Fender Squier Affinity Series Telecaster

2000 Chinese made Squier Affinity Tele. As cheep as it gets ;) 21 low/thin frets, rosewood fingerboard, maple neck(no skunk stripe) on the thin side, tele bridge and neck pickups, 3 way switch, 1 butterfly tree, volume and tone controls, solid black finish, 1 ply white pickguard, plastic tuners, 6 chrome saddless, no string-thru-body design.

I bought this off the internet (eBay) as a cheap backup guitar, so did not even worry about trying it out beforehand. That said, I was pleasantly surprised at how the pickups weren't complete crap. The neck pickup has a decent mellow sound, and I agree with the other review here that says it might actually be worth keeping. The Bridge pickup alone sounds very dull and nasal, but the comination of the 2 also gives a half-decent sound. The pickups amplify any knocking on the pickguard. Surprisingly low-noise. Does *not* give the classic, magic, Telecaster twang, but came closer than I expected considering the price.

Purchased used from original owner, who basically never touched it. The intonation at the saddles definitely needed adjusting. Finish seems OK (solid black, not especially glossy.) The chrome saddles and plastic tuning knobs reek of cheepness, so consider yourself warned. I will be replacing them as soon as I can (I was assuming I would have to as this is must be the most "entry-level" electric Fender makes.) The nut is also cheap; the slots are low and the strings slide right out when I bend them! The body and neck wood seem fine. The frets are low and squarish.

As is, This guitar would not make it through a single song onstage. I say this because the tuning keys are like rubber and pretty much any kind of playing will cause it to go out of tune. Replace them right away and the guitar will become a much better instrument, one which would be fine to keep around as a backup instrument.

Have never dealt directly with Squier/Fender

I have been playing for about 5 years, and am a full time student (music major) at the University level. I also own a 1996 American Standard Strat (an *awesome* instrument,) a decent Yamaha acoustic, and a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe Amp. In the past I have owned Hamer and Charvel guitars, and have played on some very nice Gibsons and Teles. Overall I like this instrument because it gives me an approximate Tele sound, Tele looks ;), and a good starting point for basic instrument mods. One small regret is that I didn't double check to see if this were a standard Squier or the Affinity model. Read the reviews on H-C for the Indonesian standard Squiers -- they seem like a better value for similar cost. But compared to some other $100 guitars I have seen, this is pretty good!

I got this guitar in 2001, its made in china 21 frets, volume, tone, 3 way selector, typical tele set up. Its alder just like all the other fender instruments that are manufactured so dont think its made with a different cheap wood. It has a blue finish on it, nothing spectacular but what difference does it make... over time its gunna get scratches and nicks in it unless youre a bedroom musician who sits and polishes your les paul four hours a day. Its a basic standard strat... no difference except in the name on the headstock and the finish.

Its not as high output as most guitars, but its very smooth and has a warm tone to it. Ok before you start laughing hear me out ok... i use a sovtek mig-100. Thats all i use... guitar straight into amp. Therefore all i rely on is that the guitar sounds good and so does the amp. No funky effects, reverb, and rack processors to make my instrument sound fake. I use the distortion that is on my amp. Straight tube distortion. Yes if i mess up its very noticeable but thats what drives me to play flawlessly. The distortion is similar to a jcm-800. Its not noisy since its pretty low output but it sounds very smooth and its rich. It has a low tone on the neck position, still a low tone on both positions, and a very crisp bridge position. If you can make sounds with the guitar (um ok) im proud of you... basically i play chords and notes if you know what i mean. The only thing i disliked about the guitar is that everyone complimented my sound then they asked what kinda guitar i was using and then they said ew thats a p.o.s..... so i scratched the name off and people stopped asking me. Ive played sg's, and other gibsons.. i love them they sound great but they arent comfortable... i play with the strap so long (comfort is key to playing well) that i cant play Les Pauls.. i hit the toggle switch. Sg's are too light, and well other guitars are designed similar to those. So Fenders all the way baby. Its a decent guitar, if you want to save an arm and a leg buy one of these and fix it up to your liking.

It came in perfect condition. I have nothing to complain about. Well constructed instrument.

