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Fender Squier Affinity Series Stratocaster

 

Fender Squier Affinity Stratocaster reviewed by The Man in the Jar

This guitar is the Squier entry-level version of the Strat. At the time of writing this review one of these guitars could be in bed with you tomorrow night for a shade under £125. I approached the instrument with that firmly in mind.

Features of the Squier Affinity Stratocaster

Tuners - These are a sealed variety and unsurprisingly unlabelled. They are accurate and smooth in operation. This is an important test for the Affinity Strat to pass. Not so many years ago the tuners of a budget guitar would be there to make up the numbers rather than tune the guitar. Full marks to Squier in this important area.

Headstock - This is a large and rather flamboyant 60's style headstock, instantly recognisable as from the Strat stable. There is no truss rod cover but the stained recess that gives access to the rod looks tidy and well finished.  

Nut - The nut is a "bar" type set into a groove at the top of the fretboard. Everything here is neat and tidy.

Neck - I was quite shocked by the high quality of the neck in such a budget-priced guitar. This shallow profile maple neck was extremely comfortable in the hand and easy to play. Another important test has been passed. 

Fretboard - A nice smooth rosewood fingerboard with the traditional dot inlays.

Frets - Well polished medium small frets are unobtrusive and make this already very playable neck even better, 

Action - Another surprise at this price. The action is very low and playable. This particular guitar may have had a set-up as it is the shop demo model. But even so, to achieve a slinky, playable action this good on a guitar this cheap is real indication of value-for-money. 

Body - Looks and feels like the classic Stratocaster curves. The body is made from Agathis and is slightly thinner than the higher range models. It certainly feels lighter than them but in no way feels flimsy, returning a decent weight on the strap.

Bridge - Here we have a standard traditional style tremolo bridge (more correctly termed vibrato). This gives the ability to lower the pitch of a plucked note by depressing the arm. The strings pass over the bridge and dive down to anchor into the bridge block. Restringing is done from the rear of the body. Each string has its own bridge-saddle with two allen screws per saddle for height adjustment. This gives excellent adjustment for action to suit all playing styles and string gauges.

Pickups - No surprises here - three white single coil pickups with individual pole pieces set in the classic Stratocaster format with the bridge pickup offset.

Controls - One volume and two tone controls (one tone for the neck pickup and one for the middle pickup) with a five position selector giving the widest choice of pickup configuration. The volume knob sits very close to the strings to facilitate playing techniques such as "violining". 

Pickguard - Single ply white plastic.

Strap-buttons - Adequate.

Output Jack - Situated in the signature Strat dish plate on the front of the body.

Finish - The model I tried out was a solid cream colour. For the price of this guitar I could find no complaints with the finish at all.

 

Sound of the Squier Affinity Stratocaster

The sound of the pickups lacked some depth of tone but at this price that is not a serious complaint. The tonal range offered by the three pick-ups hooked through the five-way selector is more than enough to satisfy the demands of the targeted player. Plugged up into a Line 6 "Jazz Clean" and "AC30" models I could squeeze out creditable Strat tones; Sultans of Swing tripped off quite nicely.
If you're using this axe through a practise amp and you want to play heavier stuff a cost-effective overdrive between the Squier and the amp delivers the goods.    

 

Overall Impressions of the Squier Affinity Stratocaster

I was very pleasantly surprised by this guitar. It is 500% better than the beginner-type guitar that was around when I first started pestering my Mum to buy me a guitar for Christmas. Just in terms materials used this guitar represents excellent value for money. But it comes with a hidden and much greater value; this guitar will not be an obstacle to your learning progress, in fact its playability is a positive bonus for any beginner or intermediate player. 
Consider this - a single replacement pickup for top-level guitars often costs more than this entire instrument. So if you're wondering about buying your first guitar, here's where you take the plunge.  

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