Fender Squier Affinity Series Strat

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.

Made in China, 21 frets, 5-way selector, 3 passive single coil pick ups (traditional Strat), no Floyd Rose, just the basic and classic tremolo bar. Basically the standard Stratocaster you see anywhere (am I saying "this guitar is just nothing special"? Noooooooooo..... :-)

If you buy a Strat with single coil pick ups, you gotta be aware that you're not gonna be playing thrash metal or nything like that, so don't go out saying the guitar sucks. You just don't know how to choose the right instrument for your sound.

I heard people saying all the time: "don't buy Squier guitars, they suck". Is it true? Well... yes and no. Ok, it took me about 5 months to find the right Squier Affinity. Everytime new guitars came into the store there I was to see if they were good. Were they? No.

But one beautiful morning, I found my Strat among many others and for some reason that one was REALLY good, and the others were shit. The wood, the sound, the looks, the tuning... the quality in general was much better then the other Squiers. Why? I don't know. There was a Telecaster that was real good too. I guess Squier Affinity guitars are like that: some are horrible, some are great, just like top of the line americans. Mine is one of those. Great sound, great tuning, no problem with neck whatsoever. Excellent. Remember: I'm speaking for my guitar only. I've seen many others that really sucked.

Sorry about the short answer (as oposed to the other ones), but the only thing I had to change was that it came with 0.09 strings and I use 0.10. Since then (2 and a half years ago), no problems AT ALL!!

Guys, no kidding. Gigs and more gigs with no tuning problems. I have 9 guitars and my Strat is close to perfection when it comes to this. It will go out of tune if I really make sure I WANT it to go out of tune. I mean... I would really have to throw it into a wall.

Never had to deal with this. Can't say anything about it.

I've been playing for about 9 years and I own 8 other guitars: 1 Les Paul Standard, 1 Les Paul Custom, 1 Standard SG, 2 Brownsville (Impala and 12 String Semi-acoustic), 1 Explorer, 1 Fender American Telecaster, 1 Daisy Rock.

This is a japanese made Squier affinity stratocaster for $150 it's a great beginners guitar to learn the basics and has so many options to add modifications onto. It's a beautiful chrome red finish. It's basically a standard strat shape with tuners and a regular tremolo i installed a dimarzio fred humbucke in the bridge though. So i give it a 6 becasue there arn't to many guitar features.

It sounds ok but not the best pickups in the world

It is all great action and like i said a beautiful chrome red finish

It is incredibly reliable i don't gig yet but it's never broken down on me the strings have never popped and it stays in tune quite well.

Never dealy with them

I think it's a great value for it's price becasue there is so much room to upgrade but anyways i recommend purchassing one for just practicing and swinging around not worrying if it dents or anything.

I got my black Squier Affinity in 2001. It was my first guitar. 21 frets, rosewood fingerboard. Three fairly loud buzzing single coil pickups(which is pretty normal for singlecoil). It has 2 tone controls(one for neck and one for middle, I wish it had one for the bridge because its way too bright!), and a master volume. It has a really thin finish that dents and scratches way too easy! And a tremolo that gets out of tune real easy. The tuners actually stay in tune pretty well(unless you are using the tremolo bar). I gave it a 5 because it has most of the standard features but they don't really work too well.

I play mostly alternative and punk rock. It works pretty well for both styles. I play it through a Line 6 Spider 112(highly recomended)! It has pretty good tone for the price, that's about all I can say. The pickups buzz way too much, and the bridge pickup is way too bright.

The action is pretty good. But it's a little too low. It makes the open strings buzz. Mainly the low E and A strings. The finish is way too thin it dents and scratches easily.

This guitar's finish is not very durable. You just barely brush against something and there's a scratch. The finish will probably ware through within a couple of years. But otherwise it holds together pretty well.

If it were stolen I would definetly upgrade to something with humbucking pickups, because I'm sick of the noise. It's a pretty good starter guitar, but that's about it.

Artic White finish, looks great. Has a hum-single-hum routing similar to the new American series models. Vintage tremelo with cheap but ok pickups. Has everything epected in a Strat but stripped down for budget. Overall not bad.

I have been playing for two years now. I play a lot of different stuf but I love playing blues, mostly SRV. I play this through a peavey audition plus. The guitar sounds better than expected for its price and having been made in mexico. The neck and middle pickups are a bit deep but good for blues. Like most strats the 2 and 4 switch positions sound the best but the breidge pickup is good too. Overall this guitar sounds better than the price implies but still sounds cheap. This is an EXCELLENT beginners eletric but I will son upgrade to an American, probably the Texas Special.

Excellent setup for a beginner, the action is extremely low and the neck has a smooth playable feel. The only problem I had was with the intonation after putting 11 gauge strings on it but that was easily fixed. I also had some scrathy pots but a little electronic cleaner fixed that. The Artic White finish is Beautiful but it is extremely thick and I had to look closely to find wood beneath the pickgaurd. This is a very good beginnners guitar and I cant stress that enough.

Built like all other strats other than the finish. Will last forever if taken care of.

N/A

Great beginnners guitar sounds fairly good.

Mine's made in 2001 in Indonesia. 21 frets, SSS pickups. The body is made of Alder (probably cheap though), tremolo, semi-jumbo frets. I think the bridge is a 6 point one, which is cheaper but actually sustains better in my opinion. Basically everything you need in a strat. Minus one point for slighty less than stellar volume/tone pots and pickup selector.

Surprisingly bad at all. The stock pickups are obviously cheap, but at in this 20th Anniversary edition they sound quite convincing. The tone is even, if a little bright (even for a strat). The pickups are a little bit noisy on positions 1, 3, and 5, but they aren't that bad.

The bridge pickup by itself is terrific in my opinion. Maybe it's just me, but for *that* sound I've never heard a better pickup. I've played American and Mexican Fenders and the bridge pickups are incredibly tame compared to this Squier. For some people, tame can mean warm and dark, but for me it just seems a bit lifeless. This Squier pickup is very edgy, and just sounds amazing with a little reverb.

I play through a danoelectro EQ into a Behringer GX210 (terrific little amp by the way)

The guitar wasn't set up that well from the factory, but a free set up at Sam Ash did wonders. Now it plays absolutely perfectly, better than any guitar I've ever played. The neck feels exactly the same as real Fenders.

The paint job was perfect, if a little bit thick. I think I would have prefered a Highway 1 type finish, a little lighter and more breathable. The bridge on the guitar isn't great, but it gets the job done.

The jack plate comes loose often. That's about it, everything else is durable and feels like a Fender. The pickup looks like crap but does it's job.

Never contacted them.

Overall, I feel that the only significant difference between this squier and a real fender is the pickups. Everything else is only superficially different. I've been playing for 4 years only, but I've played extensively all different types of strats, and this one is not lacking.

Made in China(like everything you have in your house),5-way selector,3 single coil pickups........you heard it all before.

Sounds......great!
I mean its not 1000$ strat but it sounds ALMOST as the real thing,it is a copy afterall.I play it trough Roland Jazz Chorus 160,Dunlop Cry Baby,Marshall Blues Breaker II and sounds so bluesy,i love blues and Hendrix sound,well there you have it.
People who are dissapointed that their 100$ Squier doesnt sound as real Fender are not right really,this is budget guitar great for beginnners but everyone can play it.

Strings,neck and everything was setup perfectly for a beginner,strings soooo low you almost dont have to press it at all :)))
But for bends and sustain gotta have some height there,tremolo is great when used normaly not every 5 seconds,otherwise youre out of tune.

This thing will last long time,i think :)

This is a great guitar and amasing sound for 150$,play it trough a good amp and nobody will notice its a Squier.

- 21 frets
- 2 tone and a volume (I don't use the tone knobs. I keep 'em at ten)
- Cheap stock pickups
- Maple neck, rosewood fretboard
I bought it with the Squier strat pack for $279. It's a pretty good value for a beginner guitar. I've had it for about eight months and I really like this guitar.

I play almost everything- punk, metal, rock and some jazz here and there. This guitar can play alot of styles. It's a strat. What do you expect? The bridge pickup has a little too much bite. It's the only one I use. The middle and neck pickups are very, very dull. About two months after I got this guitar, I ripped the volume control shaft out of the pot and had it replaced. The guitar actually sounds a great deal better now. It's more clear and loud. I wanna get a new amp, a marshall maybe. I also bought a Seymour Duncan JB junior in December and still haven't got it put in yet. I think it will sound alot better with the new pickup.

For $150 bucks, you get your money's worth with this guitar. The wood is probably plywood with no sustain and the frets are poorly cut and they buzz but other than that, it's okay. I've banged this baby on the walls and floor a couple of times and it still looks and plays fine. The black paint has a few pick marks but it still looks fine. All in all, it's about an eight.

It's held together so far other than the control pot.

Overall, this guitar is a good biginner guitar. Definately not of pro quality but it's still an okay axe.

Ahh yes, the Squier Strat... First let me start by saying I probably owned this little guy longer than anyone else... So listen to what I say...

Alright, it has a 5-way pick-up selector, 3 single-coil pickups (neck, middle and bridge), 21 fret, a tremelo bridge, and large headstock. And... That's it...

Now for my favorite part...

I mostly play hard rock-metal (like MetallicA), which means that this is a terrible guitar for me. If you play what I play, get either an Ibanez GAX-70 or an ESP EX-50. The neck pickups on this are extremely muddy when distorted, and fairly muddy when played clean. The middle isn't that bad, pretty plain. The bridge, however, wasn't to bad in my opinion. It was the only one of the 3 that did not have a tone adjuster, yet the tone adjusters on the other 2 pickups sucked bad, and really didn't change the tone, so I guess one for the bridge wouldn't make a difference. The distortion really stank, I could hear a loud "HUM" or "buzz" when I played. YOU WILL NOTICE THIS! Strats aren't made for distortion or at least this one isn't. Get a double coil (humbucker) guitar for that.

The Squier I bought (eons ago) came with the world famous STRAT PACK. The guitar was made fairly well, not good, however it CANNOT HOLD TUNING. I had to tune this every time I played, and I hated that. The bridge needed adjusting every 6 months as well. DO NOT PLAY THIS WITHOUT A BACK UP. In fact DO NOT PLAY THIS ON STAGE. The action was good, but it had only 21 frets. Another thing, the neck's finish, was terrible! It could EASILY stain, scratch, and get marked. That was a big factor that made me dislike the guitar's manufacturing. The body's finish was alright. The body is made out of something called "hardwood" or "cheap wood" as I call it, it has a maple neck (good wood on that, terrible finish) and rosewood finger board (good).

DO NOT PLAY THIS LIVE, IF SO, DO IT WITH A BACKUP (THE BACKUP MAY BE BETTER THAN YOUR GUITAR, THOUGH!) The body has good finish, as I said, but the neck has TERRIBLE finish, and WILL WEAR EASILY! Strap buttons are solid, and hardware seems alright.

Never had to deal with Squier, never had to deal with Fender.

I repaired or relighned the bridge myself.

<sigh> Glad I got rid of it. Use only as a beginner guitar, or if play very rarely and are very unserious about playin' the guitar. I've been playin for a few years now, and I sold that Squier and it's accessories (that came in the strat pack) only after 1.5 years of playing guitar. I now have an ESP EX-102 and a Marshall MG-100DFX combo amp. It was easy to play, and that's all I have to say.
If was lost or stolen, I'd be angry that I lost MONEY and couldn't re-sell it, but the guitar, well, I could care less. My current guitar blows this away, easy. I only got this to begin playing guitar, and I commend it for that. If it had Fender American Series pickups or fat strat pickups, well, that would make it considerible better.

So, in conclusion, get this if you just want to begin playing guitar, but if you like hard rock and metal, look for something with humbuckers. There are better low end guitars out there.

Made in China 2002, a Twentieth Anniversary model, 21 medium jumbo frets, solid Alder body with Maple neck, rosewood fingerboard, the usual Strato pickups and controls with a 5 way switch, synchronous tremolo. Supplied with allen wrenches for bridge saddles and truss rod.

I play a variety of styles - standards, soul/R&B, rock and roll, blues, country. I find the Affinity Strat useable for all of them. I play through a Ampeg Gemini II and a Kramer K-15R when I don't feel like firing the old Ampeg up. I don't use external effects, just those that are onboard the amplifiers. The Affinity Strat gives me what I wanted in the sound department - a guitar that sounds like a Strato. It has the usual amount of single coil pickup noise when the selector is in positions 1,3 and 5. The reverse wound, reverse polarity middle pickup produces noise cancellation in positions 2 and 4. To me it sounds like a '62 Fender Strato a former bandmate has.

My Strato was playable right out of the box. It has one of the nicest necks I've ever played. The fret work and finish of the nut was very well done. All the parts are well made and the guitar was assembled correctly. The paint on the body is flawless.

I think this guitar will be reliable as long as its treated like a guitar.

I've never had any dealings with Fender/Squier. I do like the Mr. Gearhead website.

I've been playing close to thirty years off and on and have owned a couple different Fender Strato's and a variety of Gibsons. This Squier Affinity Strat is the nicest Strato I've ever had! I love the lighter weight body and the neck is great. I had to do alot of tweaking to get it to play the way I wanted to - I had to shim the neck a little at the heel but haven't had to do anything to the truss rod. If something happened to it I would definitly want another. The only thing I think Squier should change on this guitar is the way the body is routed for the pickups. Other than that this is a guitar that sounds, plays and looks like a vintage Strato in my opinion. I think the Squier Affinity Strat is the best one out there for the price! I also have a Affinity Tele and I love it! For the price of a Fender one can get a really nice Strato AND a Tele - Is this a great country , or what?!

s-s-s config...... purple paint.....just a basic strat

I dig strats , always have. I play from guitar to a processor strait to the board......no mic'd amps for me.

This guitar plays AWSOME.....were the strings any lower , they'd be on the BACK of the neck. After adding a spring to the trem (total of 4) it fit my style just right

I do play this live , without a backup (mistake)and it's pretty rock solid. Only problem is THE 5 WAY SELECTOR IS CHEAP AND WILL LEAVE YOU CRYING WHEN YOU LOOSE USE OF YOUR NECK PICKUP!!!!! It works great processed , being that all you need is a good signal and the processor does the "work"...would be a 10 , but due to the 5 way problem

been playing 15 years , amature musician (playing for God , not money)
right now , with the electronics messed up , I wish someone would steal the pickguard and the electronics and let me replace everything in it.....ain't gonna tell you I'm gonna put $300 in pickups in it.....it's a $150 guitar....why would you do that ? would be like putting $2000 Alpine system in a Yugo....why bother. It plays really good , though , so I may "invest" in a cheap pre-wired pickguard and let it roll another couple of years

that said , Mom , Dad , buy your kid this guitar..... buy one for yourself....it's as good as the Mex/Standard ones

2002 Squier Strat (Affinity Series, Made in China or Korea I believe). It is stock, Baltic Blue w/ white pickguard and Rosewood fretboard. 3 single coil pickups (standard). 2 tone knobs, 1 volume. 5 way pickup selector switch. cheap tuners but they seem to work fine and stay in tune decently. Basically, the only "feature" to speak of is the whammy bar.

i play many styles of music, really whatever pops into my head at the time, and it suits that well. i'm using an old shotty practice amp and a BOSS 0S-2 Overdrive/Distortion pedal. it is very typical sound for a strat/strat copy, bright and trebley mostly but it has a nice range of tone because of the 5 position pickup selector switch and 2 tone knobs. it is a bit noisey but it isn't noticeable while you are playing.

it seems to play fine for now but i would like to get it adjusted soon. it seems like it is setup nicely from the factory but could be improved to suit my taste. the pickguard had a notch sliced into it near the selector switch but it is barely noticable. the neck feels grrrreat on this guitar. it is slick and quick.

this is my 2nd squier strat and they are solid. i've never heard of one breaking down without a whole lot of pain being inflicted upon it. i dont gig, but if you are planning on buying one of these and playing it stock, then you probably dont gig either.

never had to call Fender/Squier, never had to get it repaired, warranty??? whats a warranty?

ok here is where the really useful info comes through... you need to realize that this is a great guitar for 150 dollars. if you want to play guitar you should at least buy this guitar, if not something better. this will be more than enough for any beginner. i have been playing for about 4 years and it is great for me. if you want a guitar to play shows with, you dont want this unless you plan on upgrading pickups, etc. if you want a dependable guitar that you can have hours and hours of fun with every day, this is your man.

I got this lil' lady as a bone stock 2000 model with S/S/S config. and the single ply pickguard. Black and white with the rosewood fretboard.
Got it off the rack at Guitar Center. Standard features, just cheap.
It's got the thinner body...probably poplar, it's so light. Die cast metal bits, and a wonderful smaller radius neck.
Cheap? yes... BUT SEE BELOW......

Outta the box she sounded weak and thin. But my trusty bag of trix, a few extra $$$, and a LOT of TLC and It turned out to be my favorite guitar!

THIS IS THE CONVERSION:

I bought a 3 ply '62 pickguard and made it fit, then I routed it out and shoehorned in a Duncan Invader at the bridge. I swapped the middle and neck P/U's with Tex-Mex and bam! I painted it Ivory white and did a SERIOUS set-up session.

Box stock I give it a 3...
I give it a 10 for sound now. Factory, it's a starter guitar.

Action blew dog. After a set-up she's graceful. Gotta watch this though, NOT ALL SQUIER STRATS ARE CREATED EQUAL! As before, this is an econo-axe.

O.K. ...Here's the deal with this, I only swapped the pups and the pickguard. The bridge, nut, tuners, saddles are all stock. The conversion turned her into a screaming instrument from hell! The neck is thin and since I have these short fingers I decided to go this route. I have gigged this guitar without a backup for 2 years! No tuning problems EVER. I scratched the name and all logos of the headstock so it's bare and I keep getting compliments on my tone and questions about my "CUSTOM SHOP STRAT". The only thing is that severe temperature changes seem to affect her a bit more than I would like. Of course I've been playing/tech-ing a while and I know how to overcome this.

I run this lil' lady into an Ibanez PUE-5 guitar effects floor unit and an Ibanez analog delay... this ends up in channel 2 of my LAB SERIES L5 amp atop a Marshall 4/12 loaded with Celestion G12L's.

NO-ONE can pull this tone off without this exact set-up. It's not a high dollar signature Ibanez 7-stringer through a mesa/boogie, BUT THAT'S THE POINT FOLKS!!!

RELIABILITY IS A MOST WELL DESERVED 10. I have beat the hell outta this guitar and she takes everything I can give her. Either I got lucky on this particular one, or only very few made are quality.

I get a really thick heavily distorted dirty sound I can only describe as MENACING from this setup. The tone I produce from this guitar with full chords literally wraps you in a blanket.

DUNNO.

I've been playing for 15 years. I own an American Standard modified like like this one but for a Dimarzio I ripped from a Vandenberg. I highly recommend un-orthadox pick-up configurations on Strats. Even cheap ones. They seem to take to customization better than any other guitar. If someone stole this guitar I would track them down like dogs and torture them mercilessly. I would be absolutely heartbroken.
With the equipment I have it really has a nice tone. Love is the only thing I can say. I love it.

This was a 2001 edition Squier Affinity made in who knows where. I got it from Guitar Center for $279 as a starter pack. It has 23 frets, 5-way selector, 2 tone and 1 volume control. It looks like a Fender Stratocaster and the sound is close to a strat. its black and has a white pickgaurd, pretty good on looks.

This guitar plays pretty well when you are going clean, and maybe punk, but for metal..you are going to need some better pickups. The clean sound sounds really well and could probably be comparable to a real Fender. Its a great starter guitar.

The action on my guitar was HORRIBLE...very high action, it was really hard to play chords and the neck isnt wide like many upperend guitars. This guitar can take a beating, ive dropped it a couple times and banged it up, but still looks like new. The action is its bottleneck, and the input seems to come loose a lot, just needs some tightening.

this thing will last.

never called techies

Although it has a great sound and will last me long, its the high action which really killed it for me. If the action was lower, I would definitly choose this guitar..its very comparable to a Fender and sure as hell looks like one.

This guitar has been explained in the other reviews. I won't repeat the details

I play about every type of music (funk, punk, metal, latin, blues...). The sound on this guitar out of the box is horrible. I guess it is OK for clean playing, but even then the tone is pretty weak. I have played this block of wood through an $1200 amp (Marshall half stack) and still, horrible tone. You cant get any real distortion without bad feedback, hum and noise. I recommend a Standard strat, you CAN play heavy metal or just about any type of music on it.

Tuning knobs are plastic and dont keep the guitar in tune. I have already broken one of them off. Noisy pickup selector. Saddle=not reliable. Finish is ok. Knobs aren't bad.

