Squier Affinity Telecaster vs Harley Benton TE20
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- čas přidán 30. 07. 2024
- Is the Harley Benton TE20 better than the Squier Affinity Telecaster? Join me in this in-depth comparison to find the right guitar for you!
🎸 Squier Affinity 2021 Telecaster: thmn.to/thoprod/516659?partne...
🎸 Harley Benton TE-20: thmn.to/thoprod/461106?partne...
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The tuning wasn't harmed while making this video!
Timecodes
00:00 Intro
00:43 Specifications
02:53 Build Quality
06:54 Sound Demo
08:43 Conclusion
12:24 Alternatives
14:00 Spec Overview - Hudba
Great comparison video. I’d love to see you do more comparison videos of other guitars. It’s my favorite thing to watch.
I own the TE-20 MB. Absolutely love it. Only needed a slight string height adjustment and I've never touched a thing since. Plays perfect every time I pick it up.
Cool review! Thanks for the valid feedback :)
Just got a HB TE20 and found your channel. Liked and subbed. Looking forward to more. Thanks.
Such a nice review. So thorough and informative. Great job!
Great video. My son is ready to advance from his kid size Telecaster to a full size. This video has helped us in deciding between the HB and the squier.
Nice step up in production quality. Great video and very informative 😊👍🏽
Thank you very much! I'm glad that you noticed! 😉 It's funny how dull the whole setup looks… until the colorful backlights are switched on, hehe!
Great video. Nice comparison. Looking forward to more.
Thank you very much!
Another great review - thanks Rina 😊
You're very welcome! 😊
Thank you for this usefull test ! I Owned a TE40, a model to consider seriously , that's a killer model !
Great job!
Thank You, excellent video!
Thanks for this video! Very thorough and clear. I just bought a HB, it’ll arrive in a few days and I’m glad that it’s good value for money. I’m just a bit scared by it’s weight and by the bridge, but I guess I’ll find out soon : )
YOU ARE A REAL PRO! THANKS FOR YOUR VIDEOS
Very pro-review! Well done!
That Harley Benton just cries out for use as a slide guitar; flatter fretboard, perfect bridge for the job.
brava! bel video, finalmente una comparazione reale concreta e veritiera da intenditore senza parole finte o filosofiche. molto molto brava complimenti
Grazie mille! :D
These guitars are marketed for beginner players and few that I know would be turned off by negligible differences such as pickup placement, bridge style, or how the strings attach. While I think those are important things, I'm not sure they would sway a new player, one way or another. This is a great video to point out the differences and similarities between these guitars. By the way, you have very long fingers! :)
I have been playing guitar for 20+ years and the Harley Benton is an amazing guitar; for the price. I would choose an HB over a Squier and with a few mods, even over a Player series. They are that good. Speaking of a TE-62 vs player vs affinity. Not AM pro II +
Nice comparison! I haven't played any of the cheapest Harley Bentons, and none of the Tele models. I own four of the more expensive Harley Benton guitars and they're quite nice. Not perfect of course, but pretty decent. It's actually amazing how much guitar you can get for very little money these days. I bought my first electric in 1988, and I think the quality of inexpensive guitars had started to increase at that time (compared to the horror stories from the dark ages before), but it was still a limited market. Today there are countless brands offering perfectly acceptable guitars for almost laughably low prices, and the same is true for effects. Young guitarists today really don't know how lucky the are. 🙂
Anything will kill beginner fingers. I know, I went through it twice ;)
2 mm scale difference will not be noticeable but maybe the nut was cut higher on "the stiffer one". Now, this would add to the killing of young fingers as well as be detrimental to intonation.
I would always go for the thinner body with a rib cut and a 6 saddle bridge but then I would also always go for a Strat' before a Telecaster anyway because the shape is more pleasant in all aspects.
Very good job of pointing out details like compatibility of replacement parts.
This is a great review and covers lots of useful info like differences in string spacing etc that nobody else has mentioned. Never seen this channel before but I’m subscribing.
…I would say you could trim those strings though 😅😉
The Bridge on the benton is the best!!! I noticed you top loaded it? my fave... great channel!!!!!!!!!!!! i subbed
For a budget guitar it checks the marks. The problem however is if anyone decides to do any upgrades there are some hard numbers that aren't going to pan out without some major work and likely marring up the finish. The industry standard replacement parts are based on Fender specs (like it or not). This has to be a consideration.
