And you can give an expensive guitar to a beginner and he will still be just a beginner. As long as it can set it up correctly most players probably wouldn’t be able to tell the difference blindfolded in so far as play ability. Tone might be a different story but I find tone is far more dependent on what you are playing into than on.
Squier Affinity guitars are pretty decent. I had one when I lived overseas. It was a solid guitar. I had a luthier there put new pick ups in my fat strat. I think Fender's best value is in the Classic Vibe line followed by the Affinity line. Most of us don't need more than a well-loved Squier and Epiphone guitar.
You're such a master. Your student is blessed to have you as teacher. You play with such emotion. I'm surprised Sweetwater doesn't fly you over here in the US for gear fest!
@@smokingtarheel3003 I think the Birth of his Daughter kind of has JOHN tied down. He was supposed to appear on that pedal show, and it is tough for him to travel with the Child now. THat is my GUESS.
@@Angelo-wx7gp It was mentioned by MICK on one of their Monday discussions LIVE shows, someone asked about it, and not ME, but I might have 2nd it. They were working on it, I think the Child is the Travel problem right now, but maybe they will work it out. I for one would love to SEE him on the Show. JOHN to me is my Favorite youtube Guitarist. They could make it like maybe the Best Modeller show, or just Modeller show for sure.
In doing side gig guitar tech work, the 2 main problems I've found in the Affinity series is fret sprout and poorly cut nut slots. I've fixed several "won't stay in tune" ones just by stringing it properly and getting the nut slots right. The fret ends are easily smoothed and rounded using a proper file.
I have an 2004 Squier Infinity w/rosewood board that was given to me. I changed the tuners to Wilkenson and put in some inexpensive Fender wide range humbucker clones and new pots and switch. Sounds great and plays excellent. The Squier line is difficult to beat.
Great review! I learned early on in my (modest) arc as a guitar player that cheap guitar into great amp can sound great. And conversely expensive guitar/ cheap amp never impress. Most of us over-invest in the guitar and under-invest in the amp. Keep the great vids coming!
I bought a 1997 Fiesta Red Affinity Strat for my Son and ended up adding it to my horde after he moved on from guitar to girls ... I paid $149 and the local GC threw in one of the Strat-shaped hard cases. The playability was superb and it compared quite well against my '77 American Strat that is very well broken in. The only change that I made was a Guitar Fetish preloaded Tex-Mex pickguard that I got on sale for US$35. I still play it to this day.
My first guitar was a Squier Affinity strat from 2004 made in Indonesia that came in a beginner pack just like the one in the video…20 years later and it’s still one of the comfiest & best playing strats I’ve come across. Has a proper rosewood board too. I feel fortunate to have had that as my first instrument. A bad first guitar can turn beginners off from playing & make them quit. A great first guitar can inspire them to keep practicing and enjoy the learning process. 20 years later I’m still jamming thanks to the foundation laid by that guitar. It doesn’t get played much these days but I’m glad I held on to it. Have plans to upgrade the hardware, set it up and get it back as a regular player.
As other people have said, making a cheap guitar sound good is in the player's hands, but making a cheap guitar feel good and be inspirational is something else. It doesn't take much money or time to turn any squier into a solid and great feeling player. These slim body versions (in my experience) have been easy targets for creating genuinely good playing instruments that sound great. Many have rosewood boards and went through very good QC while being made.. so the building blocks are there.
Recently fitted an affinity stratocaster neck to a bullet body. Feels and plays mint crafted in Indonesia as well. Also purchased a 40th anniversary squier strat neck after watching your review of the 40th anni. for a different body. Love them both cheers. 🍻
Got myself a CV 50s Tele just after they came out and - like Dreyno - so far only exchanged the input socket... Would be interested, though, what pickups you chose to replace the original ones.
Have a few of these Indonesian models and the first two digits of the serial number are usually the year of manufacture. Body is usually 4mm thinner so main issue is fitting a full size mechanical switch. They all sustain really well and the thinner necks are great for smaller hands.. older models have rosewood boards and are a great used option..
Sounds amazing in your hands! People too caught up with names on the headstock. There are some inexpensive guitars out there that are really good, obviously.
I have a 2007 ish Squier Strat with Rosewood fingerboard and Alder body. It’s on par with the current Fender player series. Threw a David Gilmour EMG pickguard on it years ago. Done and done.
While the Squier imports have improved dramatically over the years, (probably beginning with the introduction of the Classic Vibe line in 2008,) so have the Méxican made Fenders. I have a Méxican made Fender, FSR Vintera Road Worn, '60s Strat which I honestly like as much as, and have found is just as solid as my USA, Eric Johnson signature Strat.
I have a Squier affinity strat....I like it because its got the big 70's headstock and the neck is a nice shape and quite narrow 1 5/8 inch (40mm) which many would hate but I don't. I actually put in Wilkinson vintage pickups in because although cheap I think they are pretty good but the originals were fine really.
Yip, that's it. I do agree particularly on the older MIM Player series. I just got my Squier Classic Vibe 50s back from the shop. The finish, look/colour and neck were really great. I really liked it. So I decided to upgrade it with the Fender Pure Vintage '59 preloaded pickguard in. And replaced tuners for Klusons, Switchcraft jack, Graphteq Tusq nut, put a Goldo bridge/trem in and had it setup. It can stands toe to toe with my Fender Vintera Vintage Modified 60s now, and that's a particularly good one. In total, I guess it's cost me £550 (guitar was £300 ex-demo). Which is approaching about the price of the old Fender Player, and £300 less than I paid for the Vintera. But, the pickups, electronics, hardware and even the neck are definitely better than a Fender Player. The only thing objectionable now is ... that slightly tack feeling of the CV neck finish, but can address that next. And I guess people can be bother by Squier vs. Fender on the headstock. But, I like the idea of having a sleeper Squier. That can get written off by the headstock, but then plays _almost_ more like a good USA Strat.
