I've been playing guitar for over 20 years. Just bought a Squier Affinity and love it. Once the guitar is setup properly (many guitar stores do that for free when you buy a new guitar) it plays wonderfully. As with any guitar purchase, pick the guitar up and play it for a while. If it feels good and sounds good, it doesn't matter if it was made in China or if someone on TH-cam says it's crap.
My first guitar, had it for 3 years, MIC, no issues, no wearing down, I just locked the trem because it's such a thin block I'm more concerned with tuning stability.
@Andy Witmyer Most likely things like a correct action height, intonation, making sure the truss rod is well set up, etc. This could also go further in the fret leveling department/ rolling the fretboard. Small changes drastically bump up the quality, since even high end guitars start out with a rougher feel, however you pay for the man hours to make it play like butter.
Yea he lumps the bullet and the affinity together.. the Bullet retails for 250 dollars in my country, the Affinity 599 dollars. With a bit of work on fret ends and a good set up there's nothing wrong with the affinity. Change the pickups and challenge anyone to notice a difference Between that and a vastly more expensive strat! This video is only one person's opinion. Lol
@@jjryan1352 Replace the tuners and the nut. Once you're locked into a hardtail, the bridge is less of an issue...(if it's a 6 screw bridge, they are junk - as stated in the viud, you need a 2 point trem bridge for better tuning/usability). I have a cheap Tele I paid $125 for, and also a Solo kit Tele. I did theses changes and massaged the frets on both and their tuning stability is rock-solid.
@@moosetracks656 There is a site out there somewhere....which lists the Squier factories. If I remember...there are like 15 different factories that have made Squiers. Many times...it's the same 'ghost' company(like Cort)...but, they use their factories in different countries. Anyway...to answer your question....They are all slightly different and use different woods depending on availability.
Norman Byrne so the problem is, in 2016 squire moves all the manufacturing to Indonesia and everything got a huge bump in quality (bullet and affinity) I still recommend the affinity over the bullet even though the price jump the tuners on the bullet is just terrible everything else on all of them now are amazing
Chinese and Indonesian Squiers are good guitars out of the box. It doesn't hurt to do a set up, that's one of the ways they keep them affordable. From what I understand experienced players like them because their necks are comfortable. In my opinion the weakest part about them are the pots and switches. I'm a pretty big fan of the ceramic pick ups. I have a Chinese Squier Strat and my first upgrades are going to be bridge, but and tuners. Lastly the pots and switch and maybe the jack or Maybe nothing because I love it as is.
You're right. He's was holding a bullet and criticising the affinity. The range goes Bullet then California then Affinity then Standard ... an Indonesian affinity (IC - Cort) is a decent lightweight unit that plays well and stays in tune - a great beginner guitar.
I got an Affinity J Bass 3 years ago & it’s still playing great. Smooth fret ends & the pick ups still sound decent. It was €300 with an amp, tuner & some other accessories. I’ve heard other people say they weren’t happy with their Affinities. Maybe I was just lucky!
Richard Dean agreed. I’ve got an Indonesian Affinity and made minor mods, American Fender hardware etc. and I’d put it up against anything in the $700 range. My luthier calls it a one in a thousand. Says I got lucky. Ok, cool. ✌️🎸
Affinity series squiers are actually fairly decent for what they cost. The bullet strat models are fairly awful despite the bullet Telecasters and Mustangs being pretty decent for the price.
I own a lefty Squier Standard Strat and let me tell you something... This is my go to guitar. The neck on this bastard is un fucking real. Its the best Strat I ever owned, and Ive owned several lefty Fenders.. And you know what? The Squier is still my go to guitar. In fact, after I die, I want to be buried with it. Its that fucking good.
I recently bought two 2019/2021 affinty squier strats. Exceptionally well setup from factory, amazing build quality and nicely finished. Nothing to complain at all.
Mr. PixxyLixx, I bought an Affinity Telecaster, made in China, from Guitar Center, for $169, Butterscotch Blonde. I took it to be set up by a professional guitar luthier. He said it was better wood and neck than many made in USA Fenders or Gibsons. Even though the pickups were ceramic, the luthier pronounced them quite good.
kitthevideoman i would immediately switch luthiers or don't share crystal meth/crack with your luthier before assessing guitars.you understand your statement is complete bullshit i hope?if you don't your going to be having quite a buffet of bullshit fed to you your entire life,don't be so gullible.
kitthevideoman To Kit: I have the same guitar, set up by "straight out of the box'; plays and sounds like a dream. Pickups great range and depth of tone. Telecaster/affinity/ China. Dont let anybody fool you, the chinese can make as good a guitar as anybody. Ditto the Squier affinity stratocaster in black sparkle with humbucker bridge pickup. If you want to pay a few more bucks for Seymour's designed p,ups - the Vintage modified 70,s strat is simply incredibleguitar. Like sound of P90,s? Grab the Telecustom 2 VM , and the Squier Classic Vibe 50
Lay off the acid dude, it's bad for your chops. Affinity Squiers are crap, I've played a metric crap load of them, and I've never found one that was on the level of a MIA,MIM, or MIJ instrument. And you had the Stone's guitar tech on hand to look at a Squier? I sense a load of bullshit, you're either a worthless troll, or a very misinformed person.
Had my affinity strat (made in Indonesia) for 9 years. It's been great and after picking up guitar again after a break for a few years I still love it. Electric blue with a rosewood fret board. Love the sound and I play bluegrass and rock n roll.
I own 3 Affinity series Squier guitars. One Tele and two Strats. I love them all, and I feel like they are very well made for the price point. I feel like if you want better pickups, then you buy the pickups you like or want, and upgrade. If you have sharp fret ends, learn to file them and clean them up and polish them. Want better tuners? Buy a better set and replace what you don't like. I own Fender Strats (American and MIM), and I have to say, for cheaper guitars, the Affinity really impressed me. That's why I have 3 now! I still like the video though. I do like your insight, and I appreciate your opinion.
@@Remu- Different pickups, different tuning, different playing styles, different hardware. Just because a strat is a strat doesn't mean they're all the same.
@@md93-z5e Actually my comment came across a little wrong and I get your point. I just personally would rather get a Fender Player series with the same money it costs to buy 3 Affinities.
so do I I paid 179 for a butternut tele I am always in awe of my tele. sound It is made in china. i do have a indonesia squire with a blender on it much better quality work on the neck. That is probably one of the few things he got right. Indonesia has a lot better quality.
When you buy any guitar, not only cheap one, you have to do some very important adjustments before you start using it (adust the neck, action, tighten all screws and tuners, flatten frets' edges, etc.). There is 99% of probability that the guitar is not playable in its out-of-the-box state (it's so called storage setup). And buy a set of new strings before adjustments - you're definitely gonna need it. It's useless to complain on action or loose neck before you bring the guitar in its playable state.
+SteelyGlow Good call. Your right. Fender is good abt this, I got one thru the mail and it was set up well. Intonation, action, frets, and pickup height done well. and everything was tighten down. But yeah most of lower priced stuff is practically falling apart out of the box. Well worth checking either way to see whats up or down on the instrument. I like that you mentioned it tho. Some easy fixes can make alot nicer guitar.
I don't think it's so much about any notion of a "storage setup"...I suspect that if you were to play most of these instruments as they went thru the QC line, most folks would be surprised at just how wonderfully playable they are AT THAT POINT. There are several other factors to consider though - How long did a given instrument sit in a warehouse? How often was a given instrument shipped and re-shipped before it got to the store (or your door)? The fact of the matter here is that from the moment a guitar goes into it's shipping box at the factory to the time it reaches the shelves (or a customer's door), that guitar has already had an often brutal life! LOL! Those boxes at the factory get stacked on pallets and often stuffed away in a warehouse for a while (give or take whether they're needed to fill a particular order), then they get shuffled and re-stacked when they go out the door to a shipping facility where they may get knocked around on trucks, bumped around on planes and subjected to all sorts of temperature and humidity extremes. From there they may go into another warehouse for a while (such as with MF or AMS) where they wait for an order, only to be re-shipped again. In the case of brick and mortar stores, they often come out of the box and get immediately shoved up on a shelf where they may get beat on by every weekend wanker who walks past...yet people wonder why these instruments may be a bit wonkey when you pick them up, LOL! And none of that even includes the "green wood" factor...people forget that these instruments are -mass produced- and in a situation where a given company (say Fender) is running a really high production on a given month, the wood that goes into that instrument may or may not be completely dry (even though it's been thru a kiln). In the case of a brand new guitar, regardless of price or origin, I always suggest people give the instrument 6 months to a year for that new wood to really "settle in". That neck that seems to go wonky on an inexpensive guitar may simply be due to green'ish wood that's still very much in the drying process (which is also what causes so much "fret sprout" as well). In other words, it's not like these instruments receive the same kind of treatment as say, a Stradivarius violin being sold at a Christies auction. That all said, you are absolutely correct in that it is very much about "set up". Far too many people confuse the concept of a good setup with the quality of the instrument itself. I've never known whether this was simply a matter of ignorance or simply a way for people to rationalize their own preconceptions, however as I've said elsewhere many/most inexpensive instruments can play quite well with a decent setup (and a bit of work), however even a $4000 Custom Shop instrument will play like complete CRAP with a poor setup.
Buying an used guitar from a good store is the best deal you could do. I've bought my Jackson DK2M that way, came with 3-month warranty and all set up (keep in mind it's a Floyd Rose so it wouldn't come cheap) by the store owner who is a luthier. If you go to these smaller stores you'll get the best service for sure, even if it's not properly adjusted ask for it to be included, they'll most likely do it for you.
After watching this video I searched for an old Squeir and was lucky enough to got Japanese one, 33 years old. And it's so amazingly good, I can't believe it! For me it's much much better even than Classic Vibe.
I've had plenty of Squire guitars, including their top of the line, Classic Vibe. The one that I've liked the most was a Bullet. It was something special about that guitar, the thin body, the light weight, the neck, it was also sounding excellent with some aftermarket pickups. All I did to it was basic setup, filled the fret wire a bit, adjusted the truss rod, intonation, and it was good to go. I think that any guitar player should know how to do these stuff. Maybe excepting fret wire leveling, other things are a necessity for any electric guitar owner. It's like buying a great audio amplifier and not using any knobs. People that start out aren't idiots. They have the internet, they will encounter tons of articles, forum posts and TH-cam videos about this stuff. I've never got a guitar that didn't require basic setup, no matter the price. I think that I've sold/exchanged over 20 guitars over time, but that Bullet it's the only guitar that I regret giving away. An $100 guitar it's just great for a beginner right now. The quality control is great, especially on Squires and any single one of them have the ability to sound like a guitar that costs 10 times more. It will feel like one too. If you would be in a blind test, you probably wouldn't be able to make the difference between original Bullet pickups and the ones that come with American Standard or higher priced guitars.
i agree! i bought the bullet hss limited ed as a second guitar and honestly it's a very fun guitar to play. It's comfortable and i like the action it has.
Thank you, I'll never let go of it no matter what. I bought the bullet new for$80 I been playing it for over 20years. I had it customized and I know the pick ups are weak, but I won't change them. The bullut squire is a great guitar, has everything, don't need all those ad on things and I like the wider neck, as long as it's smooth and has minimal neck relief. I love this guitar I need this guitar.
Some are better than others, I’m just learning and picked up a 2004 Affinity Strat for $60. It has beautifully finished frets and nice machine heads. It has crap pickups but those are easily swapped
I bought a Squier Affinity in 2013 for £145 (new) [gold logo, says affinity series on the headstock - Made in china. Old school saddles 6 screw bridge, oiled neck.] I don't know if its just because its the guitar I learned on but Its to this day one of the most comfortable guitars I've ever played. The neck is very thin and the frets are all polished nicely. In terms of setup I've done little more than set the truss rod and lower the action. It doesn't sound that great by any means but it feels fantastic! Great guitar to learn on from my experience!
