I purchased the same guitar from my local mom and pop guitar store. I expected to spend a couple hours leveling frets, filing ends, adjusting intonation, etc. However, it was perfect and when I complimented its playability, they said they spend time with every guitar to make sure each is as good as possible. This is the advantage of supporting your local shop.
This might be the first really honest guitar review I've seen. Thanks. I recently got an Affinity Tele Deluxe. Didn't realize how much luck was involved... mine doesn't seem to have any mechanical flaws. I don't think I'll take a closer look, though, as I'm happy now.
Thank you very much. I'm glad that you're happy! Maybe your Affinity Deluxe was built in a different factory. My 2020 Affinity Tele was way better. Did you check your serial number?
@@Bandforge CYKG21.... So it's a Yako Chinese guitar, but I don't know what factory the KG refers to. It is a 2021, though. And despite what I said before, I have checked it over carefully. It's close to perfect... there is one slight ripple in the finish, and that is the only flaw I can find.
Bought one this week. I was planning to go for a more expensive one but, after plugging this thing on, I changed my mind. Ok, the frets were not polished and the fretboard was too dry. Those were the only cons I found. The frets can stay that way (i'm not a big fan of deep bendings as they produce an incredibly annoying sound on ANY guitar - how do some people like it is beyond me) and it only took me a few drops of cheap mineral engine oil and some rubbing to have a nice looking/feeling fretboard. Just to mention, with this tunners is very easy to remove the strings and put the same strings back on to oil the fretboard, so that made things even easier. Besides that, I just did a little adjustment in the truss rod and lowered the sadles a bit (I like low action on the strings). Now, about the sound: incredible. It sounds amazing. It sounds exactly the way a telecaster is supposed to sound like. It also has a comfortable neck, light body and even an acceptable acoustic volume for whenever you feel lazy and want to practise without having to connect the guitar to an amp. So, I am very happy with it and saved a few hundreds of euros. Also, this guitar stays in tune for a looooooong time. 3 hours practising and it's stil in tune. Amazing!!! I surely recommend it
I got mine 2 weeks ago in butterscotch blonde and maple fretboard.Luckily no issues with the neck or any other imperfections. Bridge plate not quite in line with pickguard but not a dealbreaker. Sounds really good.Amazing guitar for the money. Even better as got a good deal on black Friday sale.!😊
That's awesome! :D Did you find out, if it's the pick guard or the bridge itself that's not quite in line? Yeah, I was pretty impressed by the sound, too! What kind of amp do have? Also, congrats on the good deal! xD
Hard to tell if it's the bridge or the pickguard.Only noticed after watching your review. Have several amps, too many in fact. Glad you finally got a good one. Third time lucky. Great reviews. Really like the the colour you picked
Thank you very much! :) Yeah, the lake placid blue is one of my favorites! Still, I was thinking about the butterscotch blonde for a while but eventually, I feared that the wood underneath that's visible wouldn't match up nicely.
Yes it has a very subtle wood grain which is visible but not as much as previous models. I think it adds character to the instrument. Looking forward to your in depth review on the Harley Benton. Might consider it as a future purchase🤔
That's very nice. If it's well done, it's really beautiful. I'm glad you have a good copy! :) Thanks! The review is planned for next week. The Harley Benton is still laying completely disassembled on my table and there are some interesting findings that I have to share!
I got mine 2 days ago. The action is super low so a slight trust rod alteration needed and good to go. The neck is very comfortable for me and the tuners do stay in tune. It's also nice to look at. A good guitar.
@@Bandforge Big question for you tough, you have a player series in Tidepool right ? How would you compared it tonewise ? Is the neck confortable enough ? I think you got me intrigued, i have to try one for myself asap !
@Kampf Katze A tough question! I wish I had more time for making videos! ;) The review of the Player Strat is om my list, too. Let me put it this way: Alex asked me a few days ago, whether I think the Player is three times better than the Affinity because of it being three times the price. Of course, my Affinity is a Tele and my Player is a Strat but nevertheless, I would say yes. The neck is super smooth (though a bit thicker), no imperfections what so ever and the sound is excatly to the point. A huge step up from the Affinity. Good tuners, nothing feels cheap on the guitar. And I like the Tidepool even better. In a Player Tele, I would not change the PUs at all because I love their sound (from the sound demos I've heard). My Strat will probably get the PUs from the American Performer series at some point but this can wait. In short: if you can afford it, go Player and never look back! ;)
@@Bandforge thanks for this honest and logical answer. The only downside i see is that i am in love with lake placid blue now and there are no Player in that finish if i make no mistakes. The only good option i can see in a reasonable price tag would be the Classic Vibe Strat 60s or the Esquire CV 60.
@@Bandforge hyped for the Strat review then ! I think i understand how it can feel 3X times better considering all your remarks on the affinity. The difficult question is : as it is twice the price of a CV Strat, is it twice as good tough :) ? Might be more difficult to answer this question considering CV's reputation as best bang for buck ... If only someone could lend you one of those !
Great review! And helps point out what we should look out for when buying a guitar. You have a New subscriber 😊👍 that Laurel neck actually looks very nice!
LOL, awesome concentration face at 16:30 or so! Thanks for such a great walk through. I bought one of these this week direct from Fender on their big sale, so I hope I receive one that's very nice. At this price, I don't expect rainbows -- just something basic that's put together correctly and works. But if not, I can learn to do the work myself or make modifications without being terrified that I'm ruining a fancy or expensive instrument. I can't wait to see which modifications and repairs you have done.
So glad you finally had a positive (relatively speaking) resolution as regards your Affinity Tele, negligible cosmetic flaws notwithstanding. My Squier Shell Pink Tele which I received a few weeks ago also had the self-same identically misaligned pickguard screws and obligatory "squealing mouse" tone knob (all entirely tweakable) though the pup selector switch seems surprisingly firm and not as flimsy as I was prepared to expect. Certainly no worse than my decidedly more expensive Japanese Fender 60's cusom Tele. I agree the pickups themselves (emphasis on the bridge!) while obviously not mind-blowing by any stretch, were a pleasant surprise. Doubt I would bother upgrading to be honest. Maybe something elemental about the magical simplicity of a Telecaster?
Thank you very much! In order to fix the cosmetic imperfections, I've already tore the whole guitar apart. The poor thing sits on my shelf now and is desperately waiting to be assembled again. The misaligned pickguard screw holes will be fixed with some wood filler and than redrilled. I hope that it looks better afterwards. For the "squealing mouse", I've got the advise in the comments to use some WD40 on it. I will try that out, too. I'm glad to hear that your switch is alright. A Japanese Fender 60's Tele? That sounds awesome! Is it a new guitar or have you owned it for a while now? About the pickups, yes, I absolutely agree. What I want to do, though, is to change the rest of the electronics in order to see what these pickups are capable of. Measuring would help but I don't see where I could find affordable equipment for that. The magical simplicity of a Telecaster… maybe that's what it's all about. :)
@@Bandforge I'm pending back and forth between Squier Affinity or Harley Benton TE-70 Black Paisley. But I think this review helped me to consider ordering the Harley Benton. Just my whole impression of that one is better than the Squier. Have you tried one of those??
@Anders Persson Unfortunately, I havn't tried the other TE guitars. It's great to hear that my review helped you with the decision! The comparison video is out now, too. :) My favorite would be the TE-62 DB, I guess. I would just replace the bridge for a six saddle model.
The Affinity vs TE-20 comparison video should be a good one. A lot of electronics and components can be upgraded but the thickness of the body, fret work, action, and string spacing/nut width is a lot harder to change so that stuff matters the most, imo. I personally like the thick block-like shape of the American teles. *shrug* I like how you looked at how snug the neck was in there.
Do you have one to the American Teles at hand for taking some measurements? I'd love to compare the necks more systematically. I think measurements of the string spacing, the nut width and the width at the 12th fret as well as the thickness at the 1st and 12th fret should give us something that's a good basis for comparisons. From your list, I'd lean towards the TE-20, if the neck is comfortable for you. Another question would be, if the genuine Fender shape (both headstock and body) is important to you.
