Feature:
Pretty good. For a budget guitar the features are pretty good. The tremelo i was surprised at how well it stayed in tune. I use it and abuse it just as much as i would a Floyd Rose and it stays in tune. TBH the reason i praise this guitar is because i modified it to my personal specifications. The tuners are now Klusons. The pups are all custom. The Setup is all perfect.

Quality:
Very good for a budget guitar. It amazes me it has lasted 7 years. I have other guitars an Ibanez and Jackson and i still use this and in some ways prefer it. It was my first guitar and i am still in love with it.

Value:
Very good value. I really like this and even though the mods i made cost more than the guitar itself it was still a great purchase 7 years ago when i first started to play.

Desirability:
At first glance ppl look at the headstock and decide its respect value which is silly. A guitar should be judged for by its playability and sound not the name on the headstock. People assume squire are rubbish but i tell you. My guitar is better than any fender i have ever played. And im not even lying. It still looks great with a few dents here and there. Mine is orange with black pickguard and it still looks as good as the day i got it.

Sound:
With the stock pickups the sounds was not at all that great for the music i play. Hard Rock/Metal, I needed something which could give me a better sound suited to a lot of metal bands. Mine is about 7 years old now and everying is working great. I replaced the pickups with a Seymour Duncan Hot Rail at the bridge and a Dimarzio Crusier at the neck. This guitar is now a beast! It sounds incredible. With the Crusier at the neck you get a really nice vintage strat esque tone that gives an original Fender American series a run for its money. And the Hot rail is perfect for metal.

Ease of Use:
The neck is incredible. It is perfect for a beginner or pro. It is so thin and fits the hand perfectly. The maple fretboard is super fast as well. And the frets are very good quality with no dents or scratches

Support:
Never needed any. But Fender are very very good.

Overall:
I really like this guitar. It is perfect for me. If you ever fancy modding a guitar start with a strat. Turn a mediocre strat into a beast that will make purists spit at their vintage Fenders!

Feature:
The product came with the baic accesories but could of offered more

Quality:
It is fairly reliable but i have had some probolems with the tuning and tone controls.Perhaps they should be redesigned?

Value:
For its price the guitar is of very high quality

Desirability:
I really like the smooth swooping lines and the colour options (i have metallic red).It just looks cool.

Sound:
I think the sound quality is very good but i do not rate this guitar 10 because of a problem i had with the tone stick

Support:
I have not had to contact the company.

Overall:
I will probably have the product for about a year before looking for new.I would probably get a fender as the quality is a bit better.

Feature:
I think that for the price they did a great job with everything.

Quality:
The finish on my guitar is great and hasnt worn at all even though I've put a bunch of use into it. I have heard some complaints about the frets sticking out to much on the fingerboard that can really be brutal after a while, but mine is great.

Value:
I think for the price its the best you can get.

Desirability:
It has the classic stratocaster look without the price.

Sound:
I usually play rythem when it sounds great, but if u just use the bridge pickup it can get a little twangy sounding.(FYI I use a Marshall MG15 DFX amplifier)

Ease of Use:
This guitar is pretty easy to use but sometimes the tone nobs don't make much of a differance even if thts the only pickup your using but having an ok amp can help with that.

Support:
Havent called them but this website has some great customer service. Ive only emailed them and they have been great.

Overall:
I think for the price this is a great guitar, but as I said earlier it is only good for begginers and once you get better you are probably going to want a better guitar.

Feature:
I has ALL the features found in every standard configured strat. The chrome plating is holding up/aging as well as my '74 strat. I like the grooves in the bridge saddles for the string to rest in (unlike original Fender Mazac saddles). Again, the body is thinner, less weight on your shoulders all night when gigging. I like the optional maple fingerboard over the one piece maple neck style. Would prefer the old style PU selector switch (easier to figure out when wiring). Truss rod wrench/saddle wrench/tremelo arm were included. It's a strat. Don't look for features found on other models.

Quality:
Materials used are as good as any standard strat costing MUCH more. I have found that workmanship can vary from guitar to guitar though. The fret work on the rosewood necks are consistently better than that on maple capped, don't know why (rough edges). Sometimes the frets are filed unevenly (height wise)and cause fretting out when stretching notes, usually in the 6-9 fret range. Nuts are cut very well. Great wood finishing. Advice: Try 2 or 3 guitars to find the right one. Like any guitar, they need to be set up and that usually takes care of most problems that you initially experience. When made right, they're great. More quality control of the fretwork should be done. I've had no probs with reliability. Important note: The Affinity Strats "crafted in China" are made differently than those marked "crafted in Indonesia", different construction and parts used (why have a rosewood strip on the back of a rosewood fingerboard neck?). I've found the workmanship/materials of the China strats consistently better and would rate them much higher.

Value:
I'd put the Squire Affinity Strat up against any comparably equipted, currently manufactured standard stratocaster. I beleive that the quality CAN BE excellent and is certainly of equal value to a strat with the word Fender written on the headstock.

Desirability:
I love strats and I love the Squire Affinity strats (made in China, not Indonesia)!

Sound:
The pickups seem to have a lower output than regular Fender strats and sound a bit thinner. I like the thin twangy sound though and find it allows for more "player influence/expression" to come through. Because the bodies are not as thick as regular strats, the guitars are consistently lighter and have a real lively "springy" sound (unplugged)that also comes through when you plug it in.

Ease of Use:
To me they play and feel great! Very user friendly, much better than a beginner's guitar. Gets all the sounds every standard strat makes. As far as I know, there are no neck shape options available. If you like the '70s style C shape, you'll like this. Very light and comfortable to hold.

