Club AFFINITY

Seems like there arent any Affinity owners Clubs out there so I think I'magonna see about crankin one up. IF you are the proud parent of aSquier Affinity series TELECASTER then hop on in .
So far mine has had a set of LAwrence pups instaled .a new 5 way switch and just to get jiggy with it I went and bought a Marshall MG 100FX head and an IBANEZ 4/12 cab to drive it through.And she sleeps in a Koffin case.
Oh her name is Evangeline.
ANY AND ALL AFFINITY OWNERS COME ON IN >!!!

I have 2, one is currently out of commission (I butchered it trying to put a GFS Retrotron in the neck. Those bodies are shallow. Don't worry though. My old man is a TV repairman. He has this ultimate set of tools. I can fix it.)

Love these. Perfect for a Bigsby B5 because it's already a top loader.

I have two of them.

One is now a black Esquire with a GFS Lil Puncher XL and a Bigsby clone. Love this guitar!

The other had been painted a lovely blue (also an Esquire) and is set up in open G.

Each one a little different for a different job.

Maybe I'll post pics... maybe not.

1 Butterscotch tele here.

$127 pretax price.

Once the obscene fret spout problems were addressed it is a cool guitar and a modders dream. :>}


Keystones installed with upgraded pots and switch. A real player and tone-ful for sure.

I like the maple board!

Wish the Squier standard had that. (Have 2 of those also.)

It's good to see this thread started. I have an Affinity I found for $100. As a former decal/ made in the USA snob, and Strat player, I never thought this would be such a player, but my Tele is amazing. The frets are at least as good as my '94 American Standard Strat, and the tone is WAY better. I have only periodically found the right combination of amp and guitar settings to make my strat right.... my $100 Tele does it every time, every time. I may sell my Strat for yet another Tele, but this Affinity is a decent guitar. I would prefer a beefier neck, and crisper neck pickup (the bridge PU is great out of the box) but that is about it. I think few serious players buy these because they are marketed a a student instrument. I thik it is a great sounding guitar.

I got one, it's in my avatar. I haven't modded mine, but I've been thinking of completely tossing all the electronics and putting some SDs in it. Also thought of putting in a Bigsby tonight as well.

My everyday player is an Affinity BSB Tele with OV pickups.

Ive posted this before, (I'm sure theres an Affinity Tele thread somewhere in this section) but here goes anyway.

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k7/andys_01/SquierBlackguard2.jpg

1998 Affinity. These had thicker bodies, were string thru and had hotter pickups. They also came with rosewood boards.

Mine has been "Esquired" plus I recently put three saddles on that bridge, as it is a tough job fitting an ashtray bridge to these Squiers. Oh and like all my guitars I widened the string spacing with a new nut.

Fun guitar!

Bought a butterscotch Affinity a while back to learn on.

I love this guitar!

It is very comfortable and easy to play. However, I'm so ignorant at this point, that I don't really know what I've missed by not starting with an expensive 'real' guitar. All I know is that the fit and finish of this guitar far exceeds the low price I paid for it.

Having said that, I also just bought a new American Standard Telecaster a couple of weeks ago, but am pretty much afraid to play it yet. In fact, I'm taking it in to be set up tomorrow because, to tell the truth, it doesn't feel as comfortable as the Squier.

The Squier rocks and squeeks and whistles, and grinds and grunts.

No issues with the frets, pots, pickups, etc. But the blade switch is definitely thin gauge and cheesy. I probably will replace it. I don't plan to replace anything else. I consider hum and buzz (not fret buzz) to be part of the rawness of the thing.

Sounds crazy, but as great as the American Standard may turn out to be, my Affinity will always take first place, because it's my first love - and will probably remain so.

Anyone else feel this way?

I recently acquired an Affinity Tele in a trade and love this thing. I wasn't too excited during the deal, I was more interested in the amp, but certainly wasn't going to turn down a guitar. I tore it completely down when I got it home, cleaned it, dressed the frets as the ends were horrible, tinted and polished the neck, and a fresh set of strings and a proper setup later, I had a great playing guitar.

From looking at what's available on the Squier site, it must be an arctic white, although it has a more creamy yellow tint to it than the pictures. I like the contrast with the white pickguard.

It's definitely a keeper and certainly gig-worthy. The neck pickup is pretty sad though so I ordered new pups for it last night. I wasn't going to swap the bridge pup but I got carried away while doing my shopping. I'll be replacing parts with...


GFS Reproduction Vintage Alnico Neck Pickup
GFS Reproduction 50's Alnico Boutique Bridge Pickup
CRL Switch
Switchcraft Jack
250k CTS Pots (1) Audio, (1) Linear
Orange Drop .022 Cap
Vintage style cloth wire


The only thing I had issue with was the neck pup, but I like electronics work and I'm sure there will be an improvement. The tuners work great, the nut is good, I like the bridge, but may swap the saddles at some point for ones that fit better...these have a slight gap and pull inward from string tension.

My only concern is the truss rod. I was able to adjust it when I did the setup, but you can tell the guy tried adjusting it with something other than the proper tool...he even said he couldn't find one to fit it. There was enough metal left to grab onto and make my adjustments, but it's pretty stripped. I hope it's a nut that I can find a replacement for and swap out in the future, and not a cheap one piece thing that will make the neck disposable down the line. It really is a great playing neck and I'd hate to part with it.

So that's my Affinity Tele...a true beauty in my eyes. :grin:

I take back my comment about the neck pup being sad. I spent some time with it tonight and dialed in some pretty good stuff. The others are already ordered so they'll be going in, but I could have left this stock.

Once the pickup select switch is replaced it's a pretty good little Tele. Got mine as part of a trade, and didn't really pay that much attention to it at first, but after plugging it in I'm a believer.

I may just swap the electronics when they come in and play it with the stock pups for a while. The new pups haven't even arrived yet and I was already missing the stock ones while I was playing tonight. They really are some good sounding pickups.

I've got one.

Here is a picture of what it looked like when I got it.
http://i334.photobucket.com/albums/m408/apolloguitars/Squier%20Tele/ebay001-1.jpg

And here it is after I made a few changes.
http://i334.photobucket.com/albums/m408/apolloguitars/Squier%20Tele/squier011.jpg

^^^ I see what you did there! :lol:

Very cool looking Affinity jkingma!

I've got an '07 butterscotch blonde that's stock with the exception of a set of Tex-Mex pickups out of a Road Worn Tele and a new three-way switch.

I want to replace the switch and pickups on my Butterscotch Blond Affinity Tele. I love this guitar but the pickups are pretty dead compared to my Fender American Standard (No, I am not a Fender decal snob - the Squire pickups just don't cut it.)

Again - I LOVE my Squire! Plays like a dream. That said...

I see the Fender noiseless and the cobalt samarians at GC - either kind cost about $100 retail. Are either of these a good choice? Or should I look for something better on eBay or the lists. Maybe even used?

I don't know anything about Texas Specials, and I'm not wanting Humbuckers. Is there maybe another brand of single coils besides the Fenders?

I'm a beginner and mostly play blues and rockabilly through a Fender Blues Jr. or Marshall MG30. That could be a factor.

Any opinions on this?

I want to replace the switch and pickups on my Butterscotch Blond Affinity Tele. I love this guitar but the pickups are pretty dead compared to my Fender American Standard (No, I am not a Fender decal snob - the Squire pickups just don't cut it.)

Again - I LOVE my Squire! Plays like a dream. That said...

I see the Fender noiseless and the cobalt samarians at GC - either kind cost about $100 retail. Are either of these a good choice? Or should I look for something better on eBay or the lists. Maybe even used?

I don't know anything about Texas Specials, and I'm not wanting Humbuckers. Is there maybe another brand of single coils besides the Fenders?

I'm a beginner and mostly play blues and rockabilly through a Fender Blues Jr. or Marshall MG30. That could be a factor.

Any opinions on this?

I have Tex-Mex pickups in my MIM Nashville Tele, and I think they are great for what you describe. I have heard others complain about them, but I love 'em. They give great grit, and nice cleans to me. I believe they are essentially a Fender Mexican made version of the Texas Specials that are used in some USA models. They should not be too pricey,less than a hundred... that's just a guess.

After much research on the issue of replacement pickups for my Affinity Tele, I decided to give the existing setup a second look.

I set up a comparison between the Affinity and the American Standard by playing each guitar side by side through a Peavey Basic 40 set to straight clean sound. Nice 15" speaker and no effects. Then I did the same with a Fender Blues Jr. on pretty full overdrive and the bright button on.

I played through all 3 pickup switch positions and adjusted each with the tone control in 3 approximate positions - down, middle turn, and full on. Not very scientific, but very revealing.

As a result, I discovered that the Affinity pickups were really quite good. I got a little noise, but they really got crisp on the highs and mellow on the lows. Compared to the American Standard, they were rawer, brighter, and definitely a little more 'rude'.

While the American Standard did everything I expected, it did sound a lot more refined and controlled than the Affinity.

Now, I've decided to leave things be for the time being. I would like to change out the blade switch though, as it is definitely cheap and flimsy.

I'm fairly new to playing and don't pretend to know very much, but I could really tell the difference between the two guitars and I think I like them both more than ever - each for what they are.

Once again, the Affinity comes off as a great little guitar! Like I said in an earlier post. I love to trash and twang on this guitar, so the pickups are perfect as they are for now.

well count me in here's my Affinity,stock for now but there's some pick-up and electronic on the way.
http://i887.photobucket.com/albums/ac73/flag72/Photo003.jpg
can't wait to play it after these mod.
Daniel

This started its life as a Butterscotch Affinity. I picked it up as a project guitar, before launching into several scratch builds. I wanted to break it apart and see for myself how guitars are put together, wiring, etc. The butterscotch was a rather odd color, so I sanded it down to take off the shine, and then my kids threw it around the garage for a little while. It's now my Open G/Keith Richards style guitar. Great player.

Has anybody done a mod on the Affinity Tele to change to top loading 3-barrel bridge?

Has anybody done a mod on the Affinity Tele to change to top loading 3-barrel bridge?

Hi Kingfish, that's exactly what I'm doing right now. I've got a Wilkinson compensated bridge, and I'm trying to figure out the best way to line out the measurements for it (I'm going to drill out for string-through). I've been doing some searching for tips on this site. As I'm not a blueprint-reader, I was considering getting my pickguard and control plate screwed on first, and then eyeballing and tape-measuring for evenness, using this closeup pic as a guide: http://www.guitarsandeffects.com/images/1BL52TELE.jpg
Have you had any luck in your quest?

P.S. Amending this, just noticed you're doing a toploader. Will your toploader have three screws or four?

Yo FatKnife:

I asked about this mod on the Squier Forum and got a great post that you can find at:

My big question is - where do you terminate the strings on a top mount? Using the 6 original holes on the bridge plate?

OOOPPS! Here's the link:

http://www.squier-talk.com/forum/showthread.php?p=2922#post2922

This started its life as a Butterscotch Affinity. I picked it up as a project guitar, before launching into several scratch builds. I wanted to break it apart and see for myself how guitars are put together, wiring, etc. The butterscotch was a rather odd color, so I sanded it down to take off the shine, and then my kids threw it around the garage for a little while. It's now my Open G/Keith Richards style guitar. Great player.

That turned out great Jkal. What did you use to tint the neck?

I picked up a butterscoth blonde at GC with damage to the jack really cheap. I Like it. Pickups are a little weak but can dial in some tones from them. I love the looks of it with the grain showing trough the paint. I got lucky as the 3 pices of wood match together really nice across the face and back of the guitar. This thing plays nice even though the neck is a little skinny. To me its worth it just to look at it next to my ash colored Strat. I've wasted c notes on way worse stuff than this.

Here's my Affinity converted to an Esquire. Bill Lawrence Keystone pickup, CTS pots, CRL switch, Switchcraft jack - switch wired with the Arlo West scheme. Neck treated with a bit of gunstock oil to take some of the "pale" off of it...

http://www.frontiernet.net/~rlsnuffy/affinity/esquire.jpg

I used lots of Tru Oil with a little amber dye to darken things up a bit. If I recall correctly, i threw some black coffee into one coat. Seemed to work.

Yeah, I was amazed at the difference just straight truoil made!

Tru Oil is cheap, easy to use, and produces a nice color. I've used it on a mahagony body as well; amazing result. For me, it's the best neck finish I've found; hard, fast and not tacky at all. After some use, I'll sand down the back of the neck very lightly to remove the grit that builds up.

Just got the Affinity BSB, my first tele. I have 2 strats, a Jimmie Vaughan and an Affinity. The Affinity strat plays and sounds great, so I didn't have any qualms about picking up another one.

However, I've always been a strat guy and actually used to hate teles. But I am absolutely loving this guitar. I know there are lots of changes I could make to it (I've swapped pickups in my strats 4 or 5 times), but it sounds so good I don't want to mess with anything!

I plan to leave it stock for the time being. Played it out for the first time this week, and it felt and sounded terrific. Love that middle pickup position!

Bob

I used to think I was a strat guy too until I bought my first tele. I have 2 now - and they both get way more play time that my poor strat does now... I know it's feeling lonely, but I can't help it...

Anybody know the output on the stock pickups on the Affinity tele?

Just curious. I love em.

Hi all, I have a theory which may be wrong but I think that CY serial numbers first four digits give the year then month of production. I can not find a CY where the third and fourth numbers indicate other than 01 ie January to 12 December. Does anyone have a CY serial number where the digits three and four could not be a month? Anyone got a 13? 22? 98? you get the picture.

I bought a BSB Affinity Tele a couple of years ago.
Did a few mods to it:
R&R bridge PU to a GFS Vintage 50
R&R neck PU to a Teisco Gold Foil
R&R pots to 250K CTS
R&R tone cap to 0.047uf/100v Westcap PIO
Really sweet little player, IMO.
Gave it away this Xmas to a better guitar player.....my 19 year-old daughter.


Steve

Has anybody done a mod on the Affinity Tele to change to top loading 3-barrel bridge?

If you look at mine above (Post #14) you'll see thats what I did.

If you look at mine above (Post #14) you'll see thats what I did.
Looks like you used the original bridge plate and drilled 3 more holes?

Looks like you used the original bridge plate and drilled 3 more holes?

If you google "Bubba Mod" you will see other examples...:smile:

Took my BSB to the local jam last week and played through my Pro Jr.

One of the local guitarists said he had never heard a tele sound so fat. I played on the bridge position a good part of the set. How bout that?

No one answered my question about pickup output, so I'll ask again -- anyone know what the output on the stock pickups is?

I was inspired to mod my BSB like Rob D. and others. It has new pick-ups and hardware and string-thru as well. Tinted the neck with re-ranch and put on a clear pickguard with black and gold paisley like I also found here at TDPRI. I love this guitar and I love TDPRI.