I'm the same but I bought my affinity back in 1997 and never ever had a problem. I don't think it's fair to tar all affinity models with the same shitty brush. Maybe the UK got better shipments and America got the crap it deserves. lol
Hey now we designed the Strat after all lol My affinity also plays really nice too, I took some light steel wool to the back of the neck and it feels amazing
I, too, feel that snubbing the Affinity is hasty. Had a pair of 'em years back - I had one of each fretboard, - One was a 50th ann. with the gold plate on back of the headstock saying so, and the other a '96or'7, if memory serves, both were "Vintage", both were the white-gone-cream color, and with a simple "shampoo & set" they were both quite awesome and worthy instruments. Both were better playing guitars than my friend's "real" Strat, hands down!
I have several guitars and my Affinity Tele is the best of the bunch. I've never played a guitar as good as that is to play. The best advice is, play before you buy. You can find magic in the budget ranges.
Thanks for your honest opinions from someone who plays a lot of different guitars. Squires can be easily moded and "properly setup" and turned into a very decent instrument at 1/3 the cost of a USA product. Not everyone has $1500 to spend on a guitar so these represent great value especially for someone starting out.
my mate came over to pick up her new affinity tele (sent to my address) this morning, and it was frankly a staggeringly good guitar for the small cost. I was amazed how good it was. the finish was superb, it was setup perfectly, great neck, the machine heads were excellent quality etc.
I have an Affinity Tele in Race Green. Plays brilliantly, sounds gorgeous (just like an american standard for instance) and weighs pretty light in my opinion. Worth the buck I must say!
John Kochen but you can overcome the risk of buying a lemon by purchasing in store after you’ve had a play with it. I’ve got a Squier Bass (10 year old Affinity serious Jazz Bass) that still plays like a dream since I brought it home. I played other Squiers and Fenders in the store and bought the one I liked best that I could afford. I have never regretted that purchase. He’ll I even have an 82 Hondo strat copy inherited from my dad that I would play in front of people without embarrassment, and that’s arguably one of the worst guitars ever built. So my point with regard to these cheaper instruments is, buy the instrument that you liked playing in the store rather than ordering online. You’ll avoid the lemons.
I just got an Affinity Tele Butter Scotch Blonde with a maple neck and satin finish. The old affinity might not have been good but now that it's 2018, they feel just like a MIM Tele. So if it's older maybe avoid that but everyone who has tried mine or has their own, never needed a set up. Stays in tune fairly well and it's 200 USD. Get them while you can. Make sure it has a gold logo and a black nut
The Stagemaster 7 string is an excellent guitar. Only the 7 string has specs that match the sound.
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I don't really have a reference because I only have one electric guitar, to which I've gotten used to. It's a Squier Affinity Strat and it was made in Indonesia, which makes a huge difference apparently. It was tried by a few more experienced guitarists and all of them said it's a great instrument. Especially if you use the neck pickup. It has a surprising amount of low end, so it's great for blues and it's also quite good for jazzy sounds. I haven't had any problems with the build quality either.
What's the point of reviewing a guitar if your guitar sound is drenched in reverb and effects?? Nice breakdown of the build but could've focused on the sound a little bit more.
My first guitar was a 2000 Affinity Strat I got second hand for about £80...I dug it out a few months ago and it's genuinely a nice guitar! Ridiculously easy to play, nice bluesy tone from the neck pickup, maybe they were better made back then?
I love Squier. :) Im a lefty guitarist and I bought a used lefty Squier Standard and its coming in a few days. Ive owned Squiers and Fenders and I love both. I have no preference. Theyre both made by the same company and Im not a brand snob. Im proud to play both Fender and Squier. :)
The JV Squier, for the first year or so, used hardware parts made by Fender America... These were there same parts used for a USA Strat and Tele... These guitars are every bit if not better than the American counterparts during that time frame...
***** Oh, I think they were better. I think Fender thought they were better, too, which is why they finally wrested the company from the grip of CBS. They knew they couldn't compete globally if CBS was in control.
I can totally agree with this. They are still fairly easy to find and worth the extra cash, because they are still much cheaper than the American made Fender's of today.
***** When did squire use parts from fender USA? Like 1980 -83 by 1984 US negotiated with china' and stole our intellectual properties, i swear they make the best dope anywhere pipe dope
i prefer the vintage modifiled. duncan designed pickups!, it has my favorite materials for guitars (Basswood body, Mape neck, Rosewood fretboard), and it's defenetley one of the only squiers that accualy worth the amount of money you are spending by buying a cheap guitar
Every squier I've had has been great. Several years ago I walked in to GC with $600 bucks, ready to buy a Fender and walked out with a $350 Classic Vibe Jazz bass. Wasn't trying to save money, it was just that much better. I've also had two bullet strats and the fret work was cleaner than my American made Gibson SGs. Went to GC to sell some stuff a couple days ago and glanced at an Epiphone G400(SG) and the binding had red stain on the top side near the fret board from when they finished the body, never seen anything like that on a squier.. I've had my share of expensive Guitars, just traded in a 1970 SG to pay some bills and ordered a Guild Starfire with the money I had leftover. But I would go to war with even the cheapest Squier any day of the week, and that's coming from a Gibson fan.
I’ve played plenty of affinity strats and teles ... absolutely nothing wrong with them. You are thinking of bullets buddy. I keep an affinity as a bang around but it plays as good as any of my so called higher end guitars like my fender or tokai .
25 minute video and less that one minute of actual playing. Not much of a review, actually. To say avoid an affinity strat at all costs really shows his lack of overall knowledge of fender guitars.
Honestly, I hear nothing wrong with these guitars, but I think that the reviews of this guitar should be done with cleans and/or a light crunch, which is, in my opinion, the way strats were meant to be played. Strats should be bright sounding, and I honestly hate the tone of these with distortion. I've played all squiers and when set up properly, they play like butter, as long as you have the fingers. Remember, just my opinion. Thanks!
I totally agree. Strats are meant to be played clean and bright. The distortion here makes these guitars sound like any guitar. I finally bought a fender amp for my strat and it sounds perfect.
I have owned quit a few affinity's and the quality on them is all over the place. I have an Affinity telecaster though that came from the factory a great piece, so nice in fact I left it stock and play it A LOT!!
I think your harsh on the bullet and affinity. They sound amazing compared to alot of other guitars in that price range. I'd even say its best bang for the buck. £115 in the UK for a brand new bullet HSS and they sound and feel way better than some guitars I've paid £400 for. I had a basic strat from one of those amp and guitar deals in 2004 and in later years I simply added a decent pick up on the bridge and it sounded like a £700 fender
ive been playing for about 15 years, and just bought a $65 generic brand strat on ebay. Not even a squier. Changed the pickups. Sounds and plays as good as all my other strats.
I have the Classic Vibe Tele and the Vintage Strat. I absolutely love the Tele! The best guitar for the buck I've ever owned. The Strat plays and sounds as good as any Fender-made Strat. Everything about these particular two (plus the Classic Vibe Jazz Bass) is top-notch. Don't let wood sniffers tell you what to play. Ninety-nine percent of them can't tell the difference.
Hi Steve, Just like to say Im glad to see someone here that puts pricing into perspective. I see so many musicians pushing videos of best budget guitars and then when they mention price seems like $400, even $500 is viewed budget. $200-300 is more a budget guitar bracket. And its totally true you can find great guitars in that price range that are built with exceptional quality. Secondly I would like to mention something about the Squier Affinity. There was an early 2000s Squier Affinity that also had the IC serial numbers and also made in Indonesia. Those were much better than todays Affinity strats. Almost seemed very close to 70s Fender specs when I compared a Stratocaster and Precision bass models of both side by side. I would not say exact specs, but so close. I owned all the Squiers mentioned here accept the last one you mentioned. I would say, the early to mid 2000s Affinity could be fit into this line up in spot 2 or 3. And they can be had from $40-120. Great job there and thank you for giving helpful and informative video.
I own a squier bullet strat with a fender champion amp and I haven't made a single modification to it and it sounds amazing when I play it. It's about the player, a good player can make any guitar sound good. Decent Pickups are like 50 bucks all you have to do is swap out the pickups if you don't find the sound to your liking.
I seen the squire stratocaster vintage THAT EXACT ONE in a guitar store near me for 350, and KNEW the moment i laid eyes on it, and played with the neck and frets, that thats my next guitar from my affinity squire strat. I pray to god that its waiting for me next thursday. Awesome video
Some good stuff here but Squier has been going for so long and there are so few consistencies, it's hard to make generalisations. I think the SE models are actually incredible value if you are up for modding. The earliest YN (1997) Affinity strats are absolute quality guitars. I have a weird CA Axl factory SE model that is good too.
@@joe1969812 I agree. Review the guitar......Not the Amp.Just purchased a Bullet Tele, and played great right out of the box. No fret sprout, intonation spot on, Not sure I'll do any modding at all on it. Maybe locking tuners .
Steve, this is the Squier vlog I've been looking for. Sometimes, the sales folks at Guitar Center, or a smaller privately owned shop, will not give a customer all the info one needs to make an educated decision. Not an intentional whopper, just an omission of some kind. Everyone needs to make a living, I understand. Just being as informed as possible is important for getting the best deal. Thanks.
bought a used squier bullet start with a humbucker in the bridge for $99. best guitar purchase of my life. the action is super low, no frets sticking out, honestly feel like somebody put some love into it before i bought it edit: i have a hofner that i got used for 400 that i can say is equal to or less in terms of playability, that’s how good the squier was i got
I own a bullet stratr and its F-A-N-T-A-S-T-I-C.The only thing i did is just change the pickguard to a red tortoise and i lined the trem springs at the center and i dont know if theyve done anything now.I bought it second hand and the pickups are awesome (i dont know if the previous owner did anything to them,it didnt say anything in the description).So i am satisfied with it,dont know bout chu
The Indonesian Squier's by Cort are great. Anything by Cort Indonesia is a great bargain most times. I got a slightly paint blemished (like a pinhead spot on the back) Bullet Tele for $90. Sounds like an American. Frets are a little sharp but nothing crazy. Put in a $40 Surf 90 and some 500k pots for $10 and it's done. Great guitar for $150 and I got to work on it myself to form a bond with it.
Bullets are shocking! Affinities are good! Apart from fret wear, it's amazing. Stays in tune better than any guitar I've ever owned. Well worth the £99 ish new.
resington True. The Affinity series is actually a super useful platform for modding a guitar. If you want to build a partscaster, play with your spray cans or router, they are things to do it with. My Classic Vibe 50s strat is my favourite guitar, no ifs or buts. I just wish the trem was a better alloy.
resington He didn't actually show a Bullet in the video. It was an SE which is the step above the Affinities. So by rubbishing that one he took out the Affinities in the process. The reality is they are both good for the price. I went from a Bullet (modded to locking tuners) to a CV and frankly I got a better setup on the Indonesian Bullet than the CV. It was just the pickups and tuners that were tinny on the Bullet.
i've been playing guitar for a year and a half on a squier affinity strat and i practice between 1-7 hours a day and am perfectly happy with my guitar. Lower end guitar seem to be antagonised as they are harder to play. So far I have played some great guitars and borrowed some off other people, and they have been easier to play and had a tone that I loved, but I have been though so my with my strat and I love it to death. I think that the challenge of playing a Squier encourages me to play more often, and I recently bought a Fender Champion 50XL amp which makes my guitar sound incredible and like I never thought it would (even thought that amp is crap compared to others - i think its great as before that I had been playing with a VOX pathfinder 10 for 1.5 years). anyway I would love a more expensive guitar, but im fucking broke and I think that having the motivation to play, and people to inspire you and music you love should keep you going on an intstrument. Ive played many instruments and nothing has ever felt right to me before I picked up a guitar. Anyway all i'm saying is that you shouldn't shit on cheap guitars. They can be good too.
Same here. First guitar and I love it. I use D'Addario XLNY strings and it stays in tune quite well (I did lock down the trem). I recorded solo type stuff over a backing track in Bandlab website and it sounds fantastic. Perfect for me to work into solid intermediate level.
