Cheap vs. Expensive | Squier Affinity HSS Strat vs. Squier Classic Vibe 70's HSS Strat
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 14 พ.ค. 2021
- Today we're taking a look at a different kind of "Cheap vs. Expensive," through the lens of some great Squier guitars. Within Squier's line, there is a wide array of electric guitars, starting with the Bullet and Affinity guitars around $200, all the way through the popular Classic Vibes in the $450 range. Many beginners choose these guitars as their first instruments, many seasoned pros grab them for their great value and customizability. Take a look and a listen to these guitars in all their glory and let us know which one you like best!
Affinity Demo 11:08
Classic Vibe Demo 12:45
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Now the big brain experiment: Comparing an entry level Fender vs a top range Squier😏
Squier Classic Vibes Can Really Challenge Fender Player Imo, I kind of Prefer them Actually
CVs & Player's are definitely the best vfm Strats. If you use the trem, get the Player; if not, the CV.
@@voiceofexperience why locking tuner?
Returned my Player within a day- Ive played my Classic Vibe daily for months (and I was a MASSIVE snob until only a few years back)
@@jayteesgearI take it you liked its vibe
affinity = more cute, happy sound
vibe = more warm, calm sound
I like both :)
Between the Squier lines and the Fender lines Fender has done an amazing job at covering every price point from beginner to professional. I’m a guitar player but I’m thinking of getting a Classic Vibe 60s P-Bass
The Classic Vibes are a great choice for a bass just to meet the needs of having a bass available. I’ve owned a Classic Vibe 50s P Bass (because I prefer the aesthetics of the first and second generation P Bass) since 2014 for that purpose.
The same cannot be said about Epiphone!
I like that comparison, "someone that knows how to follow a recipe, vs someone who knows how to cook."
With the playing demonstrated here, the pickups on the classic vibe outshine the ones on the Affinity, to my ear, by a mile. Would like to hear how they compare with higher gain.
I have an Affinity HSS, and was just amazed by the quality out of the box. I also have a Classic Vibe '70s Telecaster Custom, which I was much less impressed by... pretty much a disaster out of the box, and just finally brought in for a proper set up. Like you said, a bit of a roll of the dice. We truly live in the golden age of surprising inexpensive decent quality guitars.
15:20 on, I appreciate your discussion regarding consistency between individual guitars in a model series. Thanks for a really good review, and noting that nothing (and no one) is quite perfect out of the box. Price differences may make more of a difference in acoustic guitars (layered back & sides vs. solid and tone woods). My first all solid wood acoustic is on the way, but unfortunately, from Chicago went through Amarillo rather than I-90W, so I hope it remains in good shape for another week. Thanks, Chris, Cooper and credit to the cameraman and producer.
Speaking as just a normal dude that makes not a lot of scratch, I appreciate the fact that Fender is making products that we can afford but arent missing out on as far as the over all expierence. At the Classic Vibe prices, i can gat 3 great guitars for the price of one pretty great guitar. Consumers arent stupid, we know when a manufacturer is trying to screw us and when they are genuinly concerned with putting out something worth buying. These axes are worth buying and not some cash grab.
Good demo and very informative, always sweet playing Mr. Cooper.
This Classic Vibe looks gorgeoous!
I have a Ebony Squire Classic Vibe 70's. Love the sound. Plays very well. Even without my hearing aides in I love the way it sounds.
One of the most intelligent and grounded reviews I’ve seen. And boy have I watched a lot.
Yeah. The classic vibe sounds so much fuller and richer in tone. But the affinity is nothing to bat your eyes at either
Great info. Chris always does the best reviews.
Another great review!
I just got a Classic Vibe HSS Strat exactly like the one here and I absolutely love it.
I have an American Strat that was a birthday gift from my wife & sons, a few years back. But to the point Cooper made, I picked up two used Affinity Strats (one HSS, one triple S), with the intention of learning to do my own mods, and setups. They don’t obviously compare to my American, but are both pretty decent guitars, and certainly suitable for beginner to intermediate players. But I have to say, I liked the look and tone of the Classic Vibe.
