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Post subject: Affinity Strat worth upgrading?
Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 8:46 am
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Hello all,

what is the general consensus in upgrading a squire affinity strat?

is it worth putting in a couple c-notes or just saving for a MIM strat?

thanks
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Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 10:26 am
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This is just my humble opinion on what I would do. There are no right and wrong answers here...

Honestly, I would just upgrade the pickups and call it a day. This - to me - is a perfect scenario for dropping in some Tex Mex pups. These are a nice Fender OEM product that will greatly enhance the guitar, and they are very affordable ($85 new for a set). Yes, I have them in my MIM Std, and I am very biased as I really like these pups. That seems a very reasonable upgrade path, instead of laying down three times as much for some CS pups that (by themselves) are worth far more than the original guitar.

Either that, or just save up for the MIM and call it a day. To be clear, though, I do like the Squier Affinity Strats. The ones I have played just seemed like they were only a pickup-change away from from being a really solid guitar.

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Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 10:36 am
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It's entirely up to you. If you really like the feel of the guitar then upgrading it would probably be worth it for you.

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Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 2:51 pm
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I upgraded my Affinity Strat because I like the neck and it was my first guitar. I put Texas Specials in, and it sounds just as good as a Fender (lacks some of the sustain though). The body is thinner than a Standard Strat, which makes replacement tremolo blocks nearly impossible to find. So if you strip your whammy bar, you're in trouble. The bridge is very cheap, I wish I could upgrade it but that nasty body thickness and weird string spacing have prevented me from doing that so far. The tuners are fairly good quality for the price though, and it does stay in tune.

The neck is a little narrower than usual, but it's slightly thicker than my 2004 MIM Standard. Some people don't like the feel, but for me it's absolutely perfect. The medium jumbo frets are nice and big, but the fret work is terrible. I had to have my guitar tech file down the frets after they cut me. They still don't feel terribly good, but at least I don't get cut anymore. I've also had several major problems with guitar's input since I got it five years ago.

Bottom line, to get an Affinity Strat up to par with a MIM Fender you might pay even more than you would to get a MIM Fender. I love my Squier though, otherwise I'd have never put so much effort into it.

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Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 8:35 pm
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If the guitar is special to you, then yes. Will it improve the resale value down the line, no. You will probably like the new sound though. Chances are even the MIM Standard will need new pickups after the "honeymoon" phase.

I say keep the Squire as is, buy the MIM Standard. Once you have both, you can use the Squire as a learning tool. Pull it apart and put it together. Make modifications to it. Once you feel confidentin your skills, time to upgrade the Fender. Have fun.

RK

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Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 10:35 pm
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rkreisher wrote:
I say keep the Squire as is, buy the MIM Standard. Once you have both, you can use the Squire as a learning tool. Pull it apart and put it together. Make modifications to it. Once you feel confidentin your skills, time to upgrade the Fender. Have fun.

RK


^ Very good advise.

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Post subject: Afffinity Strat
Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 12:02 pm
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well thanks all for the input. So, my next thought is how does the Squire vintage vibe compare to the MIM strats?

just a couple of years ago the MIM's were selling at 399.00 the Squire's Vintage are at 349.00

Big Difference? Little difference? any imput is greatly appreciated.....
:? :? :? :? :? :?


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Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 12:13 pm
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Not wanting to ruffle any feathers but to be honest I have to say no. Duck! I think you'd be better off buying a used MIM and if you want to then modify it. Just my opinion and not meant to appear elitist or downgrading. Good luck in whatever you decide. :)


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Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 3:10 pm
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I've played the Classic Vibe Strats and I own a MIM Fender. Personally, I'd lean towards the Fender but the Classic Vibes are really good guitars as well. You'd have to decide which you'd like best.

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Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 5:50 pm
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The Squire Classic Vibe is a very good series. All I can say to anyone wanting a new guitar is before you throw down that $499.99 on the Fender Standard (MIM), play the Squire Classic Vibe. Really listen to the tone. Feel the differences. Keep in mind $349.99* VS $499.99*. If you do not care what others think of your gear, I think most will side with the CV.

If you plan on selling your guitar in a year or 2, then just buy the Fender. It will have better re-sale value.

RK

*Musician's Friend Price

Disclaimer: I do not endorse Musician's Friend or their other holdings, just needed prices. The opinions above are mine and may not actually meet your expectations on what a good guitar is. Let's face it folks MIM VS CIC!

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Posted: Sat Jul 18, 2009 5:59 am
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I would buy some new pickups, maybe some Toneriders. They are cheap and really good.

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Posted: Mon Jul 20, 2009 1:31 pm
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Hey. I upgraded my Affinty's tremelo bridge, even thought the body is thinner than a regular Strat. I actually had a MIJ reissue bridge tremelo from another guitar i had upgraded. It worked great, and stayed in tune a lot better. I would be willing to bet that a MIM tremelo from a reissue MIM strat would work as well. The 5 screw holes have to be redone, but definately worth it. That, along with my pick-up upgrades have made it a real player!


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Post subject: RE:Affinity Strat worth upgrading?
Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2009 9:22 am
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I purchased my squire from a friend for a quarter of a new one from the store. Since then I have dropped in a set of seymore duncans. This greatly improved the sound. I have also adjusted the setup on the guitar and I think it plays as nice as a real Fender. I plan to keep my squire and moding it with new tuners, tremolo, nut etc. By the time I am done I will only have about five bills into it and I expect it to sound and play great. I am keeping the original parts so if I decide to sell it I can put back the original parts back in and use the upgrades on a new guitar or sell them on e-bay to get some of my money back on the parts.


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Post subject: Affinity Strat worth upgrading?
Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2009 10:35 am
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that sounds like a lot of upgrading on an affinity.
i was told the the woo is Agathis wood. does anyone know what kind of wood this is? also what is the neck made from?


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Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2009 10:01 pm
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in my humble opinion, upgrading an affinity is very satisfactory. try the HH configuration, you'll see why most of the professionals here loved Squier so much 8)

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