A few years ago my mum's friend asked for my advice as her son wanted a guitar for his birthday, and I straight out advised a Squier standard or Deluxe, agreeing with you that the Bullet shouldn't even count. If you put the name on the headstock aside, it came out the box almost perfect, just a quick set up and he's advanced well! Recently he wanted to get a Fender (generally my favourite brand), but instead I said he's best putting the money into some pickups and such, added some Texas Specials, locking tuning pegs, a quick fret job and he saved himself an extra £400 or so, and it plays unbelievably well! Enjoyed the video man!
I'm glad I wasn't the only one thinking this (side note, when I typed "I'm not the only one" , he also said " I'm not the only one" in the video to. Frickin sweet huh?)
"I'll be right back" means one of three things: 1. I'm going for another beer. 2. I'm going to pee. 3. I'm putting in a couple of shifts at the meth lab.
Inaccurate? The best reply for that is "you're inaccurate" lol. Such a blatent statement gets you a teenagers type reply! Greatly accurate video overall!
Ace Frehley welcome to youtube. an ocean on know it all dicks who watch a single video and are now honorary youtube scholars. just dicks waving in the wind as far as the eye can see
@@jaxchiro Don't get a strat, buy a Gibson 339, can't go wrong with that guitar, great sound, great guitar, but get the nut changed to a graphite nut, to stop sticking. I have a Gibson 339, lovely sounding guitar dude,
Lucy, don't get a Deluxe, save your money and buy a decent guitar, Harley Benton Fusion II, FBB, nice Guitar, from THOMANN, around £389, i don't know where you are in the world, take a look at it, plays better than the delux strat. Have you set the delux strat on fire yet??, it burns very well.
I don’t understand how you don’t have 500,000 subs your great at what you do Steve. enjoy all your videos, been a subscriber for years and don’t know how I missed this one?
The blanket statement to avoid affinity series is rough when you're basing it off an affinity bullet strat. For telecasters affinity is great for beginners, tho it is like you said, the Indonesian Affinity Teles are said to be slightly higher in quality than the Chinese affinity teles but the Chinese ones have been getting great feedback too. I bought an china affinity tele, my only telecaster, and it sounds just like a tele and the satin neck feels amazing.
I bought a used Squire Indonesia for 70 bucks just to knock around with. It plays great, feels great and stays in tune. I adjusted the truss rod a little and oiled the saddles and nut with a little graphite oil. Thats it. For 70 bucks extremely happy.
The brightness in the standard pickups is caused by the use of 500k pots instead of 250k. I have half a dozen of these and just changing the vol pot to a 250k makes a world of difference.
The Affinity Squiers are now made in Indonesia too. I played a bunch of low-end Strats in my local music store a few weeks back. I wanted to buy something to mod for my brother. The Indonesian Affinities played great and really sang acoustically. They are all pleked before they leave Cort I was told. I actually ended up buying a 70s Classic Vibe, which sounded much better plugged in but, it played the same as the Affinities. Who knew? I am an Ibanez/Les Paul guy who doesn't own any cheap guitars.lol
If you have a squier bullet with an affinity logo, then you bought a counterfeit squier ... and it probably sounds like crap but it does not means affinity serie is bad. A squier strat affinity is a correct entry level guitar. Provided you have a correct amp, it is a great guitar for a beginner. I think you are misinformed.
@@trillrifaxegrindor4411 Is it easier to scam people who know guitars or total beginners? And what kind of guitar will they buy...? You probably are the type of know-it-all dude that can be fooled by a fake custom shop strat though 😏
I just got a used Squier classic vibe Telecaster with a hard case for $200. Changed strings, cleaned it up, and adjusted the brass saddles and the neck pickup. I LOVE THIS GUITAR! I run it thru an old 100 watt crate amp I bought off craigslist for $80. Great clean tones! Love it!
I have a cousin that works for Rumke, he found a guitar in the garbage. It was a Squier in a Fender USA hard shell case. Luckily he doesn't play guitar so he gave it to me. It was a Squier from the 80's, I don't remember the exact year but it was by far the best Squier I've ever played in every way. The action, the tone, it was even pretty heavy, you could tell it was made pretty well. In my opinion that 80's Squier was equivalent to what a Mexican strat is today.
You're dead wrong, for one thing. That first guitar is NOT a bullet, rather an older SE or SP. Neither is it very close to he affinity line in general. I can't believe you're dogging so hard in the affinity series man lol. I have an affinity Tele, a Classic Vibe Tele and a fender Modern player Tele. The only upgrade I've done to the affinity is some minor fretwork and tossed the stock ceramics for some MIM ceramics that sound much better. Still, it's sad to see the affinity line disgraced by that hunk of junk.
Dog Apparantly you're blind or have no comprehension skills. I own 2 Teles that are awesome quality, the CV 50s and the Fender Modern Player Tele. Both took a lot less work to get up to snuff but both are quite a bit nicer than the affinity. But for the value proposition the affinity is awesome. I also used to have an MIJ 52' reissue which i sold after getting my Plek'd CV, because the CV was better sounding and playing to me.
You're absolutely correct. I own an affinity tele. I played a Mexican tele yesterday in my local shop and the difference was startling. It was literally night and day. I am a bit gutted that I bought the affinity now.
whats wrong with the bullet strat? the one i got was super nice for the price ($120). with it setup and better pickups its a steal in my mind. i would say go check a couple in a store before you buy though i may have gotten a gold nugget but i fell in love with mine. also i just notice how old this video is and that the head-stock on your's is different then mine. saw this video in the recommended btw.
if you played for a week and have zero reference to what a good guitar is,a bullet will be awesome "to you and you alone". if you have played for a couple years and understand quality,desirable options,build quality and pickup selection you will throw a bullet out a moving cars window as fast as the window will roll down.
Same here..Mines made in Indonesia and only cost me $55CAD with a tuner, soft case, effects pedal and good quality patch cord..I'm a beginner and I find it to be great quality and very easy to play.
The ones in the "pack" are different from the ones that are sold by themselves. The logos are the most obvious difference (black vs gold & black). In the case of the Affinity Telecasters; the Indonesian is a string-through, 22 fret masterpiece (by Cort), while the Chinese is a top-loading, 21 fret guitar. And there are other differences.
@@vernonbird4590 that's rather inaccurate, nowadays the standards are made in China and while they have 22 frets they are still made with agathis wood rather than the Adler you get with the cheaper squiers and actual Fenders.
Extremely useful video especially for parents and beginners. Comfort, ability of staying in tune and playability is very important for beginners and kids so that they won't get discouraged from practicing. This really helps people get a decent strat
I have a Squier Bullet made in China and I love it..played great the first time I picked it up. It just felt right for me and I had to have it and walked out of the musicstore with it. I bought it of course, didn't steal it. Hopefully avoid a few comeback comments there. The action was perfect, the neck felt great, tuners work great and better than all that is the pickups,,they sound phenomenal. You can't make bold statements about overall guitar-line quality, in the lower price ranges, because QC may not be so dilligent for every single unit sold. Do you know what is the worst though? a middle aged man throwing up the rock and roll goat horns and saying "dudes" every now and then for no reason at all.
+José Silvestre I saw Joe Satriani on a video playing a cheap strat guitar. He was tearing it up.After he got done he said it was REALLY hard playing on it. That is much of the difference. The ease of play. When you have to struggle to play it induces more fatigue and discouragement. And, wear on your finger tips. I actually have a cheapo "premier" strat copy. Everyone says it sounds good. And, it does. But.. it plays like CRAP. Really hard and I can tell that it doesn't put out exactly what I'm trying to make it do. I can make it sound good. But it is a lot of work.
+Eric Daniels You seem to be over-looking a few things. First and foremost, there's setup...sorry, but you just can't blame a cheap instrument for a poor setup (and particularly with a Strat, there's a lot more that goes into a good setup than most people realize). The fact is that you can have a $4000 Custom Shop instrument and it WILL play like crap with a poor setup...every time. Has NOTHING to do with how much the guitar cost. Regardless of your Satriani video, never make the mistake of confusing "setup" with "quality"...two VERY different things. And gee...what about string gauge? You want finger fatigue, trying playing a Strat with .013's on it the way Stevie Ray Vaughn used to. Yea...sounds great...absolute murder on the fingers! And what about the style of the instrument? Compare a $2000 Gibson ES-335 with even a $600 Fender MIM Standard Strat...even using the same gauge strings, most people will tell you the Strat is "easier to play" (although to someone who grew up with Gibsons, the Strat may feel "loose"). Certainly there are some differences in "tone"...most inexpensive guitars, particularly Strats, usually have crappy pickups and pot metal bridge saddles/trem blocks and such, but a few bucks at Guitar Fetish will usually fix that up in a jiff. Sorry dude, but I own and have played "cheap guitars" that play and sound like instruments costing hundreds, if not thousands of dollars more. Jose hit the nail smack dab on the head there...it's not the gear, it's the person using it. There's guys out there with the most expensive top shelf gear money can buy - who can't play a freakin' note. On the other hand, I've seen guys using the rattiest gear you can imagine, who can bring tears to your eyes because their playing is just THAT good.
I agree with you, but still there are certain instruments that fit you so well you can feel certain "mojo". Other instruments just don't give you that. I just traded a gorgeous mex strat because I didn't feel much when I was playing it. And it was objectively a great instrument, just not for me. As a kid I there was a teacher who would lend me his American Deluxe stratocaster for months at a time. I loved that guitar and I still haven't found one that makes me feel the way that guitar did. The closest is my currrent japanese 80's squier contemporary, which is like the video guy says, insanely good. The pickups were not but that is now taken care of. Edit. the other day I had the chance to try an Squier Tele affinity, I didn't like the neck quality at all, it was all edgy, badly finished and very thick. OTOH I love the Modern Player Thinline Tele. Someday.
Perhaps I'm just a bit more analytical than others, however I try to avoid ethereal notions such as "mojo". I will certainly agree that each and every guitar is certainly unique and has it's own personality and even "voice"...this is the nature of musical instruments in general, however a great deal of this is more about practical aspects of design than anything particularly enigmatic (or dogmatic for that matter). Neck profiles, body shape/weight, etc., are what contribute to that "feel". On that note, yes, I've owned guitars as well which I've sold or traded because they didn't particularly suite my own tastes. I once had a Korean made "Lite Ash" Strat...exceptionally well made instrument to say the least, however in this case the V neck, the copper trem block and the Duncan pickups all contributed to an instrument that I just didn't care for. That's not to say this instrument didn't have any "mojo", it simply wasn't an instrument that suited my own tastes and playing style. I can't speak much to the Affinity Tele you played, as much of that depends on where/when it was made and if it's an older instrument, how well it's been maintained. It should go without saying that lower priced instruments often don't receive the setups that even mid-priced instruments due...often they come out of the box and go right on the shelf. What's more is that the majority of people who buy such instrument really have little clue what a "fret dressing" is, so such instrument seldom go into a shop to have such issues properly addressed. Personally, I have an '09 Affinity Tele which I had picked up a few years back to use as something of an art project...while I'm not crazy about Teles in general, this Affinity, like most modern Squiers, is an exceptional instrument for the money. Conversely, I've played a number of American made Strats over the 30+ years I've been playing and personally - I just don't care for them. They're reasonably well built, however I've NEVER cared for the 2 point trems and the pickups on contemporary MIA's just suck in my not so humble opinion. They're also horribly over-priced for what you get...if you set your preconceptions aside and do an honest comparison between MIM's and MIA's, you don't get much at all for that MIA even though you're paying nearly twice the price. I'm not saying that all Squiers are great here...where MIM's and MIA's have always had a fair degree of consistency since their introduction, Squier can often be all over the board. I've also owned a pair of Korean made Squier Strats from the early 90's that honestly, wouldn't even constitute decent canoe paddles...low end laminate bodies, inferior hardware, horrible pickups, etc.. On the other hand, I also own a Japanese made Squire Strat...one of the infamous E-series...that's truly one of the finest instruments I've ever seen come from Fender. Short of CS, American Strats just aren't THAT good...quite literally some of the best workmanship I've ever seen. The problem is that instead of judging an instrument based on it's own individual merits, guitar "X" compared with guitar "Y", a lot of people have unjustified preconceptions regarding these instruments. Unfortunately, the Squire name still has a bit of a stigma attached to it, so many people don't really give them fair consideration. That said, again having played for over 30 years, I very much remember the budget instruments of the mid-80's...brands like Memphis, Lotus, Cort, Hondo, et. al., and I have to say that for similar comparative money, the contemporary CIC Squire Affinities and even some of the Bullets are simply superior instruments - FAR better than much of the firewood that came out in the days of yore! LOL! At the end of the day, it's really just a matter of perspective - the "best" guitar, regardless of price, color, options, country of origin, etc., is simply the guitar you enjoy playing. For myself, that's usually the early - mid-90's MIM's (after some tweaks)...your mileage may vary.