Don't play this guitar live. I wouldn't trust it. It WILL turn on you. You should expect to go out of tune and drop your guitar a few times if you do.

Never dealt with them.

You get what you pay for. I got this in a package with an amp, cords, and accessories for $150-200. Spend the extra money for a Standard if you want a Fender.

It's a regular Affinity Stratocaster, made in China, date unknown. It's got 21 frets, solid Alder body. 5 way selector switch (works good, who cares if it makes a loud click?), 2 tone knobs, 1 volume knob. Three single coil pickups- they sound really nice. I'm not sure what make and model the pickups are. The neck is maple with a satin finish (extremely easy to play bar chords and power chords). It has a standard Strat double-cutaway body. A regular tremolo bridge, although I don't use the tremolo arm (to me, tremolo arms make a guitar sound fake). I'm not sure what brand of tuners it has- they're nonlocking (sure, it goes out of tune, but does it really kill somebody to tune it?). Medium sized frets. No accessories included. I'm giving this category a 10 because it has all the features of a Fender Strat. Nothing missing here.

I do contemporary Christian music (soft rock genre), and it works great. I love the variety of sounds- I use the high treble of the bridge pickup for fast songs and the more mellow tone of the neck pickup for the slower songs. I'm using it with a little Fender Frontman Reverb 15 watt practice amp, no effects. With this amp being more powerful than it looks, it easily reaches throughout a room of less than 1,000 people (about the size of the audience for the band I play in). The pickups hum a bit when its not being played and its sitting there idle, but I wouldn't lose any sleep over it. Very bright sound. I prefer the brightness of single coils to the deepness of humbuckers, which is one of the reasons I chose this over an Epiphone Special II. It can make all the sounds of a Fender Strat. This category gets a 9 because of the slight difference in quality between this and a Fender.

It was set up very well at the factory. I got it for Christmas right out of the box, and it was made extremely well. The pickups were sturdily put into place, close enough to the strings for a good sound. Nothing flawed whatsoever. No rough edges, everything's smooth and nothing rattles. OK, so the pickup selector makes a big click, but it takes all of half a second to do it- this makes it a totally insignificant negative. A perfect 10.

I haven't used this guitar in live playing yet, but I've been playing it rabidly over the last few days and nothing's gone wrong at all. The tuning machines go out of tune a bit easily, but just tune it before your performance, and take a 5 minute break to tune it once during, and it works fine. The finish is a beautiful Baltic blue paint job, and like any finish, it'll somewhat wear off with use. The strap buttons are good- I've been playing this guitar standing up and no problems yet. I would use it without a backup. And as for those reviews that say it breaks too easily, it's a simple rule- treat it with respect and it'll last you a lifetime.

I haven't dealt yet with Fender, but Guitar Center seemed to be helpful, and gave me a good warranty on it.

I've been playing guitar for 9 months now, and I've studied electric guitars extensively. I also play a Sunlite GD-1800 acoustic, and I love both guitars. If this guitar were stolen or lost, I would definitely buy it again. As said before, I love the versatility of it, and the color- the Baltic blue is beautiful. Nothing flashy, just blue with a white pickguard. Has sort of a simple, pure look to it. The difference in quality between this and the Fender is very little. If you're a college student on a budget (like me), or a person starting out for the first time, or a professional wanting a really nice simple guitar, I highly recommend this one. It goes to show that, when you're buying a guitar, it pays to look at the guitars that are buried behind the Martins, Gibsons, and Taylors. If you put away the mindset of "an unknown or lower price brand is beneath my dignity", you tend to find a gem. All of the things about this great guitar give it a 10 in my book.

3-4 years old. Made in China. 22 frets. Maple neck/rosewood fingerboard, probably 9.5" radius, standard 25.5" scale. Good frets. Cheap tuners. Non-slip nut (i.e., bad for tremelo; use a pencil [graphite] in string notches if you must). Solid arctic white glossy color (unknown wood), full-thichness body (unlike later models; DON'T go for the models from Indonesia). Thick single-ply ("economy") pickguard and tremelo cover. S/S/S flat-pole passive pickups. Decent viscous volume-tone-tone controls in standard Strat setup, with good 5-way selector. Typical hunk-of-metal vintage-type tremelo bridge set flat against body (better sustain that way; I haven't used for tremelo-yet). Came "complete" with tremelo arm. Rating here is made with low-price consideration.

This is a copy of a "real," standard Fender Stratocaster (and who better to make a copy than Fender?). It suits the musical styles, amps, and effects that a Stratocaster does with its sound (and hum). With the tuning stabilized, I was pleasantly surprised how good this guitar sounds-and plays. The pickups seem PERHAPS slightly hotter, and therefore slighlty bassier and less defined, than standard stock Strat pickups, but certainly not by much. I put this guitar up against Fender American Standard, Fender Standard (Mexican), and any other Fender 3 single coil pickup Strat models I could find in Guitar Center through a variety of amps, and I have to admit that I couldn't tell all that much difference, if any. The sound of a standard Fender Strat IS standard, A standard, and THE standard starting point for what you get out of your amp. It's pretty basic-magical in its design and resultant sound, yes, but not THAT magical from one Strat to another. So it would seem to me that you'd have to intentionally go out of your way to crap down the sound on one, like other manufacturers do with barely-wound, weak pickups or something. Such is not the case with this guitar. It sounds GOOD. It gets all the "Strat" sounds, even for the "more-than-beginner."

I originally bought this guitar with the intention of using it as a cheap starting point, neck and body-wise, for radical modification. Then I stared to wonder why. Compared to a standard Strat, the tuning keys ARE cheap, which does effect playing, so I'll probably upgrade them-someday when I feel that ambitious; but the pickups aren't THAT different to justify an expensive replacement job, especially if you just want a handy, pick-up-and-play-without-having-to-worry-too-much-about-whacking-the-headstock-against-the-doorjamb instrument around. It sounds as good as any beginner would ever want or need (so, kids, stop spending your inheritance on pipe dreams, at least this early on and even for some time yet to come). Permit me, however, to express the reservations I do have in the contruction (action, fit & finish) section.

I had the advantage of selecting the one I got out of a shipload of about 25 or so at Guitar Center. With the nut and the cheap tuners, I wouldn't expect the tremelo to work that well. The tremelo bridge itself, however, looks solid, and, hey, it's a hunk of metal, so in and of itself it should work just fine with a little graphite in the nut slots and better tuners. I tremelo on other guitars, so I just left this one flat on the body for sustain. The thick, one-ply "economy" pickguard and tremelo back cover? Have you seen the Eric Clapton model? It's plastic work is one-ply and THIN, leaving it to bow up off the body between screws, so, so what?

Now, here is where things take a nose-dive: quality control. Having a number of these to select from, I was able to make up for this problem. You just have to find a "good" one, and this means work. What I saw as I checked them out: angled nuts (a real no-no), "angled" necks (check the high and low strings all along the edges of the fingerboard), buzzing frets (play each string at each fret all the way up the board; make sure the truss rod is reasonably adjusted and the neck isn't bowed to give it a fair chance), and various grades of acceptable/unacceptable finish flaws.

As I said, mine is made in China, and the finish potential is good. Fender seems to change their manufacturer around from time to time, but from what I've seen, stay away from the ones made in Indonesia. I don't think they're made full-body thickness anymore if that means much to you. I've seen Indonesian models with maple necks/maple fingerboards that feel like they're made out of balsa wood, have little finish on them, and look dirty new; they've also got some funky colors, like "Olympic White," which looks like green-tinted baby vomit.

So, happy hunting and pay attention (it's worth it). But because of the work involved in negating the quality control, or relative lack thereof, issue, I'm downgrading on the rating in this category.

This thing looks and feels pretty sturdy all around, and I've had no problems with it yet. The Chinese finish is heavy and glossy (though the best finishes I've seen are from Japan, which doesn't make this model). Find yourself a good one, save some dough, pat yourself on the back, then get down to playing.

Have not needed this, and expect that Fender would have a difficult ear to bend. So, at this price, pick a good one because replacing it would be easier than the trouble of fixing it (what warranty?).

Been playing a long, long time. Have standard 1984 Strat, 1997 Strat Plus, Tele, 1973 ES335, etc. on guitars; Marshall, Carvin, Reverend (great amp), Fender Champion 110 (nice little match for this Affinity Strat) amps; multiple effects; PC recording equipment.

If lost, stolen, or never bought in first place, I'd consider buying one or two. My rating here is on the particular guitar that I got.

Otherwise, pretty much covered the rest of the questions already except: while buying this guitar, though no harm done, I wish I would have asked, "Uh, sir, before you continue force-feeding that trem arm into the tremelo, would you be so kind as to make sure it's the right one?"

Made in 2000 in China, probably a laminated top, standard stratocaster setup with 3 single coil pickups (which I modified and will talk about later), one volume, two tone controls and a 5 way selector switch. Body is probably alder, neck is maple with a rosewood fretboard. Looks like any other strat except a little thinner and lighter. Great neck, plays like a dream. Tuners were crap but I replaced them. Medium frets, came with a gig bag. I give it a 9 because basically it is like any other strat.

Well, let me tell you. I bought this guitar for $10.00 at a garage sell with the gigbag. Had one minor ding in the back of the guitar and other than that was perfect. Sounded ok, like any other strat when I got it but the tuners were really crappy, so I replaced them with gotoh type tuners and it stays in tune great now. I got a set of texas special pickups off of ebay for $35.00 (right time, right place), dropped them fuckers in this guitar and let me tell you, it out and out screams. Suits my music style which is rock, blues, blues rock excellently. Actually sounds better than my Fender American Standard Strat now. Those pickups made the difference. I( figure you can buy one of these new at Guitar Trader.com for $149 get yourself a $30.00 set of tuning keys and spend $100 for a set of texas special pickups and for $279 you got a guitar that plays as good as a standard strat, but stays in tune better (my strat sucks on that) and sounds a hell of a lot better. If you are on an ego trip about the name on the headstock, scrape off Squier and spend another $20 on a Fender decal. Course, it does already have by fender on it. This guitar sounded ok before I put those texas specials on it, but I am telling you............it is a killer axe with these pickups. Bright texas twang at the bridge, nice bluesy sound at the neck and everything in between. Sustain is incredible. I'm running this through a Marshall AVT 150 on stage and an Ibanez TB25R at home. This thing kicks ass now.

Well, I bought it used and it was setup fine for 9's as strings. Changed the setup and strings to 11's. Only the ding I told you about on it.........and I have dropped it several times and didn't put any more in it, so whoever put this ding in it, must have thrown it out of a two story window.

It plays live 5 times a week right now. Holds up fine.

Never dealt with them. Figured I would be drawing social security before I ever got a response anyway.

Been playing 25 years. If it is out there I have probably had it at once. Lost everything because I pissed it all away on booze, but now I got it together and am back on stage.

Year it was made is prob. 2001. Apparently the neckplate says 20th anniverary edition which well, means nothing. It has ~24 frets. Normal 1 vol, 2 tone knobs found in a lot of real strats. I got the black finish, and it has 24 frets. I give it 7 since it's just average. (A 7 is a c, 8 is a b, 9 is an a,10 A+)

my style is rock in general and some blues. It's okay I guess. It's a bit noisy but you can get past that if you replace the shielding, or do some other stuff. It's pretty much your average "standard" guitar in terms. Nothing amazing here.

It was pretty well set up, cept it might need another spring. Pickups are fine, and everything is okay. It stays in tune great though and better than my friend's guitar. I guess this is a guitar to guitar thing.

What can I say? It's as hard as a rock.

-

Ill give it a 7.5 since it's an OK guitar. I suggest a yamaha pacifica though if you want better.

Made In China. 21 Frets. Volume control, 2 tone controls. Open coil pickups. Came with a tremolo and gig bag.

It's great for learning (my first guitar) but when I tried to distort it, the pickups couldn't get it clearly. Everything goes fuzzy. Fine for playing the basics and some blues/jazz. Not good for rock or anything louder.

The bridge on mine is bent, but I couldn't be bothered to fix it.

It's chipped, I've hadded two years and it hasn't fallen apart. Would never play a gig with it though, it feels a little clunky.

Never talked to Fender.

It's fine if you want to learn but don't want to cash out much money. I went and bought a telecoustic and theres a HUGE difference. The sound on this is fine clean,. but distorted it's awful, and if you're new to guitar you shouldn't care about tones anyway. There are better ones out there and you certainly can't get the tones you want from this.

As said, it's fine for learning, strumming and a bit of blues, but anything beyond that it can't do.

I figure this one was made in 2000, in China. Not gonna go into all the details again......same as any other affinity strat with the standard strat setup. I think it is the best bang for the buck and I have had 3 of them over the years. People by these $150 guitars and then rate them like they are supposed to match up to a Fender American Standard Strat. Well, it won't. But then again, it isn't supposed to. It's an entry level budget strat, pure and simple and in my opinion is better than any of the other budget strat style guitars. I'll give it a 10 because it does what it is intended to do and does it well and has everything a strat is supposed to have. At least it is a real strat and not some off the wall copy.

Fits my style of music quite well, which is classic rock, rockabilly, blues, jazz, etc. If you are looking for heavy metal, then don't bother. That is not what ANY Fender is made for. Unless you change over to some Holy Grails, Hot Rails or Seymor Duncan pickups, you are not gonna get a true heavy metal sound out of a Fender. But, if you do that, then it isn't really a Fender anymore is it? I get tired of hearing all the pissing and moaning about Fender and Squier sound. They sound like they are supposed to sound. If you are a metal head, get a Les Paul, Ibanez or one of those brands. I run all my guitars through a Marshall MG30CD Combo, an Ibanez TB25R, a Marshall AVT150 for giggin and use only a footswitch for distortion. I don't use any effects. I play pure rock and roll. This guitar does it just well as any other, which brings me to another point. The player is more important than the guitar. A shitty player is gonna make the most expensive guitar sound like shit. A good player can make a shoe box with strings on it sound good. As far as sound goes, the amp makes a lot more difference than the guitar. Shitty amp........shitty sound. This guitar is no more noisy than any other single coil guitar. Yeah, when drawing off of one pickup you are gonna get a little hum. Use the 2d and 4th positions and it goes away. This guitar is just as versatile as my other strats and more versatile than my Les Paul. Yeah........granted, it is NOT going to sound like a Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster. Again, it isn't supposed to. I did take one of my affinity strats and put the Texas Special Pickups and better pots on it........and it sounded every bit as good as the Fender Tex Mex Strat. You can do a lot with this guitar if you are not on some ego trip about the name on the headstock (although Fender is on that headstock). Again, I will give it a 10 because it sounds like it was intended to sound and I rate it for that.

All three of mine were setup just fine out of the box. I did have to set the intonation on one of them. No flaws. Wood is inexpensive but tough, I've dropped all of them and they are still fine. One small chip came out of one of them when I dropped it down the stairs after more beer than I should have drank hauling guitars.

I use all of mine live. I take 7 guitars on stage because I don't want to stop and tune or change strings. I always take an affinity, American Deluxe Strat, Les Paul, Ibanez, Epiphone Dot and a couple of acoustic electrics. These do well live. In fact, one of my affinity strats stays in tune better than all of these guitars. Strap buttons are solid........hell it is dependable. No experienced musician is gonna get on stage without a backup.

Never dealt with them.

I've been playing 30 years and performing for 20. I am a professional studio musician and also play in a band. I have way to much gear to list here, let's just say I have been accumulating it for 30 years and I am a pack rat, so I don't get rid of anything. If it were stolen or lost, well, I have two more. Hope the guy enjoys it. It's a fine guitar for what it is intended to be.

This guitar has 21 frets. It was "crafted" in Indonesia. It is a solid top. It has 1 volume and 2 tone knobs. These seem to work ok. It has a 5 way pickup selector that makes a huge clunk when you switch it. It has 3 single coil pickups. The bridge pickup sounds pretty bad. It has hardly any bass and buzzes alot. The middle pickup sounds ok, but it doesnt put out a great sound either. The neck pickup sounds pretty good, but it too has too much treble for me. it has a maple neck which is pretty smooth and fast. It has a rosewood fretboard that i dont really like. It feels....sticky. My strat has a solid black finish which gets pretty dirty-looking. The tuners are the ones that were already installed when i got it. Thye are nonlocking and just plain suck. The guitar is always going out of tune. The neck is very thin. The guitar has almost no sustain.

This guitar is very noisy. I run it through a small peavy transtube 30w practice amp. It isnt as noisy on neck/mid or bridge/mid, but is still noisy as heck. It has a very flat sound. It has almost more string noise than musical tone. The guitar is just below average on all styles of music. Just recently it started making a hollow ringing noise.

The action on this strat was very,very high. I had the action lowered twice. The finish was ok, but nothing fancy. It has a noisy pickup selector, but nothing too serious. The strings always seem to be coming out of the nut, which really ticks me off. This guitar has ok finish and junk.

DO NOT USE THIS GUITAR AT LIVE GIGS. There is no doubt in my mind that you will tune and tune and then tune it again. I've had this guitar for about a year, and the hardware is going down in flames. The finish hasnt worn off yet, buy i think the guitar might be made out of black plastic. haha. The strap buttons always slip off. I dont trust my guitar. It would definetly turn its back on me at a gig. I would use a backup.

I ve never dealt with fender before.

I have been playing for a few years. I own a squier champ 15 amp (it came with the guitar and sucked so bad i gave it to my teacher). and A peavey TransTube FX which has treated me good as of now. If it were stolen I would laugh at the guy who stole it and thank him for taking my garbage. I would then buy an epiphone or gibson LP. I like that it....wait, i hate this guitar. This guitar is just bad. If you want to buy an ok begginers guitar, dont buy this. If i were starting out i would not buy the affinity series. Their standard is only 20 bucks more and it is a solid guitar. Compared to a ukelele this guitar is a block of wood with six strings of metal on it. I would use this guitar for firewood.

2001 probably, Made in China, 22 frets, 1 volume 2 tones, 5-way selector, 3 single coil mics S/S/S, and a really crappy trem.

The sound it?s really good, you can play any kind of style from MetallicA to The Beatles, it?s not going to sound perfect, but it?ll be close, I?m not sure if the mics are the originals (the employee at the store used to change them !?!?), the thing is that the mics really impressed me (they produce too much feedback, but I?ve solved that equalizing right the amp and the pedal), I?ve compared the sound with my Mexican strat and the Squier it?s simply superior, and sounds almost like my teacher?s expen$ive American strat.
The clean sound it?s probably the best thing in this guitar, really bright and with long sustain, but if you want some heavy distortion you?ll need a pedal, I use a DOD Super American Metal FX56B or a Boss MT-2, they work great, specially with a Marshall or a Peavey.
The guitar stays perfectly tuned (if you don?t use the trem) even after the most radicals bending, we play heavy metal and my lead guitarist?s $1000 ibanez has serious tuning problems, but my Squier has never let me down.

Good paint job, fretboard with beautiful mother pearl dots, looks like a Fender, plays like a Fender, and sounds like a Fender.

Rock solid, it just won?t break
I can depend on it

Haven?t dealt with those guys, but they look like nice people.

Well, lets see, honestly this is one of the best guitars I?ve ever played, but I?m not surprised for the bad critics because most of the guitar players here don?t know the difference between a piece of art and a piece of shit and they?re enough stupid like to buy a guitar via mail. There are great squiers out there, and there are some really bad ones (most of them), if you?re a real guitar player and you love what you do, then you have to be enough smart to know that you can?t buy a guitar without trying it first, you?ve got to know what you?re getting, if you?re going to get a Squier Affinity try as many of them as you can, if you find the right one you?ll be in love, it?s not that hard to find the good ones.

If you can find one of the good ones buy it, you won?t regret it, I?m saving now to buy a Jackson King V, and I decided to sell the Mexican strat instead of my little Squier baby, the King V will be my main guitar, but I?ll keep my Squier as a backup.

Made in mexico, 21 frets, one volume knob and two tone knobs, 5 way selector. Read other reviews for more info. I got it with the package. nothing special hence the seven.

This guitar served me well for about a few months untill i learned a little about guitars and found out that this guitar sucks. The pickups can get a veriety of mediocre sounds but can be noisy on the bridge setting. I play rock/pop punk/emo/indie rock so humbuckers suit my personal style better. I now own a Gibson Les Paul Studio which i love and also a Fender American Fat Strat. To be perfectly honest this is a crappy guitar. I bought it as my beginner guitar and in retrospect i wish i had done more research. Save the money you would spend on this peice of crap and go get a Fender American Strat or if you've got the dough spring for a paul.