Just got back from GC, where I played the $1839 52 Reissue. I just wanted to see how it sounded and played. And it had a great neck and played fantastic. I wasn't so crazy about the noiseless pickups. But truthfully, it was definitely not 10 times as good as my Affinity, though it cost 10 times as much.

Not dissing anyone's choice -- if I could afford more than the Affinity, I'd probably get something else. But I love the way my Affinity plays and sounds, completely stock. Maybe someday I'll get new pickups, but for now, I'm loving that Affinity.

Hi all
me also was a strat lover, and just bought an affinity tele for curiosity....wonderfull, I want to play only this now, great tone, sound rock. I always hated the bridge strat pup, and now I'm only playing with it. The neck pup was quite "low" but after some use got a good sound, not like the strat, but I find it comfortable. Great neck. I just wanted to put GFS alnico fatbody both on the neck and bridge, but I'm not really sure. I like its sound and tone. I'm not really satisfied with the tone and volume pots, but I think I could easily change them. My biggest regret is about the bridge. I would like to have an ashtray one, but it looks impossible to find one which fits the modern sizes...I think I'll go for drilling this one and put 3 brass saddles.
Does someone has the GFS fatbody alnico on his tele? How do they sound?
ciao

Hello friends, very cool to come across this thread! In the past year, I have either bought or swapped for a Squier Classic Vibe 50's Strat; a Squier Duo-Sonic; a Squier Standard Telecaster; a Squier Telecaster Custom II; a Squier Bullet Strat; and a Squier Affinity Tele with the butterscotch finish. These are all really nice guitars, but as I have gone through that gear-evolution process that makes this so much fun, I have now made disposition of all except the Bullet Strat (on which I have recently had a graphite-based nut and string trees and Sperzel locking tuners installed), and the butterscotch Affinity Tele-- interestingly, they are the two models that I didn't pay hardly any attention to when I first set about considering a new and relatively inexpensive acquisition or two, because I figured they'd be carelessly made and "toy-like", but man was I wrong! The tuning stability afforded by the Sperzels on the Bullet is really nice, but there's something about that un-modified Affinity Tele that makes it my favorite of the bunch. Unplugged, it has such a crisp, loud, almost percussive, tone and voice, and the intonation and action are amazingly good (after tweaking little by little over the course of several evenings), the black nut is set really accurately, and the 1-milimeter reduction in fingerboard width just gives me a feeling that this guitar was custom-tailored to my slightly-smaller-than-average hands. I have gigged with it once recently, and plan to gig with it tonight, thru my Vox Pathfinder 15R, with my MXR Distortion III in between just to put a little sass into it. It's funny how I see so many parents getting their adolescent kids really expensive guitars to start with, when you can fork out maybe $179.00 and get one of these Affinitys. Everyone have a great weekend !!

I agree. It's a great guitar. Surprised more people don't have them, with the price/performance ratio. I haven't played my strats in 2 months since I got the Affinity.

Would the maple fingerboard and/or top-loading bridge have anything to do with the great unplugged resonance/jingle of the Affinity? Oh, also, I forgot to mention that the stock tuners on the Affinity seem just fine, if not necessarily the highest-grade! (The tuners on my Bullet Strat were honestly pretty lame, which is why I had the Sperzels put on.) Anyone have a black Affinity Tele? I'm wondering how they look in person. The butterscotch sure looks way better in person than in the photographs!

Not sure why the Affinity sounds so great unplugged. It's the first electric I've ever played that sounds that good acoustically.

I think the tuners are OK, but I have some binding on the top 3 strings. I've used chapstick on the nut, but I'm still getting it. Not sure what to do next. Maybe ask my tech if the nut needs some work.

But it's such a great guitar. And I seriously love the stock pickups. What's wrong with me?

Hahahahahaha!! Well, I think the stock pickups are pretty decent too !!
Last night's gig went well, but I have to confess, my Sperzeled-out Bullet Strat got the call for this one, simply because I'd not used it at a gig before. This was a three-set gig, and the tuning really stayed dead-on the whole night. I checked it with my tuner during our breaks, but it flat-out didn't need any adjustment! Very cool! And yes, birv2, I'd say let your tech guy have a look at that nut; it may just need a very small amount of tweaking.

Anyone have a black Affinity Tele? I'm wondering how they look in person. The butterscotch sure looks way better in person than in the photographs!

I have a black aff. and I like it very much.

Thanks, Lucait !! Actually, I just got the bug and ordered a "gently used" black Affinity Tele from a prominent online music store, discounted in price. It was apparently a returned item, and the store's online site said it's in basically new condition with the exception of a few cosmetic scratches on the face and the pickguard. I wouldn't be surprised if it arrived tomorrow or Thursday. And I'll look forward to giving you my impressions...

The used Affinity Tele arrived today! A black beauty indeed! I'm really diggin' the white pickguard too. This guitar was a customer return, for which I paid $144.00. She looks to be in solid shape, with some minor scratches, and a pretty nasty ding in the paint along the rearward bout area, but I'm going to love her just the same. Existing action and intonation seem to have been intelligently applied, though I'll enjoy tinkering with both over the weekend. The neck pickup is adjusted "way low" on the bass side of the strings, and "way high" on the treble side; is it very tricky getting in there and setting it to my own preference? Thanks, guys, I love this forum; it's an amazing wealth of information and insight. -Bill

I bought my affinity off of ebay for about a hundred bucks. It came with the already tinted neck and with the logo sanded off. I got some new tuners because two of em were busted. There was also a crack in the head of the neck that i had to get repaired, luckily the seller worked with me and did give me a partial refund. I am pleased with how it sounds and feels at the moment. I do plan on switching the bridge soon though, the saddles are alright but somewhat difficult to intonate. I'm looking into upgrading the electronics too..
I also purchased a vintage whammy that i have yet to put on. I know it wont work well with the existing bridge so maybe ill slap it on down the line.


http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd117/rg743/devlin/head.jpg

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd117/rg743/devlin/bod.jpg

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd117/rg743/devlin/bodwwhammy.jpg


I ordered these tonight to add a bit of mojo.
http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/yhst-50206111187217_2097_1216344


and started thinking about this..


http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/yhst-50206111187217_2097_1178461

+

http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/yhst-50206111187217_2096_8229822


Hmmm

Glad to see you guys got one of these great guitars. But don't say it too loud -- let's keep it our little secret. Prices will go up if we're not careful.

I'm planning on keeping mine stock. Sounds great as is.

I have an 09 Affinity BSB, and it's probably the best bang/$ I've spent on a guitar. Far better than you'd expect a guitar in that price range to be.

Curious though... I've not seen much talk about addressing the incessant buzzing caused by the lousy bridge saddles. Maybe you guys just got a lot luckier than me, but as much as I can find to LOVE about this guitar, I HATE the bridge saddles.

Not only do the saddles buzz constantly, but I've noticed that they actually change the pitch of the note when played on the upstroke compared to the downstroke.

Anyone else have this problem? Any suggestions?

Mine doesn't buzz at all. Have you had a tech look at yours?

Polar, those new volume & tone controls, and that new bridge, are dripping with mojo !! Now you've got MY "Hmmmmmmmmm..." glands workin' overtime !!

Tele-machus, I did find the saddles could move/buzz on my 09 BSB affinity. I took it to be caused by two things: 1. not enough down pressure on the saddles, 2. the saddles can be 'lifted' by the intonation screws hitting the strings.

I shimmed the neck (with pieces of aluminum cut from a soda can to the size recommended by Fender) so I could raise the height of the saddles. I raised the saddles until the height adjustment screws were not sticking out the top anymore (making palming more comfortable). This increased the downward pressure on the saddles significantly, resolving issue one. I had to move the saddles further forward to set the intonation since shimming moved the nut away from the bridge. This resolved issue two on all the strings except the low E, but its close enough that the buzzing has gone away.

So shimming may help you with your buzzing saddles. YMMV, as the way you attack the strings with a pick can effect things also. For example, I had no buzzing when I used finger picking.

I did this on my Affinity as well , and it helped get rid of the rattles. Ended up drilling 3 new holes in the back of the bridge , and installing 3 straight vintage saddles. This is by far the best solution for the problems with the bridge , IMO.
It looks a little goofy if you have to use longer screws for the saddles , I chose to plug the 5 holes in the body and re-drill them so the bridge plate could be moved closer to the neck.

birv, I'll admit I've not had my guitar-guru look at it yet. I was hoping this Affinity would be my chance to learn a few tech skills for myself. I'm positive the problem is with the buzzing saddles and not fret buzz. Just not sure what adjustment I should make and what I'd have to do to regain correct intonation. Still trying to figure out if this issue is over my head...

edwardb, I've suspected that my problems might be because there is not enough "down" pressure on the saddles. The most noticeable problem is with the saddle for the low E string. The A string saddle also buzzes, but I don't notice buzzing on the higher strings. I thought that maybe raising the saddle would do the trick, but looking at the screws, I'm not sure what tool I'd need to adjust the height. Sounds like you had a good solution to the problem. Unfortunately I can't really visualize what it would look like step by step. I don't suppose you have any pictures of the process? :razz: For the record, I do play mostly with a pick, and I've been known to occasionally play hard and break strings. Probably not doing myself any favors when it comes to saddle buzz.

viking, it sounds like you came up with a very creative solution. I'm almost convinced that I'm going to want to replace the saddles one way or another. I can chalk up my buzzing problem to my inexperience in adjusting the bridge, but it really bugs me that even the saddles that don't buzz still (slightly) change the pitch of the note depending on the upstroke or downstroke. Unless I'm missing something, those things have got to go! I'm curious if you have any pictures of your guitar with the 3 saddles before you repositioned the bridge plate. Curious too how involved it was to move bridge plate and pick-up closer to neck.

Also, once I do finally start making changes to the bridge, I'm going to be awfully tempted to drill and put the strings thru-body. Unfortunately, due to the Affinity's "irregular" proportions, I've not been able to find a good template for doing so. Any advice?

Also... As long as I'm changing the saddles and drilling for strings thru-body, would I be better off going with a new bridge altogether?

Well, I finally decided to stop whining about the saddles and do something about it. I raised the saddles as you guys suggested, and that seemed to do the trick. I was afraid I'd never be able to find the correct intonation again (on my own), but I think I've gotten it pretty close. MUCH better! I'd almost forgotten how much I loved this thing before it started buzzing on me!

I probably will eventually mod or trade out the bridge, but for now I'm happy enough. Still have issues with pitch, so the saddles will definitely go at some point. Viking, I'd still be interested in learning how you were able to judge the correct scale as you repositioned the bridge... Were you using some sort of template?

Played mine out at the jam last night through my Pro Jr. Got some nice compliments including the word "awesome". It's completely stock.

I had been looking at a thinline or something else, but I decided that my sound probably wouldn't be that much better.

I've decided to name the guitar "Shock and Awe". Because people are in shock when they find out what I'm playing. Seriously.

I've got a Butterscotch one, which is currently sat in my back room, in pieces, waiting to be sanded down.
Everything is stock, but eventually I want to replace the Pickups with DiMarzio Super Distortion T for the bridge and True Velvet T for the neck. That way I can get almost every sound I need out of it, while keeping my Ibanez for the heavier stuff.
Here is is before I took it apart:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1979200/DSCF4242.jpg

I'm also going to get a custom leather pickguard from layli.net (http://www.layli.net). After all this, I can't think of any more mods I want to do to it.:razz:

I have a BSB Affinity that I upgraded with GFS 50s pickups, and I replaced the switch. I've had it like this for a couple of years, and am now going to replace it part by part for custom parts, until I have the Affinity again, plus a spanking new custom Telecaster.

Hi............count me in, I`m in love with my Affinity.

Got it from a Trade and its a keeper now. The only thing is the color, I would like to sand it down but I don`t know how the wood looks under the red color.
Did someone sand down the color and have some pics?

Oh yeah, mine is from 2003 as you can the on the neck.

After playing my BSB for 3 months or so, I've decided to replace the neck pickup. What I think I need is something with more output and more top end. There is a big dropoff in both when I switch from the bridge to the neck, I've noticed.

Any suggestions? I'd like to get something not too expensive, like a GFS. I'm open to single coils and humbuckers.

For those of you searching this thread wondering if the Affinity is too good to be true, this post is for you.

Previous to my purchase I read this thread and felt like I was gambling on a long shot, despite the Affinity's near universal praise. The purpose of this post is to give a more detailed assessment of the instrument.

I first bought a bottom of the rung guitar, my first electric, in 1986. It was one of the first Epiphone SGs and it was Gibson's response to Japanese piracy. That guitar was made from crude plywood, it actually had biscuits embeded in the plywood to cover massive knots. The electronics were equally crude and the neck was too soft to accept .12s without developing a major bow. It cost $325 in 1986 dollars.

Fast forward nearly a quarter of a century...

But before we do, I know you want to know how much I paid for my Affinity. $151 in May, 2010. I waited until the very end of a holliday weekend that fell on the last day of my retailer's quarter. I managed to get a strap and a set of strings for free, too. My price point, less the goodies, is about $9 below the current going rate at this time 12/06. List is $179, aim for $160, with special circumstances, you can get them to $150.

Returning to Japanese piracy, my Affinity was made in response to Chinese piracy. But the comparisons to my old plywood SG end there. A modern day piracy fighter is not a cheapo guitar. The Affinity Tele is a very high quality instrument, especially in the wood department. The metal bits are functional, and I have not owned the instrument long enough to comment, with any authority, on the electronics--with some exceptions. See the bold electronics section, below.

The wood is amazing at this price point. My body is one piece, not a hidden- seam one piece, but an actual one piece--I've been going over this thing like Ken Starr on The Bubba. It's one single, solid piece of alder. There is no seam.

The body has two problems, however. For a tele, and a smaller than stock tele, it is heavy. Its "dipped in glass" finish likely has something to do with the exta weight. As for its smaller size, I haven't noticed it.

The neck is simple, but outstanding. Functionally, it's increadibly strong. I play .12s and immediately strung the instrument up with my prefered gauge. Three turns of the truss rod and 48hrs later I had a rock solid neck with a touch of relief.

Shape wise the neck is a bit of a compromise. It has a pleasant fullness in its shoulders, but it could use a bit of depth for the thumb. I would describe it as a fast C shape. It has useable, comfortable shoulders. It's a lot like a fatGibson -335 or SG neck with enhanced shoulders. It chords very comfortably and is very much second nature to play. It is firmly C shaped and has no hint of a V's peak anywhere. Compared to an Ibanez or other shredder's thin neck, there's a lot more wood to fill up your hand. It's a great neck, but perhaps a shade closer to Gibson than Fender's classic C. Again, this is not a V neck.

