I was looking for a single coil pickup guitar to sit alongside my Epiphone Les Paul but, as a second guitar didn't want to spend a lot of money. I spotted this new Squier Strat HSS, a perfect pickup combination and loved this Sienna Sunburst colour. The trawl of the guitar sites followed and Gear4Music had it in stock at the right price. The guitar arrived promptly and was well packaged, so top marks to G4M for their service.Having gone for almost the bottom end of the Squier range my expectations weren't particularly high, so to say I was overjoyed when I started playing it would be quite an understatement. It arrived well set up (I've no idea if that was due to G4M pre-sales prep or I was just lucky from Squier) and immediately playable.If there was one area ... MoreI was looking for a single coil pickup guitar to sit alongside my Epiphone Les Paul but, as a second guitar didn't want to spend a lot of money. I spotted this new Squier Strat HSS, a perfect pickup combination and loved this Sienna Sunburst colour. The trawl of the guitar sites followed and Gear4Music had it in stock at the right price. The guitar arrived promptly and was well packaged, so top marks to G4M for their service.Having gone for almost the bottom end of the Squier range my expectations weren't particularly high, so to say I was overjoyed when I started playing it would be quite an understatement. It arrived well set up (I've no idea if that was due to G4M pre-sales prep or I was just lucky from Squier) and immediately playable.If there was one area where I wish Squier had spent another few quid it would be the tuners. They're not bad but if you're someone who plays a lot you might wish for a more robust set.There's also some talk from people who immediately upgrade the pickups but, to be honest, I actually prefer the ceramic pickups that come with the Affinity series over the Alnicos in the CV and proper Fender versions, which always seem a little thin and cold to me. But I know that's real person taste.

A Very Unique Budget Stratocaster

I ordered a "Black Burst" model here at MF, but picked up the actual instrument itself at a Guitar Center in Akron, Ohio. It was a floor model and I received a huge discount. I took it home, changed the strings, adjusted the tremolo screws, intonated it and lowered the action. It has better pickups than my classic vibe 60s Strat, made in 2020. The neck pickup is almost twice the volume than my CV60s. The out of phase is chime like, same with the middle. Then it gets very different than any Stratocaster I have ever played or owned. The next out of phase position is mixed with the middle single coil and the bridge humbucker and is really dark sounding. A totally unexpected tone! Then comes the bridge humbucker. It is loud, dark and yet can really scream in the highs. ... MoreI ordered a "Black Burst" model here at MF, but picked up the actual instrument itself at a Guitar Center in Akron, Ohio. It was a floor model and I received a huge discount. I took it home, changed the strings, adjusted the tremolo screws, intonated it and lowered the action. It has better pickups than my classic vibe 60s Strat, made in 2020. The neck pickup is almost twice the volume than my CV60s. The out of phase is chime like, same with the middle. Then it gets very different than any Stratocaster I have ever played or owned. The next out of phase position is mixed with the middle single coil and the bridge humbucker and is really dark sounding. A totally unexpected tone! Then comes the bridge humbucker. It is loud, dark and yet can really scream in the highs. Until I got back to Oregon, this was my only axe! I really got to know it well and to love it so much, that I bought another one. Now the tale gets really interesting, because the 2 Guitars were night and day from each other. The 2nd one, (which was a mint condition floor model) looked, weighed and sounded nothing like the first one. It was a fine budget Strat, but nothing about it stood out like everything about the first one. I got both for less than the retail $$ of a new one. (Make sure that the neck and fingerboard actually look alike.) The first one is heavier than my CV60s, the second one is lighter than it. This is a tale of 2 Guitars which should have been virtually identical, but which were vastly different than each other. If you get a good, heavy one with matching neck and fingerboard, that's the ticket. Lastly, the tuners are not great, but are not terrible either. If this had good Kluson tuners and another string tree, it could very well be lethal. I would give it the first one 5 stars and the second one, 4 stars, hence my 4 star rating. Nice Guitars, both!

Excellent value!

