Fender Squier Affinity Series Strat

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

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

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

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

Never dealt with them.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I never tried or needed factory support.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

N/A

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

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

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

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

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

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

I think It's an '03. Made in China. 21 frets. Controls: Volume, Tone, Tone. Pickups: humbucker at bridge, 2 singlecoils - it's a 'fat strat.' Presumably it's made of cheap woods, but I'm surprised by the quality of the hardware. The tuners, bridge saddles, volume pots, etc., are of excellent quality, and work very well. Jumbo frets, rosewood fretboard.

I play rock, blues, country, R'n'B. It suits all these styles well. I'm using it with a Balls M18 and a Vox AC30 TB and it sounds terrific through both. The humbucker is quiet as a mouse. Being a strat, it has a 5-way selector toggle switch, and the 'out-of-phase' settings are relatively quiet, considering that they are single coil pickups. The middle and 5th position setting hum like any fender guitar I've ever heard, even a 2000 dollar one. As for variety of tones, you can get classic strat tones, plus a more groomed les paul kind of tone out of the humbucker.

This guitar was expertly set up at the factory. The intonation is spot on. The action is not too high or too low. Everything as far as the setup is very neutral; the action is low enough to blay mellow singing blues, and tall enough to use a metal slide. Not a single flaw that I can discover. Never underestimate Chinese-made gear!

I'll find out how it does live tonight. It holds tune great. I could care less if the finish will last (laughs). It's a $169 guitar. I wouldn't use any guitar on a gig without a backup.

Don't know.

Been playing 20 + yrs. I have drums basses, keyboards, guitars, recording gear, PA. One thing's for sure, if lost or stolen, could be easily replaced! For the money, you just can't go wrong with this guitar. I've payed far more for much worse instruments, paying for name/status. Basically, I traded a 90s American Telecaster for a Farfisa Combo Compact organ and spent the cash remainder on this guitar. I couldn't possibly be happier with it.

Made in China, Red, typical standard stratocaster, he gave me an awful carrying case free

Though I am mainly a bassist in a local rock outfit, I play leads for a band that plays Indian Film Music etc, so I dont need the tremolo and distortion tone and sustains and for this, the guitar is pretty good. The tone is almost like a mexican strat that I have played on, never tried the real one, but someday...

Low action, and smooth fretboard, but the switch does let off some static noises now and then

Pretty reliable, and I have used it on a couple of shows without backup. Though I had a major problem, trying to use it with the Cordless Unit I have (The Samson L Shaped Jack mount). The unit stands erect on the guitar, and is pretty irritating since it lets out a horrible loud "KHATTTAK" kinda sound when your right hand hits it. :)

I lost my tremolo arm at a gig, and initially got a very cold response from the shop, but after some mails exchanged with Fender USA, they ultimately gave me a replacement, and the best thing was they didn't charge me for it!!! So I could give them an excellent rating for that!!

I've been playing for about 12 years now, and though I must say its pretty difficult to get a decent guitar in India, we now have Fender, Epiphone, Hamer & Ibanez selling some of their oriental make guitars, which are pretty decent. I still own a Peter Pereira (Thane) Explorer imitation which is still going strong!! I use Korg AX300 for effects & a regular Marshall 30W amp. I use the Samson AG1 cordless which is pretty cool too.

Like almost everybody else said, this is a very cheap guitar so the features are all cheapest stock. Nothing incredibly special about this guitar. 21 frets, 5-way selector, One Volume two tone controls. Mapleneck with a rosewood fingerboard. The nut is made of plastic.
I'll give the features a 6 because it's got all your average features, nothing special.

Omg, this is the worst part of this guitar. This was my first guitar, i bought it because i didn't know if i was going to stick with the instrument. So it's an absolutely great guitar to start on, this is only a BEGINNERS GUITAR. I play mostly neo-classical metal, and some blues and yet more metal, and this guitar is NOT good for that.. Not for anything i think. Crappy punk maybe..Anyway this guitar is absolutely worthless for live playing or even rehearsing with my band. At higher volumes the pickups (mostly at position 1,3,5 on selector)start to make a lot of noise. This goes for all pickups... And when you actually manage to play loud without the noise (kinda rare), then the pickups sound really bright and just very bad. Hard to describe really, the best way to tell you this is by saying that the pickups in this guitar are probably the cheapest stock singlecoil-pickups on the market! With lots of hum and noise.