@@Bandforge Is thr TE-20 really on par with the Affinity in terms of fretboard quality and spacing? I just find it so hard to believe they can do all that for $100.
The quality itself is definitely surperior, but I've found out some interesting things! The scale of the TE-20 is a bit longer that the Fender scale and on the highest fret, the whole neck is about 1 to 2 mm wider than the Affinity. The string spacing is also a bit closer than on the Affinity and I think, this is why it's somewhat uncomfortable to play for me. But there's more that I'll try to explain in the review. It's really interesting how such small things can lead to a very different playability (at least for me).
Lovely video, great review! Again, no wonder about Squier's quality issues with so many guitars they're trying to produce to keep up with demand... Looking forward to the TE-20 vs Affinity comparison. Both lovely guitars in their own way, can't go wrong with either, although Affinity prices have gone up significantly and this is hard to justify against a TE-20 or TE-52.. I very much like that you are thinking about keeping it stock, it does have character! Cheers!
Thank you very much! :D Oh my… now that you mention it, I totally forgot about saying anything about the price in the video! It got quite long anyways, haha! I'll try to finish the comparison before Christmas for anyone who wants to get the right gift. Something that really makes me curious, too, is how good the TE-20 will be after investing in parts that will make it the same price as the Affinity. Thinking like that, one could easily upgrade to Fender TexMex pickups, a decent bridge and new electronics! But the shape is not excatly like a Fender which is super-logical but also a little sad. I love the original Fender shapes so much! The PUs of the Affinity sound way better than I expected after my first try in the unboxing. The rest of the electronics will be replaced but I'll keep the PUs to see what they are capable of. Little extras like a no-load tone, a treble bleed upgrade and so on are very easily done and have a great impact on the sound. I had decided for a whole schematics for the 2020 Affinity but seem to have misplaced the paper somewhere during moving… Probably I'll have to redo it.
I put nocaster pups in mine with 11s I get a nice Jazz tone. Mine just needed a little light sanding with 1000 on a couple of spots on the neck and a good setup. I have a high fret (15) but I'm going to replace the neck with one from my old MIJ Strat so won't file it. I bought the guitar for the body and it's great. The colour, shape with through body stringing are worth the price and everything else can be upgraded.
I've just listened to the nocasters on Thomann's page. Great sound! My fingers would hate me for 11s, though, haha! ;) The light sanding is pretty high on my list. Good to know that 1000 grit is the way to go! I'm still gathering tools for that. Did you put any kind of finish on the neck after sanding? Also, did you try to (gently) smack the high fret with a rubber hammer? Sometimes this can do wonders. Does the MIJ strat's neck fit in the neck pocket without further modifications?
Jet City amp in the background☺️. I see you’re a woman of class 😎 I love those amps. Definitely hidden gems. 💎 I think these new affinities are really classy, with that glossy headstock. Unfortunately I think a lot of these new guitars suffer in the qc department because of the huge boom in demand for guitars since the virus started in 2020. They really have to pump them out, so I’ve heard even more expensive guitars have more qc issues now. The manufacturers really struggle to deliver enough to fill demand, and adding that the supply chain and shipping issues of the past 1 1/2 years, the qc is gonna suffer. Anyways, showed my gf(she’s a beginner) your channel and she really enjoyed it. Keep it up 🥰
Hahaha! Thank you! I love my Jet City amp! 😎 It's super nice and I just love the sound. I'm a big Soldano fan, too (who would have guessed?) ;) My second amp is a VHT combo, also a nice (affordable) piece of hardware. In the latter, I've changed the stock speaker to a Jensen C12. Lovely sound! The glossy headstock sure looks nice and with a bit of sand paper, I'm confident that the neck can be improved, too. What you're saying about the qc and today's demands for guitars makes perfect sense! Greetings to your gf and tell her to try out .008 gauge strings! Also, an SG is a great option for female beginners. Thinking of it, I should consider showing my SG in an episode… 😉
@@Bandforge Oh my, I never thought of the string thing. She has been struggling with barre chords, so maybe it’ll help with 8’s. She already has three guitars(she’s been bitten by the guitar bug), a affinity tele, Ibanez as73 hollowbody, and a Yamaha f310 acoustic I gave her for her birthday. SG’s are great beginner guitars. My first was an sg, and I love SGs to this day.
I totally agree with your conclusion about this guitar and your advice about buying a guitar online. I bought mine a few days ago. Squier Affinity Tele Butterscotch, made in China 2021, 205€ online from thomann DE. No setup by thomann, directly from the manufactory. And that's ok for me, that's what I wanted, because I bought it as my first modding/repair project. I wanted a nice but cheap guitar to work on as a new hobby and not for playing. For playing I have other more fancy guitars ;) My minor issues: The layout of the holes on the guitar don't match with the layout on the pickguard perfectly. So all screws of the pickguard are not straight in. The control plate was very loose (quickfix). Some tuners were a little bit loose (fixed after my 1st setup). Stringbuzz, I think because of the initially not very straight lined bridge saddles. But it disapeared after my overall setup. My serious issues: Very, very bad fret ends. I still have tiny scratches on my hand. It was really not enjoyable to play this guitar (fixed after my 1st setup). The open high E string sounds dull. But when fretted sounds ok. I guess the problem is the nut. The low E string is very quick out of tune. Don't know why yet. My first setup: a little bit of adjusiting, filing the fret ends (for the first time in my life) and of course cleaning and polishing everything. Next steps will be fixing the strings issues and at least changing the pickguard and the pick ups for the modding experience :) I must say I'm quite happy with this guitar and my project until now. I received the troubles I was looking for and what I paid for :) ... Ok, it could have been 100€ less ... ;) But I like the neck of this model. Not very fancy but comfortable and easy playable for me. I like this new slim, light and modern tele body and the guitar provides already a nice, typical tele sound and feel. For me it was a fair buy. But for anybody else who wants only to play a guitar and maybe has no experience with guitars, I agree with your conclusion. Everybody should know this and be prepared before buying a guitar online. Thank you and thumbs up for your very detailed and honest review :)
@Oli Chris Thank you very much for your kind words and for sharing your findings with such depth! :) The reason why I bought the Affinity was the very same: learning how to fix minor issues and also as a nice modding project. The issue of one string sounding a bit dull was present on one of the three copies I had recieved, too. Only here, it's been the G string. I would bet on something neck related, too. Maybe try applying some graphite on the nut with a pencil? Sharp fret ends are really bad but fortunately easily fixed. I hope you've recovered! :) I've once tried a guitar at a store that left scratches on my hand that took almost a week or two to heal… My Affinity is completely disassembled and waiting to be modded. The first things I'll do (because the people at Thomann already took care of the frets) will be shielding, fixing the misaligned pickguard screws and sanding the back of the neck. :) Do you have anything special in mind for the electronics modding? Any pickups you want to try? :)
@@Bandforge Glad to hear about your next modding steps. I have the same mods in mind (except sanding the neck). Plus! I want a new fancy pickguard ;) I'm counting on your videos to get some useful tips :) But first I need to fix my string issues. Thank you for the advice with the pencil! Unfortunately it didn't work. Maybe I did something wrong or I was too cautious and just have to sacrifice a little bit more of that pencil ;) Or the cause is something else. I will continue my research and experiments this weekend. About the pickups. I'm not looking for a certain sound at the moment. They should be an upgrade, not too expensive and they should fit easily into the Affinity. I want to go next week, after the lockdown, to my local music store and have a talk with the guys there. They had the Fender TexMex Telecaster Set for 79€ in stock. Maybe they have now a new/better offer. But I think the TexMex would fullfill my requirements. I will see. What do you think about the TexMex? Do you have any special pickups in mind? But don't tell if it's a secret ;)
@Oli Chris Don't wory, we'll get to the modding! I can't wait! ;) A soft pencil works best, as it's easy to get enough graphite on the nut. A GraphTech replacement is a good option, too. The are about 10 € and easy to install. (Video is on my list) ;) The TexMex were suggested to me, too as a great upgrading option. I didn't find any sound demo on them, though. Where you able to try them out? ToneRiders seem to be an interesting option, too. Oh, it's not a secrect! ;) Hmmm… First I want to try and see what I can get out of the stock pickups. I'm thinking about replacing the electronics and strings first, then replace the neck pickup cap and the magnets. If I'm still not happy, I'll try to replace the metal pole pieces with pole magnets which is a bit risky. However, if I end up, it's probably time for either a pair of TexMex, ToneRaiders, Donlis or Texas Specials (I know, that's a bit overkill but I'd love to know how they sound on a Squier). It's a tough decision! ;)
@@Bandforge Your plans with the pickups are very interesting and more sophisticated than mine :) Can't wait to see the outcome and get some inspirations from you for my little project :) I was not able to hear or try the TexMex yet. My idea to visit the music store after a lockdown, close before christmas and having a relaxed conversation with the guys there was quite ... naive ;) It was a madhouse, full with people and everyone busy :) But in the meantime I was able to solve my issue with the dull e-string. I lowered the string until I could move it gently with my fingers near the nut, horizontally to the fretboard. During the movement there were some very thin noises from the string on the nut. There was nothing visible for me, but it sounded like the nut hole was not properly filed and a very small corruption was holding/releasing the string during the movement. So I just moved the string aside, out of the nut and filed the nut hole very, very gently just a little bit with a thin nut file (I ordered only the thinest one from T.) and then tried my soundtest again. I repeated the procedure until this noises were gone. This finally solved the problem and now the string sounds good :)
You like the color, the way it sounds and if it's comfortable, you have a winner, finally. All flaws you pointed out are expected (I guess) and it's easy to fix them.
