@@diddymies yeah i have two strats, don't like the position of the volume knob. Yeah i can always modify it, but I'd rather get something straight out of the shelves with everything already set the way I want them.
Blasphemous. Teles should never have a belly cut or a arm contour.. only tele deluxe and customs are allowed to have a belly cut. I guess this beginner model is acceptable too
I recently became a fan of split shaft tuners. They’re easy to use and they’re really practical. If you don’t want to spend a lot on strings but you like doing work on your guitar they’re excellent.
For me….any affinity or bullet that lands in my collection is getting heavily modified. If the color is good, and the neck carve is nice, I’m all in. Cause the electronics are going, the tuners are going, and the fretboard is getting rolled. The good news is, they usually provide a really nice husk to mod from at a reasonable price.
The tummy cut is actually more for slimmer people! It makes room for your ribs so the edge of the body doesn't dig into them. Doesn't really do anything for people with a belly, if you do have a belly that's more cushioning to help stop the edge of a traditional tele body digging in.
Nice video! I have a lot of expensive guitars and needed a simple tele-guitar. I bought one of these Affinity Lake Placid Blue. I can say - it sounds fantastic, I really love this guitar. 🥰 The sound, buildquality and look are amazing!
I can't resist a nice Tele! I bought one of these on black Friday, and it's a nice upgrade from my 2019 Affinity. Tummy cut, string thru, Lake Placid Blue.... Beautiful! The new one sounds like it might have a little bit nicer pickups, but that could just be because I GOT A NEW GUITAR! (lol) Thanks for the video, Landon!
For loose knobs - another easy fix is to put a small strip of masking tape on top of the shaft and down the length of the shaft. Re-install the knob and it will now be a tighter fit. Widening the shaft with a screwdriver can be risky. You can easily break one side of the split pot shaft.
Another Squier video? Come on, try something new for once. NO. Get the Squier Affinity Telecaster here: Sweetwater imp.i114863.net/jWn0P6 Thomann bit.ly/3CBN1fD Andertons bit.ly/3WxCET2 Amazon geni.us/SquierAffTele ------------------------------------------------------------ Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro Jingle 0:24 - What this video is about - & Disclosure 1:20 - Quick walkthrough 2:00 - the deep dive 2:06 - Strings off and the nut close up 2:40 - ASMR Pickup plastic pull 2:57 - Opening up the guitar and looking inside 4:38 - Putting it back together 5:20 - the guitar weight 5:35 - pickup resistance 5:50 - Neck and body measurements 6:25 - the Gallery - Detailed features and specs 7:30 - Clean Guitar Tone Samples 9:42 - Dirty Guitar Tone Samples 12:30 - Summary - Pros & Cons
Bought one of these in light blue sparkle a few weeks ago. Dropped a Seymour Duncan in the neck and replaced the bridge saddles, rolled the fret edges and this thing plays nearly as good as my American Strat
I need a Tele and don't want to spend too much. Had one of the previous Affinity series models, it wasn't bad. If these are an improvement, might take the plunge and grab one. Cheers.
From Leo: Nice Demo, The Affinity Tele is a very playable value guitar. I know people like to dis the small diameter pots, but they are not really a big problem. On customers guitars, I have changed out many that the customer just wanted changed. Almost none of them had any problems. Those pcb based square selector switches are a different story, I have changed lots of them that acted up, often on a 1 or 2 year old guitar.
Got that exact Tele in Lake Placid Blue about a week ago and it’s awesome. Only thing I changed was the pick guard to a black one and some Fender locking tuners. The locking tuners don’t drop right in because you have to lengthen the two small holes in the head stock to make them work. Not a big deal and definitely make string changes way easier. It needed a little setup work but definitely not bad right out of the box. Such an awesome guitar for the $$$.
I love your seamless delivery of humorous comments, can hear some folks saying "He's joking, right?". Every vid I've seen shows (to my tone deaf ears) the neck pup needs a little help to wake up. At one point you get a really nice "acoustic" sound out of it.
I have a twin to this guitar. There was a problem. After playing, if you muted all the strings and pulled your right hand off the strings, there was a very annoying ringing. The "G" string was resonating between the nut and the tuner. A second string tree solved the problem.
CS 51 nocasters in mine, new fender switch, fender pots, rolled fingerboard edges, leveled some frets, better satin fininsh on back of neck. Like a dream. 🤩
Thanks Landon. I like that guitar. I already have an ObsidianWire 4 way switching kit and Mr Glyns Cruel Mistress Telecaster pickups that would go nicely in it. (They're currently in an Encore E2 Blaster.) I have the fret polishing gear etc. so given an hour or two I could make that into a guitar that would sound better than most Fender Teles.
For grins, I recently grabbed a 2020 Squier Affinity in Olympic White. Fit and finish are superb. Upgraded the pus with Fender Gen 4 Noiseless and the machine heads with Fender locking tuners. Great guitar for the price.
From what I've seen, the Telecasters in the "Player Pack" deal are 22 fret, gold-logoed, string-through jewels from Indonesia. The "stand alone" Telecasters are black-logoed, top loading, 21 fret versions, usually from China.
@@landonbailey It's odd, but I bought one of those "Player Pack" Telecasters, even thought I did not need any of the accessories. But I wanted that string-through body., and that extra fret, too.
It could depend where you are buying it from, but I would say that it looks like they are just getting rid of old stock if they are selling the top loading ones.
What difference does it make if it is top loading, I can't hear any difference, is it a fender tradition that people are raving about string through body? Great video again Landon.
A nice beginners guitar. Galaxies better than what I first started on. You get what you pay for. If I were the store owner, I would have cleaned that glue mess up!
I returned the new out of the box (January 4, 2024) Classic Vibe 60s Tele the next day because the three way switch didn't work. The more I carefully switched it, the worse it got. I bought an Affinity sunburst instead with the tummy cut that I really like. It doesn't come on most other models. I did my intentions and changed the pickups, pick guard, strings and saddles (to brass) and purchased 2 full size 500K CTS pots (not yet installed) and still came out $100 cheaper than the CV. What is most surprising is that it always kept working just fine. Still is but it does sound better now.
Thanks for the awesome review Landon. The most important change for me is that these new affinities are string through. The old ones were not and as far as I'm concerned if it's not string through it's not a proper Tele. I would consider getting one of them.
