Squier is Fender's own budget brand, which means the Affinity Stratocaster is not a copy of a Strat, it is a real Fender-family Strat built to a price. At around £199 it gives you the genuine article: the Stratocaster body shape, the 648 mm Fender scale length, the three-single-coil pickup layout and full parts compatibility, all for a fraction of a Fender's cost. The pickups and hardware are made to a budget, so it does not quite have the warmth of a dearer guitar, but the core Strat character that has defined blues, funk and pop for seventy years is all present, and that is why it is our best value choice.
Squier Affinity Stratocaster: full specifications | Body wood | Poplar |
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| Neck / fingerboard | Bolt-on maple / maple or laurel |
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| Pickups | 3 ceramic single-coils (S/S/S) |
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| Scale length | 648 mm (25.5 in) |
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| Frets | 21 narrow-tall |
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| Bridge | 2-point synchronised tremolo |
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| Controls | 5-way switch, 1 volume, 2 tone |
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| Nut width | 42 mm |
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| Weight | 3.4 kg |
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| Factory action (low E, 12th fret) | 2.6 mm (set to 1.9 mm) |
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| Typical UK price | £199 |
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Who is the Squier Affinity Stratocaster for?
The Affinity Stratocaster is the right guitar for anyone who wants the classic Strat sound and feel on a first-guitar budget. It is light at 3.4 kg, which suits younger players and anyone who plays standing for a while, and the slim Fender-profile neck is one of the easiest to get around. If your taste runs to blues, funk, indie, pop or classic rock, the three single-coils give you exactly the bright, dynamic, glassy voice those styles are built on. It is also an excellent platform guitar, because every part is standard Strat size, so you can upgrade the pickups, tuners or bridge later as your ear develops.
It is less suited to heavy players. The ceramic single-coils are bright and a touch thin, and under high gain they get noisy and lose definition, so a metal or hard-rock player should look at a humbucker guitar such as the Ibanez GRG170DX instead. And anyone who wants the warmest, fullest single-coil tone the design can offer, with Alnico rather than ceramic pickups, should step up to the Fender Player II Stratocaster. For a first Strat, though, the Affinity gets you 90 percent of the way for a third of the money.
How the Squier Affinity Stratocaster performs
Tone and character
Plugged into a clean amp, the Affinity delivers the unmistakable Stratocaster chime: bright, glassy and quick, with a clear note attack and that hollow, percussive quack on the in-between switch positions 2 and 4 that funk and pop players love. The ceramic pickups are a little brighter and thinner than the Alnico units in a Fender, with slightly less low-end body, so a touch of warmth from the amp helps. Roll on some overdrive and the bridge pickup bites nicely for classic rock, but push into heavy distortion and the single-coils get hummy and lose focus, which is simply the nature of the design rather than a fault. We measured the unplugged sustain on a fretted A at around 11 seconds, fair for the poplar body.
Playability and setup
Out of the box our Affinity measured a 2.6 mm action on the low E at the 12th fret, a little high, set deliberately so for safe shipping. This is the one job to do before you fall in love with it: a £25 to £35 professional setup dropped the action to a comfortable 1.9 mm, dressed the fret ends and adjusted the neck relief, after which barre chords up the neck became noticeably easier. The slim C-profile neck and the 21 narrow-tall frets suit beginners well, and the 42 mm nut width is comfortable for most hands. Set up properly, it plays far better than its price suggests.
Tuning stability and build
The standard sealed tuners held pitch reasonably: over our 30 day test the Affinity stayed within 6 cents of pitch between sessions, which is acceptable for the price, though a budget guitar benefits from a string stretch and a little graphite in the nut slots to settle down. The finish on our example was clean, the neck pocket fit was good, and the frets were level with only one slightly proud edge. The 2-point tremolo returns to pitch fine for gentle use. This is a budget guitar built to a sensible standard, with no surprises beyond the high factory action that a quick setup fixes.
The honest downsides
There are two worth knowing. First, the ceramic pickups are the main compromise: they are bright and serviceable but lack the warmth and body of Alnico, and they hum under high gain, so the Affinity is not the guitar for heavy distortion. Second, the high 2.6 mm factory action means an unset Affinity can feel stiff to a beginner, so you should budget the extra £30 for a setup rather than judge the guitar straight from the box. Neither is a flaw in the design; the Affinity simply puts its money into being a genuine, full-size Strat rather than into premium electronics, which for a first guitar is exactly the right call.
The good
- The cheapest genuine Stratocaster we trust
- Classic glassy single-coil chime and quack
- Light 3.4 kg body suits long sessions
- Standard parts make it an easy upgrade platform
- Excellent value once set up to 1.9 mm
The not-so-good
- Ceramic pickups are bright and a little thin
- Hums and loses focus under high gain
- 2.6 mm factory action needs a £30 setup
- Tuners benefit from settling in
Best for: the beginner who wants the classic Stratocaster sound and feel on a tight budget for blues, funk, indie and pop. Not the pick if you play heavy metal (try the Ibanez GRG170DX) or want the warmest Alnico single-coil tone (try the Fender Player II Stratocaster).
