Squier had way better bottom end in regards to tone. I found the Donner far too shrill and abrasive to the ears. Did like the thickness of the Donner, but overall, I'd still choose the Squier. Also if I am going strat style gonna have to go with one with the Fender style radius.
Finally! A Good review for “affordable” guitars, for an ACTUAL beginner/or doesn’t have the money for a “good” guitar, rather than most who do an “affordable” review, and reveal a $500+ price range. . Still, I’ll take my 2018 Jackson dinky js34 I paid $251 US for last year.
Dinky is great but the schecter c6 elite went from $400 to $250ish and I noticed had higher quality parts (this is just my experience from owning both)
@@trashbagandrew I got a schecter avenger daimen elite for 275 cad got a emg 81 in the bridge and a emg 85 in the neck and grover tuners best deal I ever paid on a guitar I got to say schecter kills it
I bought the Donner from Amazon earlier this year as a base for modding and 2 things: 1. It was $132.29 which included tax+shipping (but no amp) making it nearly $100 cheaper. 2. The black fingerboard is ebony (as advertised) not rosewood which is rare for a budget guitar.
For that price, AND it has 22 frets, I’m tempted to buy one and a few mods, first thing would be the trem, swap out for a decent 2 point trem, then the electronics with alpha pots and a decent switch, and reconfigure the pickups to have a tele neck, regular mid, and a crispy vintage output bridge humbucker, and lastly, a TUSQ nut and Fender locking tuners or Graphtech ratio tuners.
This is where I live - I have multiple low-end guitars, including a Squier Strat, a Squier Affinity Tele, a Glarry Tele, etc., etc. I've modded the electronics on some, put in better tuning machines, polished frets, but haven't had to do anything to the back of the neck on any of them. Overall, the Donner sounded just a bit brighter, but otherwise, both sounded fine for ceramic pickups, and as you've pointed out yourself, Darrell, in other reviews, body mass has nothing to do with tone, so I'm not at all bothered by the Squier's thinner body - prefer it, actually. I don't use a trem, so I don't care if either one has one that's rock-solid or not. Overall, a good comparison demo, and I'm with John See: I've been playing for decades, and the quality of these bottom-end guitars is really pretty spectacular compared to 10 or 15 years ago.
I bought the Donner thinline ''jazz'' semi hollowbody telecaster. Can't believe how good this guitar is. $117 delivered on Amazon prime day sale. Love it!
@@godsinbox I remember they also offer these products on their own online store. You can check if it is in stock. I think it is donnerdeal or something. I can't recall it clearly.
They both sound great to be entry level guitars!! I like Squier sound, cause tones are a little bit on middle frequency, Donner is too sharp, but is my opinion, I look for darker sounds in all guitars😅 But Donner is a great guitar, I think that with not so much money you can upgrade it and get wonderful tones! Darrell, as usual your explanations are perfect!
A lot of that brightness can be cut with a slight clockwise turn of the tone knob. A larger value capacitor on the tone pot can help darken the sound as well.
Listening to both guitars and seeing the similarity in the build quality, the Donner is the one I would choose and with price difference change the tuners and for the price of the Squier you get a quite better guitar.
Just bought the Donner for my daughter for a birthday present, got the whole shebang (bag, tuner, pics, extra strings, capo, cable and mini amp) for $85.00 shipped. Couldn't pass up that deal !!!
Hi Darrell- my wife bought me your "The Only tone that Matters" Stratocaster T-shirt for a gift. Really love the shirt! I got 3 compliments on it today! Thanks
The tuning machines are cheap but one thing you should mention is that the buttons are almost always in need of snugging up with a screwdriver. It makes a world of difference and eliminates most of the backlash and slop. I've done this many times even on expensive guitars. It's definitely worth mentioning.
Also should consider resale value. You can sell an affinity strat with very little effort and for a good price. The Donner won't fetch anywhere what you paid for it and will be tougher to find a buyer. A lot of beginner guitars are sold b/c people give up on learning or upgrade to something better.
Personally I would bot go into any cheap guitar looking to resale neither hold value enough. I would keep it and test mods out on it after you bought another.
Sorry, I know your comment is 6 months old, I apologize for necrobumping, but I just have to say; if you’re going into picking up your first guitar with resale value in the back of your mind in case you lose interest, you’re already doomed to fail. At that point, you’re already giving up. Nothing should ever be bought with resale in mind, unless that’s your whole business. Buy it because you want it, not because it might be worth more down the road. That makes zero actual sense. Nobody who buys something specifically because it will appreciate ever actually has any fun owning that thing. Especially since they’re usually too scared they’ll damage it and drop the value, so they never even use it. It just shouldn’t be a consideration at any point whatsoever when buying a first guitar, especially if your budget is already limited enough to be shopping in this price range.
Also, it really depends on what Squier we are talking about. I'm thinking about upgrading from my supermarket strat copy to something a bit better but still affordable. After some research I realized that Squier Bullet guitars, wich are Squiers entry level (not Affinity) cost around the same as a Donner (but without all the bells and whistles). But for what I've been earing, these Bullet ones are not very smooth, especially fret and fretboard wise, and they don't retain any value either. You can find them used for as low as 60$. To be honest, the money you're getting from selling an entry level guitar in my opinion is not even worth selling it, just save for an extra month or two and keep both guitars. Use the cheap one as a "bang around" guitar, that you can just move around everywhere without worring about it I'm probably gonna wait until I can get something even better than the Affinity, but if I was to buy my first guitar today I would definitely go with the Donner. They are better than the Squier Bullets, cheaper than the Affinitys and come with everthing you need to get started. Not to mention they are way better than a supermarket guitar xD
I just got a squier classic vibe 70 in sonic blue... its totally worth the extra 175- 200$. The upgrades, feeling, playability, fit and finish are well worth it. Bone nut as well. I highly suggest anyone wanting to buy a squier to just save up a little bit longer to buy a classic vibe!
I also just got the Donner T-style and within a few days of getting it, used it for a gig. I didn't even change the strings. Once the strings stretched, I have had no tuning issues whatsoever and it has quickly become my favorite practice guitar. Now, after watching this review, I think it's time to add the Donner S-style to my "arsenal."
I bought the Donner after watching your initial video for the guitar, and it played great out of the box. I eventually upgraded the bridge and tuners to Fender brand, and it was definitely an improvement. Pickups are surprisingly good as is.
@@mennofennema9829 for those that don't like the content the engineers at TH-cam came up with a device called the Offensive Frequency Franastat, abreviated- OFF button. Simply put, don't like it - don't watch it.
I’d like to get a donner and do some upgrades, like switching the pups to alnicos, maybe popping in a preloaded pick guard altogether, and locking tuners. Looks like a cool guitar for modding.
I have a custom 24 se PRS and I still got my old bullet. It gets played 2to 1 over the PRS because its a good guitar. Louder when played acoustic. I play the PRS after 5:00.
Good idea, there's actually a guy im subbed to who did some upgrades on one of the low end Donners. If you're interested the channel was "Kelly Dean Allen" and the video series was called something like upgrading a guitar on a budget.
@@Sasquatch10 I feel like the Donner's might be a better Mod project. The starting point is way cheaper and the full thickness body opens more opportunities for different trems.