I just picked up the affinity telecaster deluxe and wow, feels, looks, and sounds like a 500 guitar, not a 279 dollar guitar. Gotta sneak out and get the one you are showing in the demo.. need a good single coil version, have a Duncan quarter pounder and fender deluxe drive pickup that need a new home... My Excuse for buying it is I Can't let 2 good pickups go to waste..
The blue is far nicer then the old basic black edition. They should have named those "Model T". Via TH-cam, this guitar sounds quite nice. I liked the dirt tone. I could see a guitar player in band rockin' this no problem. PS Really dug how you played from the 11 min mark onwards.
Hey Landon, I just watched your video and with this information in mind I went to the store. Because I can't play myself, but I have very good hearing, I asked an employee to play me some clean tunes. He kindly did and it turned out that the Chinese (which are actually made in Taiwan), sounds much better than the Indonesian one. It is much clearer and even the employee was surprised. :)
Interesting! I bought the Squire Affinity Tele Deluxe. It wasn't shielded and had some noise even with the humbuckers. I noticed that the one you demoed was shielded. I used some shielding paint and it eliminated the noise. Strange that in this series that one came shielded. The deluxe even cost more than the regular AF Tele. Shielding could have been done. Thanks for the reviews!
i have already an LTD MH400NT and an Ibanez RG7421 and I like this tele with this finish. I will buy this as my third guitar to keep in E standard and play easier and soft stuff (I play mainly metal things). Even if I think I will have something to fix (like pots or frets) it's a deal for me, plus I like the form factor and the semplicity of the guitar and the mod friendly body. Thank you for the review very accurate and nice to look your videos. 👍
Like the modern belly cut. I have had a bunch of Telecasters over the years and currently have a 2010 Squier Standard with a pickup and tuner mods. Can’t justify the Ultra just for a belly cut but this may just tick the box.. 👍🇦🇺
That's interesting that it has dime size alpha pots. I got in an Affinity Tele Deluxe with two humbuckers. It has full size pots (unknown make), and a Switchcraft type three way switch. The nut was too low, so I swapped it out with a Tusq 5042 nut. So far it plays outstanding. I may swap out the ceramic humbuckers for some SD Pearly Gates that I have laying on the shelf. That blue looks great though.
Too late for me, I bought a 2021 Monoprice Retro Classic Tele for around $ 80. Weighs about the same as the Affinity, only in a Basswood thru body stringer, no belly cut or skunk stripe. The ceramic pickups are 7.2K Neck, Bridge is 6.6K, 3.5K Both. I don't really regret saving $ 170 for this level instrument. The nut on the Monoprice wasn't a bad glue job, but the poly finish on the back had a blemish, probably why it went on sale from $ 99.99 ? The knobs were properly pressed onto the shafts & the pickup switch isn't cheap feeling. Monoprice comes with a single ply black pickguard, but I prefer the homage to the 1950's Fender blackguards. Monoprice really has a solid Telecaster and mine is the Rosewood fretboard with the pale yellow/buttercream (blonde). Tuners aren't quite what the Affinity has, but they are no worse than the Epiphone LP Special I P90 I have. As for the neck itself, I probably prefer a skunk stripe, but the headstock shape I prefer the Monoprice's Partridge Family Bird logo shape. Really reminds me of the Ernie Ball Music Man/Sterling if it were the inline 6 tuners & not the 4 on top/2 on the bottom. And the frets, level and no fret sprout, pretty clean too. The truss rod was loosened & retightened the same just to ensure that the truss rod nut worked properly & wasn't stripped. As for a set up, I lowered the action to preference, did the intonation check & also adjusted the height of the pickups for the action adjustment. The Monoprice with the MSRP factored in compares quite favorably to the Squier Affinity. Been after a Monoprice on sale and when they made that happen for a pre-Father's day sale, I made that happen when the blonde became available in late May/early June 2021. I would like to see Monoprice offer the Buttercream Blonde with an all Maple neck & fretboard, but the Rosewood wasn't a deal breaker. The Rosewood is a harder piece of wood anyway & being unfinished may require occasional oiling to hydrate the wood. But the Maple fretboard would need a poly finish that I think will relic like only a Maple fretboard can. Maybe in a few years though I like the Rosewood and how it's more durable. Forgot to mention it, but the Monoprice is a 22 fret neck, 1 more than the 21 frets the Affinity has.
@@landonbailey It is for Squier in this case, I see no reason to replace the Monoprice with a guitar that is priced $ 170 more at this point, and I certainly don't see a reason to buy guitars that are being driven up in price. Monoprice also has the blue guitar with all Maple neck. Monoprice seems to be out-Squiering for the affordable guitars. We're getting enough inflation these days across the board. With the difference in price, I could easily upgrade tuners & pickups to Fender components on the Monoprice.
The pots work, it sounds good, plays good and its cheap. I wouldnt change a thing...just play the fk out of it until something breaks. Best thing about cheap Tele's is you dont have to worry about a scratch or someone stealing it or spilling beer on it.
I recently bought the exact same guitar! Mine weighs 3180 grams, nut was okay, a bit dirty but no glue residue. I had the exact same problem with (just) the tone pot, which well off really easily. Fit and finish on the back of the neck is not perfect, I could feel some places where it was not smooth enough. Lake Placid Blue finish almost perfect, looks really nice! Frets were scratchy but fret ends pretty nice. Fretboard is also rough between a few frets. My biggest issue was with the jack plate, which was installed displaced on my guitar (not parallel to the body sides, and quite off actually - you know Tele bodies have that body part where the jack plate comes plained out, but my jack plate was installed a bit on the edge of the plain part and the jack plate is a bit bent). Also the bridge saddles sit quite high with low action, so if I need to go for medium action, I cannot raise them much higher, quite a bummer. But all in all I find the guitar to be decent, it feels and vibrates pretty nice, sounds decent and looks amazing. Good game Squier, if there was just a bit more attention to detail, this would be an amazing axe!
Was just on Sweetwater looking for a new toy and ended up here for your review. I’m liking the new look of this Affinity and think I’ll grab me a white one through your affiliate link before they sell out…like they’ve done with the blue one.