As far as i know you have the same problem with the Squier Bullet series. Starting with the Affinity series parts with Fender specs should fit.
You can easily change the screws on the bridge against shorter ones. I did this on my old squier tele and the problems with palm muting are gone.
I've got a Harley Benton TE-62 which is twice the price of the TE-20, still a pretty cheap Telecaster guitar, but it's simply perfect! Caramelised neck, no problems with th hardware whatsoever, no need to change anything right out of the box. I just changed the strings to a more durable Elixir Nanowen .09 - .42 for playing confort. Definitely a keeper in my guitar collection!
Wouldn't the TE-62 be a more suitable and comparable opponent for the affinity? Or the Bullet to the TE-20?
The TE-62 certainly and I would love to do that but it came out just a month after I'd bought the TE-20, I think. The Bullet against the TE-20 would put Squier even more to shame in terms of build quality… I have a Bullet Strat here, which I'll be modding for my Dad and it's not great. My approach came out of curiosity, really. After I've returned my first Affinity, I just wanted to know how good a 'hot rodded' Harley Benton would be compared to the Affinity. I plan to see how the TE-20 will sound after I put replacement parts on it until it's the same price of the Affinity.
@@Bandforge I'm currently researching the Thomann website for my first Tele (the gift certificates have to go somewhere after all :))...and I'm torn between the TE-62 DB and the Squier Classic Vibe...from your experience with the TE-20, what do you think are the main points I could improve on the HB model? Tuners? Bridge?
@Stephan Gruber I would go for the TE-62 DB. Even though many people love the Classic Vibe, there are also many reports about build quality issues. The TE-62 DB seems to have the better hardware and pickups, too. An interesting fact is that fretboard radius is smaller than on the TE-20 and should be similar to a Gibson. In case you want to improve the sound, you could get a decent set of Fender pickups and still spend less money than on a Classic Vibe. What I'd like to change on the TE-20 are: a string through body bridge, better tuners and better pickups/electronics. While I can't be certain about the electronics itself, all the other components seem to be waaay better on the TE-62 DB. Hope this helps! :)
@@Bandforge Oh yes that helps a lot, thanks very much! I think I'll get the TE-62DB and save some money for a couple of upgrades depending on how I like it. :) Maybe I go batshit crazy and get a set of Riot tuners.
@Stephan Gruber Riot tuners! Wow, I've never seen them before. They sure look a bit crazy but why not? ;) I hope you'll really enjoy your new guitar and make sure to let me know how you like it! :) For the TE-20, I might get a pair of Fender Texas Special pickups. They are more expensive than the whole guitar but I'm so curious how they sound. Btw, have you decided on a color, yet?
damn, what a great video, already subscribe
Great review. If the hardness of the strings are problems would not just changing them help?
Thank you for the thorough review. My issue with the HB is that Fender parts don't fit it, my issue with the Squier is that the bodies are made out of poplar wood, which I'm no fan of after buying an Epiphone SG Special. Might not make a difference to a beginner(I'm a beginner guitarist, but have been a bassist for years), but it has a jumbled resonance to my ear( I have a thing about how an instrument sounds unplugged). I'm looking at picking up a Tele down the road, just the HB was parts compatible. I enjoyed your review, new subscriber.
I got the Harley Benton guitar and it plays like butter. But I've changed the pickups and I really love it✌️😊
Nice review 👌
Thank you! 😁
Great job ladies! You review is far more thorough and informative than most on here! I bought an HB T-30 several years ago when they still had 22 frets and loved the fat neck that feels better in my hand. I really like the guitar, but as you mentioned, the HBs are way off if you want to customize them. I would rather have a black pickguard than the pearl one that came on the guitar, but for some reason they got wacky on the specs and nothing else fits parts-wise. I'll never buy another Fender product until they get rid of their "woke" management that cares more about their products than what cartoons their employees post on Facebook, but that's just me and Squier is good option for starters. Plenty of good used ones out there that are in like-new condition because people buy them to start with and then give up on learning how to play guitar. Anyway, keep up the excellent and informative reviews!