I have a twin to yours. I had an issue with a ringing after strumming and then muting the strings. When the palm was lifted off the strings, there would be a quite audible ringing. It turns out the G string was doing a harmonic thing between the nut and the tuner. I installed a second string tree and the problem was solved.
I guess this is Indonesian because the pickups are 2 ceramic magnets, one on either side of pole pieces. Chinese are typically 1 magnet glued to the bottom of the poles. I may be wrong though.
@Ben Johnson Very interesting. That's why I keep disassembling all the guitars for the videos. Everyone might find something else of matter in the same footage.
I had the chance to test the Stratocaster model from this same new series. It was much better finished. However, the store is very serious. All guitars are checked.
one guitar sounds different on all amps so in other words sometimes when a guitar sounds bad its not the pickups its the amp the tone is over 90% in the amp its features setting and speaker and its cab the speaker is in and power level in the amp , the rest is the the guitar but tone is not in the wood or in your fingers .. i have the new series tele affinty my self in butterscotch and i love it its a great guitar for beginners right on up
That's not a bad sounding guitar. I'm looking for an affordable partner for my Affinity Tele Deluxe, I'll check out one of these! Like the Lake Placid Blue, too.
Yeah, I was quite impressed by the sound for it's price since a pair of boutique pickups cost as much, if not more than the whole guitar. I think it would make a great partner for an Affinity Tele Deluxe! Would you recommend your guitar?
As to the Tele Deluxe - and yes, mine is burgundy mist - it's a decent instrument. The pickups aren't super high output, but are clear and effective. Frets are finished well but not really polished, but I do my own work so it's a no-brainer fix during setyp. I LOVE the weight, not too heavy so a long jam session doesn't give me neckaches. I got lucky and there are no major cosmetic issues on mine. The electronics are the typical dime-sized pots and 'ok' switch, it feels solid enough. For the PRICE, I'd recommend it.. I'm going to swap the pickups in mine and install Duncan Phat Cat P90's. Overall, I'm happy.
@@Bandforge Hum, i am a bit confused now. The guitar is beautifull and the sound seems convincing but as you said even on this third one the build quality is average at best right ?
@Kampf Katze Yes, the HB has the better build quality but the things on the third Affinity can be fixed easily with a bit on sand paper and some patience. This is why I'd advise anyone who is interested in the Affinity, to watch out for all the potential issues to not be too bad (best to check in person before purchasing), so that they are still fixable. Also, it sounds better and is easier to play with my smaller hands. This makes it the one that I pick up a lot more often. I know, it's complicated… I hope that I could explain what I mean. :)
I appreciate your review as I am thinking about buying one of these, but I disagree with you about miss aligned dots not being a reason to return the guitar. If Glary, Eart, and Monoprice can get it right so can Fender.
At 8:58, can you explain exactly what you did there? To me it looks like you strummef the strings and then pressed backwards on the end of the headstock? I'm not sure what that's supposed to test - are you testing if the neck bends or if the neck is loose or something like that? I'm really interested in knowing more about how to check out guitars and this test looks really interesting to me.
Sure thing! I strummed the strings and then tried to push against the headstock with my pinky. While doing so, I'm listening how much the tone rises. This is my way to check how flexible the neck is. The less the better. Some neck are very soft, which might cause problems. I hope this helps a bit. :)
Tbh, I've only recently got into Teles, so I don't have a certain reference headstock in my mind (that's why I didn't even notice until you told me) but I don't have a problem with it. If you were asking me about a Strat, that would have been completely different. The slimmer 60s style headstock is a must for me and I really hate the CBS style… But about the Tele… since its headstock is bigger, you might fit the other design on there, if you'd like to cut it. Would that be an option for you?
@@Bandforge I'm not going to change it. I was also not familiar with Telecasters. Later I found that the typical headstock design is smaller (aesthetically better) and is present in all models except perhaps the standard fender telecaster. Patience.
I’m so glad you finally got a guitar that you’re happy with !!! I have been looking at the Squier Esquire FSR classic 60’s custom. Only 1 pick up like the original teles’ but man it sounds amazing ! I would love your thoughts on this one !? 😊
Thank you so much!!! :D It sure looks good! The laurel fretboards are nice, too and it seems like they put a lot more efford in the CV series. If you love the sound, why not go for it? :) Do you prefer the classic bridge? On the photos I've seems, it's the one with the… uhh… upfolded edges? Make sure that it's not in your way while playing (or replace it). Also, in the circumstance you would really miss the neck pick up: I'd say, an Esquire + a router = a Telecaster ;)
@@Bandforge I already have my telecasters - love to add something different to the collection. I like to be different 😊 Plus, if you route it, it won’t look as good as this …….. ( skip to 19:20 😈 )
Regarding those QC issues, I would advise you to take the white model, based on the pictures on thomann the white one is made in china, not the same factory as the deluxe (mine is flawless) but it's generally better than indonesia, especially the ICS factory (serial number starting with ICS) I have yet to meet someone that tells me his squier coming from ICS is great...
Thanks for the info! I'd never have guessed something like this. The pictures on thomann show that it is indeed made in China but the serial number starts with CSSF. Is this another factory?
@@Bandforge I used to love the pre-2019 classic vibe series. From 2019 they switched the factories to Indonesian ones, lowering the cost at the same time, I bought one of the first Daphne blue jazz bass, that turned out to have QC issues (ICS factory), I then got the limited edition purple telecaster on Anderton's, arrived with a big ding in the middle of the body and overall felt cheap, ICS factory... A friend of mine ordered a telecaster custom a few weeks ago, coming from ICS factory I warned him about QC problems, he did order it anyway, sent it back the day after because it had problems... And you having to get and send back 3 Instruments... I lost my trust in Squier but still decided to give the affinity series a try with the telecaster deluxe, seeing it was Chinese factories, I love it! For the price it's great!
@Val Di That's bad! And yes, I didn't have a great experience until I got a guitar that made sense. I will be more careful with my next order. I've held a Squier Bullet Strat in my hands (also ICS) and it's OK, I'd say at least for someone who doesn't mind using sandpaper on a brand new guitar. It's really sad, I think. These guitars get shipped all over the world and yet they don't bother with QC. My 2020 Affinity was fine at first try, also from a Chinese factory…
I don't get it, so a lot of ppl in the comments say these tales and probably a whole affinity series is garbage but if you are starting your journey with playing an electric guitar isn't it obvious that you won't go ahead and buy an expensive guitar? So what such a person should do then? It's so confusing to pick a first guitar when you are on a budget honestly..cuz it's feels like any cheaper guitar is not good enough :(
I think there are two valid options: You can get a Harley Benton guitar or you could try a Squier Affinity Tele in olympic white. Funnily, it seems like the olympic white Affinity is made in another factory with better quality control. It's a bit crazy, I know! I hope this helps! :)
Rena, thanks for explaining this for me, I am really interested in this new model, I would buy it from s guitar shop who sets up the guitar for you. It will be my first electric guitar. I was planning to get a fender Champ 20 amp, is this a good choice?