Squier Affinity is good value, the only thing I don't like is the 21 frets, wish it had 22 frets, add a couple of more $$ gets you the Squier Standard which has 22 frets, so my pick of this bunch is the Standard, but I still own a Squier Affinity Tele which has been with me for over 10 years now.
In my 54 years of playing, I honestly thought I would have a 'real' Fender by now, but back in the 90's I bought a new 90-91 Squier silver series for £230. It has amazing specs, made in Japan and in all that time I haven't picked up a Fender and wanted it over my silver series. The same kind of thing happened in 2016 when I bought a s/h 2012 Squier CV Tele for £238. It was virtually unplayed, but again, the specs are amazing and in both cases I felt like I got a far better quality instrument than their prices implied. The strat needs a re-fret now though, but I think of it as a measure of my enjoyment with it!
Same here, I do regret not keeping a mexican fender I owned for a bit... but if you get a good squire there's no point in getting a fender for the sake of it.... I was going to take the plunge and by one, then I found a beaten up strat copy in a charity shop for parts, and instead got it working and refinished it as a project, and it was like falling in love when I played it, it's a one in a thousand guitar... so I honestly don't see the point now.
This is another Strat with the Skunk strip on the back of the neck, with a Glue on Fingerboard, i wonder why they are doing this, when the truss rods go in before the Fingerboard gets glued on. But GREAT VIDEO JOHN, Thanks to the Student!!! The Classic Vibe series is the one that is Right construction with a Rosewood/Laurel fingerboard. NICE Run at 2:59 - 3:06. And that Flat DEBUT one does not have the Strip on the back neck which is the RIGHT CONSTRUCTION method. Of course CBS 70's rosewoods had the Skunk strip, so maybe it is excepted now.
I have a Classic Vibe from about 8-10 years ago. I think they were specced out a bit better back then. Alder body, rosewood fingerboard. I upgraded the pickups & I’m totally happy with it!
@@Dreyno The Maples will have a Strip. In the late 60's when Fender CBS was doing maple fingerboards it eliminated the Strip on those because again the fingerboard is glued on it. In the 70's CBS again started the strip on Rosewood Boards, so I guess it really does not matter just seems Weird.
I asked on another channel I watch how the "cheap squire" (not meant as a dig, I probably should have said "inexpensive) they were playing actually played and they responded positively. Always nice to hear about inexpensive guitars playing well nowadays. I assume it was a recent/new/new'ish Squire they were playing.
I've got a 2017 infinity Tele I bought for 120 quid to take apart and bugger about with - just changed the tuners in the end and really like it - a solid, easy to play twangtastic tele.
That was my 1st guitar when I moved to electric. Although I've since used it like a project guitar, the only things I disliked from how it came stock was no tone control for the bridge. Was also slightly disappointed that the Candy Apple Red colour was slightly darker than classic CAR 😅. But I still have it and love it
Got back into guitar last year and bought almost the same guitar 2017 Squier Affinity with SSS tex mex pickups in Daphne Blue. $150, light as a feather and I love it to death.
JNC expressed that there is a plethora of lines across Fender and Squier’s catalog, and it’s not always clear why or what the intent behind it is. I find that is a blessing, an opportunity to try a lot of variations on a concept and see what works for me. I once scoffed at signature models, but now think the same of them. The Eric Johnson Strat, for example - where else do you find a medium chunky neck, 12” fretboard radius, and the rest of its attributes, outside the Custom Shop?
I got my Affinity strat when I was first learning, its probably about 5 years older than this one, and it just feels like home to me! I put MojoTone pickups and some locking tuners in, and its a surprisingly great guitar. I keep coming back to it after trying other guitars
Guitars only need 3 things to be good in my opinion: 1. It makes sound (no faulty electronics) 2. It's comfortable in the hands of whoever's playing it, and 3. It stays in tune, long enough to play a song or two before you have to tune again. Sound quality is subjective and subtle things really don't make much difference in a mix, if you're recording and playing live. A great player, of course, will make anything sound appealing if the 3 things mentioned above are true.... imo lol😅
Squier Sonic's upgrade is the Affinity, and its upgrade is the Classic Vibe with better pickups and switching. The Fender Player II is better still with quality woods, frets, electronics, and hardware. It makes the American Performer redundant.
I have a 90's era Squire II that has a Plywood body. But the neck on that thing is magical. Dead falt, plays liek a dream and is extremely well intonated.
I bought one of my students a candy apple red start affinity. Previous owner put fender usa pickups in it. Lovely flame maple neck. Physically perfectly giggable
Went to two guitar centres the other day ,main ones ,looking for a fender telecaster and could I find one off the wall without major problems, finish flaws ,stiff pots ,neck gaps I could see daylight under the neck ,I traded my squire in years ago for a hardtail USA strat and first thing I did was change the stings and to my horror the string through body furrels at the back all fell out ,not even glued in or whatever, love fender but next guitar I will get a squire again no doubt, every one on the wall was great and if it wasn't for the logo I couldn't tell ,great video thanks
Assumptions...well they are not top tier but nice entry level to consider. My fav Squier is CV strat (candy apple red). Rate them for what are, and even if not for you then explain why so 🤠
6:05 I literally had that happen to me a couple of years ago, bought a pair player series with neck pocket issues, high frets and the same flacking on the neck paint as the one in your player 2 video. Literally fell like a mostly paid for having the fender decal but the quality was that much better
I have the exact same guitar and it's good but has some fret buzz I just can't get rid off. I also have an Affinity Tele that I put Tonerider Hot Classic pick-ups in, and that thing is just magic.