I bought it at guitar center where i played it and had them fix the fret buzz on the low E string as well as set it up for me. They did a nice job and for a while it was all set. The finish was ok and in a beautiful dark blue (my favorite part of the guitar).After a few months of playing the tuning peg for my D string came loose which pissed me off and a week later the peg for the strap at the base of the guitar fell out while i was playing. I examined all the screws after that and found that the screws had all been power blasted in and completely stripped. It was a mmirracle it stayed togther. I also found a loose wire to one of the tone pots. Shoddy work if you ask me.

I gigged with this guitar for a few months after the band i'm in started up and it held up alright but it was only for a few months. I would never really depend on it and I would never gig without a backup (what, are you stupid?)

I bought it from guitar center and they were cery helpful and happy to do anything they could as fast as they could. kudos to them. I still havnt dealt directly with Fender and hopefully i'll never have to.

I've been playing for five years and I also own a Fender American Fat Strat, and a gibson Les Paul. I play through a Marshall JCM900 half stack. I would not replace this guitar if it was stolen or lost, I rarely use it anymore anyways. If you've got the money, spring for something better.

It has 21 frets (which sucks for an electric), 3 pickups, 2 tone controls (which are pretty worthless), and 1 volume control. It also has a 5-way selector that isn't too bad. It was made in China (what isn't?)
It has a thin neck and I appreciate that, cuz I don't like fat neck guitars, they're too hard to handle. The guitar is a little heavy.
Has a nice and smooth body design, pretty thin.
I bought this guitar for the color more than anything else: Black which turns firey wood, cool!
The only other thing I got from Squier was the case.

In the old days I used to play grunge on it... not too good for that.
Then I switched to single note stringing and jazzy stuff and it turned out to be a great guitar. The reason is because the sound you get is real warm, especially if you keep your 5-way selector closest to you. If you turn the selector down you start getting these kinda low-fi sounds.
Keeps in tune for a long time (except for my G chord!)

The pickups are a little loose, I'm always afriad one day they might fall off. The plug-in is about to fall off cuz a screw won't stay in place! Other than that, it stays together.

Yeah, this guitar is ready for some action. It's been hit quite a few times (and not very gently either!) and it still stands. The neck is pretty thin so I wouldn't go banging all around cuz it is risky.

Haven't dealt with those guys yet.

I've been playing this guitar for 2 years now, and it never really disappointed me. I would suggest it to anyone who has to buy his/her first guitar. It's also very nice to show-off. If you're into heavy stuff, it won't do well, but for warm sounds and jazz-blues, it's the right one!
If they stole it, I would feel real sad, but I'd go buy a better one as soon as I've got a little money. I won't sell it, that's for sure.

It has 10 pick-ups and 31 frets

How does it suit your music style (and what is that style)?
I can play come as you are..and it sounds just like kurt cobain i think im gonna be good at this getar stuff

Is it noisy? On what settings?

Well, yeah silly

What kind of sounds can the guitar make? How much variety?
I once had a friend of mine fart into to that thingy that goes into the hole of the getar and the hole of the amp...so i guess my guitar can fart

How well were the pickups adjusted?
Well it is easy to pick up
Properly bookmatched top? Properly routed bridge? No i didn't buy i

Well one of those string things feel off so i had to throw it away

Huh??? what do you mean..ohhh i bought it from some really fat hillbillish typa guy for $500 he said it was a good price for such a great getar

Not much i can say.....i liked it untill that string thingy feel off and i had to throw it away

said before

i used this as a beginner guitar
the tone is thin and crappy
very noisy pickups
bad bad bad
very cheap wood so sound doesn't resonate
SINGLE COILS AREN'T FOR HARD ROCK! MAYBE FOR CLEAN MELODIC CHORD STRUMMING?

poorly cut...saddles loose and missing springs
action higher at smaller strings
flapping strings on lower

the nut is very small and 11 gauge E couldn't fit
:/

this guitar is very cheaply made
what do you expect for $160?

maybe with a new neck and new pickups could you get a decent sound...

finish looks okay

no experience

i have been playing for a year
i am looking to sell this hunk o junk
i now own a fender fat strat with a semour duncan humbucker in the bridge. a fender princeton 65 a solid reliable amp with pretty good tones. i use a metal zone for distortion. buy this if you were a beginner....nothing else

I dont know what year it was made. It was made in China. It has 24 frets I think. It has a volume and two tone controls(which I rarely use).It has a rosewood neck and a red body with a white scratch plate. I bought the guitar with a squier sp10 amp and a lead.
It was my first guitar which I have learnt with and has served me well.

At first I played it through the clean channel because I started learning by strumming simple chord sequences. I started playing it through the distortion channel on the bridge pickup which sounded great for blues and rock'n'roll.
But I play heavy rock now so I have switched it to the neck pick up.
It has a rich sound but with a little buzzing which can probably be sorted if I had time to. It is all you need from a guitar if u put it through an effects pedal it sounds gr8. I have a Boss Me-6 which I havent used because Ive not bought the adaptor yet but I have tried a zoom gfx707 and it sounds pretty damn good. I have also played it through a fender performer 65w amp which can give me a wide range of sounds from blues to nu-metal. My 3rd string goes out of tune alot.??

The action is low but not too low giving it a pretty long sustain. There are no major flaws but it has been banged around a lot so now it has a few scratches,chips and dents and some of the tuning pegs are loose. The 3rd string goes out of tune after a few bends which is rather annoying(good job I play rythmn most of the time).
It did start of a good solid guitar but I have give it a few bangs about so what can I expect still it works fine!!!!

This guitar will withstand live playing but I would take a backup if I could afford one because the wiring has come loose inside the jack and so now and again I have to open it up and rewire it (I use foil to keep it 2geva). I love my guitar and it has served me well but when I start gigging properly I will buy a better more expensive guitar for obvious reasons but the squier strat is a great guitar for beginners. The strap buttons are solid but the bridge is rusting a little which is probably due to my lack of cleaning it. Overall at the end of the day it is slowly falling a part but will probably last another 10 years or so of continuous playing.

N/A

Agreatbeginners guitar which I am glad I purchased. It is not for the experienced player as they would expect more from a guitar.
If I fitted expensive pickups to it and got that annoying 3rd string sorted I would call it a Fender Stratocaster.
If it was lost or stolen I wouldnt buy it again I would buy a more expensive guitar like an Ibanez, ESP, PRS(I wish) or anything in that league. I have been playing for 3 years and am now in a band I hope to make it big time all thanks to my squier Strat.

You've heard it all before.
'Crafted' in china. etc. Its a standard starter guitar, all single coils. None of it is of the highest quality.
Average whammy; and it doesn't go out of tune too quickly.

Plastic tuner thingos. They fall of when you turn round and smash the neck into a radiator.
I speak from experience.

It's very trebley like a strat should be, but its also very thin. Attempts to boost in the right places with eq result in mushy sounds because theres nothing to boost. There isn't really enough flexibility in tones for me here.
If you want beefy distortion/skate punk/metal sounds then it just doesn't have much to offer. However for Hendrixy clean sounds or bright blues/funk it could be up your street.

It would be great if I could souns like a frood and say I dropped a couple o di-marzio, replaced the pickguard and sunk in a 'bucker with pull pot etc. but I don't feel that this guitar is worth it. Don't plan on buying this guitar and doing it up, you are better spending an extra #50-100 to get out of the budget starter range, and you will be left with something you can use more of.

No buzzes or anything, but a lot of space beneath the pickguard is just a void. Tapping the guard or dials makes percussive sounds. When doing melodic finger style stuff with a pick i always set it to the middle pickup (see next section), and ocasionally I tap the pick on the pickup and it makes a loud 'tap' which isn't too good.

At the mo I am putting it through a marshall avt-275 and a guvnor plus. For most stuff I play I am lookin for more options, which a bucker would offer me. However, I do not regret not having bought the yamaha pacifica (same price, but includes 'bucker)

What I really like on this guitar which puts it above the pacifica is the neck and the action. When I was testing the avt-275 the guy in the shop saw me withy the little shit guitar and tried telling us that we needed a yamaha,or something with a bucker to get the best out of it. I tried it, and there was no reall improvment on tone, I got back to my strat and then I could really feel how much better the neck was. It was smooth and easy to play with. The action just felt 'right' and it was smooth and low.

I have changed all the pickups positions, and it really is an individual guitar now. All the pickuops give me totally different tones, and lots of variety compared to when it came from the shop, and everything was samey.

I am, one of those guys thaty takes everything apart, and I did it with this, because of a wobly/noisy pickup switch. I never solved the problem, but i managed to scew it back in wrongly, so the left position now selectd the right pickuo and vice vers. I like that personal touch. This guitar really feels quite individual, and I like that. If I was rating how it came out of the shop, it would get lower.

The finish dents easily.

Not too sure. Its made cheaply, and I wouldn't say that that much time had been spent on checking soldering and stuff. Western quality control only comes in at #400+ and the quality with it.

Strap buttons didn't snap when the strap did, so I guess thats good.

Live yes, as far as duarbility goes. The finish isn't thin or weak, it just dints off really easily, mind you, I walk into a lot of stuff.

I said about the cheap tuners, didn't I?

I would not buy this again, because I like to think I'm not a beginner anymore. This guitar is ideal for exactly that- a beginner, or only a part-time player. I am not knocking players with it, but its not the guitar your going to buy as your second.

I am upgrading to a schecter 006 as soon as i have the requisite wonga, but I'll keep this as a backup, so I can look like a groovy frood with my 3 guitars.

When your confident do take a scewdriver and personalise it beyond the stickers on the outside.

Don't know what year mine was made, but it was made in Indonesia. 21 fret, standard strat setup with 3 single coil pickups and one tone and one volume control. It has a 5 way selector switch. I bought mine used, but it is in great shape, torino red in color, rosewood fretboard, maple neck with a skunk stripe. Probably made out of Alder, but can't say for sure. High gloss red finish, with a white pickguard. Non locking tuners but they stay in tune quite well surprisingly. Very fast thin neck, very easy playing guitar. This is the second one I've played, as I bought my son a white affinity strat for Christmas, and they both play very well. It came with a Fender gig bag. The whammy bar for some reason was missing, but hey, I paid $75.00 for it.

Suits my music style quite well. I play a lot of old classic rock like Hendrix, Cream, Allman Brothers, Skynryd and rockabilly stuff as well as Steve Earle type music, some blues and some stuff that I write myself. I have 3 amps available in the house, an Ibanez IBZ10, 10 watter that screams, an Ibanez TB 15R that also screams and a Marshall G30RCD, I also run a Rogue DS-5 and a Danelectro Corned Beef Hash Reverb through it. It is no more noisy on any setting than you would expect from single coils. Actually quieter than my American Standard Tele and my Mexican Made Strat. It has a very bright sound at the neck pickup, more of a mellow bluesy tone on the front two pickups. Sustain is quite good for a bolt on neck cheapo strat clone. I can play anything from Hendrix to Zeppelin, Blues, Steve Earle, Clapton, Metallica and Creed on this guitar and it sounds just fine. I love this guitar and to be honest am very impressed with it. I don't know what everyone who writes on here is complaining about. After all, the guitar costs $149.00 brand spankin new. What do you expect? I cannot really tell a lot of difference in this guitar and my Standard Strat (mexican made) and I paid $350 for it. This one is a little lighter and thinner, that's all. Put a blindfold on, get some good amp settings and you can't tell the difference in sound.

I bought this guitar used, and it was set up perfectly when I received it. Intonation was excellent, pickups are perfect. I could not find any flaws on this guitar at all except for some pickguard scratches. Excellent action, fit and beautiful finish.

I've already played live with it and it works just fine. Stays in tune better than my tele, mex strat and my les paul. Only time will tell about the finish, and the strap buttons are solid enough for me. I think it is quite dependable for the price. I would never use any guitar live without a backup. I used my Les Paul Standard without a backup once.........it puked out on me and left me hangin and it's a $2,000 guitar.

Never dealt with them.

I've been playing for 35 years straight. I also own a Mex made Fender Standard Strat (not too impressive for the bucks), an American Standard Telecaster (great guitar), A JB Player Tele Copy with the Vintage Fender Noiseless pickups installed (outstanding guitar), a Gibson Les Paul Standard, a Takamine EG-230 Acoustic Electric and a Regal Acoustic Guitar. Nothing I wish that I had asked about it before I bought it.......I got a great deal. I love this guitar because it is inexpensive, looks, plays and sounds great. Excellent deal especially for an at home practice guitar that you wouldn't be too concerned about if it got lost. If this one were lost, I'd fork out the bucks for a new one.

Made in China, 21 frets, 1 volume & 2 tone pots, 5-way selector, 3 single coil pickups

I am using it through a Zoom505, it is noisy (especially on positions 1, 3 and 5), positions 2 and 4 are not so noisy cause they use 2 pickups with different phases. The sound is not bad when it is clean, with much distortion it gets microfonic. No sustain. Overall - not usefull for heavy music.

the setup was decent, everything was nice for the price :)
perhaps shielding can limit the noise...the tone pots do not seem to make big difference, the trem is alomost useless, the guitar stays in tune if you dont use it though, the neck is comfortable

actually i've played this guitar live and there were no problems. but i do not recommend it if you are playing any heavy tunes...it is ok for practicing though

dunno

if it were stolen i would buy different guitar (maybe ibanez or yamaha)...i got it because of the price

Rosewood neck, black finish, three single coil pickups, non-locking turners and five way switch. (Standard Strat setup). Started all factory, then changed the complete pickup assembly to factory Mexican Strat.

At first the sound was sick to say the least. The pickups not only needed shilding, but also needed to be laid to rest in a hole in the back yard. Fender has several grades of pickups, and these are at the very bottem of the list. Noisy and harsh! Okay I know this is a starter guitar for my child, but go to ebay and buy an assemble for under $40. It's worth it. I give it a two stock, but add the pickups, and it goes way up. With the new pickups this guitar sounds as good as the Mexican made strat, just not as much punch.

The action saved this guitar from the trach. I only picked up this guitar for my kid becouse it played so well. It fits like a true Fender, and the finish is clean and flawless. Unpluged I could play this guitar for hours. Easy smooth action, but beware when you plug it in. It will fool you.

It's a Fender, and made very well (on the outside anyway). Turners, bridge, and neck fit perfect. This is not made to gig with by no means, not even as a backup. But as a first guitar to play at home, not bad. Pickups, switches, and pots (tone and volume) are trash but eaisly changed.

I have dealt with Fender a few time, but not with this guitar. They stand by there product, but only after you bug them enough. This is a throw away guitar to me. I would replace it before I tried to send it back to Fender and pay shipping.

Okay, first let me start by saying this is a guitar I got for my kid to start on. I have been playing for over 20 years, own two other Fender Strats, one American, one Mexican backup, as well as a Paul Reed Smith for the Studio. I use a Behringer and a Marshall for gigging, and a Vox and the Behringer in the Studio. Stolen or Lost? Before I changed the assembley I thought about putting ten buck on it and leaving it on the hood of my car. My kid even told me it sounded bad. But now, it's okay, he likes it, and if it turned up missing, I would buy him a Mexican Strat and go on.

I own several Fender Guitars. The thing looks really authentic to me.

I play it through a Danelectro Echo into a Kustom 212, a Fender Hotrod Deville 4x10 and a Hughes and Kettner tubeman. When I bought the strat it was a demo equipped with Kinman Blues pickups.

The guitar plays very nice. Sometimes there's a buzz on the fifth fret but putting it near to the central heating makes it dissapear. Maybe the wood is too young.

I bought the guitar with the idea to put the pick ups in my Fender when the Squier broke down. I play it now for more than two years... I can depend on it. More: I take the Squier to gigs when I wanna be sure nothing goes wrong.

Never had to deal with Fender China.

It is my favourite guitar. Especially when I'm with other Fender players.

MADE IN CHINA: 3 SINGLE FRETS: SOLID BODY: 3 CONTROLS: 5 WAY
TOGGLE SWITCH: ROSEWOOD NECK: BODY STYLE STRAT: TELE STYLE FRET:
HAND TREMLO:

THIS GUITAR HAS A NICE TWANGING SOUND: ALSO CAN BE USED FOR JAZZ
,COUNTRY, BLUES, AND STANDARD MUSIC PLAYING. IT IS ONLY GOOD FOR
PRACTICING OR IF YOU HAVE NO OTHER CHOICE FOR THE GIG:
MY PEAVY STRERO CHORUS(1999) PUTS OUT DECENT SOUND WITH IT, BUT MY
SUNN CONCERT LEAD (1971) PUTS OUT A CLEAR GOOD SOUND WITH IT.
I WAS REALLY SURPRISED THE COMBINATION IT CREATED.
GUITAR GETS STRONGLY DISTORTED WITH VOLUME SET AT AROUND 7+. I
HAVE HAD MARS MUSIC, WHERE I BOUGHT IT CHECK IT OUT. THEY
SAID IT WAS CHARACTERISTIC OF GUITAR: I ONLY BOUGHT IT FOR
PRACTICING, OR WHEN I SETUP MY KARAOKE GIG OUTDOORS, THEN I
TAKE IT. I PLAY ALONG WITH THE KARAOKEE CD'S. A ONE MAN BAND NOW.

THE GUITAR IS WELL MADE: JUST CHEAP ELECTRONICS: THE PICKUPS
ARE FAIR, BUT NOT THE BEST: ACTION IS FAIR: ONLY TROUBLE I'VE
HAD WITH GUITAR (I'VE HAD IT CLOSE TO A YEAR)IS THE VOLUME
DISTORTION, AND RATTLE FROM THE LOOSE PICKUPS. MARS MUSIC
ADJUSTED ALL. FOR THE PRICE, IT IS A GOOD PRACTICE GUITAR.
FOR BEGINNERS, IT IS VERY GOOD.

THIS GUITAR MAY BE USED FOR GARAGE GIGS: I WOULDN'T USE IT
ANYWHERE ELSE, UNLESS THIS IS ALL YOU HAVE.
HARDWARE IS QUESTIONABLE FOR DURABLITY. I WOULDN'T DEPEND
TOO MUCH ON THIS GUITAR IF I USED IT FOR MY LIVELIHOOD.

MARS MUSIC HAS BEEN OUSTANDING WITH ALL PROBLEMS I'V HAD
WITH THIS GUITAR; GOOD FRIENDLY SERVICE: FAST RESPONSE:
NO CRAP FROM THEM. I'M REALLY SURPRISE. WARRANTY IS
FOR 1 YEAR.

PROFESSIONALY PLAYING FOR 38 YEARS: I HAVE A GIBSON ES335:
IF FENDER SQUIRE WERE STOLEN, I WOULD GO WITH A YAMAHA ELECTRIC,ITS IN THE CLOSE PRICE RANGE. COMPARED WITH THE YAMAHA PACIFICA, THE
YAMAHA WITH IT'S HUMBUCKER, AND 2 SINGLES IS A LITTLE MORE
CLASSY. IT WINS OUT. I WISH FENDER SQUIER HAD BETTER ELECTONICS AND
A HUMBUCKER. I CHOSED THIS GUITAR BECAUSE I NEEDED IT FOR
PRATICING AND OUTDOOR GIGS. I DO NOT LOVE THIS GUITAR.
I OWNED A 1968 FENDER STRAT WHEN I WAS YOUNGER. I LIKED IT
, BUT WAS STOLEN IN 1972. AFTER THAT I WENT WITH GIBSON.
I CAN COMPARE IT TO MY ORIGINAL STRAT, BUT THE SOUND IS NOT THE
SAME.

1997 squire strat with s/s/s pickups, not shure what kind. 5 pickup slector, the usual stuff. Everything worked, even when falling apart. the tuners were decent but then playing, the peg flew out from the little hole in the headstock and slaped me acrosse the face. didn't hurt, but now the e string jumps up when tuning, so I have to tune up past the correct pitch then come back down. All good for about 6 years.

All kinds of music, used it in my junior high jazz band. The sound is decent. pickups what you would expect out of a squire. but also what you would expect from fender. not bad, not good. i'm gonna turn this into a project guitar, replace with nice texas special pickups used in srv's axe and the pickguard and deffiniatly the tuners. this guitar goes out of tune like a crazy mofo, but it's a squire.

Pretty good from the factory.

Very reliable considering what i put it through. lasted me 5 years, great for a begginners guitar, I would deffiniatly recommend this over those really cheap esp, dean, or other brand guitars that run about 150.

don't know

Got me through my early stages without thinnin the wallet. Definatly recommend and even some people recommend these as main axes. Pretty kewl

Strat style S/S/S with a solid wood body. All the features of a standard strat.