The fretboard is a touch rounder than a Gibson, a bit flatter than a Fender. Reasonable men can disagree on this point, but they'd both agree that it is comfortable.

By Fender standards, the string spacing feels a bit cramped for a Fender. My Heritage 535's Tune-o-Matic (Gibson 335's) string spacing is staggered for flat picking and shows a 12mm gap between the B and E strings. The Affinity shows 13mm, but oddly feels a touch cramped. I'm going to try to shim the saddles and hope to get a bit more flat picking space between the strings.

The frets are, again, somewhere between Gibson and Fender. They're certainly not Gibson wide, but they aren't Fender tall, and certainly not sharp tipped. They are comfortable, though. Smooth and nicely finished. No use for sandpaper.

The nut is black nylon. I'm loath to step into this hornet's nest, but with a dab of chapstick it has been incident free for me.

Speaking of reasonable men disagreeing, let's turn to the bridge. It's a top loader, which may disqualify this guitar's Telecaster credentials in some readers' minds. If that is an issue to you, Google "Bubba Mod+Telecaster." Nope, I've only had it for two weeks. I'll likely do it though, just to see.

The stock bridge is okay. Again, it is a top loader. Like an MIA standard there's no vestigial ridge on the side of the bridge to accept an ashtray that nobody uses, so there's no worry about the Tele welt if you palm mute with gusto. Better yet, you have full controll over each string's height and intonation. The bridge is simply and quickly adjusted. Now for the bad news. Like the traditional 3-barrel bridge, the Affinity's bridge relies on screws for elevation changes. Once I set up my guitar this resulted in palm muting the heel of my hand onto 12 little spikes. I grew out of it, but it wasn't pleasant.

Finally, the tuning machines do have a bit of lateral slop in them while unstrung. They are not the vault-like mechanisms that Grover makes. But it's worth reminding ourselves that we're discussing a bottom of the rung guitar, the absolute cheapest Tele that money can buy. Again, the instrument amazes. Although there has been some complaint about the tuners, my examples have been rock solid while pitted against some rather stout .12 foes. Yes, they lose their tune over night, but it's worth remembering that we're discussing a Tele, not a Steinberg. Having to tune each day, much less between each song, has never been an issue to me.

Electronics:As others have mentioned, the 3-way sucks. It has very little positive engagement between each position. I'm willing to wait and see on the rest of the guitar, but the 3-way needs to die, now.

The nobs are okay. They're obviously not top drawer parts, but they serve their purpose and are comfortable and easy to use. Utility aside, they're ugly because they're a bit too small and have a very fine knurl pattern. I'll replace them along with the swich, to save on postage.

The pots are okay. They have a huge amount of throw in them, which I guess is popular these days, but I prefer something a big more logarithmic.

That leaves us with the pickups. I'm running out of gas and I'm sure that you are too. Let's leave it at this: it will not be mistaken for anything other than a Telecaster. Even with the stock electronics, it sounds pretty good. Time will tell, however. I'm not smart enough to discuss the subtleties of the bridge hole, but I am fond of the neck pickup. It has a lovely hollow, woody sound.

Phewwwww! Finally I'm done!

I wrote this long post because I think that the Affinity is easily the best bang for the buck on the new guitar market. I used to be very skeptical about this guitar, I hope that my experience has diminished some of your apprehension.

The Affinity is a quality instrument. Think about it for second, to ward off piracy, it must be high quality.

Heritage -- thanks for that incredibly detailed review! Bottom line is what the rest of us know -- it's a great guitar for the price. Actually, it's just a very good guitar regardless of price.

My only disagreement would be about the neck pickup. I found it too dark and underpowered and I'm replacing it with a Nocaster neck pickup. I'm also having the guitar wired with a 4-way switch. But it's a terrific guitar, and I'm sure many would be happy with it w/o modding it. Thanks again for your informative review.

Heritage -- thanks for that incredibly detailed review! Bottom line is what the rest of us know -- it's a great guitar for the price. Actually, it's just a very good guitar regardless of price.

My only disagreement would be about the neck pickup. I found it too dark and underpowered and I'm replacing it with a Nocaster neck pickup. I'm also having the guitar wired with a 4-way switch. But it's a terrific guitar, and I'm sure many would be happy with it w/o modding it. Thanks again for your informative review.

Thank you for the kind words. They are appreciated.

Regarding the neck pickup, reasonable gentlemen can reasonably disagree over this point. Personally, I pull all my neck pups down until they're fat, round, and jazzy. Power, until you raised the issue, wasn't something that I even thought about. But you do raise a solid, creadible point. I'm glad that you raised the issue, it would have escaped me.

I currently have three gigs on the Affinity and the switch is indeed a growing problem. I'm a fan of its lightness and lack of notchiness, but I despise its lack of solid gates. It requires replacement.

I picked up a scutterbotch one for cheap at a garage sale last year. Pretty darn nice guitar (after a bit of tweaking and a set up) as is. Dropped new 250K pots, new 3 way switch and a .033 cap in it along with a vintage wind Zhangliqun neck pup and a GFS
60's Repro bridge pup. Whoa Nellie!!! I could have lived on the neck pup alone.....killer, killer fat, rich bluesy tone. The bridge pup was a real surprise too. I'd tried a few GFS tele bridge pups and pretty much yanked em.....just could not find useable tones for my needs. The 60's Repro fit well with that guitar and I found a wealth of great tones with it.

Stuck it on craigslist and quickly trippled the money I had into it. Sold it to a working musician who fell in love with the thang as soon as he plugged it in. He is using it as a dedicated slide guitar.

As I said, great little geetars as is, but with a few upgrades, I'd have no qualms about gigging with one. I'd enjoy finding another cheap one to gussy up again.

UPDATE -- I replaced the stock pickup with a Nocaster pickup and then had the 4-way switch put in. Still too early to make a seasoned judgment, and I haven't had the chance yet to play it in a live situation.

I feel like I got a new guitar. Much more treble and oomph. Which was what I wanted. Also, my tech said he found the treble bleed cap had not been connected, so that may account for more treble. Before this, it sounded very middy even with the treble all the way up on my amp and my guitar. Now it sounds like a normal bright tele. So far, I'm loving that new switch position, which gives it some humbucker feel.

On a cosmetic note, the tophat switch tip wouldn't fit on the 4-way switch tip. I looked in my parts bin and found a black strat switch tip which fit. I love the look too!

Good to know, Birv2

I think I'm also leaning toward a pup swap, but I'm loath to give up the neck's lovely hollow tone. The neck hole on this tele is a bit of an odd man out, I agree. While we differ on our assessment of its tone, the lack of power is starting to show itslef as a functional issue. Between the switch, the honest but backasswardly ramped pots, and the asymetrical pups, you really do need to use a volume pedal to tame the beast. You quickly run out of fingers, otherwise. Or talent, I'll gladly concede :)

Having dropped, lifted, and shimmed the stock pups, it's difficult to find a nice natural sounding balance between the two pups. It might be there, but it's a snipe hunt, currently. Most annoyingly, if I get the neck where it needs to be, I pick up a lot of "clicks" against the pup cover from my fingers clicking against the metal--a metal pup cover, on this cheap guitar?! I had assumed it was plastic until I raised it high enough to hear the clicks, what a guitar! Aggrandizement for our respective axes aside, the clicks seem to agree with your "lack of power" assessment.

At the end of the day, the neck simply can't get high enough.

Whereas beefing up the neck worked for you, I'm thiking about powering down the bridge. A less high strung bridge, I think, might be the answer. Yeah, I really do like the stock neck's tone--reasonable gentlemen, once again ;) If nothing else, it gives me a chance to wind a pup with a discrete objective in mind. Should be fun :)

I'll likely replace the volume pot and the nobs before I do that. I'm a cheap incrementalist. Personally, I dig the slow asymetrical tone pot.

Thank you for keeping me up to date with your mod, I'll be sure to do the same. Understand, however, that I'm not a fast mover on such things.

I would say I still have the hollow, bassy jazz tone in the neck pickup. It's still softer than the other positions, but I find the added power and brightness make it more useable than the stock pickup. What I'm really digging is that new position on the 4-way -- the 2 pickups out of phase. Some humbuckery sounds there.

As you say, intelligent people can disagree. And we're all chasing the tone we hear inside our heads and have different rigs, so... what's important is we find what works for us. I'm happy with this change in my affinity.

I would say I still have the hollow, bassy jazz tone in the neck pickup. It's still softer than the other positions, but I find the added power and brightness make it more useable than the stock pickup. What I'm really digging is that new position on the 4-way -- the 2 pickups out of phase. Some humbuckery sounds there.

As you say, intelligent people can disagree. And we're all chasing the tone we hear inside our heads and have different rigs, so... what's important is we find what works for us. I'm happy with this change in my affinity.

That's good to hear. How much are you having to roll back the neck tone pot to get back to the stock pup's neighborhood? Or is that even necessary?

I'm certainly inching in your direction regarding the 4-way. That seems so increadibly useful, like bread that comes pre-sliced.

Thanks again for your time, birv2 :razz:

My current and only Tele....

Bought at Kennelly Keys music for $184 in February of 2007. Pretty much all stock save for the wax potting on the pickups and the addition of proper electrical sheilding inside the cavities.

http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/6/l_ecd52d4b36924df9840ff25f2c7e7f93.jpg

I saw a video on you tube where a guy demo'd his BSB affinity and it sounded awesome but i can't find it now. He said (or the title said)"you don't have to have an expensive guitar to sound good. has anyone seen it. It was late one night and i can't remember where i saw it,maybe on here. He said he had been using it exclusively for a couple years. best demo i have seen of a BSB affinity.

How much are you having to roll back the neck tone pot to get back to the stock pup's neighborhood? Or is that even necessary?

I'm certainly inching in your direction regarding the 4-way. That seems so increadibly useful, like bread that comes pre-sliced.

Thanks again for your time, birv2 :razz:

I don't have to roll back the tone at all on the neck pickup. It's still the darkest of the positions, though it's much brighter than the stock one.

I haven't played the guitar live since I made these changes. I'll be interested to hear how that 4th position works. I like it so far, but we all know how things that sound amazing at home can sound less than amazing live. I'll report back next week after the jam.

http://i532.photobucket.com/albums/ee324/chesterburger/Paisleys/SquierpaisleyBigsbyedpieni.jpg

Paislied, equipped with a Wilkinson bucker as neck pup, wired out of phase with the original bridge pup. Otherwise original electronics.

Cheap Bigsby copy, notched cheap vintage bridge with three barrel saddles. Pearloid pickguard.

My current and only Tele....

Bought at Kennelly Keys music for $184 in February of 2007. Pretty much all stock save for the wax potting on the pickups and the addition of proper electrical sheilding inside the cavities.

http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/6/l_ecd52d4b36924df9840ff25f2c7e7f93.jpg

That's a very pretty piece of wood, Mike. Lovely guitar.

I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on the merits of potting the stock pups.

http://i532.photobucket.com/albums/ee324/chesterburger/Paisleys/SquierpaisleyBigsbyedpieni.jpg

Paislied, equipped with a Wilkinson bucker as neck pup, wired out of phase with the original bridge pup. Otherwise original electronics.

Cheap Bigsby copy, notched cheap vintage bridge with three barrel saddles. Pearloid pickguard.

WOW! Flawless workmanship, that's a lovely mod.

I get the feeling that you bought a top loader to do exactly that mod?

Suggestion for controlling string spacing.

Since my Affinity has arrived, I've struggled with its string spacing. Oddly, it has the widest string spacing of all my guitars, but it has never felt wide enough for comfortable claw and chicken pickin'. I keep hanging up on the bass string above my target string.

Like you, I have a score of old, used picks that I can't seem to throw away. Looked at another way, these are precisely measured shims. Yes, thereis a reason for hanging onto those old picks. No they aren't picks anymore, but they can be made into saddle shims.

Use your millimeter-graduated picks to establish precise shims between you saddles. Cut them to shape, and once you're comfortable with the increased gap, glue them in using a thin solution of white glue and water--very sparingly.

Friction alone should keep them in place, but I'm more comfortable with a bit of dilute white glue.

I don't have to roll back the tone at all on the neck pickup. It's still the darkest of the positions, though it's much brighter than the stock one.

I haven't played the guitar live since I made these changes. I'll be interested to hear how that 4th position works. I like it so far, but we all know how things that sound amazing at home can sound less than amazing live. I'll report back next week after the jam.

Boy, tell me about it :) If I had a buck for everytime something that sounded good at home...

I often wonder why I spend so much time fiddling with the little things when I know damned well that the reliable tone that I'll take the stage with is a tyrannay of processors. Besides, when exactly did "tone" ever get a booty shaking?

Regardless of how it performs, you've sold me on the 4-way, it's already in the mail. The mod makes sense, it's up to us to figure out what to do with it.

Again, thanks for your time and help :)

I picked up a 2003 BSB Affinity
from Craigslist for $50 on Sunday.

I was very surprised by how good the
bridge pickup sounds & i think i love it.

The neck pup, as many others have noted here, is weak
& lifeless & the 3-way switch is definitely a hunk o' junk.

Those are easy fixes though.

The 3-piece body is not the nicest match i've ever seen but the
sound of this guitar on the bridge pup more than makes up for it.

I like the neck on this thing very much too.

It took me a second to get used to it after only playing one of
my Strats for the past couple of months but it feels great now.

I've got 4 Affinity Strats that all have their own
personalities & i love every one of them to death.

Those guitars & a CV 50's Strat completely changed
my mind about Squiers & made me a fervent believer.

I'm a card carrying member of Club Affinity, for sure.

Come on you folks I've made a review entry.
May I have your votes please:?:

http://www.tdpri.com/reviewpost/showproduct.php/product/252/title/squier-affinity-telecaster-special/cat/21

UPDATE ON MODS -- I recently had a Nocaster neck pickup put in, along with a 4-way switch, and the treble bleed mod. I had not had the chance to play out till tonight, when I played at a jam at Warmdaddy's, a great live music and southern food venue in Philly.

The guitar sounded good to me and evidently sounded pretty good out front, too. I only used the 2 middle pickup positions, series and parallel. Truthfully, while fronting the set and singing, I kinda lost track of listening to my guitar. But what I heard sounded good. Of course, it also helped that I got to play through a Super Reverb!

Score another one for the Affinity BSB!