I would use it, not without a back up... i wouldnt play any guitar without a back up... i dont care if its a 5,000 dollar gibson. Strings break and shit happens... so there you go. AS for reliability... the guitar is great, no problems and ive had it for over a year. Ive used it as a back up at shows and it cuts through and works great. Never had to service it.

never dealt with them

I own several guitars.... Squier Stratocaster.. very nice 50th anniversary strat, amazing guitar, I love it with all my heart. Washburn acoustic, Yamaha AEX-500 nice guitar but not good for punk. its nice and for anyone its a good back up or learning guitar. Heck i use it as a main line guitar some nights so hey if you want an inexpensive guitar go for it

This Tele has a pretty simple and plain Squire set-up. It has a 3 way selector switch, 1 volume control and 1 tone control. I suppose the pick-ups are what everyone has got on their Squire Tele pretty standard really. I don't exactly know the name of them and don't really care, just as long as they work. The bridge is normal Tele style. The frets are reasonable with black dot inlays. The tuners are excellent for a Squire really. No other included accessories, i provided them myself EG: strap locks and strap.

I mostly play every Radiohead song on the planet and has proved to have a great feel for Radiohead. If you are a Radiohead fan and are a reasonable beginner i would recommend getting one of these. Just add a dab of overdrive to the twang and you're off. With this i'm using a VOX Cambridge Twin 30, Boss Super Overdrive, Tremelo, Delay, ProCo Rat and Crybaby Wah. I suppose it is kind of noisy compared to my start up guitar(strat) which was bloody silent. It has a very warm sound plugged into a tube/valve amp and has a nice balance. Not much variety with the 3 way selector switch, i think they stand for rock/blues and jazz.

The guitar was set-up crap when i got it. I didn't actually realise how bad it was until i got it properly set-up. I had to get th whole bloody guitar done, the pick-ups everything. The bridge was in a terrible state, they were everywhere!!!! When i bought it though i had to go back 6 times and then finally get a new selector switch put in because the one they put in the first place kept on cutting out.

This will easily last anyone a really long time, your whole life even if you really take care of it. The body on mine is keeping very well, but the neck isn't-so far 5 of the frets are worn away! They have grazes all over them from where i've been playing it so much, i can't help it! If you're gonna buy a guitar to practice with get this, but if you wanna guitar that you want to rock away with don't get this, it won't last!!! I wish i'd known that when i bought this. If i did a gig i would proberly bring a backup just to be on the safeside, but i'm sure i'll be alright.

I've been playing for quite a while now and it has served me well but i would of chose another, proberly would of saved up for a Fender if i knew any better. I wish i had asked whether the neck would last longer!! If it was stolen i wouldn't buy it again, i would save up for a wonderful 72' Tele Custom(dream guitar!!) The thing i love about it though is its' lovely bright twang, that's what is keeping me with it, what i don't like though is the neck!!!! I've compared it with an Epiphone SG which was really good, proberly better actually. I wish it had more variety in the selector switch. Pretty good though for the money. The problem is though the weight of the the bloody thing, it weighs a tone!!!

yep, my tele was made in china. 21 frets, standard tele, with thinner body, 2 single coils. mine is black, with white pickguard.

this suits my style nicely, but so do all electric guitars. I send the signal through effects, straight into my 4-track or pc. my music is sort of noise-metal-punk, and then not at all...this guitar has a better sound than my cheap no-name stratcopy, better sustain and better pickups.
it is noisy with my setup, i mean, it sort of buzzez exept with the pickup selector in middle position...

the action is really good! it feels like a fender, and the action is actually better than a mexican strat I used to own. the finish is just standard for a guitar in this pricerange, but who cares about the finish?

I deem this guitar reliabel. yes, I can depend on it. boss pedals and fender guitars, please...they are build to last...

I like this guitar! I think my old mexican strat sounded better, but this affinity-tele has much better action. maybe I was just lucky, I've never owned a squier before...
I only use decently priced equipment, and I am very pleased with the price/quality ratio of this guitar.

Brand New (Chinese) Squire Tele, the real cheap one! Its a tele... you know two single coils and a three way switch. I quess that gives it all the features it is supposed to have. very pretty Baltic Blue with a white single ply pick guard. - 1 point for the cheesy tuners.

