Squier Affinity Series Telecaster review

The Affinity Series Telecaster is the simplest guitar on this list, and that is the point. Fender describes a thin and lightweight poplar body, a slim C-shaped maple neck with a 9.5 inch radius and 21 medium jumbo frets, and a fingerboard in Indian laurel or maple. Two ceramic single-coil Tele pickups run through a 3-position switch with one volume and one tone control, so there is little to get confused by. The fixed 6-saddle bridge runs the strings through the body, which holds tuning better than a tremolo and makes restringing easier, and the sealed die-cast tuners have split shafts. The tradeoffs are the ceramic pickups, the narrower range of sounds compared with an HSS guitar, and no way to do tremolo bends. It suits singer-songwriters, strummers and younger players who will appreciate the light body. Fender's store showed local currency from our location, so the US price is pending. We compared documented features and published prices; we did not test it.

Who it is for

Beginners who mostly strum chords and want a simple, light guitar that stays in tune.

Price

See vendor pricing (USD check pending).

US price check pending. See the vendor pricing page.

Key features

• Thin and lightweight poplar body
• Two ceramic single-coil Tele pickups with 3-way switch
• Slim C maple neck, 9.5 inch radius, 21 medium jumbo frets
• 6-saddle string-through-body fixed bridge
• Sealed die-cast tuners with split shafts

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Fixed bridge holds tuning and is easy to restring
• Strength: Thin, light body for younger or smaller players
• Strength: Simple controls: one volume, one tone, three positions
• Weakness: Only two ceramic pickups
• Weakness: No tremolo for pitch bends
• Weakness: US price not verifiable from our location

Key facts

• Pickups: Two ceramic single coils
• Body: Poplar, thin and lightweight
• Neck: Maple C shape, laurel or maple fingerboard, 21 frets
• Frets: Medium jumbo
• Bridge: 6-saddle string-through-body

Where it ranks

Squier Affinity Series Telecaster is No. 7 in our Best Beginner Electric Guitars verdict.