Featured review by:
UG Team, on august 07, 2003 13 of 18 people found this review helpful
Features: 22 Frets, 3 single coil pickups, 5 way pickup selector, 2 tone and 1 volume knob, string through body. // 6
Sound: The good thing about the three single coils mean this is an incredibly versatile guitar, and providing you have the effects or amps that suit your style, the Strat can cope with almost anything, whether it is country or metal. The major thing people overlook about this guitar is its potential as a custom guitar. The pickups are simple to replace with better ones, scratchplate, bridge and neck can all be replaced and modified with little knowledge (useful for someone like me). The squire I have cost £40 second hand, and was black with a white scratchplate. I replaced the scratchplate with a pearloid one, and I messed around with the pickup configuration, but now they are in the original place, although I intend to replace them with some closed singles for a higher output. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar does have quite a few flaws but I have ripped it apart so many times it may be my fault. As I said before, whatever is wrong with this guitar can be adjust with minimal trouble or cost. The only problem I have had that I have had a lot of trouble rectifying, is the action and intonation. The strings loss the tuning slightly around fret 12, but as I said, it's probably my fault anyway... // 6
Reliability & Durability: This guitar could probably survive a nuclear blast, but even if it didn't, who cares? It's bloody cheap. // 8
Impression: This is my first solid body electric and it's fantasic. It's the cheapest best guitar, and with a some clever customisation, it could rival the real Fender strats. // 8
Reviewed by:
kiefermatot, on may 27, 2005 7 of 13 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: Northland Music
Features: This guitar isn't all that great. I bought this for about $400.00 and it came with a Fender Frontman 15G amp, a case, a pack of extra Fender strings, a few extra Fender picks, Fender tuner, Fender head phones, strap, a Fender patch cord and a few other things. It's a pretty good setup for beginners, but it wont last long. I've dropped mine a few times and it has cracked in half. It's a 5-way tone selector and has two tone knobs and one volume. It has 21 jumbo frets. This guitar has lasted me only a few months, it does not stay in tune very well. // 4
Sound: I play mostly metal and punk: Metallica, Sum 41, CKY, Slipknot, all that good stuff, and this guitar doesn't sound all that great. // 4
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar gets banged up pretty easily. // 4
Reliability & Durability: My guityar has fallen to the floor evertime I've used my strap, the strap buttons are horrible. I would never use this at a gig even if I did have a backup. But, the hardware seems pretty solid. // 2
Impression: I wouldn't buy another one of these if it were lost or stolen or even bother to look for it. It's a good deal on it for everything that comes with it though but I wouldn't buy another one. // 4
Reviewed by:
phaethon, on september 25, 2003 4 of 7 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 364.17
Features: 22 frets, volume, 2 tones ,5 way selector, whammy bar,3 single coil pickups. maple fretboard and my one is a brown(tobacco?). Sunburst. String through body bridge meduim jumbo frets included in my package were a Fender frontman 15amp a tutor booklet and video and it was already strung. // 10
Sound: I play mostly rock and metal and it works well nice sound has a bright sound although the 9's strings proberly don't help that loads of variety of sounds given the 5 way pick up selector. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: for what it cost the finish is excellent the pickups didn't need any adjusting nor did the bridge no finish flaws at all on my model and the controls felt secure and sure to the touch. // 10
Reliability & Durability: this guitar would survive armageddon everything is strong and if the worst happened and it got stolen or damaged it wouldnt break my heart to pay for another one the only thing I have changed is the strap (i've put stoppers on). // 10
Impression: All in all a brilliant first guitar. // 10
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on january 24, 2005 2 of 3 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 118.5
Purchased from: Long & Mcquade
Features: I wanted a inexpensive but decent guitar, and I think I found the perfect guitar, the Squire Affinity Strat. 22 Frets, Black Strat style body, white pickguard. There are quite a few controls for a "beginer guitar", there is: the main volume, 2 tone knobs (neck and other pickups), 5-way pickup selector. Who says that things "Made In Indonesia" are bad? // 10
Sound: I play classical, jass, and power-pop music. I don't have any problems getting the right sound. I'm not using any effects but I am using a Fender Frontman 15G. The noise on this guitar is fine. It buzzes quite alot and cracks alot when your not playing though. // 6
Action, Fit & Finish: I'd say that this guitar was perfect when I got it. The only thing that I wasn't happy with was that the plastic covering that covers the pickguard got stuck underneath the tone knob and makes a "scratching" sound, but that is my fault for not taking it off properly. // 10
Reliability & Durability: Will this guitar withstand live playing? The question should be. "Can the strings withstand live playing?" This guitar is built like a tank. Strap buttons are great. I am planning to use this guitar at a gig very soon. I doubt that this thing will break. I'm more worried that I'll break a string. // 10
Impression: I've been playing for about a year. I've been playing acoustic that whole time and I though that it was time for an electic. I think I couldn't have made a better choice with this guitar. I love the shape of this guitar. It's lightweight and just plain fun to play. If I lost this guitar or it got stolen, I would purchace this guitar again, no questions asked. One thing I wish I could change on it would be it's colour. I have a black body so I wish it had a black pickguard or black pickup covers just so it wouldn't look like your everyday n00b guitar. // 10
Reviewed by:
thepagesaretorn, on august 01, 2005 2 of 3 people found this review helpful
Features: // 8
Sound: I play a variety of things from poppish love songs (gotta impress the girls) to hardcore/screamo/metal/etc. This guitar does well with the softer stuff but it doesnt give the crunch I like from Ibanez guitars (or anything w/better pickups for that matter). I use a 25W Kustom amp (model KGA10-NA), but sadly no effects. It get's really annoying when I'm playing something like Metallica and I accidentally flip the selector too far and then it hums like crazy, but when the overdrive is off it sounds decent. The rosewood fretboard gives it a really really bright sound which gets in the way of playing harder stuff, especially when the pickups arent made for that either. I love this guitar though because once you get some miles in it it becomes a good practice guitar (the tone is decent so if you can play well with this you're gonna sound great in anything else). // 6
Action, Fit & Finish: It's like three pieces of wood. I've dropped this thing tons of times and the most damage it has is a small chip on the bottom of the body. Pretty much this thing doesnt break. The action is fine, no buzzing, not too high. One minor problem I have with it is the high e string sometimes can be popped out of place at the top of the neck. Sustain is okay and the tuning pegs are good tho, they seem to hold the notes just fine. Overall, I'm really pleased with how durable this guitar is. I'd rate it a little over 4 but since I can't do that. // 8
Reliability & Durability: // 8
Impression: Like I said I play pretty much everything. It worked for me as a starting guitar; I'm getting the Ibanez GRG but I think I'll still be using this guitar b/c it's strong and I can bang it up w/o hurting anything. I've been playing for about a year and a half, but I play about 6 to 8 hours a day so I feel pretty comfortable around guitars. I love the durability, I hate the hum and the fact it doesnt have 24 frets to do my steve vai solos. I also wish it had at least a humbucker for the bridge pickup so that I could bust out heavier stuff but I think this one's a keeper. // 8
Reviewed by:
sblmnlmssg, on march 10, 2004 1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 149
Purchased from: Guitar Center Denver
Features: Made 2001 in the wonderful CHINA (sarcasm) has 21 frets, laminated top, 3 contols are given (well four with pickut selector) with useless tone nobs and a single volume contol. It has three single coil pickups with a maple/ neck and a satin finish on the high gloss finish on the body not sure the exact name of bridge comes with a whammy bar non locking tuners unknown maker of them though. Rosewood neck only accesorys were some allen renches and a whammy bar. // 8