Support:
I do all my own set ups and have not encountered any problems that required using the factory warrenty. Take the time to select the best one from the selection the store/dealer has in stock. Because of the price or for some other undisclosed reason, I've found most "walk-in" places don't like to pull out guitar after guitar until you've found just the right one, unfortunate. For the beginner, any one will probably be just fine and buying "sight unseen" on the internet will not result in disappointment. Do have it "set up" soon after for maximum playing enjoyment. The more serious player will be more selective and be greatly rewarded for their efforts.

Overall:
A great buy! A great playing guitar! If you like the looks of '70s strats and want to save loads of hard earned cash, this is the guitar for you! I've had the "real thing" and think the Affinity series are as good if not better. I've encountered the same problems with the Squires as I have with the Fenders. Just like any guitar, you have to know what to look for and pick the best one. To choose Squire or Fender is more a matter of preference. Do you like higher or lower output pickups? Do you like it heavy or light? Staggered or flush poles on the pickups? You have to get over thinking that if it says Fender on the headstock it is going to be better. Squire will always have an uphill battle for credibility among profesional musicians. The Affinity series Strat (made in China, not Indonesia)is a well made, good sounding and playing guitar. And it's only $149.99! Suggestion: Increase the selection of finishes (LOVE the gold finish!)

Feature:
The most useful feature is the thing that changes tone. i haven't figured out how to use the whammy bar on this guitar yet.

Quality:
I bought this guitar used for 45 dollars with an amp, and I didn't know how old it was. No idea.

Value:
yes

Sound:
This product sounds very good. It wouldn't be recommended for a heavy medal band, more for moderate rock.

Ease of Use:
It is a very good guitar. I can modify it to my taste at the flick of a switch.

Support:
haven't had support

Overall:
5 years

Overall:
I'm a beginner and bought the Squier Affinity Strat on the advice of my cousin "String". He has played for over fourty years and started his career at eighteen years old playing with Ronnie Van Zant and the original Lynyrd Skynyrd band. Prior to leaving the music store, he had the guitar technician restring it with D'Addario EXL110 strings, lower the action, adjust the bridge and bridge springs, file the fret ends smooth to the fingerboard, and correct the intonation on several strings. "String" says it plays and sounds as good as any Fender Stratocaster he's ever picked. I wouldn't know the difference, but if it's that good to him after some minor tweaking, it's plenty good enough for me!!!

Feature:
Even for a standard strat it's features are very basic

Quality:
it was good to start with..... it is now 2 years old and has rusted a load on the pickups and ive had to replace all strings due to rust.

Value:
good value

Desirability:
it looks great in red

Sound:
The Sound quality is alright but can be "twangy" and "tinny"

Ease of Use:
you can hold it easily and you can just about use it for whatever style you like

Support:
never had a probolem that big to need to call them

Overall:
i would think if you wanted a basic guitar that didn't need to last too long this is the one. If you want a good wearin one.... keep lookin

Feature:
whammy-bar, 5-area selector switch, 3 easy-to-adjust pick-ups, 2 tone knobs.

Quality:
good quality for such an affordable price.

Value:
definitely worth the money, but could be saved for a better one too.

Desirability:
great balance, easy playing, fun to mess with

Sound:
nice sound, not too heavy but not too soft.

Ease of Use:
easy to use, duh.

Feature:
the guitars stays in tune pretty well right out of the box. i am putting some grovers in it to replace the tuners in there. but other than that its great. the frets are nice with no sharp edges even though its a budget guitar. i am making it a project guitar.

Quality:
everythings nice and sound i just have one screw in the pickguard thats crooked but thats easy to fix. the finish is perfect its all even and glossy.

Value:
its agreat value and a great project guitar.

Desirability:
looks good. has a better finish than some other more expensive guitars i've seen.

Sound:
the stock pickups aren't very good but i'm getting some fender hot noiseless pickups and they sound great i've heard other strats that have them. once there in this guitar wil sound just as good and better than my friends guitars.

Ease of Use:
the neck is really a great neck. its nice, thin and smooth. even my guitar techer whose been playing for 40+ years thinks it has a great neck.

Support:
i havent had an problems. its made very well.

Overall:
i think it will be probably 3or4 years before i want something else. it sounds good and i a great deal. if i wanted something else it would probably be a tele or les paul. but this is a great strat and i think it would be a while before i would want a new one.

Feature:
About the same as any other standard strat.

Quality:
Don't get me wrong, I love Fender; but Squier just doesn't cut it. Awful construction, these will give you more problems than they are worth.

Value:
I guess you get what you pay for.

Desirability:
You can tell a Squier's a Squier.

Sound:
Very tinny sound, too bright with no warmth. Basically toneless.

Ease of Use:
The guitar is pretty easy to use. That is, until the tuning pegs break, the electronics go bad, the neck cracks. Which are fairly common problems with Squiers-especially affinity series.

Support:
Fender's warranties and customer service aren't bad at all, but I have had problems with some of their other companies, namely Jackson.

Overall:
I did repair/custom work and sales at a major retailer in the US. During Christmas time, of course we get a lot of kids looking to start up guitar. Understandably, the parents don't want to spend much money on something the kid may never pick up. In this case (or in the case that you just don't have much money to spend), I would look into the Ibanez Gio series. Decent enough that Ibanez still puts their name on it (not "Gio by Ibanez"). They run from 100-200 bucks, and you'll get better sound, better feel, better quality. I hated selling people Squiers. I knew they weren't getting their money's worth, and I knew I'd have to be working on it sooner or later. If you have some extra money, I'd get a Mexican Standard. Just stay away from these.