I dont think i’ll ever buy an expensive guitar again. The build quality on these entry level epiphones, and squiers is phenomenal. Theyve gotten better at making them over seas, tolerances etc. i mean dont get me wrong, i love american guitars and they are valueable and great investments and collectors items. But as far as playing a guitar, and travelling with one, i like cheap guitars, and i love modifying them and changing pickups, doing fretwork, etc. plus I think you can get good parts for cheap, the guitar fetish pickups are just phenomenal….they are cheap and id pick them against lollars or any “higher quality” pickups. Don’t hate on these cheap guitars, Get you one and build it to yourself. Or buy a kit, and put what parts you want on it.
Yeah but then you pick up an american made one and realize those last 10% in sound is where the magic lies, that's how it works for me unfortunately. Squier vs performer series is night and day in both feel and sound to me. Same with epi vs gibson, id go for other brands for both strat and singlecut/explorer/v/sg guitars in the sub 1k segment.
I got the '21 affinity squier hss, and that thing is amazing. The only issues that I have with it are things that can be replaced or fixed: electronics are too muddy for my taste, tuners are not locked, no shielding, and the neck has the hard edge. Since the neck is maple and satin, I was easily able to sand it down and now it's the best neck on a guitar that I've ever felt.
For the price, it's mind blowing the quality you can get for it. Once I replace the electronics, and probably upgrade to a Vega trem as well, it will likely be the best guitar I've ever owned.
@@fredriksvard2603 I have a Squier contemporary series HSS Strat in pearl white that I think feels and plays better than a performer Strat. I chose it over the performer because I liked the specs, particularity the 12" radius rosewood board (it's the last year they used rosewood) and two point block saddle tremolo. The price on that particular model and color has gone way up, if you can find one. It looks the Neal Schon "Lights" Strat.. sans the Floyd. I later purchased a Performer Strat to add to my collection and I wound up sending it back because of QC issues. Like any guitar MIM Strats can be hit or miss. I have an older 2015 MIM HSS Strat that is great and I bought it new in 2015 for $450, it was regularly $599 back then. I really think at $900 - $1000 the MIM Strats are now overpriced. In a nutshell, I wouldn't trade my Squier contemporary Strat for a Performer Strat. I have a Squier contemporary Strat HH with a roasted maple neck and a floyd on it's way to me now that I snagged new for under $400. The Performer series with the same model Floyd Rose Special and non roasted neck is $1000. There's not enough there for me to spend the extra $600.
If you're just getting started, buy yourself an Affinity, and put the money you saved NOT buying a Classic Vibe (or something even more expensive) into lessons. The Affinity is MORE than good enough to learn on.
When you can actually play a bit (1+ years), THEN you can figure out what your next guitar should be, or you can just upgrade the components on the Affinity. No reason to spend more than you have to in the beginning. The Affinity is a GREAT guitar for a beginner!
It’s a great guitar period. The classic vibes are nice but I can’t stand the sticky necks but love the slightly slimmer and silky neck on the Affinity’s , I love em.
But then you are stuck with a cheap guitar that has zero re sell value.
@@myoriginalname that’s not true
@@benallmark9671 what isn’t?, btw I wasn’t replying to your comment anyway.
@@myoriginalname I don't feel like I'm "stuck" with anything. The Affinity is a good guitar in its own right. You can upgrade the components (e.g. saddles, nut, tuners, pickups) to make it better, or you can just keep it as a backup guitar when you move up to something better. If you really want to get rid of it, you can probably (if you keep it in good condition) sell it for about $75 less than you paid. That's not a bad initial investment for someone who doesn't even know if he's going to stick with playing the guitar...
I have the Squier CV P Bass, and love it, I compared it to the player series, I could tell no difference. Love you vids guys.
Squier have certainly upped their game in recent years as regards build, finish and quality. I have a Squier thinline Tele and it is faultless. This video has been really useful, I've been trying to descide between the HSS and non-HSS classic vice 70's Strat. This comparison of two HSS versions of Squier Strat has really helped me.