This video is, right now, 4 years old. And from what I've seen from many other reputable players the Fender Bullet has been improved, a little. Right now pretty much everywhere it's going for $149.00, guitar only. But it's still the bottom feeder of Squiers, but apparently not quite as deep down.
"Avoid Affinity at all costs"? That seems a little extreme to me. They can make a very solid foundation for adding some new pickups and hardware and become much better guitars than they were priced to be.
after spending $300 on new pickups,tuners and bridge as well as all electronics you would be ten thousand times further ahead to start with a guitar costing an extra $50-$200 and ending up with a superior product,do you "math" ? do you "common sense" ? your logic is not only flawed,its fucking stupid...........
If you take all the gain and reverb of it may actually be possible to hear what they sound like, because they all sound the same with all the distortion you use ,,
Yo, what's up man! You posted this video on my 35th birthday, how cool! Three years later, and I'm watching it now and gave it a like and subscribed to your channel. Thinking about getting a Squier Bullet series telecaster. I like the string through body on it that the classic vibes don't have. Plus i heard that their pickups sounded better.
I just bought a Squier affiinity Tele, and it has the smoothest satin finish and best intonation of all my Fenders. I'm thinking that the red Strat is now called the Deluxe. The giveaway is the bright pickups and the two point bridge.
I have a classic vibe tele like that tv yellow whatever with a quartersawn neck, figured, like to strip the neck and body they put so much finish over it OMG, its why keep it form being on a stand .. SQ's are 70's strat and like contemporary, they never made an SQ 50's or 60's
+Hacked Tutorials can you give me a link or something from those guitars? PPl say they are one of the bests price quality guitars, but ive never found them on sale online. help me plz xD
+Hacked Tutorials thx alot, but the price is very high xD, i cant w8 to start playing guitar but i should not buy something that price, i dont even know how to play, i was looking some squires because they have nice starter packs, etc... ive seen some toturials of how to chose ur first guitar or stuff like price quality guitars and they talk about that squier model... but think it is not the smartest decision right now
Not a starter pack axe, and I do all my own work, setup cost me a set of strings. I have a few "cheap" guitars and they play and sound just as good as my "high-end" ones. Most times you pay for the name and the quality is subpar Gibson is a good example.
An excellent and thoughtful group of comparisons. Good job. Many thanks. The biggest, most surprising and pleasing surprise I've had for years with a guitar has been the Squier Mini Strat. Tuned to standard then, yes, with the shorter scale, there can be real problems with tuning stability and intonation BUT when tuned up to ADGCEA it has been a revelation and, of course, is the same as playing a guitar capo'd at the 5th. All tuning issues have disappeared. Stability has been amazing. And for the price, it a no-brainer. I also have a Squier Standard. You're right when you say that it's "a surprisingly good guitar'. I also agree with your thoughts about the comfort and smoothness of the neck and the excellence of fretting. Again, for the money, it's been an excellent buy. I keep mine with the bridge locked right down as I never use the vibrato arm. If I have a niggle it's that the tone controls don't offer much of a range but that's OK with me as I tend to adjust tone by playing in different places between bridge and the end of the fretboard. On another review I heard the comment that guitars made in Indonesia seem to have a more 'creamy' tone and that is what I've found with this Standard and a couple of other electrics made there. No idea why that should be, but it does seem to be right.
You are 100% right Steve, on the significance of the Squire Decal, stay well away from a black Squire decal they are made of Plywood.,as some of the Silver decals are not always solid wood. Without a doubt the best quality Telecaster Squires were built in Korea, mid-80s to 1996, especially those from 1995 and 1996, if you have a Strat or Tele with serial number begin SN5 or SN6, made by Cort, these were made to relaunch the Squire Brand so they were trying to impress. I got a demo model from Albert Lee's son Wayne when he worked in a guitar shop in Lewisham London. I still have it, now with the Gold decal you are assured that the guitar is all solid wood, mine has a maple neck and Alder body its a top loader and the Stock PUPS are Fender Japan, I changed the bridge pup with a Joe Barden also the harness and pots to Seymour Duncan. If you can find one of those 1995 or 96 Deluxe Teles buy it. They are as good as any MIJ, and have superior quality on Fullarton-made USA Teles, of around 1985/86 during the dreadful CBS worst Fender guitars ever made. Ally. also check ou Fender Telecaster Swamp Ash limited editions made early 2000 to 20008 made in Korea with Seynmour Duncan PUPS stock. I have two pre CBS Tele's a 1960 and a 1961, and I, pick this swamp ash up before them. Ally.
I play on a Squire Affinity made in China model. There is not a single defect on the entire guitar. If I compare it to a Fender from the 70's it beats about half of their lineup from then. The minute difference in those Squires is definitely a first world problem you are talking about.
+knucklesprayer Epiphone's don't really have a series, just specific models. But in my opinion, most Epiphone models are really good in terms of built quality and are worth the money. However, I would probably stay away from the models that have the bolt on neck feature, like the Les Paul 100 or the SG 100.
or parents could just buy there kid a nice used Mexican standard for a cheap awesome first guitar I see them all the time at pawn shops and on craigslist for as cheap as 200 to 300 dollars
The affinity series is the perfect guitar when bought used to learn how to do fret work and start the modify rabbit path. The 60 or 70 bucks to buy is like paying tuition ha! Great video. Love you content.
Totally agree. I bought one not just to (re) learn how to play, but to learn about set up & modding too. It's going to be awesome when done. I think people will struggle to believe it's "just" a Squier when I'm through.
runlarryrun77 man I did so much to mine. It’s a tele. I’m doing another one for a friend now. If you want to check mine out go on to Instagram, dannycpace is my handle.
I've been playing guitar for over 20 years. Just bought a Squier Affinity and love it. Once the guitar is setup properly (many guitar stores do that for free when you buy a new guitar) it plays wonderfully. As with any guitar purchase, pick the guitar up and play it for a while. If it feels good and sounds good, it doesn't matter if it was made in China or if someone on TH-cam says it's crap.
My first guitar, had it for 3 years, MIC, no issues, no wearing down, I just locked the trem because it's such a thin block I'm more concerned with tuning stability.
I picked up a 2008 affinity for $100 at a yard sale, gave it a proper setup and it will out play my fender American standard
@Andy Witmyer Most likely things like a correct action height, intonation, making sure the truss rod is well set up, etc. This could also go further in the fret leveling department/ rolling the fretboard. Small changes drastically bump up the quality, since even high end guitars start out with a rougher feel, however you pay for the man hours to make it play like butter.
Yea he lumps the bullet and the affinity together.. the Bullet retails for 250 dollars in my country, the Affinity 599 dollars. With a bit of work on fret ends and a good set up there's nothing wrong with the affinity. Change the pickups and challenge anyone to notice a difference Between that and a vastly more expensive strat! This video is only one person's opinion. Lol
@@jjryan1352 Replace the tuners and the nut. Once you're locked into a hardtail, the bridge is less of an issue...(if it's a 6 screw bridge, they are junk - as stated in the viud, you need a 2 point trem bridge for better tuning/usability). I have a cheap Tele I paid $125 for, and also a Solo kit Tele. I did theses changes and massaged the frets on both and their tuning stability is rock-solid.
Everyone has an opinion but I'll keep my Affinity. I started with it and it sounds great to this day.
Norman Byrne are all of the squire affinities the same. meaning if i get one from early 2000s would it be the same as the ones made today.
I have Afinity and is very good..the neck is very confortable..
@@moosetracks656 There is a site out there somewhere....which lists the Squier factories. If I remember...there are like 15 different factories that have made Squiers. Many times...it's the same 'ghost' company(like Cort)...but, they use their factories in different countries. Anyway...to answer your question....They are all slightly different and use different woods depending on availability.
Norman Byrne so the problem is, in 2016 squire moves all the manufacturing to Indonesia and everything got a huge bump in quality (bullet and affinity) I still recommend the affinity over the bullet even though the price jump the tuners on the bullet is just terrible everything else on all of them now are amazing
Chinese and Indonesian Squiers are good guitars out of the box. It doesn't hurt to do a set up, that's one of the ways they keep them affordable. From what I understand experienced players like them because their necks are comfortable. In my opinion the weakest part about them are the pots and switches. I'm a pretty big fan of the ceramic pick ups. I have a Chinese Squier Strat and my first upgrades are going to be bridge, but and tuners. Lastly the pots and switch and maybe the jack or Maybe nothing because I love it as is.
i think you are misinformed the bullet line is cheaper than the affinity
You're right. He's was holding a bullet and criticising the affinity. The range goes Bullet then California then Affinity then Standard ... an Indonesian affinity (IC - Cort) is a decent lightweight unit that plays well and stays in tune - a great beginner guitar.
I got an Affinity J Bass 3 years ago & it’s still playing great. Smooth fret ends & the pick ups still sound decent. It was €300 with an amp, tuner & some other accessories. I’ve heard other people say they weren’t happy with their Affinities. Maybe I was just lucky!
Richard Dean agreed. I’ve got an Indonesian Affinity and made minor mods, American Fender hardware etc. and I’d put it up against anything in the $700 range. My luthier calls it a one in a thousand. Says I got lucky. Ok, cool. ✌️🎸
@@richarddean1810 classic vibe before standard.
Affinity series squiers are actually fairly decent for what they cost. The bullet strat models are fairly awful despite the bullet Telecasters and Mustangs being pretty decent for the price.
I own a lefty Squier Standard Strat and let me tell you something... This is my go to guitar. The neck on this bastard is un fucking real. Its the best Strat I ever owned, and Ive owned several lefty Fenders.. And you know what? The Squier is still my go to guitar. In fact, after I die, I want to be buried with it. Its that fucking good.
I recently bought two 2019/2021 affinty squier strats. Exceptionally well setup from factory, amazing build quality and nicely finished. Nothing to complain at all.
Mr. PixxyLixx, I bought an Affinity Telecaster, made in China, from Guitar Center, for $169, Butterscotch Blonde. I took it to be set up by a professional guitar luthier. He said it was better wood and neck than many made in USA Fenders or Gibsons. Even though the pickups were ceramic, the luthier pronounced them quite good.
kitthevideoman i would immediately switch luthiers or don't share crystal meth/crack with your luthier before assessing guitars.you understand your statement is complete bullshit i hope?if you don't your going to be having quite a buffet of bullshit fed to you your entire life,don't be so gullible.
kitthevideoman To Kit: I have the same guitar, set up by "straight out of the box'; plays and sounds like a dream. Pickups great range and depth of tone. Telecaster/affinity/ China. Dont let anybody fool you, the chinese can make as good a guitar as anybody. Ditto the Squier affinity stratocaster in black sparkle with humbucker bridge pickup. If you want to pay a few more bucks for Seymour's designed p,ups - the Vintage modified 70,s strat is simply incredibleguitar. Like sound of P90,s? Grab the Telecustom 2 VM , and the Squier Classic Vibe 50
Yeah right, a 2x4 has better wod quality then a Squier Affinity.
+trillriff-axegrinder If you don't SEE and MEASURE something and DON'T HAVE PROOF, cease uninformed comments!