Only thing i like about this guitar is that it is a really good practise guitar for it's price, when i play at low volumes for myself at home it sounds decent, still not good, but at this price what is?

The rest about the sound i pretty much only dislike, Sound is horrible, the tremolo can't be used because it will go instantly out of tune (why do they even bother putting that tremolo on???).. The 2 tone controls are also a bit unnecesary because if they are not on full, it will only sound even more horrible than it already does.

I'm using it trough a Peavey 112 combo-amp, and yes I know, it's not a good amp, but the guitar sounds just as bad trough my friends Marshall combo wich sounds great with his Ibanezguitar..

I give the sound a 3 because it really sounds bad! Too bright and noisy!

When i bought this guitar the action was low, wich i like, the pickup adjustment was ok i suppose although these stock pickups suck! The output jack is loose and tends to fall off. My biggest complaint are the low frets, almost as if there were no frets, but this is only my taste. I have owned it for about 4 years, and about a half year ago the low E string and the A string have started to "Buzz" against the frets, this is really annoying, especially when you play open chords. The pickup selector is as i said VERY noisy mostly at positions 1,3,5 ..
Oh yeah and the white knob on the pickupselector also falls off..

I rate this a 4, it's definately below average, things just should NOT fall off a guitar no matter how cheap it is!

I would never be stupid enough to play live with this guitar, this guitar is only good for practising by yourself at low volumes.
Otherwise it seems like it will last pretty well, strap buttons are regular but i haven't had any problems with them (mostly because i sit down and play) But they seem good.

I don't bother with customer support for cheap guitars like this one. So no opinion on this one..

I have been playing about 4 years, don't own any other guitars, this was my first guitar. If it was stolen i wouldn't cry very much, although i'd be pissed someone stole my first electric guitar!

I really think this is a good guitar FOR BEGINNERS, if you are unsure wether or not you want to continue to play guitar, then this is a great guitar for you! Because it's not that expensive, and the sound is decent if you just practise by yourself at low volumes. So if i could rate this as a practise guitar it would get an 8..

But if you want a good guitar to play with in your band with a good tone then DON'T BUY THIS GUITAR! The sound is bright and noisy in a bad way.. Ofcourse you could always change the stock pickups to hs-3's or something, that would severely improve the rating of this guitar.. So to sum up: GOOD PRACTISE GUITAR FOR IT'S PRICE, WORTHLESS FOR ANY SERIOUS PLAYER!

I got this guitar as a gift from my parents a few years ago (4 or 5 i think) to learn with, they bought this one because they figured I wouldn't stick with the instrument. It's got a 21 fret maple neck with a rosewood fingerboard and some pretty shoddy tuners which sometimes hold their tune and sometimes shoot right out with heavy bending...it's a crapshoot really.... It's got a 5-way selector switch, a volume knob, and two tone knobs. Three passive single coil pickups made by squier which, surprisingly, sound pretty decent. The body, I assume, is made of plywood, but may be agathis. It's got a pretty tough finish ( I used to drop it alot) and, of course, a strat style body. It also has a fender style tremolo bridge which shoots out of tune pretty quick if used extensively. It came with a little Squier amp, a Fender Cable, strap and Gig Bag. These are pretty bare bones features, I'd give it a 5, but I've gotta knock a point off for the lame tuners.

Here's the surprise: this little fella sounds alright! When I first got it I thought it was the greatest thing ever!( It was my first guitar remember) but I recently re-strung it and it's an alright little guitar. I play anything I'm required to, and it does an alright job for most. I'm playing it with a Traynor amp now, and it sounds pretty decent. The pickups are pretty noisy, but hey, this is a cheap guitar, wht do you expect? The sound is very "strat" ranging from bright on the bridge pickup to mellow on the neck pickup. It sounds pretty good clean, and alright dirty. Overall I'd say this sounds good as a beginners guitar, but pro musicians should look elsewhere.