Nice work, excellent video. Also nice playing! One thing to consider is that when it comes to Teles, the Harley Benton rooster has more variety than the Squier's, specially for the price (winkwink:-7), I mean there's a point where the Squier's models jump a lot in price while the HB guitars still maintain a more slower progression allowing you to get better features and sound than the TE-20 series for less than $200.
Thank you! :) And you're absolutely right about the prices. I wished, Squier would do the same. In fact, my favorite option would be to get a Squier DIY Kit. Maybe one day Fender will come up with an idea like that. ;)
@@Bandforge A DIY kit, really? Ok, go ahead and waste your youth!:-7
What youth?? 🤣🤣 I take that as a compliment!
We have the TE-30 that we bought used for moding, we've had it for over a year, but have yet to do anything to it, because it sounds great the way it is.
Nice video. For the money both are acceptable budget guitars. The Squier sounds a little more like a traditional Tele. Just one note, the scale length. The best way to determine the scale length of a guitar is to measure the distance between its nut and the center of its 12th fret, then multiply by 2. This eliminates the adjustments for intonation due to string tension, height and other variables. Pretty much every builder uses this method.
Exactly, this 1 millimeter difference is because of the nut center measure.
This is exactly how I measured. That difference is real! :) I was very surprised.
The Affinity I bought had a flawless neck - really low action, smooth fret ends. I could have been lucky. But I don't like ceramic pickups, and the necks have small frets that really cramp my style. I can't get good bends or play with a variety of pressure. Although one might be tempted to get it for fast playing jazz or metal, then you hit the 21 fret thing, and I am sure you would need a better trem for that anyway.
I love buying cheap guitars because I'm not afraid to mod them. I have a squire telecaster and a Harley Benton Paisley telecaster. At first, I was not impressed with the Harley Benton. The pickups felt weak, and the thick neck was off-putting at first. But, then I changed out the pickups, put in some quality pots, installed a B-bender, a kill switch, and now I'm obsessed with the guitar. The neck grew on me, as it kinda reminds me of my Les Paul. I've gigged with it before the mods, and now I can't wait to gig with it with all of the mods.
Great review. I think the HB sounded clearer than the Squier so I prefer the HB.
Spot on! I have purchased both HB’s and squire’s. The newest squires have stepped up their game to compete with the HB’s. I have big name brands as well as HB’s, epiphones and Squires. The older ones had a bigger gap in quality but the newer ones are much better. Great video.
That fingerboard on the Squier is very nice. Some nice wavy grain in that laurel!
Yeah, I was surprized how nice the laurel looked after being oiled. It really makes the grain pop!
I have a TE-20, my buddy was upgrading his Player Series Tele to "Nocaster" pickups so he gave me his Mexican ones. Had issues getting the Bridge pickup bobin through the HB bridge hole. Fitted but took some doing.
Thanks for letting me know! I've tried to get some Player Tele's pickups but I couldn't find any. The sound demos I've heard were very much to my taste. Are you happy with the upgrade?
@@Bandforge They sound fantastic, much more "Telecaster-like" - the stock HB ones were ok but sounded a little "dark" to me (they are ceramics, whereas I believe the player series are alnico's). Very happy with them - even better as they were free!
@Lt Aldo Raine Glad to hear that! I decided to go with Tonerider Hot Classics for the Affinity but I'm also considering to exchange the bar magnets on the existing PUs for some alnicos are try that. Currently, I'm re-reading all my books about guitar electronics. :)
That's amazing video. I think that Squier pups are tiny bit less noisy.
Great review! Good to see a couple of things covered that other reviewers don't mention. Would lke to see you do a similar Les Paul type comparison...or do you only cover Teles??
Thank you very much! And rest assured that there will be other guitars, not only Teles! ;) I just figured to start with a guitar that doesn't break the bank. Next up will be some Strat experiments but once I have the budget, I'd love to compare more guitars. :)
My Butterscotch Blonde Affinity 2021 is also made in China and not Indonesia.
Btw. I changed now to a very low strings setup with an unintentional (too lazy to fix)slight fret buzz on some of the higher frets.
But sounds now awesome when playing crunchy Blues and Rock stuff ;)
That's very interesting! I've just looked it up and as it seems, all the other colors expect the Lake Placid Blue are made in China, now. Hmm… I wonder, if there's been a factory change for the whole Affinity series.