Sound: I play a wide range of music and styles mostly metallica and alternative stuff. The Strat is good but I've played better guitars(PRS). I use a 40 watt amp with multiple effects including a supper shorus, super over Drive, cry baby q zone and a dime cry baby frm hell it makes a guitar with cheep pickups sound better. It get a lot of nasty feedback (BUZZZZING) but the sound isn't bad if you like a high less rich sound. Can't really make alot of sounds has tone nobs and volume but the tone nobs do nothing. It's really not a bad guitar for a beginner. // 6
Action, Fit & Finish: For the most part the factory settup is good from the factroy I screwed around with the pickups to get better sound. Pickups were well adjusted had a long range of adjustion as well. The only real flaws are the pickups are not centerd right onder the strings except the bridge pickup. // 6
Reliability & Durability: I wouldn't play this guitar live it just doesn't give the right sound unless you have really good pedal configuration and lots of money to blow on a god amp. It's built to last except the strings tend to break alot but its prabably my stylr of playing. The finish dings and chips very easily the strap buttons are very solid and sturdy. I guess I can depend on it but it should only be a backup guitar. I would only use this guitar if I had to on a gig, it's a good practice guitar. // 8
Impression: My overall impression is somewhat pleased it was my first guitar so I didnt exactly know what I was buying when I did disapointed theere was only 21 frets wouldve liked more. It only matches some of the styles I play I've been playing for a bout 5 years now and I own a number of pedals chords tuners and amps as well as guitars if this guitar was stolen I wouldn't buy another squire but maybe the right kind of Fender I compared it to a bc rick warlock but a friend told me they suck so I didn't buy that and it looks like its from hell. I wish it had more equipment and better pickups. If you are looking for a good solid guitar for beginners go ahead and buy it but if you're experienced save some moeny and get a worthy guitar for a gig that will turn heads. // 6
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on may 02, 2007 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: Sam Ash Music
Features: This guitar is built for a beginner. There are 21 jumbo frets with a rosewood fingerboard. It's a solid top, laminated black. The body is also rosewood and it is very heavy. It is a Squier Stratocaster and I bought it as a first guitar not knowing how it was. There is one volume knob, a 5 way Switch, and 2 tone knobs that are absolutely useless because they don't do anything. Their are 3 single-coil pickups and Squier tuners. It came with a crappy 10-watt SP-10 amp, a crappy cable, a tuner, picks, and a gig bag that doesn't help. // 5
Sound: I usually play a lot of classic rock like Randy Rhoads, Eddie Van Halen, Michael Schenker, and ACDC and this guitar is ok. I usually use it with a Boss Distortion Pedal and the pedal is good but the guitar has a lot of fuzz associated with it. It is very noisy. It sounds pretty good clean, but the tone knobs do nothing and if they werent their, the only sacrifice would be that the guitar would look weird. The guitar can make a lot of sound (trust me because I'm saving for a new guitar, I've had this for 4 years as my only guitar) but it doesn't fit my needs. // 4
Action, Fit & Finish: I guess that this guitar is ok for a beginner. It is put together pretty well for a bolt-on, and the neck is amazing. It fits your hands perfectly and it is so easy to play. 21 frets is very disappointing, but bending is amazing, and surprisingly the bridge doesnt't let the guitar get out of tune too badly. It cannot stay tuned for more than 3 songs straight (of classic rock) for crap. The guitar is very heavy also and the strap buttons aren't crazy good either because the strap doesnt't stay on too well. Also, the tip of my tone toggle-switch comes off a lot too so I have to take extra care when turning it. Also, when playing this guitar, their is a ton of crackle, buzz, and high pitched feedback, especially at a higher volume (but that just might be the amp). The frets are amazing and easy to play on though with a really fast neck. // 6
Reliability & Durability: This guitar cannot withstand Live playing, just because of all the annoying feedback and the bad tuning. The hardware will last forever because I know people who have had this guitar for 10 years and it is turning yellow, but the hardware and finish is still perfect. The strap buttons on the other hand, are horrible and the guitars large weight doesn't help the strap stay on the guitar. I would maybe use this guitar as a backup at a gig, but never as a main guitar. I want a guitar that would turn heads for that. // 5
Impression: I usually play classic rock and some metal and this is not the best match in the world for this guitar. I'm not gonna lie, it does handle it fairly well for a beginner guitar, but I expect more. This was my first guitar and I pretty much bought it blindly, so I had no idea about how it would turn out. If it were stolen, I would probably look for it but I would rather get a new, much better guitar. I would mostly like to keep this guitar because it was my first guitar and it has a lot of sentimental value, but it could be better. My favorite feature is the neck because I would expect it on an expensive guitar. I hate that it can't keep a tune though, and that the tone knobs don't do anything. I wish it had another fret though! // 6
Reviewed by:
Shannock, on december 21, 2007 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 283.65
Purchased from: Dolphin Music
Features: Made 2006 Indonesia 21 frets, narrow neck. Rosewood fretboard on a maple neck with alder body. Stratocaster body. Colour black gloss. Usual 3 single coil pickups, 2 tone controls 1 volume control 5 pole selector Switch. String thru body bridge fully adjustable. Tremelo arm. Non-locking generic tuners. Came with Fender strap, 3 Fender picks, tuition DVD and Fender Frontman 15R amp. Allen key for truss rod and spare tremelo spring and long lead. // 8
Sound: I am into 60'2 music especially Hank Marvin and The Shadows. I have recently acquired a Zoom 508 delay pedal, and am awaiting delivery of a Fender Frontman 65R amp. to bring out the full potential of this guitar. I also have a Zoom G1X multi-effects pedal. I was really surprised at the rich full sounds I am getting from this guitar. This is in part due to the fact I immediately replaced the Fender Strings with RotoSound 9's. I am considering getting Golden Sixties next time, or RotoSound Pinks (13-52).The tone difference in the pick-ups is very noticeable, exactly as it should be. // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: I have not had to touch any part of the set-up. The narrow neck may be off-putting to some people, but the neck is so silky smooth as to make it a very quick action. I quite like the narrow neck, as I find that a wider neck tends to give me cramp very quickly. The nut could have been better finished, but this is such a minor thing. The body finish is immaculate. (I always wanted a red Strat, but I find black rather cool). // 9
Reliability & Durability: I would quite happily play this guitar Live. I will consider getting locking machine heads, and also strap button "stops". It is solid, and not much lighter than the "real thing". Reliability and durability: certainly built to last, and appears perfectly reliable. // 8
Impression: As I said, I am into '60s and Shads music. If it were lost or stolen, I would definitely by a Fender Strat next time, although I would quite happily have a Squier as a "backup". I also own a Yamaha Acoustic, with a clip-on pickup. I have been playing guitar for 50 years. My last electric was actually a Framus Electro/Acoustic. I play for my own amusement, so I am not particularly worried about backups. I am very pleased with what I have got. // 10
Reviewed by:
musiclover_92, on december 22, 2007 0 of 1 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 249
Purchased from: Midwest Music
Features: It is a Strat. It has 3 passive single coil pickups with 5 way switching for neck, neck/middle, middle, middle/bridge, and bridge. It has a solid top in an Olympic white finish, I think. it has a two point tremolo bridge with string through body. It has the 2 tone and 1 volume controls. My Strat still has the stock pups. It also has non locking tuners, made in 2006 in Indonesia, it came with a gig bag, amp, tuner, strap, picks, book, etc. // 8
Sound: I play jazz, rock, country, and blues, it suits rock and country well and I use an Epiphone Les Paul Studio for jazz and blues at the school for jazz band. I use a Fender 15G Frontman II amp with it and currently no effects. It does produce hum and has a bright sound. The sound of the guitar doesn't have much variety but the tremolo is worth having. the only difference in sound happens with the tone pots being changed. // 7
Action, Fit & Finish: The action was set perfect, the pickups were set up perfect as well. All of the hardware was set up perfectly also, none of the tuners were out of place, the saddles in the bridge are good. There are almost no flaws in the guitar, the pickups sound weak at times but that is the only flaw, the selector has no sound to it, the only noticeable sound is the change from the output of the pups. // 8