Where should I start...The center pickup did not work, all the pots grounded out at about 3 on the dail. The Bottom tone pot phased in and out. The WORST electronics I've have ever seen, more problems than I can cover...trouble shooting it would be a pain...I decided to rip it all out and redo everything

Finish and fit were good the action was nice but the nut sucked...The high E string would literally fall out of the nut !!!!!!!! Bad!!! I put a new neck on the body.

After I get done with it, it will be an awesome guitar. But out of the box it a peice!!!!

Never dealt with Fender

I bought this guitar because I wanted a cheap guitar that I could gut and redo. I was only interested in the body...a universal pick-up rout and solid wood. Everything else I didn't really care about. I would never have bought this guitar if I wanted it as is. It didn't even work right! It's well on its way to being a great guitar, but with a lot of work!!!!

Pretty standard. It's just a strait up guitar, three single coil pickups, two tone controls and one volume control.

This guitars sound doesn't suit any music style because it sounds like garbage. I have a few friends who own these guitars and they don't sound good through anything. We all use decent amps (marshall, line 6, fender) and the guitar still sounds bad. I own a Schecter C1 and a yamaha pacifica (the pacifica is less money new than the Squire) and they both destroy it in every aspect. I don't know how people can give this guitar an 8 or 9 for sound, it clearly doesn't sound almost perfect, and you wouldn't expect it to for under $300 canadian.

Every squire affinity series I have played has been set up very poorly, but they work when you first buy themif that means anything...
The paint on these guitars is very good though, my friend dropped his from 5 feet high on to concrete and it didn't even scratch. Props to squire for that.

The actual guitar is very durable, but the hardware is all crap. The nuts on these guitars have a tendency to just fall off, and the tuners don't stay in tune for long enough to even play three songs.

I have been playing for 6 years and currently use a Schecter C1 and a low end Yamaha Pacifica through a Line 6 spider 212 combo. I play in two different bands and gig monthly. I wouldn't even consider bringing this guitar to a gig and I don't recommend it. All I can say, if you are looking in to buying this guitar at least check out a Yamaha pacifica. For a little less cash you get a much better quality guitar. Also, don't try to play metal, hard rock, or punk with shitty single coil pickups because you will get insane amounts of feedback at jamming volume and look like an ass.

About as standard as a strat can get. Light body, laminated top, 2 tone, 1 volume. 3 single coil pickups. 21 frets 1999 model. Torino Red finish.

Believe it or not, this strat has a lot of potential. Let me explain first. When I first got it 3 years ago and played it, I thought it was ready for the garbage can. But instead, I thought maybe I could tinker around with it. The pups were noisy as a tractor. so i replaced them with duncan JB jr.

Um I think its 2000? 2001? Not sure. Well anyway, it was made in china, 21 frets, rosewood neck, blue finish, white single ply pickguard, 3 single coil pickups, two tone one volume knobs, 5 way pickup selector,.. just basically everything a strat has... lol

I mostly play Blink182 type stuff. It's a pretty good guitar, i get a good sound out of it. I've played it thru several amps, and I get a different type of sound out of each amp (duh. The bridge pickup is the noisest though. I get a LOT of buzz from it, but then again I dont really use it. Positions 2 and 4 are great. Nice clean bright sound.

This guitar came great and still is. I've banged it and dropped it several times and ntohing is wrong. Nothing chipped, no dents, nothing broke or came off. It's pretty sturdy. The action is great and it also stays in tune well.

I think that this guitar would withstand live playing. It seems pretty sturdy and reliable. I've had it for some time and its held thru pretty well. The first time I dropped it i was really scared cuz i thot that it wud be broken (being squier and all) but nothing was wrong w/ it. it still played fine and still does. its a great guitar.

Never had a problem w/ it.

I've been playing for some time now.
And I really like this guitar. I honestly dont see any real difference between this and any other strat. Its a great guitar at a great price. If it were stolen or lost I'd be pretty pissed, and I would probably buy it again.

Though I don't know the year my guitar was made in China. It has 21 frets, 3 single coil pickups, 5 way selector, rosewood fingerboard and a maple neck. It is a strat style which I prefer over any other, it also seems to balance fairly well. I have non-locking tuners and I don't know what kind they are, the guitar has a black finish and a white pickguard. Plastic knobs for Volume and the 2 tones. Neck is nice and small and the frets are small too, and the guitar is light.

One thing I must say is never play this guitar near an analog monitor! The buzz you get drowns out the sound of your playing and gives you a headache. The pickups are OK, but the bridge one is VERY twangy which I hate. It took me a long time to set it up properly but now the intonations is alright but you always get string buzz. I tend to play a lot of rock and keep it on the front two pickups for a warmer sound. If you want really cool sound you can use the 2 rear pickups and turn down the tones all the way making it sorta hollow sounding.

The guitar from the factory was pathetic. The place I got it from has the WORST service in the city of Calgary. (Every musician I have talked to agrees with me) It took them 2 weeks and they didn't do a thing. My strings kept breaking all the time right on the bridge so finally I sat down and worked on it. The bridge needed major adjusting, the intonation was miserable, and the sattles had jagged parts of metal in them cutting my strings nearly ever time I bent them.

I have played at many gigs and it does alright for what its worth. The volume control crackles but it may be dirt. The finish is not good at all and it scratches VERY easy. The pickguard is worthless because when I tried to tighten the screws a tiny bit it cracked the pickguard all around the bloody screw! The nut also comes out sometimes so I hot-glued it in.

With a lifetime warranty I don't really have to worry very much. However, I have never had to use the factory support so I can't say how good it is.

Overall its a good guitar for the price. Its great to start with and for a practice guitar but needs a few replacement parts.

Everyone knows the features - standard strat set up. This has the rosewood neck, not sure what wood's in the body. Pickguard came white, replaced it with a black one and the body is black. magic markered the knobs and the switch black. yeah. i'm an idiot.

first, so you know where i'm coming from, i've been playing electric guitar every day for about 5 years and this is the only guitar i've ever owned, so you can take everything i say with a "grain of salt" i guess. i play punk, classic rock, early 90s rock, and folk music.

the guitar itself sounds bright and a little thin on the bridge but can be cured with good reverb. here's my set up: Squire Affinity -> Dunlop Wah GCB-95 -> Boss DS-1 -> ProCo Rat Distortion pedal -> Peavey Rage 150. It's the Rat that saves this guitar and makes it playable. i run it into the clean channel on the amp and it sounds great at bedroom levels. if i wanted to gig, i'd change the amp - not the guitar. in my opinion, i can get decent sounds for almost all classic rock and some early 90s stuff. Nu-metal and speed metal? hell if i know, but i wouldn't count on it.

Tuners don't stay in tune - other than that, everything was fine. i'd recommend adjusting the pickups to get the sound you want. i've got the bridge pick up right up under the strings to give it more kick - so suit yourself.

it's a tough guitar. i've treated it pretty badly over the years. it was flooded when my house went under but was repaired and sounds fine. it still has mud caked on the back, but plays beautiful. However, the nut on the input jack kept coming loose because the washer wouldn't give it a grip. this caused a lot of problems - if it's giving you the same problem, take the washer off, tighten the nut back down, and it should be fine.

This is a good guitar for the money. i've played it against a Mexican Strat and with good reverb and the squire sounded better to me - the brightness made it more "present" than the mexican, if that makes sense. it may not be able to compete with more expensive guitars, but don't buy something more expensive just because the rest of the band is playing $600 Ibanez's. if there's a certain sound you can't get, don't be lazy - get to know your guitar (amp and effects too), make some adjustments, and it might just work.

not sure what year, i think a 2001
21 frets
5-way selector
3 single coils
1 volume 2 tone

I play a lot of different music. The only thing that this guitar isn't good for is more modern day rock and metal. The pickups are just too weak, they are also really really noisey on distortion. I use a Boss Metal Zone for distortion, it helps a little, but the pickups need to be better. Also, i hate the tremolo bar, it never stays in tune. 5 minutes with the tremolo bar and you have to retune the guitar.

everything was fine except for the plug, the nut keeps on coming off, not a big deal, but it gets annoying after a while

a backup is a must if you are gonna play live with it(i dont know why you would though).

never dealt with them

i have been playing almost 4 years. For 150 dollars, i think this guitar is ok for beginners and for a practice guitar. It needs new pickups, otherwise its fine

Mine was made in Indonesia. It has 21 frets, 3 single coil pickups (SSS). The bridge is the traditional strat. It doesnt take 10 cause the tuners are not very good and the 21 frets which I wish were 22.

Ive been playing for 5 years now and Im currently playing heavy metal, hard rock and some blues. It is very good in any of this styles. I use a vintage Giannini tube amp, CS-3 compression (BOSS), Crybaby Wah (Dunlop) and MT-2 Metal Zone (BOSS). I must say that if you think this guitar doesnt sound good you must buy a MT-2 pedal it makes it sound GREAT!!!!

I got a perfect setup from factory. Everything works just fine. The neck has a little curve to it, but nothing to make it a crap.

I would play a gig with it without a problem.

NA

Ive been playing for 5 years and this guitar is perfect for my style. I have a Gibson Les Paul Studio too and this is another GREAT guitar. The squier is very good if you have the correct equipment. Specially for the distortion. I must say it: YOU MUST BUY A BOSS Metal Zone MT-2.

Made in China "2000" Alder body ..Rosewood fretboard, Trem..etc.,

Stock pickups were thin and weak sounding..replaced with Carvin AP11's
Stock 5-way switch quit in 3-5 months replaced with OEM one
added two springs to the trem and tightened down the trem bracket screws,,I never use the trem but I like the complex tone the little movement that it does give the axe over an hardtail
Now with these inprovements this is a great "players" axe...something that does what it's suppose to do and you don't need to worry about banging it around...
I gave it a 10 for tone after the upgrade....."1" before

Great for an $150 axe for "players" who don't want to worry about banging up their MIA's...
It does have a small neck that takes alittle getting use to...but no problem if you try...I've got big hands too!!

Does the job and more...
It wouldn't hurt doing some upgrades!...Some people say "just buy a std. Squier" But I like the slimmer body!!...for light weight and ease of movement on stage

Who knows?? even Fender doesn't know

I give this an 10 with some basic upgrades....
Beats most other $150 axes out there...like DeArmond..Samick..Ibanez..etc..,

standerd strat, 3 buzzy single coils de tuning trem usual,

i play most rock from metal to grunge, its badly found wanting by not having a humbucker which is a shame. Clean its sounds nice and bright.

they only do them (now) in sunburst and although it looks good its not "real" just a print!!! so far it hasnt chipped and it was almost perfect straight out the box as far as inootation is conxerned

It looks solid enough, i havent maneged to dent it (yet) despite dropping it a few times,
it would easily withstand playing live.

never delt with fender\squier

ive been playing about 7 months, and this is my second guitar, I started playing on an upside down encore strat but decided that i needed a proper lefty, as far as cheap lefty's go you only have a few choices, encore or squire tele\strat,
It's not bad for the price, although f i was right handed i'd have got one 30 quid cheaper with a free gig bag,
but then if i was righthanded i might have gone for somthing diffrent but the choice just isnt there.
If your left handed and starting out I'd recommend it,
the only thing that's a problem is the lack of a humbucker which im hopefully (funds pending) getting fixed soon,

Features Are the same as all other Affinity strats listed here. A light solid wood body, maple neck/w rosewood finger board.ECT..

I bought the Affinity package with amp and accessorys for my son at christmas this past Christmas of 2001. I found the amp to be pretty crappy. The Guitar was very nice though. Hey I think it is a great first guitar. It is about as basic of a guitar you will find that has a decent sound and the quality craftsmanship of Fender. The pick-ups are very noisey. It is a Fender Strat thing, I have a friend who plays an American strat and his pick-ups are noisey as well. I have found to turn down the volume on the guitar and turn up at the Amplifier it helps cut down on the noise.

The guitar came through mail order(Musicians friend.) The action was decent, the set up was fine, and it was intunated. I found the neck to be fast. The guitar feel was fluent & smooth. I did find that there seemed to be an edge like feel on the sides of the fret board that sometimes made the neck feel almost boxey. Still it is a great guitar for the money and it has the authentic Fender name you can't go wrong.

the Paint job is still flawless on the guitar almost 5 months later. Everything else seems OK as well

n/a

Great guitar and great sound for the money. Alot nicer than any other strat or strat copy at that price range

Made in China, 2000. Lefthanded, 22 medium frets. Don't ask what kind of wood! Fender will probably try yo tell you it's 'made of solid tonewood', but I think it's some kind of hardwood. It hardly resonates nor vibrates, and does by these means in no way complement to the guitar's allover tone. But hey, at least it's solid wood! A classmate of mine has an old Japanese Squier which is made of multiplex! Maple neck with rosewood fingerboard. One volume control, two for tone, five-way switch, three 'specially designed' (I love the way the guys at Fender say that! :p) single coil pick-ups, passive. Beautiful brown sunburst finish. Strat-style body (duh! What was this guitar alled again...?). Vintage tremolo. Normal 'specially designed' tuners (there's that word again!), great neck (though please do not ask me how to describe the shape!). I think it has a 14" radius. Included accesories: strap, crappy cable, pick, instruction video by Wolf Marshall. For the money, this is one hell of a lot guitar!

This guitar is not intended to fit to a specific music style. This is a real beginner's guitar, meant for people who aren't even looking for a personal style yet. And for those people, this guitar is perfect, in my humble opinion.

The sound of this guitar actually is quite underestimated. Most people who have one of these play it through one of those crappy Squier amps which is included in the Strat Pack. I playes this guitar through a Vantage VG10-R at first, which isn't much better. The guitar is very noisy when played through this amp.

Later on, when my playing progressed, and my income as well, I bought my first tube amp, a Hughes and Kettner Tube50, which was an enormous improvement for my tone, but I can't really tell how the sound of the guitar itself is... Anyway, it's noisy, no matter what settings you chose, except when you turn down both tone-knobs. The sound is really bright normally, which probably is a result of the choice for this particular kind of wood. When used on the right amp, you will actually start to hear the differences between the three pick-ups! When used on one of them small 10-watt combo's as described in the above, they all sound alike...

But I will replace the pick-ups soon :D

The set-up was OK for me, because when I bought this guitar I really had no idea of how to set it up better. The action was fine by me. But now I'm quite spioled, because I currently own a Jackson DK-2, which has a much faster action. Thinner neck, Floyd Rose-licensed tremolo...

The pick-ups aren't adjustable. The bridge is horrible! This is a really bad tremolo, which causes my guitar to go out of tune real often, even when I do not use it.

Further on this is a fine guitar. Not flawless, but reasonable.

This guitar will probably withstand live-playing after replacing the tremolo, and maybe the tuners as well. You would have to be nuts to play this baby on stage though, because of the noise and the fuzz. The finish is good enough, and won't scratch easily. I think I could use this guitar on stage without backup. It is a very dependable guitar.

One year warranty. I've only once used this warranty, when the guitar output came loose. This was easily repaired by dealer personnel though, so I've never had the pleasure to deal with the company themselves.

I have been playing this guitar for about two years now, and have got very attached to this guitar, so if it were stolen, I wouldn't buy a new one, but do everything in my might to get it back! This is my first guitar, it watched me grow as a player, and has become a part of me. I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Currently I play a Jackson DK-2 LH, through a Hughes and Kettner TUBE 50, with a Koch Pedaltone used as a (completely tube-driven) preamp through the FX-return.

Made in China, bought brand new in 2001. Has 22 fret bolt on neck. Solid top, 1 volume, 2 tone, 5-way selector. Has 3 single coil pickups. Maple neck with rosewood finger board. Black finish with a white pick guard. Looks the same as any strat.

The guitar sounds good if and when you can hear over the buzzing. I have ran it through Crate, Marshall, and Laney amps. There is too much feed back and buzzing to preform with it, but it is a nice guitar to practice on.

Nice color and design. Have had it for a year and there are only 3 scratches on it and that is from a belt buckle. Does not scratch easily.

The hardware on it isn't the best but it is good enough. The strap buttons are solid and the finish is good enough to last. Because of the buzzing and feedback, you would have to be stupid to play it at a gig.

There is no warranty because it is a cheap beginners guitar.

I have played this guitar for a year. I wish I would have bought a guitar with less feedback. If it were lost or stolen I would buy something else(if i could afford it) because I dont like this guitar. The thing I like about this guitar is it can take a beating and not get scratched and it looks very nice. The thing I hate is the feedback and puzzing it makes. My favorite feature is the neck because it has good action. I thought about getting a tele but I got this because it looks nicer and I once was dumb and thought looks are more important than quality. I would say if you buy this guitar only use it for practice because thats about all its good for.

I got this guitar in early 2001. Basicaly its a chinese made scaled down fender Stratocaster. Its has 21 frets on its rosewood fretboard, which is a nice (not to fat, not to thin) 'C' shape. It comes equiped witht the tradional 3 single coil pikups which hold their own albiet they do hum like hell when too close to my pc monitor. The Affinity strat has a lighter and thiner boddy than the standard squier stratocast which makes it very comortable to playin sitting down and light to hold on a strap. The bridge is a standard vintage trem unit. If you lay off using it (that includes haevy palm muting) the tuning stability is quite good, however if you use this guiatr's trem for more than about 3 or four minutes then you will noticably be effecting your tuning, and before you ask dive bombs are out of the qustion!

I play metal and punk. I must say i have grown quite attached to its bridge pikup and have labled it as 'my sound' when used with one of my distortion settings on my Korg AX-G100 fx pad. This is a very popular guitar used to play many different types of music, and while it cannot obviously be the best at everything, for a number of reasons (price, and...well no guitar can sound EXCELLENT at evry syle of music) it is very far from sounding bad. You can get evryting from a deep rythm sound from the neck pikup, right down to crunching distortion from the bridge pikup. I did however chose to replace my bridge pikup with a cheap Kent Armstrong 2coil hotrails (aka mini humbuker) however this proved too tinny in the bridge postion, and longed for my old sound so i moved it up to the middle potion, where when combined with my bridge single coil can produce and amazing valve drived distorion sound on my cheap crudy 15wat amp.

the action was quite high on this guitar, more evidently so furthur down the neck. However this could simply be adjusted with a alan key on the oh-so-simple bridge. The guitar was perfect when I bought it but now there are a few chips here and there due to my clumsyness, but thumbs up to squire for the perfect finish.

ive had this guitar for a while now and it realy is a workhorse, not 1 problem at all in any respect of durabiliy or reliablity. Obviuosly its no american series strat with noisless pikups but theres not mystery glitches and bits falling off. I would see no problem gigging this guitar seeing as the way i treat it (and it surviving) when i realy get into practising with itis realy rought and it does get thrown about a lot, and it doesnt seem mind.

Never had to deal with them

this is my only guitar, but i have a good general knowlegede gear in general, and i can truley say for the money that this is a quality guitar, and if you've played anything else in this price range (and i have) you will respect that even though on a whole this is a bargain bin guitar i can rival some of its more expensive cousins. If i lost this guitar i would buy it agian i would definatly recomend it.

2001, China, Has 21 frets. Reg Strat Controls. US pickups. Non Tremal Style Bridge. Die cast tuners. Rosewood Fret borad and maple neck. Black. 1 ply pick gruad. Looks like Eric Claptions Strat

Good for all type of music. Sounds good through a vox amp. The Pickups are a little nosy. It is little different sound from the american strat (i think) I thnk it has better sound then the squier standered strat.

Great Action. I re adjusted the pick ups. In tune when i got it. The gUitar was perfect. the only that i dont like is that it is a 1 ply pickgruad. I am going to get a 3 ply because i think it looks better but that doesnt really bother me.

It should last for a wile. My Guitar is black so every single time im done playing i wipe down the fret borad. It should last. If it starts to wear ill keep it and but a rickenback 330. Strap buttons are solid. I would use for a gig but would bring extra strings just in case.

Used to have the same guitar but made in indonesa and the guitar was just screwed with problems but i had a life time warrenty so i broght it to sam ash gave them this one and they just gave me this guitar right out of the box.

this is the best guitar that squier makes. I think it is very under rated and should be up there with fender strats.

1999 China model. 21 frets. Standard Strat type electronics.

It sounds nearly as good as any american Strat I've ever owned, and I've owned about a half-dozen, from an original '64 to a '93 American Standard, and a bunch in between. The sound won't knock you off your feet, but it's got a decent clean sound.

I got this used, so I can't comment on the factory settings, but I can tell you that the nut was WAY too high, and the frets needed to be levelled to get any type of decent action. The finish on the body is weird. It looks like it was dipped in some sort of plastic coating, rather than painted.