Nice vid, "just the facts ma'am". Got one yesterday: 7.3 lbs which is ok, Teles can be 8 to 9lbs. Frets and neck were nice. Those two things, weight and neck make it a keeper/modder. With such lousy strings its hard to know tuning stability (hey Fender, ask D'addario for a volume discount!). As for the pickups, screw em down a lot and they'll sound acceptable until you do the inevitable upgrade.
I put a Donlis nickle covered alnico pup in the neck position of my 2018 Affinity Tele. This model would probably benefit from the same upgrade as the squier tele neck pup is a little muddy sounding.
This might be the first time I feel buyer's remorse in my guitar buying history... I bought a 2020 Affinity in September last year as a modding project and I really like it, except for one small detail that keeps me up at night: it's a bloody toploader! Toploaders sure have their upsides but in this case the downsides weigh way heavier for me. The biggest one being that because of the low string tension, the saddles (at a mid-high action and below) are vibrating and rattling like crazy at some frequencies and I'm going insane because of it. The only real solution is to make it a string-through but for that I'd either need a new bridge plate or drill through the plate and the body, without really knowing which points to drill through (which I'm not comfortable with) and there are just absolutely no replacement bridges that fit at all! I'm bending over backwards to get my hands on a Affinity 2021 bridge plate but so far, no luck...
These are all over the place for 21. Mine has truss plug, full neck and body, adjustable pickup but no contour and its a top loader. The bridge does have the holes for string thru already
@@skeed.5768 On that point Fender or Squier got the line up all wrong! The Bullets were a much nicer guitar coming from Indonesia the previous Affinities were out of China and not as good even the headstock was wrong plus no string thru and they cost more than the bullets but now they have woke up got rid of bullets for sonics that have top loaders weird 🤨
I think I prefer Lake Placid to Tidepool since I feel like I would drown in the tidal whirlpool but not the smooth, calm lake. But the Affinity metallic Lake Placid Blue is even better. 🤷♂️
06:09 Hey Landon, I appreciate your measurement and comparison on the nut. I prefer the narrower 41mm/1.6inch better (like the Yamaha Pacifica's nut), than the wider 42mm/1.65inch (common standard nut width). I guess the older Affinity still fit me best. 06:09
i love string through body that make sound great than 2020 Version and 3.5 kg looks not like average poplar body should be thank you for dive this Squier Affinity Telecaster
@@landonbailey I don't, I like brighter colors. tidepool looks old and like it belongs on a Gretsch hollow body. So you've got Player series with modernized harware but in old colors. Sunburst, okay great but I've seen that a million times already. Black, white, boring, puke yellow, barf orange which look like aged white and red. And there is lame ol' car color blue. Where's the more modern colors? At least give me car Cobra Blue then. So, basically, If I go to any online store and select strat body and deselect Fender, well that's what I'm talking about. And those PRSses SE whow, I like all them colors. Sure Professional strats have great colors, Texas Tea,Mystic Green, Cobra blue, Miami Blue (now that's a blue right there!). Personally I just wanted a red Player Strat. I don't care for Squiers and old vibes and I don't care for big 70's headstocks. Which leaves me nothing from Fender. Okay, I know I sound like a whiny bitch by now. But as we all know, real tone is in the color...
Love the colour and finishing, except the nut. Seems to sound and look good right out of the box. Like the tummy cut. Great modding options bonus. If I was looking for a new Tele, this would be high on my list. A bit of electronics work and maybe I would throw in a humbucker and it would be totally awesome cheap Tele. Good deep review. Thanks.
I did get my butterscotch. It's Chinese made instead of Indonesian and there's some different. The cavity is not shielded and there are unbranded dime sized pots instead of alphas. Pickups are different with a straight ceramic bar magnetic instead of the split magnet in Landon's. The bridge seems to be more similar to the bridge used on MIM teles with the four screw holes. Fit and finish is good, but maybe not quite as the same level as the Indonesian.
Landon, just received my Telecaster Affinity 3 color Sunburst and I got it from Sweetwater using your support the channel affiliate links. This is my first electric guitar which is a good starter for me I also purchased a Champion 20 amp from Elderly’s guitar in Lansing,MI, I think the pairing will be great! Derik from five minute music explains how to use the amp really well. My telecaster was made in China not Indonesia like your video, it weighs 7.09 pounds which is good and I love the tummy cut for me a 60 year old guy! I wanted to get the guitar pre-set up from Elderly’s but they only had the 2019 version straight string through. I may put it in the Fender gig bag and run it over to Lansing to have them set it up and intonate it. It is a great addition to my guitarsonal Seagull S6 and LaPatrie Etude nylon string. Thanks for all you do!
I owned a couple of Squier CVs. Both really good for the money. But, honestly, life’s too short. I’ve gotten great local deals on lightly used American stats and teles, and even LPs and SGs. You just have to be patient, and show up with cash. No more Chinese stuff for me.
I'm about to get one of those Godin Telecasters. Landon tested one a while ago, and loved it, and they're made in Canada, which makes my heart swell with nationalistic pride.
I love my affinity telecaster my nobs are tight no wax on the nut it plays like a much more valuable guitar,besides if I'm not making a lot of money playing guitar it would be stupid to spend a lot of money playing guitar
on mine the pots were fine but the tuners were loose. all the rest is pretty much the same as you described. I'd say a little work is required to make it enjoyable.
Nice! Glad they finally got the shape of the upper bout correct, that was kind of unsightly on the earlier Affinities, and the main reason I didn’t buy one.. The color is pretty, but it definitely looks more like Royal Blue than Lake Placid Blue.
Be honest Landon you buy guitars just to peel the plastics off. I know this because I am the same and I can feel the pleasure you get from it through the video.
My son's new Tele of the same model and color has some dents drawn behind the glossy finish of its headstock. Besides that, guitar looks and sounds fine. Moreover, we got it by some weird occasion instead of Squier Bullet Mustang I've originally ordered so we won't send it back.
Unless the markets for N. America and Europe are different, last year's affinity also had a string-thru bridge. I have one :-) Edit: however, there are a lot more differences between the two.