Darrell you should also talk about the neck profile and shape. The couple of Squiers I've had both had really thin necks. Also you should tell us the measurement of the nut.
Yeah my Classic Vibes Tele has a thin neck. But it also has these lightly rolled edges which are way nicer that the straight edges I've played on Encores and 00's Squiers.
@@sydguitar99 I'd agree if he was just reviewing one of these guitars, but since he's comparing them, it would be nice to know if one has a thinner or thicker neck than the other one. Same with the nut.
How about a Donner vs a Monoprice vs Glarry guitar that would be cool vid for ultra cheap guitars comparison. Strat style is cheapest of all 3 manufactures.
I have all 3, it does matter. Glarry is not the same quality as Donner, its just not. Monoprice Indio is a close second to Donner, and still superior to the Glarry.@@treaceeames4697
I've recently (within the last year) picked up a Squier Bullet Strat - Lake Placid (ish) Blue. It is gorgeous. And I love it. The neck is not bad. Not great. But it plays pretty well. Cheapo pickups. But I still ove the axe, for $149 on sale. Then.... I have the Donner Strat I bought a few months back. Also in a Lake Blue metallic type thing. Just slightly lighter blue than the Squiier. I LOVE that guitar too. Honestly, it's a better guitar. Heavier. Much better pick-ups IMO, although not great. Much better neck. But I hated the Donner head-stock. No big deal. I sanded it and re-shaped it on my sanding machine. And now it looks way better. Anyway - I dig both guitars a lot. But the Donner is better. Now... a Squier Affinity is going to be a little nicer than the Bullet..... so......
Squier base price is $60 more. Not really comparable in value at all. Plus it'll cost another $90 bucks to get all the extra's things you need like the gig bag (will cost $35 alone) with the Donner. The Squier you get nothing.
Brazilian brands are doing decently for budget guitars as of late. I have a Tele-style Strinberg and it's really good, + the figuring on the maple fretboard is actually very pretty. Only issue is the radius is flatter than an Ibanez. I might start modding it soon. Another new brand I've noticed in nearby stores is EWA Guitars.
I think a beginner can't go wrong with the Indio Cali Classic you reviewed previously. After seeing your review, I had to try one. The neck on it is awesome! It only cost me $80 brand new!
I bought the Donner from Amazon in October 2020 and paid $127.49 US$, including shipping and taxes. I still think that it was a good deal! cheap and nice! I use the small amp when watching youtube videos to learn a song and not drive the whole family crazy! I oiled the fretboard, adjusted the tuning pegs, replaced the strings and adjusted their height a little and the guitar plays and feels very nice! The bag is a plus and the quality is not bad! I have to say that nut was not glued as clean as yours... but it's OK, not a deal breaker... that's the only thing I want to replace in the future. I would go with the Squier if I had more time to play but for my circumstances the Donner was a great deal! I just wanted to say that I love your videos!! THANK YOU!
I saw an all black contemporary jazz bass (with a maple neck/fretboard with black block inlays, and humbuckers), and it was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen.
I have the Donner DST-400. Alder body and two point trem. Frets are smooth and flawless. Finish is stellar. Really feels and plays like a MIM Fender Strat for $500 less money.
Got a Donner before the pandemic. Replaced the electronics with a pre-loaded pickguard; replaced tuners, and graphtec nut. I had a tech do the soldering but I did my own fretwork and the rest of the small stuff. My 2nd best electric guitar (IMO).
I’ve owned a Bullet HT Strat, great little guitar. I have a Donner Tele now and love it. I’ve been eyeballing the Donner Strat , if it’s bones are anything like the Tele it’ll be an awesome platform to mod if you want. Thanks, for the comparison, appreciate what you do!
Fully agree about Squier updating the quality of their instruments - I recently bought a Squier Thinline Tele and it's amazing. No tweaks or setups needed whatsoever apart (of course) from tuning after arrival).
Got a donner package for my 13yo last Christmas for $130. Very satisfied! Good finish, great for beginner but enough quality that I like playing it too. Oh, and the little battery powered amp is perfect for a kid to play. Loud enough to fill a bedroom but not rattle the whole house. Even has distortion.
Note that with the Donner you get more for less [ $169.00 ]. The Affinity is $229.00. Plus, it's a full size guitar, with a 1 3/4" thick body, which is the Fender standard. I have bought a lot of Affinitys over many years, and they are a good, solid guitar. They make a fine modding platform, but the Donner is equally well suited for mods. Also, cheaper.
I went the used route and picked up a Yamaha Pacifica 112 for $150 CAD. As a lefty my only choice for colour is the natural grain, but I'm getting it done in a matte sedona red finish and blacking outt he pickguard and knobs. Chrome cover for the humbuckers, black for the middle single coil and my addition of a filtertron clone for the neck to give it all the versatilitiy I will need. It's thanks to excellent TH-cam channels like this that I've been able to take the plunge into electric guitar. Being a lefty limits choice, but it does give you more GAS! Given the choice between the Donner and the Squier, gotta say I like the tone of a bridge humbucker more.
One more thing to consider. Which guitar will hold its value when it's time to upgrade and you want to trade or sell the entry level axe. I am going to give the Squire the point in that category. So when you consider price you also gotta consider trade in value in a year or two when you move onto that intermediate instrument.
True! If anything the Squier will increase in value. I have a Squier Telecaster Affinity that I bought for $170 that is going for over $200 used now (I think because of the color or something dumb like that). The retail price also increased.
Definitely think the Donner was the better deal. Also looked and sounded better. I think it’s a better starting point to modify which is what I would do with either guitar! New alnico pickups, pots, switches basically replace all the electronics and lastly maybe the tuners. Either block off the tremlo and make it a hard tail or switch it over to a two point tremlo with low friction set up.
The Squier pickups produce more harmonics and sound fuller. Otherwise, the Donner package is the better value. I'd go with the Donner, and upgrade the pickups and vibrato system.
Nice work! My 5 cents on trem systems: there isn't one that can't be set up to near perfection, either cheap or expensive. That's the genius of Fender 😊
Your guitar reviews are second to none, Darrell. I really love them. 😍 You provide such detailed information about he build; show the insides of each guitar; and provide really good sound/tone comparisons. Your summaries really cap it off and help someone choose between guitars. In this review, I'd go for the Donner, because it has a humbucker in the bridge position, and it just seems to have better value. Regardless, I might go for some of the better Affinity models with a more desirable finish and pay a little more. Thank you for another great review! 👍👍👍👍👍
Considering half of all beginners give up within the first year, don't underestimate the value of having all the accessories included. Even the cheapest amp will set you back at least 50 bucks and you still need to buy the bag and all the various other things.
I bought the Donner 4 yrs ago for under $100. I did have to do a setup. The fret ends were bad news. But since that time the guitar has settled down and plays as it should. I have the yellow which looks just great.
Good review. I have several Affinities, one Donner. Both work very well. No problems with vibrato systems. 6 screw system is just fine. Unscrew all six three turns. The just need to pivot, not hold the plate down. Thick, thin body? No matter at all. Oh, I'd like to hear the Donner amp! Man, price creep for these and all are concerning... Thanks Darrell!
Im a Les Paul guy. I have a Squire Affinity. I like it ive messed with a Donner. Id stick with the squire just like it better. The feel an sound . No insult to Donner. As usual ill take ur word.Gotta go with what you can afford.