Thank heavens for all those clean tone samples using different pup choices. nothing worse than starting with drenchings of overdrive and distortion.
I bought a real fender back in 1976. It was made in Fullerton California. I paid $350 for it and the case came with it. It was Sunburst. Was a beautiful guitar I wished I would’ve kept it. I don’t sell my guitars anymore, the ones I have I love. After playing guitar for almost 50 years, my favorite, solid body is a fender or a squire. Next favorite my number one favorite is a Graach hollow body. I have one. Again thanks for the video. Looking forward to seeing more.👍🏼😁🎸😎☮️
I have a Squire 70s Classic Vibe Jaguar and love it. Plays well, is well made, and stays in tune. Very happy with it. At one time Squiers were considered cheap junk, not the case anymore.
when were Squiers considered junk?
I have a new Ultra Telecaster and love it. That said, in defense of the low price guitars, there's a good possibility there is a kid out there with a fender bullet that will be the next Jimmy Hendrix some day. He's learned to file fret ends, polish the neck to his liking, plays straight through an amp, and is learning to play guitar! Never under estimate the drive in a kid to be great one day and maybe tell a story of that first used fender bullet that started his love of playing guitar! It doesn't have to be expensive, it just has to be something you love!
I love your comment❤️
While I agree with you that natural talent coupled with drive and determination to learn and improve will often result in an amazing outcome-Glen Campbell started on a bargin cheap acoustic guitar that cost
@@gregoryhall3156 I certainly agree that a cheap guitar thats unplayable could discourage anyone. And those useless guitars are out there just to grab money from an unsuspecting novice. Most of those are no name junk.
Sure. Also, cheap instruments, and multifx units and plugins, are so much better now, and tutorials are so much more accessible. I'd get a cort, harley benton or maybe yamaha though, it's ridiculous what they can do in the 100-300 eur range. It's not like squier hold value that much better anyway. But even if quality has gone up, there's no substitute for a real strat or Gibson (or ibanez prestige, ormsby, aristides, that type of thing).
Great playing. They both sounded awesome. I think the Affinity for the money is a steal and the sound is pretty close putting aside the playability. I just picked up the Affinity used in great condition in the same color for under $150 so looking forward to playing it. Thanks guys.
-got a clean 2004 Affinity Strat off Craigslist for $125.. I'm a beginner... I'm very happy 😊
I own 2 Chinese CV 50s one stock, the other I found used $300 with fender no- casters pickups, locking tunners, thier both great ! Pure tele tone.. total cost. For both $750.00
I have a C.V 60`s Tele, (Double bound) and absolutely love it, so much so that I plan to buy the 70`s` HSS Strat, (BLK) cuz the C.V range is just awesome,
in build quality, sound & feel for under 500 Euro`s, and they`ve become my top end budget guitar, (Nice comparison review guys.) 😎🎸
Thank you, I just bought a 50's vibe!!!
Great video and demo. a year over already on the vid, but give some love to the newer Gretsch G2215-P90 at some point. They are EXCELLENT.
I have a walnut squire exactly like the one he is playing. The only thing I don’t like about it is the bridge. And the tremolo system. It sucks. I am replacing it with a fender, bridge and tremolo system. Also changing my machine heads because they suck too. I love the way the neck feels and I love the way the guitar sounds. But keeping it in tune it’s a real pain in the ass. That’s why I’m replacing the heads and the bridge. The rest of the guitar is beautiful that sounds great and they play nice. Thanks for the video. Have a great day.👍🏼😁🎸🎸☮️
5 month ago Squier „reinvented“ the whole Affinity Series with for me some great new features. This test will be very interesting with the new Affinity Series. One Example: Affinity has now satin finished neck backs, Classic vibe has sticky polished necks. I like your tests very much, thank you and rock on!
…not forgetting slotted machine Heads, new voiced Pickups(Tele Bridge now rocks really good), Bellycut(Tele), new Neck Dimensions and much more.