The tuners were the worst I've ever seen. I practically had to turn them with pliers, and then it'd only stay in tune if you didn't bend a string. The nut is soft, and I don't see it holding up for years like a "normal" Fender nut. The pickups, bridge, strap buttons, pick guard, etc, seem fine. The body is incredibly light, probably the lightest Strat I've ever had, but the tradeoff is that the body is easily dinged. It has several dings in it right now. But it's a tradeoff. Want it bulletproof? Get an ash or maple body guitar. Want it light? Here's it is!

None needed (used).

I'm a complete guitar snob. I have a pile of nice guitars, a Martin M38, a '64 Gibson SJ, a '77 Tele, a '71 Les Paul Deluxe, an '83 P-Bass, a '79 Guild X-500, a '64 Melody Maker, and a Hopf Saturn 63. I don't have much tolerance for cheap guitars. I bought this guitar so that I could have a guitar that I wasn't afraid to leave in the car overnight in 30 below weather, and something I could take in to work to noodle with on my lunch break. The price was right ($60). I promptly trashed the tuners in favor of a used set of Gotohs I had kicking around. I also levelled the frets and adjusted the pickups and intonation. I'm really impressed with the way it plays and sounds NOW. For the money, I would rate this head and shoulders above most other guitars in the "under $300" range. If you have any luthier experience, it is a great bargain, because I can assure you, you WILL need to do a significant amount of setup work, and at least replace the tuners. I bought this as a disposable junker, but I just consider it another one in my fleet, that will (now) stand up against a much more expensive version of a Strat. I wish this guitar had been available when I took up guitar 30 years ago, when we were playing Teiscos and Kays with baseball bat necks. It is definitely a "diamond in the rough" and can be a great guitar if you want to tinker with it. Don't expect much when you take it out of the box, though. As more of these show up on the used market, mainly at garage sales, because of all the 14 year old kids who bought a "Strat-Pak" and gave up on guitar after a month, this will be one of the great used bargains of our time.

Indonesian made model, check out squierguitars.com for details of the hardware for this model.

The neck and bridge pickups are really nice. I'm not too crazy about the middle though. Bridge pup has a nice, bright sound. The neck is best though. Very warm and responsive and sounds great when played with a clean setting on my amp. I compared it with an MIM Fender Strat recently and the Squier has a much better tone. Unplugged, the acoustics are very strong and that surprised me.

I had to raise the innotation and action slightly due to fret buzz on the high E. But it still has a surprisingly fast action. For the first few weeks she was a bit bad about staying in tune but she's settled in a bit and will stay in tune. I don't use the tremolo so I don't know how badly it goes out after diving a lot. I suspect it's a bear to keep in tune when using the trem a lot. Beautiful workmanship on the body and neck though. The fretboard is a little dull but hey, for the price it looks like a gem. Tight fitting neck with NO gaps. Neck is VERY straight! Strings should be replaced soon after purchase though. I really didn't like the originals.

Solid construction on my model. I would, however, suggest that anyone wanting to buy the Affinity Strat, buy after trying out at the store. I think that it may be the luck of the draw if you purchase online, sight unseen. The hardware seems to be sturdy. Let's face it, if you are going to abuse your equipment it's going to fail. Thrash away if you like, just don't whine when stuff breaks. Get my drift?

No customer support needed. Check out squierguitars.com or fender.com and follow their Mr. Gearhead links to get info on wiring schematics, setup guides, and repair/maintenance tips.

Overall, very satisfied. Bang for the buck is super high on this guitar. I have found it to be better than Fender's MIM, MIK and MIJ Strats in many ways and I am very glad I bought this guitar. The only way you can get a better Strat is to go with a top of the line Fender brand Strat. It was a super value out of the box. With new strings and a carefull innotation, it got even better. I'm considering having new pickups and a set bridge installed professionally but it isn't something I have to have. This guitar offers a lot of tone for exploring and having fun. LOVE it!

My squier affinity strat is a china-made 2001. It's got 21 frets, laminated top, black finish, a 5-way selector, 1 volume, 2 tone, S/S/S, tune-o-matic bridge, basic non-locking tuners, solid hardwood body, a bolt-on maple neck which is reasonably thin, 25.5" scale, dot neck inlays, and a 60s style headstock. The number of frets is dissapointing. I keep on running into the last one, and needing to go higher. It has a cheap but functional tremolo, which can take some abuse, but not much. It's pretty bland, but it functions most of the time.

I do mostly classic rock. . . anything from Led Zeppelin to the Beatles. It fits the style ok, but it needs a lot of help from my RP100 effects processor (which is a great buy, by the way). I am using that, an Ibanez DS7 distortion pedal, and a small crate 15-watt. The sound is definitely nothing to write home about. There are some nice clunky lowtones if you select the neck pickup and put the amp gain up in the high frequency levels. Other than that its nothing special. The score here is so low because I have a recurrent problem. After about seven months, the neck pickup started to periodically cease to function. No real reason, I've been careful not to bump the thing around much, cause its real new. It's a major pain in the @$$, and I need to send it to customer service, but I'm reluctant to do so, cause its my only guitar and I'd have nothing to play.

The factory set up is cheap and pretty bad (see above). The action works fine, I guess, but not great. The pickups (actually, just the neck pickup) keep screwing up at me. There were, however, no visual factory flaws, except a slightly loose input jack that is only mildly annoying.

This won't survive much, its pretty weak, electronically. On the other hand, it is physically strong, because there is not much to it to break. The strap buttons were awful, and I got straplocks. I would definitely not use it at a gig at all. It's great for practice and performing for friends, though.

Never done it yet, but I'm gonna need to soon.

I've been playing guitar for 9 months, and had this one the whole time. I also own an RP100 effects processor, a distortion pedal, a practice amp, a gig bag, cords, strap, etc. I wish I'd done more research about guitars before getting this one. If it were stolen or lost I'd probably not be heartbroken, 'cept I'm short on cash, so I'd be pissed anyhow. Its really not a great guitar, but its dirt cheap, and it is a great beginners' guitar. I was deciding between an Epiphone Bully and this, and I picked the Squier for 2 reasons. 1 - The Squier had 3 pickups instead of the 2 that the epi had. 2 - a friend told me that the Bully was, more or less, a piece of $h!t. which is probably true. I really wish that this thing had a humbucker, or at least that the neck pickup would stop screwing me over. My advice for anyone who'll listen, and others too, is to buy the Squier affinity fat strat (with the humbucker that I wish I had) as a beginner guitar. Don't bother upgrading - the thing's expendable. If you are any good at learning how to play, you should graduate in a year to a year-and-a-half, and get a better guitar. I'm looking seriously at the Jackson DK2. . . Anyways, I think against all the guitars on the market, this would probably only get a 1!!! But, being fair, I'd give it a 4 against all beginner and low-end guitars.

Stratocaster body style, 22 frets, 3 x single coil, 1 x volume, 2 x tone conrol, 5 - way selector switch, rosewood neck.

I play punkrock, rock music and this guitar sounds good for this style. Pickups are noisy with distorsion, I fixed this on BOSS ME5 multiple effect with noise supressor.

Setup of guitar was neutral. I set strings lower and pickups hihger.

There's nothing to brake on this guitar.

2002, "crafted in China" Body is extremely light, even for a Fender prouduct. Very standard h/s/s configuration. Sherwood greef finish / rosewood fretboard. "old School" 6 point trem... It's a strat.. you know the deal

I'm a professional Musician with 20 years experience. Playing through a 86 Marshall 1/2 stach ( tube ) and an eary 60'2 vox ac-15. I am a standard rock guy for the most part, but need a sceamer once in a while.. In short, this bitch is nothing short of amazing for stock Fender.. Little alone a humble Squire. Through the little vox with the volume maxed, itr sparkling clean with the vol. pot at 5, and gets nasal/nasty with a turn of the knob. This thing is already making my custom shop strat look like a chump. Pickups are a little overly hot, and will feedback like hell if you let it, and the humbucker is just too bright for most players who don't like to use the tone knobs on their amp. Look.. stock fender pickups are notorius for "overly bright" sound.. I have never kept a set in for over a week. I like these things though. Most people who trash fender tone either don't know how to yous their amp, or they are playing thru solid state garbage. Put some Duncans in this thing and you'll be in love.

Sherwood green paint is nicely done, no major flaws, smooth, great unfinished neck. I will comment on setup. I have no idea who the schmuck who set this thig up, but he had no clue. However, a couple of hours with an great chromatic tuner, and refitting the pickup hight to femder standards, and it plays like a champ.. neck feels great. Gets a bad rating for dropping the ball on setup.. would have caused a beginner to give up & play piano in less than an hour

It's a strat.. Squire but a strat.. built like a tank.. It's a $200 ax. lots of cut corners on tuners, wiring, & overall finish, but will it hold up ? Did you ever know a Fender prouduct the DIDN'T...

Have delt with fender in the past. will bend over backwards for you

I only bought this thing for one show, ( my custom shop strat needs a re-fret & wont be done ) but will keep using it. Hell, it looks great, plays well, and sounds "stratty" with stock pickups. if someone stole it, I'd have my bass-player rip out his lungs with a tuning fork and feed 'em to my dog. I need to drop some good Duncans or lace sensors in this thing, and think I'ts a keeper. You want funny.. you should see my snobby vintage gear collecting band members drop jaw when I fired it up for a "black Crows" number. It stole the show.

One hint though.. you want max tone out of this thing... BLOCK THE TREM ( an old 9-volt batt. works great ) changes the whole feel/sustain our the guitar. Throw the arm in the trash and forget it !!!!

Bought this guitar in 2000. Was looking for a bargin strat and here it was. Standard strat features with 70's stlye tremolo bridge. Neck is maple with rosewood top. Body is alder I believe. Hardware is chrome. Pickguard, pickup covers, knobs and switches white. Body is galactic purple ( that is cool ). Had to purchase all accessories seperate.

For my playing style, this guitar is well suited. It will handle blues and classic rock quite well, wouldn't recommend for the shredders out there. I use a Fender Power Chorus amd the seems to fit perfect with this guitar. This guitar is as noisy as any 70's or early 80's Strat, but a noise gate would take care of it quite well. Then tone is real mid-rangy on it own and the presence control on my amp gets cranked wide open to compensate.

Played well when i bought it, lowered the action and adjusted intonation and haven't messed with it since.

This guitar seems durable enough, I play it every day. I would use it without a backup if i had to, but i take several guitars with me when gigging, all have differant tones.

Never dealt with Fender.

Overall I'd give this guitar good marks for the price range. If stolen or lost I'd probably buy another Squire, but a standard next time. I'm going to replace the white plastic parts with chrome/silver WD replacement parts just to dress it up more. With the Galactic Purple paint, that seems to be the best customizing that it needs. The shinnier, the better. I wish the bridge was more like the 2 point standards, I'm not real found of Fenders 6 point bridges.

i kinda like it, ive been playing for 2 years and i think im ready to get a new guitar. i play it through a Peavey Bandit 112. it makes a lot of noise and thats the only thing thats actually a minus to me, everything else is fine.

i like fender instruments and the only thing i have against this is the plug in jack was loose but thats not a big deal at all.

if i were to use it in a gig, i would use it as my back up because my bands really not gunna play anywhere soon. the finish has worn a little after 2 years and ive put some niks in it.

since my parents help me with buying a new guitar ("uve already got one u dont need another") i sometimes imagine the different ways it could be destroyed accidentaly on purpose, i know thats kinda mean but yeah i like the bridge pickup for some cool grungy licks and stuff. its alright i guess.

This review is an attempt to give a more balanced view of the Squier Affinity Strat. I've owned mine for some time now.

It's hard to know what sort of rating to give for features. About ninety percent of all Strats ever made are like this, so in theory they should all have the same score. It would seem that a lot of Affinity Strats are bought in the Strat pack and given to teenagers who want to use them for music where humbuckers and a dive-bomber Floyd Rose would be more appreciated. Maybe Fender should release a "SuperStrat" for people like that? As it is, many of the complaints here seem to stem from this.

There is no evidence of where the Affinity has had significant corners cut. It is obviously not a Fender Standard Strat or an American Series, and the price and quality reflects this. But given the price, the Affinity is much better than you'd expect.

The reason for this is that few guitars are hand-made any more. Machines exist that will turn out perfect necks and bodies from wood blanks, and people like Fender are putting them in countries like China and Indonesia and reaping the benefit of low labor costs.

I've been through three stages with this guitar. The first was with an amp made for keyboards. The sound wasn't that great, because the amp wasn't meant to make the treble sound prominent. This seems to be a common experience, especially with people who own very cheap amps. These amps wouldn't sound good with any guitar, but the guitar gets blamed.

The second stage was after I bought a POD, and for a long time I thought that I had the sound I wanted. Although I had a large number of perfectly good sounds, what I was doing was put a low-end guitar through an emulation of an expensive amp. Since most of us want the sound of an expensive guitar with an expensive amp, I wasn't getting all the sounds I could. However, I'd suggest that unless you have a very low-end amp to try an amp emulator, because even the cheapest emulators seem to give a good sound, even if they're not quite as accurate as the more expensive models.

I took the final step very recently when I upgraded the pickups to Bill Lawrence L-280s. These are stacked humbuckers (available from Bill direct at www.billlawrence.com) and cost $40 each. The sound from these is little short of amazing and certainly sounds as good as any Strat I've ever heard. I didn't mind that a set of three costs almost as much as the guitar did in the first place - in my case, I paid $15 less than the set of pickups because mine was a $105 "scratch and dent" special.

It is worth the money and it certainly shows that a low-end guitar can be radically improved with better pickups.

I chose my Affinity Strat from about a dozen in the store. I was looking for the lowest action and there was definitely a variety. I ended up with a choice between a maple fingerboard or a rosewood fingerboard - the action was about the same.

I don't know whether the ones I didn't choose could have been adjusted to suit but I didn't see any that I would have rejected out of hand. I've looked at Affinity Strats from time to time and the quality is generally the same as when I bought mine.

One thing is certain - the woodworking on these guitars is so good that they can be as easy to play as an expensive Strat. I prefer the bigger frets of the more expensive Strats, but the frets on my guitar are the same size as 50s and 60s Strats. If you're looking for a low-end guitar with bigger frets, try the Yamaha Pacificas.

Because the guitar is so easy to play I had no misgivings about investing in better pickups. Right now I can't see what I'd get from a $700 Made in America Strat, and I've played a few. Maybe the more expensive guitar would stay in tune longer, but I don't use the tremelo arm so it's not a problem.

This is the only area where I can fault this guitar. The wiring is very fragile. I had a ground wire break which caused a low output and a lot of hum. I think that some complaints here about hum are because of this. I never found the stock pickups to be particularly hum-prone.

Some people have complained about other problems which seem to be mainly to do with quality control (knobs falling off, etc.). Apart from the wiring, I can't see any area where the guitar is unreliable by design.

I've never dealt with the company directly because of this guitar. I did have it repaired under warranty because of the broken wire, but this was done by the tech at Guitar Center.

However, I've spoken with people up to Vice-President level at Fender through the Fender Forum (www.fenderforum.com) and they have been remarkably forthcoming.

I have been involved with guitars and bands since the late 50s, and I've played numerous guitars, including several Strats from the 1950s. I believe that what I have now, for a total of $230, is at least the equal of those 50s Strats. I can't see how it could be easier to play nor (with the new pickups) how it would sound better.

It isn't the right guitar for you if you want to use the tremelo arm to radically affect the notes. It isn't the right guitar for you if you want something where you expect the pickups to sound as good as a guitar costing $1,000 (and you're very unlikely to find anything around this price where you will). It isn't the right guitar for you if you expect everything about the hardware to be as good as a $1,000 guitar.

But if you want a guitar in this price range that will be the most you can get, the Squier Affinity Strat is going to be among the best you'll find. Don't let the price fool you - this is definitely a guitar that you can (with some replacements) use at any level of playing. I certainly can't see why I'd ever need to change it.

1999 Fender Squier Stratocaster Affinity Series made in China. Finished in polished Sunburst, maple neck, 5 position selector switch, volume and 2X tone controls, 21 frets, 3 standard pickups.

As a general purpose guitar the Affinity is good for beginners or just for practising. Im using it on a Rickenbacker amp which compliments the guitar well even if played in anger. The selector switch is pretty poor quality often giving much more static on changes than Fender Strats.

The guitar at standard as per factory set up was satisfactory but needed slight adjustment for optimal sound. The nut was always very loose and often vibrated giving a poor sound, I've now reseated it and locked it in position with superglue which has stopped the vibration. The finish of the guitar I found to be ok but it is VERY prone to chips and scratches. All screws on the guitar were far too loose, the lead input was often falling out until i rebuilt the guitar with bigger screws and refitted the lead input.

The guitar is fairly reliable, I'd use it as a spare if my main guitar (60's Strat) failed. The finish as previously stated is very thin and cant take much abuse compared to 'real' strats.

Ive never tried using customer support as any problems I've had I've dealt with myself. Warranty at the shop I bought it from was 1 year depending on usage.

A good all rounder for beginners, copes well with most styles and tastes and is easily modified. I am going to fit a humbucker as the top pickup and 2 Fender lace sensors to give a more unique sound as well as a genuine Fender neck to give it a more authentic look.

1999, made in chin, 21 frets, 2 tone 1 vol. 5 way switch.. basic strat setup.

it sounds really good clan, but distorted, the pickups are too weak. and chords often sound weird under distortin

neck is really good, finis chips easily, though

if you know what you are doing is very reliable, if you give it a stup...set the ation..set the intonation,,etc.. it will work perfectly..i never have a problem with it coming out of tune since i did the setup, it has a straight fast neck, so you can prettymuch do any type of playing on it but it has a cheap pickguard that does crack a lot

never had any problems

It is a basic strat body. but cheaper, it has some nice playability but it isnt a great thing with the features just three single coils and soem tone knobs. medium neck .

This is were my review will differ from others, it is not a great guitar ill give u that but it doesnt matter what it is cause the personb behind it makes it good. iv had this for two years and im told that i am as good as people who have been playin for 5 theres kids in my school who have been playin for five and i blwo them away. itll give u good distortion but u have to know what u exactly want. i have this goin into my ibanez smashbox going into my crybaby into a fender delux 90. i can get the deftones, creed, korn, bush,offspring sound easily. if i want a cheaper guitar thatll do the trick get this cause it will.

Action was really high when i got it i screwed around with it and got it lower. finish is a sweet ferrari red. and the fits liek a strat nice to ur body.

it will withstand live playing ive played live with it already 7 times and have had no prob. everythings workin pretty good.

never dealt with it

i think its a good guitar for the price and if ur a begginer this is all u need to become good what it really takes is a good sense of rythum and practise. i wont be using as much anymore because i am getting an ibanez gax75 for christmas so this well be my backup and thatw ell be my main.

2001 Crafted in China,21 frets,3-solid pieces,2x tone,1x volume,S/S/S, Alder body, Maple neck,Fingerboard made of rosewood,Sunburst (nicer than Fender standards),Non locking tuners and a Fulcrum one-way tremolo.
Really the wessential what you would except from a Strat.

I play rhythm and blues,blues and rock and similar,mainly older stuff.No Limp Bizkit or the new things.In metal up to Iron Maiden a.s.o. I played it trhough the George Dennis Mighty Mouse.It is quite buzzing on the first and fifth positions,as all the strats do.But you can survive it.It has the clasic rock and roll tone a little craped but nice.The tone pots are working very fine,you can change the tone from "enveloped" or Muted to clean, bright.I was really surprised, with the price paid.It is a great made axe.

I do not know how it was set in factory, but it was excelently done in the shop I suppose,because the octave pitch is tuned perfectly, the action is more than comfortable andthe Fender 150's are on.No flaws on the whole gitar, the neck is perfectly routed and the frets are clean and do not tear your handy anywhere on the neck.Nothing to complain to.Wood is nice, you can hardly find,where it is glued together as it is 3 solid pieces.

I can say it withstands live playing,but you have to adjust your whole gear no to hum and buzz.The Hardware will last, but I think you will have to replace the pick ups for a Noiseless ones,even though the stock have good output.The buttons are Ok.The finish is hard enough.I only do not know how long the tremolo arm will hold its position, cause you have to tie it rather well to have it in a psoition you want.I am affraid if it is not made form too soft metal and the screw could chew.Time will show

The shop are quite helpful and the dealer here,too.Never delt with the Fender company.

I am playing about 15 years now,I have got another electric made here and an acoustic.This is gona be my premium guitar.I would surely buy another if gets lost.I love the design and color and I have to admit I have always wanted a Strat in sunburst with a rosewood fretboard.So my wife decieded to get me one.I only wish it had the Noiseless pup's .But for the price paid it is simply awesome.