Squier is a superior instrument and more reliable qc. Beware -These brands that are pumped here on TH-cam can be real junkers when you actually order one online. Like jet, donner and mono price
Just buy the Squier and put some money inside that thing: 1. Locking tuners. 2. Graphtech for the nut. 3. Stainless steel frets. 4. Get a nice branded bridge. 5. New electronics. 6. Get at least 1 great pick up for the bridge position, you know DiMarzio and stuff like that. Congrats you've made yourself one monster of a custom guitar for way less money than going to the store to buy a Fender branded Strat.
If you want to do some serious upgrades that are very inexpensive you need the following: Wilkinson 6 screw vibrato bridge. Has a huge intonated block-the only intonated block that I have ever seen. Cost $32 on ebay and is one of the best out there. Wilkinson E-Z LOCK tuners. On a quick look they might fit. The E-Z LOCK tuners have 2 holes in the posts. You put the string through whichever hole is right for you, then lock the string through the other hole. Cost $20 on ebay. You might be able to eliminate a string tree if you do it right. I use Graph Tech string trees- white or black. $10-12 for set of 2 on eBay. For a little over $50 you can totally transform the guitar
For what it's worth; I think string trees provide a much better break angle on the strings than staggered tuners here. Though I would replace those metal string trees for graph-tech ones for less friction.
I used to be a used instrument buyer a guitar center and let me tell you if you attempted to trade a squire in on something we would try not to laugh at you but it would be hard. The most you would get is 10 bucks. If you were concerned about trade in value on $100 guitar I have bad news for you you’re in the wrong hobby
If you see a guitar in a dream, it means that you will receive a gift. That item will probably be useful to you for work, and it will make you fall in love with your profession. I don't know when I'll get my dream electric guitar...🥺️. Waiting since 7 months...
I had bought a Squier Affinity Strat in the late 90's, also made in Indonesia, and it had much cheaper tuning machines than this one (open ones), so I straight away replaced them with the Schaller set I'd bought already years before to replace my very first guitar's cheapo tuners with; Which also had been a Strat copy (Got it in '83) but with inferior quality compared to the Squier, and it had actually been slightly more expensive! I prefer the middle and neck pick-ups soloed on Strats and they sounded fine on my Squier, but the bridge pick-up was a joke 😄 I actually made the effort of replacing it with a humbucker plus new pickguard 🙂
@@mightyV444 Squier Stratocasters of course. I have 1 made in Indonesia and 2 made in China. Yours is a treasure. I felt sorry for you. You deserve it better than me.
@@joshuajohnson2216 - Ohhh, okay. Well, thank you for your compassion! 😇🙏 I did eventually also make it to an American-made Fender Strat, which I'd mainly bought because none of my other guitars had a vibrato bridge, but I still liked my inexpensive Squier Tele Deluxe better! 😁
I would love to see an updated comparison between the newer Donner guitars (specifically the DST 152) and the new affinity strats. I'm looking at picking up one of those guitars soon.
Donner seemed solid, I own a bass from them and love it. gotta say though, the Donner sounded like it had some intonation issues on open chrod frets. not sure if that's nut related or a flat fret not perfectly crowned but overall very, verrry impressive otherwise. I'm thinking if getting one but a shame if the trem on both are shotty because I fell like that's half the fun of a strat! I'll think it over..!
The nice thing about the squire is you can get a Warmoth neck for it, and GFS has upgrade parts for the bridge, etc.... You can reliably upgrade them. Although 1 observation is kind of meaningless, I got a $299 one and the fretwork was just as good as my Warmoth neck and far better than my CV.
I’m an experienced player looking for a budget strat and the Donner had it up until the tone comparison - really striking difference! Depends what you like but the Squier’s smoother tone is for me!
I have the exact same Donner & the ONLY "complaint" that I've had is the pick guard & back cover. I wanted to put black to give more contrast but.....Strat covers won't fit & Donner doesn't offer black. For the money, Donner wins every time. A Donner Tele will be next.
Donner has upgraded their guitar. It now has a two-point trem and they've added a push-pull pot on the second tone knob to split the humbucker. Still at bargain basement prices!!
More great stuff, Darrel, I really like your budget guitar reviews. There are so many great options available now; we’re in a golden era for beginning guitarists.
I tried them both, and when it comes to playability, I prefere the Squier - perhaps because of the simular feeling of a Fender Stratocaster. I like the tone of the Squier a lot more than the Donner, but if I had to buy and play one for serious, I would replace all of the electronics anyway. I don't care, the Squier is thinner. It's made from better wood imo! Actually it feels comfortable to "just pick up" and have fun. Last but not least : The Donner has a humbucker at bridge, and so should the Squier be equipped as well. A coil split would take care of business - after the pickup replacement. As Darrell mentioned, Squier is upgrading the quality, and I look forward to follow that brand in future. Exiting comparison, Darrell. Thanks for putting such an effort into demonstrating budget guitars as serious instruments :)
Love Donner stuff. I have their thin line telecaster HH. I like it. Almost as much as my classic vibe. But another big advantage is resale value. Everybody knows Squier.
That squier is called a bullet strat in the uk and can be picked up for about £100. Epic guitar and the best beginners guitar. I’ve been playing 20 years and I have a couple of them and love em. Great to mod and great out of the box. I personally prefer the thinner lighter body it’s good for a bad back 🤣
@@teleshredder you forgot to mention taping up the pickups too. But this isn’t recommended because those fibers remain on the guitar to a minuscule degree and just one little bit of 0000 is enough to short out the pickups, even if you do tape them up. My recommendation is to remove the neck from the guitar to do any fret polishing with 0000. If you’re not into doing that, you’re at the mercy of StewMac and their overpriced fret erasers but unlike the 0000, you don’t risk damaging the electronics but… they’re expensive.
I got a pair of fret files and a fret rocker off eBay recently for less than twenty sheets (Dollars, Pounds) from China and the quality was good. Once you get your fret files and start using them, lean hard and file away for a few seconds then check how high they are with a fret rocker or how 'gritty' they feel. Go slow and careful!
Hmm, the fact the Donner is full thickness is a major point cuz I prefer the stacked pups from Seymour Duncan and they're easier to mount in the full thickness bodies. That said, it's possible to shoehorn them into the thinner bodies, but ye lose some height adjustment range. Another thing to consider are the routing used under the pickguard. I do not know about the Affinities nor the Donners, but I like having at least HSH or universal routs under the 'guard which allows great flexibility in pup choices. That being said, nowdays I generally look at a bit higher price range (300-400$US +/- 50) for more options. I recently picked up two Squier Contemporary Telecaster HH, and at ~400$US, I loved them. I also just picked up 2 Squier FSR Bullets (one Tele and one Strat) in Red Sparkle. I already knew they're thin bodies, but got them for the interesting red flake finish. All four are gonna be heavily upgraded.
Thank you Darryl. I've been waiting for a review like this for quiet some time love your reviews on the lower-budget guitars man they're totally awesome. I'm also a fan of Donner products.