Another good videos ladies 😊
I'm guessing the HB is fitted with
ceramic pups like the affinity
Squier for the win for me. Great vid. Cheers!
Thank you very much! :)
I bought a used Squier Affinity Telecaster, not sure what year it was but the build quality is low and it doesn't fit Fender parts. The nut has a 6mm height instead of the 5mm Fender so I had to add a 1mm shim. The pickup wires were just sort of thrown into the wrap and not strung like a pickup should be. When I replaced the pickups with Fender Tex-Mex, I had to use my dremel and router bit to carve out space because the new pickups didn't fit. The bridge wasn't grounded so I had to make a work around for it and the tone pot had it's capacitor wired wrong.
Best Gitarrevue I ever seen. Very objective! Thumbs up. BTW. are you german?
I liked the sound of the Affinity better, which is a relief, because I already bought one. 🤭 May I ask which locking tuners would fit the Affinity without the need of any drilling? So S/N starting CSSF2100 were made in 2020?
I like the new Affinity Series, for the Tele especially the Pickups. The Tele Bridge seems vers good for Rock Sounds, sounds fatter and not so thin like an eggcutter. The slotted machine Heads and the belly cut on the Tele are great for my opinion. Best regards! Sebastian
Yeah, it's a nice guitar with tonal options that can be used for a variety of styles, I think. I like the belly cut, too! It's comfortable to play while standing and helps to relieve the right shoulder and arm.
Nice video! I just bought a 2016 Squier Affinity Telecaster and it sounds very good, I am surprised. Then I started to look some spects and it is made of alder (body) and maple (neck). Very. Compared to my Fender Player Strat it has a thinner body, but still with a great sustain and sound. Special mention to the neck, very smooth. A good buy for the money 🤘Greetings from Chile!
That's awesome! :) Did you perform any mods of the Affinity or the Player?
@@Bandforge Not yet. But soon I'm about to replace pickups on the Affinity with a set of Wilkinson's alnico II... And I am not changing anything to the Player, because I think it's perfect as it is.
@Pedro Lagos Interesting choice! I bet they will sound great at a resonable price. I plan to mod my Player Strat, too. The nut, string tree and the pickups + electronics are already in my shelf but I wanted to do a review of the stock guitar first.
@@Bandforge That's great! I will be waiting for that New video. What kind of pickups are you planning to put in your Fender Player? By the way, I'm sorry about my poor English, it's not my native language.
It would be great to compare the affinity vs the new TE62CC from HB!
I would have loved to do that! Unfortunately, the TE62 just came out after I'd bought the TE-20. It's a shame, really!
I had both here to test. TE62CC and Squier Aff Tele both in LPB as in this Clip. The Squier won in every possible way. Pups Sound - Middle and Bridge Position just dreamy / Neck Feel and Playability / Signal-Noise Ratio -> The HB was soo Noisy 😮 and for me the Modern Bridge on the Squier is cooler to Setup 🙏🏼
oh and the Colour on the Squier is so much nicer - No fender Fanboy here....not yet 😂
@jRooms Official That's really interesting. Did you change the strings before comparing them? I didn't like the TE-20's sound at all after taking it out of the box but a set of quality string definitely improved the sound. Still, I prefer the Affinity (as I said in the video ;). And yes, the setup of a three saddle bridge drove me crazy…
@@Bandforge Yes, the Sound improves a lot after changing Strings on the HB, I used Daddarios but in Comparison the Tone Definition, Single Tones or Chords..was just another level - I think its a Mixture of Pups and the Frets, which I had to polish on both Guitars...and...yeah...A really good Guitar Player will play great on both no doubt 😂 but for my Personal Taste the Fender was another Level - I had a Fender Played Tele back in 2018 and I would even say that I prefer the Affinity Neck
@jRooms Official So true about the good guitar player! That's why I always tell beginners not to relate on what the sales people can play but also try out for yourself when visiting a store! 😅
As for the neck, my Fender Player Strat from 2021 has the nicest guitar neck I've ever played (in terms of the finish) and I will try to get the same smoothness on my Affinity. Maybe Fender has changed the production a bit. Alex's Performer P-Bass has the same amazing finish and is from 2020, I think.