Sounds like a cheap tele... The bridge pup is pathetic... it does sound twangish, but.... well its weak. No surprize here however for two reasons, first its a cheapo guitar! second, second, I played it at the shop and knew what I was getting! So am I dissatisfied? no not really. Neck pup is a pleasent surprise, sweet, smooth, jazzy, not perfect, but nice, almost (almost) acoustic like. This is no doubt due in part to the light weight alder body, which on the affinity is not a chunky as other fender(Squire) Teles. Strum a few chords with the guitar unplugged and you will hear what I mean, Maple neck and fingerboard add to the mix. Bridge pup is unbearably noise even at low gain settings. I got what I paid for and knew before I walked out the door that I would be replacing the pup's actually I am only pulling the bridge pup out because, like I said I kinda like the neck

Action was to my liking right out of the box, low, no fret buzz. paint was perfecto, not a mile deep glossy but nice, not a single flaw, no loose hardware. neck fits snug. I dont care for the chrome saddles (they look cheesy) also, be aware that this is not a string thru body set-up. Frets are poorly finished, rough etc... but hey, they dont cut my hand so whats the big deal? One thing to be aware of if you are thinking of purchasing this guitar, the frets are small, thin and dont lend themselves to large diameter strings, and Ohhh.. does this ripple effect add misery to an already weak and thin sounding bridge pup. I tried many string variations ( that is diferrent mix and match sets of Ernie Balls) until I hit upon some Dean Markley's 10-38 dia. These strings are by far the best I have used and if I may mini-review, please pick up a set and try them they are very nice. anyway, in all I would say not a bad guitar for the money in terms of overall fit and finish, choose carefully if you are accustomed to Ibanez style jumbo frets, otherwise the neck is very sweet, not for guys with sausage like fingers but fine for a pip squeek like me. And I am a sucker for the look of that all maple neck!

Tuners will sh*t the bed first chance they get, otherwise no problems. Not as heavy and plank like as a "real" tele but thats not a big deal for me.

Couldnt tell ya, Fender does have an A-1 web site however, if that helps? Check put Mr. Gearhead

I am a rank amatuer player, no live gigs, probably never will, I basicaly suck to be honest. I love teles and this was an easy and cheap in for me, $160 for the guitar, $6.00 for the string thru body ferrules, $25 for a "real" tele bridge, and $50 for a Bill Lawrence noisless bridge pup and voila, I'm Chicken Picken' or doing a bad muddy waters impression for less than the price of even the more expensive Squire model, let alone a real fender

Made in China, 2001. 21 Frets, standard tele pickup configuration, bridge and neck. 3 way switch. Finish is Baltic Blue with a white pickgaurd.

Sounds much better than expected. Tried it in the music store on a small Ibanez amp. Play it through a Marshall 8240 stereo chorus amp and a Behringer GX 110 amp. Sounds great through both amps. I play jazz and classic rock. Sounds great on both.

The only thing I did was raise the pickups a little. The setup was excellent. The finish is flawless. Pickguard is cheap. Tuners are good. It doesn't have a through body bridge arrangement like I'm used to on my American tele, but it seems to stay in tune.

I am currently using the guitar as a practice guitar and in a home studio. It is excellent for that. I don't see why it wouldn't stand up to live playing. The 3 way switch is tight and the control knobs feel very solid. I think it could take a little abuse without any trouble.

Good support with Fender in the past.

I would rate it a 8.5. I think it's a lot of bang for the buck. I like it so much I've ordered a Squire Affinity Strat for my home studio. Hope it's quality is as good as the Affinity Tele.

Mine is the Chinese model in black. Fender's website claims that this model was introduced in May 2000. The features are well enumerated in the reviews below and on Fender's website. Basically, it's a typical Telecaster-type guitar. Fender says the body is somewhat scaled down from their other models. I'm giving it a 9 because it seems to have everything that their American Standard models have and what else could you want? After all, you're buying a Tele.

I bought this to keep in my office as a cheap practice guitar. I have several other "classic-style" guitars such as an Epiphone Les Paul Custom, Fender American Strat, and an Epiphone Jorma Kaukonen Riviera Deluxe (basically an ES-335 w/a Bigsby-style tremlo). So I bought this guitar in order to add a Tele-style sound to the collection.

To my inexperienced and untrained ears this guitar is amazing for its price. Of course, the "real" Telecasters are known for their thin, twangy tone and this guitar more than captures that sound. If you're looking for a "fat" sound, then any Telecast model is not going to work for you. Buy something with Humbucker PUs instead.

I've never played a real Telecaster but from what I've heard, this one is close. Probably a little thinner that the real deal, but close.

I'm playing it mostly through a Marshall VS15R (not a very good amp) so the sound isn't great.

I auditioned several of these models at Sam Ash and decided on this one even though the strings were thoroughly corroded when I tried it. It seemed to be the best of the lot. I seem to remember that some of the others they had did not play as nicely. Some had poor fret finishing or other "defects". If you buy this model, choose carefully.