Hiya friends

I have owned 2 Affinity's in my time (4 if you count 2 Affinity strats also). My first one was a black 2001, and was my first 'good' guitar. The problem with it was that I totally HATED the black and white colour scheme, so I went out and bought a brand new CAR (sorry, 'Metallic Red') Affinity, swapped the neck (I'm totally in love with the 2001 neck) and sold the black one. Here's a pic of the black one:

The pics were purely to add a bit of colour. I'm not a chronic sticker-man.
http://i464.photobucket.com/albums/rr8/jayrobb_9/tele-002.jpg

The 2009 was kept as a Tele for a while, but has recently been Esquire'd, with a mint green GFS pickguard, and a Fender pickup, the kind that is used in the current Fender Esquires. Here's a pic of the finished guitar:

http://i464.photobucket.com/albums/rr8/jayrobb_9/DSC00217.jpg

There is a lot more history to both of the guitars, but this is the brief version.

UPDATE ON MODS -- I recently had a Nocaster neck pickup put in, along with a 4-way switch, and the treble bleed mod. I had not had the chance to play out till tonight, when I played at a jam at Warmdaddy's, a great live music and southern food venue in Philly.

The guitar sounded good to me and evidently sounded pretty good out front, too. I only used the 2 middle pickup positions, series and parallel. Truthfully, while fronting the set and singing, I kinda lost track of listening to my guitar. But what I heard sounded good. Of course, it also helped that I got to play through a Super Reverb!

Score another one for the Affinity BSB!

Boy, you don't mess around do you? ;)

I like that spirit, but I'm more of an incrementalist.

I currently have my 4-way sitting on the workbench while I fret about what I might be losing. Mostly I'm laying down a bunch of tracks so I can A/B the hell out of the mod.

I think the mod that I'm currently most serious about is the nut. I finally realized just how much wasted space is under the cut for my high E and I'm flat out eager to cut a nut that makes better use of the fretboard. Nothing against the stock nut, though. With the obligatory dab of chapstick, it has been agreeably smooth and reliable. Moreover it recieved .12s without much fuss at all. It was a good material, properly installed. I'm just looking for more space on the board.

Come on you folks I've made a review entry.
May I have your votes please:?:

http://www.tdpri.com/reviewpost/showproduct.php/product/252/title/squier-affinity-telecaster-special/cat/21

Great idea! Give me a week or so and you'll have an entry. The world doesn't need another one of these: "Dude, it sounds great and even my teacher thinks it wails you shud totaly get one as soon as you can. It rawks so hard it actually killed my hampster, I'm totally not making that up."

I'm also not much of a sticker guy, Rob. Good of you to show the instrument, though.

That's a lovely Esquire job and a very pretty finish. Would you care to expand upon the differences between the '01 neck that you love and the more current examples? It sounds like it might be a great cheap upgrade option. I'd be especially interested in knowing if the older neck has bigger shoulders to it.

Boy, you don't mess around do you? ;)

I like that spirit, but I'm more of an incrementalist.

I currently have my 4-way sitting on the workbench while I fret about what I might be losing. . Moreover it recieved .12s without much fuss at all. It was a good material, properly installed. I'm just looking for more space on the board.

Well, it's kinda like surgery -- as long as we've cut the patient open, we might as well do these little tweaks too.

Played last night at the jam and it sounded great -- my fave position, pickups in parallel (or is it series?). Bright and clear, but not obnoxiously trebly. So far I haven't used the new position much, but it's kinda held in reserve for when I need that little extra rockin oomph.

My tech told me that he wasn't sure the Affinity would hold up well with 11's, so I'm staying at 10's. 12's -- you're a brave man with strong fingers.

My only complaint with the Affinity is the string spacing, which is a bit cramped. Would a different nut help with that, or is that just the size of the fretboard?

I'm also not much of a sticker guy, Rob. Good of you to show the instrument, though.

That's a lovely Esquire job and a very pretty finish. Would you care to expand upon the differences between the '01 neck that you love and the more current examples? It sounds like it might be a great cheap upgrade option. I'd be especially interested in knowing if the older neck has bigger shoulders to it.

Thanks for the curiousity :-)

The pic of 'Bandit' was actually when the stickers were at a VERY tame point. At one stage it was adorned with pretty much the entire Justice League. I'm not a fan of Justice League, it's just that the were the nicest stickers.

As for the differences in the neck, there really are plenty! The frets on the 2001 are MUCH lower than those on the 2009. I'm not sure if this is due to wear (I bought the guitar secondhand) or how they were made. But the frets are rather low and flat, so if I had to guess, I would guess wear.

The 2001 also has a gloss finish to it. Not a heavy gloss, but what I would describe as a light gloss. The 2009 had a satin finish. I have nothing against satin finishes, and would choose it over a heavy gloss any day of the week, but the 2001 feels right. The age of the neck was important too, the 2001 is more aged and just looks better.

However, I'm not sure what you mean by 'shoulders'. I'm not familiar with the term. Care to elaborate so I can give a good answer? :-)

I haven't been following this thread, so I apologize in advance if this aspect has already been covered/discussed.

Do any of you use one of these guitars as a travel guitar? Something to take on vacations, or when flying? I have a couple of Logan Custom Teles that I just would not risk with any airline. I'm thinking that one of these Squiers are so affordable that I wouldn't be heartbroken if it were damaged in transit.

Here's a 2000 Affinity I got in a trade for a 30 yr old compound bow I haven't used in about 20 years.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v88/yz250f49/Guitar/RedTele1.jpg?t=1280187655

I added a Graph-Tech nut, GFS Gotoh style tuners, Repro Vintage Alnico neck and a Repro 1950'S Alnico Boutique Bridge pup and a 1952 Style Single Ply Telecaster Pickguard.
I adjusted the action down and it plays great. My only issue is the tiny nut width. I sometimes seem to inadvertently mute the lower strings when playing open chords like D unless my fingers are perfectly placed. Othen than that, this is usually the first guitar I pull off the rack when I'm noodling while watching TV.

(Apologies for crappy pics...)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v88/yz250f49/Guitar/RedTeleafter.jpg?t=1280188087

I haven't been following this thread, so I apologize in advance if this aspect has already been covered/discussed.

Do any of you use one of these guitars as a travel guitar? Something to take on vacations, or when flying? I have a couple of Logan Custom Teles that I just would not risk with any airline. I'm thinking that one of these Squiers are so affordable that I wouldn't be heartbroken if it were damaged in transit.

Certainly. For the price of a stomp box you get a fairly decent guitar, if that's not a fair price for an effective travel guitar, I don't know what is.

That's a very pretty piece of wood, Mike. Lovely guitar.

I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on the merits of potting the stock pups.

Thankies. That guitar is probably the most Stock Squier I've ever owned, and yes, I picked it off the rack to try out initially because it had a beautiful grain on it, and the pickups sound great, plus the guitar came off the rack better setup than some of the more expensive Tele's on the rack.

On wax potting the stock pickups, I use a Revlon wax bath mom bought me a long long time ago for that purpose because it's "safer than a double boiler is", so I used that and it turned out perfect for the neck. The bridge pickup does not squeal much anymore either so I suspect my bridge plate is what's feeding back...so I'm doing to dampen it with adhesive foam like someone here suggested back when I lurked.

Certainly. For the price of a stomp box you get a fairly decent guitar, if that's not a fair price for an effective travel guitar, I don't know what is.

That's an excellent point. Even if it gets lost or broken, you are not out much $$$.

\
My tech told me that he wasn't sure the Affinity would hold up well with 11's, so I'm staying at 10's. 12's -- you're a brave man with strong fingers

I would suggest getting a new tech, preferably yourself.

Maple necks have a strong reputation for being Gibralter-like in their solidity. So much so that, out of the box, I strung my Affinity with .12s and cranked the truss to make it right--without a care in the world.


Maple necks really are that strong. And this is why you likely want to be your own tech...

Thankies. That guitar is probably the most Stock Squier I've ever owned, and yes, I picked it off the rack to try out initially because it had a beautiful grain on it, and the pickups sound great, plus the guitar came off the rack better setup than some of the more expensive Tele's on the rack.

On wax potting the stock pickups, I use a Revlon wax bath mom bought me a long long time ago for that purpose because it's "safer than a double boiler is", so I used that and it turned out perfect for the neck. The bridge pickup does not squeal much anymore either so I suspect my bridge plate is what's feeding back...so I'm doing to dampen it with adhesive foam like someone here suggested back when I lurked.

Good for you.

Let us know how the waxpotting goes.

Robo, stickers happen!

I used to let out my guitar to local artists...

You wouldn't believe what came back.

Believe me, I think we are acquainted when it comes to embarassment.


As for "shoulders," its more of a Gibson term, it was careless of me to use the term. In Gibson terms it relates to a deeper cut, a big C or Nocaster cut vs. a shallow shredder cut.

Certainly. For the price of a stomp box you get a fairly decent guitar, if that's not a fair price for an effective travel guitar, I don't know what is.

Thanks. So I take it then that you deem this a "fairly decent guitar" that at the same time is your travel guitar.

That's an excellent point. Even if it gets lost or broken, you are not out much $$$.

Yeah, that's just what I was thinking when I posted my question.

Robo, stickers happen!

I used to let out my guitar to local artists...

You wouldn't believe what came back.

Believe me, I think we are acquainted when it comes to embarassment.


As for "shoulders," its more of a Gibson term, it was careless of me to use the term. In Gibson terms it relates to a deeper cut, a big C or Nocaster cut vs. a shallow shredder cut.


Ahhh. Talking about the 2001 neck, I would say the neck profile is very thin, but not as thin as say the current Affinity Strat necks, which I would put in the EXTREMELY thin category.

Thanks. So I take it then that you deem this a "fairly decent guitar" that at the same time is your travel guitar.


Given the price point and the quality of the instrument, I see no paradox in my statement.

The thing costs ~150 bucks, if that isn't travel guitar territory, I'm not sure what is. Regarding the quality of the instrument, I'm sure you're familiar with the rest of the thread.

A travel guitar doesn't, by definition, need to be a beater.

Haven't checked back in for a while. Heritage, I don't know if I'm picking up on or reading into your reply, but I'm hearing a tone of defensiveness. No offense intended. I'm not trying to challenge your assessment of the Affinity's value and/or quality. I was just thinking of the Affinity along new (to me) lines. I was kind of going over in my mind what I would do for a travel Tele: used or new, SX/Rondo or Affinity, CV Tele, etc.

New to learning guitar, new to the forum...new to the club?

New to learning guitar, new to the forum...new to the club?

Nice gear, wait a day and I'll show you my gear:lol:

New to learning guitar, new to the forum...new to the club?

Nice. Looks very similar to my 2001 Affinity...

Nice gear, wait a day and I'll show you my gear:lol:


:shock:

I have been pretty impressed with all the Affinities I've played. For a time, I owned an Affinity P-bass that was really nice and thumpy and playable.

I've come real close to scoring a BSB or white Affinity Tele, but I'm just not crazy about the necks. Also, I know it's quibbling, but I don't like the fact they are 5mm thinnner.

Yesterday I played a couple of Affinity Strats that I was quite taken with (I'm generally a Tele man, but have been wanting a cheap Strat to play surfy/spaghetti western/spy flick music on...I would love to get the new Squier CAR Tele with Bigsby they have at GC, but I can't afford one.

Anyway, one of the Affinity Strats was quite interesting...CAR finish with matching headstock and stock pearloid pickguard. It was quite a looker although someone had tried to use nail polish to make the pup covers and vol/tone knobs match the CAR finish.

PH, how did you get into my house to take that picture?
:shock:

PH, how did you get into my house to take that picture?
:shock:

took a plane to New York City Looked around for a BSB / VCXD combination and thought, Oh my my gosh:oops: NC isn't New York City. Went to a library and searched for NC which seemed to be North Carolina. Booked a plane to the City of Oaks, greeted mr. Pope. Sneaked in your house through the back-door (realy strange American habits leaving always their door open!) and took a picture. In the meantime I also carried a red drawer during my search for the holy double grail:lol::lol::lol:

ive just got a class ic vibe tele and it;s the first one that
















iv;e had a butterscotch affinity for ten years it;s a reacher , just real tele sounds at that price point it;s crazy. some say the bridge pick up is icy but hell a lot of tele's are like that even expensive ones , roll the tone off , that;s what it;s for .. i preferred it to a lite ash with seymour duncans , and a mexican , however the classic vibe i just bought does seem like a step up but only cos that is such an amazing guitar . you could give somone an affinity and say" there you go it,t;s a tele " .. it is annall . will post a pic later it;s pretty beat up now . which is good .

I have a blue one, with white pick guard. But i think i'll change it to an black pg. I specialy love the neck, it fits my hands so perfectly.

they have really comfy necks , the stock pick ups are sound the neck is sweet i think ,but i just got a 62 reissue bridge to put in it so i'm not sure what that will be like ? sound and tone is such a tricky subject . so much is the amp n the player . but one things for sure tha affinty tele is a great guitar and far better than it's price would suggest !. they have character.

they have really comfy necks , the stock pick ups are sound the neck is sweet i think ,but i just got a 62 reissue bridge to put in it so i'm not sure what that will be like ? sound and tone is such a tricky subject . so much is the amp n the player . but one things for sure tha affinty tele is a great guitar and far better than it's price would suggest !. they have character.
I've got both '62 pickups in my BSB and I'm still not sure if the bridge pick up is a keeper, the neck pick up is awsome

I've got both '62 pickups in my BSB and I'm still not sure if the bridge pick up is a keeper, the neck pick up is awsome
you could have said the bridge is a killer . damn.... i was hopin it would be a noticeable improvement but those affinity pick ups are criminally under rated anyways we'll see / i might really like it . what was lackin do you reckon in the 62 bridge .???

you could have said the bridge is a killer . damn.... i was hopin it would be a noticeable improvement but those affinity pick ups are criminally under rated anyways we'll see / i might really like it . what was lackin do you reckon in the 62 bridge .???

Ice Picky, still searching for the right bridge pu height, Got a 4way switch and both pickups parallel and in series sound great.

I finally got around to putting the 4-way mod kit into my 2010 Butterscotch and it was money very well spent, in my estimation. I'll first describe the kit and installation, then describe the metric to English hurdles involved in the installation. In a following post, I'll briefly describe the outcome of the mod.

I appologize for the lengthy nature of this post. My aim is to leave a detailed description of the procedure for Affinity owners that search this thread. Hopefully this post will encourage them to roll their sleeves up and dig in.

As this was my first 4-way mod, I opted to use a kit from Guitar Parts Resource, here's a link to their Telecaster electronics kit page: http://www.guitarpartsresource.com/electrical_kitstele.htm

The GPR kit had the same 250K CTS pots, Grigsby switch, Switchcraft jack, and quality wire as the other available kits. GPR's kit was ten-twenty bucks cheaper than the other options, so that decided the issue. With a mind toward reviewing the kit, I opted to use the kit's wire rather than my own. I used less than 10% of the wire provided. The provided wire is wrapped, not solid, so you will need to take a moment to tin your tips.