Reliability & Durability: This guitar has withstood Live playing and can go w/o a backup, although one wouldn't be bad. The hardware is durable. It wouldn't hurt to have straplocks on any guitar. That is good insurance right there. I have dropped it (on accident) and it didn't even go out of tune. The finish hasn't even scratched. I do depend on it a lot along with my Epi LP Studio. // 10
Impression: As I said, I play rock, jazz, blues, and country and it does well for some styles, I prefer this guitar for rock and country but do prefer the LP for jazz and blues do to the warm HB sound. I have only been playing for nine months but am already in the school jazz band which I know usually takes longer to get in. I learn really fast, I learned all the scales and pentatonic scales, I am learning theory and music. I can play really well for someone playing less than a year, I have already written about 10 unique songs (but I can't record them, bummer). I can't thin of anything I needed to know before purchasing, just make sure it is setup. I would buy it again due to it being so inexpensive (not cheap). I love it because it sounds great, I love the Strat tone. I do hate the string changing process on it, It is easier on a Tune-O-Matic bridge. I love the tremolo, a lot, I mnean it, it is fun to play solos on. It compares with all the other Squier products and low end Fender branded and holds it's own, IT is better than alost all cheap Strat copies, I chose it for the brand, Squier (by Fender) and the warranty was better than all the other places in Enid, ok. I wish it had straplocks stock. // 9
Reviewed by:
5dilloneastoe, on january 07, 2008 0 of 1 people found this review helpful
Features: Don't know when it was made. My sister gave it to me when she left for university 2 years ago and it is now 7 years old. My first guitar. 21 frets, rosewood fretboard, sunburst finish, Strat style, string thru body, one volume two tone controls, 5-way selector. 3 single coil pickups. // 7
Sound: It suits my style because it is versatile and can manage anything from Green Day to Arctic Monkeys and the Kooks. I mainly play pop-punk and occasionaly britrock. I use it with a 160 watt or 300 watt Peavey amp and a Boss Overdrive/Distortion OS-2 pedal. It buzzes but this can be expected from a cheap guitar. It can range from crunchy bassy blues tones to angry overdriven sounds with the pedal. the clean sound is good, but I don't use it much // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: I don't know how it was at the factory but when I received it it was well set up and was great for me to learn guitar with. One of the tone controls is a bit loose but I don't really bother with that. // 7
Reliability & Durability: This guitar has been heavily used for 7 years and the only thing wrong is a couple of scratches from me attacking the door and problems with the output socket. I don't play live but use it a lot and it is fine. The hardware is fine other than the output. The strap buttons have only troubled me a few times. I played at a concert and it never even crossed my mind to have a backup. The finish will only be ruined by actually being dropped or hit on things. // 9
Impression: This works well with my pop-punk style and my good amp and pedal. I have been playing for 4 years and can play most of the material that I want to play. If it were stolen/lost I would probably go for a Fender or Epiphone to make a step up. I love it's versatility, I don't like the look of the rosewood fretboard, I think maple looks better. also people see you with a Strat and immediately think you are rubbish which annoys me a lot. I wish it had a humbucker in the bridge to make the sound perfect. // 8
Reviewed by:
Greekdrlove, on march 01, 2007 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 277.2
Features: I havew this guitar since 2003. It was made in 2001 in China. It has 21 medium\jambo frets amazingly comfortable and a rosewood fretboard. It has a solid top, Maple and a normal sunburst finish. It's equiped with a Vintage tremolo brigde. One volume knob and two for middle and neck pickup tone knobs. 3 Single coils with a 5-way selector. The tuners are non-locking, nickel plated. These characteristic looking at the price are really great! // 8
Sound: I am playing classic rock, blues, pop rock, and also hard shreding solos. My Strat really gives me all I need but there is a small annoying sound when overdrive is high. I use a lot of effects, and because of my 3 single coil pickups I can almost do anything. These pickups are not too hot but they can do a lot with my pedals and in clear sounds and bright styles, the rule! And all these for 200E. Brilliant! // 7
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar is a good pollished and made guitar. It's a hummer, that means that it is long life and very comfortable. You just can't find any other more easy playin' and comfortable guitar that the Stratocaster. The pickups were adjusted pretty well and there was no sigh of scraches or anything else like that. It's a great machine, with the best value-money Status! // 8
Reliability & Durability: This guitar, when equiped with a good effent device, it can be used Live with no problems. But if there are no pedals, then you have to use as little dist as possible. because of the annoying sound. The hardware is good, and I suggest service every 3 years. The finish is fine but without attention it can easily be scrached, but it's not so important because stratocasters are Vintage, so it's not so bad to look like Rory's signature! // 7
Impression: I own 2 Gibsons, two Febders and this Squier. So I know a lot about money payed, value, sound, constraction etc. All I have to say is that You have pay 200E to buy a Squier (by Fender) Affinty series guitar, that is excellent for beginners, great sound when used in clear channel, really versatile sound like no other model and best value-money Status worldwide. So for it's money. It's fabulous! // 9
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on january 16, 2007 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: Guitar Center
Features: Made in Indonesia, this 21 fret Squier Strat features a 5-way selecter between three crappy single coil pickups and two worthless tone knobs and a volume knob. It has a pretty comfortable neck and a whammy bar thats fun to use but knocks the guitar out of tune. If you buy the Srat Pack you get some ho-hum picks, a short cord, a strap that constantly falls off the buttons (I reccomend strap locks) and a little Frontman amp that doesnt sound very good. The pack also comes with headphones and a guitar method book to help you learn how to read music on guitar (it also teaches you how to read music period, I already knew because I play saxophone but it really helped apply it to guitar). // 6
Sound: I play mostly rock ranging from Metallica to Nirvana to Green Day (simple but fun)to Three Days Grace and other stuff, even The Beatles occasionaly. The guitar can handle this stuff but only because I play on a Spider II modeling amp. The Frontman included can't really make a wide range of sounds because it has a decent clean setting and really bad fuzzy distortion. The guitar is very noisy! Crackling, humming, all that jazz. The Frontman included sure doesnt't help but I still get this on my Spider. To it's advantage though there is less noise if you set it to combine to pickups. The 5 settings can get you a variety of sounds, but only to a certain extent. // 6
Action, Fit & Finish: When I got the guitar, it was all together except for the whammy bar. Sure it was a little out of tune but at least the strings were wound. I like the action on this guitar, seems nice and low. I'm no expert on tweaking the pickups or anything so I can't comment on that. But I have played on my friend's Standard Strat (different from this type which is the affinity) and I didn't like the action. It was very high and uncomfortable but the whammy bar was easier to use. // 7
Reliability & Durability: This guitar is pretty reliable except that it's poorly put together. The screws are constantly stripping and the nut on the place where you plug in the guitar is always falling off. I've only noticed one little scratch on it, even though there could be a lot more. Other little nicks are my fault, like when I was hitting the splash cymbals on my friends drum set with the head (that was fun). // 7
Impression: I've been playing for a year or two but I play a lot so I'm pretty good. I'm nothing special though. This has been a good starting guitar but if it were lost/stolen I would not try to replace it but instead get another guitar, maybe an Epiphone G-400 or a Washburn. I don't really hate anything except the pickups, I wish it had a humbucker but I don't love anything about it particularly either. It's really nice that the Strat Pack comes with an amp and stuff to get me stared, so it's really good for starters but for experienced players you should keep looking, and I think it's time to move on for me (wish I had the money to upgrade). // 7