Lay off the acid dude, it's bad for your chops. Affinity Squiers are crap, I've played a metric crap load of them, and I've never found one that was on the level of a MIA,MIM, or MIJ instrument. And you had the Stone's guitar tech on hand to look at a Squier? I sense a load of bullshit, you're either a worthless troll, or a very misinformed person.
Squier guitars are one of the best bang for you bucks beginner/budget guitars in my opinion
I agree...I learned on a Squier that I still have and play.
My first guitar was a squire affinity strat. I still play it regularly. The trem messes up the tuning but besides that I have no complaints
BeerAndBeards amen to that
BeerAndBeards Love my Butterscotch Tele.
Dave Walsh Isn't it one of the most outstanding guitars you've ever played???? I still can't believe that they're MIC!!!!!
Had my affinity strat (made in Indonesia) for 9 years. It's been great and after picking up guitar again after a break for a few years I still love it. Electric blue with a rosewood fret board. Love the sound and I play bluegrass and rock n roll.
Those Indonesian Squires are good.
I have a 2005 made there. I upgraded the pickups from Planet Waves. It sounds awesome now.
What’s the blues tone like on it
I own 3 Affinity series Squier guitars. One Tele and two Strats. I love them all, and I feel like they are very well made for the price point. I feel like if you want better pickups, then you buy the pickups you like or want, and upgrade. If you have sharp fret ends, learn to file them and clean them up and polish them. Want better tuners? Buy a better set and replace what you don't like. I own Fender Strats (American and MIM), and I have to say, for cheaper guitars, the Affinity really impressed me. That's why I have 3 now! I still like the video though. I do like your insight, and I appreciate your opinion.
Why do you need so many of the same guitar? XD
@@Remu- Different pickups, different tuning, different playing styles, different hardware. Just because a strat is a strat doesn't mean they're all the same.
@@md93-z5e Actually my comment came across a little wrong and I get your point. I just personally would rather get a Fender Player series with the same money it costs to buy 3 Affinities.
I think he’s mistaking affinity and the bullet. I have an affinity tele with the gold logo and it’s a pretty good guitar.
no,it isnt but because you own it you feel the need to defend your "poor choice" in guitars
He does!
so do I I paid 179 for a butternut tele I am always in awe of my tele. sound It is made in china. i do have a indonesia squire with a blender on it much better quality work on the neck. That is probably one of the few things he got right. Indonesia has a lot better quality.
trillrif axegrindor okay whatever
yes it's definitely the bullet that's the cheapest...
Wow I didn't know the Affinity neck was 1 mm thicker. That's like 40 thousandths of an inch. That's like a whole twelve hairs.
uhhh actually 1/25 on an in
fuck you , Which is 40 thousandths 🙄
More importantly the nut is about a millimeter narrower on the affinities too
yeah, it will burn well
@Steve Fitz they burn very well
When you buy any guitar, not only cheap one, you have to do some very important adjustments before you start using it (adust the neck, action, tighten all screws and tuners, flatten frets' edges, etc.). There is 99% of probability that the guitar is not playable in its out-of-the-box state (it's so called storage setup). And buy a set of new strings before adjustments - you're definitely gonna need it. It's useless to complain on action or loose neck before you bring the guitar in its playable state.
+SteelyGlow Good call. Your right. Fender is good abt this, I got one thru the mail and it was set up well. Intonation, action, frets, and pickup height done well. and everything was tighten down.
But yeah most of lower priced stuff is practically falling apart out of the box. Well worth checking either way to see whats up or down on the instrument.
I like that you mentioned it tho. Some easy fixes can make alot nicer guitar.
+Nick Wagner Once, I have seen a brand new Fender Stratocaster in a store that was not usable as it. The bridge was a mess.
I don't think it's so much about any notion of a "storage setup"...I suspect that if you were to play most of these instruments as they went thru the QC line, most folks would be surprised at just how wonderfully playable they are AT THAT POINT. There are several other factors to consider though - How long did a given instrument sit in a warehouse? How often was a given instrument shipped and re-shipped before it got to the store (or your door)? The fact of the matter here is that from the moment a guitar goes into it's shipping box at the factory to the time it reaches the shelves (or a customer's door), that guitar has already had an often brutal life! LOL! Those boxes at the factory get stacked on pallets and often stuffed away in a warehouse for a while (give or take whether they're needed to fill a particular order), then they get shuffled and re-stacked when they go out the door to a shipping facility where they may get knocked around on trucks, bumped around on planes and subjected to all sorts of temperature and humidity extremes. From there they may go into another warehouse for a while (such as with MF or AMS) where they wait for an order, only to be re-shipped again. In the case of brick and mortar stores, they often come out of the box and get immediately shoved up on a shelf where they may get beat on by every weekend wanker who walks past...yet people wonder why these instruments may be a bit wonkey when you pick them up, LOL! And none of that even includes the "green wood" factor...people forget that these instruments are -mass produced- and in a situation where a given company (say Fender) is running a really high production on a given month, the wood that goes into that instrument may or may not be completely dry (even though it's been thru a kiln). In the case of a brand new guitar, regardless of price or origin, I always suggest people give the instrument 6 months to a year for that new wood to really "settle in". That neck that seems to go wonky on an inexpensive guitar may simply be due to green'ish wood that's still very much in the drying process (which is also what causes so much "fret sprout" as well). In other words, it's not like these instruments receive the same kind of treatment as say, a Stradivarius violin being sold at a Christies auction.
That all said, you are absolutely correct in that it is very much about "set up". Far too many people confuse the concept of a good setup with the quality of the instrument itself. I've never known whether this was simply a matter of ignorance or simply a way for people to rationalize their own preconceptions, however as I've said elsewhere many/most inexpensive instruments can play quite well with a decent setup (and a bit of work), however even a $4000 Custom Shop instrument will play like complete CRAP with a poor setup.
Buying an used guitar from a good store is the best deal you could do. I've bought my Jackson DK2M that way, came with 3-month warranty and all set up (keep in mind it's a Floyd Rose so it wouldn't come cheap) by the store owner who is a luthier. If you go to these smaller stores you'll get the best service for sure, even if it's not properly adjusted ask for it to be included, they'll most likely do it for you.
True but his argument is that the parents buying the guitar probably aren't going to know and the child probably won't either.
After watching this video I searched for an old Squeir and was lucky enough to got Japanese one, 33 years old. And it's so amazingly good, I can't believe it! For me it's much much better even than Classic Vibe.
Nice !
I'm jealous. I owned an early 90's Japanese squire in my teens and like an idiot I parted with it! One of my biggest ever regrets! 😒
I've just bought a 93 silver series, and this things a serious bit of kit
I've had plenty of Squire guitars, including their top of the line, Classic Vibe. The one that I've liked the most was a Bullet. It was something special about that guitar, the thin body, the light weight, the neck, it was also sounding excellent with some aftermarket pickups.
All I did to it was basic setup, filled the fret wire a bit, adjusted the truss rod, intonation, and it was good to go. I think that any guitar player should know how to do these stuff. Maybe excepting fret wire leveling, other things are a necessity for any electric guitar owner. It's like buying a great audio amplifier and not using any knobs.
People that start out aren't idiots. They have the internet, they will encounter tons of articles, forum posts and TH-cam videos about this stuff. I've never got a guitar that didn't require basic setup, no matter the price.
I think that I've sold/exchanged over 20 guitars over time, but that Bullet it's the only guitar that I regret giving away.
An $100 guitar it's just great for a beginner right now. The quality control is great, especially on Squires and any single one of them have the ability to sound like a guitar that costs 10 times more. It will feel like one too.
If you would be in a blind test, you probably wouldn't be able to make the difference between original Bullet pickups and the ones that come with American Standard or higher priced guitars.
i agree! i bought the bullet hss limited ed as a second guitar and honestly it's a very fun guitar to play. It's comfortable and i like the action it has.
Thank you, I'll never let go of it no matter what. I bought the bullet new for$80 I been playing it for over 20years. I had it customized and I know the pick ups are weak, but I won't change them.
The bullut squire is a great guitar, has everything, don't need all those ad on things and I like the wider neck, as long as it's smooth and has minimal neck relief.
I love this guitar
I need this guitar.
I got myself a classic vibe 60's strat and holy moly, it's SO good
I got the black edition 50s vibe strat and it's a great guitar
@@klr-canary7100 They truly are! I'm still jamming with it every day :p
I love my Squire affinity strat.
dominque dudink I love mine too but it’s time to get a better guitar 😪
@@troyhall605
Have you decided which one?
I am left hand beginner and I am thinking to buy the squier Affinity.
Some are better than others, I’m just learning and picked up a 2004 Affinity Strat for $60. It has beautifully finished frets and nice machine heads. It has crap pickups but those are easily swapped
If you have an Indonesian-made Affinity Strat, probably that’s why. They’re by far better than the Chinese ones from how we played it.
@@guardianobserver6593 get the made in Indonesia!
I bought a Squier Affinity in 2013 for £145 (new) [gold logo, says affinity series on the headstock - Made in china. Old school saddles 6 screw bridge, oiled neck.] I don't know if its just because its the guitar I learned on but Its to this day one of the most comfortable guitars I've ever played. The neck is very thin and the frets are all polished nicely. In terms of setup I've done little more than set the truss rod and lower the action. It doesn't sound that great by any means but it feels fantastic! Great guitar to learn on from my experience!
I'm the same but I bought my affinity back in 1997 and never ever had a problem. I don't think it's fair to tar all affinity models with the same shitty brush. Maybe the UK got better shipments and America got the crap it deserves. lol
Hey now we designed the Strat after all lol
My affinity also plays really nice too, I took some light steel wool to the back of the neck and it feels amazing
Lee Sanderson I bought one for 30 quid last week.. changed the strings from 9s to 10s....sounds amazing.....lot of guitar snobbery going on.
I, too, feel that snubbing the Affinity is hasty.
Had a pair of 'em years back - I had one of each fretboard, - One was a 50th ann. with the gold plate on back of the headstock saying so, and the other a '96or'7, if memory serves, both were "Vintage", both were the white-gone-cream color, and with a simple "shampoo & set" they were both quite awesome and worthy instruments. Both were better playing guitars than my friend's "real" Strat, hands down!
Have the exact same one (same year, too). Bought an epiphone korina explorer to replace the strat but I keep going back to it, feels amazing.
I have several guitars and my Affinity Tele is the best of the bunch. I've never played a guitar as good as that is to play.
The best advice is, play before you buy. You can find magic in the budget ranges.
I own (7)Squire’s and I love everyone of them and they range between (1995-2022) from Koren,China,Indonesia,Japan,# OBP Bluesman
Thanks for your honest opinions from someone who plays a lot of different guitars. Squires can be easily moded and "properly setup" and turned into a very decent instrument at 1/3 the cost of a USA product. Not everyone has $1500 to spend on a guitar so these represent great value especially for someone starting out.
my mate came over to pick up her new affinity tele (sent to my address) this morning, and it was frankly a staggeringly good guitar for the small cost. I was amazed how good it was. the finish was superb, it was setup perfectly, great neck, the machine heads were excellent quality etc.
The one's I've tried have great action.
I have an Affinity Tele in Race Green. Plays brilliantly, sounds gorgeous (just like an american standard for instance) and weighs pretty light in my opinion. Worth the buck I must say!
John Kochen but you can overcome the risk of buying a lemon by purchasing in store after you’ve had a play with it.
I’ve got a Squier Bass (10 year old Affinity serious Jazz Bass) that still plays like a dream since I brought it home. I played other Squiers and Fenders in the store and bought the one I liked best that I could afford. I have never regretted that purchase. He’ll I even have an 82 Hondo strat copy inherited from my dad that I would play in front of people without embarrassment, and that’s arguably one of the worst guitars ever built.
So my point with regard to these cheaper instruments is, buy the instrument that you liked playing in the store rather than ordering online. You’ll avoid the lemons.