I got my self a Harley Benton T 30, more or less the same as the T 20 you have there. I am in the 50es and have been playing jobs my whole life since 13 y.o. I have also been a pro for a period, so I am not a beginner. I got the Harley Benton only because I liked the sound of it.
It made the palm of my had ake after a while, probably since I was use to the radius of a Fender Stratocaster neck for more than two decades. However it is a habit and gone now.
The tuners will not last a long time with intense playing, but they are very simple to swap in something better. I use to have a fender telecaster 1971 that I sold. It sounded quite hard and I think my cheap HB sounds better.
Good test :-)
I do love Harley Benton instruments, although I've always had models a bit higher up the range. The comparative ST or TE would be the 62's. They are excellent value for money. I've never had QC issues, but I do recognise that some have had that experience. I'd thought that they were all standard sized fittings. I'm glad I watched this video. I want both an ST and TE as a baseline for a lot of mods. I'll be installing a Graphtech Ghost bridge (an invisible Piezo), a 10 / 6 way switch, and a KingTone blues pot on both. The easy compatibility with Fender sized parts is a BIG deal. It sounds like the Squiers are the better choice in that regard. It depends on whether you're happy playing a stock instrument, with a set up as required. If so, Harley Benton are fantastic. I have a GLORIOUS Harley Benton SC Special, in white with black fittings, and 2 P90's.
Ich habe die TE20 in rot und bin voll zufrieden. Meine este Tele.
Ich habe HB Locking Tuner verbaut, und es kommen noch eine Babicz Brücke und neue PU dazu.
Dann habe ich MEINE perfekte Tele... 👍
Super Video.. Danke!
I dont see the thicker and longer neck as a bad thing. I'm going to buy a HB TE-20HH as my first guitar and, since i'm a bass player i think it will be easier for me to get used to the guitar
i just bought a couple of harley benton telecaster from the te-62 series, the shell pink one and the black one with double binding, great guitars for the price. they're pretty good, with alnico pickups, have you played them??....
Unfortunately, I didn't have the change to try one yet but I bet they're good guitars. Did you leave all guitars stock or did you perform any mods?
@@Bandforge i didn't yet 'cause i always take a time to test the new stuff, but i will sure change the nuts in both guitars, they bring plastic nuts out of the box and i'll change the strings gauges in one of them to play delta/slide blues....i don't like much light gauges in telecaster (i just have one with 9's to play rockabilly and country because 9's is, in my opinion, the twangiest gauge for a Tele)...i like heavy gauges, but i won't go any further than 10's or 11's in those harley benton to keep from wearin' the frets very quick, don't forget we're talkin' about 150 euros guitars, don't expect the best frets....the issue with the nuts isn't just the quality of plastic (i didn't buy them for a pro use) the issue are about the slots...out of the box the gauge is 10's (better than fender and squier that bring 9's) and the slots are designed just to fit 10's.....the point is that they're awesome guitars with no upgrades needed, they're playable, the stock set-up is much of my like (medium high action) and pickups and pots are kinda good to be such a budget.....i've played bullets and affinity and these new HB are a bit better quality ....however, they can't compete with the Squier Classic Vibe series, but these harley bentons, the TE-62 series, just broke into the budget guitars scene steppin' so hard....good vibes
I got the Harley Benton Telecaster Kit. I think it's basically the same guitar as the TE-20. It is extremely easy to play and the string tension is very low. I suspect that people who are willing to put some work into their instrument can improve the TE-20's playability very easily. But the guitar got a downside: it's incredibly heavy. I already painted it, otherwise I'd pull it apart and try to make the body thinner. Soundwise, it's okay. Doesn't beat my cheap Yamaha 102 S from the 90s. But neither does the Squier.
You claimed that the Squier is fully compatible with Fender upgrades but there are a few caveats. Firstly the Squier bridge is fixed with three screws at the back; Fender tele bridges use four holes with different spacing AND they’re a tiny bit further forward. One hopes that after mounting the fender bridge the three old holes will be fully covered, but going by the diagrams it looks quite tight at least for some Fender specced bridges.
Also Fender tuning machines will at least need some extra holes drilled as each tuning machine has two locator lugs whereas the Squier is only drilled for one. *hopefully* the shafts are the same diameter.