Landon, I love the content and dry humor… I am switching from acoustic guitar and looking for my first electric… still fairly novice (aside from knowing basic chords)… would you recommend this guitar or should I start with the classic vibe series?…
hey there! very different feeling necks. I'd say get the Classic Vibe if you can afford it and don't mind a glossy feeling. The parts and electronics are step up from the Affinity. But the Affinity is pretty decent too, just more of a satin/raw feeling neck. hope that helps
@@landonbailey Roy Buchanan said Teles were like a bread board with a neck screwed to them. He used to tell a story of defending himself against a would-be mugger with his Tele when walking home from a gig in NYC...
I actually really like Squire, I’m really considering getting this Tele and doing a few upgrade to it. I remember the video you did comparing the Affinity, Classic Vibe and Player and thinking how close they all sounded and considering this is a upgrade from the yellow one.. well, I’m sold on this now..
I want a Telecaster, tried 4 of them today in a guitarshop and first i tried the Affinity, i actually liked it. And then i tried a Fender Vintage Tele, which was decent, but the Squier was better.. I tried the Fender Player series Tele, and that one was horrible! I do own a Player Series Strat and A playerseries J-bass fretless, both are very nice, but that telecaster player series i tried today was really crap in all aspect i could think of. Then i tried a Pro series Fender Tele.. It was a little thicker on the neck, and it had a decent good sound, was pretty nice to play on, has nicer tuning screws than the Squier, but the Squier was thinner in the neck, felt more versatile, and had a better sound for some reason, i mean for me at least it had a bite to the sound and i dunno i kinda found it hard to buy a pro telecaster over the Squier, and the vintage i didnt like the tuning screws on at all, and the player series, maybe it was just THAT spesific telecaster i tried but im leaning towards the Squier for some reason so now i have this dilemma.. should i buy a Affinity Tele, and then wait a year and buy a Telecaster either US or MiM with HH instead of SS. I don't know but not gonna buy that yet anyways, its later this year and i want with maple neck. Already have PF on my bass and my strat.
You definitely need to try squier telecaster standard series made in indianesa maybe not in production anymore but great cheaper end guitars came out in vintage yellow rosewood neck. Antique burst rosewood neck.. some have maple necks.. much better than infinity
I've tried an Affinity HH and a 2018 Contemporary HH. Maybe I'm used to the 12" radius but it felt way better, plus the Affinity felt like a raw or absolutely no satin finish at all. I went with the Contemp, not too many Teles by Fender/Squier have a 12" radius, plus I want to mod it anyways, so hardware quality doesn't bother me as long as the neck is comfy.
![[UNCUT] ชาวบ้านถาม “นายกอุ๊งอิ๊งค์” ประชาชนมีกิน มีใช้ กี่โมง? I คนดังนั่งเคลียร์ I 16 ส.ค. 67](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/tKZvOzLIJJc/mqdefault.jpg)
It's a Tele with a belly cut, which makes it automatically better than the previous models.
Spot on. Now for the arm contour.
@@nevillecragg9066 yeah that n the arm contour
@@ebaybasuki get a strat
@@diddymies yeah i have two strats, don't like the position of the volume knob. Yeah i can always modify it, but I'd rather get something straight out of the shelves with everything already set the way I want them.
Blasphemous. Teles should never have a belly cut or a arm contour.. only tele deluxe and customs are allowed to have a belly cut. I guess this beginner model is acceptable too
Hey Landon. I mean this as a compliment, but you make the most entertaining "boring" videos! Always enjoy them. Keep it up!
I appreciate that!
@@landonbailey Not boring, just to the point, basic clean tones without the flashy stuff.
I’m 899 lbs love that gut cut
I recently became a fan of split shaft tuners. They’re easy to use and they’re really practical. If you don’t want to spend a lot on strings but you like doing work on your guitar they’re excellent.
ya that's why I love working with them. pop the string off and back on
Those old guys who made the first one's knew what they were doing. Great way to restring.
For me….any affinity or bullet that lands in my collection is getting heavily modified. If the color is good, and the neck carve is nice, I’m all in. Cause the electronics are going, the tuners are going, and the fretboard is getting rolled. The good news is, they usually provide a really nice husk to mod from at a reasonable price.
The tummy cut is actually more for slimmer people! It makes room for your ribs so the edge of the body doesn't dig into them. Doesn't really do anything for people with a belly, if you do have a belly that's more cushioning to help stop the edge of a traditional tele body digging in.
You're one of the best reviewers of guitars here in TH-cam. Thanks. I'm blown away by that belly cut. I might consider buying this.
hey thanks so much!
Nice video! I have a lot of expensive guitars and needed a simple tele-guitar. I bought one of these Affinity Lake Placid Blue. I can say - it sounds fantastic, I really love this guitar. 🥰 The sound, buildquality and look are amazing!
Very cool!
I can't resist a nice Tele! I bought one of these on black Friday, and it's a nice upgrade from my 2019 Affinity. Tummy cut, string thru, Lake Placid Blue.... Beautiful! The new one sounds like it might have a little bit nicer pickups, but that could just be because I GOT A NEW GUITAR! (lol) Thanks for the video, Landon!
ya they definitely made these nicer than the last series
For loose knobs - another easy fix is to put a small strip of masking tape on top of the shaft and down the length of the shaft. Re-install the knob and it will now be a tighter fit. Widening the shaft with a screwdriver can be risky. You can easily break one side of the split pot shaft.
thanks for the tip. I live on the edge!
Better, to use ptfe plumbers seal to increase your girth.
You're not putting masking tape on my shaft buddy..
Another Squier video? Come on, try something new for once. NO.
Get the Squier Affinity Telecaster here:
Sweetwater imp.i114863.net/jWn0P6
Thomann bit.ly/3CBN1fD
Andertons bit.ly/3WxCET2
Amazon geni.us/SquierAffTele
------------------------------------------------------------
Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro Jingle
0:24 - What this video is about - & Disclosure
1:20 - Quick walkthrough
2:00 - the deep dive
2:06 - Strings off and the nut close up
2:40 - ASMR Pickup plastic pull
2:57 - Opening up the guitar and looking inside
4:38 - Putting it back together
5:20 - the guitar weight
5:35 - pickup resistance
5:50 - Neck and body measurements
6:25 - the Gallery - Detailed features and specs
7:30 - Clean Guitar Tone Samples
9:42 - Dirty Guitar Tone Samples
12:30 - Summary - Pros & Cons
Bought one of these in light blue sparkle a few weeks ago. Dropped a Seymour Duncan in the neck and replaced the bridge saddles, rolled the fret edges and this thing plays nearly as good as my American Strat
First time I've watched one of your vids in a while and it did not disappoint, having your signature subtle/dry humor. Keep it up.
