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Thread: Squier Strat Question.....Is It A Standard, Affinity or Something Else?

  1. #1
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    Squier Strat Question.....Is It A Standard, Affinity or Something Else?

    I was in a pawnshop the other day with plans of selling a Squier Affinity Strat that came in one of those Strat Packs. A parent of one of my ex-students gave it to me as the kid lost interest. While I was in there, I found another ultra clean Squier Strat- 3 tone sunburst, Brown Shell pickguard/white pickup covers and knobs. Looks a whole lot like the CV60's model they have on the Squier website. Only wanted $75.00 for it so with the $50 I got for the Affinity and $25 more, I took home a super nice guitar so I'm thinking. Here's where the confusion comes in. Looking at the headstock, the logo looks just like the strat-pack Squier I just traded in-says "Squier Strat by Fender" in all black lettering. It has "Crafted In China" printed on the back of the Headstock with a CE sticker near it. The serial number (which I can't really decipher) is "CXS100897967". The neck plate has a fairly elaborate "Squier by Fender" engraved on it and it has sealed tuners with "Squier" logo on them. This guitar is a whole lot fancier than the Squier Affinity I just traded that has printed on the headstock, "Affinity Series". (it was basic black, large headstock, cheap tuners, single ply pickguard) This one doesn't have "Affinity Series" stamped on it anywhere. Also, this Squier I purchased doen't have the thinner body that's associated with the Affinity Series. It's got the standard body just like my American Standard does. It has the synchro trem but it is fitted with more premium die cast -looking saddles.

    I've seen this guitar on several other forums which describe this Strat as an "Affinity Series" but all of them mention a thinner body and smaller neck. (as well as the large headstock) But this one I have doesn't have the thin body nor a thin neck. So..............

    ...........I know some of you here have more experience with the CIC Squiers than I do so can anyone tell me what I actually have? This guitar after a little setup plays and sounds like a much more expensive guitar-very resonant and a nice sustain. Sounds way different than that "Strat Pack" Squier. I'm attaching a clickable link to a pic of it as well as several other links you might cut a paste to see other specific pics of it. I hope someone can tell me what this is-the curiosity is killing me. This is an exceptionally nice Squier. Reminds a lot of a "Protone" I own......maybe a little bit better. : )



    Here are the links :

    http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL86/.../377317817.jpg (body only)

    http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL86/.../377317816.jpg (neck plate)

    http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL86/.../377317815.jpg (headstock shot)

    http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL86/.../377317814.jpg (pic of one of the tuners)

    http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL86/.../377317812.jpg ( Side by Side of the CIC and a VN6 Korean Standard I own)

  2. #2
    Forum Member phantomman's Avatar
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    Re: Squier Strat Question.....Is It A Standard, Affinity or Something Else?

    I have no idea what the hell you have there -- but for $75 I'd say it's today's "deal of the day". Nice score!

    "When injustice becomes law then rebellion becomes duty."

  3. #3
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    Re: Squier Strat Question.....Is It A Standard, Affinity or Something Else?

    Looks like an older version of the Squier "Standard Strat."

    Heres a link to the Squier Website: http://www.squierguitars.com/product...tno=0321600537

  4. #4
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    Re: Squier Strat Question.....Is It A Standard, Affinity or Something Else?

    Yeah, I think DanD's right. I've got a 2006 Made-in-Indonesia Squier Strat that sounds similar; engraved neck plate, die-cast saddles, decent sealed tuners, same body thickness as my Fender Strat.

    Mine says "Standard Series" on the headstock, but I remember it was marketed as a "Deluxe" because it came with a limited transparent amber satin finish and a matching finish on the headstock. Dee-luxe!
    "I haven't slept for ten days...because that would be too long." -- Mitch Hedberg

  5. #5
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    Re: Squier Strat Question.....Is It A Standard, Affinity or Something Else?

    Thanks for your help guys. You steered me into the right areas for me to reasearch and find out what this thing is and let me tell you what I found.

    This guitar is a CIC Strat SE Model from the "Strat Pack SE" bundle that Squier/Fender sells. This is the upgraded, deluxe version of the Affinity Strat Pack they sell. (The Affinity is very basic with good necks but a lot more chintze feel and sound) The Affinity pack gets you the small neck and thinner body for "beginners". The SE however gets you pretty much a "Deluxe Standard Strat" with a regular size Strat Body and a "C" shaped , small headstock 21 fret neck. There is a 2010 SE Strat Pack ebay in Artic white with a pearloid pickguard
    that was (except for the color) is exactly like mine and the Squier page has the exact same package on the site if you know where to look. I didn't know where to look I guess. LOL

    As for the year and serial number, CXS on these indicates "made in China, AXL Factory" and the year of manufacture on mine is "2000-represented by the 00's after CXS and the 1 in the first 4 digits of the serial number.

    The ones that come from the AXL factory are actually pretty rare as most of them come from the YAKO plant. AXL picks up the overflow and don't produce as many of these 'premium" Stratpack models as they do the YAKO models. This guitar is actually the Johnson/AXL Standard Strat that they manufactured from around 1999 up to 2007. I own a Johnson by AXL JT100 with a natural finish and maple/maple neck. I discovered that all of the hardware on both are the same. The electronics a pretty close to the same- the AXL's had better switches and better pots, jacks etc. than those original Johnsons that came out of China. They also came with pickups designed(possibly manufactured ) by EMG that are really good sounding pickups for the price-a little less power but as good sounding as some of the vintage GFS's or Golden Age Pickups that Stew Mac sells. As a matter of fact, the only real difference in AXL models and CIC Squier model is the headstock and the skunk stripe on the Johnson/AXL model. I plan to replace the small 250k pots on it with big can 500k CTS pots with an Orange Tone Cap. I'm also gonna install a Fender 5-way switch in the place of the factory one. I am gonna' keep the pickups however because I like the sound and the relatively low magnetic pull.

    I often wonder what "beginner guitar" actually means as a descriptor for this particlar Stratpack as this guitar is easily as good as the mexican standard Fenders or even some of the Hwy 1's I've played. At age 50 and having played as long as i have, I have long since discovered that professionalism is in the hands of the musician.

    Yes this was a damn nice $75 find and with the little tweaks, she's gonna' be one hell of a player when I finish with it. Here's a link to and Ebay page that I founf the same guitar in white. Thanks guys for the help : )

    http://cgi.express.ebay.com/New-Fend...QQcmdZViewItem

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