Everyone is different, so I can only speak for myself. When I buy a budget guitar, she's getting modded. The neck and body are the only things invited to stay, so the quality of the hardware and electronics is of no consequence. For me, I prefer the shape of the Donner head stock and the satin finish on the neck is better. I would take the Donner all day long. With some careful picking and choosing of parts, you could easily turn it into a decent instrument for an additional $150 - $200. Amazing times we live in.
Wouldn't the Donner be in the (i hate to say it) super Strat catageory having the Humbucker in the Bridge? I use the term super Strat loosely. I would class a Levinson Blade as a Super Strat.
Thanks Darrell. One thing worth noting - it is more difficult to mod the Donner because the specs on aftermarket parts don't match as frequently as the Affinity.
Absolutely nuts how cheap they can make those guitars nowadays. I hope Squier and Epiphone can find a way to beat those budget brands in the coming years, I'd be both impressed and bummed if we ever got a proper Squierkiller.
Squier sounded much better on positions 2-5. Donner won position 1, but only because it has a bucker. Also, the Donner neck is so so light in color. I'll take the Squier. Thanks for the vid.
2021 Squier Affinity series got an upgrade. Gloss headstock with gold logo. Full size pots and a better switch. The Fender rep said they were supposed to bridge the gap better. Mexican Fender, then Squier Classic Vibe, then Squier Affinity, then the Squier Bullet. The Affinity moved up in quality a little. The Donner might be closer to a Squier Bullet series now.
On sound alone, that big, bright sound from the Donner hits me a lot better than the admittedly "fuller" tone on the Squier. When I see a Strat, I immediately think "bright" rather than "full."
A PLUS for the Donner tuning machines is, that it's way easier to find a moderately priced replacement that simply fits in without the need to change anything.
The one thing about those bigger, and nicer looking (imo) bridges.. if you get a bur in one of those saddles it was a little more challenging to solve on an old MiM Tele from 2004(it had those ‘block style’ saddles). It has brass saddles now, but back in the day it would snap low ‘E’ like crazy. I even had to give up my nickel wounds as the steel would at least last half a practice session.
Interesting A/B shootout. The Donner sounds identical to my Kramer VT-211S: narrow freq.res. w/brittle overtones. Squire takes the honors, as it should. Far more caressing. Thanks, Darrell.
The pickups on the Donner seem way more microphonic, and I generally prefer the sound on the Squier in your demo. But, that Humbucker on the Donner actually sounds really nice and I preferred it to the Squier's single coil at the bridge.
I'm quite impressed with Donner,although I play acoustic I have a couple of their mini pedals and again they deliver the goods with their looper and octaver so I'm not surprised that they make a good budget guitar.....................................
Have owned a Korean made Sapphire Blue Squier Stratocaster Pro Tone since Dec ‘96. To this day, one of my favorite guitars. Realize the guitar was only manufactured for roughly 3 years, which makes availability somewhat scarce, but curious Darrell if you have ever played, reviewed or compared this guitar to other “S” type guitars in that similar price point? As a recreational player, always look forward to your new videos ( well, my wallet doesn’t always, bought a Schecter Custom II Solo solely based on your reco and I totally agree with your assessment, BTW ).
would have been good to have seen the trem blocks, and also one screw removed from the trem - just to confirm if the screws had shoulders or not. great video though - thumbs up from me! Might be worth pointing out that there is nothing materially wrong with small pots. How well they are built is what matters. Alpha, Bourne, CTS all make excellent small sized pots.
I would like to have seen what the included Donner amplifier sounded like. I know it would be no competition for whatever you played them both through, but knowing what the buyer is in for would be valuable.
not terrible, back lacking in any real low end. its there, but its reallllly weak. which is to be expected of a practice amp with a speaker thats probably 3 inches or less. otherwise, they sound vaguely like a 'good' marshall stack, minus of course, any meaningful bottom end. some other channels have reviewed them, and played some bits through the included amp. and as of this post, they're transitioning to a new style of amp they include, and i've yet to see one played through.
Let me know which guitar you think sounded the best, and which one you'd spend your money on! Enjoy :)
I got a Donner.
I guess I be spending on both. This is interesting. When it comes to choose one guitar, give me time to think.
Squier had way better bottom end in regards to tone. I found the Donner far too shrill and abrasive to the ears. Did like the thickness of the Donner, but overall, I'd still choose the Squier. Also if I am going strat style gonna have to go with one with the Fender style radius.
@@replicated I have 3 Squier Stratocasters at home.
Well... The Squier for me, is closer to the “strat sound”... and when you go for a strat copy, that’s what you’re looking for 😎
Finally! A Good review for “affordable” guitars, for an ACTUAL beginner/or doesn’t have the money for a “good” guitar, rather than most who do an “affordable” review, and reveal a $500+ price range. . Still, I’ll take my 2018 Jackson dinky js34 I paid $251 US for last year.
I LOVE my Dinky!!!
Dinky is great but the schecter c6 elite went from $400 to $250ish and I noticed had higher quality parts (this is just my experience from owning both)
@@trashbagandrew I got a schecter avenger daimen elite for 275 cad got a emg 81 in the bridge and a emg 85 in the neck and grover tuners best deal I ever paid on a guitar I got to say schecter kills it
@@trashbagandrew which is 213 usd
I bought the Donner from Amazon earlier this year as a base for modding and 2 things:
1. It was $132.29 which included tax+shipping (but no amp) making it nearly $100 cheaper.
2. The black fingerboard is ebony (as advertised) not rosewood which is rare for a budget guitar.
Gotta get me one of those again 😂.
Gotta have it and gotta love it 😉☺️
For that price, AND it has 22 frets, I’m tempted to buy one and a few mods, first thing would be the trem, swap out for a decent 2 point trem, then the electronics with alpha pots and a decent switch, and reconfigure the pickups to have a tele neck, regular mid, and a crispy vintage output bridge humbucker, and lastly, a TUSQ nut and Fender locking tuners or Graphtech ratio tuners.
@@johnmaynes7142 just buy a new guitar
@@poggyyellow yeah. but it's way funnier if he does it that way.
@@freezingjazzy true true
This is where I live - I have multiple low-end guitars, including a Squier Strat, a Squier Affinity Tele, a Glarry Tele, etc., etc. I've modded the electronics on some, put in better tuning machines, polished frets, but haven't had to do anything to the back of the neck on any of them. Overall, the Donner sounded just a bit brighter, but otherwise, both sounded fine for ceramic pickups, and as you've pointed out yourself, Darrell, in other reviews, body mass has nothing to do with tone, so I'm not at all bothered by the Squier's thinner body - prefer it, actually. I don't use a trem, so I don't care if either one has one that's rock-solid or not. Overall, a good comparison demo, and I'm with John See: I've been playing for decades, and the quality of these bottom-end guitars is really pretty spectacular compared to 10 or 15 years ago.
I bought the Donner thinline ''jazz'' semi hollowbody telecaster. Can't believe how good this guitar is. $117 delivered on Amazon prime day sale. Love it!
got a link? sold out?
oh i see, amazon is location blocking on these guitars
@@godsinbox I remember they also offer these products on their own online store. You can check if it is in stock. I think it is donnerdeal or something. I can't recall it clearly.
i just got one and oh my gosh its so good for the money
They both sound great to be entry level guitars!! I like Squier sound, cause tones are a little bit on middle frequency, Donner is too sharp, but is my opinion, I look for darker sounds in all guitars😅
But Donner is a great guitar, I think that with not so much money you can upgrade it and get wonderful tones!