97-98 model(dont really know).22 frets, 3 single coil pickups, 5 way selector, and tremolo. fast and slim neck with rosewood fretboard. honestly the best neck I've ever tried, very comfortable. What else do you want for the price?

If you were expecting a Fender or a Gibson then why the hell do you bought this one.

right now I play in a punk band (usually play Millencolin, Bad Religion, Pennywise, Goldfinger, Operation Ivy, Rancid, etc.) and it really sounds great on every song. some people have even come to ask me how can I make a single coil strat sound so good distorted. I play it through a Marshall 80 watt amp.
In my case there is no buzzing, of course you bunch of assholes, you can't play good distortion through a single coil, but come on you can switch to use two at the same time.(thats the idea of a humbucker). other thing, first learn to play right, then criticize. Honestly I have tried it against 300 buck guitars, and mine kicks ass. It has a great clean sound, not like that crappy Ibanez sound(I really hate this guitars)and it has a good distortion for its price. If you are about to buy a guitar between 100-300 buy better this one for 150. Its the best guitar you can get for this price, listen to me, I know what Im saying better than this bunck of loosers that just play alone in their houses while masturbating.

up to know the only problem I have faced is loose plug srew. It only took me one minute to repair it and it hasnt given me any problems again. I have seen guitars that are much more expensive and contain more flaws. great quality, really, really solid guitar.
great fast and soft neck. for this price I haven't seen a guitar with a better neck. Even my friend's Gibson 61'SG neck is not as comfortable.

It can withstand anything. Ive been playing in my band live for one year and still It hasnt given me any problem. Really solid guitar, and dependable. the finish, pretty red covered with stickers. I have never used a backup guitar. as I said, you got to know how to play guitar. Other thing, strap buttons get loose if you jump too many times, have a screwdriver around and problem solved.
It can last an eternity, no way to get rid of her.

not a problem yet

Ive been playing guitar two years and consider myself very experienced. I dont play like hendrix but come on, I know a lot about equipment. this is the best buy Ive ever made, great started guitar and so on. and what the hell more do you expect of a 150 dollars guitar. If you dont like it shove it into your ass! If you have money to buy a Gibson, good for you. I am pretty happy with my squier strat. Other thing, I dont have to worry to much about this guitar cause it doesnt cost that much, so I enjoy it even more.

bought it a month ago, and now it is time to say something about it... the sound is ok. i compared it to a 60`s us strat, and the squire sounds thinner, a bit louder and not that well balanced. actually, i find it more twangy anb bity than the fender. it is a bit on the noisy side, especially with distortion, and sounds unfocused when playing chords.
at this price, though, this is a brilliant guitar!

wow!
the affinity strat is really a nice player. the first time i rehearsed with my band with this axe, i didn`t realize it was
a squire - it plays even better than my 60`s strat.
no problems with tuning stability, unless when i use the tremolo big time (and then all guitars would be in trouble).
i think the finish is really nice.

any instrument is reliable if you take care of it

no probs. good guys at my store.

i`ve been playing for 10 years. i own a fender us 60`s strat, an ibanez blazer and a larrive acoustic.
i really like this guitar. i wish it had pups with more warmth and less edge... will probably replace the stock pups.
at this price: brilliant stuff!

Dunno exact year my guitar was made, but its crafted in china.
21 frets
solid top mine is black
Controls 1 volume, 2 tone, 5 way pick-up selector
Pickups - 3 single coil buzzers, probably made by squier
Alder body, maple neck, rosewood fretboard
Good copy of a Stratocaster
Tremelo bridge, strings go through the body
Tuners lock well, unbranded
I didn't get any accessories

I love to rock and its good for this, however for clean music with picking the pick-up buzz gets annoying.
I use it with a 15 Watt Fender Frontman amp and a Boss ME-30 multi effects pedal.
It does make a lotta background noise when distorted, not that bad otherwise.
Sounds quite nice for rock and solos
You can get punky, trebley sounds with the bridge pickup, smoother sounds with the neck pick up, hollow sounds in-between the pickups. The tone controls give good response, but more tone = more humming.

The guitar wasn't set up brilliantly, I raised the bridge to raise the strings, as my strat's frets near the neck seem to high, and playing these notes hard distorted then as the string buzzes off the next fret. This is BAD! Also I think some of the wiring might be dodgey, as tapping around the pick shield causes the buzz to get louder and quieter - something is loose? Apart from this the guitar is good, solid, no visable flaws. I know quite a lot of people with Squier Strats and they don't have a problem - mines just a bad example.

One great thing about the squier is that it is indestructable! I have banged it and there are no visable flaws. It keeps on playing.
I think this guitar will last forever. However I find the rosewood fret board gets skanky much easier than a maple one does. The strap buttons are solid but could be bigger as if the strap twists it does come off, and the guitar falls to its doom, so be careful!
I would use it at a gig without a backup. It seems reliable, has never randomly broken whilst playing.

Never had to deal with Fender/Squier, although a well known company like them would probably be ok.
I got a poorly stuck in fret fixed at Andersons, Guildford, where I bought the guitar. There was no problem, they didn't charge me for it.
Can't remember how long the warrenty is, a couple of years probably.

I've been playing about 8 months, this was my first guitar. I got it with a 15W fender amp. I also have an ME-30 Effects unit.
If it was nicked of lost, I'd probably get a new guitar, as the strat really is a learners guitar, and the buzzing is starting to anoy me.
I love the authentic look and feel, value for money and durability.
I hate the finish of the fretboard and the pick up hum.
I got this guitar because it has the word Fender on it, but is cheap and good to learn on. I wish it had better pick ups, I just can't be bothered to buy any myself. Thats it. Thankyou,
ROB!

Squier Affinity Strat,made in Indonesia.I bought it used from a pawn shop so I am not sure what year it was manufactured.I would guess 1999 or 2000 because it still looked new.3 single coil pickups,21 fret rosewood fretboard,black alder or agathis body.Standard fair strat features:everything you need and nothing you don't..

I mostly play rock and blues.This guitar does most rock well and is perfect for blues.I have a Fender Frontman 15 reverb amp and have occasionally borrowed a vintage,all tube, 100 watt,Ampeg half stack when jamming with a drummer and bass player.I have also played this guitar through a Mesa Nomad and Marshall JCM combo amp.
The pick ups are somewhat noisey(especially with high gain)due to poor sheilding but the hum is not unbearable.I have heard much worse and what can you expect from an inexpensive single coil equiped guitar?
The sounds this guitar makes is my favorite thing about it.It gets alot of good strat sounds.The pick ups are very bright and touch sensitive.The bridge pick up sounds a little thin to me but does have a nice spank.The brige and bridge/middle positions have a Telecaster type sound in my opinion.This is good if you like a Tele sound but bad if you are a fan of fat sounding humbuckers.The middle pick up is ok.Nice brite sound but not alot of character.The middle/neck position is great.Nice Fender chime sound.Sounds good clean or with a little overdrive/distortion.The neck pickup seems to be slightly hotter.This is my favorite position on this affinity.The sound of the neck pick up is slightly fatter but chords are still clear and inteligable.There is more bass in the neck position but the bottom is tight and not too boomy.It is a bell like tone with alot of top end and vibrant harmonics.
It gets a few good strat sounds and with the bright touch sensitive pick ups it is easy to accent notes for feeling and do pinch or natural harmonics.The tone is not bad but lacks a little when compared to a Fender or Squier Standard Strat.
It sounds more like a Fender than any other cheap strat copy I have owned or played though.

The guitar seemed well put together.Fit and finish was more than exceptable for the price.Everything was in its place and tight.The paint was really nice,the rosewood used on the fretboard was dark and dense,and the satin finished neck and headstock were well done.The frets could have been finished a little betterbut they are not real bad.
I spent a week working with the neck because it had a slight forward bow when I got it.When I got it straight and stable I set the action up to my liking.I lowered it slightly and made it uniform height(following the fret board radius contour).It only took minor tweeking to improve the action.I also set the intonation and adjusted the pickup hieght to match volume on all pickups.

I would not gig with this guitar unless I absolutely had to.It would be ok for a back up.It would take some work to make one of these stage worthy:#1 sheilding the pick up cavities #2changing to high quality tuners#3 changing or filing the nut and bridge saddles#4polishing the frets.
I think it is reliable and durable enough for practice or jamming with friends but would take work to use for performing live.
I would say it rates high when compared to other brand guitars in this price range.Don't try gigging with a cheapo guitar.

Bought used,no warrantee.No clue about customer service...

I played for about 5 years,Then sold all my equipment & took a sabatical for 7 years,and started playing again about 3-4 months ago.I bought the Squier Affinity strat one day on impulse when I saw it hanging in the pawn shop.It was cheap,played and sounded good and I was itching to start playing again.I played the Squier for about two months then sold it to a friend who needed an extra practice guitar and back up for his stage strat.
After playing for a couple months and getting my fingers working again I decided I was into it enough to invest in the guitar I always wanted but couldn't afford when I was a teen ager.So I upgraded to a Fender MIM standard Strat.
I would not buy an Affinity strat again because I have a Fender now.I would consider buying a Squier Affinity Telecaster though.I would like to add a Tele to my arsonal but do not want to invest big bucks in one because I will need to buy a gigable amp sometime soon as well as puting a few bucks towards customizing my Fender Strat.Can't afford it all.
Overall I'd say the Affinity strat is a good value for the money.They sell for $179 new in my area and I have seen them for $149 mail order.I think they are better than other strat copies in this price range.They would make a perfect first guitar for a beginner or for a novice on a budget that wants a strat sound for practice,jamming with friends or even home recording.For anyone wanting to gig I'd save up a little more and get a used MIM or MIJ fender or at least a Squier standard series Strat.
My list Equipment as of this writing:Fender MIM standard Strat with maple fretboard and midnight wine paint,wine colored Lotus Les Paul copy with Dimarzio PAF type pick ups,Fender Frontman Reverb amp,a few guitar effects pedals I haven't used in years,a compact rack mountable DBX soft knee compressor(usually for vocals but I use it for my guitar),and a Yamaha Keyboard/synthasizer wich currently pulls duty as my drummer and bass player.

Ok I've had this guitar for almost a year now. It came with 3 single coils which i replaced with a semour duncan SH-8 invader and 2 seymour duncan single coils. I nearly completely rewired it and bought some new knobs which are chrome so now it has 1 volume and i tone knob. I got the body repainted from torino red to seafoam green but then I plastered the body with stickers. I replaced the tuners with schallers and put schaller strap locks on it. It came with a tremelo brige which I replaced with a hardtail. so after all the changes which cost about 300 bucks it is a awesome guitar

I have a DOD distortion pedal and a marshall micro stack. I had to change all the original pickups which sucked balls and put in some semour duncan humbucker at the bridge and semour duncan single coils. I adusted some of the settings and now i get a very blink 182 type sound which is very nice. I dont get any buzz either and i get a very nice rich distortion. since I play punk and grunge this guitar suits me great. But all the ajustments cost me more then the guitar itself

when I got it with the strat pack the nut was extremely poorly cut which made the playibilty horrible so i had to fix it and now it plays better than my friend's gibson marauder. The finish sucked so I had to refinish it and re paint it. On of the tone knobs were loose but I replaced that and the tuners were plastic? I give it an 8 eight because after all my effort in trying to make this guitar good, i did and now it plays great.

this guitar will defiantely withstand live playing. The hardware better last and the strap buttons I replaced so it never falls. I gig with it all the time. It is very dependable.

i give it a four because before i nearly remade the whole thing it sucked more than a hooker in new orleans on mardi gras. but if your willing to pay for ajustments then it has a lot of potential. I ve only been playing a year and have 2 guitars, this and a fender standard strat but this one plays better, sounds better and looks a hel of a lot cooler then the fender.

I've had this 99' Squier for about 3 years, and it has served me well. It's your basic Strat, just cheaper. The tuners are a bit cheap (Ok, really cheap) but what can you expect for about $120.

I play alot of stuff, and this guitar is good with most styles of music. Hell, I run it though an Ibanez Soundtank fuzz distortion, and I'm starting a metal-type band. Only real problem is feedback, but that's mostly my fault. It may take time, but with the pickups raised a bit, and some decent-gauge strings, you can play anything from "Come As You Are", to "Sweet Dreams", and go straight into a blues jam.

With the exception of the tuners, it has pretty descent hardware for a beginner's guitar. The screws on the headstock seem a bit stripped, and a fan has sent the high-E tuner across the room more than once. Good straplocks, bridge, the jack was a bit loose, but all that took was a minute or two with a wrench. All-in-all, pretty well, built.

Like I said, this thing seems solid enough. The straplocks have lasted longer than my strap has. The irony. The finish seems to chip a little easy, but hey, I don't play nice, so if you're good, you shouldn't have a problem. I really have to depend on this guitar, and I'd feel comfortable at a gig w/o a backup. (Like I have the option anyways)

Never talked to the guys. Seems easy enough to fix yourself anyways.

This guitar has seen my highs and lows, and been through a lot of abuse, and still manages to suprise me now and then. For a beginner, this will serve you well, until you outgrow it. I personally should have gone for a Stagemaster or something, but it gets the job done. If someone stole it, I would take away everything that is dear to them, and take it back.

not sure what year
probably China
21 frets
1 volume 2 tone selectors
non locking tuners
Black Strat

It suits my style awesome good for price
I use little crate 15
not really noisy
I love the color and everything
Pickgaurd made of dinky plastic but hey really good price

It was ok i dont really know mush but it looks really godd together wise

It might i mean all im doing is learning the chords but it is a really good and pretty solid guitar
Srap bottons are hard as a rock
i can depend on it with a little more work on pickups and stuff
maybe if i put a little work on the pick-ups and tone control
strings break easily

no comment only been playing 2 monthes

2 monthes im ok but i need to practice a little more but i love my Strat

Squier Affinity Strat, Made in 98 i think, in China (first clue). 21 frets w/ 2 tones, 1 volume, and 5-way selector. Rosewood neck w/ black body. POS tuners (plastic covered). Came with nothing except strings & some allen wrenches.

Sound is not bad, actually. Decent for the price. I mainly play it thru my little practice amp, a fender bullet reverb. Sounds halfway decent clean, pretty good distorted (haha...you cant hear the random bad crackling sounds if you turn up the gain) . The five-way gives you a good selection of different sounds, i like to keep it in the middle. Not really fair to compare it to more expensive guitars, its fine for beginners and for general abuse. I give it a 7 because it is a good value for the price, tone wise.

THIS is where this guitar sucks nuts. The guitar HAD been adjusted, but still buzzed and was generally loose. Pickups were ok. FINISH SUCKED, but what can you expect for this price? The pickguard actually had milling marks (hadnt been sanded) and burrs of plastic on the chamfered edges! Woodgrain is pretty damn ugly (open), especially the "maple" they claim to use for the neck. Tuners are loose, goes out of tune quickly. Tremolo is f-ed up too, it doesnt always return to proper pitch...VERY NOISY 5-way switch. Worst of all, im sure the wiring is very poorly done, as I have already had the guitar cut out twice (see below), and i only play it at home!

This guitar will NOT withstand aggresive playing. I've got my fingers crossed on the finish, it seems to be ok. Strap buttons are fine. It is not reliable, in my opinion. Cheapo non-stainless screws (not even countersunk) have already begun to rust. As I mentioned earlier, the wiring is faulty. I have had to dismantle the damn thing several times to resolder poorly made connections, specifically to the mickey-mouse output jack. Would I use it on a gig without a backup? Well, im not in a band, but I'd say....NO Then again, a serious musician wouldnt even consider it.

Alas, I haven't spoken with the folks at Fender. I figured it wasn't worth the down time and every time it broke, I fixed it myself. Luckily, its easy to repair. Haha.

Compared to my other guitars (Martin and Silvertone)....well, that's not a fair comparison. But hey, it got me started, and I've played it on and off for 3 yrs. If you are a beginning guitar player who is not sure he really wants to keep playing, buy this guitar. Its fine for just learning, and if you decide you don't like it, you only lost like a hundred bucks (its pretty damn hard to get a decent return on a used Squier). But if you are reasonably certain that you want to really get into guitar, cough up the extra cash & get a better instrument; you'll grow out of this one.

This guitar is made in China, it have 21 frets have 1 volume , 2 tones and 5 way selector

This is a guitar made by fender a great company I think this guitar is great for beginners , for the lovers of distortion this wont be your guitar, I have a amp Peavey Bandit 112 of 100 wats and this guitar having it in lead channel not in clean with distoprtion doesnt sound with distortion so later I needed to buy a oeda to final hear distortion.
Ths is a great guitar for beginners bcause its simple and clean.

It was well finished I think so!

The guitar I have protcted it a lot and i think that its durability is very poor I think FENDER could make a more durable guitar

I have played guitar for more than 1 year, If it were stolen or lost I think I will buy a Fender stratocaster american series, a Ibanez
or a ESP
what I love about this guitar is the good moments I have with it
I wish this guitar could have more durability
a last comment will be:

If you are a begginer buy this guitar because is not too much expensive and sounds okay for a begginer

2000 made in china. Standard 5-way selector, 1-volume, 2-tone, etc. It definitely has all the basics of any good guitar. Nothing is missing. I give it an 8 only because of the quality of some of the components.

This is my first guitar and I have been playing only about a year. My real opinion about the sound is that this guitar sounds as good as any that a beginner may pick up. In other words, at least I don't play well enough to complain about the sound difference. Now that isn't to say that I can't tell the difference between other guitars, but for me this has been a great guitar to learn on. I will also say that the sound definitely can be improved by upgrading the electronics and the hardware, but by the time you do all that you may as well by a better guitar and just keep this one around for practising.

The action definitely needed adjusting. So did the intonation. There were no flaws in it, however, and the finish has held up very well. I got the black one with the white pickguard and it still looks new although I play it every day.

This guitar is built well but has some cheap parts. I think it will last forever, but the hardware definitly is going to wear out on you. I have already had to replace the saddles because the 6th string saddle broke (the threads for one of the "legs" was totally stripped). The saddles were cheap and I am actually glad I replaced them because they have made the guitar sound better.

I haven't dealt with the company.

I think this is a really great beginner's guitar. It will do just about anything you want and will let you get a feel for what you want to play. I agree with all the other reviews that say that you will eventually want to upgrade. I know I am thinking about it already. But I also know that when I bought this guitar I didn't really know what kind of a guitar I wanted and what kind of music I would be playing. Bottom line, if you know what kind of music you want to play and know what kind of guitar you eventually want, just save up and buy that one. If you aren't sure and are just learning like me, then buy this nice guitar and play it until you do know what you want to get. Then buy the one you really want.

It has 21 frets, 2x tone, 1x volyme, five-way switch, 3x single coils, rosewood, body is solid hardwood, a standard fulcrum bridge, a "big" 70-ties style fender strat head and vintage sunburst finish. I bought it as new, and there didn't come anything special with it, just a cardboard box, tremolo arm, one year guarantee and some tools to adjust the neck.

Whell, I'we noticed, that many of the people that call this guitar a piece of crap, are guitarists that play metal. That's why I think it's a little bit underestimated, because this guitar isn't that great when playing heavy metal! So go buy a guitar with humbuckers and stop whining if you want to play metal :)

But the sound is eccelent if you play blues, jazz, "classic" rock and that type of thing. But still it's a very versatile guitar. I play heavy metal myself, and I usually use my Les Paul for the rythm and more power-chord songs, and then this guitar for more lead/melodic songs. That's why you can't compare single coil pickups with humbuckers, because the single coils just give more bite to the sound when you add distortion, while humbuckers become metal-roaring-monsters :)

But I have seen crappier guitars for this price, and this guitar almost sounds and looks like it's 400$ more expecive than it really is!

But one thing that bothered me was the bridge. I use sometimes very extremly hard vibratos, so I should acctually install a floyd rose into it so it won't drop the tuning all the time. But that isn't the guitars fault, you should expect the guitar to drop a few steps down when one does a drop-bomb on a standard strat-bridge :)

It just looks lovely! I fell in love with it when I first saw it, I just knew that I have to buy it! :) The finish is perfect, exept one very small dot on the lower body, but I think that's from the wood that they used (maybe a small branch have been there before??). I am a huge fan of 70-ties style fender heads, so that's also one reason why I "had" to buy it :)

The only thing I'm not that keen about is that the wood they used to make the neck has long stripes on it. Looks weird but it doesn't really matter because you'd have to look pretty close to notice them.

I really think it would last quite a while on gigs and so on. I haven't had it for so long, but it seems very stable and trustworthy.

Never dealth with them...