As for this guitar, I couldn't ask for better; especially for the price! After I re-strung the guitar and broke it in, it's possibly the best guitar I have in terms of playability. The action is a low as anyone could want. The neck is perfect. The fret finishing is very good (unlike some of the reviews below). I have no buzzing anywhere on the neck. As for intonation, I'm not good enough to hear subtilties but I don't hear anything wrong with it. It seems to stay in tune reasonably well.

As for finish; I haven't had any problems. Granted, I'm not fifteen years old and I don't keep it on the floor of my bedroom and I don't have a bunch of my friends beating on it after school but I still can't believe some of the reviews here that talk about the guitar falling apart in two or three days. I've had this guitar for about a year. I've taken it out for lessons and I occassionaly transport it between my office and my home. I use it nearly every day and it doesn't have a single chip or scratch in the finish nor have any parts fallen off. For the price, I'm giving this thing a 9.

See above. I don't gig, so maybe that's the difference but still; to have a cheap guitar for a year; play it every day and still have the thing in pristene condition; I think that's pretty good!

I don't know. I haven't had any problems with it.

As I've stated; at this price, I'm amazed. It's an excellent value. Granted the tone and sustain probably aren't as good as the real thing but it seems amazingly close. I think this thing would be great as a starter/practice guitar or just something to have that you don't have to worry about (traveling, rowdy gigs, etc.). I would highly recommend it for those purposes which is probably exactly what Fender intended. After all, if they wanted it to compete with their American Standards, etc. they'd have to be pretty stupid.

Previous reviews (I read all of'em before checking an Affinity out) have covered the the features. It's a no-nonsense Tele, comprised of, well, cheaper parts. The durability of the thing remains to be seen, but it has all the goods needed to make music on. Despite the kinda shoddy parts, it looks and performs great. Features? It's a Tele, fer cryin' out loud. What should it have that it doesn't?

I made a run to Guitar Center (always against my better judgement) to check one out, as they were blowin' 'em out. I have new Dimarzios for a Tele and figured if an Affinty played well, I could change the pickups and be set. Well surprise, surprise. I LIKE the way this guitar sounds!!! A lot. It reminds me of the paired down "electric guitar features" of yesteryear. It sounds like a Tele. Twangy and expressive, but broad and usefull. A ton of tunes came to mind as I meandered about the thing. The real deal.
I'm something of a novice, playing guitar as recreation. I've been a professional keyboard player for 25 years, and guitar has become a wonderful hobby. Given my lack of time on the instrument, my progress is alright. I can play a chorus or two of T-Bone style blues, a little bop, and lots of classic rock rhythm. The Affinity suits me perfectly -- vastly superior to my Jaggmaster, which seems unsuitable for any style.
I use a Peavey Delta Blues 210, and various cheaper "vintage" amps. For me the Affinity is the right tool for the job. Yep it's a little noisy, but not to the point of distraction.

Apparently these things are a crapshoot, so I didn't want to order one through the mail. The action on the floor model that I bought is great. All hardware was secure. Finish (black), flawless, near as I can tell. Construction tight and solid. The hardware, I reiterate, is cheap, but I have no intention of bangin' the thing on the floor. Satisfied. Look, the thing costs $139.00. A ton of axe for the $.

I see no reason why this thing wouldn't go the distance live, if one treated it like a musical instrument rather than an entry in a demolition derby. The hardware remains questionable, but everything works. The finish seems to be durable. I could depend on it, but I wouldn't consider using any instrument live w/out some kinda backup.

I've been playing seriously for 5 months, after a 20 odd year hiatus away from the instrument. Having been a professional musician for my entire adult life (jazz, blues, rock performing - university level teaching - hundreds of jimgles), I find it pretty easy to navigate the ins and outs of guitar. My knowledge at this point far exceeds my technique.
I love this thing -- it's doubtful whether I'll ever pine for some geometric nightmare to shred on.
My other fave is an original Fender Bullet, which is funky beyond measure.

I believe this was made in 2000, in China. It's the regular tele, 2 single coils, etc, etc. No major features, but I am not a knob jockey, so no big deal for me. I give it a seven, simply because what do you expect for $129?

Well, I was a bassist in my former life (6 months ago) Got the Tele just to get started. I use a Dano Nifty Fifty and Marshall Master Reverb 30. I play varied rock, everything from Floyd to Peppers. The Dano is a gimmick amp, cute, nice for practice in the bedroom, so don't expect any good sound out of it. The Marshall however..... well, it's a Marshall man! The nasty single coils on this guitar buzz and screech when I am plugged in to either amp, unless I use the middle position. And I made a tragic mistake- the default pickup heights are fine, I decided to be brave and adjust the neck to get a brighter sound. Well, I went to high, so I clicked when I pick the strings. So, I adjusted it down, and now I get a click when I hit the pickguard. Had I left it alone, I would have been fine. I adjusted the bridge pickup, and had no adverse affects from that though. I give it a seven, simply for price and the fact that factory it did sound decent......