Reviewed by:
FlyOn88, on april 14, 2006 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 150
Purchased from: Guzzardo's
Features: Came with a cheap strap and a crappy cord. Standard Fender Strat frets. Body is alder neck is maple/rosewood. Bridge is standard tremolo. 1 volume 2 tone nobs 5-way selector. Non-locking tuners. Candy red color (really wish I had gotten black). // 7
Sound: The sound on this guitar is not as bad as many people would lead you to believe. Most the people who hate this sound bought it without knowing the difference between humbucking and single coil. The sound is close to the Fender Strat but this being a cheap guitar you can't expect it to rival an . I personally am in to Eric Clapton/Hendrix type of stuff and this guitar was good enough for me to start out on. If you buy this guitar and can't afford an upgrade just put in a Hotrails pickup at the bridge and it'll be as good as new. // 7
Action, Fit & Finish: Heres where this guitar really annoys me. Everthing on the body was fine but the neck had problems. The frets were very abrasive (my fingers would start to bleed after a song with some finger sliding) the wood in general was fine but the Fretboard is one the cheapest I've ever played. It feels like balsa wood. The neck itself was fine and has good action. Anyway I filed down the frets myself (don't attempt if you have no experiance) and sanded the Squier name off the headstock so now it's better. // 6
Reliability & Durability: This guitar is tough but I wouldn't gig with it for fear of being laughed off stage. If you really want to, put some better pick ups on and remove the Squier name from the Headstock. The strap Buttons, hard ware etc. seem cheap but tough. The finish is extremely tough. I guess this guitar would be good if you wanted to pull a Pete Townshed and smash your guitar up and/or throw it into the crowd for your last song. // 7
Impression: This guitar can be made to match most styles of music. This was my first guitar after switching over from Bass (which I played for four years)and it got me started on my path to being a lead and not just a bassist. I wish I had looked at the price options more. After This I have owned an Epiphone Les Paul 100 and a Lace Huntington which are both much better guitars than this for only $100 more. If it was stolen I'd laugh at the dumbass who stole it. If you like fixer upers this could be a good base for a project guitar or a first guitar, or something to destroy in a live show. Though I will say that it's better than an Epi Les Paul Junior. // 6
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on april 10, 2006 0 of 1 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: Long & McQuades
Features: I'm not really sure when this guitar was made, but I know it was made in China. There are 21 medium-large frets on a rosewood neck, and its a solid-top, solid-body design, like most Stratocaster shaped guitars. It has a very simple metallic black polyurethane finish, and came with a 1-ply white pickguard. It came with a Syncronous tremolo, which I found was great for a guitar at this price. I've gone to guitar stores and tried other guitars, and this one's tremolo compared to the tremolo of an Ibanez or a Vintage Gretsch, and was very easy to use. There are two tone controls and one volume control, all of which work very well, though I have replaced the original knobs. It has chrome hardware, and standard die-cast non-locking tuners, not any specific brand. The pickup selector works well, I found that at first the pickup selector would always be switching on its own, but after using this guitar for a few weeks, everything was fine. There are three single-coil pickups, though I dont know which kind. Very good for a starter guitar. // 8
Sound: The sound on this guitar was great! The pickups were easy to adjust, and though at some times they were noisy, I found they were great for just about any kind of music. The guitar could make many different sounds just by playing with the tone knobs. I found that if you set the pickup selector between the bridge and middle pickup and turned the tone knob to 0 on the middle pickup, the guitar sounded somewhat distorted and kinda spacey, with a little bit of high end squeal and buzz when the strings were bent. I also found that the combination of bridge and middle pickup, with tone set to full, was much better than just the neck pickup, and acted almost like a humbucker, getting rid of most of the extra noise, and sounded great on distortion on an old Fender amp. Once again, great for a starter guitar! // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: I think the action on this guitar was good, not too high to make playing hard, but not too low to make it impossible to use a slide. The pickups were adjusted well though I re-adjusted them to suit my playing style. Everything was properly routed, and as far as I'm concerned, there are no flaws whatsoever on this guitar. // 7
Reliability & Durability: This guitar can take a beating! I play very aggresively, and this guitar has lasted almost 2 years so far, still in perfect condition (or close enough). The strap buttons are pretty good. The top one is fine, but the bottom has given me some problems before, but then I bought a good strap, a Levy's strap, and that seemed to have fixed the problem. This is a very depndable guitar, and if I were on a stage performing, I think that it would last an entire show. I play for at least an hour every day, and if this guitar can last me this long, it'll last ayone else for years! // 9
Impression: I think this is a great guitar for musicians, both beginers and people limited financially, and just anyone else looking for a great guitar at a good price. I've been playing for about two years, and this was my first guitar, I'm getting another soon, next I think I'll get a Jackson RR5 or RR3. My favourite feature on this guitar is that it is very easy to customize the features and make it your own. I would have to say that if you're looking for a new guitar, but you're not sure what to get, buy this, both because it's reliable, and that if you don't like it, you'll probably be able to buy something else. // 8
Reviewed by:
punkerkid!79!, on april 24, 2006 1 of 2 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 418
Features: // 7
Sound: Jack of all trades, master of none. Having a five way pickup selection means this guitar can play pretty much anything. It will play metal, classic rock, punk, blues, you name it. Unfortunatley it doesn't cater specifically to any type of sound in particular. Personally my favourite music is just rock (Kiss, Black Sabbath, Van Halen, Deep Purple etc) and this guitar can handle most of it. There is a lot of excesive buzzing however. // 7
Action, Fit & Finish: This guitar is again an all rounder. Sure it hasn't got the flash appearance of the SG or Warlock but it's a sturdy strong guitar. Mine has taken a few hard knocks in its time and only a couple of dings to show for it. But it doesn't have a particularly nice feel or ace looks. // 8
Reliability & Durability: This is a good sturdy reliable guitar. It will last throughout the ages, however you might have to tighten up the input once a month or so. I would not gig with this guitar solely because it sounds as bad as my singing but otherwise I think it would do the job well. // 6
Impression: I have played this for about six months now and I'm ready to upgrade (Les Paul). I would not buy this guitar again because I know it is not the bees knees but it is probably the best starters guitar around. I love this guitars versatility but if you know how to play get something more suited towards your personal style. If it had better pickups I would think twice before upgrading. // 7
Reviewed by:
Gimme_GilMORE, on may 16, 2006 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 174.8
Purchased from: Allan's Music
Features: This Affinty Strat was made in China. It has 21 Vintage frets, 3 passive single coil pickups (ceramic), 5-way selector switch, 1 volume, 2 tone knobs tremolo bridge, crappy standard die cast tuners, maple neck and fingerboard, and alder/agathis body. Mine's the Vintage 2-tone sunburst colour. I stress to you all if you are looking at getting one of these things, don't get it in the pack where u can only choose from the solid colours. The sunburst ones may cost a bit more, but the type of wood used is superior. // 8
Sound: This sort of guitar suites my style very well (Pink Floyd, RHCP, Jimi Hendrix), the only thing that I don't like is the fact that I can't get a Jimmy Page distorted humbucking sound out of this (guess I gotta save up and buy a les paul). I'm using a crappy Fender 15G amp with it (this was my first purchase, I didn't know better) but as I'm not currently playing in a band I suppose its not that important, although a tube amp would be nice. The guitar is noisy when near the amp or interference, but it's only really bad when on high gain. This guitar has get a fair variety of sounds, but as I said lacks that little bit of extra grunt of a humbucker. // 7