Great guitar! It's better than most strat-copies that I've seen. But then it's not really a copy while it sorta is... Because it's Squier by Fender, kindof like Epiphone by Gibson. A little cheaper than the real thing, and way better than most other "made in china" strat copies! So if you want a beautiful, cool and elegant guitar, but don't want to pay huge $$ for a Fender, then definately go buy this guitar!

Thia guitar has fairly good features for $130. It has 3 pickups,SC; 5-way pickup selector,21 frets, volume two-tone controls. It has a very good neck, thin easy to play. When I first got the guitar it was decently set up but I set it up myself and now it kicks a**. YOu have to set up everything yourself,not for it to be playable, to be to your own liking. I love this guitar, it is the most awesome thing ever. I have had it for about 3 1/2 years and never had a gig bag, case,etc... I have never had any problems with it that are not normal wear and tear. I have abused this guitar heavily but it has never broken down.

It sounds awesome. I play it through a Peavey Rage 158 and a Fender Princeton Chorus DSP. It sounds great through both. of course you can't be a lazy ass and not adjust the controls on your amp for different songs, bands, sounds, etc... I also use a Digitech RP200, it can turn this already great guitar into one of the best. THe only problem I have found with the soundis, when jplaying at high gain settings it gives alittle abnormal amount of buzz on all the pickups except the middle one. Everything else is great.

The finish is great. I have got the Baltic Blue finish with white pickguard. It is great craftmanship on my guitar for the money. Its not a Gibson or Fender but it is very well done for the money. As far as how the action was factory, I don't really know. As soon as I get something I always f*ck with it to get my own sound. It does have a bit of buzz on the 2nd fret on the two middle strings but nothing significant.

This guitar is very durable, as I said earlier I have never protected it much. I have taken it to school many times and have dropped it many times. I would take it on a full tour without a backup. It has been my best guitar so far and I don't plan on selling it ever. It is completely stock as far as the hardware, etc... but it is completely customized as far as everything else. The strp buttons are solid, but are not quite big enough. You can fix that by putting a washer on after the strap, yes you must take off the button to do this. The only problem with the hardware is that it seems t0o rust fairly easily.

If this guitar was stolen I would want to find this guitar. Their is not another one like it. It is t he coolest guiter I have ever owned. I am 15 and have been playing for 5 years and have always been in some sort of garage band. My worst problem with it is that I break strings fairly frequently, but that is because I play very hard. I try to get the best tone out of it. I have almost fixed the problem by using only Ernie Ball Reguler Slinkys. The one thing that I wish it had is a Humbucker in the two positions. I like humbuckers alot more than single-coils. I like this guitar alot though. The thing I want to stress though is that you can,t be a lazy fuck and expect a $130 guitar to be perfect right out of the factory. You must work on your own stuff to get what you want out of it. you work on your equipment, you get the best out of it . Its trial and error.

I honestly have no idea what year my squier strat is, but it must've been a good year cuz mine seems alot better than the other ones reviewed. Mine doesn't have a wide headstock, it has the normal one. Mine has 22 frets, too. Also, the tuners I have are actually decent and stay in tune (but from the back, they still look cheap), even with heavy trem use (which doesn't happen often, I'm not really a trem person). Other than these things, the rest is pretty much the same, an alder body, 25.5" scale, torino red, etc., etc., etc.

Well, this is my backup guitar (actually, this was one of my first guitars, but then I bought another one). I play punk, and while this guitar sounds like a country guitar (even with the gain cranked up) with about half the output and twice the buzz of my fender cyclone (these rock!), it sounds punk enough to be a backup. The sound is too clean and single-coily, even with distortion, but it's functional, it's just not for me. If you are more of a single coil person, this is pretty good for 200 bucks.

the action was perfect (maybe the person who had it before me fixed it...), and the pickups were as good as anybody would be able to get them (but they still sounded like pickups that belonged on a 200 dollar guitar). The fretboard felt unfinished, but I kinda liked that, it felt kinda comfortable. The paintjob sucked, though, it kept chipping, so I covered the body with stickers.

The guitar seems pretty well put together. It'll probably last a while without any problems. The finish, like I said, is crap, but that's what stickers are for, and the strap buttons dont really grip all that well, but those are replaceable. Like I said, this is a backup, I don't care that much about it.

n/a, all I can say.

It's a great value at $200 (I know you can get it for 140, but mine was half decent and came with picks, extra strings, and a fender deluxe gig bag). This isn't really a guitar one would use for gigging, but it is a cheap, decent backup. Not much else to say. It wouldn't be a big deal if it got stolen, cuz like I said, it is just a backup.

Features - I'm not shure what year it was made in, probally 2000 or something like that. It was made in Korea(Just like everything else) and has 21 frets, Red finish w/white pickguard, 2 Tone, 1 Volume, 5 Way selector, deep dish cabe input. It has a SSS pickup config like most Strat's do. The pickups are actually quite decent on for Squier, but unfourtunatley the pickups are the only decent things on this guitar. Everything honestly on this guitar sucks ass. Defintely don't buy this guitar. Even if your a beginner, get some like a cheap Ibanez, ESP, Jackson, or Epiphone. Although, the neck was thin and flat, so that's a plus. I got this with a Squier Strat Pack, and it came with a Champ 15 Wattage Amp, Gig Bag, Strap, Two Cables, Video, some extra accersories, and picks. All I have to say about the bridge is, DO NOT HIT A DIVE BOMB!!! The strings will start breaking a minutes afterwards. And also dont play alot of Palm-Mutted shit, cause will break the strings as well.

I usually play Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, and other heavy metal, and this guitar definetly does not suit those needs. I played it straight through a VOX Guitar Effects processor and the Champ amp it came with, and acutally got some good distortion from the pickups. You can actually get a somewhat good range of sounds with this guitar, from SRV, to Kirk Hammett(Not Really..) It's also a pretty noisey guitar, even with barely any gain.

Those worthless Koreians did a decent job of scrapping together old Fender parts to build me a guitar, and the action was ok. The saddle's where poorly fitted, and frets where poorly glued into the fretboard, and pickup selector is easy to hit while playing and makes alot of noise.

This guitar is not for playing live, hardware isn't lasting, the finish is ok, the strap buttons suck, I couldn't depend on this guitar, and would even consider using at a gig, even if I had a backup.

I have been playing for about less than a year, I also own a Fender Acoustic, which has withstanded years. Also, I own a VOX guitar effects processor(plan to replace it along with the guitar), and all the other crap that came with a "Crap" Pack. I wish I had asked for another guitar before getting this one. If it were stolen, I'd hunt the wonderful person down and personally thank them for stealing it, and go buy something else. My Dad said I should get this for begining to play electric(My Dad has been playing for over 15 yrs, so I figured he would know right from wrong.) I also wish the "Crap" Pack thing had came with a better guitar.

got it second hand so no idea when it was made, but it was "crafted in china". 22 frets solid body, 1 volume and 2 tone knobs, five way selector and three single coil p/ups. fairly basic amount of features but all that you really need

the sound is no good for lead because it doesnt hold a note for long. its good for power chords or fast heavy riffs though as long as it doesnt need to hold a note for long. its loud, but its loud even when you arent playing anything it buzzes like crazy. on lead the sound is very dull and dead. for playing rythm or riffs and stuff its quite good because the three pick ups mean the tone is quite varied

action is nice and low. i never had any problems with pickupsa or anything. the tuning pegs are rubbish though. i was doing a school concert and in practice i had to tune it up every 10 minutes or so. fortunate3ly i only had one song to play. its dead heavy though kills your shoulder. my new epiphone must be half the weight

one of the volume controls has gone bonkers and keeps on comuing loose so then it stops playing. the finish dents easily but battered is more rock n roll isnt it

n/a

its ok because theyre dead cheap which is what you want for a beginner. to be honest though theyre made quite poorly and dont sound that great. if i was starting again as a beginner with hindsight, id probabnly work a few weeks longer in the summer hoilidays and get an epiphone instead because theyre more money, but tons better to play and the sound of them

i dont know why everyone is shredding this guitar cuz its better than any Gibson ive ever played. Ive played SGs and Les Pauls and this guitar sounds just as good as those. Its a Chinese 50th Anniversary model red and white.. i bought it used at World of music. It cost me 280.00 in american dollars. I play Hard Punk and its perfect its a loud guitar and it kicks... i dont know if someone put different pickups in it but they dont look new or anything. I liked it so much i got an affinity tele. thats got twang just like the actual fender tele.. so all you guys calling these guitars crap are idiots. If i had the choice between an SG special or a Squier strat id take the squier. It doesnt go out of tune i dont use the tremolo, the neck is smooth and fast its a maple neck with rosewood fretboard. it has single coil pickups and the five way selector switch i use the bridge position. Its standard when it comes to electronics and controls but who need anything fancy.

very loud high output not QUIET IN THE LEAST. all you guys ripping it are just guys who'd rather spend 3,000 on a Gibson which has oh wow pickups and tone nobs.. WOW big deal. I use a PRO CO RAT and Ibanez tubescreamer. Its loud not noisy i dont have feed back probs unless in standing 3" infront of my amp. Its bright sounding not rich not muddy and it sounds like a guitar they dont need to have variety

it doesnt have any flaws its smooth, well built and tough... ive had to replace the selector switch and the nobs make a fuzzy noise when turned but i dont mess with them i jack the volume and and leave the tone controls at ten... people who cant notice the changes when the nobs are turned are tone deaf... they are extreme thats all. The nut doesnt cut me and the bridge isnt sharp either, no rust.

ive played several shows and havent had to change anystrings or had anything fail.. Ive never had any insults on the sound of the guitar everyone says thats a squier i thought it was a fender. ive used it without a back up and never had probs.

never needed support.

i have a yamaha AEX-500, Squier Strat and Tele, and a washburn acoustic. If it were stolen id be ticked. id hunt the man down and beat him. Its only flaw is that people think squier is cheap. Its just a fender built in China. Its not some strat copy it the real thing.

1996 Chinese Strat (Fender sothing aniversy edition) Bright Red, 3 single pickups, 1 volume, 2 tone, 5 way selector, rosewood neck. Trem
Came with strap, cable + Yamaha amp

Nothing fancy, just a basic learner package

Playing ranges from Blues, Folk and R&R to Indie and Grunge

Quiet, used to almost always use it on a dulled neck pickup, nice range of sounds, only problem is that it was not powerful enough to get distortion out of a Boss stomp-box so we had to use another guitar for the part.
In the 2 inbetween pickup positions, the sound is great
Raised the pickups so much easier to OD and get a rockier sound. Good for all things that don't geed a humbucker

Finish was good until the strap fell of making it swipe a chair.
Action good, it all works and its only cheap

Ony concern with the guitar is that the pickup selector is dodgy and occationaly cuts out the sound if in the wrong position. Used at gigs before and reliable. Almost never breaks a string.
Best moment witht he guitar had to be bringing it along to a jam session when a rather anal guy brough along his 2 day onld Fender American strat and we started playing and within ten minutes his secelctor switch had lost its plastic. Something that never happened in the 6 years I had my guitar.

Never needed it

Its a good cheap guitar with everything you need except volume. I like the sounds that it can make and far better that the guitar I bought to half replace it (Encore Les Paul, now a memory). How ever it cost 40GBP more than my Danelectro which has better electrics and a good image. If it were stolen, I'd probably claim the insureance money and buy a stagemaster or something with a HSH set-up
For the price and for what it was ment to do, it is a good guitar.

k, this one was made in indonesia, solid body electric, a pretty unimpressive 21 frets with three single coil pick ups just like the fenders but not as good! Its the standard strat shape mine is a sunburst with maple fretboard.Not really anything amazing here.

The sound is OK, i think its pretty good for what it cost but soundwise it isnt too versatile.I find on my 5-way pickup switch i get a nasty humming on all except for 1 setting which is very irritating! I play it through a peavy 158 rage which sounds ok.I got a danelectro fab tone distortion pedal - that thing is pretty awesome and the guitar sounds pretty good w/ distortion.I would recommend getting an epiphone or ibanez if ur looking for a gd heavy metal type guitar in this price range though.

not a bad set up

Mine was pretty well put together, im always dropping it and banging it and its held up pretty well!I have had it a year and its very sturdy and strong, but the output jack often comes loose and i have to screw it back in, only a minor flaw.It has a reasonably fast neck - not too many complaints there.Strong strap buttons, id probably be ok using this for a gig.make sure u got a backup though just in case! The finish is very strong, ive made some big guages that havent gone through.

Its a good guitar for beginners, i dont think there is really anything available in this price range.Ive been playing about 3 years, this guitar probably suits less heavy metal style playing, stuff like chili peppers - john frusciante uses a sort of fender equivelent.A good guitar for the money - shame about the buzzing from the pick ups!

circa 1999 Chinese
21 Fret
Solid Body electric guitar.
Usual control layout.
Standard cheap & nasty electronics and pickups which I had replaced with some Kent Armstrong alnicos.
Not sure of the body wood, but it's nice and lightweight. Beautiful bright red! Bridge has been tightened down as the trem. arm is not required - this makes it like a hardtail and stops it going out of tune (well, a bit!). Nice Rosewood fingerboard, and my son (who I bought the guitar for) has changed all the control knobs, switch cover, and pick guard from standard white to black. The axe now looks great!

My son (13 years old) has been learning guitar for about a year, and LOVES the same old shit I used to listen to in the 70's - Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, etc., plus all the "new boys" who play the heavy stuff. He thinks it sounds cool - I just wish he wouldn't hit the strings so hard! He plays through a Roland Bolt 60 combo with full overdrive, and for a "cheap" guitar, the sound is pretty good. I think the upgraded pickups must take some credit here!
I have an American Series Tele and a Mexican Standard Strat (which has also had the pickups & electronics upgraded), and whilst the Squier Strat can't hold a candle to the Tele, it all but matches my Mex. Strat which cost 4 times as much. To be fair, I think the Squire has an excellent sound for the money. Just make sure you invest in better pickups.....

A friend of mine who is a professional musician took the axe straight home and set up the action nice and low (it plays like a dream) and installed the alnico pickups etc., so I didn't get chance to play it as it had been when the previous owner traded it in. The finish is first class, and the only slight problem we've had with the hardware was a piss poor bit of soldering on the jack socket which was quickly remedied. Everything seems to fit fairly well no complaints here.

I don't think my son is quite ready for gigging just yet, but he has started to put together the beginnings of a band. However, he carts the axe off to school most days to practice, slung over his shoulder
in a Fender deluxe Gig Bag (hell - are they expensive or what?). Whilst a hard case is obviously recommended, there are no signs of any knocks and scrapes to the guitar. Too early to comment on the hardware, but the finish looks really robust. The strap buttons are solid but typically crap, as the strap seems to fall off at will. I think this guitar would be fairly dependable, and I would have no problems taking it out as my backup.

Never had to deal with anyone to date - I'm lucky enough to have a friend who seems able to turn an "average" guitar into a good one. Hope he doesn't move out of the area!

I have been playing - on and off - for about 30 years and I own a houseful of guitars. Other than my American Series Tele and the Mex. Standard Strat, I have an Aria Pro II bass, and several acoustics - Ibanez Artwood AW30, Epiphone EJ200, Yamaha FG335, Yamaha FG3?? 12 string, Eko Jumbo Ranger VI (1971 - still like new) and a Harley Benton CG45. Add to that 4 Spanish guitars, an early 1900s Temlett Zither Banjo, a ukelele banjo, a ukelele and a mandoline, and you can see why my wife gets annoyed...

Frankly, if this guitar were lost or stolen, I would probably buy a better guitar for my son, simply because his playing is improving all the time, but if another Squire Strat was all that was on offer, I'd snap it up.

I love the guitar for the value, build quality and overall playability. The sound is superb, and although it belongs to my son, I just love playing it. I wish it had strap locks and much better pickups as standard, but as we've already upgraded the latter relatively cheaply, that is not an issue.

it has many standard features that you would expect out of ANY guitar...nothing special at all

the sound can vary a lot depending on the amp...generally though, you have to tweak quite a bit to get an OK sound. the pickups are very low quality. by very, i mean VERY low quality.

intonation was off, action was WAY too high. finish looks fine.

i have banged this around a lot accidentally and nothing has happened to it. the strap buttons are not solid. the 1/4 input jack keeps wobbling around. i tighten it but it loosens again.

never dealt with fender, but i don't think they give a shit about squier anyway.

i bought a fender stage 112 amp which is GREAT. 100 watts. so it sounds ok through that. but if you are going to use it with an amp less than 65 watts, you should think again.

earlier, i thought this was a Great guitar. i thought it sounded perfect for blink 182 and everclear and incubus and nirvana...i was thrilled. then, i went to a music shop and played on some of their real guitars. the difference was completely amazing. at that point, i realized that i was playing on a piece of shit for all of this time.

something to consider: you will need to get a nicer guitar sooner or later in the future anyway. why not start out with one? why should you get a crappy guitar, then get a better one when you are better? just start out with a good one and you won't regret it.

Yes it has a neck, and a body but so does a chicken!!!

I'm learning to play heay rock but This guitar sound is dull, seriously. Although I've been able to getsome o.k. sounds from it the guitar goes out of tune all the time. It's more on the bright side but it's not bright it's just dull. I just hate most of the sounds of coming from this guitars. The pickups are crappy!!!!. Only things this guitars seem ok for is playing a few notes and some power cords.
Do not think a great amp will fix the horrible sounds.

The action was poor. It was way to high, so I adjusted it then retune it. After playing it for minutes, it went out of tune again.
intonation was a bit off too. As for the finish the nut was cut poorly
(It will break your string easily). But from my limited experience Everthing else seem ok.

Do not Depend on this guitar for live playing, do not depend on this guitar for any type of playing. it just unreliable.
After about 5 mins of playing it goes out of tune. The strap buttons
what strap buttons!!! Straps keep falling off.

I'm learning to play and this guitar is not aiding in the learning
process. It can actual discourage you if you did not know any better.
Don't waste your money if want a Fender get the real deal not this
cheap immatation. I would just like to thank Harmony central For giving a place to vent!!!!

From a Strat Pak, rosewood, 21 frets, the standard stuff.

Thin pickups. From what I've read and seen, even American-made Fender Strats have crappy pickups. The pickups also carry a lot of noise. Don't get me wrong, it's not horrible, but it's not that great.

Low action that I had to raise, tons of string buzz. Even now it still buzzes if you strike the strings too hard. It looks a lot better than it plays -- it looks like it should play great. (I guess I should say "sound" great; a self-playing guitar would be a hoot.) It stays in tune pretty well; I don't use the tremolo, so I can't say how that affects the tuning.

Handle it gently and never do any real playing and it will last a lifetime. No good for gigs, not even as a backup.

I've been playing off and on for about ten years, mostly off. This seemed like a good beginner guitar to get back into the swing of things, but I don't think so now. I'm disappointed with it and would like a new guitar. There's no point in buying a cheap guitar that is of cheap quality when there are many out there that are cheap and of high quality. It's not worth replacing the pickups with better ones, or any feature, for that matter. The money is better spent on a new guitar. No one need steal it; I'd give the damn thing away and never miss it. I bought it for the Fender name, albeit from the lowest rung on the shortest Strat ladder. Such a company should be able to produce a quality guitar for a reasonable price. If it's not going to be quality, why bother tarnishing your reputation, regardless of how cheap or expensive it is? I had thought of buying a higher echelon Strat, but I don't think so now. I've heard a lot of complaints about them as well, many of which are the same ones I've had with this one.

2000,
Indonesia,
20 fret,
laminated top,
volume, tone, 2nd tone, 5 way selector,
Tremalo,
Fender,
Active,
Body is Basswood neck is Beech,
Flamed top,
Strat,
Tune o Matic,
Locking brand of tuner is Fender,
Thin neck
Hard case, Fender strat strap, Ibanez jack lead, wah pedal

It suits my music style well i like modern punk rock eg Offsring,
Marshall amp and a wah pedal,
You can choose what sound you want on the guitar body,
rich and full,
a clear sound, a muffled sound, a slight distortion sound, a classic guitar sound and a heavy distortion sound,
I like the variety of sounds this guitar can make,

A well consructed guitar,
Very well,
This guitar had a properly routed bridge,
A slight low fret for 6th string gave a distorted sound

Yes,
Yes,
It is good enough to last as it is Blowtorched deeply,
Yes,
Yes,
Maby it depended on the songs,

Very helpful and freindly,
it never has broke so dont know,
3 years,

2 years, Marshall amp and an ibanez Jem 770,
No,
The same model,
I love most things about this guitar i hate nothing about this guitar apart from the low fret on 6th string My favourite feature is the blowtorched body it addas texture and looks,
No,
Buy this guitar you get the best looking guitar in Blowtorched Blue (mettallic) this adds a little extra to the price,

ho boy! another chino wanna-strat! I have to admit though, Fender made a decent attempt to make an affordable strat for beginers. pickguard was warped. one of the tone knobs didnt work. lousy exuse for a tremelo. tuners reminded me of the quality that is put into happy meal toys at mcdonalds.

sound?!? ha! I hear better sounds when I take a sh*t.

for being under 200 dollars it was accually put together rather well. good paint job. solid. but I wouldnt ever want to put it through too much abuse.

it would never make it live, EVER. stricktly for learners.

pointless to repair. just throw it away and buy a new one.