Can you check new one from Bullet line please? I had harley benton black paisley and returned it. It was heavy, neck was unconfortable thick for me and bridge pickup was so microfonic that i cant play. Shame it looks cool.... I moded my bullet strat and i love it - locking tuners, bone nut, alnico pickups, polished frets, did complete setup... I am looking for new project and i always liked teles.
I would love to, but unfortunately I'll have to wait a bit until I'll be able to afford one after buying both the Affinity and the Harley Benton but after reading so much interesting comments about the Bullet line, I'd definitely like to give it a shot! :) I absolutely get your point with the Harley Benton. Sadly, the neck is not for my hands, either. Luckily the TE20 is more on the light side with it's poplar body. Which locking tuners did you get? And what pickups? In any way, I'm going to mod a lot to the Affinity and even it's not the exact same guitar as the Bullet, you're always welcome to mod along and share your ideas any time! :)
You pointed all the good things with a very good energy ! Congrats :) ANd yes 42 mn is a very big plus !! :) :) As are the split tune head As for changing the strings and setup I guess It's for absolutly all guitar except the ones where it's done by the store people I would go with the stratocaster version tough, or even better the jazzmaster one about that topic 5:20, about this topic of alignement.... mmm I suspect it can be also coming from the 42mn neck? I love vintage 42mn so much that it always bugged me that fender went to 43mn as standard To the point where I can just see it's 43 from the get go and don't even want to grab the guitar at the store to try it..... So i tough maybe fender did this to give a little more room for the top and bottom E strings not to fall off??? Mmmmmh v_v To sum it up I guess using a trem/string block that could/should fit on a 43mn mass produced guitar on a 42Mn maybe it's even worst??
Hi, do you know where to buy the replacement pickguard for this model? I have been trying out few other thrid party pickguard, but they all dont fit this 2021 Aquier Affinity Telecatster.
Hi thx for the review! I just bought 2021 butterscotch model. I like it. What you think to change the pickups with Alnico from squier classic vibe 50´? Can I improve the sound?
I think it should be an upgrade. The classic vibe's pickups are made in the same factory by the same people who make the Tonerider pickups (at least so they say). For my Affinity, I've picked the Tonerider hot classics. Maybe you'll like them, too. I'm curious how the sound will turn out after all the mods!
@@Bandforge I like your Tonerider but I already had Alnico from my Tele classic vibe. This guitars drive me crazy ;) . Yes, Its an upgrade, sound is improved. Tele Affinity is a good guitar
Basically, any kind of coil is an antenna which picks up magnetic fields. In the case of a guitar, these magtic fields come from the transformer in the amp. The transformer's stray magnetic fields are caused by the 50 or 60 Hz power grid frequency. This is the reason why humbuckers were invented in first place. The two coils are wound in opposed directions so the unwanted signal is cancelled out. I hope this explaination was not too technical! :)
Why buy an Affinity when you are better informed about guitar set-up and pickier about specific features than most players might not be. I prefer the Affinity over the Classic Vibe simply because of the six-saddle bridge.
Simply because I wanted a Tele and didn't have more budget. I guess there are other players out there in the same situation. My favorite Tele would have been the Fender Player but that's triple the price. Also, I really liked the 2020 Affinity Tele as it was perfectly sufficiant for what I was playing. I totally agree with you on the six saddle bridge. My lasted videos shows how to set up the three saddle bridge and it sure isn't a fun thing to do.
No offence but when you played it acoustically it didn't sound very clean but had a rattling sound. On my Epi Les Paul my acoustic sound is clean and sustains for days. However if I got one of these guitars I'd get it set up, probably change the tuners to Grover Locking ones and even go for MIN pickups.
DO NOT LIKE PUPS .. SORRY .. I HAVE 2 TELE'S - 1 HAS A PEARLY GATES IN THE BRIDGE WHICH WAS WIRED IN WRONG .. THE OTHER HAS A TREBLE / BLEED CIRCUIT .. VERY GOOD VIDEO ..
That’s not lake placid blue, more of a navy, I’ve got a lake placid blue. Either your camera makes it looks navy or idk lol but it’s not lake placid blue
Trust me, it's lake placid blue. The style of lighting we're using only makes it look darker… ;) I plan to make a color comparison video in different lighting situations, too to help people decide who only know the photos.
Sorry Hon, but that guitar sounds awful. Plus, it makes no sense that you’re getting more beef out of the neck pup than the bridge. Seriously…very, very bad.
I purchased the same guitar from my local mom and pop guitar store. I expected to spend a couple hours leveling frets, filing ends, adjusting intonation, etc. However, it was perfect and when I complimented its playability, they said they spend time with every guitar to make sure each is as good as possible. This is the advantage of supporting your local shop.
This might be the first really honest guitar review I've seen. Thanks. I recently got an Affinity Tele Deluxe. Didn't realize how much luck was involved... mine doesn't seem to have any mechanical flaws. I don't think I'll take a closer look, though, as I'm happy now.
Thank you very much. I'm glad that you're happy! Maybe your Affinity Deluxe was built in a different factory. My 2020 Affinity Tele was way better. Did you check your serial number?
@@Bandforge CYKG21.... So it's a Yako Chinese guitar, but I don't know what factory the KG refers to. It is a 2021, though. And despite what I said before, I have checked it over carefully. It's close to perfect... there is one slight ripple in the finish, and that is the only flaw I can find.
Bought one this week. I was planning to go for a more expensive one but, after plugging this thing on, I changed my mind. Ok, the frets were not polished and the fretboard was too dry. Those were the only cons I found. The frets can stay that way (i'm not a big fan of deep bendings as they produce an incredibly annoying sound on ANY guitar - how do some people like it is beyond me) and it only took me a few drops of cheap mineral engine oil and some rubbing to have a nice looking/feeling fretboard. Just to mention, with this tunners is very easy to remove the strings and put the same strings back on to oil the fretboard, so that made things even easier. Besides that, I just did a little adjustment in the truss rod and lowered the sadles a bit (I like low action on the strings). Now, about the sound: incredible. It sounds amazing. It sounds exactly the way a telecaster is supposed to sound like. It also has a comfortable neck, light body and even an acceptable acoustic volume for whenever you feel lazy and want to practise without having to connect the guitar to an amp. So, I am very happy with it and saved a few hundreds of euros. Also, this guitar stays in tune for a looooooong time. 3 hours practising and it's stil in tune. Amazing!!! I surely recommend it
I got mine 2 weeks ago in butterscotch blonde and maple fretboard.Luckily no issues with the neck or any other imperfections. Bridge plate not quite in line with pickguard but not a dealbreaker. Sounds really good.Amazing guitar for the money. Even better as got a good deal on black Friday sale.!😊
That's awesome! :D Did you find out, if it's the pick guard or the bridge itself that's not quite in line?
Yeah, I was pretty impressed by the sound, too! What kind of amp do have?
Also, congrats on the good deal! xD
Hard to tell if it's the bridge or the pickguard.Only noticed after watching your review. Have several amps, too many in fact. Glad you finally got a good one. Third time lucky. Great reviews. Really like the the colour you picked
Thank you very much! :) Yeah, the lake placid blue is one of my favorites! Still, I was thinking about the butterscotch blonde for a while but eventually, I feared that the wood underneath that's visible wouldn't match up nicely.
Yes it has a very subtle wood grain which is visible but not as much as previous models. I think it adds character to the instrument. Looking forward to your in depth review on the Harley Benton. Might consider it as a future purchase🤔
That's very nice. If it's well done, it's really beautiful. I'm glad you have a good copy! :)
Thanks! The review is planned for next week. The Harley Benton is still laying completely disassembled on my table and there are some interesting findings that I have to share!
