ULTIMATE Stratocaster Comparison! - From Squier Affinity to Fender Custom Shop!

From Squier Affinity to Fender Custom Shop and everything in between! Today I break down each tier of Strat, their cost, their features, and their tones!
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0:00 Introduction
1:05 Squier Affinity
2:23 Squier Classic Vibe
3:57 Fender Player Series
6:52 Fender American Professional
9:48 Fender Custom Shop

[DarrellBraunGuitar]

Let me know which Strat you thought sounded the best, and which one you'd spend your hard-earned money on! Enjoy :)

[theguitarclubonline]

I did a blind test for my student between my 'Classic Vibe' & Custom Shop. Said the Squire sounded better :(

[smrititrivendra]

squier affinity 10:54
squier classic vibe 11:05
fender player 11:17
fender professional 11:30
fender select 11:42

[mwg]

Let's be honest, soundwise, the Squier Classic Vibe series is nearly identical to the Fender Player series.

[cityofghosts]

Your videos are so good. Concise with no waffling you say just what needs to be said, and you seem like a super passionate and nice guy. Thanks.

[rayschoch]

When I bought my Squier in 1986, it was the only "budget" model Fender made. It still looks decent, and sounds good. The high-end model in Darrell's demo sounded the best, but not thousands of dollars better than the Affinity, which is a close 2nd in my book, and you can put high-end pickups in an Affinity to get the same sound quality as the high-end one for a lot less money. I don't much care where the guitar is made, and have instruments from Japan, Indonesia and Korea that all sound just fine.

[RCSmiths]

In many cases, a Strat is simply a guitar's best friend. Always feels awesome to play, and have a range of versatility. Cheers!

[randallcl]

I bought that exact same Aged Cherry Burst Player Strat last year and it is gorgeous and fantastic in every way! There is no reason to replace the trem, just get the Fender springs that drop into the screw hole and you can adjust how tight or loose the trem lever is.

[DavidHBurkart]

Just rehearsed our set tonight with my 70s Classic Vibe Strat. I bought it this past February and it is presently my favorite guitar to play. It just fits me well, I love the classic look and feel, offers quality above its price point.

[sotg]

This is a sick video idea, I hope that you do more like this, with other types of guitars.

[greenstrat]

The Player Strat is basically what the old American Standard Strat used to be. A great bargain, IMO, and very much a professional quality guitar.

[dsholt]

The $1500 for a Professional series strat is definitely a jump up in price, but when compared to other US-made flagship guitars, it is still a bargain.

[heavybrett-al]

I recently brought a squire 70's classic Vibe Strat, and it plays and sounds better than my Mexican fender.

[TexanUSMC]

It makes no sense for the MIM to have a plastic nut. A bone or graftek doesn't cost that much. What's $5 when you're already spending $700+.

[SpiritOfHalloween]

I spent $860 on my Player Series Strat mainly due to the humbucker pickups it came with, I wanted an HSS configuration so I could have more versatility. I really love the guitar. Not only is it my first real Stratocaster, but its such a huge upgrade from the guitar I started out with, which is a Starcaster by Fender guitar. I'm not even sure if that guitar can even be called a "Strat." I am also happy to hear that the Player Series is a lifetime guitar. I still say it is well worth the money. On a side note to newcomers who buy the player series, make sure you buy a case with it too. It does not come with a case. I already have a guitar case but that's because I also own a cheap guitar.

[atb]

Squire Bullets are the base model. The Affinity's are the next tier. I bought a Squire Blackout HSS LTD edition last year and it is a great guitar! 129.00 dollars free shipping from Guitar Center. I have the trem edition and the hard tail was 60.00 dollars more at that time. No fret buzz, nice action and good build quality. The Indonesian CORT built are very good for the money spent. I'm a Les Paul guy and bought this affordable Strat just to delve into Stratocasters. I must say that I was very impressed with way it played and build quality right out the box. It has become one of my favorite guitars to pick up and play. The neck is so comfortable with the light satin finish. Great affordable guitars!! I have guitars that cost 5 times as much and I must say that Squire makes some very nice guitars for the money.

[leonedantonio]

There's also an American Professional II Series with the new pickups and push pull as well as contoured heel. And following up this is the Ultra Series which do have locking tuners but come with noiseless pickups.

[richardcooper]

I have a Pacifica 012 and will be looking to upgrade to a fender very soon so I’m always looking for comparison videos - most of which talk about tone. This video is the most comprehensive I have seen in terms of hardware and what you’re actually paying for.

[harveywhitehead]

The player series 2 point trem has a screw in bar. If you want an instant upgrade that requires no tools, buy the tiny trem-bar spring. You simply unscrew the trem bar, drop the spring in the trem bar hole. Reinstall the trem bar. You will feel the spring tension on the trem bar. It actually holds the trem bar where you want it. The spring is tiny but beefy. It does a great job.

[johnwelch]

I've never had tuning issues with the Affinity. The six screws are just pivot posts. Back them out 3 turns minimum. Thanks Darrell!