Action, Fit & Finish: This was set up surprisingly well from the factory, but as it wasn't out of a Strat Pack box maybe someone from the shop had a tinker with it and improved the set up in order for them to be able to sell it. The action was nice and low. The pickups were well enough adjusted, and the sunburst finish really does look sexy. There were a couple of blemishes on the back of the neck near the headstock and body, and the input jack comes loose, but besides that the set up and finish is quite good. // 9
Reliability & Durability: This guitar could probably withstand live playing, but with a Squier I wouldn't want to show it in public anyway. The hardware should last, and the finish seems reasonable. All in all a fairly reliable guitar for the price. // 8
Impression: This is a good match for the style of music I want to play, and my budget. It was my first guitar, and really I didn't know exactly how to go about buying a guitar. I've been playing for about half a year now and know you could probably get something a bit better for the money. But still this is a good beginner guitar, nice neck profile easy to use etc. If it were stolen I'd save up and buy a Fender Strat or an Epiphone Les Paul depending wat sound I wanted to achieve. One thing I do hate is the fret buzzing on this thing (when you buy it change to 10 gauge strings). My favourite feature is the nice Strat sound you can get out of it despite the shitty pickups and thats probably wat I wish this had, better pickups and electronics. // 8
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on january 06, 2007 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 366
Purchased from: Argos
Features: This was my first elecric guitar. I had played my granddad's Silver series Japanese Squier Strat and liked that, so I thought I'd get one of my own. It came with a strap, a cheap and nasty lead that broke in a couple of days, some picks, alan keys, tuition booklet (which I never used) and, most importantly, a Fender Frontman 15G amp. The Frontman was pretty good, with some nice clean tones though the distortion was fairly tinny. The guitar itself has 21 frets on a rosewood fretboard. It has a maple neck and a 3-piece laminated alder body. Three single coil pickups, 5-way selector Switch and a "Vintage style" tremolo unit round it off as a Stratocaster. // 9
Sound: This can cover music from blues to punk, but is a bit lacking when used for metal/hard rock with the stock pickups, since they are single coils. This guitar can sound really nice through a decent amplifier (I now have a Roland Cube 60 and have also played it through a Marshall MG100 DFX on numerous occasions), but it's a bit of a tinny sound compared to the Mexican 60t Anniversary Strat I now have. It's also thinner than my Fender, and has nothing like the same sustain, even on high gain. However, I don't find this guitar to be too noisy unless I'm near a computer screen, despite having cheap single coil pickups. All in all, not bad for a beginner. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: The action as set was spot on, nice and light, and the intonation was perfect. However, what was not done correctly (and I didn't realise of fix until I got my Mexican Strat) was that the tremolo block was sprung so tightly that it lay flat against the body and took enormous effort to produce any change in pitch with the whammy bar. This meant that I basically had to re set-up the whole guitar in order to fix this, but I value the experience! Everything fits together just fine. The finish is ok; the neck has a lovely satin laquer to it and the body's varnish is tough. The sunburst finish was not overly good, and the wood grain it revealed in the centre isn't matched and so looks frankly cheap. However, one thing I do love about this guitar is the neck feels pretty mcuh as good as a Fender, though somehow less solid. For the price these play the best you'll get. // 7
Reliability & Durability: I've played this guitar Live a few times, before I got a better guitar. It stood up fine, and I wouldn't expect any less. This guitar is built solidly despite being cheap. I've dropped it and it's fallen over a few times, and it's only got a few dents to show for it and doesnt't sound or feel the worse for it. The tuning heads seem to hold their tuning well to say they're cheap; they out-perform my brother's Epiphone Les Paul Custom in that respect. However, they're nothing compared to my Mexican Strat; that stays in tune for a week on end even when you use the trem arm! I also found that, when I freed up the tremolo and set that up correctly, the guitar didn't hold it's tuning as well as it might, perhaps that's why the bridge was like that to begin with. The strap buttons are as solid as any out there without using straplocks. Just personal taste I guess, but I used some of the rotating plastic disk type locks for this, as I didn't consider it worth buying replacement strap buttons for the locks. I woulsn't gig with this as a main guitar anymore ebcause the sound just doesn't cut it when I have better guitars to use. I'd keep it as a backup though. // 8
Impression: I play general rock and punk music and this guitar kept me going well form a while, until I got my Fender. As previously mentioned, the guitar is decent for the price and should satisfy any beginner, but matched to professional guitars such as my Mexican Strat and Cyclone HH, it just doesn't come close, and so I'm thinking of selling it on just to pay off the Cyclone. I bought this from Argos without playing it first, and I wouldn't ever do that with a guitar these days, since you never know what you're getting. However, I got lucky and a my Squier is pretty nice for the money. Most of the Squiers I have played are also nice for the money, so presumably it's safe to buy these without playing first, especially since they're so cheap. Overall, nice action, good feel, sound above average for the price but lacks sustain and can be a bit tinny. The finish is a bit lame but that's probably just my specific guitar. Great guitar for the money or for a beginner. It could also be modified to make a low- intermediate guitar for an extra £100 or so (e.g. putting Fender stock pickups in it and getting some better tuners), though I personally won't do this as I have the real thing now. 8/10 considering the price, aiming at beginners. If you want a pro's guitar then you probably know for yourself that these won't cut it just as they are from the factory. // 8
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on february 26, 2007 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 209
Purchased from: Kosmic Sound
Features: This factory made guitar has 21 frets, it's a solid body electric with a Strat body, has a synchronous tremolo bridge (no locking nut, so it goes out of tune easily if you use the wammy bar too heavily), there's a 5-way pickup selector, a volume nob, and 2 tone nobs, there's a bridge pickup, a lead pickup and a rythmic style pickup (all single coil), non-locking tuners, and I bought it just by itself. // 7
Sound: I play mainly rock, blues, a bit of classical/accoustic stuff and a bit of metal. This guitar suits it perfectly! You can get so many different sounds out of this guitar. I'm currently using a Dean 15 wat amp, this goes well and has great distortion (better than my old Telecaster copy). This guitar does have a lot of hum. you need 2 get it shielded (look this up in a guitar book, or on the internet if you don't know how). The guitar can make a whole lot of different sounds from Hendrix to Lynyrd Skynyrd, to Led Zepppelin, to Neil Young. I could go on all day! // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: This guitar was not set up as I would like it, when I went to shield it, it was quite difficult due to there been a lot of glue used in the making. The pickups were adjusted well, the bridge was routed well. This guitar had a lot of hum and a rattle on the 6th string (hitting the truss rod when I played), but I fixed these by shielding it and adjusting my truss rod (again look up "adjusting guitar truss rod" on the internet if you don't know what this is). You will need a alemm key to adjust the truss rod, which will come with the guitar if you buy it at a guitar store (if you buy it off e-bay or from a pawn store you might not get this). // 6
Reliability & Durability: I think this guitar will withstand live playing, the hardware will probably last, the strap buttons are very solid, I can always dpend on my Strat, but my strings need replacing about once every 1-2 months because the strings flake easily (I don't recommend Bullet strings, get other ones). I think this guitar is good enough to last any player. // 8