I'm happy to find your channel. Great review, thank you!
Thank you for your kind words and you're welcome! :)
Thank you for the honest and fair review.
You're very welcome!
I just bought a 2021 Squier Affinity Telecaster and I’m going to keep mine. I love it!!
Best review i've ever seen of the Affinity
Thank you very much! :)
I got mine 2 days ago. The action is super low so a slight trust rod alteration needed and good to go. The neck is very comfortable for me and the tuners do stay in tune. It's also nice to look at. A good guitar.
I'm happy to hear that! Do you plan to do any mods?
@@Bandforge maybe the machine heads but these do stay in tune so not in a hurry.
Saludos from Guatemala!! Great videos!
Thank you very much! :)
Very good playing from both you and Alex ;) !
Thank you very much! :D It was a lot of fun!
@@Bandforge Big question for you tough, you have a player series in Tidepool right ? How would you compared it tonewise ? Is the neck confortable enough ? I think you got me intrigued, i have to try one for myself asap !
@Kampf Katze A tough question! I wish I had more time for making videos! ;) The review of the Player Strat is om my list, too. Let me put it this way: Alex asked me a few days ago, whether I think the Player is three times better than the Affinity because of it being three times the price. Of course, my Affinity is a Tele and my Player is a Strat but nevertheless, I would say yes. The neck is super smooth (though a bit thicker), no imperfections what so ever and the sound is excatly to the point. A huge step up from the Affinity. Good tuners, nothing feels cheap on the guitar. And I like the Tidepool even better. In a Player Tele, I would not change the PUs at all because I love their sound (from the sound demos I've heard). My Strat will probably get the PUs from the American Performer series at some point but this can wait. In short: if you can afford it, go Player and never look back! ;)
@@Bandforge thanks for this honest and logical answer. The only downside i see is that i am in love with lake placid blue now and there are no Player in that finish if i make no mistakes. The only good option i can see in a reasonable price tag would be the Classic Vibe Strat 60s or the Esquire CV 60.
@@Bandforge hyped for the Strat review then ! I think i understand how it can feel 3X times better considering all your remarks on the affinity. The difficult question is : as it is twice the price of a CV Strat, is it twice as good tough :) ? Might be more difficult to answer this question considering CV's reputation as best bang for buck ... If only someone could lend you one of those !
Hey, such an in-depth review. It was a decision making video for me. Thanks a lot. Finally I bought one .
Great review! Maybe you could bring Alex in your next video, would be interesting to hear her thoughts on your new tele 😊
Thank you very much! I'll try to pursuade her but she's very shy. ;)
Great review! And helps point out what we should look out for when buying a guitar. You have a New subscriber 😊👍 that Laurel neck actually looks very nice!
Thanks for all your nice comments and the subscribtion, of course! :D
I like the Laurel neck, too!
Enjoyed the vid. Reminds me of the late, great Mick Ronson showing us Bowie riffs on his Lake Placid Tele. Cheers.
LOL, awesome concentration face at 16:30 or so!
Thanks for such a great walk through. I bought one of these this week direct from Fender on their big sale, so I hope I receive one that's very nice. At this price, I don't expect rainbows -- just something basic that's put together correctly and works. But if not, I can learn to do the work myself or make modifications without being terrified that I'm ruining a fancy or expensive instrument. I can't wait to see which modifications and repairs you have done.
Reminds me of a Squire Standard Telecaster, but I did buy the butterscotch version, cant wait for you to Mod them
I had a very hard time deciding about the color. What mods do you plan to do?
@@Bandforge new tuners (locking)new switch gear and pickups, i just love the feel of this affinity much better than the last model 🙂
So glad you finally had a positive (relatively speaking) resolution as regards your Affinity Tele, negligible cosmetic flaws notwithstanding. My Squier Shell Pink Tele which I received a few weeks ago also had the self-same identically misaligned pickguard screws and obligatory "squealing mouse" tone knob (all entirely tweakable) though the pup selector switch seems surprisingly firm and not as flimsy as I was prepared to expect. Certainly no worse than my decidedly more expensive Japanese Fender 60's cusom Tele. I agree the pickups themselves (emphasis on the bridge!) while obviously not mind-blowing by any stretch, were a pleasant surprise. Doubt I would bother upgrading to be honest. Maybe something elemental about the magical simplicity of a Telecaster?
Thank you very much! In order to fix the cosmetic imperfections, I've already tore the whole guitar apart. The poor thing sits on my shelf now and is desperately waiting to be assembled again. The misaligned pickguard screw holes will be fixed with some wood filler and than redrilled. I hope that it looks better afterwards. For the "squealing mouse", I've got the advise in the comments to use some WD40 on it. I will try that out, too. I'm glad to hear that your switch is alright. A Japanese Fender 60's Tele? That sounds awesome! Is it a new guitar or have you owned it for a while now?
About the pickups, yes, I absolutely agree. What I want to do, though, is to change the rest of the electronics in order to see what these pickups are capable of. Measuring would help but I don't see where I could find affordable equipment for that.
The magical simplicity of a Telecaster… maybe that's what it's all about. :)
Very good review! Just the right info I needed to make my decision.
Thank you very much! What is your decision, if I may ask? :)
@@Bandforge I'm pending back and forth between Squier Affinity or Harley Benton TE-70 Black Paisley. But I think this review helped me to consider ordering the Harley Benton. Just my whole impression of that one is better than the Squier. Have you tried one of those??
@Anders Persson Unfortunately, I havn't tried the other TE guitars. It's great to hear that my review helped you with the decision! The comparison video is out now, too. :)
My favorite would be the TE-62 DB, I guess. I would just replace the bridge for a six saddle model.
Excellent video. Thank you very much! I was looking for a second Telecaster for practicing and I think this guitar is perfect for what I need. 😀👍🏻
Don’t buy it.
The Affinity vs TE-20 comparison video should be a good one. A lot of electronics and components can be upgraded but the thickness of the body, fret work, action, and string spacing/nut width is a lot harder to change so that stuff matters the most, imo. I personally like the thick block-like shape of the American teles. *shrug* I like how you looked at how snug the neck was in there.
Do you have one to the American Teles at hand for taking some measurements? I'd love to compare the necks more systematically. I think measurements of the string spacing, the nut width and the width at the 12th fret as well as the thickness at the 1st and 12th fret should give us something that's a good basis for comparisons.
From your list, I'd lean towards the TE-20, if the neck is comfortable for you. Another question would be, if the genuine Fender shape (both headstock and body) is important to you.
@@Bandforge Is thr TE-20 really on par with the Affinity in terms of fretboard quality and spacing? I just find it so hard to believe they can do all that for $100.
@@Bandforge no, I dont have a tele at all. I do have a 1996 American strat though.
The quality itself is definitely surperior, but I've found out some interesting things! The scale of the TE-20 is a bit longer that the Fender scale and on the highest fret, the whole neck is about 1 to 2 mm wider than the Affinity. The string spacing is also a bit closer than on the Affinity and I think, this is why it's somewhat uncomfortable to play for me. But there's more that I'll try to explain in the review. It's really interesting how such small things can lead to a very different playability (at least for me).
That's very nice, too! Have you ever compared it to the more recent models? Maybe in a store?
Lovely video, great review! Again, no wonder about Squier's quality issues with so many guitars they're trying to produce to keep up with demand... Looking forward to the TE-20 vs Affinity comparison. Both lovely guitars in their own way, can't go wrong with either, although Affinity prices have gone up significantly and this is hard to justify against a TE-20 or TE-52.. I very much like that you are thinking about keeping it stock, it does have character! Cheers!
Thank you very much! :D Oh my… now that you mention it, I totally forgot about saying anything about the price in the video! It got quite long anyways, haha! I'll try to finish the comparison before Christmas for anyone who wants to get the right gift. Something that really makes me curious, too, is how good the TE-20 will be after investing in parts that will make it the same price as the Affinity. Thinking like that, one could easily upgrade to Fender TexMex pickups, a decent bridge and new electronics! But the shape is not excatly like a Fender which is super-logical but also a little sad. I love the original Fender shapes so much!
