Squier Affinity Series Telecaster Review (Hands-On & In-Depth)

This Squier Affinity Series Telecaster review takes a look at this guitar, which is a lower-cost option from the Fender brand. For those that can’t afford a regular Telecaster or are new to the guitar, the Affinity Telecaster is a great bargain.

I’ve been playing guitar for a long time. I consider the Squier brand to be one of the better makers of instruments for beginners. I played a few of these when I was first starting out. These guitars give you the Fender tone and feel.

It’s important for beginners to have a decent guitar when they’re learning. You want something easy to play that sounds great and doesn’t cost a whole lot of money. You’ll get this with the Squier lineup.

Squier Affinity Series Telecaster Review: About the Squier Affinity Series Telecaster

The Squier Affinity Series Telecaster is a low-cost instrument from Fender. This is an excellent guitar for any beginner. Here’s a little bit more about this instrument.

The Squier Affinity Series Telecaster is a lower-cost version of Fender guitars. It’s a reproduction of the famous Fender Telecaster. There are quite a few different Affinity Series Telecaster models for you to choose from.

When I worked in a guitar store, I came across quite a few Squier Stratocasters and Telecasters when I was teaching guitar. I played a Squier when I was younger and used that guitar for several years.

These instruments are quite affordable, yet they have a decent sound as well as a comfortable neck. While they’re not going to match a regular Fender guitar, they’re suitable for beginners that want to learn on a good guitar.

Body

The body of the Squier Affinity Series Telecasters is made out of alder. It provides an excellent tone. It features the same Telecaster style pickguard, two single-coil pickups, regular Telecaster electronics, and a cutaway on the lower side of the neck, making it easy to access all the higher frets for soloing.

The body itself is comfortable whether you’re sitting down or standing up.

Neck

The neck 21 medium jumbo frets, and it’s a C-shaped neck that’s comfortable to play. You can either get one with a full maple neck or one with a rosewood fretboard. It’s a regular bolt-on Fender neck.

Beginners shouldn’t have a problem playing their first chords on this guitar. It’s a guitar that will grow with you as you learn the instrument. You can then upgrade it at a later time to a regular Fender Telecaster if you prefer.

Pickups

This instrument has two regular Telecaster single-coil pickups. These are vintage-style pickups that have an excellent tone. There’s a tone control, volume knob, and pickup selector switch to control the sound of your pickups.

See More: Best Electric Guitar Pickups Buyer’s Guide

Other Parts

My guitar has a regular Telecaster six-saddle top-load bridge for the strings. You get two strap buttons and regular die cast machine heads.

Pros & Cons

Squier Affinity Series Telecaster Review: My Experience with the Squier Affinity Series Telecaster

I played several Squier Affinity Series Telecasters when I worked at a guitar shop, and some of my students had this instrument. I was impressed by its sound. It feels pretty good considering it’s a lower-cost guitar.

In this Squier Affinity Series Telecaster review, I want to address what this guitar is capable of. You need to understand that this is a basic guitar design for beginners or those on a limited budget.

I find that Squier Affinity Series guitars play well right out of the box. They may need some minor adjustments in terms of the guitar action. You can do this yourself if you have the skills, or take it to a guitar shop.

The neck on the guitar is a regular C-shape with 21 frets. This makes it easy to play chords as well as solos on the guitar. It lacks the standard 22 frets, but 21 is fine for the beginner who will not solo that much at first.

Squier Affinity Series Stratocaster HSS Review: The Sound

You’ll get a Fender-style feel and tone when you play the guitar, but it’s not going to sound like a regular Telecaster. That’s asking too much of what this guitar is capable of doing. That said, you’ll get a decent tone.

The pickups on this guitar are basic, but they sound good through a decent amplifier and are fine for the first-time beginner. If you find that the sound of the pickups bother you, you can always change them to something better.

Squier Affinity Series Telecaster Warranty

The warranty you get for your telecaster will depends on where you buy it from. Make sure you check with the store to see what their warranty policies are before purchasing.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Here are some frequently asked questions about the Squier Affinity Series Telecaster that you should know about before you order.

My Telecaster Has Feedback Through My Amp. What’s Wrong?

The single-coil pickups cause the feedback. These are basic pickups, so they’re going to give more feedback than good quality pickups. If the feedback bothers you, you may want to change the pickups to something a little bit better.

Single-coil pickups tend to feed back more than the humbucking style. Reduce the gain on your amplifier or change to better quality pickups, and you’ll reduce feedback.

What Can I Do About My Guitar Tone?

The tone of your Squier Telecaster depends on a couple of factors. First of all, you want to have a high-quality amp. This will ensure that you get a better tone out of your guitar.

Another thing you need to address is your guitar strings. Make sure you change your strings on a frequent basis. New strings sound a lot better than strings that have been on your guitar for months.

You should also take your guitar into a shop and have a proper setup. A guitar technician can change things such as the intonation, so the guitar stays in tune better. They can set the action as well as adjust the truss rod in the neck.

Do I Need Better Pickups?

The pickups in your Affinity Telecaster will be decent for most applications. If you’re a beginner, this probably won’t even bother you.

If you have a little bit of experience with guitar, you may not like the sound of these pickups. Changing these will improve the tone, but the pickups may cost more than the guitar itself.

Is an Affinity Telecaster Worth It?

The Squier Affinity Series Telecaster is a basic guitar. It’s worth it if you’re a beginner or don’t have a whole lot of money to spend on a higher-quality guitar. It’s perfect for practicing and taking guitar lessons.

It’s up to you to decide whether or not you want to buy this instrument. I’ve played Squier guitars before, and I’ve always been happy with how they sounded and how the neck played. You’ll have to judge this for yourself.

Where to Buy the Squier Affinity Series Telecaster

There are a few places where you can buy Squier Affinity Series Telecaster. It can be to your advantage to buy online because there’s usually a product in stock. Here’s where you might want to pick up your instrument.

Amazon

I prefer to shop on Amazon. The reason for this is that they have an excellent selection. They offer fast shipping times, great customer service, and the ability to read reviews about individual guitars before ordering.

Order Online

Sweetwater and Guitar Center are two other locations where you might want to pick up an Affinity Telecaster. They have a great selection, excellent customer service, fast shipping times, and the reliability you want from an online store.

Your Local Store

You can pick up an Affinity Squier Telecaster at your local music store. One problem with this is that they might not have every model in stock. This can be a good option if you have a music store nearby because you can test out the guitar.

Conclusion

This concludes my Squier Affinity Series Telecaster review. It’s the perfect basic guitar for any beginner who’s on a low budget. It has a decent sound, an easy-playing neck, and everything the beginner needs.

I enjoyed playing my Squier guitar for many years, and you will too. Fender makes excellent products, and the Squier line is one of the better lower-cost instruments you can find.