I bought the new Olympic white affinity hss and it looks more of a beige color, pretty cool! Still waiting for it to get here though
Loved the more bass coming from the 70’s vibe.
Dude with hair has a soothing voice
i have the 200$ one that sounds pretty good but mine i custom did with a black painted pick guard and head stock and it has a floyd rose and locking tuners i got installed and eventually a new h/h pick guard with 81 60 set emg set
I have several Squier strats. My first guitar was a bullet strat circa 95 (not good!) Anyway, the best one I have, and my favorite, is the vintage modified 70s, it is better even than the classic vibe. Of course, they don't make them anymore. Classic vibes are good, even the affinity of today is pretty good, much better than 20 years ago. My advice would be to watch the used market for a good vintage modified & grab it.
Andertons has good videos but a little too much horsing around which turns the comment section into a circus. I love your videos because you guys have good chemistry and stay on point for the guitars you are reviewing, and the comment sections stay focused on the guitars as well.
Maybe i am just bias because i live in san antonio.
keep going with these comparisons/reviews.
I agree with you 100%
Played a squire mustang- sweet! Forget the price it just rocked. Budget guitars are great instruments, some great music has been made on them! Electric guitars come down to fit and finish really. I remember a Hondo LP copy back when- was one of the sweetest playing and sounding guitars ever!
Is the affinity the new 2021 model or last years model?
Classic vibe looks really good ngl
Hi guys, isn’t there the Squier Strat Standards that sit between the Affinity and the Classic Vibe range? These have two point tremolo, alnico pickups.
Sire S3 versus S7 comparison please. And your thoughts on the S3 versus the Classic Vibe Squiers.
Definitely can hear a difference however I’m sure that’s nowhere as close to the difference of the playability. I’m sure those frets feel like 90 grit as Cooper’s bending them strings ( still sounds awesome though with his playing ) on that Squire too lol 😆
One things for sure though, as you guys mentioned, the quality of lower end models has come a long way since the 70’s & 80’s! 🤙
I’d like to see a comparison of Epiphone models. Maybe A couple of Les Pauls or SGs
The classic vibe sounds warmer and less “quack-y”
@Alamo Music Center do you guys ship to india?
is it worth it to buy from you guys since i Live in LA?
Great video! What amp are you using?
exactly
I have 3 Gibsons. But my cv 50s is my go to strat.
I’m thankful 70’s concerts have rendered me deaf...saved a bundle on gear
I'd love a comparison between PRS SE Standard, SE custom, and SE Paul's Guitar
Good ideas and hints. Do the same for Yamaha series and others...cause there are so much more than Fenders.
Look at this photograph, everytime I do it makes laugh ♪♪♪
In Canada the Affinity is close to the same price as the Classic Vibe, so it is no contest which one I would buy.The Affinity is like a low grade Strat copy, and the Classic Vibe is similar to the real thing, with just a bunch of upgrades to make it even more similar.Still has a bad bridge and Tremolo, and tiny, low grade, pots that needs replacement to make it closer to the Mexican model.
What I’ve noticed about the cheaper Squiers is the grain selection is less consistent. Like the neck on one I own has lots of grain runout on one side, so one side of the neck reacts different than the other to a trussbar adjustment. It’s a limitation to how the action can be adjusted. The next one may have been better than an American fender who knows?
It’s my fault for not going to a music store and buying it in person.
True
a
i bought a Jackson very cheap from GC, the display one was beautiful and when i got my new out the box was unplayable. and I got the 35% discount but nah.. I returned it and bout that HSS walnut finished Indian Laruel Fretboard used and is great
Compare the 60's vibe telecaster please!