The PUs of the Affinity sound way better than I expected after my first try in the unboxing. The rest of the electronics will be replaced but I'll keep the PUs to see what they are capable of. Little extras like a no-load tone, a treble bleed upgrade and so on are very easily done and have a great impact on the sound. I had decided for a whole schematics for the 2020 Affinity but seem to have misplaced the paper somewhere during moving… Probably I'll have to redo it.
I put nocaster pups in mine with 11s I get a nice Jazz tone. Mine just needed a little light sanding with 1000 on a couple of spots on the neck and a good setup. I have a high fret (15) but I'm going to replace the neck with one from my old MIJ Strat so won't file it. I bought the guitar for the body and it's great. The colour, shape with through body stringing are worth the price and everything else can be upgraded.
I've just listened to the nocasters on Thomann's page. Great sound! My fingers would hate me for 11s, though, haha! ;)
The light sanding is pretty high on my list. Good to know that 1000 grit is the way to go! I'm still gathering tools for that. Did you put any kind of finish on the neck after sanding? Also, did you try to (gently) smack the high fret with a rubber hammer? Sometimes this can do wonders. Does the MIJ strat's neck fit in the neck pocket without further modifications?
I bought this as my second guitar for $500 (NZD) and damnnn it’s a step up from my Kramer beginner ‘strat’ one. Love this vid 🤌🤌🤌
Jet City amp in the background☺️. I see you’re a woman of class 😎 I love those amps. Definitely hidden gems. 💎
I think these new affinities are really classy, with that glossy headstock.
Unfortunately I think a lot of these new guitars suffer in the qc department because of the huge boom in demand for guitars since the virus started in 2020. They really have to pump them out, so I’ve heard even more expensive guitars have more qc issues now. The manufacturers really struggle to deliver enough to fill demand, and adding that the supply chain and shipping issues of the past 1 1/2 years, the qc is gonna suffer.
Anyways, showed my gf(she’s a beginner) your channel and she really enjoyed it. Keep it up 🥰
Hahaha! Thank you! I love my Jet City amp! 😎 It's super nice and I just love the sound. I'm a big Soldano fan, too (who would have guessed?) ;) My second amp is a VHT combo, also a nice (affordable) piece of hardware. In the latter, I've changed the stock speaker to a Jensen C12. Lovely sound!
The glossy headstock sure looks nice and with a bit of sand paper, I'm confident that the neck can be improved, too. What you're saying about the qc and today's demands for guitars makes perfect sense!
Greetings to your gf and tell her to try out .008 gauge strings! Also, an SG is a great option for female beginners. Thinking of it, I should consider showing my SG in an episode… 😉
@@Bandforge Oh my, I never thought of the string thing. She has been struggling with barre chords, so maybe it’ll help with 8’s.
She already has three guitars(she’s been bitten by the guitar bug), a affinity tele, Ibanez as73 hollowbody, and a Yamaha f310 acoustic I gave her for her birthday.
SG’s are great beginner guitars. My first was an sg, and I love SGs to this day.
from thailand
คุณบรรยายได้ละเอียดมากๆๆๆ น่าประทับใจ กีต้าร์สวย คนเล่นกีต้าร์น่ารัก
ขอบคุณสำหรับ (C) subtitle
may the force be with you.
ขอบคุณ! (That's what google told me is supposed to mean "thank you"!) 😉
May the force be with you, too!
I totally agree with your conclusion about this guitar and your advice about buying a guitar online.
I bought mine a few days ago. Squier Affinity Tele Butterscotch, made in China 2021, 205€ online from thomann DE.
No setup by thomann, directly from the manufactory.
And that's ok for me, that's what I wanted, because I bought it as my first modding/repair project.
I wanted a nice but cheap guitar to work on as a new hobby and not for playing. For playing I have other more fancy guitars ;)
My minor issues:
The layout of the holes on the guitar don't match with the layout on the pickguard perfectly. So all screws of the pickguard are not straight in.
The control plate was very loose (quickfix).
Some tuners were a little bit loose (fixed after my 1st setup).
Stringbuzz, I think because of the initially not very straight lined bridge saddles. But it disapeared after my overall setup.
My serious issues:
Very, very bad fret ends. I still have tiny scratches on my hand. It was really not enjoyable to play this guitar (fixed after my 1st setup).
The open high E string sounds dull. But when fretted sounds ok. I guess the problem is the nut.
The low E string is very quick out of tune. Don't know why yet.
My first setup: a little bit of adjusiting, filing the fret ends (for the first time in my life) and of course cleaning and polishing everything.
Next steps will be fixing the strings issues and at least changing the pickguard and the pick ups for the modding experience :)
I must say I'm quite happy with this guitar and my project until now.
I received the troubles I was looking for and what I paid for :) ... Ok, it could have been 100€ less ... ;)
But I like the neck of this model. Not very fancy but comfortable and easy playable for me.
I like this new slim, light and modern tele body and the guitar provides already a nice, typical tele sound and feel.
For me it was a fair buy.
But for anybody else who wants only to play a guitar and maybe has no experience with guitars, I agree with your conclusion. Everybody should know this and be prepared before buying a guitar online.
Thank you and thumbs up for your very detailed and honest review :)
@Oli Chris Thank you very much for your kind words and for sharing your findings with such depth! :)
The reason why I bought the Affinity was the very same: learning how to fix minor issues and also as a nice modding project.
The issue of one string sounding a bit dull was present on one of the three copies I had recieved, too. Only here, it's been the G string. I would bet on something neck related, too. Maybe try applying some graphite on the nut with a pencil?
Sharp fret ends are really bad but fortunately easily fixed. I hope you've recovered! :) I've once tried a guitar at a store that left scratches on my hand that took almost a week or two to heal…
My Affinity is completely disassembled and waiting to be modded. The first things I'll do (because the people at Thomann already took care of the frets) will be shielding, fixing the misaligned pickguard screws and sanding the back of the neck. :)
Do you have anything special in mind for the electronics modding? Any pickups you want to try? :)
@@Bandforge Glad to hear about your next modding steps. I have the same mods in mind (except sanding the neck). Plus! I want a new fancy pickguard ;)
I'm counting on your videos to get some useful tips :)
But first I need to fix my string issues.
Thank you for the advice with the pencil! Unfortunately it didn't work. Maybe I did something wrong or I was too cautious and just have to sacrifice a little bit more of that pencil ;)
Or the cause is something else. I will continue my research and experiments this weekend.
About the pickups. I'm not looking for a certain sound at the moment. They should be an upgrade, not too expensive and they should fit easily into the Affinity.
I want to go next week, after the lockdown, to my local music store and have a talk with the guys there. They had the Fender TexMex Telecaster Set for 79€ in stock.
Maybe they have now a new/better offer. But I think the TexMex would fullfill my requirements. I will see.
What do you think about the TexMex?
Do you have any special pickups in mind? But don't tell if it's a secret ;)
@Oli Chris Don't wory, we'll get to the modding! I can't wait! ;)
A soft pencil works best, as it's easy to get enough graphite on the nut. A GraphTech replacement is a good option, too. The are about 10 € and easy to install. (Video is on my list) ;)
The TexMex were suggested to me, too as a great upgrading option. I didn't find any sound demo on them, though. Where you able to try them out? ToneRiders seem to be an interesting option, too.
Oh, it's not a secrect! ;) Hmmm… First I want to try and see what I can get out of the stock pickups. I'm thinking about replacing the electronics and strings first, then replace the neck pickup cap and the magnets. If I'm still not happy, I'll try to replace the metal pole pieces with pole magnets which is a bit risky. However, if I end up, it's probably time for either a pair of TexMex, ToneRaiders, Donlis or Texas Specials (I know, that's a bit overkill but I'd love to know how they sound on a Squier). It's a tough decision! ;)
@@Bandforge Your plans with the pickups are very interesting and more sophisticated than mine :)
Can't wait to see the outcome and get some inspirations from you for my little project :)
I was not able to hear or try the TexMex yet.