I’ve also seen in other videos that whereas the Squier neck pickup is mounted onto the pick guard, some Fender tele neck pickups are designed to be mounted onto a wooden standoff fixed inside the body cavity, and the screws are a different gauge. This might mean having to widen the mounting holes in your new expensive pickups.
Loved what you played in the demo. Is it inspired by anything? Sounds a little bit beatlesque.
Thank you! :) The clean part was something that Alex played when we were jamming with the two guitars. The crunch part is a bit inspired by Jimi Hendrix's Purple Haze, which I really like to play but due to copyright reasons, I wouldn't play it here.
First, my compliments for a well done and deep comparison! 👏🏻
I’d go for the HB for several reasons: one is that it has 22 frets… l may never get up there, but it’s nice to have the possibility. l have very good experience with HB’s necks from the other two guitars l have, so l’m pretty confident that the neck would fit my hands perfectly. Personally l don’t care wich species of timber the body of a solid body is made of, since it doesn’t affect the tone (yeah, l know… sorry guys, but what l hear is what l hear and there is nothing to do with that; no matters what your believing is and what YOU hear, it still is not what l hear! Yes, l have made my experiments and l perfectly know what l’m talking about), so the HB is IMHO one of the best modding platforms l can think of; as an example, a set of Fender TexMex has the same price as the guitar on the Thoman’s site, so it’s really a cheap solution if you want the Telly’s sound without robbing a bank.
And so on… 🤷🏼♂️
Thanks for posting this comparison, it has been quite useful for me since l am planning to get a cheap Telly and make “the one” out of it… 😁
Thank you very much! 😁
I think that the neck is the most important part of any guitar, so if the HB fits your hands, it's already the right choice. And about the wood… I have been called a "tonewood denier", that says all I think! 😅
If you're willing/able to redrill some holes, sand a bit here and there (e.g., for a replacement pick guard), the HB is a solid option. Basicially, all the important parts are well made, which is different in the Affinity. It's just a bit more work here and there if you want to replace some of the hardware. Which exat HB model do you want to get and which mods are you going for (except for the PUs)?
@@Bandforge Ah, another “tonewood denier”! 😁 Welcome to the club!
I’m thinking to the TE-20 (BTW, that blue color is absolutely KILLER!!) and l’d like to change the pots with concentric/staggered pots in order to control each PU’s volume and tone, and maybe the bridge if the original can’t intonate properly or anything else that can’t be fixed with sandpaper and a screwdiver. l would change the tuners only if necessary (that is, if they don’t do the job they are supposed to do), maybe later l could try some staggered ones. And of course I’ll change the strap buttons with a pair of Loxx ones, as l have done with all my guitars.
thank you
Any time! :)
Nice review!! The Classic Vibe is as good as a TeleMex at twice the price...got mine a couple months ago, B-Stock....$315. Tuners sucked...but it's getting lots of playing time against 18 other guitars in my harem.
I prefer the sound of the Affinity. What about the frets height? I hate low ones, too much pressure is required to avoid zzzz.
Maybe compare the squier affinity tele to HB TE 52???????
Would not the cheaper bullet Squire be a fairer comparison?
OMG you are German! I can hear it in your accent! I am half German and Irish! Mixed in America! I have 2 Harley Benton ! Awesome guitar so much! Yes I have lived in Germany! As American soldier! Beautiful! Your voice sounds amazing! Yes I see the ring! Awesome! Awesome to see you!
Hahahaha!!! Thank you for your kind words! Yes, I was born and raised in Germany but I am, just like you, only half German. The other half is Greek. :)
That's a nice flame on the Squier's fingerboard.
Yeah, it really came out nicely with a bit of oil.
i would buy the fusion t, you get everything, splittable humbuckers for 6 sounds, best of both worlds, stainless steel frets, a nicer neck joint and a trem if you want it, for 300 euros, i have the fusion 3 which is the same but in a strat type body, and i currently gig with it, its not like i dont have high end guitars, i have a USA PRS custom 24 and an ibanez AZ prestige, i was just curious to try out a cheap guitar with ss frets that i can gig and not worry about refrets or crowns, it delivers
your logo reminds me of a rotary engine, nice
Mepl neck and rosewood ???