Since the Squier seems decent enough and does the strat thing well, I would suggest to get a guitar with a different sound entirely, something with humbuckers for example. That Affinity isn't even half bad, I have a 300$ Cort G Series and I can't think another s-type guitar that I would upgrade to. But Soloking and Suhr are good options if you're looking for another modern strat.
If your former student isn’t wedded to having another strat clone as the upgrade, they might consider the PRS SE’s that cost a little to a lot less than the Silver Sky - McCarty 594, NF3, Standard, or CE 24. A satin finish SE CE 24 is roughly half the price of an SE Silver Sky. Alternatively, how is he liking your kind loan of your SE DGT, which some call the best of all the SE’s??
The Player has arguably a few nicer components, pickups and trem and nicer woods. The Squier strats throughout the years have used different woods and if you get the Classic Vibe or old Standard series, Vintage Modified, Pro Tone... you have to look but there are great quality Squiers out there, and the Affinity now have some gems though. Can be great guitars for the money
If anyone is interested there is one of these in the Cherry red on Reverb right now for 228.00. Looks to me in the video like Your Student is taking pretty good Care of this Guitar, it is not bashed up.
Obviously the upgrade could largely depend on Price Range of their budget. I mean, this one may have been taken care of by owner, whereas I just changed strings on Affinity for beginner who bought used and everything is rattly where the stuff has gotten loose over time and don't know if he'll have the patience to put it all right AND I didn't have it around long enough to see if it will STAY in tune even though it went in tune fair enough with the new strings and didn't notice any buzzing issues or whatever. BUT also can't upgrade the pickups and such with the narrow body, right? I sold the Affinity I liked years ago and took awhile to get used to the thicker Standard neck when I made that slight upgrade, BUT finally swapped out the Squier pickups last year in my old Standard and it sounds way better [but the one tone knob doesn't work unless in the down position and all that, so I don't know if that's normal or what]. I guess the obvious upgrade is supposed to be the MIM Player Fenders instead of another Squier, but if he's really awesome then the USA Performer series might be a better jump if he can cough up the extra $500 or whatever. Or he can just bounce around checking out different years of used models...
I had an Affinity Squier a few years back and traded it for an Ibanez SA130FM. I'm still kicking myself today for not keeping it because it sounded and played so good. I originally bought it used, like new at a Guitar Center for just $65! I did a livestream video on it just after buying it (ruclips.net/user/liveOAHM32plER8?si=EqfFrpudT4f7YSan). I'm not a fan of the large headstock, but those pickups sounded like butter. I was really surprised at the glassy, snappy tone I got from the rosewood fretboard as opposed to maple as well. Definitely avoid the Bullet series but grab an Affinity if you can get a good deal on one.
The Debut is a con in the UK, £129.99 is the equivalent of $173.97 and in the US the guitar is $119.99, you can get a much better Harley Benton or a Jet copy for that money.
If Strat is your thing, (&if not the Sire) Ernie Ball/ MusicMan, Schecter, and Charvel make some nicely appointed and finished instruments that rival the quality of some American Fender products, sometimes at half the cost.
What are people expecting to actually hear? It’s a modern electrical guitar. Its sound is *largely* indistinguishable from another guitar with whatever similar pickup being used. The sonic differences are subtle and can be quite large *to the player* - particularly in regards to the neck differences and other similar ergonomic things.
The tremolo upgrade is easier with affinity than squier standard. The squier standard has a weird two point spacing, which has different spacing of gotoh and wilkinson
@@Thomas-xs2kq the squier standard has a weird two point spacing, I had it once, and had problem upgrading the tremolo, so I ended up upgrading the saddles only. If you Google the picture of squier standard and zoom in the tremolo, you will know what I mean
Can you confirm the board is rosewood or laurel? The board is quite dark, it's like rosewood. I hear a similar chime like the player II which is confirmed rosewood
Indo made Squiers are generally really good guitars. You make it sound really sweet. The only downside IMO is the recent(ish) use of Laurel fingerboards.
Can only second the general consensus. Have had one for 10 years, and while not necessarily the best sounding I own, definitely the easiest to play. Feels like a more expensive instrument that it actually is
Slimmer means lighter and i went for the lightest strat i could. I have it looking like your natural strat. I took weight off stripping the paint and sanding. Its closer to 6 pounds than 7. I mean 3.5 kilos idk
Ohh and new pickups. I cut a humbucker in. I chose a 59 paf style dimarzio for the bridge. I get all the vintage sounds out mine. I'm wearing the affinity neck out before replacing it because it's decent. Till I find a fender neck Squier is great because you can always upgrade the neck
Sounds decent overall. The Indonesian made are the better ones. Bridge pickup is a bit thin sounding but good value. Just put a in decent humbucker and it is a keeper.