My idea to visit the music store after a lockdown, close before christmas and having a relaxed conversation with the guys there was quite ... naive ;)
It was a madhouse, full with people and everyone busy :)
But in the meantime I was able to solve my issue with the dull e-string.
I lowered the string until I could move it gently with my fingers near the nut, horizontally to the fretboard. During the movement there were some very thin noises from the string on the nut.
There was nothing visible for me, but it sounded like the nut hole was not properly filed and a very small corruption was holding/releasing the string during the movement.
So I just moved the string aside, out of the nut and filed the nut hole very, very gently just a little bit with a thin nut file (I ordered only the thinest one from T.) and then tried my soundtest again.
I repeated the procedure until this noises were gone.
This finally solved the problem and now the string sounds good :)
Hi Rina...⚘🎸🙋🏻♂️nice video, very informative.
Thank you very much! :D
You like the color, the way it sounds and if it's comfortable, you have a winner, finally. All flaws you pointed out are expected (I guess) and it's easy to fix them.
Yeah, I'm very happy! :D And I'm looking forward to fixing all the remaining flaws.
@@Bandforge And don't forget to shield that mother, it will improve the sound in ways you don't expect
I will, that's a promise! :) I order copper tape with every guitar I buy!
Tolles Review Rina! Hab mir auch eine bestellt, bin mal gespannt wie meine von der Qualität her ist ... auch bei T bestellt. Cheers
I have a twin to yours. I had an issue with a ringing after strumming and then muting the strings. When the palm was lifted off the strings, there would be a quite audible ringing. It turns out the G string was doing a harmonic thing between the nut and the tuner. I installed a second string tree and the problem was solved.
I guess this is Indonesian because the pickups are 2 ceramic magnets, one on either side of pole pieces. Chinese are typically 1 magnet glued to the bottom of the poles. I may be wrong though.
You're perfectly right! It's Indonesian and I was a bit puzzled about this pickup design. The typical 1 magnet was what I had expected.
@@Bandforge That is one of the only ways to identify where it's made. I've read a lot about them and videos like yours can help too.
@Ben Johnson Very interesting. That's why I keep disassembling all the guitars for the videos. Everyone might find something else of matter in the same footage.
I got one in tobacco burst and dropped a set of Seymour Duncan La Breas into it. It’s a force to be reckoned with.
I had the chance to test the Stratocaster model from this same new series. It was much better finished. However, the store is very serious. All guitars are checked.
So.... 2 years later... how do you like this guitar right now? Do you still play it?
one guitar sounds different on all amps so in other words sometimes when a guitar sounds bad its not the pickups its the amp the tone is over 90% in the amp its features setting and speaker and its cab the speaker is in and power level in the amp , the rest is the the guitar but tone is not in the wood or in your fingers .. i have the new series tele affinty my self in butterscotch and i love it its a great guitar for beginners right on up
My main concern when buying a cheap tele is that are the frets even, the neck straight and the truss rod works like it should, when needed
That's not a bad sounding guitar. I'm looking for an affordable partner for my Affinity Tele Deluxe, I'll check out one of these! Like the Lake Placid Blue, too.
Yeah, I was quite impressed by the sound for it's price since a pair of boutique pickups cost as much, if not more than the whole guitar. I think it would make a great partner for an Affinity Tele Deluxe! Would you recommend your guitar?
How do you like your Affinity Deluxe ? I think those are lovely guitars in burgundy midst.
As to the Tele Deluxe - and yes, mine is burgundy mist - it's a decent instrument. The pickups aren't super high output, but are clear and effective. Frets are finished well but not really polished, but I do my own work so it's a no-brainer fix during setyp. I LOVE the weight, not too heavy so a long jam session doesn't give me neckaches. I got lucky and there are no major cosmetic issues on mine. The electronics are the typical dime-sized pots and 'ok' switch, it feels solid enough. For the PRICE, I'd recommend it.. I'm going to swap the pickups in mine and install Duncan Phat Cat P90's. Overall, I'm happy.
@@edwardaverilliii1658 great idea with the P90s ;) thanks for this feedback !
@@kampfkatze6092 Always glad to help! Shutting me up is the issue, lol!
Nice deep dive review.
Thank you so much! :)
Finally its there !!! Lets go :) ! 360p tough ? :(
Oh no! I'm so sorry! Uploading took forever and now it's still converting. But rest assured, source material is 4K. :)
@@Bandforge Yeeaah ! In all its glory haha, no problem thank you, was waiting for this video to buy myself a nice christmas gift :) !!
I'll try hard to finish the Harley Benton review and maybe the comparison before Christmas! ;)
@@Bandforge Hum, i am a bit confused now. The guitar is beautifull and the sound seems convincing but as you said even on this third one the build quality is average at best right ?
@Kampf Katze Yes, the HB has the better build quality but the things on the third Affinity can be fixed easily with a bit on sand paper and some patience. This is why I'd advise anyone who is interested in the Affinity, to watch out for all the potential issues to not be too bad (best to check in person before purchasing), so that they are still fixable. Also, it sounds better and is easier to play with my smaller hands. This makes it the one that I pick up a lot more often. I know, it's complicated… I hope that I could explain what I mean. :)
Rina your squier tely is good, it sounds ok.
Thank you! :) I'll try to improve the sound, though. Really curious about what we can get out of it before investing in new pickups!
I appreciate your review as I am thinking about buying one of these, but I disagree with you about miss aligned dots not being a reason to return the guitar. If Glary, Eart, and Monoprice can get it right so can Fender.
At 8:58, can you explain exactly what you did there? To me it looks like you strummef the strings and then pressed backwards on the end of the headstock? I'm not sure what that's supposed to test - are you testing if the neck bends or if the neck is loose or something like that? I'm really interested in knowing more about how to check out guitars and this test looks really interesting to me.
Sure thing! I strummed the strings and then tried to push against the headstock with my pinky. While doing so, I'm listening how much the tone rises. This is my way to check how flexible the neck is. The less the better. Some neck are very soft, which might cause problems. I hope this helps a bit. :)
Great review. This 2021 model features a larger headstock like the Chinese model produced until 2019.
Thanks! Oh, that's right! I noticed it, too after you mentioned it.
@@Bandforge What do you think? I don't like it (I have the model made in china 2019). Thanks.
Tbh, I've only recently got into Teles, so I don't have a certain reference headstock in my mind (that's why I didn't even notice until you told me) but I don't have a problem with it. If you were asking me about a Strat, that would have been completely different. The slimmer 60s style headstock is a must for me and I really hate the CBS style…
But about the Tele… since its headstock is bigger, you might fit the other design on there, if you'd like to cut it. Would that be an option for you?
@@Bandforge I'm not going to change it. I was also not familiar with Telecasters. Later I found that the typical headstock design is smaller (aesthetically better) and is present in all models except perhaps the standard fender telecaster. Patience.
@Dzalen 82 Hahaha! I like your take on this.
Awesome job nice style! Cool!
I’m so glad you finally got a guitar that you’re happy with !!!
I have been looking at the Squier Esquire FSR classic 60’s custom. Only 1 pick up like the original teles’ but man it sounds amazing !
I would love your thoughts on this one !? 😊
Thank you so much!!! :D
It sure looks good! The laurel fretboards are nice, too and it seems like they put a lot more efford in the CV series. If you love the sound, why not go for it? :) Do you prefer the classic bridge? On the photos I've seems, it's the one with the… uhh… upfolded edges? Make sure that it's not in your way while playing (or replace it). Also, in the circumstance you would really miss the neck pick up: I'd say, an Esquire + a router = a Telecaster ;)
@@Bandforge I already have my telecasters - love to add something different to the collection.
I like to be different 😊
Plus, if you route it, it won’t look as good as this …….. ( skip to 19:20 😈 )
ruclips.net/video/J2jcMlbC2ig/видео.html
That's a cool idea, too! ;) Never would have though about it! Would to bother to close the holes somehow?
@@Bandforge put gold screws in the holes and change the hardware to gold !!!
