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You are talking about an Affinity but showing a Standard.
Still a good article. Thanks 🙂
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Ahh, the mighty Telecaster. The famous guitar that catalyzed the electric guitar industry to become what it is today. Without the Telecaster’s original creation years ago, your favorite electric guitar may not have ever existed…
While other guitar manufacturers had been mass-producing instruments since the early 1900s, the Telecaster was:
(That sure looks good on a resumé, doesn’t it?)
Ahh, the mighty Telecaster. The famous guitar that catalyzed the electric guitar industry to become what it is today. Without the Telecaster’s original creation years ago, your favorite electric guitar may not have ever existed…
While other guitar manufacturers had been mass-producing instruments since the early 1900s, the Telecaster was:
(That sure looks good on a resumé, doesn’t it?)
Leo Fender and his team of innovators and luthiers spent about 15 years planning and perfecting the design of a guitar they called the Fender Esquire, which launched in 1950 and had… well, some issues. It only had one pick-up, for example, which was promptly changed, and the makers left out a truss rod, meaning bent necks were a strikingly common occurrence.
Only 50 Esquires were produced before Fender changed gears and began producing a similar guitar with dual single-coil pickups called the Broadcaster. But after being confronted with some copyright issues, the guitar was manufactured with only “Fender” on the headstock (and no “Broadcaster” anywhere), which cleverly became known as the Nocaster.
Finally, in the summer of 1951, the design was finalized, the copyright issues were sorted out, and the famous Telecaster was released—a guitar that would change the face of the guitar and music industries alike.
Fortunately, Fender’s child-company, Squier, produces a more affordable version of the Telecaster, bringing the revolutionary axe to both beginners and starving artists. Read on to learn about the Squier Affinity Telecaster!
And it even sounds good?!
Yes. Yes, it does.
While the tone certainly is no replica of the guitar’s more expensive big brother, it gets the job done for a budget guitar (and then some). The Affinity Tele delivers crisp, bright tone with a powerful low-end and nice highs, although the highs are not shimmery like they would be on a Strat style guitar, such as the Squier Bullet.
Notably, the pickups do deliver a tone that comes out a bit thinner than a Fender Tele would produce, but let’s be honest… that’s to be expected from a budget guitar.
With its alder body, single-coil pickups, bolt-on neck, and classic Fender scale length, the Telecaster is certainly more suited for blues, jazz, post-rock, country, or similar genres that thrive on clean (or mostly-clean) tones.
Metal, screamo, and hard rock may not sound great through a Tele—but hey, try it out at your local instrument store first if you’re curious… it could be just what you’re looking for.
The Tele twang is iconic and bold and has been the choice of many famous players over the years, including Buck Owens, Clarence White, Keith Richards, and Jimmy Page (who also frequented a Gibson Les Paul). While the Squier Affinity Telecaster is not likely to be played on the next big hit, it’s more than enough for a beginner/intermediate player or as a backup guitar.
Overall, the Squier Affinity Telecaster is a great guitar for a beginner or just someone looking for a cheaper axe to throw around. It looks beautiful, the hardware is mostly reliable (including the tuners, which is noteworthy for a budget guitar), and the tone is surprisingly good given the guitar’s cheap price tag, although the stock pickups are admittedly a bit thin and hummy.
One of the most noteworthy things about the Squier Tele is how full and strong it feels in
the hands.
Overall, I give the Squier Affinity Telecaster a rating of 4 out of 5.
This guitar isn’t going to change your life, and you will probably want to make some mods on it before taking it on stage at a bigger room, but as a backup or a beginner guitar, it’s more
than satisfactory.
The body and neck construction are overall pretty great, and the number one flaw on it is definitely the pickups, which could be easily replaced. Great job on this one, Squier! Keep up the good work.
You are talking about an Affinity but showing a Standard.
Still a good article. Thanks 🙂