Riffs at recession beating prices (Fender Squier Affinity Strat RW)

Member Name: Paul-Teixeira

Product:	Fender Squier Affinity Strat RW
Date:	18/05/09 (35 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Build quality, price

Disadvantages: Pick ups

When I left home for uni I perhaps ambitiously took with me an old acoustic guitar thinking i'd fill some of those spare hours students find themselves with by teaching myself the guitar. Well by the beginning of my second year i could just about string together a few tunes and I am now the proud owner of a Squier Affinity Strat in black.

I have owned the guitar for 7 months now and i must say for £100 it has been everything i could have hoped for. Out the box it played pretty well, I had a more experienced friend have a look and I was informed the set up was good. Tone is pretty good, and it holds its tune well. The strings lasted five months before the E string broke, but this was a minor inconvenience and the ernie ball slinkys i replaced the factory strings with have a better sound to them. I'm running it on a 10 watt amp and to my untrained ear i have few complaints about tone.

The build quality is excellent. It looks the part and doesn't feel like its going to fall to pieces anytime soon. I was worried that it would perhaps feel a bit cheap and tacky since it really was so cheap but these fears were never realised. It feels solid and reliable.

Like its more expensive name sakes, this Squier strat has three single coil pick ups with 5 way switching between them and tone and volume controls in the classic strat set up. Mine also included a tremelo bar which I must admit I haven't even bothered to attach, but I guess its nice to have if and when I progress to using it. The guitar would probably benefit from a better set of pick-ups but for a beginner the factory ones are fine. Be aware that in the box you get the guitar and...well thats about it. You will have to fork out extra for an amp/lead/strap/plectrums etc. But really it is extremely good value for money and many retailers will offer a package deal to save money on the above mentioned.

All in all if you are a beginner seeking a first instrument this guitar would fit the bill very nicely indeed. It offers excellent value for money from a reliable brand that wont let you down on looks, feel or sound.

Summary: If you are a beginner, this should be top of your list.