I'm new to fenders but I bought a player series (mim) a couple months ago and love it! It's an HSS flame maple top almost identical to this model to the naked eye. My wife being brand new to guitars actually showed interest when it came so I ordered her this squire to mess around on and she loves it. Playing this back-to-back with the mim makes me wonder if the players worth three times the money. The squire is an incredible guitar at its price point and I'll try to run down the pros, cons and differences between this and the player. The squire neck and fretboard have a natural feel and look compared to the player having a glossed finish. The squire has a larger old school headstock (which I prefer) but only has a gloss finish on the front. They arrived with the ... MoreI'm new to fenders but I bought a player series (mim) a couple months ago and love it! It's an HSS flame maple top almost identical to this model to the naked eye. My wife being brand new to guitars actually showed interest when it came so I ordered her this squire to mess around on and she loves it. Playing this back-to-back with the mim makes me wonder if the players worth three times the money. The squire is an incredible guitar at its price point and I'll try to run down the pros, cons and differences between this and the player. The squire neck and fretboard have a natural feel and look compared to the player having a glossed finish. The squire has a larger old school headstock (which I prefer) but only has a gloss finish on the front. They arrived with the same neck relief which was actually right on, but the squire actually had a better feeling action out of the box despite having a thicker feeling neck. It came set up perfectly. The tuners on the squire have no branding on them but seem to hold tune very well. The pickups on the squire are incredible for a budget guitar. Unless you're plugging into a tube amp playing over drums and a bass they'll probably suit you fine. If you're planning on upgrading pickups and tunersor whatever else before you even get the thing do yourself a favor and just spend a little more on your guitar. I'm not sure what the body is made out of but it's definitely lighter than the alder fender. (Not really a bad thing, the fenders really heavy.) I got lucky and this guitar came factory sealed with the paperwork and plastic on the pick guard even though it was shipped from Detroit and not their warehouse? The flamed maple veneer top is perfect and beautiful. A lot of the ones you see on the web look like they got a couple scrap slices of maple. Overall for the money you can't beat this. I wish squire had this quality 20some years ago when I was starting out. For an even better value skip the flamed maple veneer and save some money.

Great Starter Guitar/Modding platform

Sound:As I said earlier, these pickups are weak. The middle position is oddly the one I liked. The pickups sound ok distorted and even lightly picked, but as soon as you start trying to chug it's a mess. Even clean, as soon as I strum a chord with any sort of force, they just break up and it doesn't matter what pickup. Its not that you can't, but in comparison to my other guitars, this one just likes to get played with a light touch. I have some Seymour Duncans to throw in on a new pickguard for this because I need some more oomph, but if I was just starting out, I probably wouldn't even notice.Features:The 2 point trem is what sold me on this guitar. I was looking for a relatively inexpensive HSS Stratocaster style guitar that had a 2 point tremolo. I have a ... MoreSound:As I said earlier, these pickups are weak. The middle position is oddly the one I liked. The pickups sound ok distorted and even lightly picked, but as soon as you start trying to chug it's a mess. Even clean, as soon as I strum a chord with any sort of force, they just break up and it doesn't matter what pickup. Its not that you can't, but in comparison to my other guitars, this one just likes to get played with a light touch. I have some Seymour Duncans to throw in on a new pickguard for this because I need some more oomph, but if I was just starting out, I probably wouldn't even notice.Features:The 2 point trem is what sold me on this guitar. I was looking for a relatively inexpensive HSS Stratocaster style guitar that had a 2 point tremolo. I have a ton of parts to use so I was looking for a guitar to basically hold the parts I already had. The bridge was a concern because Affinity guitars have a thinner body than the classic vibe Squiers and Fender Stratocasters. Fortunately that worked out, and my block *barely* fit but honestly there's nothing wrong with the existing bridge. Especially newer players won't notice and the original tremolo works great.Ease of Use:Guitar was setup well. No intonation issues. It was out of tune as all get out, but that's easy enough to fix. Everything on this is straight forward Stratocaster. Sounds like a Stratocaster. Feels like a Stratocaster.Quality:The finish on this guitar is a mixed bag. The blackburst is dark and the finish is smooth. The neck is pretty fast. There's a spot on the back of the body that's almost egregious. When I first looked at the back, I thought the back of the guitar was dirty. But that's the finish. There's a paint smear that someone very poorly tried to cover up. Now it's just permanent on the back of the guitar. The important part is the front and that looks good. I have seen other incarnations of this finish on these guitars before and they didn't have the same paint imperfections.Value:You have so many choices at this(or any) price point. If you are looking for a solid Stratocaster with an HSS setup that you want to mod. This ain't bad. If you're beginning, you could do worse. I personally think this would be an incredible starter guitar. It's appeal for me was the looks and the ability to easily modify it. You could even turn this thing into an HSH configuration if you wanted.Manufacturer Support:Never had to deal with them.The Wow Factor:This guitar is pretty cool looking. With gold hardware and pickup covers, it looks fantastic. I am extremely happy with my purchase.Overall:As the title states, if you're beginning on guitar, this might be a Cadillac for you. It's so much better than the stuff I started with. I actually own a Squire Bullet Stratocaster(which Squire just replaced in their line. I belive they are the Sonic series of Stratocaster now) as well. I know Sonic Stratocasters have changed the Bullet model a bit, but in comparison to this Affinity, I am impressed. I don't love the pickups. I think the middle pickup is actually decent but the neck and the bridge get extremely muddy. I was surprised as I expected them to be thin and bright but these are not thin, but muddy. Trem works nice, tuners seem to be ok and what you'd expect from a guitar at this price, nut looks pretty bad but that's just nitpicking. For this price point, I really think this is a solid choice. I plan on gutting this guitar completely and upgrading it. This is another reason this guitar is a good choice for a beginner. Guitarists could grow with this guitar.