P.O.S.

Same as all the rest. S/S/S, 5-way, string through body, etc.
Don't like single coil pickups, don't like string through body.

Twangy and difficult to get a decent sound out of. Incredibly
difficult to keep from buzzing unless you raise the action a foot off
the fretboard.

It looked nice enough. It was as well set up as it could be.

I wouldn't use it for any purpose at all, except possibly if you were
a beginner and had never played a guitar. The high E tuner did not
work properly and the middle pickup ceased to exist the way it had
been constructed through its own decision.

I replaced it with a LP special 2. Bad idea, yeah, I know. I would
not buy another, and i'm rather disappointed that Fender would allow
such a low-quality product bear their name. But for beginners, hey,
it's an electric guitar. It was my first and I played it for over a
year before it needed replacing. I cleaned it up a bit and am hoping
to sell it.

1999 Psuedo-Chinese
21 Fret
Solid Body electric guitar.

It came with cheap electronics and pickups which I have replaced.

I play a lot of blues and southern rock. This guitar sounded okay stock, though a bit flat. After upgrading the pickups to a custom blues set it sounds $1000! The original pickups have the infamous 60 Hz hum!

The original pickups had the 60 Hz hum that drives me nuts...they had to go!

The pickgaurd is missing some of the anchor screws that my 'Genuine' Strat has, but this is mor cosmetic than anything. Everything seems to fit nice and tight and there are no sloppy cuts anywhere.

I am half tempted to call the body lamenated plywood rather than solid. It is lighter than the Genuine by almost 10 ounces.

This guitar is definitely ready to be played. The finish has held up to my many friends and I banging it around the small house I live in (I bought it to be a beater). After a few smacks into a doorjam and a couple of bangs on the edge of my table there are still no blemishes.

I would say that you could depend on this guitar.

I have been playing for about 15 years and I own a few other guitars. I have two other Stratocasters (one Japanese that is awesome, and an old genuine Strat) and this one fits right in with the collection.

I love the guitar for the value and care taken in its production. The only drawback I have seen so far is the limited color that the All

It has a 21 fret rosewood neck with 3 single coil pick-ups and is arctic white. It also has 2 tone knobs and one volume knob. It came with a standard STRAT style bridge that was locked when I got it which is perfect for the music I play, not any of that BUTT rock lead solo super-hero music. The tuners are standerd and this guitar is pretty awesome. The only reason why I give it a 9 for features and not a 10 is because I know I will have to change the pick-ups in it but I knew that before I bought it. It came with a package with an amp, gig bag, cable, strap and strings. For $230.00 I believe I got the best deal I could have ever gotten. It is just like a standard FENDER strat but a little bit cheaper. For PUNK rock, this is the guitar.

Like I said before, I will need to get better pickups for this bad boy, but I did know this before I bought it. But, the overall sound of the guitar right now is pretty cool. Once I get some genuine FENDER pickups I think this guitar is gonna rock. I play PUNK rock and I don't think I could have gotten a better guitar then the AFFINITY strat. If I do not get better pickups for a while I will not be disapointed with it, cause the guitar still sounds good.

The action was actually set perfect, from the factory. I had to raise the bridge pickup to get a cruchier sound. The finish on this guy is flwless too, but all the stickers I put on it will help protect it from everyday wear. Everything is staight and cool. No other adjustments had to be made.

I have a feeling that this guitar will be with me for a while. It is very solid and looks like it can withstand a nuclear war. I have not played live with it yet, for I have not been in a band in 4 months, but it will be one of the better guitars that I will have played, and owned. I would use this guitar without a back-up at a gig if I had too, but as everyone knows, It is safer to have a back-up, just in case some drunk asshole rams into you while playing and smashes you cord and jack. I am now considering getting a squier AFFINITY TELE for another guitar just because I am so amazed with the quality of my AFFINITY strat.

I bought it through MUSICIANS FRIEND. I have been dealing with these guys for 7 years and I have never EVER had a problem with them, and if I ever did, which I doubt, they will be there to help me out. I do not know anything a bout the warranty because that kind of stuff is a bore to me. If I like the product I keep it, if I don't, they give you 30 days to return it, but I have always been happy with those guys. I recomend that EVERY one buy form MUSICIANS FRIEND. They rock!

I have been playing guitar for 8 years, mostly punk rock, 'cause big corporate music is stupid, and their prices are just as dumb too, and this guitar for the price is every punk-rockers dream. I have owned other genaric guitars and gear and this is the best I have ever owned. For the price you can NOT get any better. If it were lost or stolen, I would be crushed, but drunk as hell to let that happen, I would get the exact same thing. Why not, at the price who wouldn't. When I got the guitar from the UPS guy, I didn't know what to expect, but when I opended up the package I was stoked. FINALLY, I got a good guitar that isn't gonna suck. After a bunch of cheap crap, this is the best cheap thing I could have gotten, a perfect guitar for punk rockers ! Oi! to all the punx! CHEERS!

Ok made in china 2000 it has 21 frets has 5/way selector switch 2xtone knobs 1x volume pick ups are 3xsingal coil maple neck and rosewood fret board. non locking machineheads...

Personaly i dont really like the sound it does sound better with a marshall amp i use a GR15 or wot eva its called! its ok when it has alot of gain other wise it sounds a bit crap... but thats probably coz it doesnt match my style of music.

its the hardest bugger to play but if you learn with one you pick it up quicker and i have been playing 5 months now and people say im quite good!

aha! The squires best feature you cant knock it!

if your learning buy it! if not dont!

I have now aquiered another guitar, a 1998 Squier Affinity Strat. Very strange this Indonesian made guitar, it has the quality of my good ol' Japanese made Fender Jag-Stang. It's the usual strat/strat copy specifivations, 21 frets (Vintage size), solid body made out of some light wood (I don't know what kind yet, but I'm betting it's poplar or basswood), 1 volume and 2 tone controls, 3 single coil pickups (I took them out once to see if they were really Fender style, they were, not like the Lego-and-Refridgerator magnet pickups of the cheaper Korean companies), passive electronics (heard of any strat copy being active), maple neck with the fret slots cut into it (with a 70's style headstock, 70's strats REALLY had seperate maple fingerboards), black plastic inlays. The guitar is black with a white single ply pickgaurd with a yellow spot on it (people tell me it looks like someone peed on it, it really came from some kind of damage from a hot surface).

This guitar, as with just about any good guitar, fits with my style. I mostly play Various Forms of Rock N Roll going from A-ha to ZZ Top to Metallica (Yes, metal is a form of Rock N Roll). The amplifier I use (as seen in other reviews) is a Epiphone SC28 stereo chorus amplifier with a BOSS ME-6 Multi-Effects pedal. This guitar is glassy and bellike when clean, like any good Strat, but even more so because the body is only 40mm thick, whick I belive has an effect on the thickness of the tone, but the light wood of the body balences this cleaness out with a whomping bass. This guitar makes all the classic Strat tones just as Fender had specified in the catalog. There is a good variety of tones for all occasions, unless you are a tone freak like me, who likes multiple guitars for multiple tones. My only disklike is that the pickups squeal, but this can be fixed by wax potting them (be sure to use true paraffin wax for this). I like the stock pickups so well I have decided to keep them. I hate squealing so I am taking off one point.

I bought this guitar from a friend for $100.00, so he told me all of the problems before hand (which weren't much except for really old strings, a yellow blotch on the pickgaurd[unnoticable under certain kinds of light], a non-working tone control, and some much needed action adjustments). The first night with the guitar I took off all the old grungy 10's and took the pickgaurd off. Inside I noticed that the Capacitor for the tone controls was broken off at the joint to the capacitor, so I simply took out the capacitor and soldered in a new one. Then I put some new 9 gauge strings on and tuned it, set the intonation, setup the action, and viola, perfect, factory new. I did add one modification after I got the guitar paid off, I wired the middle pickups tone control to the bridge pickup, and that allowed me to get chunkier tones from the lead pickup.

This guitar has withstood live playing and some rehearsals and It does well at both (as long as you watch out for microphonic feedback squeals). The hardware will last, especially if the tremelo has been yanked and pushed all over "Pantera-Style" (which just happens to be one of those well unliked strat trems) and seems to stay in tune perfectly after all that abuse. The strap buttons were those cheapo Fender buttons that hold less as your strap weakens and ages. I put in straplocks (which will soon be superglued in). The problem with Squiers and straplocks is that the holes for the original strap buttons have screws that are conciderably bigger than the Strap-Lock screw. I would still keep a backup around because it's a Strat, and like all of those friggin' strats, it breaks strings something awful when the right conditions exsist.

My friend waited 5 months for me to pay him for the guitar, but is he concidered customer support though?

Overall, this guitar is another one of the guitars I like to play alot (Next to my Kramer and my Jag-Stang). Just look at my other reviews to see all the stuff I have. If it were stolen I would not be responsible for the things that would happen to the person who took it (and I have dealt with many people trying to take and/or vandalize my guitars at school [I had no choice, I was in a guitar class]). I am going to modify this guitar a little though, like add a black moto pickgaurd and black pickup covers and knobs and switch tip. I may also add a switch to allow all the possible combinations from the pickups to work.

2001, made in China. Standard Strat electronics. Alder I assume... Solid Blue finish. Strat Trem Bridge. Normal tunders. Allen wrenches included ;-)

I can't tell much of a difference between this and a Fender Mexican strat. Overall, I like the guitar, although it buzzes quite a bit (when you aren't touching the strings/trem). I don't like the position of the 5-way selector because I hit it a lot when I'm playing, but that's just a normal strat thing. Fairly large variety of sounds, but all single coils.

The store set it up, so everything was great in that respect. There weren't any real flaws, although the volume pot came loose fairly quickly, and I had to tighten it.

It's not the most durable guitar (being a Squier), but it's fine for me (as I don't gig around or anything). The finish chips quite easily. I put straploks on it, but they really aren't needed. It's my only guitar, so I have to depend on it :)

I haven't had to deal with the company, but I don't think it has much of a warranty.

I've been playing electric guitar about two years (but classical for 9 years), and I play though a Fender Champion 110 Solid-State Amp. I wish I would have tried some Teles before I bought it, but It's generally pretty good. I didn't compare it with much before buying it, but it's OK. I wish it had some more controls and maybe some humbuckers and a floyd.

Overall, it's a good guitar, especially for a beginner, or someone who wants an inexpensive first or second electric guitar.

7
I like the feel of this guitar and it stays in tune pretty good for a cheap guitar. It's based on the fender strat in almost every way except that everything is a lower quality.

for a cheap beginers guitar this is very good i had it as my first guitar it sounds pretty bad compared to my American strat but it also cost about 900 dollars less so for the price it sounds pretty good. the one thing that i don't like about it was the poor quality of the pickups. if i turned my amp up loud then it would give off alot of feed back.

not bad

pretty good i droped it quite a few times and it still sounded like when it was new. after i got a better guitar i had a little fun and tried to bang it into everything i could. i knocked it against walls and droped it but it still sounds like new.

i've never had to deal with the company because i've never had a problem with it that i couldn't fix myself

I've been playing for only about a year and a half but everyone says i got very good very fast i recently bought an american strat because i learned to play on this one and i'm used to this strat style of guitar. I replaced the pickups so i got rid of the anoying feed back and i now use this guitar as a backup for when i'm playing gigs. I only had to use it once when i broke a string and it sounded ok.

i just bought the 2000 model and they said they updated it and made it a whole lot better. well i did some inside work and i found out that the fender standard strat and this squier are pretty much the same only minor differences the guitar is exactly the same on the outisde as a fender standard
i got a nice artic white rosewood fretboard with basic tremelo
its a tite deal

its very clear if u buy a good chord and nice amp u got a good guitar to play around with
if your gunna go big tyme get a big guitar but this is a very replica of the strat

fast action frets nice fit
bueatiful finish realy good

i already killed it with hendrix style anthem and it did a good job no failure
like with every fender guitar if u treat this bad it will rust and stratch but i take good care of mine and it keeps showroom style

i got a limited year warranty and its nice

its a perfect guitar for a newbie and it will withstand the test of tyme if u treat it like a "baby"

Itz got 22 frets. Just like all strats volume, 2 tone, and 5 way selector. Its got 3 single coil pickups. An ok tremelo bridge. Non-locking tuners.

It suits my style just fine, which is all kinds of rock. But strats are well rounded on everything. it has ok dist. If i wasnt so cheap I'd go buy some seymour duncan pickups.

The guitar was used so i dont know how it was from the factory, but my local music store(guitarworks) set it up for me when i bought it. There was one little dent when i got it, but hardly noticeable. The pickup selector is a little noisy, but i wouldnt gig with this anyway.

I dont think id gig with this, i mean, its a squier strat! The hardware will last quite a while i think. THe finish is a little soft though.

havnt had to deal with them.

Ive been playing for about a year, its a great beginner guitar, but i think ill look into something a little more serious next time. I use it with a little fender frontman 15 reverb, they sound ok together. WHat i like about it is it has great sound variety.

Mine is a 1999 model, made in taiwan. Same as all strats, 21 frets, 2 tone and 1 volume, 5-way selector, triple single coils, standard tremolo, etc. The fingerboard is rosewood, the rest of the guitar is maple. Got it in the Strat Pack with the 15W amp, gig bag, cables, etc. The stuff on it is decent, but you can find better. Tuners look good but come out of tune fast. Oh yes - i believe the body is thinner than normal, which is nice - it's lightweight. The neck is standard u-shape. One caveat - the input comes loose alot - but i've found this can be solved, since the fender cable it comes with doesn't stay in there very well. I just got a cheap cable from Mars and now it's fine.

I play mostly punk rock, power chords, metallica, sublime, a lot of styles, always with mid-low powered solid state amps, a duncan wah, and a DOD supra distortion. The neck pickup sound is crap, sounds to sharp, but the more bassey bridge and mid pickups have pretty good tone. But that really limits your options for aggressive solos without the good neck pickup. But hey, it's under $200 for the axe, and the selector gives good range. I dunno what the tone knobs are for, they don't do much. Better sustain and clarity on bridge pickup.

Action's pretty good, but the lower frets are tough to get down and there's a little more buzz than I would like. I've never really gotten it messed around with. It's built really good, looks good, and after 2 years is absolutely perfect in terms of condition.

This thing's tough, and it will last. There's no reason why you would need a backup because if you have the money to get a backup, just ditch your squier. But it is really tough.

I've never had a problem with the guitar, and haven't had to deal w/ anybody about it.

It can compete with guitars $100 above it's price, and is a great first guitar. But it will be well worth the upgrade after you become more accomplished, you can get a killer ESP guitar for $400. If it were stolen or lost I would definately spring for a mid-priced Ibanez or ESP, since I've almost grown out of it. Still, there's no first guitar that comes close.

This is essentially a Strat based on the 62 configuration, that is rosewood fingerboard. Mine is a lefty and has a standard trem system, 3 sc pick ups. Not sure of the construction but what attracted me to it (bearing in mind the dearth of quality LH instruments) was the matt finish neck. I immediately felt an affinity with it - which I guess was appropriate.

I like to play anything from blues thru to more distorted stuff and, in that respect, the Strat has a wide variety of tones. I'm especially keen on the in between setting on the neck/middle pick ups. Speaking of pick ups these have a wide range of tones but are a little weedy and if, I were being fussy, I would change these for a set of Seymour Duncans. But for the money it was astonishing value.

The action was the best I've seen on a sub #200 guitar and I could find no flaws in the finish at all. I wouldn't say that the trem system was that clever; if you want to do any dive bombing forget it, but the guitar was properly set up.

I would have no problem gigging with this instrument. I started playing 17 year ago but have only recently taken it up again. I am absolutely astonished about the quality of this guitar, I already own a Tokai Telecaster I bought in 1988 which cost twice as much as this instrument and was set up nowhere near as well.

Strap buttons seem ok. I'm not sure I'd used any guitar at a gig without a backup and, yes I reckon I could depend on it - the small caveat about the pick ups excepted

Not dealt with

I hsave been playing for 17 years more off than on; I don't gig much but I'd definitely buy another one, I'm not terribly impressed with the trem system but the neck shape and finish is superb - well just right for me anyway. I nearly bought a jagstang but I'm happy I chose the right thing. I also own a Tokai Telecaster and a Fender Acoustic/Electric. I've read a few reviews about this and a lot of them seem to be quite negative. But what do you expect for this kind of money. When I looked at this guitar I was under the impression it was #100 more than it was - and I was quite happy to pay that.

it is made in china. it has 3 pickups 5 tone selector.1 volume 2 tone knobs. it has 21 frets. it has excellent features

i play heavy metal and it sound s the best. it has a good bright sound. i like everything about it.

the guitar wa sset up very well at the factory. it looks excellent and beuitiful.

the guitar will stand live playing.it will last along time.it is the best. i would use it a t agig without backup.

never delt with fender.

it is an excellent guitar. not just for begginers, u can do the same things on this guitar thet u can with any other guitar. it plays beuitifully!

Everyone else wrote about it. 3 single coil. 5 way selector. 2 tone 1 vol. etc etc

I bought it as a beginner guitar. It was okay then but now I don't really like the sound. It gets alot of noise/distortion. I'm thinking of changing out the pickups but am not sure whether to do that or just buy a new guitar. I used a fender performer 1000 but I always played at low volumes cause that amp is loud. I will try it with my new Tech 21 trademark 60 and see how that sounds.

The guitar seemed pretty nice when I bought it. The action was right. No flaws in mine. Seems like the some of the metal parts (tailpeice, pickups) have a bit of rust on them. I have had the guitar for about 3 to 4 years. Maybe it is just from taking bad care of it though.

I've had this guitar for about 3-4 years. I play every now and then. Its still in good shape. The finish is still good. My friend played it at one of his shows and he didn't like it because it got too much distortion. I also had to re-sauder the plug input about 2 or 3 times. The volume pod had to be changed too. The 5-way selector switch made pops when I switched also. I think they were all connected in some sort. I brought it in for repair and it seemed to fix that...

Haven't dealt with fender. I just brought it to a local guitar shop.

It is an okay guitar for a beginner. There are better guitars though. I (my parents) payed too much for it. Its alright for playing every now and then but not for gigging.

This Guitar is made in 1997 in China.
It has 3 single coil with 5 way switch.
All is a standard stratocaster feature.

I mostly play rock and blues. With this guitar's stock pickup, the output is not so clear and weak. The sound is also thin. This is not enought for my playing. So recently I've changed the stock pickups with Dimarzio Steve Morse Brigde Humbucker, a Dimarzio Multibucker in neck position and a Fender Texas Special in middle position. The sound became full and powerful!!! Additionally, I did some modifications on the wiring on the pickup configuration and I could get 18 useful sound right now!!!
After the modification, I can get a great crystal clear single coil sound as well as powerful huge distortion tone!!
This proof that with just a bit of modification, a squire strat will sound as great as a good guitar.

The set-up of the guitar from the factory is not so good. The action was too high. But after a few adjustment has been made, I can get the preety low action that I need.
The wood of this guitar is not too bad, not too good. But at least it's a solid wood.(Not a Laminated wood). Therefore, with a good pickups(Dimarzio,Fender..), the tone of this guitar is quite good. Of course, don't compare this guitar with others high grade model such as the signature model guitar... But I can say that my modified Squire Strat can easily beat the moderate model guitars(such as Epiphone strat, even the maxican standard strat.

This guitar is reliable after a few modification works. I always use this guitar during my regular gig in a pub and it can give every kind of sound that I wish for. It's versatile!!
The finishing of the guitar is quite good, the strap button is solid.
Is seem to be a real stratocaster after some upgrade.

Never deal with Fender...

I've played electric guitar for 3 years. This guitar is reliable and suitable for beginner.
My advise: If you really want to buy a strat type guitar but you are in a tight bugget, I suggest you to buy a Squire Strat. Once you own a strat, you can change the pickup or do some upgrade modification on it. Finally, you will get a reliable guitar besides you practice your guitar skills.