TenderSurrender Posted March 2, 2006 Report Share Posted March 2, 2006 Ok tommorow im picking up a "used" (not that you can tell) Squier Afinity strat for £30, cause i need a CHEAP guitar to knock about with when im goin to college so i dont take the other guitars in! Now i noticed on the headstock decal it has added "Affinity series".. what is that? Different woods/pups? Comments welcomed guys! Cheers ~~ TS ~~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorecki Posted March 2, 2006 Report Share Posted March 2, 2006 Cheap, cheap, cheap, plywood body...the works. But for that price, can't go wrong. Even the standard MIM strats are trash so you're probably in okay shape. Expect to do a setup! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
possum1284 Posted March 2, 2006 Report Share Posted March 2, 2006 Cheap, cheap, cheap, plywood body...the works. But for that price, can't go wrong. Even the standard MIM strats are trash so you're probably in okay shape. Expect to do a setup! kinda off topic but i just bought a fender mim alder strat body i was gonna use it as the fondation of my next project an eric clapton strat clone. is it that bad of a body? Adam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TenderSurrender Posted March 2, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 2, 2006 Cheap, cheap, cheap, plywood body...the works. But for that price, can't go wrong. Even the standard MIM strats are trash so you're probably in okay shape. Expect to do a setup! lol already had it to play yesterday and done a full setup, suprinsingly low action (w/o buzz) but the pups are crap. But i mean its literally just to knock about at college so ive got someting there all the time instead of having to take in £300 + Guitars So is the Affinity series WORSE or BETTER then the "standard" squier strat? and what are the differences Cheers so far guys! ~~ TS ~~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorecki Posted March 2, 2006 Report Share Posted March 2, 2006 Cheap, cheap, cheap, plywood body...the works. But for that price, can't go wrong. Even the standard MIM strats are trash so you're probably in okay shape. Expect to do a setup! kinda off topic but i just bought a fender mim alder strat body i was gonna use it as the fondation of my next project an eric clapton strat clone. is it that bad of a body? Adam Not really, the rest of the guitar's parts are simply not very good. The MIM standard strat (not Squire) should be real wood. But, it maybe routed poorly so be careful and measure frequently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
possum1284 Posted March 2, 2006 Report Share Posted March 2, 2006 Cheap, cheap, cheap, plywood body...the works. But for that price, can't go wrong. Even the standard MIM strats are trash so you're probably in okay shape. Expect to do a setup! kinda off topic but i just bought a fender mim alder strat body i was gonna use it as the fondation of my next project an eric clapton strat clone. is it that bad of a body? Adam Not really, the rest of the guitar's parts are simply not very good. The MIM standard strat (not Squire) should be real wood. But, it maybe routed poorly so be careful and measure frequently. what ya mean routed incorectly? like the pickup cavity and bridge cavity? sorry im off topic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Mailloux Posted March 2, 2006 Report Share Posted March 2, 2006 So is the Affinity series WORSE or BETTER then the "standard" squier strat? and what are the differences Cheers so far guys! ~~ TS ~~ The crappynity series is the lowest priced/cheapest/crappiest of all of the squier models out there. They go between 150-180$ usd new. Cheap cheap cheap, as stated earlier. Only good for spare parts in my opinion and even then that'll be very crappy spare parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TenderSurrender Posted March 2, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 2, 2006 The crappynity series is the lowest priced/cheapest/crappiest of all of the squier models out there. They go between 150-180$ usd new. Cheap cheap cheap, as stated earlier. Only good for spare parts in my opinion and even then that'll be very crappy spare parts. With the $150/£80 mark in range, then £30 for what is basically a brand new un' seems fair play to me I mean by NO MEANS am i suggesting ill be using this in the studio or when live but it does to jam about when at school so i have no fears of me knocking crap outta it Cheers Phil for the info! ~~ TS ~~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Mailloux Posted March 2, 2006 Report Share Posted March 2, 2006 With the $150/£80 mark in range, then £30 for what is basically a brand new un' seems fair play to me I mean by NO MEANS am i suggesting ill be using this in the studio or when live but it does to jam about when at school so i have no fears of me knocking crap outta it Cheers Phil for the info! ~~ TS ~~ And if you get real exited during a gig you can do a Jimi on it and kick the crap out of it and set it on fire voodoo style and you won't feel bad 'cuz you only paid 30 pounds for it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TenderSurrender Posted March 2, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 2, 2006 And if you get real exited during a gig you can do a Jimi on it and kick the crap out of it and set it on fire voodoo style and you won't feel bad 'cuz you only paid 30 pounds for it Why waste a guitar... thats what the drummers there for ~~ TS ~~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marksound Posted March 2, 2006 Report Share Posted March 2, 2006 Even the standard MIM strats are trash ... I happen to like my MIM trash, thank you very much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorecki Posted March 3, 2006 Report Share Posted March 3, 2006 (edited) Even the standard MIM strats are trash ... I happen to like my MIM trash, thank you very much. Sorry dude. My GK Ready (standard MIM strat) is just a hump. I worked on it and did the best I could for it. I have a New York Pro strat I eBayed for $52 new that blows doors off it. Like the avatar BTW. Edited March 3, 2006 by Gorecki Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crafty Posted March 3, 2006 Report Share Posted March 3, 2006 Heeeyy!! What's with trashing the MIM's all of the sudden? They can be great guitars... After all, the guitar in my avatar is a great piece after having changed the tuners, pickups, pots, and wiring. It'll be even better after changing the bridge and a full Plek refret! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marksound Posted March 3, 2006 Report Share Posted March 3, 2006 Sorry dude. My GK Ready (standard MIM strat) is just a hump. I worked on it and did the best I could for it. I have a New York Pro strat I eBayed for $52 new that blows doors off it. Like the avatar BTW. Always wondered about those NYPs. I have one of their gig bags (came wrapped around my $100 Korean Hamer). BACK ON TOPIC: I don't know a thing about the Affinity series, except I was way tempted to get one of those $149 butterscotch Teles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Churchyard Posted March 3, 2006 Report Share Posted March 3, 2006 Heeeyy!! What's with trashing the MIM's all of the sudden? They can be great guitars... After all, the guitar in my avatar is a great piece after having changed the tuners, pickups, pots, and wiring. It'll be even better after changing the bridge and a full Plek refret! LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pott Posted March 3, 2006 Report Share Posted March 3, 2006 ... The new Affinity are made out of Alder while the Standards are made out of Agathis. As far as I know both are solid woods. I tried one of the new 2006 Strats yesterday and it was GREAT bang for the buck let me tell you. I'll post the review. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbojerik Posted March 3, 2006 Report Share Posted March 3, 2006 Both are made out of crap wood...the standard squier is agathis and I'm almost certain the Affinity is plywood. There ...might... be some alder in there, in one or two of the sheets... They have the crappiest electronics known to mankind. The MIMs on the other hand can be great, especially if you can get an early 90s one (like mine...) that was made in Corona and shipped south for assembly. Poplar body and maple 1-pice neck. Toss the pickups and put in some Lace Holy Grails, a fret level & set up....the best bang for the buck on the planet. MIMs never had an ash body that I know of.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GodBlessTexas Posted March 3, 2006 Report Share Posted March 3, 2006 There is a point that needs to be clarified here. I own and have owned Squires, Fender MIM, and Fender American strats. The Affinity series does have one model made out of plywood: The Bullet/Bullet Special. The other Affinity series guitars have Alder bodies. Here's the Squire models, in list of lowest to highest, and what they're made of. I've seperated the Bullet from the rest of the Affinity series. Bullet: Plywood and utter crap. These are the $99 guitars at GC, ZZSounds, and Musicians Friend (owned by GC). These used to be their own series, but they decided to roll them into the Affinity series for some reason. I guess it makes them appear to suck less. Affinity: Alder and currently Made Crafted in China on CNC equipment. The previous generation was made in Indonesia and the quality on them isn't as good as the current generation. Standard: Agathis Deluxe: Agathis, Basswood and Mahogany The non-Bullet Affinity series are decent guitars for the money. I own one and it's my test bed for ideas because I'm not afraid to break it, but it still sounds and plays well. The only real downside is that the pickups stink and you can't switch out parts with Fenders since the bodies are different (the Squier is thinner) and the mounting holes for hardware (excluding pickups) are different. I've currently got it equipped with an EMG S set and it sounds great. Decent distortion for single coils and still sounds like a strat when clean. Anything that says Squier and Bullet should be avoided, but they're also not to be confused with the Bullets from the 80's. If you can find a MIM Fender, it's a much better guitar, but likely not available for £30. GBT The MIMs on the other hand can be great, especially if you can get an early 90s one (like mine...) that was made in Corona and shipped south for assembly. Poplar body and maple 1-pice neck. Toss the pickups and put in some Lace Holy Grails, a fret level & set up....the best bang for the buck on the planet. I agree completely. Early to mid-90's MIM Strats are a bargain for what you get. I've regretted selling every one I've parted with. MIMs never had an ash body that I know of.... The reissues coming out of Mexico have had ash bodies for authenticity, but I don't think any of the other models have. GBT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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