The kit's instructions were clear and offered no obstacle to an easy installation. I cross-checked the kit's instructions vs. online schematics for 4-way mods and discovered that there is a difference of opionion regarding the necessity of placing a second grounding wire on your bridge pickup. I opted to leave the mod as simple as possible, thereby leaving the oportunity to critically review the grounding issue at a later date.

The Metric to English incompatibilities of the kit effectively divided the project into two nights' work. On the first night I identified and affixed tags to the pup wires and also labeled the ground wire. Next, I severed the pup wires from the control plate, removed the jack assembly, and disassembled the control components. Test fitting the new solid shaft CTS pots raised the first English/Metric issue. The control plate is sized for metric shafts and its holes are subsequently too small for CTS' 1/4" solid shafts. Likewise, the holes for the switch's mounting screws are undersized. Filing out the pot holes with a stock bastard file and doing the same to the switch holes with a chainsaw file took about a half hour's work. Elapsed time for the first night, roughly 60-90 mins.

The second night goes much more quickly. With the pots and switch fitted, it's a simple soldering exercise, I was playing the guitar within an hour...sans knobs. That's the last English/Metric trick. Your old metric knobs are too small to fit the CTS pots. If you're going to do this project, budget an extra $10 for new 1/4" knobs.

I priced the cost of the files to arrive at a Real Cost of the Mod:

Kit: $30.00 + $5 shipping.

Files: 1 bastard, $4; 1 chainsaw, $6.

Replacement knobs: $10-12 + shipping (?).

Total: $55-60.

I'm thinking of replacing the tuners on my BSB. It's a great guitar, but it does seem to lose tune more often than my other Squier tele (MIK). I want to have really stable tuning.

Any suggestions?

I don't own a tele but have a nice affinity strat.
The thing I like most about it is that it's good enough for me to really enjoy playing but still cheap enough for my son to play with without worrying about him damaging it.

Hi all,

New to the club as well. I have been gassing for a Tele for quite a while. I was going to pick up a brand new Affinity to play around with but I ended up finding this locally yesterday. It's a 2004 BSB that the guy I bought it from just had a set of Fender Noiseless pickups installed. This thing sounds fantastic. I was thinking of doing a string through mod but for now i am just gonna play this baby!
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r136/md5058/DSCN1344_1024x768.jpg
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r136/md5058/DSCN1345_1024x768.jpg
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r136/md5058/DSCN1346_1024x768.jpg

I'm thinking of replacing the tuners on my BSB. It's a great guitar, but it does seem to lose tune more often than my other Squier tele (MIK). I want to have really stable tuning.

Any suggestions?

Funny you should mention that birv, while gathering my thoughts for the above and following posts it occurred to me that this is the only guitar that I've ever owned that didn't require a file's attention at the nut (what little nut there is--phew!). I use .12s, so a bit of nut filing isn't unknown to me, and I must say that this guitar has been remarkably stable.

I use .12s because I have huge, strong hands and .12s give me better control over my vibratos and bends. Consequently, my saddles, nut and tuning machines are all exposed to larger than normal stresses because of my gigantic meat hooks.

Invariably the nut is the problem. I own several garbage guitars with rubish tuning machines, but once you get the nut sorted those rubish machines are Ft. Knox-like. I strongly doubt that you need new machines. My machines feel a lot like Grovers--and seeing as they're PRC manufactured, there's reason to suspect that they are, minus the trade name. Suffice it to say, they're very solid.

Before you grab a file, much less a new set of machines, are you lubing your nut? Chapstick works great for me. Others prefer dedicated products.

I'd look after your nut first and foremost. Until that is sorted you really don't know what the problem is.


Edit: I'll tackle the tone aspect of the 4-way this weekend.

Invariably the nut is the problem. I own several garbage guitars with rubish tuning machines, but once you get the nut sorted those rubish machines are Ft. Knox-like. I strongly doubt that you need new machines. My machines feel a lot like Grovers--and seeing as they're PRC manufactured, there's reason to suspect that they are, minus the trade name. Suffice it to say, they're very solid.

Before you grab a file, much less a new set of machines, are you lubing your nut? Chapstick works great for me. Others prefer dedicated products.

I'd look after your nut first and foremost. Until that is sorted you really don't know what the problem is.


Edit: I'll tackle the tone aspect of the 4-way this weekend.

+1

I was having issues with tuning, I got a used set of Grover's and put them on and it made no real difference. Put chapstick on the nut and string tree and the tuning is now like a rock.

Thanks for the responses guys. I regularly have used chapstick on the nut, saddle and string trees, and recently switched to a Planet Waves lubricant. So we can eliminate that.

Just took the guitar to my guy, and the tuner for the high E is not working properly. He's going to take a look at everything from nut to machine head to whatever.... I'll post with the results.

Thanks again!

Birv2, I think you're in warranty, right?

Were I you, I would contact Fender and politely describe the issue. Fender has a good reputation for customer service. I believe this is on their bill, right?

This is part two of the 4-way mod.

Having installed the 4-way mod, and having lived with it for two months, I will now describe the tone aspects of the GPR 4-way mod.

If I had to title this article, I'd call it a "Tale of two Pots." To my suprise, when I hacked out the previous harness I found two pots labeled as 500kA and 500kB. "A" was volume, "B" was tone.

The 500k pots account for the gloriously trashy tone of the guitar, straight from the box. With the new CTS pots and Orange Drop, it sounds like a Tele with soft pickups. I have no ground to complain because I was looking for a jazzy Tele when I purchased the instrument, but I sure miss my rip saw Tele.

Having upgraded the instrument, I'll buy another Affinity for the buzz saw tone. Frankly I feel like I've casterated my axe.

UPDATE -- Tuning problem fixed -- tech widened the nut slot for the E and discovered, to my embarrassment, that part of the problem was the way I had wrapped the string when I put it on. Oops. Now sounds and plays much better!

"Gloriously trashy tone"! I love it! That sums it up for me in a nutshell. I have another Squier tele (MIK) that plays and feels nicer, but has that smooth tele sound you describe. And that's not really what I want from a tele. It might be going onto the market soon.

There really is something to that buzz saw tone, isn't there?

There really is something to that buzz saw tone, isn't there?

Indeed.

While I currently have a much more useful instrument, it's also a lot more boring. I owe you a serious thank you, birv, for convincing me to do the 4-way mod. Were it not for position 4, there's a strong likelihood that I'd be junking my "upgrade" package.


Edit: I'm glad to hear the tuning problem was nipped at the nut. As for your wrapping technique, I can assure you that it had very little or, more likely, nothing to do with the issue. Modern tuning machines are so well made that wrapping technique doesn't matter. I personally prefer the minimalists' wrap, but that's because I'm lazy and a creature of habit.

Update -- I'm still wanting to keep the trashy, but I'd like to get less treble (I'm aiming for a Phil Guy kind of tone). I clipped the treble bleed cap, which tamed the treble a bit. I'm going to play it some more and see if I need to change the cap on the tone pot, which is a .47mf.

I live in an old house with very old electrical wiring, so any of the out of phase positions give me lots of noise, including that 4th position you mention. However, I had a chance at a band practice to crank the tele in that position, and it was perfect for the Shemekiah Copeland song, 2AM. Some real humbucker-like tones there.

Update -- I'm still wanting to keep the trashy, but I'd like to get less treble (I'm aiming for a Phil Guy kind of tone). I clipped the treble bleed cap, which tamed the treble a bit. I'm going to play it some more and see if I need to change the cap on the tone pot, which is a .47mf.

I live in an old house with very old electrical wiring, so any of the out of phase positions give me lots of noise, including that 4th position you mention. However, I had a chance at a band practice to crank the tele in that position, and it was perfect for the Shemekiah Copeland song, 2AM. Some real humbucker-like tones there.

It's a gas isn't it? As it's still new to me, I'm stuck treating the 4 hole like a black stomp box with orange letters. I'm the last guy you'd call a shredder, but it's an absolute ball to wank on the 4 hole. It's a wonderful new tone, the trick is laying off the scales (and gain) and finding a productive use for that slot. It does a really nice Gibson middle position, but split wider.

I really like it. Again thanks for the kick in the tail, Birv2.

Just finished a refin on my Affinity, so thought I'd share some pics. I'm really pleased with how this has turned out.

I stripped the body back completely - couldn't stand that orange look any more! In fact, when I was scraping the poly off it was really apparent how ORANGE it actually was. I started off using paint stripper, which worked well for getting the poly off. Underneath it though was a further layer of what I assume was sanding sealer, which took a lot more effort to remove. I used NitroMors to get that off, leaving it on for 15 minutes then scraping it off. It tool several iterations to get the whole lot off, cleaning it up between scrapings with white spirits. When all the sealer was removed I then applied a few coats of natural wood clour Briwax, and then finished off with a few coats of clear wax. The result is a fairly transparent warm finish allowing the grain to show through.

I scrubbed the pickguard with a scouring pad to take off the plasticky shine - a very easy little job that made a big difference.

For the neck, I used shellac, putting on several layers then finishing off by lightly rubbing with steel wool and then with a wiping of oil and a quick wipe with shellac again. The finish is a bit uneven but I don't mind; it looks kind of natural.

I had previously levelled and crowned the frets and had the action down pretty low; this time I gave the frets a really good polish using one of those four-sided blocks that the laydeez use for polishing their nails (don't tell the Mrs!). I found that by going progressively through the shape-smooth-buff-polish sides the frets come out really shiny.

While this was going on I ordered a new neck pickup, as I found the stock one too muddy and dull. I got it from Axesrus here in the UK, the True Vintage model.

I'd previously put in Wilkinson Strat saddles to replace the nasty stock ones - a big improvement, and fitted a bone nut. I left the tuners as I couldn't find any reason to change them to be honest.

I might get some nicer knobs to replace the cheap stock ones, plus the other thing that keeps bugging me - purely cosmetically - is the truss rod hole; I'm thinking of making a plug out of some 7mm dowel and staining it dark to look like the 50s-style walnut plug. I haven't worked out how it could be removed when I need to access the truss rod though. I'll think about that one.

One last thing before the pics - this is one hell of a player! It is seriously up there with my Custom Shop Strat for playability; sound wise it is great too - the new neck pickup is a huge improvement on the original whilst the stock bridge pup sounds just like a Tele should!

Anyway, the pics:

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg161/pronovotech/09112010329.jpg

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg161/pronovotech/09112010331.jpg

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg161/pronovotech/09112010332.jpg

That is just stunning. Great work!

Here's mine.
Neck from an 80's Squire Bullet
Magic Dragon p'ups
Reversed Control Plate
'aged' metal surfaces
Just enough pinstripes- by me
plays like buttah

http://i771.photobucket.com/albums/xx355/SBClose/Tele3.jpg

Here's mine.
Neck from an 80's Squire Bullet
Magic Dragon p'ups
Reversed Control Plate
'aged' metal surfaces
Just enough pinstripes- by me
plays like buttah

Fixed the link for you - looks cool!

http://www.tdpri.com/telephoto/data/538/buttoned_up.jpg

Here's my Affinity-bodied Tele - the previous owner had a bunch of Fender parts and bought a used Affinity to give it a body. The middle and bridge pickups are from an '03 or so American Standard, with a DiMarzio LiquiFire in the neck.

I wired it up with a SuperSwitch, two mini switches, and two push/pulls... the minis switch neck phase and coil configuration, and the 5-way has the usual Tele positions plus middle (the covered Tele neck pup) only or all three pickups. If it's in the center position, pulling the tone knob puts neck and bridge in series. If I pull the volume knob, it changes to Strat switching.

Since it plays great and is very resonant, I plan to keep the bridge but shim the neck for a better saddle angle and install stamped Fender saddles from an import "hardtail Strat" bridge. I might also replace the pickguard eventually, but apart from that I'm not gonna mess with it! :smile:

Holy smokes, Mid Life Crisis! That's a very nicely done guitar. Gorgeous, really. You will not find me taking the Orange and Black off of my guitar, as those are the colors of the SF Giants. I'm convinced that my '10 was instrumental in our World Series win :rolleyes:

Tex, that's quite clever, and more than a little bit useful. Normally, I don't dig perloids, but that guitar earns a pearloid. Frankly, I'd leave it alone.

But that's hard to do once you've already got the bolt through the neck of your Frankenstein monster :twisted:

I've got an affinity tele I bought in august. Seymour duncan broadcaster bridge pickup, wilkinson vintage style black bridge with brass compensated saddles, amber top hat knobs. As soon as I figure out what neck pickup I want, it'll have a new neck pickup. I think I've narrowed it down to a dimarzio area t, or a gfs fatbody. I also can't shake the urge to paint the guitar satin white. I had also considered painting it a dark cherry color. Just can't take the plunge on the paint job. http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1189.snc4/154107_452566474997_514619997_5418599_792845_n.jpg

I just picked up a Squier Affinity in BSB for a crazy low price over here, and plan to mod it somewhat. I'll post pics of it soon.:wink:

I plan to swap out the bridge, put hotter pickups in, new nut and widen the string spacing and put a black pickguard on.

Funny though, I was expecting it to have a really skinny neck like other Affinities I have played, and heard about, but this one hasnt at all. maybe some of the early one like this 2002 one had thicker necks? Sure the string spacing needs widening, but the neck is not thin at all. Sure its not a baseball bat like my MIM 50s, but its definately not skinny.:?:

Certainly much chunkier than my CV50s Tele anyway.

I just picked one up today. I've seen these on the racks for years but never took one down. Anyways today I tried out every sub 500 telecaster they had at guitar center, and the butterscotch affinity was the 2nd best playing/sounding one in the shop after the blackout tele. I'm so glad I found it, I was almost considering busting out the musicians friend card and shelling out for a 700 FSR, glad I didn't. This guitar sounded way better than the classic vibes they had. And even though the blackout tele and the classic vibe had a better fit and finish and were prettier, the affinity had more classic tele twang then any guitar in the place. I bought it to mod, but now I"m not sure I even want to change anything.

I've got an affinity tele I bought in august. Seymour duncan broadcaster bridge pickup, wilkinson vintage style black bridge with brass compensated saddles, amber top hat knobs. As soon as I figure out what neck pickup I want, it'll have a new neck pickup. I think I've narrowed it down to a dimarzio area t, or a gfs fatbody. I also can't shake the urge to paint the guitar satin white. I had also considered painting it a dark cherry color. Just can't take the plunge on the paint job.

How do you like the broadcaster compared to the stock pickup? That was one I was considering.