Darrell, as usual your explanations are perfect!
A lot of that brightness can be cut with a slight clockwise turn of the tone knob. A larger value capacitor on the tone pot can help darken the sound as well.
Listening to both guitars and seeing the similarity in the build quality, the Donner is the one I would choose and with price difference change the tuners and for the price of the Squier you get a quite better guitar.
Just bought the Donner for my daughter for a birthday present, got the whole shebang (bag, tuner, pics, extra strings, capo, cable and mini amp) for $85.00 shipped.
Couldn't pass up that deal !!!
That is the best deal ever
Who did you buy that through?
@@im_a_stain7874 I actually like the Donner guitar more than my fender affinity series.
incredible deal!!!!!
That’s amazing!! Quick question, did it come with a rechargeable amp with a headphone plug? Do you have a link ? :)
The quality of "cheap" guitars is incredible these days... I like the thinner bodies. Sound's about the same so I'd choose the Squier.
Hi Darrell- my wife bought me your "The Only tone that Matters" Stratocaster T-shirt for a gift. Really love the shirt! I got 3 compliments on it today! Thanks
The tuning machines are cheap but one thing you should mention is that the buttons are almost always in need of snugging up with a screwdriver. It makes a world of difference and eliminates most of the backlash and slop. I've done this many times even on expensive guitars. It's definitely worth mentioning.
Also should consider resale value. You can sell an affinity strat with very little effort and for a good price. The Donner won't fetch anywhere what you paid for it and will be tougher to find a buyer. A lot of beginner guitars are sold b/c people give up on learning or upgrade to something better.
Personally I would bot go into any cheap guitar looking to resale neither hold value enough. I would keep it and test mods out on it after you bought another.
Sorry, I know your comment is 6 months old, I apologize for necrobumping, but I just have to say; if you’re going into picking up your first guitar with resale value in the back of your mind in case you lose interest, you’re already doomed to fail. At that point, you’re already giving up. Nothing should ever be bought with resale in mind, unless that’s your whole business. Buy it because you want it, not because it might be worth more down the road. That makes zero actual sense.
Nobody who buys something specifically because it will appreciate ever actually has any fun owning that thing. Especially since they’re usually too scared they’ll damage it and drop the value, so they never even use it. It just shouldn’t be a consideration at any point whatsoever when buying a first guitar, especially if your budget is already limited enough to be shopping in this price range.
Also, it really depends on what Squier we are talking about. I'm thinking about upgrading from my supermarket strat copy to something a bit better but still affordable. After some research I realized that Squier Bullet guitars, wich are Squiers entry level (not Affinity) cost around the same as a Donner (but without all the bells and whistles). But for what I've been earing, these Bullet ones are not very smooth, especially fret and fretboard wise, and they don't retain any value either. You can find them used for as low as 60$.
To be honest, the money you're getting from selling an entry level guitar in my opinion is not even worth selling it, just save for an extra month or two and keep both guitars. Use the cheap one as a "bang around" guitar, that you can just move around everywhere without worring about it
I'm probably gonna wait until I can get something even better than the Affinity, but if I was to buy my first guitar today I would definitely go with the Donner. They are better than the Squier Bullets, cheaper than the Affinitys and come with everthing you need to get started. Not to mention they are way better than a supermarket guitar xD
resale value...why would you buy and then think about 'resale' at this price point...good grief, some folks are always on the cheap.
I just got a squier classic vibe 70 in sonic blue... its totally worth the extra 175- 200$. The upgrades, feeling, playability, fit and finish are well worth it. Bone nut as well. I highly suggest anyone wanting to buy a squier to just save up a little bit longer to buy a classic vibe!
Thats a game you can keep playing tho. Like for 175-200 you could get a Sterling cutlass qnd get a roasted maple neck qnd locking tuners.
In terms of resale, the Donner would be impossible to resell.
The Squier could be sold in 10 minutes!!!!!
Come on for how much? Resale value is not there.
@@44scoots Squiers are desired as mid tier guitar's, so the value will not lessen. My 2004 Squier bass is now worth $390, so the value has shot up!
Bought the donner telecaster earlier this month and it’s been playing like a dream.
I have the strat
I also just got the Donner T-style and within a few days of getting it, used it for a gig. I didn't even change the strings. Once the strings stretched, I have had no tuning issues whatsoever and it has quickly become my favorite practice guitar. Now, after watching this review, I think it's time to add the Donner S-style to my "arsenal."
I bought the Donner after watching your initial video for the guitar, and it played great out of the box. I eventually upgraded the bridge and tuners to Fender brand, and it was definitely an improvement. Pickups are surprisingly good as is.
what was wrong with the original bridge?
@@dappawap I just wanted upgraded hardware for tuning and sustain purposes.
Which one did you go with? Just a miM bridge?
how hard it is to upgrade?
@@rrich2709 screw driver and screws
Darrell, I love that you truly get excited about testing, comparing equipment and doing guitar builds. I love the genuine enthusiasm.
@@mennofennema9829 for those that don't like the content the engineers at TH-cam came up with a device called the Offensive Frequency Franastat, abreviated- OFF button. Simply put, don't like it - don't watch it.
@@mennofennema9829 Feminist,? Me no very far from it. You are obviously a very immature person !
I’d like to get a donner and do some upgrades, like switching the pups to alnicos, maybe popping in a preloaded pick guard altogether, and locking tuners. Looks like a cool guitar for modding.
I love that yellow
Why bother just buy a squire.
I have a custom 24 se PRS and I still got my old bullet. It gets played 2to 1 over the PRS because its a good guitar. Louder when played acoustic. I play the PRS after 5:00.
Good idea, there's actually a guy im subbed to who did some upgrades on one of the low end Donners. If you're interested the channel was "Kelly Dean Allen" and the video series was called something like upgrading a guitar on a budget.
@@Sasquatch10 I feel like the Donner's might be a better Mod project. The starting point is way cheaper and the full thickness body opens more opportunities for different trems.
Darrell you should also talk about the neck profile and shape. The couple of Squiers I've had both had really thin necks. Also you should tell us the measurement of the nut.
Tbh I think since it's a beginner guitar, he's not gonna go that in depth like a Fender player series
Yeah my Classic Vibes Tele has a thin neck. But it also has these lightly rolled edges which are way nicer that the straight edges I've played on Encores and 00's Squiers.
@@sydguitar99 I'd agree if he was just reviewing one of these guitars, but since he's comparing them, it would be nice to know if one has a thinner or thicker neck than the other one. Same with the nut.
How about a Donner vs a Monoprice vs Glarry guitar that would be cool vid for ultra cheap guitars comparison. Strat style is cheapest of all 3 manufactures.
It doesn't matter
I have all 3, it does matter. Glarry is not the same quality as Donner, its just not. Monoprice Indio is a close second to Donner, and still superior to the Glarry.@@treaceeames4697
Donner monoprice glarry in that order
I liked the tone of the Squier better and I'd rather have it than the Donner, but I don't like 6 screw trems or sticky necks..
