A little background. I am 50 years old and have been playing on and off for 30 yrs. And I am still awful...lol I have an Austin les paul knockoff the plays ok. I have been going to the guitar center lately and looking at the MIM strats. I love the feel of the kneck.It seems a MIM is out of the question due to finances. I am really getting antsy for a new axe. So is the squire affinity worth my time or put it off for maybe a year or two to get a MIM? I like to play classic rock and blues. Thanks
General Coulter

Hi TheGeneral,

The Affinity isn't a bad guitar at all, the Mex may be a better guitar, but the Squier could be OK for you. Just try some out to check the feel, the same as you did with the Mex model. You should always get the best guitar that you can afford, if you can wait, but if not, the Squier may suit you just fine. I am not a very good player either, but I feel that I do play/sound better when I am playing a better guitar. As someone here has stated before, get a guitar that you can grow into, instead of one that you might outgrow.

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Http://s1134.photobucket.com/albums/m620/Oskar582/

Hey.
I'm 49 and never picked up a guitar but knew that if I ever did I'd want a Stratocaster and that was that.
Just over a month ago I found a MIM Strat (the black one in the pictures) at my local music store, it had been previously enjoyed but very well taken care of and at $300 I grabbed it.
This is where the addiction begins, the shop has a second MIM Strat also previously enjoyed and in even better condition than the first one (Agave blue Strat in the pictures I posted) when I took the first one home all I could think about was the one I left behind so three days later I counted my spare change and had enough to get the Agave blue one without having to break the bank and the rest is history.
I'm teaching myself but would like to take lessons but I need to find a good teacher as I'm legally blind.
I know I've gone off on a tangent here and I'm sorry but my point is that I didn't want to have anything but a Strat and I'm not saying a Squire isn't good because they most certainly are but for me it was a Stratocaster and I don't really mind that someone else owned them since we are all merely caretakers of stuff until we leave it fir the next generation.
I play awful but I play awful on the worlds best guitars and when I get good the I will still be playing in the worlds greatest guitars.

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He who dies with the most Strats wins.

How about something else in the squier line ? Perhaps one of the classic vibe series (about $350), or one of the standard stratocasters (about $230). I believe they might be a step up from the affinity series and are cheaper than a new MIM strat. Just something to think about. They all seem to get good reviews.

Classic vibe 50s series:
http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Squier-Classic-Vibe-Stratocaster-50s-Electric-Guitar-?sku=519338&src=3WFRWXX&ZYXSEM=0&CAWELAID=201015551

Classic Vibe 60s series:
http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Squier-Classic-Vibe-Stratocaster-60s-Electric-Guitar-?sku=519339

Standard Strat:
http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Squier-Standard-Stratocaster-Electric-Guitar?sku=510422

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"I like the way he puts Yngwie J. Malmsteen on his album covers. You know,....so you don't confuse him with all the other Yngwie Malmsteens in the business"


2008 Fender MIM Stratocaster
2010 Epiphone Masterbilt
2009 Fender Super Champ XD

there are many nice MIM strats on ebay for less than $300.check some of them out.

In my opinion the Classic vibe Tele is the best deal on a guitar you can get anywhere.

All good ideas but I still sat thee are some great deals to be had on gently used MIM Strats if you keep your eyes and ears open.

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He who dies with the most Strats wins.

Thanks for all the info. I am really interested in the Vibe series. The wife is ok with that...lol. A little more in my range.

The CV Squier Strat is a bargain -- a quality instrument with vintage appointments at an entry-level price.

JMO

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

I stopped by GC after work today, and tried 2 MIM strats. Both just would not stay in tune. When I would bend the strings , the bridge would lift up. Never owned a strat. Is that normal? The sales guy said they were just unboxed. Is he blowing smoke?Don't want to get burned. Thanks.

Normal. It is called a floating bridge (tremolo), and will move with bends.

_________________
---> "The amp should be SWITCHED OFF AND UNPLUGGED before you do this!" <---

Por favor, disculpe mi español, no se llega a la práctica con mucha frecuencia.

Thanks Shimm, I have never owned a strat, so I am loaded with dumb newbie questions....lol.

This is the place to get 'em all answered.

_________________
---> "The amp should be SWITCHED OFF AND UNPLUGGED before you do this!" <---

Por favor, disculpe mi español, no se llega a la práctica con mucha frecuencia.

I have a MIM Strat. Very satisfied w/it. I've also heard excellent reviews for the Squier classic vibe. I probably wouldn't go for anything less for myself though. As far as the floating bridge, you can block them if you want, or as someone else suggested, you can get a Tele for roughly the same price. Just try them before you buy them. good luck

Hi General,don't get put off by the bridge moving when you bend the strings.There is a touchy little balancing act involved to get the spring tension on the vibrato just right so that won't happen.A lot of people don't have a lot of faith in GC for doing setups etc. although the tech at your particular store may be well qualified.You can also have the vibrato decked or flush to the body further negating your tuning problems.BTW that's the way I have all my Strats set up.If you decide to buy from GC tell them you want the guitar dependant on a proper setup being done.Good Luck and happy Strat hunting.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.