Upgrading Squier Affinity Strat

why would u ever upgrade a 100 dollar guitar??

I've heard that some people like the feel of an affinity (thinner, lighter), but want fancier pickups in it.

Besides, it's actually a $150 guitar. :wink:

It's not just the pickups. The general hardware is cheap - tuners, bridge, nut, etc.

i think upgrading squires is a great idea, but i would start with at least a standard.
how much do you plan to spend altogether?

I would not hesitate to slap a set up pickups on there. Worse thing that could happen is you end up not liking it, switch the pick-ups back and you got a set o pickups for another project.

I'm looking to spend about $200 on an electric. I went to the store yesterday and played around on various fat strats (affinities, squier standards, and mim fenders), and to be honest, I could only tell a little bit of difference. The fretboard was nicer on the MIM, and the affinity sounded a bit weaker. Some of the Standards had worse fitting of the neck to the body, but they sounded fine when compared with the MIM. I've been playing about 6 months. For the last few months I've had a MIM (Non-fat) Strat that was lent to me by a friend, but he needs it back now.

I was asking about the upgrade possibilities with an eye towards the future, but it's not critical to me.

For what you have to spend I would suggest the Squier Standard. They are well made, solid working-mans guitars. Have them set it up for you in the store as factory set up is still somewhat hit and miss. You won't be dissapointed

I have an affinity fat strat, I love it. I've played standard fenders, other squier models, and a bunch of guitars, etc. etc. I'm happy with my purchase that I made. At the time I didn't know affinity models were lighter, but to be honest I really can't tell the difference. I noticed that fender models sound a bit brighter to my ears and the tones can reach different ranges, but to me they sound pretty much equal. The price difference is a plus in my book.

Thanks for the advice. I'm currently checking out craigslist to see if any used MIM strats show up, if after a little while none do, I'll see what's available at the store.

graigslist is a great resource, not only for instruments but to find others in your area to play with and for just about anything else you might want or need

I have a Squier Affinity Fat Strat. I love it. I played it in the store, and really liked it, so I bought it - I got mine for $119! :P

The pickups are pretty weak, so I replaced the bridge with a Seymour Duncan Custom Custom for about $80 (I put it in myself). The guitar sounds as good as a lot of $500+ out there with the new pickup. My total cost - $200!

I would also agree that upgrading an affinity wouldnt be a bad idea. Thats the guitar I learned on and I still like playin it. I've also been thinkin about changin the pickups and maybe the tuners aswell. I've never played any other squire affinity strat other than mine, but if yours sounds at all the same then I dont see how you can go wrong for the price.

I think I'm with the rest. The standard is the best way to go. Its not much more more $ and its better quality. I have an squire standard black and chrome tele and its a great axe. :D :D :D --the dog

You might want to search on Ebay.
If you choose advanced search, you can search within your zip code.
I like to keep an eye on guitars, especially older acoustics, and tube amps.
I now have a beautiful Fender acoustic. The seller brought it to my house!