Last Updated on August 25, 2023 by Justin Thomas
Squier Affinity Stratocaster Beginner Pack – Best Squier Pack
Summary
Pros
-Nice original Stratocaster look and sound
-Free 3-month subscription to Fender Play
-Amp is solid
-Guitar is great for beginners
-Easy to play guitar
-Overall, a really solid pack
Cons
-Staying in tune is sometimes a problem
-Fret buzz in some cases
-The action adjusting is usually needed (easy with saddle adjustments)
-Guitar cable only gets you started
-No tuner included (you can download the Fender Tune app tho)
Really good value for the money-pack. And the flaws are only small ‘’sometimes it does that’’-stuff or easy to fix.
If you are a Stratocaster fan, who doesn’t play extreme metal and want high-quality digital guitar lessons with your starter pack, this is a really good option for you.
How Squier Affinity Stratocaster Beginner Pack Sounds:
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Fender crafts excellent mid to high-priced guitars for players. But what about their lower-priced beginner guitars? These guitars have the ”Squier By Fender” label on them…
Squier Affinity Stratocaster Beginner pack includes:
- Squier Affinity Stratocaster Electric Guitar(with whammy bar)
- Frontman 15G amp
- Gigbag
- Free 3-month subscription to Fender Play®
- Strap
- Cable
- Picks
This pack doesn’t include a tuner (it should). I recommend either using the Fender Tune-app (basic tuner features of the app are free and it’s really easy to use) or this Fender Clip-on tuner.
Author: Teemu Suomala
Squier Affinity Stratocaster Beginner Pack Review
Sound
This Squier Stratocaster has an HSS pickup configuration. So it comes with 2 single-coil and one humbucker pickup. That means a nice spanky and funky tone, but you can add warmness to the tone with the humbucker. Great for funk, jazz, blues, light metal, and rock. This guitar and pickup configuration is really versatile.
Like many beginner guitars, this is not the best option for metal. But it can definitely handle some distortion too. So this guitar is no one-trick pony sound-wise. For a more ”metalish” tone, use the bridge humbucker, and to be honest, it sounds pretty good.
In some cases, there seems to be a fret buzz, but by adjusting the action of the strings, the problem should be fixed.
Overall, the sound of this guitar is good. Equally good than Yamaha Pacifica 012 and Epiphone Les Paul Special II starter pack guitars, but offers a bit brighter tones in general.
If you want to hear Fender’s own demo, check this video:
Playability
Out of the box action of this guitar is OK. Usually little adjustments into the action(distance between strings and fretboard) might be needed. But with a little saddle and sometimes truss rod adjustments, this is easy.
The neck feel comes surprisingly close to higher-priced Stratocasters (C Shape). Slim and still easy to play. Upper fret access is really good too. You can still notice some roughness on the edges of the fretboard and frets, but this is no game-breaker and this can be expected when the guitar is really affordable.
Nut width is 1.61”(41mm), so the neck is narrow, and this is definitely good news for beginners. You can easily access the frets, even with small hands.
The neck shape is Standard C, this shape is really easy to get started with, and works great with small hands too. These features make this guitar a solid option for kids or teens, but I think that the Yamaha GigMaker pack that includes Pacifica 012 guitar is even better for this purpose.
If you are buying a guitar for a really small kid, a smaller 3/4 sized guitar might still be an even better choice.
Quality
This guitar has sometimes little issues with staying in tune, but when I have played this guitar, I have not experienced any tuning issues that would really annoy me. Tuners are definitely better than in similar-priced Epiphone guitars.
Overall, my opinion is this: for a beginner guitar, the quality is solid. Only slight problems with staying in tune and sharp fret/fretboard edges sometimes. Otherwise, this one doesn’t lose quality-wise to any other beginner guitars.
What comes to amp quality it’s good, Fender Frontman amps are great for beginners.
I tested Fender Frontman 10G recently and it’s a solid beginner amp for sure, but don’t expect too much from it.
The cable offers the lowest quality from this pack. This is a really common flaw with the guitar starter pack, and I wish that manufacturers would include better cables in these.
Looks
Iconic Fender look. What else can I say? I really like it. It’s always nice to play and look at Stratocaster. The main question is this: Do you like how Original Stratocasters look? My personal favorites are the black body with a white pickguard and the red body with a black pickguard.
Amp
This pack comes with Fender Frontman 15G Combo Amp. It’s nice to have a 15watt amp instead of a typical 10W beginner amp, because this helps you to drive your family and neighbors even crazier.
Clean sounds are clear and detailed. And yes, those iconic Fender cleans are possible with this. You can also get some nice distortion out of it too…but this is not a metal amp. At the same time, this will get a beginner rock star started with the guitar.
