Gearank Recommendation
The Squier Affinity Series Stratocaster w/ Rosewood Fingerboard first appeared on our recommended list for Solidbody Electric Guitars Under $200 in August 2016 where it remained until February 2020 when the price went up above the limit for that list.
Overview
Not content to sit back at let others like Ibanez innovate upon the basic stratocaster design unanswered, Fender responded in the late 1980’s with their own take on ‘superstrats’ with the HSS configured HM Strat (Heave Metal Strat). They dropped the concept for a while but later brought it back with HSS strats in the 1990s.
Back in 2016 the Squier Affinity Series Stratocaster (HSS) was the highest rated HSS strat under $200, however in November 2017 that honor now went to the Yamaha Pacifica PAC112J (HSS).
Specifications
- Body: Alder
- Finish: Lake Placid Blue / Polyurethane (pictured), also comes in Montego Black Metallic, Burgundy Mist and Olympic White
- Bridge: 6-Saddle Vintage-Style Synchronized Tremolo
- Pickups: Bridge – Standard Humbucking, Middle & Neck – Standard Single-Coil Strat
- Neck: Maple
- Scale Length: 25.5″ (648 mm)
- Fingerboard: Rosewood
- Fingerboard Radius: 9.5″ (241 mm)
- Number of Frets: 21
- Nut Width: 1.61″ (40.9 mm)
- Controls: Master Volume, Tone 1. (Neck Pickup), Tone 2. (Middle Pickup)
- Pickup Selector: 5-Position Blade: Position 1. Bridge Pickup, Position 2. Bridge and Middle Pickup, Position 3. Middle Pickup, Position 4. Middle and Neck Pickup, Position 5. Neck Pickup
Demo
Here is Brice Delage demonstrating a range of tones from the Squier Affinity Stratocaster HSS: