change, it is the dream guitar. Best strat I have ever played for sound. The pickups are also pretty high output without being too midrangy or without grunging out. Very clean sounding, and at the same time with a lot of edge.

OK , here is my beef with american and mexican made strats. They seem to always have string rattle, even with high action (which, I set the action as low as I can, I get better intonation that way, and it is easier to play intricate licks). Every Indonesians strat I have seen that has been set up does not have that annoying fret rattle. They also seem to set up way lower, without the neck changing. This guitar stays in tune all the time, I can set it down for 3 days and pick it up and it is very close. The neck stays like I adjusted it to. I have had it for probably a year, and I set it up the first week I had it, then again about a month later (which I always do with my guitars, being as truss rod adjustments seem to take a while to fully settle in). I bought this guitar used at a yard sale, it was a filthy abused mess. I took it all apart, and cleaned it good (dirt was down in the pickguard pickup holes). I polished the body, and polished the frets, and the thing looks new now. It not only has no flaws, but seems to be the most accurately machined strat I have seen. I am not sure of the wood in it, but it sustains as good as the best strats I have seen, and is very well balanced. Some strats are just too light, and feel neck heavy, this one is just right. The saddles, nut, and tuners are all very well done, very precise. The electronics seems to be quiet for a strat.
This guitar has perfect intonation, that and it's overall nice tone make it the ideal guitar for recording.

I would use this guitar live in a heartbeat. Everything on it seems up to snuff, better so than as I say, any of the strats of the past I have owned. I am not real hard on my guitars, and I am not much into cosmetics either, so, I do not pay much attention to finishes, but, I have bumped this one a few times, and it seems to have a pretty durable paint job. I would not at all be afraid to use it without a backup, although that is not something I typically would do.
I use this guitar to record, and it is great for that.

As with most Japanes/Indonesian/Chinese/overseaswhatever companies, the proof is in the pudding. My experience has been that if a guitar is made in Korea or Japan, you don't need to worry about warrenty or customer support, they make it right the first time. They make musical instruments like they make cars, the best. The indonesian guitars seem to be made the same way.

I have been playing for something close to 40 years. I have a wide range of instruments and gear. I play bass in a local gigging band, although I am primarily a guitarist. I would replace this guitar with another indonesian strat in a heartbeat if something happened to it. The thing I really love about this guitar is, the neck is like the old tiesco necks, it does not change. Most strats I have had, Fender or otherwise, the necks always move. I had a Duo Sonic 2 that I even put 3 dowell rods through the body under the neck plate into the neck, so that the neck sit over three dowels tightly before being screwed on, and I'll be damned if it didn't still change. This thing is so consistant it amazes me, the neck and action and intonation are always the same, even with weather change. The neck seems to be made of reasonably hard wood. It's stability kind of reminds me of the Yamaha SG series guitars. If this thing was firewood it was worth 20 bucks, but it turns out to be the buy of a lifetime for me. It is the strat I always wanted but could never find. You guys need to make a "12" rating possible in this catagory just for me.

Mine is a Indonesian-made 2002 Affinity Series Strat 20th Anniversary model. Typical Strat, S/S/S, 21 frets, maple skunk-stripe neck w/ rosewood fretboard, vintage-style trem, sealed diecast tuners, 11 hole single-ply pickguard. I ordered it as 'Used B Stock' in January 2004 but it looks like they sent me a new guitar.

It sounded OK out of the box. Once I raised the pickups it sounded much better. It's noisy in postions 1,3 and 5 like any standard Strat. It sounds like a Strat.

The fretwork was a little uneven but they don't grab your hand. Other than that it's good. The neck is a bit narrow for me. I don't have big fingers but the strings are a bit close. It would be good for a kid. I adjusted the action and intonation. It took all of the saddle adjustment to get the intonation on the 6th string.

I'd play this live. It stays in tune. The finish could probably withstand neutron bombardment. I have no reason to think it is unreliable. I have other real Strats so I would have others as a backup in case I broke a string or something.

I never tried or needed factory support.

I've been playing 30 years. I have two Fender Strats, Jazz and Mustang Basses, Epiphone LP Junior, OLP MM4, Ampeg SBT preamp, Dynaco ST410 poweramp, 15" JBL cabinet, Crate BX50DLX and Behringer GM110. I think I got a good guitar. There's really nothing I don't like about it (except the narrow neck). It was well worth the money. If it were stolen I'd buy another for the same price I paid. For what they normally sell for, $150.00, I'd buy a used MIM Strat.

This was a 2000, made in Korea model.It has 21 frets & all the standard strat controls.3 single coil pickups, 1 ply white pickguard on blue finish, rosewood neck.
the hardware LOOKED okay but it really sucks.
I bought this for my daughter and the finish has held up alright. But I've replaced the tuners.
We still have issues with the tailpiece and pickups.

When she was playing Mel Bay it suited her style. Now that she can play a little bit, I'm hard pressed to find much that it's good for.
We've played it through several amps...Her Peavy 15 watt solid state amp sounds clear and punchy with other guitars sounds kind of muddy with this one.Also played it through my Crate GT80 tube amp and my old Fender Princeton 65. There are times when it gets a nice Hendrix tone for a little while. But it's very inconsitant and usually just sounds noisey and muddy.

The action is not half bad. The only complaint I have about the fit and finish: if you slide your hand along the side of the frets, you'll never play guitar again! It feels like a saw.
As far as playability, the frets were decent and the neck contour was pretty comfortable.

This is where the guitar becomes a joke.Let's start at the top and go down.
1 The tuners were crap. I replaced them with gotoh tuners.
2 edges of the frets were sharp and rough. I polished them to smooth them out so no one would loose a finger.
3 The pickups are pure crap, noisey, muddy, overall awful sounding.
4 switches and pots are scratchy and obviously poor quality.
5 The saddles cut through the strings at such a rate that any money you think you saved by buying this thing would be more than offset by replacing strings in the first month.
6 The tailpeice is brutal. As you tune each string, it stretches the springs and pulls the others out of tune. You could spend the rest of your life trying to tune this thing and never get it right on.
The finish still looks like new. But it's probably because out of the 10 guitars in my living room, this one is the least played of all.
I wouldn't use this thing on a gig at all. I don't even like to admit to buying it. I just wrote this to try and save other people from making the same mistake I made.

I've been playing for 36 years. I bought this for my daughter when she wated to learn to play. I wish I would have known before I bought this, how nice the Kramer Focus was for about half the price.
I also own a Kramer Focus, a Fender Telecaster, Fender Strat, Guild S300-D,Kent Les paul copy,Gibson Les Paul Custom,Takamine Sante Fe, Ibanez, Hamer Echotone,Martin, Fender Princeton 65, Crate GT 80, Peavy Rage, assorted pedals by DigiTech, Danelectro, Ibanez,Boss and others.
If this was stolen...Are you kidding? Who'd want to steal this? I'd give it to them.
Buy a Kramer Focus for half the price. It's 10 times the guiotar.

I bought mines in 98' this was my first electric guitar. This is great guitar for beginners. It has all the features that other strats have, just very cheap ones. If you are starting out i would definitley recommend, it's easy to learn on, good for almost any kind of music (even metal, if you have a good distortion pedal)

Ok this is where it gets tricky. If you get a cheap amp, a small solid state Crate GFX or Fender frontman, this guitar would sound pretty good in a home environment. However if you play it on professional Tube amps, or anything higher than 15 watts, this guitar sounds terrible. The pickups are extremely noisy, you can pretty much sing into them and you'd hear it in the amp. This is not a good guitar for gigging, unless you're playin in a sloppy style or punk(not that i have anythin against punk).

Action is good, but i think this guitar is very sensitive to temperature, when its really cold, the action is way higher. Maybe its just me i dont know, but thatwhat i noticed. Finish is ok, mine
s pretty banged up already.

Again this guitar is not suited for live performance simply because it doesnt sound that good cranked up. The hardware seems like it will last, but im sure it wont sound the way u first purchased it.

N/A

I've been playing for 6 years and since i bought this guitar i owned other better ones. I dont regret buying it because it was a good guitar to learn on (well besides my acoustic). If you are starting out and looking for a cheap guitar that would sound good in your bedroom then i would recommend it.

1999 squier affinity strat made in an obviosly foreign country. Contains 22 frets(that are sucky) 5 way selector , 3 single coiled pickups , 1 volume and 2 tone controls. I don't know the model of the pickups but they... suck.The finish is ok , but it sucks as well.THe tuners are also pretty cheap. Basically a pretty cheap guitar .. along with most other fenders.

ok this is where the guitar really starts showing how bad it truly is. I play mostly metal , classic rock , and blues. Basically it can't suit any style and the pickups really stand out ( IN A BAD WAY) when your trying to play. These things really suck ... the ones that make people want to quit.

THe action was set up ok at the factory. Again this is a 150$ guitar so the pickups were not adjusted correctly and the finish was pretty bad.

This strat defiently could not withstand live playing. In fact , it cant withstand playing in your bedroom. The hardware seems like it will last ... 2 months and the finish starts wearing off after the first week. IF u play punk or jump around alot ... i want to be there when you a playing a live show and the cheap strap buttons fall off. So basically , u cant really depend on this and i would rather quit a show then play this guitar AS a backup to save embarassment.

Well , i have been playing for 3 years now. After i bought this one and found the sheer stupidity of my decision , i quickly sold this one and bought a burns. IF this guitar was stolen ... the person who would risk getting caught to steal this guitar would be an idiot.
Pros of this guitar - i get to hear beginners who think they are great suck.
Cons of this guitar - i get to hear beginners who really want to play quit guitar forever.