I got this stratocaster since december of 2012 and this guitar is awesome because it sound can be smooth and clean but with a boss turbo distortion pedal. it is perfect for play styles like grunge (like Nirvana ) or punk. So that's why i love it .

Andresalejandroc owns this item

Started with an American made Squier (now signed by the Gin Blossoms).
Next was a 1992 Squier Strat (only models made, no Bullet, no Affinity). This one is still my main go-to guitar. Put Fender PUs in it.

Got this one a year ago (Affinity). As Eric Clapton says, you want a maple fretboard, not the dark ones. Can get more finger bite in maple fretboards. Take that, Gibson!

Love the finish on the back of the neck.

Wonder how this compares to a Squier Strat standard? Also own a Deluxe, which is out of this world (if you change out the pickups). Only drawback with Affinity - 21 frets. Every guitar should have two octaves in frets (24)!

If you're like me, a cheap guitar, $80 to a guitar tech and you've got the equivalent of a $700 Fender for a little more than half that.

Surprisingly, I'm happy with the stock pickups on this. First Squier I can say that about. Thinking of redoing the body finish, though. My choice (last year) was red, white or sunburst. Since I have three sunbursts, chose red - wrong!

phoenixrichard owns this item

I got the Fender Squier Affinity Series guitar about two or three years ago as my first electric guitar and so far my little Indonesian rocker is going strong without any major flaws.

The look of the guitar is great and just like a Fender Strat. Mine’s topped off with a nice dark blue finish and rosewood fret board. In fact if it had a Fender logo instead of the Squier logo on the headstock then I reckon people would be convinced it was a legitimate Fender just by looking at it.

Most factory set ups on guitars are pretty terrible but for a guitar under three-hundred bucks, it’s got a nice low action and I haven’t needed to alter the nut or bridge height or get it set up by a store yet.

The pick-ups are pretty ordinary to say the least. I’m not sure of the brand but I’m pretty sure they’re just generic ‘Squier single coil’ pickups in a neck, middle, bridge configuration. They’re passable but not that great, with a constant underlying buzzing when played with distortion.

One of the most impressive things with this guitar is how solidly it's build. The thing's like a Russian tank! I've dropped it a few times, banged the headstock against my desk, let my friends (who have no idea about playing guitars) play it, strummed very aggressively, hit it in frustration and thrown it down on my bed and yet there's only been one tiny dent and no damage to the sound quality, nut, neck or anything! (I treat my other guitars with much more respect than this. This was during my first few months of learning to play)

It stays in tune relatively well but I think the intonation is off. I have an electric tuner and test it to make sure it’s tuned almost every day and often I don’t have to tune it up for about a month. However, do not use the whammy bar under any circumstances! I usually never have it on the guitar because it goes out of tune every time you use it.

No serious problems have arisen since I bought the guitar which so pretty good for a $250 or so instrument so I think it's going to last a very, very long time.

The guitar does have quite a few issues though.

The tone knobs really do nothing. They act like they're not even there. Also this guitar has almost no natural tone and sounds quite tinny and cheap sometimes.

When turning the volume knob when the guitars plugged in you can hear a loud crackling sound come out of the amp. This doesn’t usually happen with other guitar’s I’ve played.

The E, B and G strings sound pretty tinny. The bass strings sound good when strummed but the high strings sound cheap. That could be due to the stock strings themselves though I’m not entirely sure.

There are only two of the five pick-up selections that don't hum when selected.

Now don't get me wrong here with these minor problems. For $250 or in guitar centre’ case, $180, you're not going to get a perfect guitar. There are going to be some slight problems. But I was actually really surprised with this guitar because without even a service or set up there have been no issues that would make me stop playing and take it in to get fixed or serviced. I play for at least 40 minutes every day and I'm also surprised with how little wear and tear this guitar has had.

I'd recommend this guitar to anyone who wants to start learning electric guitar but not to someone who’s professional or even for second guitar buyers.

sydneysider owns this item

I never really considered myself to be a Fender man, but when I picked up the Squier Affinity Strat I was really blown away. I was actually looking to buy an acoustic guitar, but the acoustic room at my local Guitar Center was somewhat crowded so I decided to just wait until it was a little more empty. While I was sitting on a stool, my Mother (who has no musical knowledge at all) pointed at a small guitar sitting on a stand, and said "why don't you try that?" I replied very arrogantly that I didn't play "Fender" guitars! She said "you don't have anything else to do". So long story, somewhat less long, I picked it up, plugged it in and was hooked! I couldn't believe how well it fit me and how easily my hands flew up and down the neck. I own three and four-thousand dollar guitars that do not play this well. The action is very low, and the neck is very fast, making it easy to play blues solos. But with the five-way switch I get five very different sounds and tones....unlike most guitars where you can barely tell the difference. I love the non-Floyd Rose tremolo system; it makes it much easier to change strings. So, to sum it up: This guitar turned me from an anti-Fender player to a Fender lover. I would recommend this guitar to beginners and seasoned players alike, not just as a practice or test guitar, but for serious playing. Sorry the story was so long!!!

Cinder01 owns this item

I bought my Strat Affinity second-hand along with some project parts the seller never got around to installing: new hardened-steel tremelo/bridge unit, locking tuners, and Dragonfire brand pickguard with a standard Strat setup pre-loaded. I can't comment on the original hardware & electronics because I never played it much with them. I do know that the original white pick-guard wasn't beveled and looked kind of cheap. The Dragonfire upgrade isn't something I would have picked, but looks good and sounds great. It had more screw holes than the one that came off, but it fits properly.

Comparing the neck & body to my daughter's MIM Fender Strat, the nut is 1/16" but has the same 9.5 radius & fret scale. Both have rosewood fingerboards. The Affinity doesn't have the fender "skunk stripe" on the back of the neck, but it's smooth and set up with low action, good intonation and no fret buzz. The body is the same outline as a Fender Strat, but it's about 1/4" thinner (less deep).

There are three electric guitars in my house now, the Affinity Strat, an MIM Strat, and a Telecaster (from Fender replica parts). I love playing them all, the Affinity holds its own. I'd recommend the Affinity Strat without hesitation to a beginner, or as a project guitar to players who like to tinker. I don't think of this guitar as a wannabe, it has its own character.

pmackinney owns this item

Bought mine secondhand. Hadn't been well looked after, but it plays beautifully. A big step up from the Bullet (of which I have 2). This stays in tune and the 5 switch positions play distinctly different tones. Good action, frets are comfortable with no sharp bits and the tremolo has a stab at being a tremolo. It feels like a Strat should and this can be (and has been) used for home practice with or without an Amp, Open Mics and small gigs.
If you have a bit more cash than needed for a Bullet, buy one of these.

VintageBrit owns this item

She wanted to learn to play guitar. I bought this as part of a package that included an amplifier. The tone is outstanding and the price is great. My only complaint is that the neck is small and the fingerboard is narrow. Perfect for someone with small hands, but I couldn't make it work.

TunaCan owns this item