Impression: This is a perfect guitar for me at the moment, I've been playing it for about two months (as of February 24, 2007), I wish I had of asked if this guitar was shielded, but I didn't, this was OK because I got it shielded for free (I did this with my friend Who knows a lot about guitars). If this guitar was stolen or lost, I'd probably wanna buy a Fender Stratocaster or an electric guitar with a locking nut mechanism. The thing I love is the asthetics (looks). Mine's black and if you apply a coat of methylated spirits, it's all shiny and cool! The main thing I hate is that it goes out of tune easily if you use the wammy bat 2 much, but I don't use it that often so it doesn't really matter, my favourite feature is the pickups and the volume nob. I compared this to some les pauls but I didn't really like the feel of LP'S or the pickups, so I got a Strat instead. I wish this had a locking nut mechanism, but wat r you gonna do! // 8
Reviewed by:
metalman6669, on january 21, 2008 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 100
Features: The guitar is a 2003 Squier Affinity series Strat. It has a thin 21 jumbo fret neck. The body is basewood with a cheap rosewood neck. It came with a crappy blue finish and 3 single coil pickups. The tremolo is bad, but all the hardware seems solid. It came with a mediocre Fender Frontman 15G amp, the distortion was so bad it sounded like an electrical problem. It also came with a case, strings, tuner, and pics. // 7
Sound: I got this guitar back when I was a noob and played rock like (AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, etc.) and it suited that style pretty well. Now I'm currently playing melodic death metal so the stock version is pretty much useless to me. I was playing through the 15g frontman the guitar package came with. Let me tell you if any frontman went on stage with that amp they would be booed off the stage. I now use it through a Line 6 Spider III 75 watt combo and it sounds a hell of a lot better. The pickups do buzz pretty loud, but that is expected from cheap single coils. It can make some decent sounds with the right settings. It also sounds good through a wah pedal. // 6
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar was setup pretty good out of the box from what I remember. I prefer my action low so I had to lower it a bit, but other that that it was fine. The pickups were like right up to the strings tho so I had to lower them to prevent buzz. Everything seemed to be routed properly and the guitar contained no noticeable flaws. The only problem I ever had with it was the input jak came loose quite a bit, but that was no big deal. // 8
Reliability & Durability: I definately would not play this thing Live, I think of it more as a home pratice guitar. Although I do believe it would withstand a Live show but I would recomend strap locks just to be safe. I could depend on it as a last resort, (second backup). The finish can chip or scratch if your not careful, but that really isn't a big deal, as long as it plays were good. // 8
Impression: I play melodic death metal and this guitar would not suit that genre. I have been playing for about 5 years and own 6 other higher end guitars (ESP, Ibanez, Dean). so if it was stolen I would be bummed because after all it was my 1st guitar, but I would move on without it. I loved the feel of it, I had fun with the tremolo, and had some all around good times jammin with it back in the day. I would definately reccomend this guitar to any beginner because, it is a quality guitar for an inexpensive price, and a great way for a beginner to kick off and advance further into their guitar playing career. // 9
Reviewed by:
asfastasdark, on august 15, 2008 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: Guitar Center
Features: Made in Indonesia. Don't know what year though. 21 frets, but a nice thin maple neck, with a rosewood skunk stripe along the back, all satin finish. The body has a solid top, of course, nothing special, you can choose between black, metallic blue, and metallic red if you take it with the starter pack ($250, which includes a Fender Frontman 15G amp, a cable, a bunch of picks, and some other stuff). I picked red; ). If you buy the guitar separately, it's only $150, and more choices too: Same colors, but you get to decide whether you want a rosewood fretboard (starter pack) or maple (true Vintage look! ). According to Musiciansfriend.com, you can also get British racing green with rosewood fretboard, baltic blue with a rosewood fretboard, and arctic white as colors. Alder body like most Strats, and a maple neck. The neck inlays are simply dots, with a double Dot at the twelfth fret. They're most likely plastic, can't really tell, but in a rosewood fretboard they're plain white, in maple they're black. And of course the fretboard has side inlays. The finish is a solid gloss on top of the body. The bridge is a good ol' Vintage trem with a screw-in tremolo bar with a white tip. Three springs were attached properly in the back when I got it. Plain old passive single-coils, three of them, and they're all right. They sound fine, but expect nothing special. A single master volume and two tone knobs (one for neck, one for middle pickup), and a 5-way Switch to Switch between pickups. Very classy, again, of course, and works fine. The pickups are no-namers, I believe, or maybe Squiers. Everything is mounted in a big one-ply white pickguard, of which the edges tend to become dirty quickly. Non-locking tuners complete the guitar, again just "mystery" no-name tuners, but they do tend to keep the guitar in tune pretty well. I haven't even lubed the nut or the string ferrules or anything, and I can do huge bends and it stays in tune fine. Sometimes I play something and find a string went a little flat, but I retune it within two seconds, literally. The nut is a cheap plastic thing, not exactly good, but not too bad for the price. The strap locks are pretty reliable, I have never had it fall of the strap. When I bought it with the starter pack, it came with a "Fender" gig bag, a Fender Frontman 15G practice amp, a Fender Professional Noiseless cord, a "Fender" strap, two hex wrenches (for saddle adjusting, I guess), an extra tremolo spring, about 5 Fender medium picks, the tortoiseshell ones, that's about it, I think. // 8
Sound: I play lots of genres, classical stuff, rock, metal (think Metallica, not death metal or anything), alternative stuff, blues, random riffs and licks like EVH or solos. It can sound good for each of it, actually. It's a little thin in the midrange for metal, but still sounds decent, especially considering the price. I usually play it through a Crate GTD65 (solid-state combo amp), usually clean, sometimes through the built-in overdrive channels or through a Boss DS-1. It is actually not that noisy for a non-shielded guitar, and when put on position 2 or 4, almost all of the hum is gone. With high gain it does tend to hum more. I can sometimes get some good squeals off this guitar. Also it sounds great clean, think Metallica's One intro, sounds really good for the price. Note I keep stressing the price, because obviously you can't compare this to a Fender. // 7
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar was almost in tune and the action was fine for me when I bought it. The pickups were at a good height, and all the routing was fine. The only thing wrong with it was that the fretboard had a wood discoloring in the corner, but I actually think it looks cool, since I've never seen it before. The finish was good, and the strings on it were good stock. // 9
Reliability & Durability: I would trust this guitar at a gig without a backup. Of course, never gig without a backup, but still. The hardware seems very solid, strap buttons are rigid, and it would definitely withstand Live playing. The finish is pretty long-lasting, though I've hit it against a wall on accident once and a scratch came up showing the greyish primer. // 9
Impression: For my music, this is a good guitar. It sounds decent both clean and distorted. I've been playing for around two and a half years, and it is a good starter guitar. If I'd lose it, I'd buy a new guitar, because this is a starter guitar, but I like it because it's decent quality for the price. It's a good guitar for the price. // 8
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on august 14, 2008 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: £ 100
Purchased from: eBay
Features: Mine is the 20th Anniversary Squier Affinity. It's made in China, has a rosewood neck and 22 medium jumbo frets. The finish is a glossy sunburst that looks beautiful; it may be a cheap guitar but it doesn't half look pretty! I bought this guitar second hand on eBay, it was the second guitar I ever bought and now, years later I have finally got round to writing a review for it. I won't bore you with the gritty details because I'm sure other reviews have stated it's features already. The only thing I will say is that it has a nice, chunky headstock which is seriously vintage! Being a 20th Anniversary edition, it also has a cool emblem on the metal plate on the back, a nice touch on a cheap guitar! // 9
Sound: This guitar doesn't sound bad at all. In fact, there isn't really that much difference between this and a Standard Strat. The neck pickup gives a warm, rich sound which is perfect for playing blues chords and whatever. However, Steer clear of the bridge pickup as this can Hurt your ears! Seriously, the sound it produces isn't very nice at all; I have heard it been compared to an ice pick attacking the ear drums! This is the guitars only flaw, and although it is a bit of a let down, it's is easily resolved by simply keeping the Switch towards the neck pickup and adjusting tone controls via the amp. // 7
