i bought a squier affinity telecaster

I thought I was done with Squier, and even implied as much. I also thought I was all-in with Yamaha.

Well, that went all out the window. Both my Yamaha Pacifica PAC112VM and TRBX174EW bass are out, and a new Squier Affinity Telecaster is in.

The one I bought has your standard Telecaster look. Butterscotch blonde with black pick guard. I made a video when I first got it. Since that time, I've taken off the stickers and changed the strings to my preferred set.

I wasn't going to buy the Affinity and had my eye on a Squier Sonic Telecaster, but when I got to the guitar store, I couldn't find it anywhere even though the web site said it was in stock. This most likely meant it was there, but hadn't been unpacked yet and put out on the floor. Since the Affinity was already there and about the same price as the Sonic as it was on clearance, I played that, and it was definitely good enough, so that's what I went with.

What convinced me to get the Tele was my second vintage '89 Squier II Stratocaster. The first is my very first electric guitar that I still own, so I don't play that one too much. I break out the second '89 after not having used it in a while, start playing, and damn, it sounds good. Really good.

Then I go to play the Pacifica again, and... it's just not the same. Even though the PAC112VM is truly a good guitar, I realized something. I'm trying to make this thing sound like a Fender, and that's never going to happen, so it's gotta go.

I also watched a few past videos of mine where I was playing a Squier Telecaster or other guitar brands in Tele shapes, and thought yeah, that's a sound I want back again. Two sounds, specifically. The overwound bridge-only and the bridge+neck tones.

There is a way to get all the Strat and Tele tones out of one guitar, and that's the Squier Paranormal Custom Nashville Stratocaster. It has the Tele pickup set, a middle pickup, and a push-pull to get the bridge+neck traditional Tele middle sound. Fender also has one with the Fender Player Plus Nashville Telecaster, and yes, the push-pull is there. And if you're wondering why the Squier is called a Strat and the Fender is called a Tele, it's because the Squier has a double-cutaway body and a Strat headstock, and the Fender has a single cutaway with the Tele headstock. There are also other differences, but once you see the body and headstock shapes are different, then it makes sense why those two guitars have different model names.

I didn't need a Nashville since I already have a Strat I like, so a separate Telecaster works for me. I'm not opposed to getting a Nashville style Squier or Fender in the future, but just not now.

Two things I've learned

First, I gotta stop buying basses.

I go through this cycle every few years that really needs to stop. I think yeah, I need a bass, so I buy one. At first, I love it. Thumb some basslines here, pick a little there, cool. This lasts for a few weeks to a month, then the bass gets put on a stand, stays there, collects dust and doesn't get played for months.

At some point I pick it up again, dust it off, play it again, and I hate it. But I don't part with the bass just yet, figuring I'll give it another chance. That lasts for a week, then back on the stand it goes.

A few more months pass, I pick the bass up again, and I'm still hating it. I ask myself why I even own the thing, and can't come up with a good answer. That's when I get rid of it.

Add to this that I've never owned a bass with a body shape I truly liked. I've tried the P shape, J shape, Jaguar shape, and other shapes. None have ever been truly comfortable.

And there's another thing to add into the mix. If the bass isn't 34" standard scale, I don't want it. I tried the short scale thing before. Didn't like it. In bass world, 34" is the only thing I like.

Maybe in the future I'll give a go with a Stingray shape, as that's one of the few shapes I've not tried. I've also never experimented with the giant humbucker with the huge pole pieces with one of those either. Even so, I'm not going to actively seek out a bass any time soon.

Second, I gotta stop trying to fool myself into thinking I'll like anything other than Fender tones.

At this point in my guitar playing life, I've tried every popular pickup configuration there is. SS (Telecaster, Jazzmaster, Jaguar), SSS (Stratocaster), S/H (Telecaster Custom single-coil + humbucker), HH (Les Paul, Thinline Telecaster, and others), HSS.

The few pickup configurations I've not tried aren't ones I'm interested in, such as a one-pickup configuration like the Esquire and HHH like a "Black Beauty" Les Paul Custom, be it by Gibson or Epiphone.

And I suppose you could also throw in a few outliers, such as mini humbuckers like what the Epiphone Firebird has. That is obviously HH, but the pickups sound different compared to standard size humbuckers. Not better nor worse, just different. Then there's gold foil pickups. Just from the demos I've heard, I'm fairly certain I'd never get along with those. The foil absolutely isn't just for show, as it does have a very distinct tonal character, but not a character I like.

Fender tone is what I like, which to me is a single-coil equipped solid-body Strat, Tele, Jazz or Jag.

Every time I stray away from Fender tone, it doesn't last. I always go back to the single-coil solid-body Fender sound.

It's fair to say I really did give other pickup layouts and other guitar brands a genuinely good try. I tried Schecter, Yamaha, Ibanez, Epiphone and a few other brands. But then I pick up a Strat or Tele, plug in, play and say yep, that's the sound I want, and I get it from Squier.

Even though I'm very settled in to what guitar tone I know I like, I will keep my mind open. For now, I'm a Telecaster owner once again.

Published 2025 Nov 5