I just got an Affinity Tele Butter Scotch Blonde with a maple neck and satin finish. The old affinity might not have been good but now that it's 2018, they feel just like a MIM Tele. So if it's older maybe avoid that but everyone who has tried mine or has their own, never needed a set up. Stays in tune fairly well and it's 200 USD. Get them while you can. Make sure it has a gold logo and a black nut
The Stagemaster 7 string is an excellent guitar. Only the 7 string has specs that match the sound.
I don't really have a reference because I only have one electric guitar, to which I've gotten used to. It's a Squier Affinity Strat and it was made in Indonesia, which makes a huge difference apparently. It was tried by a few more experienced guitarists and all of them said it's a great instrument. Especially if you use the neck pickup. It has a surprising amount of low end, so it's great for blues and it's also quite good for jazzy sounds. I haven't had any problems with the build quality either.
What's the point of reviewing a guitar if your guitar sound is drenched in reverb and effects??
Nice breakdown of the build but could've focused on the sound a little bit more.
Sound without reverb feels dead.
@@siddharthsharma8940 Its still the basis for all your added sound. How do we know how dead it is?
P*Funk facts
you arent very bright,are you?
My first guitar was a 2000 Affinity Strat I got second hand for about £80...I dug it out a few months ago and it's genuinely a nice guitar! Ridiculously easy to play, nice bluesy tone from the neck pickup, maybe they were better made back then?
I love Squier. :) Im a lefty guitarist and I bought a used lefty Squier Standard and its coming in a few days. Ive owned Squiers and Fenders and I love both. I have no preference. Theyre both made by the same company and Im not a brand snob. Im proud to play both Fender and Squier. :)
The JV Squier, for the first year or so, used hardware parts made by Fender America... These were there same parts used for a USA Strat and Tele... These guitars are every bit if not better than the American counterparts during that time frame...
***** Oh, I think they were better. I think Fender thought they were better, too, which is why they finally wrested the company from the grip of CBS. They knew they couldn't compete globally if CBS was in control.
I can totally agree with this. They are still fairly easy to find and worth the extra cash, because they are still much cheaper than the American made Fender's of today.
Nathaniel Smith so JV means japanese variant? also are the years too look for are 65 and 85 year models?
Ryanspashai Thanks for straighting this out.... I love those old Squier's.
***** When did squire use parts from fender USA? Like 1980 -83 by 1984 US negotiated with china' and stole our intellectual properties, i swear they make the best dope anywhere pipe dope
i prefer the vintage modifiled. duncan designed pickups!, it has my favorite materials for guitars (Basswood body, Mape neck, Rosewood fretboard), and it's defenetley one of the only squiers that accualy worth the amount of money you are spending by buying a cheap guitar
Bar Goldstein its also (if you change the switch tip, knobs and pickup covers to white or aged white) like david gilmours strat
Love mine with maple neck
Every squier I've had has been great. Several years ago I walked in to GC with $600 bucks, ready to buy a Fender and walked out with a $350 Classic Vibe Jazz bass. Wasn't trying to save money, it was just that much better. I've also had two bullet strats and the fret work was cleaner than my American made Gibson SGs. Went to GC to sell some stuff a couple days ago and glanced at an Epiphone G400(SG) and the binding had red stain on the top side near the fret board from when they finished the body, never seen anything like that on a squier.. I've had my share of expensive Guitars, just traded in a 1970 SG to pay some bills and ordered a Guild Starfire with the money I had leftover. But I would go to war with even the cheapest Squier any day of the week, and that's coming from a Gibson fan.
I’ve played plenty of affinity strats and teles ... absolutely nothing wrong with them. You are thinking of bullets buddy. I keep an affinity as a bang around but it plays as good as any of my so called higher end guitars like my fender or tokai .
I have an 83... just like the one you are holding... Had it since new. Love it. Great guitar.
I have the same one. I bought it brand new for Christmas in 1983. It's a JV three bolt.
really to judge a electric guitar of any make it should be played without any gain or distortion...........
B.S.
ah you must be an american....
+1963strat or a child
Yes, i wanna hear the guitar, not the amp...unless it a amp review.
I agree with 200%, tou cant hear its natural tone. Thats why i hate most reviewers they all do heavy distortion
25 minute video and less that one minute of actual playing. Not much of a review, actually. To say avoid an affinity strat at all costs really shows his lack of overall knowledge of fender guitars.
Yeah he talks too much.
He hasn't a clue
I have an affinity ..beautiful guitar ..I don't agree with his opinion .
So much talk. A couple of strums, many inaccuracies...
After seeing the band Parquet Courts play and seeing the guitar player use an Affinity Tele I was sold. I bought one immediately and loved it to death
I put vintage alnico in both ends and it is just tits. Alder body. This guy is out to lunch. He was mixed up about affinity and bullet badly
when did you bought it? and how do you feel after using it for a long time?
Honestly, I hear nothing wrong with these guitars, but I think that the reviews of this guitar should be done with cleans and/or a light crunch, which is, in my opinion, the way strats were meant to be played. Strats should be bright sounding, and I honestly hate the tone of these with distortion. I've played all squiers and when set up properly, they play like butter, as long as you have the fingers. Remember, just my opinion. Thanks!
I totally agree. Strats are meant to be played clean and bright. The distortion here makes these guitars sound like any guitar. I finally bought a fender amp for my strat and it sounds perfect.
I have owned quit a few affinity's and the quality on them is all over the place. I have an Affinity telecaster though that came from the factory a great piece, so nice in fact I left it stock and play it A LOT!!
Just a heads up- I recently bought a Squier Deluxe used in mint condition for $119. And just. But it. It's freaking incredible.
I think your harsh on the bullet and affinity. They sound amazing compared to alot of other guitars in that price range. I'd even say its best bang for the buck. £115 in the UK for a brand new bullet HSS and they sound and feel way better than some guitars I've paid £400 for. I had a basic strat from one of those amp and guitar deals in 2004 and in later years I simply added a decent pick up on the bridge and it sounded like a £700 fender
ive been playing for about 15 years, and just bought a $65 generic brand strat on ebay. Not even a squier. Changed the pickups. Sounds and plays as good as all my other strats.
you have no feeling in your hands,you have a problem with hearing and you quite possibly are a total moron,this sums up your comment
I have the Classic Vibe Tele and the Vintage Strat. I absolutely love the Tele! The best guitar for the buck I've ever owned. The Strat plays and sounds as good as any Fender-made Strat. Everything about these particular two (plus the Classic Vibe Jazz Bass) is top-notch. Don't let wood sniffers tell you what to play. Ninety-nine percent of them can't tell the difference.
Hi Steve,
Just like to say Im glad to see someone here that puts pricing into perspective. I see so many musicians pushing videos of best budget guitars and then when they mention price seems like $400, even $500 is viewed budget. $200-300 is more a budget guitar bracket. And its totally true you can find great guitars in that price range that are built with exceptional quality.
Secondly I would like to mention something about the Squier Affinity. There was an early 2000s Squier Affinity that also had the IC serial numbers and also made in Indonesia. Those were much better than todays Affinity strats.
Almost seemed very close to 70s Fender specs when I compared a Stratocaster and Precision bass models of both side by side. I would not say exact specs, but so close. I owned all the Squiers mentioned here accept the last one you mentioned. I would say, the early to mid 2000s Affinity could be fit into this line up in spot 2 or 3.
And they can be had from $40-120.
Great job there and thank you for giving helpful and informative video.
I own a squier bullet strat with a fender champion amp and I haven't made a single modification to it and it sounds amazing when I play it. It's about the player, a good player can make any guitar sound good. Decent Pickups are like 50 bucks all you have to do is swap out the pickups if you don't find the sound to your liking.
I seen the squire stratocaster vintage THAT EXACT ONE in a guitar store near me for 350, and KNEW the moment i laid eyes on it, and played with the neck and frets, that thats my next guitar from my affinity squire strat. I pray to god that its waiting for me next thursday. Awesome video
Some good stuff here but Squier has been going for so long and there are so few consistencies, it's hard to make generalisations. I think the SE models are actually incredible value if you are up for modding. The earliest YN (1997) Affinity strats are absolute quality guitars. I have a weird CA Axl factory SE model that is good too.
When you review a guitar, play it undistorted.
Heard that. Cant tell anything with 50 lbs of distortion on it
@@joe1969812 I agree. Review the guitar......Not the Amp.Just purchased a Bullet Tele, and played great right out of the box. No fret sprout, intonation spot on, Not sure I'll do any modding at all on it. Maybe locking tuners .
Rule #1, you get what you pay 4! Rule of thumb, go about the middle of the pack for decent quality and it's not too much more ca$h wise!
Do both - clean and crunchy with single coil AND positions 2 & 4 'hum-cancelling'.
@@dragan4658 idk id usually agree but sometimes just sometimes you can get really lucky with the cheap ones.
me, an Indonesian. who had no idea that they're making squier guitars in my country
Replaced tuners, pickups, and pickguard on bullet strat. Plays like a dream
Keith Clark . He probably changed to hss
Steve, this is the Squier vlog I've been looking for. Sometimes, the sales folks at Guitar Center, or a smaller privately owned shop, will not give a customer all the info one needs to make an educated decision. Not an intentional whopper, just an omission of some kind. Everyone needs to make a living, I understand. Just being as informed as possible is important for getting the best deal. Thanks.
bought a used squier bullet start with a humbucker in the bridge for $99. best guitar purchase of my life. the action is super low, no frets sticking out, honestly feel like somebody put some love into it before i bought it
edit: i have a hofner that i got used for 400 that i can say is equal to or less in terms of playability, that’s how good the squier was i got
I own a bullet stratr and its F-A-N-T-A-S-T-I-C.The only thing i did is just change the pickguard to a red tortoise and i lined the trem springs at the center and i dont know if theyve done anything now.I bought it second hand and the pickups are awesome (i dont know if the previous owner did anything to them,it didnt say anything in the description).So i am satisfied with it,dont know bout chu
The QC can be all over the map on chinese made fenders, or anything for that matter.
The Indonesian Squier's by Cort are great. Anything by Cort Indonesia is a great bargain most times. I got a slightly paint blemished (like a pinhead spot on the back) Bullet Tele for $90. Sounds like an American. Frets are a little sharp but nothing crazy. Put in a $40 Surf 90 and some 500k pots for $10 and it's done. Great guitar for $150 and I got to work on it myself to form a bond with it.
Bullets are shocking! Affinities are good! Apart from fret wear, it's amazing. Stays in tune better than any guitar I've ever owned. Well worth the £99 ish new.
resington True. The Affinity series is actually a super useful platform for modding a guitar. If you want to build a partscaster, play with your spray cans or router, they are things to do it with. My Classic Vibe 50s strat is my favourite guitar, no ifs or buts. I just wish the trem was a better alloy.
resington He didn't actually show a Bullet in the video. It was an SE which is the step above the Affinities. So by rubbishing that one he took out the Affinities in the process.
The reality is they are both good for the price. I went from a Bullet (modded to locking tuners) to a CV and frankly I got a better setup on the Indonesian Bullet than the CV. It was just the pickups and tuners that were tinny on the Bullet.
affinities fret wear is not shocking but not good either. Bullets are just bad to play and sound bad, you really like them??
Get a classic vibe
+Liam Arnold Genau
i've been playing guitar for a year and a half on a squier affinity strat and i practice between 1-7 hours a day and am perfectly happy with my guitar. Lower end guitar seem to be antagonised as they are harder to play. So far I have played some great guitars and borrowed some off other people, and they have been easier to play and had a tone that I loved, but I have been though so my with my strat and I love it to death. I think that the challenge of playing a Squier encourages me to play more often, and I recently bought a Fender Champion 50XL amp which makes my guitar sound incredible and like I never thought it would (even thought that amp is crap compared to others - i think its great as before that I had been playing with a VOX pathfinder 10 for 1.5 years). anyway I would love a more expensive guitar, but im fucking broke and I think that having the motivation to play, and people to inspire you and music you love should keep you going on an intstrument. Ive played many instruments and nothing has ever felt right to me before I picked up a guitar. Anyway all i'm saying is that you shouldn't shit on cheap guitars. They can be good too.
