The Starcaster caught my eye when I was shopping for a new electric guitar. It was my first time seeing one, and I have to say- the design is quite bold.
Vintage guitars are usually pretty expensive and what you pay is mostly for the luxury of owning a vintage guitar. With the Squier Affinity Starcaster however, you get two great-sounding Humbuckers which are very versatile.
The sporty Starcaster is also pretty cheap and makes for a cool entry-level instrument for beginner guitar players out there. I like the Starcaster Series guitars a lot.
In this article, we take a look at what makes the Squier Affinity Starcaster so special. Let’s dive right in!
Table of Contents
Overview of Squier Affinity Starcaster
Squier by Fender Affinity Starcaster – Maple Fingerboard – 3-Color Sunburst
Specification
- 22-fret vintage style neck
- Two Humbuckers
Our Verdict
At an affordable price range, the Squier Affinity Starcaster offers great sound and decent playability for any beginner-intermediate player. You can use it for any genre you like, and it will surely be a memorable investment in your guitar journey.
Squier- The Brand
Before we get into the Affinity Starcaster, let’s talk a bit about Squiers. Squier was a separate brand back in the day and today, it’s a Fender-owned brand that makes affordable guitars.
If you see Fender Squier on a headstock, it just means that the design and components of the instrument are based on Fender models albeit with a few compromises. Squiers are pretty decent- and since they’re usually a bit cheaper than Fenders, they are a great choice if you want to save some money.
Starcaster used to be produced by Fenders in the seventies and they were discontinued. Since then, there has been a growing need for Starcaster and Squier caught on to that by launching the Affinity and Classic Vibe Starcaster guitars.
Tuning
The choice of machine heads on the Squier Affinity Starcaster isn’t much of a surprise. These are standard die-cast tuners you would find on any Squier headstock.
While not the best in terms of the choices available, these are still great for keeping the instrument in tune. Beginner – intermediate players who don’t do much string bending will have no issues with them.
The nut is a cheap plastic one, but expecting bone nuts in this price range is a bad idea. You can swap out the stock one with an inexpensive bone nut if you’re a fan of that.
Me? I would swap one right away.
On the neck, frets seem to be well set-up and the intonation is quite good on higher frets too.
The six-saddle vintage bridge also does its job well at keeping the strings in tune.
Aesthetics
The Squier Affinity Starcaster has a unique semi-hollow guitar design. This instrument is like no other you may find on the market as everything from the headstock to the body is different than what you are used to.
That takes some getting used to-and is not necessarily a bad thing. You get to have a beauty that nobody in your circle owns.
The offset body shape of Squier Affinity Starcaster is sure to turn many curious heads towards you. I like the Olympic White finish on this a lot.
There is a smooth satin finish on the neck and a gloss finish on the body. It looks and feels great, so no qualms here.
The bridge, controls, fingerboard- all scream vintage. But the most distinct feature of the Affinity Starcaster, right after the unique body, is probably the curvy headstock.
I have yet to see a headstock this unique on guitars, and I was thinking to myself if this would make a cool guitar to mod.
Neck
The full-scale Squier Affinity Starcaster has a slim neck with a C-shape neck profile. There is a very slight curve on the maple fingerboard with a 9.5” radius which makes gliding across the frets very easy.
The maple neck is actually bolted onto the body firmly. Bolt-on necks are more common than glued ones on cheaper guitars as these are easier to produce.
Bolt-on ones aren’t really inferior to glued ones per se, but players seem to prefer glued ones when possible. For a beginner, details like that really don’t help with the learning process.
What does help is a smooth finish on the back of the neck. The Squier Affinity Starcaster has a super smooth satin neck finish which does the job.
There are 22 frets that are set up well and have no sharp edges either. Unlike the medium jumbo frets you’d find on a regular Squier, the Squier Affinity Starcaster has narrow frets with black dot inlays.
The vintage-style frets make bending easier but if you do a lot of legatos, you may find it different than the frets you are used to playing on. It’s not better or worse- but the narrow frets are there, and it will make a difference in your playing.