Thanks, will do!
I need a Tele and don't want to spend too much. Had one of the previous Affinity series models, it wasn't bad. If these are an improvement, might take the plunge and grab one. Cheers.
From Leo: Nice Demo, The Affinity Tele is a very playable value guitar. I know people like to dis the small diameter pots, but they are not really a big problem. On customers guitars, I have changed out many that the customer just wanted changed. Almost none of them had any problems. Those pcb based square selector switches are a different story, I have changed lots of them that acted up, often on a 1 or 2 year old guitar.
thanks for sharing. When you've felt the controls in a Fender, then you feel these, you know something doesn't feel as strong.
@@landonbailey That is true about the feel of the knobs, but they don't hurt the signal coming out of the guitar and they last fine.
Got that exact Tele in Lake Placid Blue about a week ago and it’s awesome. Only thing I changed was the pick guard to a black one and some Fender locking tuners. The locking tuners don’t drop right in because you have to lengthen the two small holes in the head stock to make them work. Not a big deal and definitely make string changes way easier. It needed a little setup work but definitely not bad right out of the box. Such an awesome guitar for the $$$.
nice! thanks for sharing. I always wondered about the mod required to add the tuners
I was actually thinking about that exact configuration since the butterscotch ones won't be available until next year.
Where did you get the black pick guard from and did it line up and fit nicely?
@@toddtremblett3863 ordered it from Amazon. It is the actual Fender part and it fit perfectly. All the holes lined up great.
these actually look really decent. my first guitar was an affinity tele still have it since it plays pretty well
ah cool!
I love your seamless delivery of humorous comments, can hear some folks saying "He's joking, right?". Every vid I've seen shows (to my tone deaf ears) the neck pup needs a little help to wake up. At one point you get a really nice "acoustic" sound out of it.
I appreciate that!
I have a twin to this guitar. There was a problem. After playing, if you muted all the strings and pulled your right hand off the strings, there was a very annoying ringing. The "G" string was resonating between the nut and the tuner. A second string tree solved the problem.
CS 51 nocasters in mine, new fender switch, fender pots, rolled fingerboard edges, leveled some frets, better satin fininsh on back of neck. Like a dream. 🤩
nice mods!
string-through-body and belly-cut are great new things. I hope the new model doesn't cost more than the old one.
it does cost more. everything has gone up in the past year
Thanks Landon. I like that guitar. I already have an ObsidianWire 4 way switching kit and Mr Glyns Cruel Mistress Telecaster pickups that would go nicely in it. (They're currently in an Encore E2 Blaster.) I have the fret polishing gear etc. so given an hour or two I could make that into a guitar that would sound better than most Fender Teles.
cheers!
For grins, I recently grabbed a 2020 Squier Affinity in Olympic White. Fit and finish are superb. Upgraded the pus with Fender Gen 4 Noiseless and the machine heads with Fender locking tuners. Great guitar for the price.
Thanks for sharing!
From what I've seen, the Telecasters in the "Player Pack" deal are 22 fret, gold-logoed, string-through jewels from Indonesia. The "stand alone" Telecasters are black-logoed, top loading, 21 fret versions, usually from China.
thanks for the info! 🎸👍
@@landonbailey It's odd, but I bought one of those "Player Pack" Telecasters, even thought I did not need any of the accessories. But I wanted that string-through body., and that extra fret, too.
It could depend where you are buying it from, but I would say that it looks like they are just getting rid of old stock if they are selling the top loading ones.
What difference does it make if it is top loading, I can't hear any difference, is it a fender tradition that people are raving about string through body?
Great video again Landon.
A nice beginners guitar. Galaxies better than what I first started on. You get what you pay for. If I were the store owner, I would have cleaned that glue mess up!
Rock on! they probably didn't see the glue. I didn't see it until I got home
Great deep dive as per usual. I think it looks stunning
Thank you! 😊
String through is new too, I have an affinity Tele from last year and its a top loader....cool review, love all your posts...
That’s strange. I had just commented that I have a ‘20 affinity tele with a string through body.
they have had string thru since around 2019,so not new
@@lifeasinterns I do too. I suspect there's some overlap.
I returned the new out of the box (January 4, 2024) Classic Vibe 60s Tele the next day because the three way switch didn't work. The more I carefully switched it, the worse it got. I bought an Affinity sunburst instead with the tummy cut that I really like. It doesn't come on most other models. I did my intentions and changed the pickups, pick guard, strings and saddles (to brass) and purchased 2 full size 500K CTS pots (not yet installed) and still came out $100 cheaper than the CV. What is most surprising is that it always kept working just fine. Still is but it does sound better now.
Thanks for the awesome review Landon. The most important change for me is that these new affinities are string through. The old ones were not and as far as I'm concerned if it's not string through it's not a proper Tele. I would consider getting one of them.
That's how a review is done! Thank you.
Tried it at local Guitar Center yesterday. It sounds really really great!! This time, squire did a great job on the Affinity series!!
ya some nice improvements for sure
I just got one it is great its as good as my classic vibe !!😊
congrats!
I just picked up the affinity telecaster deluxe and wow, feels, looks, and sounds like a 500 guitar, not a 279 dollar guitar. Gotta sneak out and get the one you are showing in the demo.. need a good single coil version, have a Duncan quarter pounder and fender deluxe drive pickup that need a new home... My Excuse for buying it is I Can't let 2 good pickups go to waste..
Sounds especially good "dirty" imo.
Pretty-looking twanger too!
The blue is far nicer then the old basic black edition. They should have named those "Model T".
Via TH-cam, this guitar sounds quite nice. I liked the dirt tone. I could see a guitar player in band rockin' this no problem.
PS Really dug how you played from the 11 min mark onwards.
cheers!