The stock bridge pickup was ok, but it lacked character to me. It also didn't have enough punch. The broadcaster pick up really woke up the guitar. I really like it a lot. Teles have a signature sound when used with a lot of gain or distortion, and that's what I wanted. The broadcaster nails it. I also play a lot of country, and r&b. The broadcaster works great for that too, but its so good it exploits the weak neck pickup. Now I'm in a situation where I need to upgrade my neck pick up, but I wouldn't give up the broadcaster in the bridge. No way.

I bought an affinity BSB a couple of months ago to learn on as I have only just started playing. I love it! I am already thinking of modding it but not really sure where to start.

I bought an affinity BSB a couple of months ago to learn on as I have only just started playing. I love it! I am already thinking of modding it but not really sure where to start.

Hi there! The Affinity is a great platform for modding, as you have seen. However it can be a perfectly good guitar stock as long as it has been set up well. I'd say therefore that getting the set up right would be the best way to start.

However, modding is fun and rewarding too. A lot of people fit better quality saddles, and adding a new nut made out of good quality material such as corian or bone is worthwhile as well. Some have changed the tuners but I haven't seen the need to on mine. After that you've got the electrics, so you could fit new pickups and pots.

I like getting stuff from Axesrus (they're based in Hull) - they're reasonably priced and nice to deal with.

Good luck with the mods and remember there are loads of people on here who can help, so do ask if you need some advice.

I just put a hipshot b-bender on my affinity. It works great because it's a top loader already. I also bought some antiquity 55 pickups, however I'm not sure if I want to put them on because I already like the sound a lot. The only thing is, it can sound a bit thin at times (although in a good way). I may just change the strings to 10s from the stock 9s.

I just put a hipshot b-bender on my affinity. It works great because it's a top loader already. I also bought some antiquity 55 pickups, however I'm not sure if I want to put them on because I already like the sound a lot. The only thing is, it can sound a bit thin at times (although in a good way). I may just change the strings to 10s from the stock 9s.

I find my stock pickups sound a little too thick for a Tele, but I like it.

I recorded some clips with my Affinity. Not the greatest playing ever but hope it gives you an idea of the sound.

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_songInfo.cfm?bandID=725233&songID=9902590

I recorded some clips with my Affinity. Not the greatest playing ever but hope it gives you an idea of the sound.

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_songInfo.cfm?bandID=725233&songID=9902590

Sounds really bright!:cool: Your playing isn't bad at all.

Thanks Mid Life Crisis. Yeah I am loving this guitar! Set up is pretty good. Intonation is spot on but I think I may need to put some chopstick or graphite on the nut and string tree as the tuning heads can oversharpen the B and G strings by a tiny turn of the heads.

The switch is broken though I think, in position 1, as it does not pickup the bridge pup. I should send it back to the shop but I reckon by the time I have paid postage it would be cheaper to get it fixed myself. Will have a look at axesrus for a replacement switch.

Picked up a very forlorn 2002 Affinity tele for a low price the other day. It is a BSB, previous owner had done some "relicing" with something sharp, and also some rough sandpaper on parts of the body,:roll: the neck pickup was dented and wasnt working, it had odd control knobs and needed new strings and a clean up.

Looked like this at first

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k7/andys_01/BSBAffinity2002unmoddedfront.jpg

Unusually for these Affinities, it has quite a reasonably sized neck, certainly not as thin as my CV50s.

So I decided to mod it using as much parts as I could from my spares box. So I fitted a stacked bridge pickup into an old vintage style bridge, added some brass saddles, removed the old bridge and fitted this one. Sure there are three holes left behind the bridge, which I will decide how to fill at a later date. Not that noticeable anyway.

Took out the old neck pickup, and fitted a slightly hotter one I had lying around. Replaced the switch with an old MIM 3 way, but wired the pickups so that the middle setting is them in series.

Replaced the nut, and widened the string spacing.

Gave the neck a bit of the brown shoe polish treatment.

Replaced the pickguard with a black 5 holer.

Put matching knobs on

Put on a set of 11s

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k7/andys_01/BSBAffinity2002moddedfront2.jpg

Looks nice with an ashtray cover too.
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k7/andys_01/BSBAffinity2002moddedfrontplusashtray.jpg

Plays and sounds pretty nice,.

Total cost of project including guitar......?

Just over £50:grin:

Oddly enough, the second-hand Affinity I bought also had mismatched knobs. Weird.

After some thinking (and being to embarassed to ask), I've figured out that BSB stand for 'ButterScotch Blonde', right?

I would describe the colour used on the Affinites more as being Butterscotch (or 'BS' if you will) more than Butterscotch Blonde.

Am I wrong on this?

Just got back from GC, where I played the Classic Vibe Squier tele through a variety of amps and pedals.

Then I came home and played my Affinity. At the risk of sounding like a total fanboy... the Affinity sounded better. The notes just jump off the fretboard. The CV has a really nice fretboard and neck, nice balance in the pickups, but the Affinity has something the CV just doesn't. I'm not even sure what it is, but... it's got an EDGE that the CV doesn't, and that's what I like about it.

Am I crazy?

Just got back from GC, where I played the Classic Vibe Squier tele through a variety of amps and pedals.

Then I came home and played my Affinity. At the risk of sounding like a total fanboy... the Affinity sounded better. The notes just jump off the fretboard. The CV has a really nice fretboard and neck, nice balance in the pickups, but the Affinity has something the CV just doesn't. I'm not even sure what it is, but... it's got an EDGE that the CV doesn't, and that's what I like about it.

Am I crazy?

Well, that's the thing about guitars - how we appreciate the sound is totally subjective. So, it's perfectly possible for a dirt-cheap guitar to sound as good to someone as a top-of-the-line one. I played my Custom Shop Strat today as well as my Affinity Tele...enjoyed the sound and the whole playing experience of both equally.

Just got back from GC, where I played the Classic Vibe Squier tele through a variety of amps and pedals.

Then I came home and played my Affinity. At the risk of sounding like a total fanboy... the Affinity sounded better. The notes just jump off the fretboard. The CV has a really nice fretboard and neck, nice balance in the pickups, but the Affinity has something the CV just doesn't. I'm not even sure what it is, but... it's got an EDGE that the CV doesn't, and that's what I like about it.

Am I crazy?

I agree, I walked into guitar center ready to buy either the 50s or custom classic vibes. After playing all of them I walked out with the affinity. It played just as well if not better than them and had more of a distinctive telecaster sound.

After playing all of them I walked out with the affinity. It played just as well if not better than them and had more of a distinctive telecaster sound.

Maybe that's what I was going for -- that distinctive telecaster sound. The CV I played was pretty smooth, which is a nice sound, but that's not what I wanted from a tele. I'm not a fan of the Roy Buchanan treble, but I do want some of that razor edge treble. Glad to hear I'm not the only one.

Having said that, the CV is a beautiful instrument, no doubt.

I just replaced the stock pickups with seymour duncan antiquity 55. I really do like the stock pickups but these make a huge difference. The guitar is quite a bit less twangy now, but it makes up for it in fullness in richness. The notes really pop now. Overall a good improvement. This telecaster is now replacing my old #1! Next week I'm getting a blacktop, we'll have to see what happens then.

Would love to hear a clip of those!

Sure, I'll see if I can get one up. I was able to find almost no clips of these pickups anywhere.

Okay, here you go, it's just some noodling on all three pickup settings. Playing through a vht special 6 (great low watt amp) . THere's a really annoying buzz on the b string saddle from using the b-bender, anyone know a good type of saddle to replace it?

HWp8UukiGXA

Very nice playing!

Nice sounds coming out of that Squier. I have to say that's not the one I'm chasing, but I appreciate listening to it.

Thanks! Yes, to be honest it sounds less tele-like and less twangy than with the stock pickups. I think the stock ones would have worked just fine for me but these win out slightly over the stock ones.

hi, im new to the world of teles (and to TDPRI)and have a question regarding the affinty. i recently purchased a BSB and am thinking i would like to swap out the bridge. Im leaning towards a 3 saddle vintage style bridge,and obviously something affordable. GFS and wilkinson seem like plausible choices, but im concerned about whether they fit it or not. I have heard that they arent wide enough to cover the pickup rout. does anyone have any thoughts on this? or would it be easier to just buy new saddles?

I have no answer to your question, except that my guitar tech says the 3-saddle ones are a pain to intonate.

Just wanted to welcome you to the club!

hi, im new to the world of teles (and to TDPRI)and have a question regarding the affinty. i recently purchased a BSB and am thinking i would like to swap out the bridge. Im leaning towards a 3 saddle vintage style bridge,and obviously something affordable. GFS and wilkinson seem like plausible choices, but im concerned about whether they fit it or not. I have heard that they arent wide enough to cover the pickup rout. does anyone have any thoughts on this? or would it be easier to just buy new saddles?

Check out post#148 (and others on this thread) about fitting avintage style bridge to a toploader Affinity.

Not that difficult, and an improvement on the stock Affinity bridge IMO.

And intonation is only marginally worse (if anything) than on a 6 saddle.

The 3 saddle Tele bridge is the height of sophistication compared with the wrapover bridge on an LP Jnr or a Melody Maker.

Which in turn is high tech compared with the simple saddle on an acoustic. Or a resonator.

Some classic music has been created on them all too.:wink:

Does anyone know for sure whether the standard color affinities are the same exact model as the BSB?

Does anyone know for sure whether the standard color affinities are the same exact model as the BSB?

Yes, I believe the colour is the only difference...

I realized I couldn't go with another color though...I just bought another. This one I will leave the stock bridge but put a charlie christian lollar on the neck (hopefully I don't drill right through the guitar when routing as these things are thin).

probably gonna get a loada hate so im ready to duck,

im looking for a real modding guitar, i want to basically change everything except neck and body, im torn between the squier tele and strat (affinity) is the strat as good a modding platform?

im concerned about whether they fit it or not. I have heard that they arent wide enough to cover the pickup rout. does anyone have any thoughts on this?

I put the Wilkinson vintage bridge with the beveled saddles on my Affinty (as have MANY others). The bridge is not quite wide enough to fully cover the pickup rout, so about 1mm peeks out on the treble side.

I barely notice it now (and from many angles can't even see it if I look for it). Also, many fine vintage Fenders have the same problem; don't think of it as a flaw, it an homage!

probably gonna get a loada hate so im ready to duck,

im looking for a real modding guitar, i want to basically change everything except neck and body, im torn between the squier tele and strat (affinity) is the strat as good a modding platform?

They are if you can find parts that fit. I'm glad you asked, actually, it gives me an excuse to flash my Affinity strat that I finished today :-D

http://i464.photobucket.com/albums/rr8/jayrobb_9/DSC00266.jpg

http://i464.photobucket.com/albums/rr8/jayrobb_9/DSC00267.jpg

thinking of getting an affinity tele. Not sure of the color yet. Where can i find a different color pickguard that will fit? Do standard Fender guards fit?
Thanks,
Jason

having been a Strat player for a few years now, Ive always liked the look of the Tele' and having settled on a style of music I prefer to play (country/blues/rockabilly) It was Time to get a Tele' however on a very very small budget and a bad experience with an Encore Sportscaster I have spent the best part of a year kidding myself that id just have to wait and wait and earn some cash to get the real thing, until that is I tried out a few of these Affinitys in my Local Guitar store, long story short after trying them out and reading all the awesome reviews here I'm Ordering a Butterscotch Affinity on Monday, I plan no-mods but having Seen the Esquire Mods that people have done, if and when i can afford another Affinity, I would love to Esquire one. So Count me down as new Card Carrying Member in a few days, and if its desired I will post up a few pics as when she arrives.

i may be joining your club tonight, with a arctic white tele.

@syow -- Welcome to the club, and don't forget to post pics of that white tele!

On an unrelated note, I just put a MIK Squier tele neck on my Affinity. Zowie. I loved the feel of the MIK guitar, and I loved the sound of the Affinity, and now I've got both. Still got that "gloriously trashy tone" that Heritage described, but a wonderfully smooth and playable neck.

But now I've got an extra neck. Anybody need one?

Hi all,

After loving my 2005 USA American Series 2 tone sunburst Tele (with 4 way switch and Bare Knuckle Blackguard Flat 50's in it), I have been looking for a project...so along came this bargain!

It came with a Ritter gigbag, Fender strap and a worn copy of Duchossoir's excellent book (I'll pass this one to another convert).

It has some marks and knock, needs a good set up and clean and then I'll begin the mods :)

Not plugged it in yet...

Here she is...first pic.

Brian.

I ended up ordering a black and white(instead of butterscotch) I played it in the shop through a Marshall it was amazing and even through my shockingly bad and cheap B.B. Blaster BB10 10 watt it still sounds amazing. am in love I don't think anything needs changing except a nicer set of controls! I can't see myself using my encore strat much anymore! here's some pictures;

Very nice...but always something worth changing :)

Santa brought me BSB and mustangII. I can't wait to start the mods on the affinity. Gonna order a bigsby as soon as i heal up from christmas.
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l87/broncstomper/nad.jpg

.

In the You Don't Miss Your Water Dept.:

I swapped out my stock bridge pickup for one from a 52RI Hot Rod, thinking I would achieve the Holy Grail of Tele Tone. Oops.

First, I lost my fave tone, the middle position and its twangy plinkiness. I play on that position 95% of the time. The other positions were definitely stronger, but it just wasn't my guitar anymore.

So I had my guy put the stock one back in. Nothing against that particular pickup, but I shoulda left well enough alone.

Got a comparison question. How do the Squier Standard Tele Special BSB's compare to something like a Rondo SX Furrier or Douglas tele? I know the Rondo's are string through the body and the Squier's at top load. What about sound quality/playability comparisons? I'm thinking of getting one as a back up in Open G but not sure which way to go. Can't find a Rondo anywhere but the are a little less priced and get good reviews.

Got all the parts in now to mod my Affinity - will be good and going to tacklie it this weekend :) Parts are:

Fender USA tuners
Fender USA pickups
New nut
New string tree (new roller style)
New electronics - the whole works including cable, jack socket, CTS pots, new Oak 4 way switch, etc
New Stainless Steel switch tip
New brass intonated Wilkinson brass saddles (will drill bridge) OR a set of new style 6 Fender USA saddles
(A choice of scratchplates - white or black)

Will post it up when it's all done :)

Brian
Shoe polished neck...

I've posted this pic before at the Squier-talk forum, but thought some over here might be interested in my (Kiwi shoe polish tinted neck) BSB Affinity.
http://i52.tinypic.com/2yxggzr.jpg

I've posted this pic before at the Squier-talk forum, but thought some over here might be interested in my (Kiwi shoe polish tinted neck) BSB Affinity.
http://i52.tinypic.com/2yxggzr.jpg

Very pretty neck!

Great neck - I have tinted mine too but it's nowhere near ask dark...although it is much richer looking, which will do.