Sounds thin just like all my squires, affinity ones are thin bodied I’ve noticed the wood is very soft things move around a lot OK for beginners or learning how to mod guitars, Sadly as l thought it can’t really be made much better due to inferior body and neck
I did a reveiw of my Affinity strat about 7 yrs ago. I compare it to a USA made strat. I played a few other Affinity strats and discuss that. Mine is China made but has an alder body. At the time it was a custom run for a specific shop but in later years I've seen that model (or similar) at the bigger stores. I don't follow Squier models to know a lot of the details. As I say in the video, I initially bought it to part it out to fix a couple of other guitars but liked it enough that I just kept it stock. I still have it and play it. Considering I have guitars from this up to custom Kiesel guitars, USA Fenders and Gibsons it speaks to how well mine was put together. Here's the video if you're interested. ruclips.net/video/jbVrCKuSYAA/видео.htmlsi=z3IVJhFmSGn1eUMk
Here's the thing.....If it looks like a Strat, feels like a Strat, and quacks like a Strat, then it's a Strat. Even with those cheap ceramic pickups it still sounds great. And speaking of pickups, no hey basically have one job: convert the mechanical energy of the guitar's strings into an electrical signal and they do the job.,
If the neck is solid, I'd just make incremental upgrades to the rest of the guitar. I would add locking tuners, a GraphTech nut and rolling string trees immediately. It's something I do on every strat. Then I'd start thinking about the pickups and electronics. After that, if you're the type of player who uses the whammy bar often, perhaps get a better trem system if you're not entirely satisfied with the default one, or if you have the money and you just want to try something else, more expensive like the Vega trem. And last but not least, refret the neck with stainless steel frets. That's a also a bit more expensive so do it only once you start to notice that your frets have developed dents. Upgrade your guitar little by little and in a few years you'll have an instrument that you'll be happy and comfortable with for the rest of your life.
I've owned a Squier Affinity Jazz Bass, a Squier 40th Anniversary Vintage Strat, and a Fender Player Strat. The Fender had higher quality electronics. That said, I sold the Fender...still have and play both Squiers. Just sayin'. Name isn't everything.
With the economic obsession with growth, cheap guitars continue to get cheaper (in terms of parts qualities) even as construction methods improve and remove the costly human element as much as possible. The real quality of these instruments comes from the QC. Whichever company has the best QC will have the best instruments.
The amount of post processing needed to make those pickups not sound trash ... And also it feels horrible. Maybe it's just me. When I upgraded to MIM, it changed my life. I've heard CV squier is cool but personally experienced bullet and affinity to be HORRIBLE, and skipped the CV completely due to the squire name thereafter..
The CV is a fantastic quality instrument. But no guitar should sound trash. Through a decent amplifier any guitar should sound at least decent unless there’s an actual fault with it. This model, that you couldn’t make sound good is used by renowned session guitar and producer John Mitchell who’s currently a member of Asia and on a world tour using them.
@@Dreyno you make a great point, I had a TERRIBLE amp too. But the neck did not feel good either and I don't think the amp would affect that either. Stock pickups with good amp, how would they sound? I honestly don't know. Honestly I don't know why I would keep those pickups if I could afford an amp good enough to rescue those pickups at the time. I hope John Mitchell is enjoying his tour, regardless of which pickups he has on his squier affinity...
@@pb25193 The neck profile is a personal thing. Others may love it. If it just has rough frets it can be remedied with a stoning and polish. With a good amp, the stock pickups should sound fine. But again, taste is a personal thing. Actual issues like bad shielding, bad pots or poor soldering could make it sound bad but the pickups themselves should sound fine.
The only real problem with these affinity strats is the body being thinner than a regular strat. They come with pretty crappy bridges and upgrading becomes a problem because a standard size block will protrude out of the body. There are work arounds but it's a pain in the butt. On the plus side, they are lighter than a normal strat and pretty inexpensive. And for an upgrade I would suggest any of the special series guitars from Mexico. Not just the standard fender strat though. They make/made a lot of really cool guitars in the Mexico factory that are a really good bang for the buck.
Echo’s my sentiments exactly. The right Squiers are sometimes a tuner change and maybe an electronics swap away from being fantastic.
I want to get this sound without mod.
Fender started making a completely new line Squire affinity guitars that are going to use alnico pickups etc and still maintain affordable prices.
Yeah, and a light setup, just to make it perfect.. This guy do have a soul in his playing style
No guitar sounds cheap in the hands of a real player, I could give a $15 Walmart Unicorn guitar to an excellent player and they'll make music with it.
So, what does that tell you? That you cannot learn excellence on good guitars, because they make the job for you?
That isn’t true howa exactly did you make that determination?
sackley a player of Cordy lvl can make a Hair covered turd (aka fender) sound good
And you can give an expensive guitar to a beginner and he will still be just a beginner. As long as it can set it up correctly most players probably wouldn’t be able to tell the difference blindfolded in so far as play ability. Tone might be a different story but I find tone is far more dependent on what you are playing into than on.
Squier Affinity guitars are pretty decent. I had one when I lived overseas. It was a solid guitar. I had a luthier there put new pick ups in my fat strat. I think Fender's best value is in the Classic Vibe line followed by the Affinity line. Most of us don't need more than a well-loved Squier and Epiphone guitar.
You're such a master. Your student is blessed to have you as teacher. You play with such emotion. I'm surprised Sweetwater doesn't fly you over here in the US for gear fest!
@Johnnathancordy1 Let's do.
@@smokingtarheel3003 I think the Birth of his Daughter kind of has JOHN tied down. He was supposed to appear on that pedal show, and it is tough for him to travel with the Child now.
THat is my GUESS.
@@ksharpe10 Thanks. Of course. What a great father he must be. Someday he will travel but now is not the time. Again thanks!
@@ksharpe10 When did mr john cordy mentioned that he was invited by Mick and Dan?
@@Angelo-wx7gp It was mentioned by MICK on one of their Monday discussions LIVE shows, someone asked about it, and not ME, but I might have 2nd it. They were working on it, I think the Child is the Travel problem right now, but maybe they will work it out. I for one would love to SEE him on the Show. JOHN to me is my Favorite youtube Guitarist. They could make it like maybe the Best Modeller show, or just Modeller show for sure.