The headphone jacket is a nice plus and also, there is an AUX input, so you can jam with your favorite songs.
I couldn’t find any major flaws from this amp, it seems like a perfectly fine practice amp for a beginner. But again, don’t expect too much or very extreme metal tones out of it.
If you want to hear more tone samples of this amp, check this video(note that different guitar is used in the video, but this still gives you some idea of how the amp sounds):
Accessories
Picks are solid and will get you started. I personally use these picks Dunlop Max-Grip Nylon Jazz III, and I can’t even imagine using anything else. I recommend that you try out those at some point.
The strap does the job, but it’s not very comfortable.
The Guitar cable is ok, it’s not so as bad as with some other packs (Yamaha Gigmaker), but I still recommend that you replace it as soon as possible. This post helps you with that: Best Guitar Cable Under $20 in 2022 – Buyer’s Guide.
The gig bag is solid, but as usual with starter pack bags, it only protects the guitar from small bumps and dust.
A free 3-month subscription to Fender Play is really nice. In my opinion, it’s the best learning tool that comes with starter packs. Fender has done a nice job of transferring guitar learning into the digital environment. But note that after those 3 months you have to pay if you want to continue using Fender Play.
Also, if you need help with kickstarting your guitar journey, check this guide I made: How to Play Guitar? Get Started Fast and Free!
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Summary
Pros
- Nice original Stratocaster look and sound
- Free 3-month subscription to Fender Play
- Amp is solid
- Guitar is great for beginners
- Easy to play guitar
- Overall, a really solid pack
Cons
- Staying in tune is sometimes a problem
- Fret buzz in some cases
- The action adjusting is usually needed (easy with saddle adjustments)
- Guitar cable only gets you started
- No tuner included
Really good value for the money-pack. And the flaws are only small ‘’sometimes it does that’’-stuff or easy to fix.
If you are a Stratocaster fan, who doesn’t play extreme metal and want high-quality digital guitar lessons with your starter pack, this is a really good option for you.
Find out how this pack stood in our Best Squier Guitars Round-Up Review 2023
Check Latest Prices on:
Alternatives
The Best Starter Pack – Yamaha GigMaker EG Electric Guitar Pack
If you want comfortable playing guitar that sounds good, and you also need an amp that is full of punch, Yamaha GigMaker is my go-to option. All the aspects of this pack, except the guitar cable are really strong, and the price is not too bad either.
I think that the Yamaha GigMaker pack offers more value for money than Squier Affinity Stratocaster Pack, and that’s why I think it’s the best starter pack out there.
You can read my full review of this guitar pack here: Yamaha GigMaker Electric Guitar Pack Review 2022 – Before You Buy.
You can read my full review of Yamaha Pacifica 012 here.
This guitar pack has been available for 10 years. The reason is this: they got it right the first time. And it has been a high-quality pack since.
Check Latest Prices on:
Best Les Paul Pack – Epiphone Les Paul Electric Guitar Player Pack
If you are into heavier stuff, or you just love Les Paul-type guitars, this is a solid choice. The guitar is fun to play, plus you get thick and great-sounding humbucker tones with it.
Note that upper fret access is a little bit worse with Les Paul-type guitars, and this is no exception. But still, crunchy riffs and rock solos are made for this guitar.
An amplifier that comes with this guitar is slightly worse than an amp coming with the Yamaha pack, but this pack is still a great option for Les Paul and metal lovers.
You can read my full review of this guitar pack here: Epiphone Les Paul Electric Guitar Player Pack Review 2022 – Before You Buy.
Check Latest Prices on:
Conclusion on Squier Affinity Stratocaster Beginner Pack Review
This Squier pack is a really good option for beginners. The difference between this and Yamaha GigMaker back is really small, and you are probably not going to be disappointed, no matter which one you end up buying.
Starter packs are a really good option for beginners. If you want to learn more about starter packs and beginner gear, check out these posts I made:
- Are Guitar Starter Packs Worth it? And should you buy one?
- 5 Best Beginner Electric Guitar Packages – Buyer’s Guide
- 5 Best Electric Guitars Under $200
- 6 Best Guitar Amps Under $200
- 5 Best Guitar Amps Under $100
If you want to kickstart your guitar journey with the ”post I wish I had when I started”, check this guide I crafted: How to Play Guitar? Get Started Fast and Free!
In case you want some way to display or give more protection to your new Stratocaster, these articles will help helpful:
- 5 Best Guitar Stands for Stratocasters
- 5 Best Guitar Cases for Stratocasters
- 5 Best Gig Bags for Stratocasters
I hope that this post helped you out! If you have any questions, leave a comment down below and feel free to share this post too. I wish you all the best and keep rocking!
Teemu Suomala
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