Like all modern guitars, the Squier Affinity Starcaster also has an adjustable truss rod that you can access very easily with an Allen key. If the string action is not up to your preference, you can quickly fix that by adjusting the truss rod.
Body
The Squier Affinity Starcaster has a cool-looking body. If you expected it to be a solid body like other Squiers, you’d be dead wrong.
The body on this guitar is semi-hollow, meaning that there is a resonant chamber- just like on an acoustic. The wood used is laminated maple, and I am not a fan of that.
I find laminated woods off-putting as they are usually used on cheaper guitars, but if you don’t feel that way, great! It probably doesn’t make much of a difference tone-wise.
The body has a beautiful gloss finish and chrome finish on the adjustable bridge. The satin finish on the neck and gloss on the body kind of complement each other.
There isn’t a pickguard- however. Personally, I am a fan of pickguards on electric guitars but I think the absence gives it a certain charm.
The Squier Affinity Starcaster also has two F-holes on the top of the body. These add a vintage vibe to the instrument.
Pickups and controls
What I like the most about this guitar- is the Humbucker pickups. I love Humbuckers!
The sound of Squier Affinity Starcaster is somewhere in between that of a classy Strat and a twangy Tele. It sounds fat and punchy yet retains a bit of the rock-ish tone that Single coil pickups provide.
Squiers usually have 5-way pickup selector switches for tone controls as they have 3 pickups. The Squier Affinity Starcaster has two Humbuckers, so there is a 3-way pickup selector switch just like you would find on a Tele.
You can choose between the neck, mid and bridge configurations. I like to think that neck pickup is ideal for funk-type sounds and bridge for punchy lead lines but you can choose whichever you prefer.
The guitar is not pricy at all, and if you’re into upgrading guitars, adding custom pickups would also be a cool project.
Tone
The Squier Affinity Starcaster sounds great.
Much of that has to do with the Humbucker pickups. The fat sound is very versatile for almost any genre like rock and blues, country, bluegrass as well as jazz!
There are better guitars than Squier Affinity Starcaster that lend well to high-gain genres if you’re serious about getting into metal. For a beginner, it’s fine.
Who it’s for
The Squier Affinity Starcaster is an entry-level guitar good for adventurous players. While it offers a great sound, it’s geared towards beginners in general.
If you are a beginner or an intermediate player learning your chords/ scales/ arpeggios/ first few songs, the Squier Affinity Starcaster is perfect for you.
The inexpensive Affinity Starcaster is also a great gift item to give to your friends and family. The narrow frets especially make it a convenient instrument for kids.
Professionals may not like gigging on this guitar but they can use it on stage due to its unique design. The Squier Affinity Starcaster can also be used for practicing and improving your chops. For those looking to step up from beginner models, comparing the Starcaster's value with a more premium instrument like the Fender Player Telecaster is a natural next step.
Score:
Bottom Line
The Squier Affinity Starcaster is a budget guitar that packs the goodness of Gibson-style humbucker pickups. It looks classy with a twist and sounds great.
This guitar is a great instrument for anybody who wants an electric guitar that feels unique and sounds awesome without costing you a fortune.
FAQ
Which is better- the Squier Affinity Starcaster or Classic Vibe Starcaster?
It depends. The Affinity Starcaster is a bit cheaper than Classic Vibe Starcaster but has passive pickups.
The design on the semi-hollow body slightly differs and the controls vary too.
If you are looking for a cheap vintage guitar with humbuckers, go for the Squier Affinity.
If you would prefer more options and active pickups, Classic Vibe Starcaster would be a better choice.
Are the controls harder to get used to?
Nope. As a matter of fact, the controls on the Squier Affinity Starcaster are all placed on the right side. The 3-way pickup selector switch is placed near the top-right horn and very accessible.
If you are switching from a Strat or a Tele, you may need some time, but in a couple of days, it feels like second nature.