In doing side gig guitar tech work, the 2 main problems I've found in the Affinity series is fret sprout and poorly cut nut slots. I've fixed several "won't stay in tune" ones just by stringing it properly and getting the nut slots right. The fret ends are easily smoothed and rounded using a proper file.
I have an 2004 Squier Infinity w/rosewood board that was given to me. I changed the tuners to Wilkenson and put in some inexpensive Fender wide range humbucker clones and new pots and switch. Sounds great and plays excellent. The Squier line is difficult to beat.
Great review! I learned early on in my (modest) arc as a guitar player that cheap guitar into great amp can sound great. And conversely expensive guitar/ cheap amp never impress. Most of us over-invest in the guitar and under-invest in the amp. Keep the great vids coming!
I bought a 1997 Fiesta Red Affinity Strat for my Son and ended up adding it to my horde after he moved on from guitar to girls ... I paid $149 and the local GC threw in one of the Strat-shaped hard cases. The playability was superb and it compared quite well against my '77 American Strat that is very well broken in. The only change that I made was a Guitar Fetish preloaded Tex-Mex pickguard that I got on sale for US$35. I still play it to this day.
My first guitar was a Squier Affinity strat from 2004 made in Indonesia that came in a beginner pack just like the one in the video…20 years later and it’s still one of the comfiest & best playing strats I’ve come across. Has a proper rosewood board too. I feel fortunate to have had that as my first instrument. A bad first guitar can turn beginners off from playing & make them quit. A great first guitar can inspire them to keep practicing and enjoy the learning process. 20 years later I’m still jamming thanks to the foundation laid by that guitar. It doesn’t get played much these days but I’m glad I held on to it. Have plans to upgrade the hardware, set it up and get it back as a regular player.
As other people have said, making a cheap guitar sound good is in the player's hands, but making a cheap guitar feel good and be inspirational is something else. It doesn't take much money or time to turn any squier into a solid and great feeling player. These slim body versions (in my experience) have been easy targets for creating genuinely good playing instruments that sound great. Many have rosewood boards and went through very good QC while being made.. so the building blocks are there.
Recently fitted an affinity stratocaster neck to a bullet body. Feels and plays mint crafted in Indonesia as well. Also purchased a 40th anniversary squier strat neck after watching your review of the 40th anni. for a different body. Love them both cheers. 🍻
I own a classic vibe tele that I upgraded with some hot rodded pickups and I will likely go to my grave with this thing.
The only thing I changed on my CV Tele was the jack socket. I like the pickups it came with.
Got myself a CV 50s Tele just after they came out and - like Dreyno - so far only exchanged the input socket...
Would be interested, though, what pickups you chose to replace the original ones.
Have a few of these Indonesian models and the first two digits of the serial number are usually the year of manufacture. Body is usually 4mm thinner so main issue is fitting a full size mechanical switch. They all sustain really well and the thinner necks are great for smaller hands.. older models have rosewood boards and are a great used option..
Sounds amazing in your hands! People too caught up with names on the headstock. There are some inexpensive guitars out there that are really good, obviously.
I have a 2007 ish Squier Strat with Rosewood fingerboard and Alder body. It’s on par with the current Fender player series. Threw a David Gilmour EMG pickguard on it years ago. Done and done.
Thanks, JNC, for mentioning that your rig was Helix Native. The sound is really great (as usual with your videos).
While the Squier imports have improved dramatically over the years, (probably beginning with the introduction of the Classic Vibe line in 2008,) so have the Méxican made Fenders. I have a Méxican made Fender, FSR Vintera Road Worn, '60s Strat which I honestly like as much as, and have found is just as solid as my USA, Eric Johnson signature Strat.
I have a Squier affinity strat....I like it because its got the big 70's headstock and the neck is a nice shape and quite narrow 1 5/8 inch (40mm) which many would hate but I don't. I actually put in Wilkinson vintage pickups in because although cheap I think they are pretty good but the originals were fine really.
Yip, that's it. I do agree particularly on the older MIM Player series. I just got my Squier Classic Vibe 50s back from the shop. The finish, look/colour and neck were really great. I really liked it. So I decided to upgrade it with the Fender Pure Vintage '59 preloaded pickguard in. And replaced tuners for Klusons, Switchcraft jack, Graphteq Tusq nut, put a Goldo bridge/trem in and had it setup. It can stands toe to toe with my Fender Vintera Vintage Modified 60s now, and that's a particularly good one. In total, I guess it's cost me £550 (guitar was £300 ex-demo). Which is approaching about the price of the old Fender Player, and £300 less than I paid for the Vintera. But, the pickups, electronics, hardware and even the neck are definitely better than a Fender Player. The only thing objectionable now is ... that slightly tack feeling of the CV neck finish, but can address that next. And I guess people can be bother by Squier vs. Fender on the headstock. But, I like the idea of having a sleeper Squier. That can get written off by the headstock, but then plays _almost_ more like a good USA Strat.
Squier Affinity is good value, the only thing I don't like is the 21 frets, wish it had 22 frets, add a couple of more $$ gets you the Squier Standard which has 22 frets, so my pick of this bunch is the Standard, but I still own a Squier Affinity Tele which has been with me for over 10 years now.
In my 54 years of playing, I honestly thought I would have a 'real' Fender by now, but back in the 90's I bought a new 90-91 Squier silver series for £230. It has amazing specs, made in Japan and in all that time I haven't picked up a Fender and wanted it over my silver series. The same kind of thing happened in 2016 when I bought a s/h 2012 Squier CV Tele for £238. It was virtually unplayed, but again, the specs are amazing and in both cases I felt like I got a far better quality instrument than their prices implied. The strat needs a re-fret now though, but I think of it as a measure of my enjoyment with it!
