2018 Squier Affinity HSS Strat and Tele: Awesome
 

This guitar is so good it should be illegal.

Stock pickups, deep green.

The lit search says it has the same pickups as the Bullet but has an Alder body, otherwise the same.

I beg to differ.

Everything about the 2018 Squier Strat is fit and finish. Great finish work on the frets. Fretboard rosewood, and smooth as anything. Tremolo stays in tune, even when floated. Stock pickups are amazing. Much better than the Bullet which I also have. No comparison. Neck shape is C, very hard to get now, all new Fenders have the deep C which I hate. I want a fast neck like an Ibanez shredder. Not just a fast neck , a good neck that just lets you wander around and create.

Clean sounds the same as a 2K strat. Overdrive on the humbucker, thick and meaty, like a metal guitar. Amazing difference in tone between pickup combos.

I got rid of the 2018 Pro series strat because it just did nothing special for me. This is just as good.

$250 Canadian.

The Affinity is NOT the Bullet and it is NOT the 2017 model. They juiced it up, did themselves proud.

The Affinity Tele in butterscotch is awesome, don't believe me, read the reviews. It growls like a high end Tele for..

$250.

Check em out.

Hey Davis - thanks for the review. We hear lots about the Classic Vibe and what great guitars they are but very little about the Affinity. Do you know if spec wise anything was changed for 2018 or if Squier just decided to up the workmanship on it for 2018?

Any photos ????

The deep carve neck profile with narrow nut worked well on the Affinity Tele I had for a short period before it needed repair to shielding. Some of the finishes offered like ‘competition orange’, race green etc. make for nice display guitars and maybe in the spirit of mid 20th century Californian design using adventurous colours. Was especially impressed with one ‘sparkle grey’* which was subtle, understated, well done.

*slick silver

Hi Dru

They say this is just a Bullet with Alder body. But its more. The highs are crisp, more harmonic overtones, cleaner delivery.....I have both and this is much better.

The workmanship went waaaay up.

The C neck is ONLY found on these and they build the radius and shape for speed. I would easily say this is better than the classic vibe strat which I owned and was meh....for the extra money.

Really curious now. I always thought the Affinity series were a good bang for the buck, but with really cheap electronics (which made them a great modding platform). If FMIC updated the electronics then they’re definitely worth checking out!

I have the Squier Classic Vibe Tele in butterscotch....WOW. Neck pick up...cut the tone down...instant jazz club....bridge p/u...tone up Merle Haggard is here...both on...its rock time...just awesome. Outstanding finish on the neck, just great.

I have the same guitar, it's really nice. I was thinking of changing pickups but I don't think I will bother as the stock pickups sound great.

:cool:

¿ Pics ?

EZ :

HR

I’ve owned MANY electrics. Ranging from entry level to higher end. I can definitively say that before changing pickups on any guitar, a complete rewire with quality pots, caps, switch, and jack make a BIG tonal difference.

In addition, making sure the guitar is setup appropriately, including pickup heights, can bring about very positive changes. All without ever changing pickups. And usually all of this can be done for less money than a decent set of pickups.

Of course doing the work yourself can save even more $.

And yes...pics please!

Yes. Both the vintage blonde and butterscotch model stock pickups are boutique quality by any other name. About 30 different Telecaster pickups were measured on TDPRI and compared and these Tonerider built come out near the top for alnico vintage clean.

2018 Squier Affinity
 

I ordered one from Sweetwater. Had to wait a bit because it was back ordered. No problem. First one came but had a big dent on the edge of the lower bout, right where your arm would rest. The box was perfect with no damage so I sent them an email w/pics. Five minutes later I got call a call from Dillon, the rep. He believed that the damage was from the factory because any guitar under 300 does not get the full 50 point check. No problem, the next day I had an email stating my replacement was on the way. Two days later I have a new one, I sent the old one back. Their service is unreal...A+ for these guys. The guitar?? Awesome. The op was right, the neck is fast and smooth and fits perfect. The tone from the Fender p/ups is excellent. I wont list all the specs, you can get them from the Sweetwater site. For a "beginner" guitar at that price point it is really worth a look. Thanks OP, and SW, could not be happier, just cant put the thing down.:D

Nice to hear!

Yes, I love mine more every day. That neck is everything isn't it?

D>