The cv sounds balance. the affinity pups sounds pretty sharp.
diggin the cap
I really wanna know what that song is called
Just bought that classic vibe 70s on fb marketplace for 130$. Score. Hoping a pickup swap will fix the thin nasaly sound though
one of the few things that bug me is why there's an assumption thicker necks, thicker/heavy bodies are inherently better.
i mean a lot of us first followed that wave, just to notice that for us the "vintage specs" are really uncomfortable 🥵 (only the Cory Wong sig. seems to be the only Fender body smaller/lighter )
necks can be shaved 🙊😈
These LOW COST not CHEAP guitars being built today are amazing . Compared to what was available 25/30 years ago today's manufacturing and materials have made even low cost guitars really good! I just bought a Epiphone inspired by gibson and it sounds BETTER than my Gibson's for 800 bucks not as well finished as a gibson but not 4500 dollars!
I also love my Epiphone Limited Edition Inspired by Gibson Les Paul. I also love my Monoprice Cali DLX Stratocaster ($200 US).
I use a Epi LP Trad as my main. Love it to the moon and back. Don’t think I am ever getting rid of it. Such a decent quality for its value.
I love the Classic Vibes
The affinity was all highs, the CV was more mids and lows, and much nicer imho.
Great channel. Thank you.
The pickups sound so different
I have a US and a cheapo squier Tele I paid £100 for used, I prefer the neck on squier (tho the US sounds much better)
o you guys have a basement ? Pee Wee wanted me to ask ;-) Thanks as always for the videos. Greatly appreciated. :-)
CHECK OUT THE CONTEMPORARY SQUIER STRAT
I was going to get the classic vibe HSS but I really don't want a gloss neck i hate gloss necks
I want a squire affinity HSS they have got a new one for 2021 with flame top and upgrades on everything
I saw that. It's nice!!!
@@calvinevans6347 it is beautiful but I've now decided I'd rather have a fender player series strat HSS and SSS aswell
@@RebeccaHindle Before you buy that MIM FENDER STRATOCASTER, check out the Godin Sessions Guitar. I have two of them.
@@calvinevans6347 will do I have to save 1st I have a list of guitars I want
@@RebeccaHindle I have 25 guitars and I'm willing to sale a Nick Johnston Schecter stratocaster as well as a Fender American Pro Telecaster.
What amp are you using?
ahhhhhhh exactly!!!
Sounds actually start at 11:09
Squier Stratocaster Withe Burst Murat Boz Signature Guitars 57 Squier Stratocaster Black Burst Teoman Signature Guitar 2000
I keep getting older but my guitars keep getting cheaper
Because you keep getting smarter.
@@voiceofexperience heh
tabs?
The biggest difference in sound and price is the pickups. Affinity has cheap ceramic and the Vibe has alnico.
Man- just seeing these two guitars together in a vid. makes me furious. I had a CV lined up- Classic Vibe 70s strat- silver burst, HHS- 230 bucks. It was at a local pawn shop and I know the manager really well- asked him to put it aside for me and I would get it ina few days. I returned about 4 days later- gone. He sold it to a guy who offered him 300 for it. I ended up with a stinking Affintiy- I hate this thing man. I'm used to a Epi Les Paul- their top model, and this thing doesn't even come close. It's barely acceptable- if you're paying blues or whatever on the neck pickup- great, it has its own sound and it's awesome. You change off that pickup though, try playing something other than blues- it sounds like crap. I mean it costs half as much as the Epi so- what do you expect huh? Get what you pay for I guess. But I wanted the Classic Vibe damnit! I'm gonna trade this thing in on one- after I get a better amp. I've been playing the same Peavey Studio Pro 112 for over 20 years now. Still rocking on though- has one pot that's potentially bad- may just need cleaning. But I decided to pull the trigger on a Line 6 Catalyst- was going to buy a tube amp but- just about talked myself out of it. It's a buyers' market right now for tube amps though- the bubble burst and they're selling cheap relative to a few months back. I just found a Marshal Valvestate for like 200 bucks- a 100 w, 2x12, combo amp.
The most thing I hate about the Classic Vibe is the Gloss neck finish, wish it had a satin finish like that of a Yamaha Pacifica. That made me stick with my old Yamaha PAC 012 and can not take a decision of getting a squier CV as an upgrade.
0000 grade steel wool; problem solved.