Same here, I do regret not keeping a mexican fender I owned for a bit... but if you get a good squire there's no point in getting a fender for the sake of it.... I was going to take the plunge and by one, then I found a beaten up strat copy in a charity shop for parts, and instead got it working and refinished it as a project, and it was like falling in love when I played it, it's a one in a thousand guitar... so I honestly don't see the point now.
This is another Strat with the Skunk strip on the back of the neck, with a Glue on Fingerboard, i wonder why they are doing this, when the truss rods go in before the Fingerboard gets glued on. But GREAT VIDEO JOHN, Thanks to the Student!!! The Classic Vibe series is the one that is Right construction with a Rosewood/Laurel fingerboard. NICE Run at 2:59 - 3:06. And that Flat DEBUT one does not have the Strip on the back neck which is the RIGHT CONSTRUCTION method. Of course CBS 70's rosewoods had the Skunk strip, so maybe it is excepted now.
I have a Classic Vibe from about 8-10 years ago. I think they were specced out a bit better back then. Alder body, rosewood fingerboard. I upgraded the pickups & I’m totally happy with it!
Does it have a Skunk Strip on the back of the NECK???
I have a pine bodied 50s one. Love it.
@@ksharpe10My one has a maple board so it has a skunk stripe but don’t know about the rosewood ones.
@@ksharpe10 Nope no strip
@@Dreyno The Maples will have a Strip. In the late 60's when Fender CBS was doing maple fingerboards it eliminated the Strip on those because again the fingerboard is glued on it. In the 70's CBS again started the strip on Rosewood Boards, so I guess it really does not matter just seems Weird.
I asked on another channel I watch how the "cheap squire" (not meant as a dig, I probably should have said "inexpensive) they were playing actually played and they responded positively. Always nice to hear about inexpensive guitars playing well nowadays. I assume it was a recent/new/new'ish Squire they were playing.
John Mitchell is currently touring USA with the prog band Asia and he’s using one of these and his GT1000 direct.
I heard that. Nothing wrong with that right IMHO
I've got a 2017 infinity Tele I bought for 120 quid to take apart and bugger about with - just changed the tuners in the end and really like it - a solid, easy to play twangtastic tele.
That was my 1st guitar when I moved to electric. Although I've since used it like a project guitar, the only things I disliked from how it came stock was no tone control for the bridge. Was also slightly disappointed that the Candy Apple Red colour was slightly darker than classic CAR 😅.
But I still have it and love it
Got back into guitar last year and bought almost the same guitar 2017 Squier Affinity with SSS tex mex pickups in Daphne Blue. $150, light as a feather and I love it to death.
JNC expressed that there is a plethora of lines across Fender and Squier’s catalog, and it’s not always clear why or what the intent behind it is. I find that is a blessing, an opportunity to try a lot of variations on a concept and see what works for me. I once scoffed at signature models, but now think the same of them. The Eric Johnson Strat, for example - where else do you find a medium chunky neck, 12” fretboard radius, and the rest of its attributes, outside the Custom Shop?
I got my Affinity strat when I was first learning, its probably about 5 years older than this one, and it just feels like home to me! I put MojoTone pickups and some locking tuners in, and its a surprisingly great guitar. I keep coming back to it after trying other guitars
Guitars only need 3 things to be good in my opinion: 1. It makes sound (no faulty electronics) 2. It's comfortable in the hands of whoever's playing it, and 3. It stays in tune, long enough to play a song or two before you have to tune again.
Sound quality is subjective and subtle things really don't make much difference in a mix, if you're recording and playing live. A great player, of course, will make anything sound appealing if the 3 things mentioned above are true.... imo lol😅
I have an Indonesian Affinity from 2008. It is fantastic!
Squier Sonic's upgrade is the Affinity, and its upgrade is the Classic Vibe with better pickups and switching. The Fender Player II is better still with quality woods, frets, electronics, and hardware. It makes the American Performer redundant.
I have a 90's era Squire II that has a Plywood body. But the neck on that thing is magical. Dead falt, plays liek a dream and is extremely well intonated.
Would have been great to hear the humbucker more… love HSS as much as this channel ✌️
Nice intro jam.
What scale is John playing in these intros? They all sound so melancholic and beautiful. I'd love to know.
I bought one of my students a candy apple red start affinity. Previous owner put fender usa pickups in it. Lovely flame maple neck. Physically perfectly giggable
Went to two guitar centres the other day ,main ones ,looking for a fender telecaster and could I find one off the wall without major problems, finish flaws ,stiff pots ,neck gaps I could see daylight under the neck ,I traded my squire in years ago for a hardtail USA strat and first thing I did was change the stings and to my horror the string through body furrels at the back all fell out ,not even glued in or whatever, love fender but next guitar I will get a squire again no doubt, every one on the wall was great and if it wasn't for the logo I couldn't tell ,great video thanks
Its a great looking strat😎
Assumptions...well they are not top tier but nice entry level to consider. My fav Squier is CV strat (candy apple red).
Rate them for what are, and even if not for you then explain why so 🤠
6:05 I literally had that happen to me a couple of years ago, bought a pair player series with neck pocket issues, high frets and the same flacking on the neck paint as the one in your player 2 video. Literally fell like a mostly paid for having the fender decal but the quality was that much better
I have the exact same guitar and it's good but has some fret buzz I just can't get rid off. I also have an Affinity Tele that I put Tonerider Hot Classic pick-ups in, and that thing is just magic.
you have that melonic scale pat, beautiful.
Since the Squier seems decent enough and does the strat thing well, I would suggest to get a guitar with a different sound entirely, something with humbuckers for example.