Great deep-dive Landon. Cheers mate. 👍
Thanks 👍
Hey Landon, I just watched your video and with this information in mind I went to the store. Because I can't play myself, but I have very good hearing, I asked an employee to play me some clean tunes. He kindly did and it turned out that the Chinese (which are actually made in Taiwan), sounds much better than the Indonesian one. It is much clearer and even the employee was surprised. :)
Squiers just keep getting better and better!
Man these new affinity guitars sound really good! 😯👌🏻
These guitars are fantastic, my affinity has an alder body which I prefer.
Interesting! I bought the Squire Affinity Tele Deluxe. It wasn't shielded and had some noise even with the humbuckers. I noticed that the one you demoed was shielded. I used some shielding paint and it eliminated the noise. Strange that in this series that one came shielded. The deluxe even cost more than the regular AF Tele. Shielding could have been done. Thanks for the reviews!
seems like some of them are made in China and some are made in Indonesia. cheers!
I got one of these a few months ago, and it’s amazing. The only thing that I’ve done to it was round the fingerboard and round off the frets.
nice!
i have already an LTD MH400NT and an Ibanez RG7421 and I like this tele with this finish. I will buy this as my third guitar to keep in E standard and play easier and soft stuff (I play mainly metal things). Even if I think I will have something to fix (like pots or frets) it's a deal for me, plus I like the form factor and the semplicity of the guitar and the mod friendly body. Thank you for the review very accurate and nice to look your videos. 👍
Like the modern belly cut. I have had a bunch of Telecasters over the years and currently have a 2010 Squier Standard with a pickup and tuner mods. Can’t justify the Ultra just for a belly cut but this may just tick the box.. 👍🇦🇺
That's interesting that it has dime size alpha pots. I got in an Affinity Tele Deluxe with two humbuckers. It has full size pots (unknown make), and a Switchcraft type three way switch. The nut was too low, so I swapped it out with a Tusq 5042 nut. So far it plays outstanding. I may swap out the ceramic humbuckers for some SD Pearly Gates that I have laying on the shelf.
That blue looks great though.
hey cool! ya I reviewed the Tele Deluxe as well.
👌🏽
th-cam.com/video/2pnl2SreQXQ/w-d-xo.html
I have a Squire Tele Deluxe also.
It's proven itself to be as nice as any Fender. Beautiful!
I stuck some Tonerider Hot Classic pickups in my Affinty Tele and now it's freakin' awesome. Highly recommended.
It looks and sounds nice. I may pick one up and do a few mods. Thanks for the review.
good modders guitar for sure
@@landonbailey I bought it. I got the lake placid blue one. It looks so much better than the pictures.
Too late for me, I bought a 2021 Monoprice Retro Classic Tele for around $ 80. Weighs about the same as the Affinity, only in a Basswood thru body stringer, no belly cut or skunk stripe. The ceramic pickups are 7.2K Neck, Bridge is 6.6K, 3.5K Both. I don't really regret saving $ 170 for this level instrument. The nut on the Monoprice wasn't a bad glue job, but the poly finish on the back had a blemish, probably why it went on sale from $ 99.99 ? The knobs were properly pressed onto the shafts & the pickup switch isn't cheap feeling. Monoprice comes with a single ply black pickguard, but I prefer the homage to the 1950's Fender blackguards. Monoprice really has a solid Telecaster and mine is the Rosewood fretboard with the pale yellow/buttercream (blonde). Tuners aren't quite what the Affinity has, but they are no worse than the Epiphone LP Special I P90 I have. As for the neck itself, I probably prefer a skunk stripe, but the headstock shape I prefer the Monoprice's Partridge Family Bird logo shape. Really reminds me of the Ernie Ball Music Man/Sterling if it were the inline 6 tuners & not the 4 on top/2 on the bottom. And the frets, level and no fret sprout, pretty clean too. The truss rod was loosened & retightened the same just to ensure that the truss rod nut worked properly & wasn't stripped. As for a set up, I lowered the action to preference, did the intonation check & also adjusted the height of the pickups for the action adjustment. The Monoprice with the MSRP factored in compares quite favorably to the Squier Affinity. Been after a Monoprice on sale and when they made that happen for a pre-Father's day sale, I made that happen when the blonde became available in late May/early June 2021. I would like to see Monoprice offer the Buttercream Blonde with an all Maple neck & fretboard, but the Rosewood wasn't a deal breaker. The Rosewood is a harder piece of wood anyway & being unfinished may require occasional oiling to hydrate the wood. But the Maple fretboard would need a poly finish that I think will relic like only a Maple fretboard can. Maybe in a few years though I like the Rosewood and how it's more durable. Forgot to mention it, but the Monoprice is a 22 fret neck, 1 more than the 21 frets the Affinity has.
never too late!
@@landonbailey It is for Squier in this case, I see no reason to replace the Monoprice with a guitar that is priced $ 170 more at this point, and I certainly don't see a reason to buy guitars that are being driven up in price. Monoprice also has the blue guitar with all Maple neck. Monoprice seems to be out-Squiering for the affordable guitars. We're getting enough inflation these days across the board. With the difference in price, I could easily upgrade tuners & pickups to Fender components on the Monoprice.
The pots work, it sounds good, plays good and its cheap. I wouldnt change a thing...just play the fk out of it until something breaks. Best thing about cheap Tele's is you dont have to worry about a scratch or someone stealing it or spilling beer on it.
good for modding too
dude awesome review man, looking in detail to all things is the wayy to go! good job you have my thumbs up and subscribe! keep it up mate
cheers!
New Squier affinities are excellent valued guitars and basses..
"more words you probably can't see"
That was a good one.
I recently bought the exact same guitar! Mine weighs 3180 grams, nut was okay, a bit dirty but no glue residue. I had the exact same problem with (just) the tone pot, which well off really easily. Fit and finish on the back of the neck is not perfect, I could feel some places where it was not smooth enough. Lake Placid Blue finish almost perfect, looks really nice! Frets were scratchy but fret ends pretty nice. Fretboard is also rough between a few frets.
My biggest issue was with the jack plate, which was installed displaced on my guitar (not parallel to the body sides, and quite off actually - you know Tele bodies have that body part where the jack plate comes plained out, but my jack plate was installed a bit on the edge of the plain part and the jack plate is a bit bent). Also the bridge saddles sit quite high with low action, so if I need to go for medium action, I cannot raise them much higher, quite a bummer.