The action was okay. Since I was a bassist, I have no problems with action on guistars. For intonation though, I had to do some tweaking. The 12th fret was about 1/4 step off. I grabbed my allen set and fixed that with about 15 minutes of playing around. I did have a buzz on the B and high E strings, but the adjustments I made on the bridge fixed that at the same time. And let me say something about the damn saddle bridges, it may just be the Squire version, but I hate it. Everytime I restring, I have to readjust the entire bridge, it won't hold. Also, this thing will not hold a tune. After every other song, I have to check my tuning (what do you expect for so cheap of a guitar right?) The finish is thin, I have numerous scratches from retringing, when the tip comes out and hits the body. I give it a five, mainly because of the bridge. I expect a cheap guitar to go out of tune with how hard I play.

I would not play this guitar live as a main axe. Maybe if I need a dirty sound, but you can emulate that on most other guitars. I am buying a new guitar very soon, and am thinking about using this one for alternate tunings. I have no faith in the hardware. And will use this as a backup until I get something to replace it.

never dealt with CS

For a cheap guitar, this is fine. My main intent was to use it write music, not as a main axe. Funds dictated, so I have been using as such in practice. If it were stolen or lost, I'd be pissed, simply since it's my only guitar. After I buy a new axe, I could care less. I am soured to Teles, mainly because of that saddle bridge, and the bridge pickup. All things considered, this was a decent value, again, it cost be 129 bucks.....

2000 made, I dont know the exact location of production.
21 frets, 3 way switch, single coil/single coil config, cheap no-name pickups, wood is a mystery, plywood maybe? standard hardtail tele bridge, plastic tuners, no accessories. Torino Red paint job, nice and glossy though. Paint job gets it a 2, and thats the reason why.

To be frank, I never got to hear too much of this guitar in action, but from what I did hear...
I was using through a Marshall 15 watter, no effects except some amp distortion. The sound was pretty twangy, like telecasters should have. It wasnt very rich and full, it was kind of puiny sounding.
The sound was ok, I still have the pickups for it.

The action was setup when bought, since it was a floor model. The pickups were adjusted as well, but that changed as soon as it went home. This was my second guitar, I had a Cort for almost 3 years when this was purchased, I went to my friends and plugged into his Dad's Marshall, and it sounded great. I woke up the next morning, ready to play, and voila....everything went downhill. Instead of the metal plate around the input jack, it was plastic and it broke off. Installing a tele input was too hard, so I decided to call up the store where I bought it. Their reply was "Our repair man is out of town for 2 weeks". After enough complaining, they decided to fix it that same day. I play it unplugged for the remainder of that day. I went to tune it, and crack, off goes the d tuning key, which was plastic painted to look metal. I was irate, I finished tuning, using plyers for the d string, and snap off goes the high e tuner. Then the volume knob falls off, and the black tip of the breaks off.....

This guitar couldn't stand a day on a stand in my room that gets locked when I leave, let alone play live. After a while, I just smashed the body to pieces. I have the hardware still, and I might slap the bridge on a project tele. The bridge was really the only decent hardware for the guitar. The finish seemed sturdy, it didn't chip too much, it was very solid during my anger and breaking it. It took about 5 minutes to knock it into about 4 pieces. The strap locks were horrible, the straps constantly fell off.
Not dependable, I would never use it for a gig...

I dont think it had a warranty, if so, I was never told about it. The store I bought it from were jerks about repairing it, considering I bought it the day before. I have never spoken to Fender or Squier themselves, so I will keep this one unrated.

This guitar was horrible, it literally lasted me about 2 days. I have been playing for 4 years now, and this was a waste of money. My first guitar was a cort, then a Fender Jagstang, and now a nice new American Strat, along with an Epiphone, and a Martin Acoustic. I have played shoeboxes with rubberbands attached to them that are better.
My final opinion is that, it is pure crap. I couldn't find a good thing about it, it broke the next day. I may have just gotten a dud, but mine was awful. I am not Tele-phobic anymore, I am Squier-phobic. I love Fender's, I have a fender strat in my lab as I am typing this, but I am staying about from anymore Squiers.