Feels cheap....Feels cheap....Feels cheap....its 200 bucks it's cheap. But I have a Sonic strat and tele and I have to tell you for 200 bones these are definitely worth it. Pickups sound pretty darn good and I think the neck feels really good compared to older Squiers. Good video though. Appreciate it!
Totally agree on the not that amazing out of the box verdict. I got a Mustang SS and I had to polish the frets,set it up, put big strings and install a used hot rail pickup in the bridge. After all that cheap work it does deliver. If you are a novice to guitar you will need to spend a fair bit to make it perfect which kind of defeats the beginner guitar positioning...honestly they should charge $15 more and deliver it with a good setup and proper strings.
The new Squiers have these strong pastel colours. I’m hoping to get a Mustang in one of the more classical colours, white, black, burst or fiesta red. I’m hoping that once they release the next Classic Vibes will have more traditional colours.
I got one of the green esquires last month for 159. it was worth every penny I was shocked so I just bought a yellow strat for 159 right from Fender. You don't have to worry about taking your older vintage guitars out. You can use these and play them anywhere. Thanks, and thank you sir for posting about these. 0:25
Mine came with a card that was stamped with quality checks and it was set up as well. It was the same as the one I ordered as well. The quality appears to be inconsistent with some makers and suppliers.
At least The squires you can replace with standard fender parts. I'm not sure you can do that with the Donners, Firefly, Harley Bentons. My Affinity was fine, but at $300 it is kind of expensive compared to the competition today.
Cool video. Thanks for this. I am considering this as a gift for my wife for the color only. I would replace most of the hardware, maybe even the neck. She would love this color, not sure if it’s worth it just for the body. Are the pots and pickup routs full size to accommodate upgrades? Cheers!
Guitar tuning stability is a system it can be difficult to say with certainty that one specific thing is the root cause without some sort of controlled test.
I got one without any of the issues you had. Advice: try it at the store, don't order online. It will need setting up, especially the trem. Once I did, plays real nice, stays in tune, sounds fine. I like the slim profile, the light weight and the pickups have pole pieces with a radius to match the fretboard and nut. Not bad for a budget guitar!
@@TheMixWithABD That's true only some of the time. The world isn't all black and white, right? Not all Fender guitars are great either, there are some lemons too, I can tell you, I own one. Have to fix it more often than any Squire I own.
After seeing how closely you look at everything, I feel I should take a closer look at my Affinity and see what I may have missed. 🤔 (At least mine unboxed in tune.)
@@beefnacos6258 that is an uneducated answer from someone with no experience. Quality is process driven if there is an inherent flaw in the process and inspection it can be addressed if the process is good and the oversight is based on an individual they can be addressed as well with training or any other method. Quality doesn’t mean function or level of materials used quality is a measure of consistency and repeatability in a process.
My #1 punk beater beater is a first run (Alder/Rosewood) 2017 Affinity Jazzmaster HH. All I did was swap out the stock tuners for Grovers and install a bone nut. Fantastic guitar! Paid $199 free shipping NIB! I later got a sibling 2nd run (Poplar/Laurel) model, but honestly? It just didn't have the same MOJO IMO. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Sometimes you just don't gel with a certain guitar regardless of the build ya know?! Squier however has TOP TIER quality control tho IMO. Fantastic instruments. My 2013 Squier Vintage Modified Jaguar Bass HB Special for example?! Never leaving my side! In fact? I'm after a 2nd one as a backup! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
To many higher quality at that price point. I really like Fender neck headstocks but that isn’t enough. I don’t feel it is a satin finish on the front of the neck it’s more like no finish.
This is a bullet with way nicer colours and a different name.For the modders out there it makes more sense to get something like that and replace the generic pot metal junk these type of guitars have for quality parts than getting into the classic vibes or mexican strats of the world.The price is a bit more for my liking...50-60 bucks more of what i would give for a guitar like that but i will eventually get one of them second hand and mod it to play and sound the way i want to. Now there are better guitars out there for the price for sure...for example one can get the jet js 300 that has an amazing roasted maple neck,bone nut and essentially better parts for about 20 bucks more but it doesnt have the right...headstock shape and for a lot of people thats a deal breaker. Those types of guitars in my book are impossible to be scrutinised....if someone made a guitar(that is playable) for so little money he deserves praise so whatever shortcomings this thing has relies on the owner to fix and detail....
As it is said, you get what you pay for...IF you're lucky. A few of the guitar techs at Sweetwater all said when it comes to Fender's Squire line, the better of the Squires starts with the Classic Vibe line. The Sonic series are just like the Bullets as far as construction, and quality. The Affinity not really a whole lot better...unless you get lucky. That's been my experience anyway. Oh Nooooooo Harley Benton, again based on my personal experience, I bought a TE-53KR Keith Richards tribute which was a ridiculous almost 10lbs...had to pay a local music store $120 for a complete set up and for them to file incredibly sharp frets on the entire neck. I will say, enjoy your new Sonic...great color !!!
Its a bullet. Make no mistake ....it's a squier bullet with a different name. You're welcome. If you thought differently that means their marketing worked
Yes, Fender are very good at making a few cheap upgrades and marketing them as a big deal , if these are a step up from the old Bullet series why are prices not dropping on the Bullet and also the Classic Vibe series are now more expensive than the old Mexican Fenders ,i think the Sonics will push the prices up now on the Affinity range?.
Harley Benton st62 cc is much cheaper and better overall and you get alnico 5 pickups and a roasted maple neck, great fetwork and the hardware is good.