Looks can be deceiving.

I really liked the color - but be warned that the sunburst is not from red as it appears in ALL photos across the Internet. It's sort of a clay brown color. I was really disappointed. That said, the neck feels pretty good, the tuners are strong, and the whammy works well. Very lightweight. Sounds better than expected, and replacing the pickups would likely cost more than the whole guitar. A really good bargain for a brand new guitar! I'm happy with the purchase, except for the color not being true to the advertisements.

Mixed thoughts...

So without getting into to much detail, I ordered a brand new guitar and was told it would come in a factory packed and sealed box. What I got was a possible Demo, floor model or retuned Item, packed and wrapped in a ton of bubble wrap with an exposed headstock, upper "Horn" and a crushed Taylor carton. After discussing the issue with G.C. rep I was given a Credit. Brought the guitar to a Guitar Tech to have it set up. Once the pickguard was removed to raise the P/U's to the proper height ,it was discovered that the screw on the Humbucker on the Low E side was stripped and bent presumably at the Factory (That's why I feel the guitar may have been a return) As I had planned to eventually modify and replace the Pick-ups I've decided to have my Tech replace the ... MoreSo without getting into to much detail, I ordered a brand new guitar and was told it would come in a factory packed and sealed box. What I got was a possible Demo, floor model or retuned Item, packed and wrapped in a ton of bubble wrap with an exposed headstock, upper "Horn" and a crushed Taylor carton. After discussing the issue with G.C. rep I was given a Credit. Brought the guitar to a Guitar Tech to have it set up. Once the pickguard was removed to raise the P/U's to the proper height ,it was discovered that the screw on the Humbucker on the Low E side was stripped and bent presumably at the Factory (That's why I feel the guitar may have been a return) As I had planned to eventually modify and replace the Pick-ups I've decided to have my Tech replace the Humbucker and as there was/is NO shielding to add Shielding paint to the P/U cavities. I Love the feel of this guitar and the Neck is really comfortable. My Tech was really impressed with the feel, tone and playability even before the setup and Humbucker issue. I would suggest that before purchasing the guitar, especially online, to have it inspected!!

Squier Affinity Stratocaster FMT HSS

Overall:I bought this fine guitar from zZounds, because they treat their new and re-turning customers with care, consideration, the best prices, and excellent service. That's why I keep coming back to them! This is my 2nd Squire, and I bought this because I really dig a guitar with the striking looks to match the performance, and this one did not disappoint. It has a sweet "eye-catching" figured top, and play-ability was extremely good right out of the box, no need for any adjustments, and the HSS pickup system delivers the full tonal qualities I really like from a strat. I have been playing guitars for decades, know a "thing or two", lol, about them, own high end and custom shop models, and this one sits out in full display for all to see and appreciate. I could ... MoreOverall:I bought this fine guitar from zZounds, because they treat their new and re-turning customers with care, consideration, the best prices, and excellent service. That's why I keep coming back to them! This is my 2nd Squire, and I bought this because I really dig a guitar with the striking looks to match the performance, and this one did not disappoint. It has a sweet "eye-catching" figured top, and play-ability was extremely good right out of the box, no need for any adjustments, and the HSS pickup system delivers the full tonal qualities I really like from a strat. I have been playing guitars for decades, know a "thing or two", lol, about them, own high end and custom shop models, and this one sits out in full display for all to see and appreciate. I could not be more happy with it.

Super Quality!

Beautifully made guitar. The construction and finish lack nothing. It came set up with a nice low action. The C- shaped neck makes it very comfortable to play. The tremolo arm is super sensitive. I purchased this guitar because I wanted one with a humbucker in the bridge position. The humbucker is not as bright as the single coils on my other guitars and has the sound I was looking for. Overall I ampleased with the electronics. Tuners are solid and have a good feel. There are no cons to this guitar that I can find. IMHO it is one of the best values out there.

This is actually really nice!

This is actually a really nice guitar! I'm primarily a bass player but have a few guitars, and recently unneeded a stray. I saw this and a Player Strat at my local guitar center and played them side by side, and was surprised at how close the sounds were. You still get the classic strat tones in all 5 positions, but with a welcomed bonus of being lighter than an average Fender Strat. The only downside I noticed was a bit of 60hz hum during a rehearsal, but I solved that with a noise suppressor I already owned. This thing performed awesomely for an outdoor gig I had. I'd highly recommend it!

great guitar for the price point

This guitar has a nice feeling, neck seems smooth for ease of sliding and the fingerboard and frets all seem to be set correctly, and makes sliding easy. The different positions you can put the switch in along with the tone knob allows numerous sounds to choose from, again great for a beginner to start discovering their sound. The main problem I have with this model is, it is in need of another set screw on the head for some of the lower strings. It tends to continue to ring out past where it should from the vibration up top. Switch feels a little cheap but it works. Overall good introductory guitar!!