Action, Fit & Finish: I bought this guitar second hand and therefore it was probably setup to the specification of the previous owner. Since I bought it I haven't felt the need to change anything on it. The action is low which is good for beginners and stings are easy to press down. I prefer to have 9 gauge strings on all my guitars, and something worth noting is that on this guitar, the stings are much harder to bend. Not really a problem, it just requires some adjustment i.e. slightly stonger finger bending. There are absolutely no faults with this guitar and seems as though it was very carefuly made. The bridge is properly in place, as are the pickups, and obviouly the neck is straight and sturdy. Nothing worth mentioning really. // 9
Reliability & Durability: Simply, this guitar would have no problem with live playing. It's hardly going to fall apart. This guitar would last for a long, long time and I know this because it is built in virtually the same way as the most successful guitar ever; the Fender Stratocaster. All hardware is fine, and absolutley nothing to worry about. Finish is tough as well, although after 7 years mine has a few dints and cracks. I would always gig with a backup, but 99.9% of the time, this guitar would not let you down. // 10
Impression: You've probably heard already that this is a cheap guitar ideal for beginners, and indeed this is very true, however, I believe that for the money this guitar goes beyond all expectations. I have been playing electric guitar for years and own a selection of guitars including this guitars bigger brother; a Standard Strat and I still find myself picking it up and getting huge satisfaction from playing it! It's a lot lighter than a Standard Strat and slightly smaller, and it's just so playable. I believe this guitar is seriously under-rated, the only thing holding this guitar back from being a highly rated, credible guitar is the name on the headstock. Squier is seen stereotypicaly as the cheap and cheerful introductuary guitar for beginners. No guitarist wanting to turn pro would be seen anywhere near this guitar becuase of the image given off by Squier. This is such a shame because this guitar is almost faltless. If this guitar was stolen, I would be devastated, probably more so than most other, more expensive, guitars I have owned. // 10
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on july 11, 2008 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 75
Purchased from: River City Pawn
Features: This is my first guitar, of which I got for christmas. I was thrilled when my parents unveiled it because I was expecting a First Act or off brand peice of crap. However a few months later, having learned how to play and playing some higher end guitars, I realise that it isn't all that much better. When I got it, it came with a gig bag. It has 21 frets, a 5 way selector and three single coil pickups. I am not sure what brand strings were put on it, but they were out of tune and bent up, needing replaced. Nothing out of the ordinary for a cheap, used guitar. // 5
Sound: I play rock and metal, anything from Pearl Jam to Lamb Of God. With the guitar I got a 30 watt Crate GFX amp. The guitar plays well with a clean tone, although the sustain is awful, but once I turn on the amp overdrive, the tone sounds realy bad. This was solved, however, when I bought a DigiTech Hothead distortion pedal from a friend. When in clean tone, I usually have it on the first pickup setting, but when distorted, it varies on what I am playing. If playing grunge or something the first or third setting is best, but if playing metal, I have it on the second. Overall, not too shabby. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: Like I said, I bought the guitar used, so take that into consideration. The strings badly needed replacing, and the neck was bent up. Also, the previous owner used the tremelo, which left the bridge loose, and as a result, the strings were almost a 1/4 inch off of the fret board which made playing difficult and staying in tune almost impossible. However, these problems went away with a little proffesional maintnence, and now plays pretty well. // 7
Reliability & Durability: I realy wouldn't trust this guitar for a live show. This is definetly a practice guitar. It comes out of tune too easily and doesn't have good enough sustain to put on a good performance. This is a pretty tough guitar and has withstood tipping over, being dropped, and being hit by doors, while only coming out of tune. For what I am doing now, which is just practicing and jamming with friends, it is relatively dependable, but if we actualy start gigging, I'll seriously need a replacent. // 6
Impression: The 3 single coil pickups make for some good versatility, however, I would much prefer a single coil and a dual coil humbucker, which would better suit my interests. Overall it is good guitar for what we paid for it and it would make a good second guitar, but as soon as I save up some money, will start looking for a replacement, most likely, a Dean Vendetta or something. // 7
Reviewed by:
blobthedie, on august 28, 2008 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: £ 135
Purchased from: Kempsters Music
Features: Made in 2007 somewhere in China (if you really care:CY07055073) 21 frets, and 3 pickups, as you'd expect form a Strat. Rosewood fingerboard on a maple neck, maple body and 5 way selector switch. Comes in metalic blue, metalic red or black. 2 tone controls (for neck and middle pickups) and one volume. // 8
Sound: It suits my guitar style quite well, I go from classic rock, to bluesy improv so it sounds quite nice with a small amount of distortion. As you might expect from a squire affinity, the pickups are cheap, it dosn't sound particularly amazing, but they're alright for light distortion, as they get dirty quickly. Played through a Laney LX12 it sounds amazing for the price. // 7
Action, Fit & Finish: Everything was just right (although I suspect the shop set it up ready, as it was a display model), but the strings feel cheap, so I've ordered some Ernie Ball regular slinky's. For the first week there was some fret buzz on the 10th fret of the 6th string, but that's gone now, and it's playing really nicely. // 9
Reliability & Durability: Te strap buttons are huge, but I'm still ordering strap locks for piece of mind, and I've bashed it about plenty without it going out of tune. The finish looks nice, but chips easily the way I treat my guitars. If you like reiced guitars buy one of these, and don't pay attention to where you're putting it down. // 6
Impression: Suits anything from blues to classic rock, if it were stolen I'd go and get a tele affinity, cos that's what I wanted in the first place, but as a starter or spare guitar, it's well worth the money. I compared it with a Yamaha Pacifica, but this was much better and £5 cheaper. // 9
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on september 01, 2008 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 199
Purchased from: SoundSource Music
Features: Mine is a metallic red coleor with a maple neck and rosewood frets, it has 21 pickups and has the rounded end at the fretboard, there is a whammy bar, it's a bolt-on neck, two single coil pickups and a humbucker. with a white pickguard and chrome hardware. It was made in Indonesia. it has to tone nobs and a volume nob with a standard pickup switch. The guitar cost 199 dollars and I got it for 400 with a g-dec Jr. amp, a bag, some picks, and a strap, which was a good buy cause the amp wuz like 175 and the bag was 40 by itself (this was all in a pack). It's perfect for a beginner(this was my first electric guitar). // 9
Sound: I play rock, metal, grunge, and some alternative, it works for all of them easy. I just use the amp I got it with (I'm ready for a new one though) and it has lots of effects on it. I think it sounds really good, because I have used an actual Fender-brand 1 1/2 stack amp and it sounded great. No eccess noise. It'll do whatever you want it to do, but too much whammying and it will need tuned. I whammy a lot so I tune after every song with a lot o whammying)but you wouldn't have to after every song cause it goes like 1/6 step out of tune after lots of whammying (I'm just a tuneing perfectionist). // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: When I got it everything was set up great-7 months later it still kicks ass. Verything in good condition. I was pissed off though cause I couldn't get all plastic off (some is still where the pickguard is(oh well if I wanted I could unscrew the screws the plastic sundder take the plastic out and screw it back in, but I'm to lazy). // 9