The factory set-up, as I remember, was not good, my guitar teacher taught me how to set it up and after I did so, it was much better. It came with high action , horrible intonation loose tuning pegs and a lame nut. My guitar teacher helped me fix the nut, adjust the tuners, fix the action and re-intonated. Now that it's a few years later I am much better at doing this myself, and I feel that with a decent set-up this is an alright guitar to mess around on. It's a 6 or 7 now, but I'll give it a low score because it came from the factory in bad shape oh so many years ago.

This guitar can (and has) withstood live playing, although it's better used as a back up instead as a primary guitar. It built pretty solid, it can handle dings, it's got alright strap buttons, a tough finish and it doesn't mind taking a beating (and it's taken a beating so I'd say it's apretty reliable workhorse. Maybe with some better tuners it would be a suitable main guitar for someone with a limited budget.

Never contacted Fender, so I don't know. But the people at musicstop are great, I'll give them a 9.

I've been playing for a while now and I feel I know a good piece of gear when I play it. If stolen or lost I don't think I'd get another squier, but I would be pissed with the person who stole my first guitar. I like this guitar because it's good value for the money. I hate the cheap hardware, but with a little adjusting, it does the job. I couldn't compare it with any others because this was my first guitar and I didn't know anything about the instument, I got this cause' it looked cool.Overall I'd say it's a bad choice for an experienced musician (hence the 5) but for a beginner I'd give it a 9, with a little work, it's a damn good guitar to learn on.

Alder body
Maple neck 25.5"/Rosewood fretboard
21 fret
3 single coil passive pickups
5-way selector
Bought at Christmas 2001

All standard Strat stuff ie tremolo etc..
Bought in a package containing a tuner, strap, lead, bag picks etc.

Pretty good as far as features go

I play in a 4-piece alternative/rock band and it works pretty well with that. It can't get really warm, full tones, but you wouldn't expect that from Fender single coils anyway. I use a Squier Champ15 amp at home but I borrow various amps to play live. It sounds good through both. I also use a Boss OS-2 Overdrive/Distortion pedal.
The downside in terms of sound is that the various positions all sound pretty similar. The first three positions (using the neck and middle pickups) sound best in my opinion, but the neck pickup has a much greater output (better for harmonics).
On the whole I like the sound but I'd like a bit more variety.

The guitar came set up exactly how I'd like it from the factory. The pickups seem fine and the finish is great (I've chipped it in one place, its about 1mm thick). However somes major flaws.. one is that the hole for the tremolo arm doesnt have screw thread all the way up to the top, so theres no way to get the arm in. The nut is slightly misaligned at the high E string is prone to jump out. I've had a lot of trouble with the pcikup selector too - at times it has cut all sound from the guitar and I've had to jiggle it around for a while to restore the signal. The neck joint isnt too tight but that hasn't bothered me all that much. This gets a 7 cause the action was good enough to balance out the flaws slightly.

This guitar does withstand live playing very well. I have faith in the hardware except for the selector, which I feel may need replacing. The finish doesn't wear easily, but did chip thanks to its first few months being transported in a soft bag. Strap buttons are solid and hold the strap well, as long as you keep the guitar reasonably still. I sure as hell wouldn't trust them enough to throw this guitar around. I've gigged with this without a backup about 5 times since I got it, cause I didn't have a choice. Even I did I'd have confidence in this guitar though.

Haven't deal with anyone and I have no idea about the warranty.

I've been playing nigh on four years now. I have a Monterey classical guitar, a Boss OS-2 pedal, and a Squier Champ15 amp. If this was stolen I wouldn't bother buying another one as its essentially a (great) beginner's guitar. I'm looking at a Fender Jazzmaster reissue now for a little bit more warmth.
The Squier's a pretty good guitar for the undiscerning guitarists but after a while you start to look for better options. I couldn't recommend this to anyone other than beginners. If you like the features but have been playing for a fair while just buy the real deal and get a Fender.

pick ups: s/s/s
made in indonessia
5 way pick up selector
2 tone one volume knob
rose wood fingerboard
tremelo bridge
pearl dot inlays
20th anaversery special
21 frets
i bought it from a friend for 60 bucks, awsome deal, i took off that ordanary looking pickguard and bought a black one that is outlined with white, and with the white pickups and controlls it looks awsome!!!

i dig the strat sound. it seriously lack sustain though.

i play A LOT of AC/DC, and with the bridge pickup or bridge middle (acorrding to taste) you can get a good sound like ANGUS YOUNG'S.