But all in all I find the guitar to be decent, it feels and vibrates pretty nice, sounds decent and looks amazing. Good game Squier, if there was just a bit more attention to detail, this would be an amazing axe!
Was just on Sweetwater looking for a new toy and ended up here for your review. I’m liking the new look of this Affinity and think I’ll grab me a white one through your affiliate link before they sell out…like they’ve done with the blue one.
cheers! have fun with it
i got the jazzmaster with same colour for my grand daughter really awsome first guitar great value for cash
like this one? th-cam.com/video/9zaaQRkPsWo/w-d-xo.html
Nice vid, "just the facts ma'am". Got one yesterday: 7.3 lbs which is ok, Teles can be 8 to 9lbs. Frets and neck were nice. Those two things, weight and neck make it a keeper/modder. With such lousy strings its hard to know tuning stability (hey Fender, ask D'addario for a volume discount!). As for the pickups, screw em down a lot and they'll sound acceptable until you do the inevitable upgrade.
🎸👍
I just ordered one of these. I blame you.
Going to try my hand at a couple mods and maybe some fret work depending on it's condition when it arrives.
Best guitar reviews on TH-cam, information you can use.
Thanks for your work.
Great channel.
Wow, thanks!
I put a Donlis nickle covered alnico pup in the neck position of my 2018 Affinity
Tele. This model would probably benefit from the same upgrade as the squier tele neck pup is a little muddy sounding.
This might be the first time I feel buyer's remorse in my guitar buying history...
I bought a 2020 Affinity in September last year as a modding project and I really like it, except for one small detail that keeps me up at night: it's a bloody toploader!
Toploaders sure have their upsides but in this case the downsides weigh way heavier for me.
The biggest one being that because of the low string tension, the saddles (at a mid-high action and below) are vibrating and rattling like crazy at some frequencies and I'm going insane because of it.
The only real solution is to make it a string-through but for that I'd either need a new bridge plate or drill through the plate and the body, without really knowing which points to drill through (which I'm not comfortable with) and there are just absolutely no replacement bridges that fit at all!
I'm bending over backwards to get my hands on a Affinity 2021 bridge plate but so far, no luck...
That's why I chose the bullet over the affinity lol
These are all over the place for 21. Mine has truss plug, full neck and body, adjustable pickup but no contour and its a top loader. The bridge does have the holes for string thru already
@@skeed.5768 On that point Fender or Squier got the line up all wrong! The Bullets were a much nicer guitar coming from Indonesia the previous Affinities were out of China and not as good even the headstock was wrong plus no string thru and they cost more than the bullets but now they have woke up got rid of bullets for sonics that have top loaders weird 🤨
I think I prefer Lake Placid to Tidepool since I feel like I would drown in the tidal whirlpool but not the smooth, calm lake. But the Affinity metallic Lake Placid Blue is even better. 🤷♂️
Lake Placid might have a giant crocodile!
06:09 Hey Landon, I appreciate your measurement and comparison on the nut. I prefer the narrower 41mm/1.6inch better (like the Yamaha Pacifica's nut), than the wider 42mm/1.65inch (common standard nut width). I guess the older Affinity still fit me best. 06:09
That's a nice looking guitar, and I have to agree, it's a much nicer blue than the other one you showed.
Sounds good and looks cool.
I say it’s a win!
i love string through body that make sound great than 2020 Version and 3.5 kg looks not like average poplar body should be thank you for dive this Squier Affinity Telecaster
cheers!
Baffeling how these cheap guitars come in decent colors where I can't get a Player strat with something decent from Fender
I think the Tidepool blue is nice
@@landonbailey I don't, I like brighter colors. tidepool looks old and like it belongs on a Gretsch hollow body. So you've got Player series with modernized harware but in old colors. Sunburst, okay great but I've seen that a million times already. Black, white, boring, puke yellow, barf orange which look like aged white and red. And there is lame ol' car color blue. Where's the more modern colors? At least give me car Cobra Blue then. So, basically, If I go to any online store and select strat body and deselect Fender, well that's what I'm talking about. And those PRSses SE whow, I like all them colors.
Sure Professional strats have great colors, Texas Tea,Mystic Green, Cobra blue, Miami Blue (now that's a blue right there!). Personally I just wanted a red Player Strat. I don't care for Squiers and old vibes and I don't care for big 70's headstocks. Which leaves me nothing from Fender.
Okay, I know I sound like a whiny bitch by now. But as we all know, real tone is in the color...
Love the colour and finishing, except the nut. Seems to sound and look good right out of the box. Like the tummy cut. Great modding options bonus. If I was looking for a new Tele, this would be high on my list. A bit of electronics work and maybe I would throw in a humbucker and it would be totally awesome cheap Tele.
Good deep review. Thanks.
Great video thanks for your time and help 😊
No problem 👍
World's okayest guitar player for sure 😉 great dive as always 🐋
Thank you kindly!
Like the string through body and tuners!
Peeling off those plastic pieces off a new guitar is as satisfying as peeling off your own scabs ❤
🤮😝
I did get my butterscotch. It's Chinese made instead of Indonesian and there's some different. The cavity is not shielded and there are unbranded dime sized pots instead of alphas. Pickups are different with a straight ceramic bar magnetic instead of the split magnet in Landon's.
The bridge seems to be more similar to the bridge used on MIM teles with the four screw holes.
Fit and finish is good, but maybe not quite as the same level as the Indonesian.
hey thanks for sharing all that info. does it have the new glossy headstock?
@@landonbailey yep, but it doesn't pop as much with the raw maple as it does with the darker laurel fretboard.
I like the bridge saddles and it sounds a little more full and less Tinny than my CV
The Affinity is superb value for money. Modding is a cool hobby, but for most not required.
Well done Landon my boy!
🎸👍
Landon, just received my Telecaster Affinity 3 color Sunburst and I got it from Sweetwater using your support the channel affiliate links. This is my first electric guitar which is a good starter for me I also purchased a Champion 20 amp from Elderly’s guitar in Lansing,MI, I think the pairing will be great! Derik from five minute music explains how to use the amp really well. My telecaster was made in China not Indonesia like your video, it weighs 7.09 pounds which is good and I love the tummy cut for me a 60 year old guy! I wanted to get the guitar pre-set up from Elderly’s but they only had the 2019 version straight string through. I may put it in the Fender gig bag and run it over to Lansing to have them set it up and intonate it. It is a great addition to my guitarsonal Seagull S6 and LaPatrie Etude nylon string. Thanks for all you do!
congrats! have fun
how's the guitar??