That Affinity isn't even half bad, I have a 300$ Cort G Series and I can't think another s-type guitar that I would upgrade to. But Soloking and Suhr are good options if you're looking for another modern strat.
My fav guitar at the moment is my Squier 40th Anniversary Jazzmaster. Squier do make awesome guitars
If your former student isn’t wedded to having another strat clone as the upgrade, they might consider the PRS SE’s that cost a little to a lot less than the Silver Sky - McCarty 594, NF3, Standard, or CE 24. A satin finish SE CE 24 is roughly half the price of an SE Silver Sky. Alternatively, how is he liking your kind loan of your SE DGT, which some call the best of all the SE’s??
The Player has arguably a few nicer components, pickups and trem and nicer woods. The Squier strats throughout the years have used different woods and if you get the Classic Vibe or old Standard series, Vintage Modified, Pro Tone... you have to look but there are great quality Squiers out there, and the Affinity now have some gems though. Can be great guitars for the money
If anyone is interested there is one of these in the Cherry red on Reverb right now for 228.00. Looks to me in the video like Your Student is taking pretty good Care of this Guitar, it is not bashed up.
would be cool to compare with a new affinity
I have a Squier Affinity telecaster from 2012 and they built them in China and you know, they sound fantastic and are very well built.
Obviously the upgrade could largely depend on Price Range of their budget. I mean, this one may have been taken care of by owner, whereas I just changed strings on Affinity for beginner who bought used and everything is rattly where the stuff has gotten loose over time and don't know if he'll have the patience to put it all right AND I didn't have it around long enough to see if it will STAY in tune even though it went in tune fair enough with the new strings and didn't notice any buzzing issues or whatever. BUT also can't upgrade the pickups and such with the narrow body, right? I sold the Affinity I liked years ago and took awhile to get used to the thicker Standard neck when I made that slight upgrade, BUT finally swapped out the Squier pickups last year in my old Standard and it sounds way better [but the one tone knob doesn't work unless in the down position and all that, so I don't know if that's normal or what]. I guess the obvious upgrade is supposed to be the MIM Player Fenders instead of another Squier, but if he's really awesome then the USA Performer series might be a better jump if he can cough up the extra $500 or whatever. Or he can just bounce around checking out different years of used models...
weirdly enough i really like the middle pickup
I had an Affinity Squier a few years back and traded it for an Ibanez SA130FM. I'm still kicking myself today for not keeping it because it sounded and played so good. I originally bought it used, like new at a Guitar Center for just $65! I did a livestream video on it just after buying it (ruclips.net/user/liveOAHM32plER8?si=EqfFrpudT4f7YSan). I'm not a fan of the large headstock, but those pickups sounded like butter. I was really surprised at the glassy, snappy tone I got from the rosewood fretboard as opposed to maple as well. Definitely avoid the Bullet series but grab an Affinity if you can get a good deal on one.
Please get the new Junior Affinity and compare it with normal Strat, I think that will be an interesting video
The Debut is a con in the UK, £129.99 is the equivalent of $173.97 and in the US the guitar is $119.99, you can get a much better Harley Benton or a Jet copy for that money.
If Strat is your thing, (&if not the Sire) Ernie Ball/ MusicMan, Schecter, and Charvel make some nicely appointed and finished instruments that rival the quality of some American Fender products, sometimes at half the cost.
What are people expecting to actually hear?
It’s a modern electrical guitar.
Its sound is *largely* indistinguishable from another guitar with whatever similar pickup being used.
The sonic differences are subtle and can be quite large *to the player* - particularly in regards to the neck differences and other similar ergonomic things.
Hi John, is it possible for a comparison of this affinity against the green player II ?
The tremolo upgrade is easier with affinity than squier standard. The squier standard has a weird two point spacing, which has different spacing of gotoh and wilkinson
It's not weird but better than 6point.
@@Thomas-xs2kq the squier standard has a weird two point spacing, I had it once, and had problem upgrading the tremolo, so I ended up upgrading the saddles only. If you Google the picture of squier standard and zoom in the tremolo, you will know what I mean
I wonder if you ever tried Squier YN06 from 1996. Would like to have your opinion about it John
Can you confirm the board is rosewood or laurel? The board is quite dark, it's like rosewood. I hear a similar chime like the player II which is confirmed rosewood
you can make anything sound great
Very attractive Strat and thin body. Love thin lightweight Strats.
I like this affinity tone than the fancy green Sire or yours
I liked the sond of his guitar the best of all the guitars I have heard you play on this channel. Go figure?
The question is: If we can buy sold playing guitars at such a low price point are some brands charging too much for their more expensive models?
How does this feel compared to the donner from the other day?
Indo made Squiers are generally really good guitars. You make it sound really sweet. The only downside IMO is the recent(ish) use of Laurel fingerboards.
Can only second the general consensus. Have had one for 10 years, and while not necessarily the best sounding I own, definitely the easiest to play. Feels like a more expensive instrument that it actually is
Slimmer means lighter and i went for the lightest strat i could. I have it looking like your natural strat. I took weight off stripping the paint and sanding. Its closer to 6 pounds than 7. I mean 3.5 kilos idk
Ohh and new pickups. I cut a humbucker in. I chose a 59 paf style dimarzio for the bridge. I get all the vintage sounds out mine.
I'm wearing the affinity neck out before replacing it because it's decent. Till I find a fender neck
Squier is great because you can always upgrade the neck
doesnt really sound like a strat and for some that might give them new ideas, Sounds good, cause ur good
Sounds decent overall. The Indonesian made are the better ones. Bridge pickup is a bit thin sounding but good value. Just put a in decent humbucker and it is a keeper.
