|
|
Fender Squier Affinity Strat Reviews  3 / 5 based on 6 reviewsI bought this axe at a local shop in Toledo, Ohio in desperate need for an electric guitar because I was sick of the acoustic when I began, for 200 dollars. It's regularly 165 bucks but the sunburst is extra, I guess, unless I got ripped off. I'm 14 and have been playing for a year now and I still own this today.
Cheap, good beginners guitar. The pickups actually sound pretty decent except you can barely hear yourself playing cause that damn buzz is so loud, but I'll talk about that in the dislike section. I have a 100 watt Marshall, and it actually sounds pretty nice through this amp if I use the bridge and middle pickup at once to take that buzz away, but I don't exactly get the real strat sound, but what do you expect, it says "Made In China" on the back of the headstock. I would say it plays very nicely, feels like a real Fender Strat and it's very smooth and easy to slide your hand up and down the fretboard. That's probably the best part about this axe. Another good thing is this is lighter than a real Strat because of the wood construction, which is good if you don't have a real good strap cause it's nice and light. The wammy bar is pretty cool, but it doesn't exactly keep the guitar in tune. The last good thing about this is it looks good, so some kid might think you would have a better guitar if you owned the Affinity than your friend who owns a Gibson Les Paul, but that's nothing big.
OK, here we go. First off, the Chinese guy who made this must not know what he was doing under the pick guard because this thing buzzes like crazy, unless you use the middle pickup and bridge or neck at once, which sounds fake. Another thing is the pickups wobble in their place, and can be tilted from side to side with a little push, and they always sit at an angle, which sucks cause it doesn't even look real. Then the bolts on the pickups aren't made like any other Strat/fake Strat bolts I've ever seen, it's like they were trimmed down so they don't get close to the strings at all. The volume and tone knobs are bigger than Fender knobs and so is the 5-way pickup selector, which is weird. The only good thing about that is once you upgrade to a Mexican Strat is it feels really good to not feel like your using a fake guitar with bulky knobs and weird pickups. I also don't like how easily this damn thing gets out of tune from bends or dive bombs of the wammy bar. It even sounds more out of tune the higher you go up the neck, barely, but if you're picky about a tuned guitar you would notice it. Also, there are only 21 frets, when any other guitar has 22, which can be annoying once you've been playing for a year cause by then you'll be runnin up and down the frets and you would think it would be nice to have an extra fret to land on when you need it. Last, the paint chips very easily. I've gotten 3 dinks within 2 months, which might just be cause I'm rough, but I'm really not that rough. One more thing, the Squier logo is painted black when on real Squiers, they are glittered. I also never knew mine was an Affinity because the word "Affinity" is like half a cenimeter square on the edge of the headstock and I didn't notice it till like 8 months after I got it.
Made in China. Nothing on this is that good, but, it does feel very nice and the action on the fretboard is very smooth, which makes this guitar a star better than it should be. The paint's not that good, but it looks good, and thats a plus. Since this is made in China, every worker there gets payed, so they make the guitar, not the best they can because they don't care if we don't like it, so that's why you have to try as many of the same models as possible to see which one you like. This is very true, especially with the Mexican made Strat. This means there are Mexican made Strats that are better than others and don't buzz as loudly as others and feel better, which means it could very well be just as good as an American made, but you have to try them out and see. American mades are just guarunteed to have perfect construction every time, because this time, it says "Made in the U.S." on the headstock. Trying out different guitars of one model is important, cause you might get lucky and get a nicely built Mexican made/Squier.
An Affinity Strat is not a good guitar for a person who plays Hendrix and Clapton stuff, but it might be for someone learning a set of chords for a Blink 182 song. I would say at least get the real Squier Strat, not the Affinity, and remember the writing will be glittered on the headstock. If you own this and are debating whether you should get a better guitar or better amp, I would personally choose the better amp, cause then you would have the loud, clean sound, which might not sound like a Strat when using middle and bridge pickup together, but it would be clean. Getting a real Strat (Mexican) wouldn't make a big difference, because the buzz is always there on a Strat, and it would be like finally have a real Strat but it wouldn't really sound that much better if you had a 40 watt or under amp. Overall, the Squier Affinity Strat sucks, but it plays like a Strat, doesn't sound like one, but sounds pretty good through a nice amp (just not Strat-like), but its perfectly fine for someone building callouses for bar chords to play that Blink 182 song. But, again, I suggest the REAL Squier, which is barely 25 bucks more expensive, except for me cause I got ripped off, I think. I would rate this a 2.5. samuel hendrix rated this unit on 2004-08-11. I bought this at Guitar Center for around $120. I also bought a Crate amp, the total was around $300.
