Squier Affinity Series Telecaster Electric Guitar, with 2-Year Warranty, Lake Placid Blue, Laurel Fingerboard

Excellent value for the money. The Butterscotch Blonde is nice and smooth. The maple neck and fret board have a nice slick satin finish. No dings or dents anywhere. Frets were smooth with no sprouting. Tuning machines are stable and turn smoothly. The six saddle bridge did need some set up, which is to be expected. Raising and lowering to match fretboard radius, as well as setting intonation. A six saddle bridge isn't a traditional three saddle ashtray Tele bridge but it allows for much finer adjustments. String through body with what feels like .10s string gauge wise. Running through my Deluxe 112 Reverb or teal stripe Peavey Classic Chorus 212 with no effects... sounds great. "Sustain for days" and classic Tele sound. The belly cut was a nice unexpected bonus as most Teles are slab style. I think Squier did quite a nice job with this Affinity Series. Have been playing guitar for over 30 years, always Stratocasters, and had always wanted a Tele. Other folks may have a different experience but the one I received was great. Only complaint I have is that it that was "crafted in China".

I bought this as a used Amazon Warehouse product, so I wasn't expecting much. Really, I was curious and I thought I didn't have much to lose for the price. I've been playing guitar for 32 years. I'm not a professional, but I'd consider myself skilled and knowledgeable if I do say so myself. I figured I'd change whatever needed to be changed and I'd have a beater guitar that I could keep lying around and something I wouldn't have to worry about taking with me anywhere. I really did not expect it to be as nice as it is and I'm not changing anything (though I've changed the strings since I like 10s). The neck feels fine and comfortable. The body wood looks really pretty to me. I didn't know poplar looked so nice and it looks almost like mahogany. Mine appears to be a one-piece body, which I find strange and I would almost think there was a veneer if it weren't for the torso cut. I've payed several guitars $2000-$3000 and I'd say this plays at least 90% as well as those. The pickups actually sound decent. Maybe they aren't as clean and punchy as more expensive pickups, but they sound pleasant to my ear. Just know that they are single coils and there will be some noise, as is the case with all single coil pickups. The nut width is a little narrow (42mm) and the neck resembles an early '60s Strat if I'm not mistaken. I used to think I wanted a wider neck, but I've realized I don't care about that. The neck feels almost unfinished, but neck finish is another thing I've realized doesn't matter too much to me. The body is only 1-1/2" thick rather than the standard, 1-3/4", so it's a thin body, but I actually really like that. It makes accessing the highest frets easier, since the guitar's heel is also thinner. And from what I've heard, some of the original Telecasters in the '50s were actually also 1-1/2".I'm amazed at the quality that is coming out of Chinese factories these days. It used to be that you really had to spend a lot to get any quality, but not anymore. I think that some people get snobby because they drift away from being a musician and become gear enthusiasts. Maybe they think they'll play better on a more expensive guitar, maybe they want to look like their idols. Also, some people get fixated on tone and don't realize that most listeners in a live setting don't care too much about your tone. And if tone is so important, to me the richest tone comes from an acoustic anyway. No offense to anyone, since I've definitely felt myself pulled in that direction too. I'm almost envious that beginners can start on such a good instrument these days.If you are a beginner, know that you have to set up an electric guitar, even an expensive one. Look it up, but it means you have to adjust the action and intonation at the saddles. Also the neck relief might need to be adjusted with the truss rod, especially if you change string gauges. This is completely normal and if you are complaining about string buzz, 99% of the time you are just showing that you don't know anything about guitars. The nut is cheap plastic, but works adequately. Yeah, the frets are gritty, but that goes away and you can polish them if it bothers you that much. The frets do, however, seem to be a soft metal and there was already a little fret wear when I got it. I've leveled and crowned frets before, so I'm not put off by that. Also, there were no sharp or uneven frets or anything like that and I can lower the action as low as I want to, so it's been constructed to good tolerances. There are hairline neck pocket cracks, which I usually can't stand, but I'm OK with on a guitar at this price point. Maybe quality varies between individual instruments, but I got one that someone returned and I really like like it. I never in my life considered buying a Squire until I happened upon this Amazon page and never considered buying a guitar from Amazon either. Now I've since bought another (more expensive) guitar from Amazon and I can't believe how happy I am with them after disappointments (and stress) buying guitars from other websites that will remain nameless. In conclusion, there isn't much cheaper that a guitar can get and this is a good guitar for someone at any level, delivering a tremendous value.

The Guitar arrived on time in fair condition. Keep in mind I am not planning on returning this guitar.That being said, it had a couple of issues, nothing too horrible, the controls panel was loose, both Tone and Volume knows were completely loose, someone didn't tighten the set screws. The nut was cut too low, strings drag on 1st fret, pickups too low, the neck had a smal ding in the edge of the fretboard , excessive polish left in nooks and crannies, strings were junk. BUT with all that fixed up, the guitar is fantastic. Feels exceptionally good and comfortable. Reconditioned the fret board , polished the Frets, Replaced the dime pots with 25s.Love the finnish, very nice. The neck was set very well, the action was good....a little high.I fixed all that stuff, and honestly it was little stupid stuff anyone could fix. Once I did the work it sounds amazing. Some people want to play right out of the box, I don't mind making it right for me.You may get something completely different from what I got. Just enjoy your purchase and make it your own piece of happiness. I did , it's pretty cool ,check it out.....and get a nice hard case for it too....about $70.00 for a cheap one. Hope this helps, good luck, Rock On 😁👍

I took a chance on this guitar. I saved $50, and bought an open box version. I am so impressed with this telecaster.Out of the box, it plays and sounds great. I put a straight edge on the neck, and found it to be perfect. The fret work is very smooth, and the sound, for what it cost, I feel is nice.The tummy cut and the weight is perfect for me. I am very happy with my purchase.I would recommend this guitar.