To me the tone of the donner has more character, the squire sounds a bit muddy.
sticky neck can polished in literally 5 minutes with new kitchen sponge. I do that to every guitar I own and its quick and effective fix
Remember Squier ends with the R.
@@grantkoeller8911 Fixed..
I've recently (within the last year) picked up a Squier Bullet Strat - Lake Placid (ish) Blue. It is gorgeous. And I love it. The neck is not bad. Not great. But it plays pretty well. Cheapo pickups. But I still ove the axe, for $149 on sale. Then.... I have the Donner Strat I bought a few months back. Also in a Lake Blue metallic type thing. Just slightly lighter blue than the Squiier. I LOVE that guitar too. Honestly, it's a better guitar. Heavier. Much better pick-ups IMO, although not great. Much better neck. But I hated the Donner head-stock. No big deal. I sanded it and re-shaped it on my sanding machine. And now it looks way better. Anyway - I dig both guitars a lot. But the Donner is better. Now... a Squier Affinity is going to be a little nicer than the Bullet..... so......
Squier base price is $60 more. Not really comparable in value at all. Plus it'll cost another $90 bucks to get all the extra's things you need like the gig bag (will cost $35 alone) with the Donner. The Squier you get nothing.
I was looking at both brands and ended up going with Tagima. I am amazed at the playabliity of these price points.
Those are nice ☆
Tagima made in Brazil, not those made in China.
@@mauriciorachid5834 Mine was made in China and plays great. I would love to have one made in Brazil, but this is about "affordable" guitars.
Ok. You' re right. I am a big fan of brazilian Tagimas and they dont have the same price as the above.
Brazilian brands are doing decently for budget guitars as of late. I have a Tele-style Strinberg and it's really good, + the figuring on the maple fretboard is actually very pretty. Only issue is the radius is flatter than an Ibanez. I might start modding it soon. Another new brand I've noticed in nearby stores is EWA Guitars.
I think a beginner can't go wrong with the Indio Cali Classic you reviewed previously. After seeing your review, I had to try one. The neck on it is awesome! It only cost me $80 brand new!
I bought the Donner from Amazon in October 2020 and paid $127.49 US$, including shipping and taxes. I still think that it was a good deal! cheap and nice! I use the small amp when watching youtube videos to learn a song and not drive the whole family crazy! I oiled the fretboard, adjusted the tuning pegs, replaced the strings and adjusted their height a little and the guitar plays and feels very nice! The bag is a plus and the quality is not bad! I have to say that nut was not glued as clean as yours... but it's OK, not a deal breaker... that's the only thing I want to replace in the future. I would go with the Squier if I had more time to play but for my circumstances the Donner was a great deal! I just wanted to say that I love your videos!! THANK YOU!
The squier contemporary series has some really cool guitars in it.
I saw an all black contemporary jazz bass (with a maple neck/fretboard with black block inlays, and humbuckers), and it was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen.
Definitely liked the Squire fuller sound. I was surprised about the qualify build of the Donner.
Really? Both sounded like such bad pickups.... But the Donner did seem to have a tiny bit more depth.... Didn't quite sound as squashed.
@@ramspencer5492 remember it costs around £120
I have the Donner DST-400. Alder body and two point trem. Frets are smooth and flawless. Finish is stellar. Really feels and plays like a MIM Fender Strat for $500 less money.
Would be interested to see how the EART tele/strat goes up against the squire tele/strat
Got a Donner before the pandemic. Replaced the electronics with a pre-loaded pickguard; replaced tuners, and graphtec nut. I had a tech do the soldering but I did my own fretwork and the rest of the small stuff. My 2nd best electric guitar (IMO).
I’ve owned a Bullet HT Strat, great little guitar. I have a Donner Tele now and love it. I’ve been eyeballing the Donner Strat , if it’s bones are anything like the Tele it’ll be an awesome platform to mod if you want. Thanks, for the comparison, appreciate what you do!
Fully agree about Squier updating the quality of their instruments - I recently bought a Squier Thinline Tele and it's amazing. No tweaks or setups needed whatsoever apart (of course) from tuning after arrival).
Got a donner package for my 13yo last Christmas for $130. Very satisfied! Good finish, great for beginner but enough quality that I like playing it too. Oh, and the little battery powered amp is perfect for a kid to play. Loud enough to fill a bedroom but not rattle the whole house. Even has distortion.
Note that with the Donner you get more for less [ $169.00 ]. The Affinity is $229.00.
Plus, it's a full size guitar, with a 1 3/4" thick body, which is the Fender standard.
I have bought a lot of Affinitys over many years, and they are a good, solid guitar.
They make a fine modding platform, but the Donner is equally well suited for mods. Also, cheaper.
I went the used route and picked up a Yamaha Pacifica 112 for $150 CAD. As a lefty my only choice for colour is the natural grain, but I'm getting it done in a matte sedona red finish and blacking outt he pickguard and knobs. Chrome cover for the humbuckers, black for the middle single coil and my addition of a filtertron clone for the neck to give it all the versatilitiy I will need. It's thanks to excellent TH-cam channels like this that I've been able to take the plunge into electric guitar. Being a lefty limits choice, but it does give you more GAS! Given the choice between the Donner and the Squier, gotta say I like the tone of a bridge humbucker more.
One more thing to consider. Which guitar will hold its value when it's time to upgrade and you want to trade or sell the entry level axe. I am going to give the Squire the point in that category. So when you consider price you also gotta consider trade in value in a year or two when you move onto that intermediate instrument.
For the ones who can afford to not sell ur first guitar - Please dont...You will not regret not selling it!
@Trent Walkergood for u lol!
@@ransi_07 Meaning....you will regret selling it. (double negative)
There is no resale value to your first guitar so that’s not an issue. You’re spending $180 bucks you’ll be lucky to get half that.
True! If anything the Squier will increase in value. I have a Squier Telecaster Affinity that I bought for $170 that is going for over $200 used now (I think because of the color or something dumb like that). The retail price also increased.
Definitely think the Donner was the better deal. Also looked and sounded better. I think it’s a better starting point to modify which is what I would do with either guitar! New alnico pickups, pots, switches basically replace all the electronics and lastly maybe the tuners. Either block off the tremlo and make it a hard tail or switch it over to a two point tremlo with low friction set up.
The Squier pickups produce more harmonics and sound fuller. Otherwise, the Donner package is the better value.
I'd go with the Donner, and upgrade the pickups and vibrato system.
Not a fair comparison, the Donner is classed as a super strat.
@@fongy200 SSS vs. HSS isn't an exact matchup, but it's likely the results of the Squier vs. Donner packages will be the same.
Donner seems to cut better. Looks like blocking the trem, changing the tuning machines would make the donner a great deal.
Another thing to consider is re-sale price. A Squire will hold more of it's value on the secondary market than a Donner will.
Nice work! My 5 cents on trem systems: there isn't one that can't be set up to near perfection, either cheap or expensive. That's the genius of Fender 😊
Your guitar reviews are second to none, Darrell. I really love them. 😍 You provide such detailed information about he build; show the insides of each guitar; and provide really good sound/tone comparisons. Your summaries really cap it off and help someone choose between guitars. In this review, I'd go for the Donner, because it has a humbucker in the bridge position, and it just seems to have better value. Regardless, I might go for some of the better Affinity models with a more desirable finish and pay a little more. Thank you for another great review! 👍👍👍👍👍
They both seem fine for a starter guitar. The frets look well done.