Ditto
You are doing yourself a disservice. These guitars are good enough to inspire one to play it for hours and honestly, what more can one ask for? I love the two that I own. They are legitimate guitars. Please do not allow the neck finish to deter you from getting one. You can do something to change the feel of the neck.
@@calvinevans6347 Yep, fine sandpaper or 0000 steel wool; problem solved.
Isn’t the guitar store supposed to check every guitar it sells before it’s shipped to a customer? Therefore why would a customer need to have an additional setup done on a brand new guitar?
Guitar stores do not typically perform setups on Guitars. They inspect them which is not the same thing. Example: the Sweetwater “33 point inspection” is not a setup. They are setup prior to leaving the factory to factory specs but fine tuning and personal preference would warrant more work. -Chris
@@AlamoMusic ah ok, I read something recently on this issue that confused the two then. It said that the Squire’s factory setup made the guitar borderline unplayable.
PMT said my fender didn't need a setup took it too my luthier and it did . They don't check I had to reorder my fender it had a default in it
@@RebeccaHindle yeah… when buying a cheap guitar that kind of thing is kind of understandable but when you get into paying upwards of €500 on a guitar then I think it’s reasonable to expect a brand new guitar to arrive in a condition that does not require additional work - unless you’re looking for a very specific modification that would not be expected in the guitar you bought.
Trust me. It doesn't matter if you pay $2,100 for one (Fender Jaguar). Something can still be majorly wrong with it. I bought a Monoprice DLX Stratocaster BRAND NEW for $200 and out the box it was perfect. Seriously!!! The fret work is one of the best for any guitar.
I agree, however, that a BRAND NEW guitar should not come with $hitty fret-ends and should not require work in order to become playable. Ever bought a BRAND NEW Car and drove straight to a muffler shop? Lol!!!
Holy Schmites - 20 minutes of talking about these guitars without a demo - mind boggling.
u must be new here
I got rid of my classic vibe stratocaster. The SE stratocaster was a better platform for mods. I've now played many fenders and they don't compare. Fat neck, fat body and beautiful neck with rosewood fretboard. Not available in fender strat anymore. Pao fero!
I have a fender elite telecaster and also a squirer telecaster mede in Indonesia. The main difference is not in the sound . The difference is in the weigh of the guitar and in the arm . Wen o play in a squar, i feel like I'm playn in a plastic guitar because is super light , the materials are bad quality and the arm is not confortable.
I got a squier affinity hss about 9 months ago, and the quality is very disappointing. Right off the bat, the action was way too low and the saddles were as high as they'd go. So I took the neck off, and the neck pocket was filled with sawdust and wood shavings, tilting it back too far. Brushed that out and it was fine. Then one of the tuners broke. Luckily I had a spare. Now the five way switch only works in the bridge position if I giggle it. Frets are very soft too with a fair amount of wear for only playing it about a half hour a day over nine months. All this stuff is somewhat ok if you work on your own guitars, but a beginner isn't going to do that.
Is it a good choice for beginner going into electric with less budget
@@randomuser78 i mean considering what he said i don’t think so. beginners shouldn’t have a hard time playing their first guitar. so if you aren’t sure you’ll even stick with playing guitar and give up eventually, maybe the affinity is a good choice.
Fender should make all strats with 22 frets
And all squier this is on of the biggest problems with fender strats pls fender do this
most guys I know have katanas or little yamaha practice amp...these guys....oh we will bust out. 1000 dollar fender tube amp!! lmao thats the real secret here...Jack pearson uses a 3 thousand dollar amp with his squire:)
Cooper, could make the worst instrument in history sound totally musically beautiful.
ceramic vs alnico, the video.
The single coils sound great & the humbuckers sound rubbish on both models.
why is the cap guy so serious..
he wants a raise
Too much talking guys. Play more.
I speed their videos up to 1.5x when they talk and switch it back during the playing
@@lexman350 same and with other channels too, 1.5x is the sweet spot for most youtubers.
@@myoriginalname yeah it changed my life