Same here. First guitar and I love it. I use D'Addario XLNY strings and it stays in tune quite well (I did lock down the trem). I recorded solo type stuff over a backing track in Bandlab website and it sounds fantastic. Perfect for me to work into solid intermediate level.
A few years ago my mum's friend asked for my advice as her son wanted a guitar for his birthday, and I straight out advised a Squier standard or Deluxe, agreeing with you that the Bullet shouldn't even count. If you put the name on the headstock aside, it came out the box almost perfect, just a quick set up and he's advanced well! Recently he wanted to get a Fender (generally my favourite brand), but instead I said he's best putting the money into some pickups and such, added some Texas Specials, locking tuning pegs, a quick fret job and he saved himself an extra £400 or so, and it plays unbelievably well! Enjoyed the video man!
I don't think you have to say you'll "be right back" when you're literally back in less than a second.
I'm glad I wasn't the only one thinking this (side note, when I typed "I'm not the only one" , he also said " I'm not the only one" in the video to. Frickin sweet huh?)
"I'll be right back" means one of three things:
1. I'm going for another beer.
2. I'm going to pee.
3. I'm putting in a couple of shifts at the meth lab.
A lot of things in this video are totally inaccurate...
"The guys at duncan told them this is how you do it" 😂
Inaccurate? The best reply for that is "you're inaccurate" lol. Such a blatent statement gets you a teenagers type reply! Greatly accurate video overall!
@@rageinfamous6921 lol 👍
Agree. Starting with the "minor" point that the reason it doesn't have Affinity on the headstock is because its a much cheaper Bullet.
This wanna be rock star doesn’t know what he’s talking about. IMO.
you should do epiphone and ltd next
Bierce88 he doesnt play either type of guitar,how would he review them?
Epiphone and LTD have no corelation whatsoever.
N3ssaya
he never said they did
Ace Frehley welcome to youtube. an ocean on know it all dicks who watch a single video and are now honorary youtube scholars. just dicks waving in the wind as far as the eye can see
Definitely going to be picking up a deluxe for myself, totally in love with that guitar
i played a deluxe for 5 minutes, then i chucked it in the bin
david young 😂
david young In the market for a strat under 400
What do you play?
@@jaxchiro Don't get a strat, buy a Gibson 339, can't go wrong with that guitar, great sound, great guitar, but get the nut changed to a graphite nut, to stop sticking. I have a Gibson 339, lovely sounding guitar dude,
Lucy, don't get a Deluxe, save your money and buy a decent guitar, Harley Benton Fusion II, FBB, nice Guitar, from THOMANN, around £389, i don't know where you are in the world, take a look at it, plays better than the delux strat. Have you set the delux strat on fire yet??, it burns very well.
I don’t understand how you don’t have 500,000 subs your great at what you do Steve. enjoy all your videos, been a subscriber for years and don’t know how I missed this one?
I have a few axes that were made in Indonesia and they're all top-notch. I dunno what they're doing at that factory, but it's working.
It'd be great to see you make a video about the Harley Benton guitars from Thomann, in my experience they are the best bang for the buck you can get.
Lord Yllsacky Yeah dude! I've had a Harley Benton Flying V for a year now and I think it's a pretty good guitar.
Laurence Jackson Cool! I've recently bought their three pickup SG custom, and for the money it's about as good as you get.
Yeah man, you can get almost every model (LP, SG Tele, Strat, Explorer, PRS, Warlock, Flying V) for 100 to 150 euros
They are good guitars for very little money
Lord Yllsacky Had a bass and right after the end of the warranty the neck bent. Not a fan.
The blanket statement to avoid affinity series is rough when you're basing it off an affinity bullet strat. For telecasters affinity is great for beginners, tho it is like you said, the Indonesian Affinity Teles are said to be slightly higher in quality than the Chinese affinity teles but the Chinese ones have been getting great feedback too. I bought an china affinity tele, my only telecaster, and it sounds just like a tele and the satin neck feels amazing.
Plywood feels stiffer? Just how pliable is the average solid wood guitar body?
Yeh, they burn well
They burn better
Good one. Lol
I bought a used Squire Indonesia for 70 bucks just to knock around with. It plays great, feels great and stays in tune. I adjusted the truss rod a little and oiled the saddles and nut with a little graphite oil. Thats it. For 70 bucks extremely happy.
The brightness in the standard pickups is caused by the use of 500k pots instead of 250k. I have half a dozen of these and just changing the vol pot to a 250k makes a world of difference.
Dude, you must have gotten one bad Affinity, but they're a major upgrade from a Bullet. Affinity's are great guitars.
The Affinity Squiers are now made in Indonesia too. I played a bunch of low-end Strats in my local music store a few weeks back. I wanted to buy something to mod for my brother.
The Indonesian Affinities played great and really sang acoustically. They are all pleked before they leave Cort I was told. I actually ended up buying a 70s Classic Vibe, which sounded much better plugged in but, it played the same as the Affinities.
Who knew? I am an Ibanez/Les Paul guy who doesn't own any cheap guitars.lol
Do u think the Indonesian classic vibe are better or worst than the previous Chinese one? Tks
@@MrAntpre Indonesian are better I have had Chinese ones Teles and Strats sold em all, but my indonesian ones are all keepers. The Bullets are great
If you have a squier bullet with an affinity logo, then you bought a counterfeit squier ... and it probably sounds like crap but it does not means affinity serie is bad.
A squier strat affinity is a correct entry level guitar. Provided you have a correct amp, it is a great guitar for a beginner. I think you are misinformed.
dear idiot,no one counterfeits the cheapest guitar in a lineup as its idiocy and no one on earth is that stupid
@@trillrifaxegrindor4411 takes one to know one
@@trillrifaxegrindor4411 Is it easier to scam people who know guitars or total beginners? And what kind of guitar will they buy...? You probably are the type of know-it-all dude that can be fooled by a fake custom shop strat though 😏
What amp should you get
I just got a used Squier classic vibe Telecaster with a hard case for $200. Changed strings, cleaned it up, and adjusted the brass saddles and the neck pickup. I LOVE THIS GUITAR! I run it thru an old 100 watt crate amp I bought off craigslist for $80. Great clean tones! Love it!
I have a cousin that works for Rumke, he found a guitar in the garbage. It was a Squier in a Fender USA hard shell case. Luckily he doesn't play guitar so he gave it to me. It was a Squier from the 80's, I don't remember the exact year but it was by far the best Squier I've ever played in every way. The action, the tone, it was even pretty heavy, you could tell it was made pretty well. In my opinion that 80's Squier was equivalent to what a Mexican strat is today.
You're dead wrong, for one thing. That first guitar is NOT a bullet, rather an older SE or SP. Neither is it very close to he affinity line in general. I can't believe you're dogging so hard in the affinity series man lol. I have an affinity Tele, a Classic Vibe Tele and a fender Modern player Tele. The only upgrade I've done to the affinity is some minor fretwork and tossed the stock ceramics for some MIM ceramics that sound much better. Still, it's sad to see the affinity line disgraced by that hunk of junk.
Watch his other video, he states the first one is a SC there. He made a mistake with that.
Dog Apparantly you're blind or have no comprehension skills. I own 2 Teles that are awesome quality, the CV 50s and the Fender Modern Player Tele. Both took a lot less work to get up to snuff but both are quite a bit nicer than the affinity. But for the value proposition the affinity is awesome. I also used to have an MIJ 52' reissue which i sold after getting my Plek'd CV, because the CV was better sounding and playing to me.
You're absolutely correct. I own an affinity tele. I played a Mexican tele yesterday in my local shop and the difference was startling. It was literally night and day. I am a bit gutted that I bought the affinity now.
Deceased User - RIP In Peace. Point out differences in opinion without being insulting. That's the biggest tip anyone here can give you.
@ElAlexxis affinity made in Indonesia are good!
whats wrong with the bullet strat? the one i got was super nice for the price ($120). with it setup and better pickups its a steal in my mind.
i would say go check a couple in a store before you buy though i may have gotten a gold nugget but i fell in love with mine.
also i just notice how old this video is and that the head-stock on your's is different then mine.
saw this video in the recommended btw.
if you played for a week and have zero reference to what a good guitar is,a bullet will be awesome "to you and you alone".
if you have played for a couple years and understand quality,desirable options,build quality and pickup selection you will
throw a bullet out a moving cars window as fast as the window will roll down.
I don't care I have an affinity squire strat and it is awesome
Same here..Mines made in Indonesia and only cost me $55CAD with a tuner, soft case, effects pedal and good quality patch cord..I'm a beginner and I find it to be great quality and very easy to play.
+percaine nice
The ones in the "pack" are different from the ones that are sold by themselves. The logos are the most obvious difference (black vs gold & black). In the case of the Affinity Telecasters; the Indonesian is a string-through, 22 fret masterpiece (by Cort), while the Chinese is a top-loading, 21 fret guitar. And there are other differences.
no,its mediocre...................say it with me "its mediocre"
@@vernonbird4590 that's rather inaccurate, nowadays the standards are made in China and while they have 22 frets they are still made with agathis wood rather than the Adler you get with the cheaper squiers and actual Fenders.
Extremely useful video especially for parents and beginners. Comfort, ability of staying in tune and playability is very important for beginners and kids so that they won't get discouraged from practicing. This really helps people get a decent strat
I have a Squier Bullet made in China and I love it..played great the first time I picked it up. It just felt right for me and I had to have it and walked out of the musicstore with it. I bought it of course, didn't steal it. Hopefully avoid a few comeback comments there. The action was perfect, the neck felt great, tuners work great and better than all that is the pickups,,they sound phenomenal. You can't make bold statements about overall guitar-line quality, in the lower price ranges, because QC may not be so dilligent for every single unit sold. Do you know what is the worst though? a middle aged man throwing up the rock and roll goat horns and saying "dudes" every now and then for no reason at all.
Broad generalizations made here. Get it setup then it will be easier to play. And, nobody can hear the pickup sound when there’s a ton of distortion.
moron
*Starts video with my Squier bullet guitar in my hand. * *Looks at the first squier review.* *Hears "bullet". *
*Throws that damn guitar away.*
*starts video with epiphone les paul in hand* hears squier
*why am I watching this video?*
Strat copy here
I have to say that is not the gear, is the player what makes the difference.
+José Silvestre It is true to some extent but NOT EVERYTHING is in the fingertips :)
+José Silvestre I saw Joe Satriani on a video playing a cheap strat guitar. He was tearing it up.After he got done he said it was REALLY hard playing on it. That is much of the difference. The ease of play. When you have to struggle to play it induces more fatigue and discouragement. And, wear on your finger tips. I actually have a cheapo "premier" strat copy. Everyone says it sounds good. And, it does. But.. it plays like CRAP. Really hard and I can tell that it doesn't put out exactly what I'm trying to make it do. I can make it sound good. But it is a lot of work.
+Eric Daniels You seem to be over-looking a few things. First and foremost, there's setup...sorry, but you just can't blame a cheap instrument for a poor setup (and particularly with a Strat, there's a lot more that goes into a good setup than most people realize). The fact is that you can have a $4000 Custom Shop instrument and it WILL play like crap with a poor setup...every time. Has NOTHING to do with how much the guitar cost. Regardless of your Satriani video, never make the mistake of confusing "setup" with "quality"...two VERY different things. And gee...what about string gauge? You want finger fatigue, trying playing a Strat with .013's on it the way Stevie Ray Vaughn used to. Yea...sounds great...absolute murder on the fingers! And what about the style of the instrument? Compare a $2000 Gibson ES-335 with even a $600 Fender MIM Standard Strat...even using the same gauge strings, most people will tell you the Strat is "easier to play" (although to someone who grew up with Gibsons, the Strat may feel "loose"). Certainly there are some differences in "tone"...most inexpensive guitars, particularly Strats, usually have crappy pickups and pot metal bridge saddles/trem blocks and such, but a few bucks at Guitar Fetish will usually fix that up in a jiff. Sorry dude, but I own and have played "cheap guitars" that play and sound like instruments costing hundreds, if not thousands of dollars more.