Considering half of all beginners give up within the first year, don't underestimate the value of having all the accessories included. Even the cheapest amp will set you back at least 50 bucks and you still need to buy the bag and all the various other things.
I would go with the Affinity Strat and I also like the sound of the six screw tremolo versus the two-point tremolo.
I bought the Donner 4 yrs ago for under $100. I did have to do a setup. The fret ends were bad news. But since that time the guitar has settled down and plays as it should. I have the yellow which looks just great.
Good review. I have several Affinities, one Donner. Both work very well. No problems with vibrato systems. 6 screw system is just fine. Unscrew all six three turns. The just need to pivot, not hold the plate down. Thick, thin body? No matter at all. Oh, I'd like to hear the Donner amp! Man, price creep for these and all are concerning... Thanks Darrell!
Im a Les Paul guy. I have a Squire Affinity. I like it ive messed with a Donner. Id stick with the squire just like it better. The feel an sound . No insult to Donner. As usual ill take ur word.Gotta go with what you can afford.
Squier is a superior instrument and more reliable qc. Beware -These brands that are pumped here on TH-cam can be real junkers when you actually order one online. Like jet, donner and mono price
Just buy the Squier and put some money inside that thing:
1. Locking tuners.
2. Graphtech for the nut.
3. Stainless steel frets.
4. Get a nice branded bridge.
5. New electronics.
6. Get at least 1 great pick up for the bridge position, you know DiMarzio and stuff like that.
Congrats you've made yourself one monster of a custom guitar for way less money than going to the store to buy a Fender branded Strat.
Thanks for thr comparison and giving a VERDICT. A verdict is what i need to hear.
To my ears the Donner pickups sounded better than the Fender's, great review. I was wondering if the parts would interchange on the two though.
If you want to do some serious upgrades that are very inexpensive you need the following:
Wilkinson 6 screw vibrato bridge. Has a huge intonated block-the only intonated block that I have ever seen. Cost $32 on ebay and is one of the best out there.
Wilkinson E-Z LOCK tuners. On a quick look they might fit.
The E-Z LOCK tuners have 2 holes in the posts.
You put the string through whichever hole is right for you, then lock the string through the other hole. Cost $20 on ebay.
You might be able to eliminate a string tree if you do it right.
I use Graph Tech string trees- white or black. $10-12 for set of 2 on eBay.
For a little over $50 you can totally transform the guitar
For what it's worth; I think string trees provide a much better break angle on the strings than staggered tuners here.
Though I would replace those metal string trees for graph-tech ones for less friction.
One other comparison I wish had been included is resale or trade in value. I think the Squier would sweep that category...
I used to be a used instrument buyer a guitar center and let me tell you if you attempted to trade a squire in on something we would try not to laugh at you but it would be hard. The most you would get is 10 bucks. If you were concerned about trade in value on $100 guitar I have bad news for you you’re in the wrong hobby
That's why I don't sell used gear to a retailer. I have sold Squier guitars on craigslist for $75 and up.
If you see a guitar in a dream, it means that you will receive a gift. That item will probably be useful to you for work, and it will make you fall in love with your profession. I don't know when I'll get my dream electric guitar...🥺️. Waiting since 7 months...
I had bought a Squier Affinity Strat in the late 90's, also made in Indonesia, and it had much cheaper tuning machines than this one (open ones), so I straight away replaced them with the Schaller set I'd bought already years before to replace my very first guitar's cheapo tuners with; Which also had been a Strat copy (Got it in '83) but with inferior quality compared to the Squier, and it had actually been slightly more expensive! I prefer the middle and neck pick-ups soloed on Strats and they sounded fine on my Squier, but the bridge pick-up was a joke 😄 I actually made the effort of replacing it with a humbucker plus new pickguard 🙂
You're a lucky guy. I only got 3.
@@joshuajohnson2216 - Sorry, 3 *what* , please?! 😀
@@mightyV444 Squier Stratocasters of course. I have 1 made in Indonesia and 2 made in China. Yours is a treasure. I felt sorry for you. You deserve it better than me.
@@mightyV444 models i have is: Squier 20th anniversary Bullet Strat, Squier Californian series Strat and Squier Standard series Strat.
@@joshuajohnson2216 - Ohhh, okay. Well, thank you for your compassion! 😇🙏 I did eventually also make it to an American-made Fender Strat, which I'd mainly bought because none of my other guitars had a vibrato bridge, but I still liked my inexpensive Squier Tele Deluxe better! 😁
I would love to see an updated comparison between the newer Donner guitars (specifically the DST 152) and the new affinity strats. I'm looking at picking up one of those guitars soon.
Donner seemed solid, I own a bass from them and love it. gotta say though, the Donner sounded like it had some intonation issues on open chrod frets. not sure if that's nut related or a flat fret not perfectly crowned but overall very, verrry impressive otherwise.
I'm thinking if getting one but a shame if the trem on both are shotty because I fell like that's half the fun of a strat!
I'll think it over..!
The Donner amp is really good for something so small I bought it on it's own
The nice thing about the squire is you can get a Warmoth neck for it, and GFS has upgrade parts for the bridge, etc.... You can reliably upgrade them. Although 1 observation is kind of meaningless, I got a $299 one and the fretwork was just as good as my Warmoth neck and far better than my CV.
The feel of a Squire fretboard is very nice
I’m an experienced player looking for a budget strat and the Donner had it up until the tone comparison - really striking difference! Depends what you like but the Squier’s smoother tone is for me!
I have the exact same Donner & the ONLY "complaint" that I've had is the pick guard & back cover.
I wanted to put black to give more contrast but.....Strat covers won't fit & Donner doesn't offer black.
For the money, Donner wins every time.
A Donner Tele will be next.
Great video. I love Donner guitars. I own three at present, and it won't be long before there are more coming my way.
Donner has upgraded their guitar. It now has a two-point trem and they've added a push-pull pot on the second tone knob to split the humbucker. Still at bargain basement prices!!
More great stuff, Darrel, I really like your budget guitar reviews. There are so many great options available now; we’re in a golden era for beginning guitarists.
I tried them both, and when it comes to playability, I prefere the Squier - perhaps because of the simular feeling of a Fender Stratocaster. I like the tone of the Squier a lot more than the Donner, but if I had to buy and play one for serious, I would replace all of the electronics anyway. I don't care, the Squier is thinner. It's made from better wood imo! Actually it feels comfortable to "just pick up" and have fun. Last but not least : The Donner has a humbucker at bridge, and so should the Squier be equipped as well. A coil split would take care of business - after the pickup replacement. As Darrell mentioned, Squier is upgrading the quality, and I look forward to follow that brand in future.
Exiting comparison, Darrell. Thanks for putting such an effort into demonstrating budget guitars as serious instruments :)
Good try Darrell but Donners will never out-sell Squiers. Brand power (Squier by Fender) rules !
Of course and really there is no comparison.
Love Donner stuff. I have their thin line telecaster HH. I like it. Almost as much as my classic vibe. But another big advantage is resale value. Everybody knows Squier.
Get the new Squier! They really managed to improve it by a lot. It sounds great.