Black on gold …. 😈😈😈😈
Regarding those QC issues, I would advise you to take the white model, based on the pictures on thomann the white one is made in china, not the same factory as the deluxe (mine is flawless) but it's generally better than indonesia, especially the ICS factory (serial number starting with ICS) I have yet to meet someone that tells me his squier coming from ICS is great...
Thanks for the info! I'd never have guessed something like this. The pictures on thomann show that it is indeed made in China but the serial number starts with CSSF. Is this another factory?
@@Bandforge yes, this is a Chinese factory, ICS is an Indonesian one
If only I'd known this before! :) Next time I will be extra careful. How did you find out about this?
@@Bandforge I used to love the pre-2019 classic vibe series. From 2019 they switched the factories to Indonesian ones, lowering the cost at the same time, I bought one of the first Daphne blue jazz bass, that turned out to have QC issues (ICS factory), I then got the limited edition purple telecaster on Anderton's, arrived with a big ding in the middle of the body and overall felt cheap, ICS factory... A friend of mine ordered a telecaster custom a few weeks ago, coming from ICS factory I warned him about QC problems, he did order it anyway, sent it back the day after because it had problems... And you having to get and send back 3 Instruments...
I lost my trust in Squier but still decided to give the affinity series a try with the telecaster deluxe, seeing it was Chinese factories, I love it! For the price it's great!
@Val Di That's bad! And yes, I didn't have a great experience until I got a guitar that made sense. I will be more careful with my next order. I've held a Squier Bullet Strat in my hands (also ICS) and it's OK, I'd say at least for someone who doesn't mind using sandpaper on a brand new guitar. It's really sad, I think. These guitars get shipped all over the world and yet they don't bother with QC.
My 2020 Affinity was fine at first try, also from a Chinese factory…
I don't get it, so a lot of ppl in the comments say these tales and probably a whole affinity series is garbage but if you are starting your journey with playing an electric guitar isn't it obvious that you won't go ahead and buy an expensive guitar? So what such a person should do then? It's so confusing to pick a first guitar when you are on a budget honestly..cuz it's feels like any cheaper guitar is not good enough :(
I think there are two valid options: You can get a Harley Benton guitar or you could try a Squier Affinity Tele in olympic white. Funnily, it seems like the olympic white Affinity is made in another factory with better quality control. It's a bit crazy, I know! I hope this helps! :)
@@Bandforge thank you! that's definitely not obvious but important information 😅
@Yuki You're welcome! :) It seems that the other colors are made in China now, too… except the Lake Placid Blue 😅
Rena, thanks for explaining this for me, I am really interested in this new model, I would buy it from s guitar shop who sets up the guitar for you. It will be my first electric guitar. I was planning to get a fender Champ 20 amp, is this a good choice?
nice review and still a good guitar
Thank you very much! :)
Can you check new one from Bullet line please?
I had harley benton black paisley and returned it. It was heavy, neck was unconfortable thick for me and bridge pickup was so microfonic that i cant play. Shame it looks cool.... I moded my bullet strat and i love it - locking tuners, bone nut, alnico pickups, polished frets, did complete setup... I am looking for new project and i always liked teles.
I would love to, but unfortunately I'll have to wait a bit until I'll be able to afford one after buying both the Affinity and the Harley Benton but after reading so much interesting comments about the Bullet line, I'd definitely like to give it a shot! :)
I absolutely get your point with the Harley Benton. Sadly, the neck is not for my hands, either. Luckily the TE20 is more on the light side with it's poplar body.
Which locking tuners did you get? And what pickups?
In any way, I'm going to mod a lot to the Affinity and even it's not the exact same guitar as the Bullet, you're always welcome to mod along and share your ideas any time! :)
You pointed all the good things with a very good energy !
Congrats :)
ANd yes 42 mn is a very big plus !! :) :)
As are the split tune head
As for changing the strings and setup I guess It's for absolutly all guitar except the ones where it's done by the store people
I would go with the stratocaster version tough, or even better the jazzmaster one
about that topic 5:20, about this topic of alignement....
mmm I suspect it can be also coming from the 42mn neck?
I love vintage 42mn so much that it always bugged me that fender went to 43mn as standard
To the point where I can just see it's 43 from the get go and don't even want to grab the guitar at the store to try it.....
So i tough maybe fender did this to give a little more room for the top and bottom E strings not to fall off???
Mmmmmh v_v
To sum it up I guess using a trem/string block that could/should fit on a 43mn mass produced guitar on a 42Mn maybe it's even worst??
Hi, do you know where to buy the replacement pickguard for this model? I have been trying out few other thrid party pickguard, but they all dont fit this 2021 Aquier Affinity Telecatster.
Hi thx for the review! I just bought 2021 butterscotch model. I like it.
What you think to change the pickups with Alnico from squier classic vibe 50´? Can I improve the sound?
I think it should be an upgrade. The classic vibe's pickups are made in the same factory by the same people who make the Tonerider pickups (at least so they say). For my Affinity, I've picked the Tonerider hot classics. Maybe you'll like them, too. I'm curious how the sound will turn out after all the mods!
@@Bandforge I like your Tonerider but I already had Alnico from my Tele classic vibe.
This guitars drive me crazy ;) .
Yes, Its an upgrade, sound is improved.
Tele Affinity is a good guitar
Beautiful
Agreed! :)
Sound is ok.
11:25 who knows why does it happen? I find out about this problem for the first time
Basically, any kind of coil is an antenna which picks up magnetic fields. In the case of a guitar, these magtic fields come from the transformer in the amp. The transformer's stray magnetic fields are caused by the 50 or 60 Hz power grid frequency. This is the reason why humbuckers were invented in first place. The two coils are wound in opposed directions so the unwanted signal is cancelled out. I hope this explaination was not too technical! :)
@@Bandforge thank you for response! I got it :)
You're welcome! Always happy to help! :)
Is it heavy?
Why buy an Affinity when you are better informed about guitar set-up and pickier about specific features than most players might not be. I prefer the Affinity over the Classic Vibe simply because of the six-saddle bridge.
Simply because I wanted a Tele and didn't have more budget. I guess there are other players out there in the same situation. My favorite Tele would have been the Fender Player but that's triple the price. Also, I really liked the 2020 Affinity Tele as it was perfectly sufficiant for what I was playing. I totally agree with you on the six saddle bridge. My lasted videos shows how to set up the three saddle bridge and it sure isn't a fun thing to do.
That’s the ticket. Some are great build quality and some not so much.
Hi i have cuestión there's some differences betwen this talacaster and the past series ? Like the telecaster race red ?
Pretty guitar
Agreed! :)
No offence but when you played it acoustically it didn't sound very clean but had a rattling sound. On my Epi Les Paul my acoustic sound is clean and sustains for days. However if I got one of these guitars I'd get it set up, probably change the tuners to Grover Locking ones and even go for MIN pickups.
DO NOT LIKE PUPS .. SORRY .. I HAVE 2 TELE'S - 1 HAS A PEARLY GATES IN THE BRIDGE WHICH WAS WIRED IN WRONG .. THE OTHER HAS A TREBLE / BLEED CIRCUIT .. VERY GOOD VIDEO ..
If it comes to the dots, not even all fenders have them aligned.
if use an amp simulator with ir to headphones will it still sound good?
It depends a bit on the simulator and ir combination but I play it through my dsm simplifier which is an amp in a box and it still sounds nice.
not the best guitar but still good
So true! :)
i didn't ilke the neck pickup one bit. totally muffled
Thanks for your opinion! I'm curious what you will think after I got to the point of removing the cap or replacing the magnet.
That’s not lake placid blue, more of a navy, I’ve got a lake placid blue. Either your camera makes it looks navy or idk lol but it’s not lake placid blue
Trust me, it's lake placid blue. The style of lighting we're using only makes it look darker… ;)
I plan to make a color comparison video in different lighting situations, too to help people decide who only know the photos.
I like YOU 💕
Thanks! :)
いいね！
Sorry Hon, but that guitar sounds awful. Plus, it makes no sense that you’re getting more beef out of the neck pup than the bridge.
Seriously…very, very bad.
Made in China.
The headstock says "Crafted in Indonesia".
What is your accent?