Jose hit the nail smack dab on the head there...it's not the gear, it's the person using it. There's guys out there with the most expensive top shelf gear money can buy - who can't play a freakin' note. On the other hand, I've seen guys using the rattiest gear you can imagine, who can bring tears to your eyes because their playing is just THAT good.
I agree with you, but still there are certain instruments that fit you so well you can feel certain "mojo". Other instruments just don't give you that. I just traded a gorgeous mex strat because I didn't feel much when I was playing it. And it was objectively a great instrument, just not for me.
As a kid I there was a teacher who would lend me his American Deluxe stratocaster for months at a time. I loved that guitar and I still haven't found one that makes me feel the way that guitar did. The closest is my currrent japanese 80's squier contemporary, which is like the video guy says, insanely good. The pickups were not but that is now taken care of.
Edit. the other day I had the chance to try an Squier Tele affinity, I didn't like the neck quality at all, it was all edgy, badly finished and very thick. OTOH I love the Modern Player Thinline Tele. Someday.
Perhaps I'm just a bit more analytical than others, however I try to avoid ethereal notions such as "mojo". I will certainly agree that each and every guitar is certainly unique and has it's own personality and even "voice"...this is the nature of musical instruments in general, however a great deal of this is more about practical aspects of design than anything particularly enigmatic (or dogmatic for that matter). Neck profiles, body shape/weight, etc., are what contribute to that "feel".
On that note, yes, I've owned guitars as well which I've sold or traded because they didn't particularly suite my own tastes. I once had a Korean made "Lite Ash" Strat...exceptionally well made instrument to say the least, however in this case the V neck, the copper trem block and the Duncan pickups all contributed to an instrument that I just didn't care for. That's not to say this instrument didn't have any "mojo", it simply wasn't an instrument that suited my own tastes and playing style.
I can't speak much to the Affinity Tele you played, as much of that depends on where/when it was made and if it's an older instrument, how well it's been maintained. It should go without saying that lower priced instruments often don't receive the setups that even mid-priced instruments due...often they come out of the box and go right on the shelf. What's more is that the majority of people who buy such instrument really have little clue what a "fret dressing" is, so such instrument seldom go into a shop to have such issues properly addressed. Personally, I have an '09 Affinity Tele which I had picked up a few years back to use as something of an art project...while I'm not crazy about Teles in general, this Affinity, like most modern Squiers, is an exceptional instrument for the money. Conversely, I've played a number of American made Strats over the 30+ years I've been playing and personally - I just don't care for them. They're reasonably well built, however I've NEVER cared for the 2 point trems and the pickups on contemporary MIA's just suck in my not so humble opinion. They're also horribly over-priced for what you get...if you set your preconceptions aside and do an honest comparison between MIM's and MIA's, you don't get much at all for that MIA even though you're paying nearly twice the price.
I'm not saying that all Squiers are great here...where MIM's and MIA's have always had a fair degree of consistency since their introduction, Squier can often be all over the board. I've also owned a pair of Korean made Squier Strats from the early 90's that honestly, wouldn't even constitute decent canoe paddles...low end laminate bodies, inferior hardware, horrible pickups, etc.. On the other hand, I also own a Japanese made Squire Strat...one of the infamous E-series...that's truly one of the finest instruments I've ever seen come from Fender. Short of CS, American Strats just aren't THAT good...quite literally some of the best workmanship I've ever seen.
The problem is that instead of judging an instrument based on it's own individual merits, guitar "X" compared with guitar "Y", a lot of people have unjustified preconceptions regarding these instruments. Unfortunately, the Squire name still has a bit of a stigma attached to it, so many people don't really give them fair consideration. That said, again having played for over 30 years, I very much remember the budget instruments of the mid-80's...brands like Memphis, Lotus, Cort, Hondo, et. al., and I have to say that for similar comparative money, the contemporary CIC Squire Affinities and even some of the Bullets are simply superior instruments - FAR better than much of the firewood that came out in the days of yore! LOL!
At the end of the day, it's really just a matter of perspective - the "best" guitar, regardless of price, color, options, country of origin, etc., is simply the guitar you enjoy playing. For myself, that's usually the early - mid-90's MIM's (after some tweaks)...your mileage may vary.
This video is, right now, 4 years old. And from what I've seen from many other reputable players the Fender Bullet has been improved, a little. Right now pretty much everywhere it's going for $149.00, guitar only. But it's still the bottom feeder of Squiers, but apparently not quite as deep down.
I own a Squire Stagemaster, neck thru, reversed headstock. I love it !! 🤘😎🎸
"Avoid Affinity at all costs"? That seems a little extreme to me. They can make a very solid foundation for adding some new pickups and hardware and become much better guitars than they were priced to be.
Blake Burress agree entirely.
after spending $300 on new pickups,tuners and bridge as well as all electronics you would be ten thousand times further ahead to start with a guitar costing an extra $50-$200 and ending up with a superior product,do you "math" ? do you "common sense" ? your logic is not only flawed,its fucking stupid...........
Well he was talking about the Bullet but saying affinity
Stop being so ungrateful affinity series guitars are amazing I have one
If you take all the gain and reverb of it may actually be possible to hear what they sound like, because they all sound the same with all the distortion you use ,,
Bill Sedge that’s what I’m trying to say I feel like like he just wants to bash guitars.
Lol when rob chapman and the captain say the bullet is nice for starters lmao
Yo, what's up man! You posted this video on my 35th birthday, how cool!
Three years later, and I'm watching it now and gave it a like and subscribed to your channel.
Thinking about getting a Squier Bullet series telecaster. I like the string through body on it that the classic vibes don't have. Plus i heard that their pickups sounded better.
I just bought a Squier affiinity Tele, and it has the smoothest satin finish and best intonation of all my Fenders. I'm thinking that the red Strat is now called the Deluxe. The giveaway is the bright pickups and the two point bridge.
My Squier is made in Japan. It is an amazing guitar.
***** Well you're right lol
***** same with cars....
Rick Finkelstein It must happen before sundown or we are shipping you off to military school ...
The affinity is the guitar a level above the Bullet series
He was playing a Bullet, not an Affinity. Affinity much better than the Bullet.
I started to play with the first Squier that you showed, it's great, i still love her and yeah its a bit hard to learn with her.
José Silvestre yeah that same one was my first decent electric guitar. I had the bullet special. 1 volume and 1 humbucker
I've been playing for 15 years now, and I love fixing up cheap guitars to play and sound amazing!
I have a classic vibe tele like that tv yellow whatever with a quartersawn neck, figured, like to strip the neck and body they put so much finish over it OMG, its why keep it form being on a stand ..
SQ's are 70's strat and like contemporary, they never made an SQ 50's or 60's
I've got a Squier Stratocaster E Series made in Japan. Plays better than any American I've tried..
+Hacked Tutorials same here..I have an E7.....amazing guitar...mine has a birds eye maple neck , which surprised me..I'll never sell it .
+Hacked Tutorials can you give me a link or something from those guitars? PPl say they are one of the bests price quality guitars, but ive never found them on sale online. help me plz xD
Tiago Reis Here is one I found on eBay. Looks just like mine but a bit more beaten up: ebay.to/1KH8Lmn
+Hacked Tutorials thx alot, but the price is very high xD, i cant w8 to start playing guitar but i should not buy something that price, i dont even know how to play, i was looking some squires because they have nice starter packs, etc... ive seen some toturials of how to chose ur first guitar or stuff like price quality guitars and they talk about that squier model... but think it is not the smartest decision right now
Tiago Reis Oh, I wasn't aware that you were looking for your first guitar. Yeah, that's probably a bit high for a first guitar :P
If I entered Guitar store & noticed this dude behind the counter , I would leave that store right away ! ...
i got a affinity squire killer $35. axe....all they need is love and a setup.
Not a starter pack axe, and I do all my own work, setup cost me a set of strings. I have a few "cheap" guitars and they play and sound just as good as my "high-end" ones. Most times you pay for the name and the quality is subpar Gibson is a good example.
I'm modding the crap out of my hss affinity strat and it's a great instrument.
An excellent and thoughtful group of comparisons. Good job. Many thanks.
The biggest, most surprising and pleasing surprise I've had for years with a guitar has been the Squier Mini Strat. Tuned to standard then, yes, with the shorter scale, there can be real problems with tuning stability and intonation BUT when tuned up to ADGCEA it has been a revelation and, of course, is the same as playing a guitar capo'd at the 5th. All tuning issues have disappeared. Stability has been amazing. And for the price, it a no-brainer.
I also have a Squier Standard. You're right when you say that it's "a surprisingly good guitar'. I also agree with your thoughts about the comfort and smoothness of the neck and the excellence of fretting. Again, for the money, it's been an excellent buy. I keep mine with the bridge locked right down as I never use the vibrato arm. If I have a niggle it's that the tone controls don't offer much of a range but that's OK with me as I tend to adjust tone by playing in different places between bridge and the end of the fretboard.
On another review I heard the comment that guitars made in Indonesia seem to have a more 'creamy' tone and that is what I've found with this Standard and a couple of other electrics made there. No idea why that should be, but it does seem to be right.
You are 100% right Steve, on the significance of the Squire Decal, stay well away from a black Squire decal they are made of Plywood.,as some of the Silver decals are not always solid wood. Without a doubt the best quality Telecaster Squires were built in Korea, mid-80s to 1996, especially those from 1995 and 1996, if you have a Strat or Tele with serial number begin SN5 or SN6, made by Cort, these were made to relaunch the Squire Brand so they were trying to impress. I got a demo model from Albert Lee's son Wayne when he worked in a guitar shop in Lewisham London. I still have it, now with the Gold decal you are assured that the guitar is all solid wood, mine has a maple neck and Alder body its a top loader and the Stock PUPS are Fender Japan, I changed the bridge pup with a Joe Barden also the harness and pots to Seymour Duncan. If you can find one of those 1995 or 96 Deluxe Teles buy it. They are as good as any MIJ, and have superior quality on Fullarton-made USA Teles, of around 1985/86 during the dreadful CBS worst Fender guitars ever made. Ally. also check ou Fender Telecaster Swamp Ash limited editions made early 2000 to 20008 made in Korea with Seynmour Duncan PUPS stock. I have two pre CBS Tele's a 1960 and a 1961, and I, pick this swamp ash up before them. Ally.
I play on a Squire Affinity made in China model. There is not a single defect on the entire guitar. If I compare it to a Fender from the 70's it beats about half of their lineup from then. The minute difference in those Squires is definitely a first world problem you are talking about.
Thanks! Really nice tips to select the ideal squier!
How about epiphone's?
+knucklesprayer Epiphone's don't really have a series, just specific models. But in my opinion, most Epiphone models are really good in terms of built quality and are worth the money. However, I would probably stay away from the models that have the bolt on neck feature, like the Les Paul 100 or the SG 100.
Nathan Lam why?
or parents could just buy there kid a nice used Mexican standard for a cheap awesome first guitar I see them all the time at pawn shops and on craigslist for as cheap as 200 to 300 dollars
Indonesians are famed for their woodworking & crafting skills. I love visiting Indo. Gorgeous. Thanks for ur video.
The affinity series is the perfect guitar when bought used to learn how to do fret work and start the modify rabbit path. The 60 or 70 bucks to buy is like paying tuition ha! Great video. Love you content.
Totally agree. I bought one not just to (re) learn how to play, but to learn about set up & modding too. It's going to be awesome when done. I think people will struggle to believe it's "just" a Squier when I'm through.
runlarryrun77 man I did so much to mine. It’s a tele. I’m doing another one for a friend now. If you want to check mine out go on to Instagram, dannycpace is my handle.
The Bullet from Indonesia is better than the China made.
I agree any guitar made in Indonesia is far better than ones made in China!
I just got the red sparkle Tele, and I LOVE it.
the Bullet ones are slower burning, and the cheap Chinese ones are faster burning
Yea my bullets from Indonesia. I dont think it's hard to play