Which one exactly? Thx
I can't believe how great the clean tones are on both guitars. The Donner is quieter, but still sounds really nice.
That squier is called a bullet strat in the uk and can be picked up for about £100. Epic guitar and the best beginners guitar. I’ve been playing 20 years and I have a couple of them and love em. Great to mod and great out of the box. I personally prefer the thinner lighter body it’s good for a bad back 🤣
Could be but the Sonic range is the comparable range to Bullet. Pete.
The first thing I noticed is that one guitar has your preferred HSS pickups.
Looking for my first guitar and this video helped a lot. Going with the Squier bundle. Thanks!
The Donner also has 22 frets, which I like. How does one go about fixing the grittiness of the frets?
Tape off fingerboard and polish frets with 0000 steel wool. Make sure steel wool fibers don't get into your electronics could ruin them
@@teleshredder you forgot to mention taping up the pickups too. But this isn’t recommended because those fibers remain on the guitar to a minuscule degree and just one little bit of 0000 is enough to short out the pickups, even if you do tape them up.
My recommendation is to remove the neck from the guitar to do any fret polishing with 0000. If you’re not into doing that, you’re at the mercy of StewMac and their overpriced fret erasers but unlike the 0000, you don’t risk damaging the electronics but… they’re expensive.
I got a pair of fret files and a fret rocker off eBay recently for less than twenty sheets (Dollars, Pounds) from China and the quality was good. Once you get your fret files and start using them, lean hard and file away for a few seconds then check how high they are with a fret rocker or how 'gritty' they feel.
Go slow and careful!
Hmm, the fact the Donner is full thickness is a major point cuz I prefer the stacked pups from Seymour Duncan and they're easier to mount in the full thickness bodies. That said, it's possible to shoehorn them into the thinner bodies, but ye lose some height adjustment range.
Another thing to consider are the routing used under the pickguard. I do not know about the Affinities nor the Donners, but I like having at least HSH or universal routs under the 'guard which allows great flexibility in pup choices.
That being said, nowdays I generally look at a bit higher price range (300-400$US +/- 50) for more options. I recently picked up two Squier Contemporary Telecaster HH, and at ~400$US, I loved them. I also just picked up 2 Squier FSR Bullets (one Tele and one Strat) in Red Sparkle. I already knew they're thin bodies, but got them for the interesting red flake finish. All four are gonna be heavily upgraded.
My affinity tele did come with an allen wrench. It does perfectly what I bought it for: the rare occasions where I use standard tuning
Thank you Darryl. I've been waiting for a review like this for quiet some time love your reviews on the lower-budget guitars man they're totally awesome. I'm also a fan of Donner products.
I have a Squire and I love it. Hearing the Donner makes me want to buy one too! 👀
Everyone is different, so I can only speak for myself. When I buy a budget guitar, she's getting modded. The neck and body are the only things invited to stay, so the quality of the hardware and electronics is of no consequence. For me, I prefer the shape of the Donner head stock and the satin finish on the neck is better. I would take the Donner all day long. With some careful picking and choosing of parts, you could easily turn it into a decent instrument for an additional $150 - $200. Amazing times we live in.
Wouldn't the Donner be in the (i hate to say it) super Strat catageory having the Humbucker in the Bridge? I use the term super Strat loosely. I would class a Levinson Blade as a Super Strat.
Thanks Darrell. One thing worth noting - it is more difficult to mod the Donner because the specs on aftermarket parts don't match as frequently as the Affinity.
i always love the videos Darell keep up the great work
Absolutely nuts how cheap they can make those guitars nowadays. I hope Squier and Epiphone can find a way to beat those budget brands in the coming years, I'd be both impressed and bummed if we ever got a proper Squierkiller.
Squier sounded much better on positions 2-5. Donner won position 1, but only because it has a bucker. Also, the Donner neck is so so light in color. I'll take the Squier. Thanks for the vid.
2021 Squier Affinity series got an upgrade. Gloss headstock with gold logo. Full size pots and a better switch. The Fender rep said they were supposed to bridge the gap better. Mexican Fender, then Squier Classic Vibe, then Squier Affinity, then the Squier Bullet. The Affinity moved up in quality a little. The Donner might be closer to a Squier Bullet series now.
On sound alone, that big, bright sound from the Donner hits me a lot better than the admittedly "fuller" tone on the Squier. When I see a Strat, I immediately think "bright" rather than "full."
A PLUS for the Donner tuning machines is, that it's way easier to find a moderately priced replacement that simply fits in without the need to change anything.
Do you have any suggestions for replacement tuners? I'm looking to replace the ones in mine (DST-1S).
My preference for Sound :
Position 1 Donner
Position 2 Both
Position 3 Donner
Position 4 Donner
Position 5 Squier
The one thing about those bigger, and nicer looking (imo) bridges.. if you get a bur in one of those saddles it was a little more challenging to solve on an old MiM Tele from 2004(it had those ‘block style’ saddles). It has brass saddles now, but back in the day it would snap low ‘E’ like crazy. I even had to give up my nickel wounds as the steel would at least last half a practice session.
Interesting A/B shootout. The Donner sounds identical to my Kramer VT-211S: narrow freq.res. w/brittle overtones. Squire takes the honors, as it should. Far more caressing. Thanks, Darrell.
Thanks Darrell for the comparison. I don't like the medium strings i put my Squir. Light gauge next time and setup too. Cheers! 😊
The pickups on the Donner seem way more microphonic, and I generally prefer the sound on the Squier in your demo. But, that Humbucker on the Donner actually sounds really nice and I preferred it to the Squier's single coil at the bridge.
I'm quite impressed with Donner,although I play acoustic I have a couple of their mini pedals and again they deliver the goods with their looper and octaver so I'm not surprised that they make a good budget guitar.....................................
The donner actually surprised me with it's quality, still would have to go with the squire though 🤷♂️
Have owned a Korean made Sapphire Blue Squier Stratocaster Pro Tone since Dec ‘96. To this day, one of my favorite guitars. Realize the guitar was only manufactured for roughly 3 years, which makes availability somewhat scarce, but curious Darrell if you have ever played, reviewed or compared this guitar to other “S” type guitars in that similar price point? As a recreational player, always look forward to your new videos ( well, my wallet doesn’t always, bought a Schecter Custom II Solo solely based on your reco and I totally agree with your assessment, BTW ).
would have been good to have seen the trem blocks, and also one screw removed from the trem - just to confirm if the screws had shoulders or not. great video though - thumbs up from me!
Might be worth pointing out that there is nothing materially wrong with small pots. How well they are built is what matters. Alpha, Bourne, CTS all make excellent small sized pots.
I would like to have seen what the included Donner amplifier sounded like. I know it would be no competition for whatever you played them both through, but knowing what the buyer is in for would be valuable.
not terrible, back lacking in any real low end. its there, but its reallllly weak. which is to be expected of a practice amp with a speaker thats probably 3 inches or less.
otherwise, they sound vaguely like a 'good' marshall stack, minus of course, any meaningful bottom end.
some other channels have reviewed them, and played some bits through the included amp.
and as of this post, they're transitioning to a new style of amp they include, and i've yet to see one played through.
Never heard of a Donner until I saw your videos. Cheers.
The Donner seems like a nice mod platform. Love you channel. God bless you, and yours.