Quick demo of the guitar here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fklKUA_CBb8

Final costs break down as follows:

Squier Affinity Telecaster - £90 (plus postage)
Fender Strap - Free with guitar (£10 approximately)
Duchossoir's Telecaster Book - Free with Guitar (again about £10 and could sell my own as new copy to recoup some cash I suppose)
Ritter Gig Bag - Free with guitar (unneeded, as is the Fender one I already had - could both gig bags to recoup more cost....)

Overall £90 for the guitar, allowing for the strap etc covering the postage cost.

3 brass Wilkinson compensated saddles £7.50 (Axesrus).
Copper cavity Shielding - £4 (eBay)
4 way switch, CTS pots, waxed wire, jack socket, orange drop cap - £16 all in (from www.axesrus.com - great bargain site)
Fender USA American Series pickups (already owned)
Fender USA Tuners - £25 posted (from US eBay)
Roller string tree - £1.90 (Axerus)
New jack socket on a Gibson style plate (already fitted but socket replaced on plate)
Pickguard aged (with a 5 screw look) - manual labour with a scraping sponge!

Also bought but unused:

Fender Modern 6 saddles set - £12 (eBay)
Bone Nut - £6 (Axesrus)

Total cost (not including labour, parts I already had and unused parts) - approximately £150.

Maximum cost, if I was to buy a set of Fender pickups, the saddles and the bone nut = £230 at worst. Less than a CVC tele in the UK - which is about £300 approximately. Even a Squier standard Tele is about £230 in the UK, and would still need things changed - a standard Squier Tele sold on eBay today in the UK for £182 + postage @ £15.

I reckon I am looking at an actual outlay about £180. Not a bad buy at all I think - but the basic guitar was sound, and a good 3 piece Alder body with a solid neck and decent fretwork

Now...should I sell the Duchossoir book, the two gig bags, the Squier tuners, pickups, switch, etc or is it not worth the effort?

Brian.

Nice playing! Lots of twang there.

I did something similar with mine -- 4-way switch, Nocaster in the neck, but kept the stock bridge cause I like it, roller trees, upgraded pots. My biggest change was swapping the neck out for a 91 MIK Squier neck. Love the new way that it plays. And sounds.

btw, I'd keep that Duchoissoir book if I were you. It's a treasure trove of telecaster goodness. I love reading and re-reading it. And great pix of the tele through the years.

Cheers - just a quick demo.

I have two copies of the Duchoissoir book - so only need one :)

Main thread on the mods to the guitar is here:

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/telecaster-discussion-forum/253104-ngd-squier-affinity-bsb-tele.html

Just got my first Tele Affinity BSB. It was setup and played great after a tuning. No more overpriced guitars for me, this one is really comfortable and I have so many parts that modding it will be an ongoing project. I'll post pix before I touch anything and then start posting the mods as I have the time.

It is Chinese and from the Serial number appears to be a 2009? CY090602249

Welcome to the club!

Picked up a "pre-owned" candy apple red Squire Affinity Tele at GC for $99. It has that inherent Tele sound so I have kept it totally stock. I've owned it for about 5 years and can't complain one bit.

I also own an Affinity Strat and have dropped in a set of Mighty Mite pickups. I couldn't believe the difference that even an economy priced set of pups made so I am now contemplating an upgrade to the Tele. Will probably go with a rail type in the bridge and go from there.

Welcome to this corner of the forum!

I've also got an Affinity tele and an Affinity strat. The strat has been through lots of pickups (including Mighty Mites) and currently has a set from a 70's Japanese strat copy. I went with something I figured no one else would have. Great guitar!

My BSB Affinity tele has a stock bridge pickup and a Nocaster in the neck. I also put a neck from a MIK Squier on it, which plays better than the stock one (though the stock one isn't bad at all).

I like the weight of the Affinitys. Let's just keep this our little secret, though, OK?

Hello all, I'm proud to say I'm a new member. New affinity with mods. Tone Rider Hot Classics, new 4way switch CTS 250k pots, switchcraft jack, and new guard. Also have sanded off the logo, going for the "what is that thing" look.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_l-5H8RZ8rJg/TXVtHfCriII/AAAAAAAABbY/ir422wpKILY/s720/IMG_1370.JPG

I just upgraded the pots and switches and knobs on mine. That was a major investment. But the door is open for a new bridge. Even I can tell those saddles seem iffy. Can you just swap out better saddles or is the bridge the way to go?
Also I just steel wooled the PG to a nice dull sheen.
New bridge and maybe shim the neck for a little lower action. Pick ups seem ok though.
What I have is width envy for the standard Tele width and those sharp edges. But then I think that the Affinity could be the SG of Teles, making the thin body sexier.

I just switched the magnets on the default pickups from ceramic to alnico. It was pretty easy: just pry off the ceramic magnets, push out the metal slugs, and push in the alnico magnets. I wax potted the pickups at the same time because mine were rather micro-phonic. I also soldered the neck cover to the black wire because it was not hooked up originally. These pickups sound excellent to me now. Its a cheap change for a better tone. I think these pickups are as nice as the American ones they replaced (American ones went into a MIM I just picked up).

This was my first time wax potting pickups, and I am now hooked. I am always hitting the neck pickup when strumming (that's just where I always strummed, right at the second harmonic) and now there is no annoying 'click' sound. I will have to do this to all my metal covered pickups.

In the You Don't Miss Your Water Dept.:

I swapped out my stock bridge pickup for one from a 52RI Hot Rod, thinking I would achieve the Holy Grail of Tele Tone. Oops.

First, I lost my fave tone, the middle position and its twangy plinkiness. I play on that position 95% of the time. The other positions were definitely stronger, but it just wasn't my guitar anymore.

So I had my guy put the stock one back in. Nothing against that particular pickup, but I shoulda left well enough alone.

I agree, everyone should at least consider keeping the stock pickups. Especially if twang is what you're after. I "upgraded" to duncan antiquities and while I like them I don't consider them any better really, just different.

Great looking guitars in this thread. Even at the full current MSRP of $179 the ax appears to be quite a bargain.

I'm thinking of getting another one, going to put a tortoise nashville pickguard on a black affinity, wire up a dimarzio dp211 humbucker in the neck with a silver lace sensor in the middle and a duncan stl-1 in the bridge. Then I'll add a phase switch on the neck pickup just for the heck of it.

Anyone know if a strat 5 way will fit in a tele control plate slot?

Did anyone ever figure out the output on the stock pickups?

An old mate of mine just gave me his old Affinity Tele, which has been well gigged.

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k7/andys_01/ChrisSquierRoadworn1.jpg

Anyone who says you cant gig with a Squier take a look at this genuine "road-worn" example.

Totally stock, has done two or three gigs/rehearsals a week for two years or so.

And they were real "gigs" as well. Chaos, stage invasions, stage dives, beer and other fluids spilt on it, being dropped, thrown, etc.

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k7/andys_01/ChrisSquierRoadworn2.jpg

And now its mine.

For free!

Looks nice!

I wanted to make another comment on the stock pickups. Over the last week or two I went around to some shops playing about 4-5 of these guitars. They all sounded a lot different, all were definitely decent. I bought one with a gorgeous neck and a/bed it agains my BSB with the duncans. The duncans actually really do sound a lot better. I just moved to playing with a pick finally and when playing with a pick they are plenty twangy.

My first tele blond 04 affinity, off Cl with switched out fender indo neck, hated the poly; stripped and oiled, shielded, dyed the board, polished frets, drilled the plate for furreals. She's real easy to work on, setup and playful.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_zPTjivHrn3U/Tb8iSshv6LI/AAAAAAAABBQ/IQjMEQdhC74/s800/IMG_0177.JPG
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_zPTjivHrn3U/Tb8igyquK5I/AAAAAAAABAI/TWOrj2oj4IE/s800/IMG_0178.JPG
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_zPTjivHrn3U/Tb8h367TKGI/AAAAAAAABBU/_P3EJe3JAp8/s800/IMG_0181.JPG

I finished my next affinity tele project. I installed new saddles, a dimarzio eric johnson in the neck, silver lace sensor in the mid, and a duncan broadcaster in the bridge. Very fun to play!

http://img607.imageshack.us/img607/9792/aimg5399.jpg

I just got my first Affinity a couple weeks ago. Not really sure why I bought it. I was at GC and ended up playing one through a VOX AC15 (Just like I have at home) While the girlfriend was in the Dollar store next door I walked out with My new BSB for $169 bucks.
Got the new piece home and played it a couple days. Decided to start fiddling with it. Replaced the neck Pickup with one from a MIM Tele. That sounded a little better, a bit louder and fuller. Then found a Bridge PUP on EBAY for 18 bucks. Had a story behind it (most things do) But it absolutely rocks. No idea what kind it is other that it reads 8.82 OHMS. Next up was a string through bridge mod with new ferrules. Then I swapped the switch and the 500ks for CTS 250s. Now for $235 bucks I have the best guitar That I own. This aint supposed to happen but it is what it is. This thing just plain Rocks.

I've posted this in a separate thread, but here it is all in one post:

Just picked up a new Squier Affinity Butterscotch Tele today at Gutar Center's Memorial Day sale. It was on sale for $160 and I traded 3 Boss pedals I no longer use for a net cost to me of $85. Not a bad deal. She is a real looker and I named her "Buttercup" (All of my guitars have names: MIM CAR Standard Strat = Big Red; black Ibanez GRGA32 = Black Beauty; red Lyon by Washburn = Little Red; and red Yamaha bass = Deep Red).

I also modify all of my guitars so for Buttercup I have ordered a set of GFS Neovin noiseless pickups (I hate 60 Hz hum), staggered locking tuners, stainless steel bridge saddles, CRL switch, Switchcraft Mil-Spec phone jack, Schaller strap locks, and a few small odds & ends. I normally replace the pots with CTS pots, but I was quite surprised when I opened her up to find she is equipped with full size pots instead of the crappy nickle size pots that most import guitars have. They seem to work smoothly and sound good, so I decided to keep them for now. I'll probably also install a Greasebucket tone circuit (I like it on my Strat.) I've also already removed the treble bleed cap that was installed and rewired the tone pot Gibson vintage style. She should sound really sweet when I am finished. :grin:

Here's a quick shot:

http://inlinethumb61.webshots.com/47228/2964839750090987409S600x600Q85.jpg (http://entertainment.webshots.com/photo/2964839750090987409XohVDM)

Here's an update with all my mods.

Invisible mods: Stock switch was replaced with a 3-way CRL switch. Stock pots were replaced with 250 Kohm CTS pots with a 0.022 ufd Orange Drop cap. Stock output jack was replaced with a Switchcraft mil-spec phone jack. Everything was rewired using teflon coated wire from Acme.

The top-load bridge was replaced with a string-through bridge from a Squier Standard Tele. Stock bridge saddles were replaced with GFS stainless steel saddles. My drilling (using a hand electric drill) for the string holes was a little off, but not bad. I don't see the back of the guitar when I play anyway. Stock pickups were replaced with a set of GFS NEOVIN Vintage Noiseless pickups. I have a pair of genuine Fender knobs on order for the new pots. Finally, the tuning machines were replaced with GFS staggered locking tuners. Strings are Fender Pure Nickle 10/46s.

The tone and playability of the guitar have been significantly increased. Buttercup is a really sweet guitar now.


http://inlinethumb33.webshots.com/48032/2997316030090987409S600x600Q85.jpg (http://entertainment.webshots.com/photo/2997316030090987409wLYXmy)

http://inlinethumb60.webshots.com/48507/2407956810090987409S600x600Q85.jpg (http://entertainment.webshots.com/photo/2407956810090987409McprNB)

http://inlinethumb29.webshots.com/47260/2060254250090987409S600x600Q85.jpg (http://entertainment.webshots.com/photo/2060254250090987409JaKUnY)

I finished the last of my mods to Buttercup tonight. They are:
Replaced the black plastic jack plate with a nice shiny chrome metal one. Gotta have something nice to hold the Mil-Spec Switchcraft jack in place. :lol:

http://thumb9.webshots.net/t/52/752/5/36/46/2333536460090987409lIQTUS_th.jpg (http://entertainment.webshots.com/photo/2333536460090987409lIQTUS)

Added the Greasebucket tone circuit. I really like what it does in my Strat and it sounds even better with the CTS pots and Neovin pickups in the Tele. I also added a set of genuine Fender knobs which are slightly larger and heavier than the Squier knobs. I replaced the top hat knob on the CRL switch with the barrel type knob.

http://inlinethumb13.webshots.com/45836/2440151940090987409S600x600Q85.jpg (http://entertainment.webshots.com/photo/2440151940090987409PVEBnY)

Finally, I replaced the single butterfly string guide with two modern string guides. Looks and works better. As the last cosmetic touch, I did not like all the small logo lettering around the Squier logo, so I carefully removed it all with 400 grit sandpaper followed by 1000 grit paper and lots of guitar polish. Now I have a Squier "Nocaster". Cool eh? :cool:


http://inlinethumb01.webshots.com/47168/2473075100090987409S600x600Q85.jpg (http://entertainment.webshots.com/photo/2473075100090987409ENVNIG)

Very nice butterscotch

Thanks. :grin:

Great guitar! My #1 is a BSB Affinity, which I've had for a couple of years. Over these months, I've done a lot of those mods, little by little: nicer input jack and plate, new string trees, 4-way switch, new neck (from a MIK Squier), a Jim Weider Big T neck pickup, new 250 pots, treble bleed cap, new knobs from Q-Parts (black silver!)... I'm sure other things will happen down the road.

It's a great guitar stock, too. I always warn people to keep this quiet, since we don't want everyone to know and have the price increase. As long as the CV's are being made, I think we're OK. :)

Here's my bsb tele. I changed the neck to an allparts one and changed the bridge to a wilkinson 3 brass saddle bridge. I upgraded the electronics too and used cloth wire. I think that's it. Oh ya, mim tele pups.

Does anyone have problems with their saddles buzzing? I HAD to change mine to the three saddle to get more pressure on each saddle. Top loaders don't have the proper angle for six saddles IMHO

Does anyone have problems with their saddles buzzing? I HAD to change mine to the three saddle to get more pressure on each saddle. Top loaders don't have the proper angle for six saddles IMHO

See my post above regarding my switch to a string-through-body bridge. Not hard to do.

No saddle buzzing for me.

I currently have a Squier Tele Custom II (P90's) that I really enjoy and am amazed at the value of the rock tones I get out of it. For my next axe, though, I'm eyeing the Metallic Blue Affinity which I know has the single coil pickups and the original Tele twangy sound (which I have been a big fan of for years) of Don Rich, Marty Stuart, etc. Seems most folks on this forum are big into modding the Squiers but I'm wondering if there are some players in this particular club/thread that enjoy the stock sound of the Squier Affinity pickups?