Reliability & Durability: The guitar will easily play live, all the hardware seems as if it'll last a long while and the strap buttons(as long as your not using the shitty strap that the guitar comes with, are fine. and I would gig without a back up but I'd have to take a set of strings cause they break on me at the unluckiest times. the finish will scratch if you pick hard like I do, but that's what the pickquards for but I pick chords really hard and I kinda need a new pickguard already (dunno if that's normal or not). // 8
Impression: for what I play-it's great, nothing wrong at all with it. I own this and a Rogue acoustic guitar and this guitar I've had for 7 months. If it were stolen I'd buy something else, but that's cause I like variety (eventually I would get another one like this cause I'm in love with it). I love that it's not hard to play and the whammy bar rocks. The only addition I would love would be locking tuners cause tuning is were I break a third of my strings. // 10
Reviewed by:
spikie101, on october 06, 2008 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: £ 100
Purchased from: pro music
Features: Contoured alder body, bolt-on maple neck with rosewood fingerboard and late '60s headstock, three single coil pickups and Standard tremolo system, the Affinity Series Strat guitar. 5 way selector 1 volume, 2 tone knobs. Came with Stagg cable and some Fender picks. // 7
Sound: I play a lot of classic rock; Led zepp, GnR, Black Sabbath, Aerosmith, Kiss, Thin Lizzy, Iron Maiden etc. For 100 pounds it fits most of my categories I can't always get the blues tone from my watson XL10P 10 watt. I also use a Behringer Ultra wah which works really well with this. It does have a lot of hum and with a lot of gain it really goes metal style but not that good. // 7
Action, Fit & Finish: When I first got it I took it in for a check up, the action was lowered. I hated this I couldn't string bend and had a hell a lot of fret buzz this was changed in a day or two though. pickups were fine frets are a concern you must be ever so gentle with this as one of my frets are warped/damaged. // 9
Reliability & Durability: The hardware looks like it will last me a while however I plan to change to Epiphone Les Paul Special 2 because of it's humbuckers and lp tone. I have yet to gig with this and the overall quality of it is ok. the strap buttons were a little loose but seem to be fine now after I have screwed it in more. // 9
Impression: This sort of matches my style of playing but it never gets it on full tone or exactly the same sound. I've been playing for nearly a year now and this was an excellent buy for me. If it was lost I wouldn't re-purchase it I would get a Epiphone Les Paul Special 2 simply because of it's humbuckers. I wish however this had the humbucker seen in other Squier strats for a louder tone. // 8
Reviewed by:
matti_g_69, on october 06, 2008 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: Allans Music
Features: 21 Frets, Rosewood, three single coil pickups and Standard tremolo, 5 way pick up selector, came with Fender gig bag, Strat, Fender Frontman 15G(which I blew up), Fender strings, lead, some crap songbook, the guitar aint stay in tune for to long but I think it aint bad for a cheap guitar. // 6
Sound: I play lots of metal(Metallica, BFMV, Megadeth, Children Of Bodom, Trivium) and some rock and punk(Sum 41, Nickelback, Foo Fighters, Green Day), the Strat is pretty good for punk and rock but not so great for metal, I have two pedals a DD-7 and a CE-2 I don't use them much in my music I only use them when I'm mucking around so I don't take much notice of the sounds of them. I play through a Roland Cube 15X. I think the guitar would be pretty good for jazz and blues, not that I've tried it though. // 6
Action, Fit & Finish: For the price, the finish is pretty good, I think the necks to fat to play really fast which is one big problem I'm have with it, it comes in a brown sunburst sort of colour(I don't really no what's it's called). // 7
Reliability & Durability: I'm not up to playing Live yet, but I think when I am up to that I will buy another guitar because I don't like the thickness of the neck to play the things I like. the strap buttons aren't to slid as they can somethimes wriggle about. I think this guitar could snap reaqlly easily because I've dropped it a few times and it's been close to braking. I still think it's good for the price I paid. // 6
Impression: if this guitar were stolen I wouldn't buy one of the same, I'd want it back because it's my first guitar, but if I couldnt get it back I would certainly buy a more expensive and better quiality guitar, one with a thinner neck and 24 frets. this isnt a good match for metal but fine for punk and rock. // 6
Reviewed by:
andyd93, on april 29, 2008 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 384.3
Purchased from: Dawsons
Features: Made in China in 2002. It has 22 medium/jumbo frets on a rosewood fretboard. The bodi is made of basswood, but other woods like agathis can be used (this all depends on whether it is made in Indonesia or China). This is to lower the overall cost of the completed instrument. The body style is a very close copy of a Strat as it is made by Fender itself, but it is just a second-line version, made with slightly cheaper materials. The bridge is a simple synchronized trem system. If you wish to play metal and use the trem to death, I do not recommend this guitar to you and no matter how much you alter the existing trem, it will never really stay in tune perfectly, I would recommend either buying a locking trem system i.e. a Floyd Rose or a copy of a Floyd Rose (cost around 120 at it's cheapest). The controls given are a volume knob, two tones (middle and treble) and a pickup selector. The pickups are in SSS configuration, very basic Squier pickups that don't actually have names, I am thinking of buying some new ones once I have some more money to blow. The tuners are non-locking, but they aren't too bad. I recommend removing the two dovetail shaped nuts on the headstock as these create a lot of friction on the strings, which put it right out of tune. I got the basic Squier package, strap, cable, a few picks and a Fender Frontman 15R amp. // 8
Sound: It suits my style quite well, I play mostly blues, classic rock and a bit of metal here and there, and it handles them all pretty well for what is classed as a cheap guitar. I don't use many effects, only really my Ibanez TS9 Turbo Tubescreamer and the reverb, flanger, chorus and delay that are built into my amp (Marshall MG50DFX). There isnt really much buzz from the guitar, you can only really hear it when you turn it right up and listen hard. There isnt really much variety in this instrument, but you can gain most tones by using certain effects, a very plain tone, a kind of 'blank canvas'. // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: The factory set up was a bit crap to be honest. It was my first proper guitar, and even I (I was an 11 year old n00b just starting to play at the time) could notice the flaws in set-up. Where the plate comes out from under the strings, and there is the screw to the left of the neck pickup, the plate kind of bends up, like a small hill, so you can see the springs either side of the pickups. I rang the shop I bought it from, and this did not come into the warranty agreement, so they could do nothing, and there is no way of getting it down. After changing the scratchplate, nothing has changed. The pickups were also adjusted badly, they were very un-even, the low side of the neck was actually touching the strings! The bridge was balanced well, but being a Squier bridge, this did not really matter. // 5
Reliability & Durability: I have played one or two school concerts with the guitar, both handled quite well, but I wasn't really playing what I would normally play. If I was playing a proper gig, using my preference in styles and genres, I think I would definately have to take backup with me. The hardware is pretty good quality I guess, never had any problems with it myself. The strap buttons were ok before I got rid of them and bought some straplocks (I have straplocks on all of my guitars apart from my Line 6). I have one or two parts of the finish that have flaked off, but nothing too conspicuous. // 8
Impression: As long as you have the right effects and amp by your side, this guitar wont really go wrong. It can work with many different styles of playing. This would be a good choice for any beginner Who is serious about learning and willing to upgrade from a no-name, cheap first guitar like I did. I have been playing for about 4 years, and I still enjoy playing my Squier, I don't think I'll ever get rid of it! I don't think could have asked for any more than this for the money I spent on it. If it was stolen or lost, I would be very sad that I had lost my first proper guitar, but I would probably not replace it because whatever I bought just wouldn't be the same. I like its simplicity, and the fact that it has all the features of a Strat with a much better price tag. I don't like the fact that these can be slightly inconsistent out of the factory, but not inconsistent to the point of being a piece of junk. If anything, I wish it had slightly better pickups as Standard and possibly a better bridge, but apart from that, it's all good! // 8
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