If you’ve been looking for a great guitar, but don’t want to spend thousands of dollars on it, then this Squier Affinity Stratocaster review is for you.
There are so many options when it comes to guitars these days. It can be hard to know which one is right for you if all the information out there seems biased and conflicting.
This Squier Affinity Stratocaster Review! will help you make an informed decision about whether or not this guitar is right for your needs.
We provide unbiased information that will help you decide if this model of guitar could be the perfect fit for your next purchase.
You won’t have any questions left unanswered after reading our review!
History of Squier Guitars
The history of Squier guitars has been a long and winding road. It was established way back in 1980 by Victor Carroll Squier in Battle Creek, Michigan.
The company was acquired in 1965 by Fender. In 1982, the “Squier” was given new life by Fender as its brand for lower priced versions of Fender guitars. The Squier that we know today was born!!!
Lower priced guitars are always a risk for any company to make, but Fender was careful in making sure its Squier line would be the perfect product. They had previously only produced lead series models and ,before that, had never made lower price guitars based on its main Stratocaster and Telecaster models.
Though they’ve had their ups and downs over the years, Squier is still going strong today with some models that are on par with their more expensive counterparts.
Squier vs Fender
The two most popular guitar brands are Fender and Gibson. As we know, Gibson guitars are more expensive and have a better sound quality than their cheaper counterpart, Epiphone Guitars.
The same relationship is seen between Fender and Squier. Fender is the more expensive brand while Squier is the more affordable and economical brand.
If you’re looking for an instrument to learn how to play on or just want a beginner’s guitar that will get the job done without costing too much, then you should go with Squier Guitars.
Squier Affinity Stratocaster Review
Squier by Fender Affinity Series Stratocaster Electric Guitar
Made to the same high standards for which the name “Squire” has long been associated, it features a lightweight single-cutaway body with two tinted maple necks, three special Strat pickups with Texas Specials and five-way switching system that covers everything from classic clean to heavy distorted tones.
The affinity series will also feature an Alder double cutaway body, “C”-shape maple neck; and 21 medium jumbo frets on Indian laurel fretboard; dot inlays.
It has vintage-style features and, best of all, a price that will not break the bank. The set maple neck offers easy playability while providing a stained finish for aesthetic appeal.
Installed with three single-coil pickups to produce distinctive tones ideal for different guitar styles from rock to country…..you will enjoy hours of exploring tones.
The vintage-style tremolo and individual volume controls make it simple to sculpt your own sound too!
Pros
Pros:
- An affordable price that you cannot beat.
- Available in a variety of different colors.
- Comes with Squier standard single-coil pickups.
- Two color headstock logo.
- Five-way switching system.
- Comes with vintage style tremolo.
Cons
Cons:
- It’s not a Fender and geared more towards beginners.
Overall Design
The Squier Affinity Series Stratocaster HSS is a lightweight guitar for people of all ages. The solid body still feels like quality and isn’t cheap looking thanks to its affordability.
The Squier Strat has the weight and feel of a classic professional electric guitar, but doesn’t break your bank account which is a major plus!
It plays extremely comfortable thanks to that legendary “C”-shaped neck profile which gives it a classic feel.
This Stratocaster is a classic looking guitar, with beautiful gold and black paint, sealed die-cast tuning machines that are easy to tune up on the fly, and chrome hardware. The hard wearing design makes it perfect for playing at any of your favorite hangouts!
Build Quality
Squier Guitars are made by the company Cor-Tek. They are a well known company that makes guitars for many different brands.
They are responsible for making fully one third of the world’s guitar sales, including their own Cor-Tek brand. Along with their own they make PRS-SE, Squier, some Shektor, Avalon and many other names.
Fender is involved in the management and manufacture of their Squier brand guitars, from design to production.
They are very actively involvement with the management and manufacturing of them, even though they do not own the factory.
Hardware
The Squier Affinity Stratocaster features 21-frets, single coil pickups, and a humbucker in the bridge that provides lots of tonal variety and tone!
The tremolo bridge allows players to use some dynamic bass notes or create expressive string bends with ease. This is an ideal guitar for anyone wanting to learn how to play tone focused music on an electric guitar!
What’s great about these guitars is the ability to upgrade them. If you are wanting to have more expensive parts on them then you can totally do so.
Electronics
The traditional style, three single-coil pickups and six-saddle string-through bridge provide the voices that made Fender guitars famous.
Here is the breakdown for the pickups and controls:
Pickups
- Configuration: SSS
- Neck: Standard single-coil
- Middle: Standard single-coil
- Bridge: Standard single-coil
- Brand: Squier
- Active or passive pickups: Passive
- Series or parallel: Parallel
Controls
- Control layout: Master volume, tone 1, tone 2
- Pickup switch: 5-way
The Sound
You will actually be amazed at the sound quality for the Squier Affinity Strat.
With the features you can honestly believe that it was a $700 plus dollar instrument as opposed to the price it actually is.
The sound is airy in feel, but at times still thick and twangy with nice clear sound – Not to mention its high projection that catches everyone’s attention when played alone with tons of dynamics.
If you were to close your eyes so you could not see “Squier” on the headstock, it would be tough to tell the difference between them and their big brother Fender.
The guitar affords such a wide range of sounds and tones, has an astonishing quality, and is built like a tank.
Some may not ever need another guitar for playing in any band from here on out; this one does it all at about half the price as comparable American Deluxe Strats.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between the Squier Bullet Stratocaster and the Squier Affinity Stratocaster?
The Squier Bullet is on the lower scale for guitars made by Squier. Unlike the Affinity, the Bullet’s have a softer body which could eventually have an impact on their sustain.
The Bullet can have some inconsistent fretwork. Causing them to have uneven frets and sometimes even feel sharp. This can cause them to be uncomfortable to play.
Tuning stability on the Bullet Strats have also been a challenge. The use of the Tremolo can make the guitar go out of tune pretty easily. The pickup selectors are also “flimsy” causing things like fuzz, noticeable feedback, and being just overall noisy.
Squier Start affinity series are built overall better and built for the long-haul. The alder bodies really stand a variety of conditions and are therefore very durable.
The fretwork is not quite that of a Fender, but you will not experience noticeable sharp frets
Do Squiers last long?
The build quality of the Squiers have improved a lot over the years. In fact they rival the Fender models being produced in the mid-60’s and early 70’s.
The QA has gotten better and more detailed throughout the years which is a great thing! Squiers are made in big factories with high-precision machines. This has led to less of a chance for problems during production.
Around the mid 1990’s, Squiers were made with newer machines and had a closely watched assembly process by Fender.
Squiers are also great candidates for upgrades and modifications. From the tuning machines to the pickups, you can really upgrade their overall sound which will assist with them lasting long.
Of course, if you store it in a safe place and clean it after every time you play it, then it’s going to be fine and last you a very long time.
Conclusion
As you can see Squier by Fender Affinity Series guitars are affordable and offer a lot of bang for your buck.
They are great beginner guitars that have a good build quality and sound really nice. In fact, many guitarists out there become so impressed with them that they use theirs as their main instrument.
If you’re looking to get into guitar playing, I would highly recommend getting the Squier by Fender Affinity Series as it will be an excellent first or additional guitar to your 6 stringed family.
If you are ineterested in researching more affordable guitar brands; then we suggest you head over to our Grote Guitars Review artcile here: Grote Guitar Review.
We really hope that you have enjoyed this review and hope that we have made some things easier for you.
Thank you so much for taking the time to review it and remember to always HAVE FUN!!!!
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