it isnt really noisy, what do you expect from a squier strat

strats are one th most versitile guitars in the world, you can get a wide variety of tone from country music, to heavy metal. i do

the bridge pickup can get a little twangy sometimes, depending on how i'm feeling.

i use a KUSTOM KGA 30 and it sounds great to it. i don't use any efects, i am planning on buying a distortion pedal very soon, and then maybe a processor.

the strat can fit anyone, i'm a big guy and it is'nt to small for me and it certainly is'nt to big.

very very comfortable, siting and standing

the higher frets are a little harder to reach.

it's ply wood, what do you expect for so cheap?

i'd surely gig with it, the thing about squiers is that they go bad within a couple years, so don't expect to keep it for long.

the out put jack will go loose every once and a while so keep a wrench handy to repair that. and a screw driver to keep those strap pins tight. that is a big problem with mine.

this guitar might take a good bang, i don't really want to try it though.

since i bought it from my friend, if something went wrong i'd say: gimmie back my money jerk...

good cheap guitar,
actually squier is one of the best cheap guitar companies around

if it got stolen i get really pissed off and beat the crap out of the guy that stole it. but i would get over it and buy a new guitar.

a cheap guitar is a cheap guitar, you get what you pay for.

if you wnat a guitar bad, this is the one, or another squier with a humbucker. and even if you don't like it then you can always sell it to someone and buy something better.

Made in 2002 by underpaid Indonesians
All the usual Strat stuff, S/S/S, Vol, Tone on the neck & middle PU
Rosewood fretboard on a Maple neck, alder body
Vintage style trem, cast saddles
Black w/ white pickguard
Non-locking tuners
Came with cheesy gig bag, cable, saddle & truss rod wrench, xtra trem spring ,spare strings

Suits my style OK, string spacing a bit tighter than what I'm used to, so getting used to it. Right now, using with a Berhinger AC112 amp.

The electronics are OK, about what you'd expect from an entry level guitar, Switch positions 1,3,5 have the typical single coil hum, 2 and 4 pretty clean. I will probably redo all the electronics at some later date, could also use sheilding in the cavity.

Yup, sounds like a Strat. Decent sustain, decent sound all around.

OK, here's where somebody could go to town complaining that this was off, that was off, etc.. First let me say that this is a $150 guitar, don't expect miracles. Secondly, I'm becoming more convinced that the people who complain about a guitar completly sucking need to realize that every guitar (even the same model)is different, it's made of wood after all, many will come to life with a proper setup, and you run a big risk if you mail order and can't feel it in person before you buy. Ok, that's my rant for the day.

That said, I was looking for a basic Strat to tinker with and to get to know them, and I found one with a good neck and a good body. The tuners feel quite good. Pickguard was the single ply vinyl, didn't lay quite flat, replaced it with a Fender 3 ply. Didn't care for the Fender strings, replaced them with EB 10's (came with 9's) The nut is plastic, kinda soft IMO. The trem is the cast steel affair, could probably use a detailing, but no biggie. Electronics wiring OK, cavity a bit dusty and rough, but as I said before, I'll probably be doing some mods here. Some of the screws weren't drilled straight, but anyone with decent woodworking skills can correct this. But the trem screws were true; they must use some kind of jig to drill all 6 at once.
I did the standard Fender 'factory' setup routine, with the wedge and all, and I managed to get the action quite low. Also make sure that your bridge to body spacing is correct, having it off can kill your tone, as I discovered after I got it set correctly. Much more projection and sustain after that.

Of course it'll withstand live playing, I haven't seen many dead people playing the guitar..

Finish is a bit thin, but nothing to be alarmed about.

I'd gig without a backup probably, but I'd feel better about it after I rewired it.

N/A, do my own repairs..

For what it is and how much it costs, it's pretty good. Besides, I've seen some factory new MIM and MIA Strats that were in worse shape.

A tinkerer's guitar, not for those that don't know a nut from a saddle. If I still have it in 10 years, it'll probably have a different neck with an ebony fingerboard, a humbucker, tons of other mods, plenty of dings, and be referred to as "Frank N. Stein".

If it were stolen, I'd probably get another Strat, but I wouldn't cry about this one. At $150, it's meant to be used and abused.