I've kept the bridge pickup in mine. Great twang.

I want to join the club as well. Saw a lot of nice Affinitys here

This is my metallic-red 2010 Affinity Tele I bought some months ago.
It's my first Squier and I'm very happy with it. Quality, finish and playability are perfect. Very low string action with no buzz at all, beautiful neck.
Got used to the narrower neck quite fast.

No need to buy a "real" Fender! Have played quite a lot of them during the past years and only very few gave me a perfect feeling and sound.

I've spent this weekend modifying it by adding a Fender Tele neck-pup in the middle position.

Used a new 3-ply pickguard, which I had to cut out for the pup. Most difficult was to drill the cavity for the 3rd pup and developing switching diagram myself. But it worked! No corrections needed.

The three pups can be switched in 12 different ways, each pup alone and nine combinations (each pup with each in parrallel and in series). So the guitar has the typical Tele sounds as well as all Strat sounds. Then I added three 3-pup modes: parallel, in series and one, which switches the bridge pup parallel to middle and neck in series.

The series modes, especially the 3-pup one, are really fat Gibson-like sounding. Now my Tele is very versatile. It sounds great!

I used a 5-way/4-pole Megaswitch M-type by Schaller and an on/on/on Mini toggle for this modification.

I'm very happy about the result. This Squier is more than worth the money, I've paid for it.

Very nice. I see you also have a Fender neck?

omg i have had, and still have quite a few aff's
aff's are THE best kept secret.
shhhhhhhhhhh.........lol

here's 1....
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f253/frankthomson/IMG00005-4.jpg

Very nice. I see you also have a Fender neck?

No, it's a Squier neck. You mean the logo, right?
When I bought the guitar it had the Fender decal on the headstock already, because the original decal had bad scratches, the seller told me.
There is the "Crafted in China" and the s/n "CY 10....." on the back of the headstock. It's a real Squire by Fender.

No, it's a Squier neck. You mean the logo, right?
When I bought the guitar it had the Fender decal on the headstock already, because the original decal had bad scratches, the seller told me.
There is the "Crafted in China" and the s/n "CY 10....." on the back of the headstock. It's a real Squire by Fender.

Ahh. I see. :grin:

You guys make me want another squire. I have 2 and a half right now. ( the half being a body )

Boundforglory, what's the problem with yours? I think you've fixed the saddle problem?
My low E-string had a buzz in the saddle as well when I got my Squire, caused by one screw not touching the bridge plate. So there was friction between the E- and A-saddles.
After fixing that, never again any buzz.

Nice work, Fussel62! You can never have too many switching options!

Whenever I played open strings it buzzed like a mad man. I just changed the bridge and saddles,
It was on the list of things to do anyway

Nice work, Fussel62! You can never have too many switching options!

Not necessarily, FastMatt, but it's nice to combine the sounds of two instruments in one. My Tele is still a Tele, and it sounds like a Tele, but it now can also sound like a strat and more.

Last Saturday I finished my last project on a strat copy by OVERLAND, basically using the same wiring diagram (Megaswitch M + on/on/on-mini toggle), but I modified it this way: I added a fourth PU in the bridge position. The neck tone pot is now a blend pot for switching the two bridge pus in parrallel, in series as a HB or one bridge pu alone as a sc. The former middle pu tone control is now a master tone pot.

The result of this mod are 30 (!) different switching states. The typical strat modes are still there, but 25 modes added. Four pus in series sound really fat!

That Schaller megaswitch M-type is a great thing, really.

Boundforglory, what's the problem with yours? I think you've fixed the saddle problem?
My low E-string had a buzz in the saddle as well when I got my Squire, caused by one screw not touching the bridge plate. So there was friction between the E- and A-saddles.
After fixing that, never again any buzz.

I had some trouble with the stock saddles.
The height adjuster grubs would just undo temselves constantly, and the action would go down, the tuning would go off, and the buzzing would start.

I toyed with loctite, but I ended up putting bent steel saddles on mine (I think I had to file each side of each saddle a tad - they were a mite too wide.

I'd love another Affinity - lightweight fun.
Make a great Esquire mod platform, but aside from saddles, and maybe the nut they are fine, and importantly great fun as they are.
Pots could be swapped out for decent 250k's . Not vital.

Those stock hot ceramic pups twang and grind nicely. :cool:

For the past few days, I was nearly going to spring for an SX Furrian Tele but have decided to spring a bit more and become a future member of this club right'chere. Played a BSB in the GC yesterday and thought it was awesome for the $. The BSB sure is a looker but I'm also thinking about the metallic blue one. Anyway, my Tele Custom II needs an Affinity buddy!

Is it worth getting the Squier Standard Telecaster ($229.00) with strings-thru body, over the Squier Affinity Tele at $179.00? With GC's upcoming sale, I could get the Standard Tele for 200 clams.

Is it worth getting the Squier Standard Telecaster ($229.00) with strings-thru body, over the Squier Affinity Tele at $179.00? With GC's upcoming sale, I could get the Standard Tele for 200 clams.

Try them both and decide. I got my Affinity at the GC Memorial Day sale: Regular price, $180; sale price $160; then I traded three pedals I no longer used for a net cost to me of $85. :grin:

I bought a Squier Standard Tele bridge on-line for about $20.

http://inlinethumb33.webshots.com/48032/2997316030090987409S600x600Q85.jpg (http://entertainment.webshots.com/photo/2997316030090987409wLYXmy)


http://inlinethumb60.webshots.com/48507/2407956810090987409S600x600Q85.jpg (http://entertainment.webshots.com/photo/2407956810090987409McprNB)

Not perfect, but not bad for an electric hand drill. :lol:

I have affinity Tele made in 2009 but i bought it year ago so in 2010 :D Its Apple candy red, with yellowish pickguard cause i put it on sun and it aged a little ;d I have strings through body and 3 pickups with strat mode - only middle and tele mode neck + bridge on additonal switch

Well, been lurking for a year now and just joined a while back. I have been closely watching Fender / Squier and heard a nugget last year about left handed models. Then the Euro guys broke it open and they arrived there some time back. US dealers did not have them yet and even the one's listed on the Fender / Squier site didn't show any. Anyway a binary search of Google yielded one via Amazon. So in 3-5 days I should have my BSB lefty! Will post pic's and opinions of the out of box experience! Nice to meet you guys... J

Well, been lurking for a year now and just joined a while back. I have been closely watching Fender / Squier and heard a nugget last year about left handed models. Then the Euro guys broke it open and they arrived there some time back. US dealers did not have them yet and even the one's listed on the Fender / Squier site didn't show any. Anyway a binary search of Google yielded one via Amazon. So in 3-5 days I should have my BSB lefty! Will post pic's and opinions of the out of box experience! Nice to meet you guys... J

Well the Tele finally arrived Friday. First impressions are the best and mine are this guitar is a steal at the price. Tone from the bridge pup is awesome, neck well not so much. Truthfully though I just heard a recording recently made of a '50 Broadcaster neck pickup and it's not that far off. However in time it will have to go. Color is nice, wood is ok, tool marks under the chrome show through and random orbital sander marks under the urethane on the body. Not bad at all for a mass produced guitar. Neck is very nice, alignment on mine was perfect OOB (out of the box) No buzzing frets, no binding on the nut, does not go out of tune through hard playing, tuners feel ok. Pots feel nice and firm, jack is snug and the switch has a positive feel in all positions. So I really think I got a good 'un! Body has one spot in the wood but I think it has character and she's a keeper! http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x470/oldcomputech/2011-10-13123235.jpg

Pledged not to sell this well-gigged guitar, I turned this;-

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k7/andys_01/ChrisSquierRoadworn3.jpg

Into this;-

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k7/andys_01/BSBAffinityLeatherGuard.jpg

Three saddle bridge, MIM Classic 50s pickups, wired in series, leather guard, and the thicker neck off a 2002. I kept the old Checkpoint Charlie decal though.

sorry I'm new to this whole tele thing, but what does BSB mean?

sorry I'm new to this whole tele thing, but what does BSB mean?

Butterscotch Blond

I was taking a close look at Affinity Tele I have owned for about ten years. Bought it used $99 at GC. Made in China, fit and finish are excellent for a guitar that probably sold new for $149 back then. Still standing the test of time!

Some time ago I posted about the Affinity BSB Telecaster that I purchased and modded:

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/guitar-owners-clubs/179460-club-affinity-6.html#post3459660

Since then, I bought an AVRI 1952 Telecaster which is a real beauty and my new #1. But I didn't really need two Telecasters. So, I decided to convert the Squier to an Esquire. The decision was made even easier due to the fact that although the GFS Neovin Noiseless Vintage bridge pickup sounded great, the low "E" on the neck pickup always sounded muddy, no matter where I set the pickup height or angle. I pulled the neck pickup out, installed a BWB pickguard from GFS and wired the switch and tone pot to match the 50's Esquire:

http://support.fender.com/service_diagr ... A_SISD.pdf (http://support.fender.com/service_diagrams/telecaster/013-1502A_SISD.pdf)

The only change I made was that I used 0.022 mfd caps vice the 0.05 mfd caps called for in the schematic. The bridge pickup sounds really great. In the number 3 position, the highs are rolled off for a full, smooth tone. There is a slight volume loss, but not significant. In the number 2 position, I set the tone control with the line pointing toward the bottom control plate screw. This cuts the sharp brightness of the pickup while still having a nice high-end response. In position number 1, the pickup bypasses the tone control and gives that full blast bridge pickup bite.

So, without further ado, here is my Squier Esquire:

http://inlinethumb61.webshots.com/49084/2086315870090987409S600x600Q85.jpg (http://entertainment.webshots.com/photo/2086315870090987409afugHQ)

http://inlinethumb25.webshots.com/39640/2387996520090987409S600x600Q85.jpg (http://entertainment.webshots.com/photo/2387996520090987409irmzvb)

http://inlinethumb17.webshots.com/50064/2569410410090987409S600x600Q85.jpg (http://entertainment.webshots.com/photo/2569410410090987409TQRiQt)

Question for Affinity Afficianados...

I know the Affinity body is thinner than a standard Tele, is the neck pocket shallower? I bought a used BSB Affinity body to do some neck variety tests with and when I set an after market neck it seemed really high. The fretboard sits about a 1/4" above the body...

Not sure if this is normal or if this is just a fat neck blank...

Thanks....

Yep. That's where mine sits.

I have been playing a squier affinity tele ( white ) that i took as a partial trade on a mim tele . I really like the feel of the thinner body. I loaded like a nashville tele. I put duncans in the neck and bridge and then a strat tex mex in the center. I love the tone !! I have been having trouble with the neck. thinking of installing a mim neck . not sure what to do yet, but i dont want to buy a new guitar . I also am getting a lot of buzzing fron the saddles. Has any of you tried to put a min standard bridge plate on the affinity ? I think it would be too wide . At least the saddle spacing . Im glad to find i am not the only one that loves there affinity !!!!!

I have been playing a squier affinity tele ( white ) that i took as a partial trade on a mim tele . I really like the feel of the thinner body. I loaded like a nashville tele. I put duncans in the neck and bridge and then a strat tex mex in the center. I love the tone !! I have been having trouble with the neck. thinking of installing a mim neck . not sure what to do yet, but i dont want to buy a new guitar . I also am getting a lot of buzzing fron the saddles. Has any of you tried to put a min standard bridge plate on the affinity ? I think it would be too wide . At least the saddle spacing . Im glad to find i am not the only one that loves there affinity !!!!!

Regarding the bridge, I converted mine to a string through body bridge using a Squire Standard bridge. Read about halfway down to the bridge photos:

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/guitar-owners-clubs/179460-club-affinity-6.html#post3459660

It was July 25 when I posted in this thread for the last time. I showed you my Affinity with 12 tone options then.

Some weeks later I worked on the wiring again, because the switching wasn't
self-explaining enough. The system behind it was a bit mixed-up.
So I developed another scheme that makes more sense and is quite easy to understand and added the oop mode for one pup.

all mods:

electronical changes:

- additional Fender Tele neck pup in mid position
- Schaller 4-pole 5-way switch
- on/on/on mini toggle for switching parallel, single pup and series mode
- p/p tone pot for switching middle pup out off phase

other changes:

- GFS "Dual loader" bridge with six barrel saddles
- black Fender 3-ply pickguard
- Schaller chome head knobs
- chrome jack plate
- Fender switch tip
- two roller string trees
- Fender leather strap and strap locks

I've played my red lady a lot since then and she sounds great. I love the tone of the stock ceramics. I'll also keep the tuners stock, because they work fine. It's a very versatile guitar now.

Seems like someone could make some money selling affinity-sized 3 barrel replacement bridges, huh?

It has 6 barrel saddles.

It does stock, yeah. But it seems like a lot of people want a vintage 3er on there but can't find one that isn't shorter than the stock bridge. So people do the Bubba mod or buy a new bridge and have the old holes showing. I'm just saying it would be great if someone made a new replacement bridge the affinity size with three barrel saddles.

Anyone tried to put a humbucker in the neck position, does it requier drilling or any other "wood work"?

Anyone tried to put a humbucker in the neck position, does it requier drilling or any other "wood work"?

Did you try looking through this thread before asking your question? :roll:

And yes, you need to route out the neck pickup cavity to fit a humbucker.

Seems like someone could make some money selling affinity-sized 3 barrel replacement bridges, huh?

You have to convert to through body strings, but this would work:

http://www.specialtyguitars.com/mm5/graphics/lg/03-05056-lg.jpg

Costs more than the guitar is worth, though. :lol:

http://www.specialtyguitars.com/callaham-tele.html

I appreciate it, bluesky. I was hoping to stick to a top loader, though. Maybe a drill press is in my future.

we seen some things...:sad:
but she's still in the stable after 10+ yrs!
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f253/frankthomson/IMG00002-54.jpg

Seems like someone could make some money selling affinity-sized 3 barrel replacement bridges, huh?

i have a set that work on the 6 hole premise...its like 3 offset screws into 3 barrels
...but i forget the name/mfg, but they work really well and make a helluva difference!!!!!

I appreciate it, bluesky. I was hoping to stick to a top loader, though. Maybe a drill press is in my future.

I drilled the holes for my string through with a hand drill and used a hammer to install the string ferrules. It isn't perfect, but I don't care. No one sees it but me. :lol:

http://inlinethumb33.webshots.com/48032/2997316030090987409S600x600Q85.jpg (http://entertainment.webshots.com/photo/2997316030090987409wLYXmy)

http://inlinethumb60.webshots.com/48507/2407956810090987409S600x600Q85.jpg (http://entertainment.webshots.com/photo/2407956810090987409McprNB)