One thing I like about this guitar is the variety of tones you can get from the 3 single-coil configuration. You can get bright, twangy tones from the bridge pickup and tubey rhythm tones from the neck pickup. The finish is very nice also. The action was great right from the store.
The strings that come with this Strat need to be replaced, but mostly begginners will get this guitar, and not many can tell the difference. When I did change them, I had a bit of trouble getting the strings off. Got 'em off in the end, though.
Built like a rock. I can't count how many times I've dropped this thing, yet the tone remains untouched. Truly amazing.
A very solid guitar for the beginning guitarist, but for someone who's been playing for a while, it's not too special. Alex rated this unit on 2003-10-18. I bought this piece of crap off Ebay when I was starting out for $130.
When I was starting out I thought it was awesome. The finish was nice and the neck at first was comfortable.
Almost everything! The neck warped soon after I bought it and the pickups started to fall apart and some of the hardware was loose. The sound was awful compared to REAL Fender products. This POS has no balls whatsoever. It sounded terrible through ANY amp and rattled like a Redneck's pickup truck.
Pretty sturdy body and nice finish but crappy construction work. The neck warped in almost no time at all.
NEVER BUY ANY AFFINITY CRAP! I sold this craptrap to a stupid kid who wasted $70 bucks for it and because he is starting out, he loves it. Give him a few weeks. If you got the dough go for a Standard Stratocaster not a cheap knockoff that sucks more than a slut at a Frat Party! AVOID AT ALL COST! AVOID THIS GUITAR rated this unit on 2003-08-12. I got this guitar in the famous "Squier Strat Sack." I think with a Danelectro Chorus pedal and stand cost about $310.00 from American Musical Supply (americanmusical.com). I maily got this guitar because I seen a picture of Jimi Hendrix with the Fender version of this from the late 60's.
I like everything about the guitar. I have played numerous strats and this one was great. I played a Fender American Series Strat the same day I ordered this guitar and personally i cant tell a major difference.
I don't care too much for the body material as it causes the sound to lose alot of sustain but if u are playing hard rock or nu-metal, it sounds good. I am a pretty good sized guy who has big hands but not fat hands and the neck action seemed a little low and i like to have my thumb rest behind the neck instead of get in the way of my playing. But if you are wanting to play blues, get a good overdrive pedal and invest in a new amp, and plug this guitar up and you'll be ready to go.
The quailty is good. It seems a little to light to me. i liked the big cbs style headstock (late 60's fender strat/hendrix style). First cheap guitar with ginuwine mother-of-pearl dot inlays. The pickups are good but not great. I'd say add some seymour duncan hot rail pickups and you would be alright. but basically a good guitar for not alot of cash. If you don't like the action on Squier Strats, go to warmoth.com and pick out a custom neck and you wont have anything to worry about.
Bottom Line-A Hendrix copy for any beginning player who loves Jimi Hendrix. If you get this guitar, you wont be disappointed unless you are a professional recording artist like Eric Clapton of whoever. But this is a good deal for a price-wise cheap guitar for anyone who is learning. Jon rated this unit on 2002-08-03. I bought it at a local music store in a package deal that came with a crappy amp. It cost me $350 plus the 400 i spent on a Line 6 amp to replace that piece of crap champ 15.
Easy to play, decent neck, my first guitar so it wasn't a terrible purchase.
Not a clear sound, the input nut came loose once a week but could easily be retightened, and the package was a rip off due to the amp.
Decent Quality, not great but you can't really expect too much for such a cheap price.
I would reccomend buying the guitar for begginers but nobody else. Whatever you do do not buy the package if you plan to play for more than a summer. It would be better to invest in a better amp. Jeremy rated this unit on 2002-02-03. $187.00
Has that distinct "Lay Down Sally" Strat sound. Alot of guitar for the price. STAYS IN TUNE!! I can crank on the tremelo and it still stays in tune. Recommend the rosewood neck.
Neck is just a little thin. Good for young players though.
Since I just purchased this guitar, I can't comment on the durability and long term playability. However, the guitar, when purchased new, comes with a lifetime warranty so any set ups or repairs are covered.
I am extremely impressed with the overall quality of this guitar for price. I visited the local guitar shop willing to pay alot more than I ended paying for this guitar. We plugged this one in next to an American Strat and the sound difference was minimal. This little guitar was a pleasant surprise. I found it of better quality than the Squier standard models which had trouble staying in tune. Logan rated this unit on 2001-12-15.
|