The new affinity are excellent.
I got one for a partscaster and will do little to mod.
They should just do the strat scoop and arm contour on these. There is some telecaster copy out there that has that and it looks awesome.
people would probably freak out and complain it's not a real Tele anymore :)
I owned a couple of Squier CVs. Both really good for the money.
But, honestly, life’s too short. I’ve gotten great local deals on lightly used American stats and teles, and even LPs and SGs. You just have to be patient, and show up with cash.
No more Chinese stuff for me.
They're no longer from China anymore, but from Indonesia.
@@fritsvanzanten3573 And companies like Eastman and Shijie are putting US guitars to shame.
I'm about to get one of those Godin Telecasters. Landon tested one a while ago, and loved it, and they're made in Canada, which makes my heart swell with nationalistic pride.
Plenty of good stuff made in China.
Looking forward to ordering one of these friday! Eventually would like to put some fender texas specials in it.
Right on!
I love my affinity telecaster my nobs are tight no wax on the nut it plays like a much more valuable guitar,besides if I'm not making a lot of money playing guitar it would be stupid to spend a lot of money playing guitar
I always say do what works best for you!
Damn! I think those pickups are hotter than my 2020 CV 50 Tele!
ya most likely. I think the CV 50 use some combination of alnico magnets
Good review, keep on doing these videos please
Thanks, will do!
on mine the pots were fine but the tuners were loose. all the rest is pretty much the same as you described.
I'd say a little work is required to make it enjoyable.
ah k, ya easy fix for the tuners
Thanks for the deep dive into Lake Placid!
totally! the blue is great
People with big guts will say, "Thank you!"
true
Nice! Glad they finally got the shape of the upper bout correct, that was kind of unsightly on the earlier Affinities, and the main reason I didn’t buy one.. The color is pretty, but it definitely looks more like Royal Blue than Lake Placid Blue.
The upgrades are very nice!
I think so too!
Be honest Landon you buy guitars just to peel the plastics off. I know this because I am the same and I can feel the pleasure you get from it through the video.
I actually don't really like that part but other people did and asked for more. 👍😅
intonation is off - check the D string especially
sounds surprisingly good for stock p/u's
My son's new Tele of the same model and color has some dents drawn behind the glossy finish of its headstock. Besides that, guitar looks and sounds fine. Moreover, we got it by some weird occasion instead of Squier Bullet Mustang I've originally ordered so we won't send it back.
enjoy!
Unless the markets for N. America and Europe are different, last year's affinity also had a string-thru bridge. I have one :-)
Edit: however, there are a lot more differences between the two.
Thanks for sharing!
Landon, I love the content and dry humor… I am switching from acoustic guitar and looking for my first electric… still fairly novice (aside from knowing basic chords)… would you recommend this guitar or should I start with the classic vibe series?…
hey there! very different feeling necks. I'd say get the Classic Vibe if you can afford it and don't mind a glossy feeling. The parts and electronics are step up from the Affinity. But the Affinity is pretty decent too, just more of a satin/raw feeling neck. hope that helps
That Lake Placid must gotten deeper since 2021 and that's why the color is darker than it used to be
Right?
I just got mine today in olympic white, pretty great guitar.
nice! same new refresh version?
@@landonbailey Yup same version with the belly cut, had to pre-order it at the local store
Why don’t you “literally” walk on the guitar…if it survives then you know it’s a true telecaster.
it would probably be ok 🤣
@@landonbailey Roy Buchanan said Teles were like a bread board with a neck screwed to them. He used to tell a story of defending himself against a would-be mugger with his Tele when walking home from a gig in NYC...
@@Shaun.Stephens ummmm he beat off a mugger?! better to sexually assault them first right?
@@crocketgsxr6 I've edited the wording of my comment so that the juveniles don't get too excited.
@@Shaun.Stephens I am 40 and it will never not be funny.
I actually really like Squire, I’m really considering getting this Tele and doing a few upgrade to it. I remember the video you did comparing the Affinity, Classic Vibe and Player and thinking how close they all sounded and considering this is a upgrade from the yellow one.. well, I’m sold on this now..
I want a Telecaster, tried 4 of them today in a guitarshop and first i tried the Affinity, i actually liked it. And then i tried a Fender Vintage Tele, which was decent, but the Squier was better..
I tried the Fender Player series Tele, and that one was horrible! I do own a Player Series Strat and A playerseries J-bass fretless, both are very nice, but that telecaster player series i tried today was really crap in all aspect i could think of. Then i tried a Pro series Fender Tele.. It was a little thicker on the neck, and it had a decent good sound, was pretty nice to play on, has nicer tuning screws than the Squier, but the Squier was thinner in the neck, felt more versatile, and had a better sound for some reason, i mean for me at least it had a bite to the sound and i dunno i kinda found it hard to buy a pro telecaster over the Squier, and the vintage i didnt like the tuning screws on at all, and the player series, maybe it was just THAT spesific telecaster i tried but im leaning towards the Squier for some reason so now i have this dilemma.. should i buy a Affinity Tele, and then wait a year and buy a Telecaster either US or MiM with HH instead of SS.
I don't know but not gonna buy that yet anyways, its later this year and i want with maple neck. Already have PF on my bass and my strat.
You definitely need to try squier telecaster standard series made in indianesa maybe not in production anymore but great cheaper end guitars came out in vintage yellow rosewood neck. Antique burst rosewood neck.. some have maple necks.. much better than infinity
I did try one when they were in stores. it was nice for sure!
I've tried an Affinity HH and a 2018 Contemporary HH. Maybe I'm used to the 12" radius but it felt way better, plus the Affinity felt like a raw or absolutely no satin finish at all.
I went with the Contemp, not too many Teles by Fender/Squier have a 12" radius, plus I want to mod it anyways, so hardware quality doesn't bother me as long as the neck is comfy.
👍🎸
3:38 I’d exercise caution here. I’ve actually broken a potentiometer shaft this way.
Great review just ordered one.
Have fun!