Not in my experience. The Chinese and Indonesian Squier strats (and I have several) are of equal quality.
@@plantagenant well I have had 2 of each and the Chinese made were not a patch on the Indonesian
Can you try Squier J Mascis please ?
The Mexican Fender will only give you the Fender name on the headstock... I have a Classic vibe 70,s strat and its amazing.
Hah, I've been talking up my Affinity a bunch lately! ... Spooky weird.
Sounds thin just like all my squires, affinity ones are thin bodied I’ve noticed the wood is very soft things move around a lot OK for beginners or learning how to mod guitars, Sadly as l thought it can’t really be made much better due to inferior body and neck
I did a reveiw of my Affinity strat about 7 yrs ago. I compare it to a USA made strat. I played a few other Affinity strats and discuss that. Mine is China made but has an alder body. At the time it was a custom run for a specific shop but in later years I've seen that model (or similar) at the bigger stores. I don't follow Squier models to know a lot of the details. As I say in the video, I initially bought it to part it out to fix a couple of other guitars but liked it enough that I just kept it stock. I still have it and play it. Considering I have guitars from this up to custom Kiesel guitars, USA Fenders and Gibsons it speaks to how well mine was put together. Here's the video if you're interested. ruclips.net/video/jbVrCKuSYAA/видео.htmlsi=z3IVJhFmSGn1eUMk
I had the Tele Affinity, selling it was a big mistake.
Whatever he “upgrades” to, he will probably hate the neck.
@Johnnathancordy1 I’m not Nigerian
Here's the thing.....If it looks like a Strat, feels like a Strat, and quacks like a Strat, then it's a Strat. Even with those cheap ceramic pickups it still sounds great. And speaking of pickups, no hey basically have one job: convert the mechanical energy of the guitar's strings into an electrical signal and they do the job.,
Well done. You made a £150 Strat sound like a £1500 Strat 😂
If the neck is solid, I'd just make incremental upgrades to the rest of the guitar. I would add locking tuners, a GraphTech nut and rolling string trees immediately. It's something I do on every strat. Then I'd start thinking about the pickups and electronics. After that, if you're the type of player who uses the whammy bar often, perhaps get a better trem system if you're not entirely satisfied with the default one, or if you have the money and you just want to try something else, more expensive like the Vega trem. And last but not least, refret the neck with stainless steel frets. That's a also a bit more expensive so do it only once you start to notice that your frets have developed dents. Upgrade your guitar little by little and in a few years you'll have an instrument that you'll be happy and comfortable with for the rest of your life.
So, replace everything but the wood?
@@brianmiller3287 If you feel that you have to, why not? If you're fine with everything, then there's no need.
I've owned a Squier Affinity Jazz Bass, a Squier 40th Anniversary Vintage Strat, and a Fender Player Strat. The Fender had higher quality electronics. That said, I sold the Fender...still have and play both Squiers. Just sayin'. Name isn't everything.
Oh, John is plugging the toothbrush into the toaster and it sounds like a 15000 dollar rigg, again...
I have this guitar and I'm pretty sure the body is poplar
Is the Debut just a Sonic/bullet?
Any guitar sounds great to you, it's your fingers brother!
Shock horror a good player makes a squier sound amazing .
Everything you've read on forums about mojo and vintage pixie dust since the early 2000s is a distraction and rubbish enough to change how you play.
With the economic obsession with growth, cheap guitars continue to get cheaper (in terms of parts qualities) even as construction methods improve and remove the costly human element as much as possible. The real quality of these instruments comes from the QC. Whichever company has the best QC will have the best instruments.
Impossible to underrate anything fender they're trash, Leo found the golden fleece, and has everyone playing sub par guitars
The amount of post processing needed to make those pickups not sound trash ... And also it feels horrible. Maybe it's just me. When I upgraded to MIM, it changed my life. I've heard CV squier is cool but personally experienced bullet and affinity to be HORRIBLE, and skipped the CV completely due to the squire name thereafter..
And yes I went to a master luthier to upgrade its parts.. changing the pickups helped but I still hate the stock neck.
Made in 2009
The CV is a fantastic quality instrument. But no guitar should sound trash. Through a decent amplifier any guitar should sound at least decent unless there’s an actual fault with it.
This model, that you couldn’t make sound good is used by renowned session guitar and producer John Mitchell who’s currently a member of Asia and on a world tour using them.
@@Dreyno you make a great point, I had a TERRIBLE amp too. But the neck did not feel good either and I don't think the amp would affect that either. Stock pickups with good amp, how would they sound? I honestly don't know. Honestly I don't know why I would keep those pickups if I could afford an amp good enough to rescue those pickups at the time. I hope John Mitchell is enjoying his tour, regardless of which pickups he has on his squier affinity...
@@pb25193 The neck profile is a personal thing. Others may love it. If it just has rough frets it can be remedied with a stoning and polish.
With a good amp, the stock pickups should sound fine. But again, taste is a personal thing.
Actual issues like bad shielding, bad pots or poor soldering could make it sound bad but the pickups themselves should sound fine.
The only real problem with these affinity strats is the body being thinner than a regular strat. They come with pretty crappy bridges and upgrading becomes a problem because a standard size block will protrude out of the body.
There are work arounds but it's a pain in the butt.
On the plus side, they are lighter than a normal strat and pretty inexpensive.
And for an upgrade I would suggest any of the special series guitars from Mexico. Not just the standard fender strat though. They make/made a lot of really cool guitars in the Mexico factory that are a really good bang for the buck.
* Searches Squier Affinity on Reverb *