Overall, a decent basic Strat. Just be sure to try before you buy, and get a decent setup done before you pass final judgement.

my strat has a three single coils, 2 tone, 1 volume, rosewood fingerboard, pearl dot inlays, tremelo bridge, i don't like the rather large 70's style head stock, but i can deal with it. and if you have a black strat buy the 10 dollar musiciansfriend pick gaurd and slap it on there. it looks totaly bad ass, i did it and it just feels like i am playing something better than a SQUIER.

i play alot of SABBATH AC/DC and ZEPPELIN, and you can get a good variety of those tones with the middle pickup, for other metal i use the neck position pickup, and for my southern rock i use the bridge pickup.

i'm not to hott for the rosewood fingerboard. the pickup selector is quite noisy. lotts of dead spots, i am meaning to get that fixed. dead spots on the 12th and 9th frets, two key positions for my playing. the necks a little smaller than it could be. despite all those flaws it is a great rythym guitar, the leads arent as great.

the finish is okay. i can depend on it for jamming and rehearsing, but i wouldnt use it in a gig without a backup. i put musicman strap buttons on it, but the old ones are ok.

i bought it from a friend

overall, a cheep guitar is a cheap guitar. if is sucks thats okay because it is just a cheap guitar. the guitar value depends on how much you bought it compared to the quality.
this guitar is a great guitar for a starter or an intermediate that needs something cheap to hold them off untill they can aford somthing good. thats why i got it.
if it were stolen i probably would not buy a new one. my favorite ting about it is the versatility of it, a strat can play anything. thats why i like them. i run my strat through a kustom kga 30, which is also a good amp for anyone that is in a band.

My Squire Affinity Strat was a 1998. Made in China
21 frets.
1 volume 2 tone controls
s/s/s pickup configuration
maple neck rosewood fretboard
gig bag included
The paint was thin and ugly when bumped or chipped

I played this guitar for the first two or three years when I was just starting out. Like many single coil guitars the pickups buzz when on neck, middle, or bridge. When I first started it sounded good to me. After awhile it just didn't sound good to me anymore.
Not much expression in the pickups, but to a person who is just learning it is descent.

The action was alright from factory.
Pickups, I can't complain as far as set up.
All parts were in good condition.

It played well. The action eventually got really good.
The finish was low quality, and very thin. After all this guitar is just a begginers guitar so i will take it easy.
Had no problems with it.

I have been playing quite a while, and for a beginers guitar I think this works good enough. If it blew up I wouldn't care.
It is a all around descent guitar, but the tone is limited.

See below, mine is baltic blue, made in 2002, Agathis-Body, maple Neck, Rosewood fingerboard

It's a strat ;)

I think the stock-coils aren't that good, I replaced them with three Hohner Entwistle-White Pickups (see the test here in Harmony-Central), now it has a great tone and it is humbucking in the in-between-Positions (the middle-Coil is reversed)

I also kicked out the tonepotis and use only a master-volume (replacement rockinger-poti). The very poor 5-Way-Switch was replaced by a better one out of an older Squier after it was broken

I bought this used but the action is unbelievable low, plays almost on it's own ;), very good for fast fingers and van Halen-tappings etc., i was positivly surprised
The finish is also quite good, no complains

What is to say that the Affinity has a thinner Body than other strats have, I heard no difference to my older Squier Bullet with regular Body... If you have small hands it can be an advantage beause you can reach the high notes more easily due to the thinner Body/Neck connection ;)

I think it is as reliable as any other strat AFTER you have replaced the electronics (switch, pots and pickups).
The stock pots and switches are very cheap and probably won't live long when heavy used...
If you gig you should have a backup guitar anyway, for any guitar

Never dealt with them

I'm playing for about 10 years now and I must say that this is a great guitar (with the replacements told above), it thinke the Chinese people must have made some progress in building guitars since my 1994 Bullet Squier...
Not only for beginners ;)

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

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

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

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

Don't know

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

would I depend on it for a gig? yes.

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

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

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

nope.

For a beginner's guitar = great.

for a more experienced player = not so great.

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

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

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

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

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

PEACE I'M OUTTA HERE!

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

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

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

no problems so far

don't know

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

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

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

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

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

N/D

A good guitar, for 250?...

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

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

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

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

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

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

Couldn't tell ya ...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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