The actual Affinity has a satin finished backside which plays great and the double time expensive Classic Vibe Series has „sticky glossy“ finished Necks.
The Affinity's backside finish is super thin. Almost so thin that it kind of feels unfinished, but yes, it plays well. Personally, I hate the "sticky glossy" neck finishes. The nicest neck finish I've ever come across are what Fender does for the Player and Performer Series. It's a satin finish that feels unbelievably smooth and fast.
the Squire is the best choice i also think, the bridge on the Benson is a certain no go
The parts not being compatible with Fender/Squier parts is a problem.
I sold my Fender Player Tele and bought a TE62 (ok I bought a Larry Carlton S7 + the TE62 because I wanted to have some kind of T-style guitar :P), sadly the TE62 has a better build quality than the Fender and plays quite good. Maybe I'll change the pickups later but for now, I quite like it :)
That's really interesting! I think Fender has some QC fluctuation. My Fender Player Strat clearly wins in build quality against my TE20 but again… a TE20 is not a TE62. I'd be very interested in trying one out. Do you have a replacement pickup set in mind?
I own te-20 for over a year now and it’s alright, however there are 2 but!
First one is not a big deal and easy to solve. The pickups are rubbish. I’ve changed mine after one week of use. Very weak sound. The bridge pickup is tolerable, but the neck pickup is just a mess. So if you are planning to get it - keep that in mind.
Second and the main problem with it - super soft cheap frets. After a year of having it, some notes started to disappear. The reason for that is soft material used for frets. You can see all the wear on the frets after just one year. It’s insane tbh. And fretchange is not an option on such cheap guitar.
So basically if you want to buy your first guitar just to understand if you like it or not it’s a good deal. It’s a very good guitar for the price with the idea that you will buy something better shortly after.
I’ve owned Squier guitars and basses before and never had any problems.
I'm impressed with the HB, and I guess that's one of the most basic models. I'm very close to taking the plunge on the TE-80 NT (the Prince Tele), which has better pickups, modern bridge, and of course all that bling. Seems like you're a Tele person? Good for you if so! It took me decades to discover that the Telecaster (ok, cheapo copies, but good ones!) is the electric guitar for me. My only wish would be for a shorter scale length.
The TE-80 is a stratocaster in a telecaster body. It has strat pickups not telecaster pickups.
How exactly have you measured the scale length? lol
I really like your reviews. But just to make you that much better, a couple of points: 1) the scale length is always measured from the treble side. It should measure about 1/16" longer than the posted scale length. 2) Basswood is pronounced like the bass fish, rhymes with 'ass'. instead of 'ace'. Lots of people get this wrong, you're not alone in this. Oh, one other thing: I would have liked to know the fret size. Big, Biggish, small, smallish. Just a general idea, you don't necessarily have to measure them. And yet one more thing: You can put a small shim (1-2 thickness of business card) at the rear of the neck pocket to raise the height of the bridge saddles, improving both the action (string height) and the "stabiness" of the bridge screws.
HB bridge pick up more crispy like it more
Would love to swap TE-20 colour onto Affinity
Maybe there's a Duplicolor match for the TE-20… ;)
Ich behaupte mal, du bist deutschsprachig und drehst deine Videos aufgrund Reichweite auf englisch?
Sehr positiv fällt mir auf, dass du die Einzige bisher bist, die diese Kleinigkeiten an Specs ansprichst, die aber für eine Entscheidung sehr wichtig sein könnten.
Es ist nämlich nicht immer nur der Sound der PU's...👍👍
Two things - 1 what's with the string pubes? And 2, if you're using 9's, how can either guitar be taxing on the fingers?
I'm not entirely sure about the translation of 'pubes' in this context but I guess you mean gauges? So basically, I put two identical sets of 9 gauge strings on both guitars. The HB is more taxing on the fingers because it has a longer scale than the Squier. It's the same with Fender vs. Gibson. The Gibsons are always less taxing because of their shorter scale. I hope this helps!
If you change the whole bridge you will have screw holes visible as the TE20 bridge is 9.5 cm while the standard tele bridge is 8.5cm.
Have the bullet Telecaster, happy with it, squier and Fender rules...
I'm glad to hear that! May I ask where it was built?
I just got a HB Fusion-T DB split coil and Fusion-T EMG with roasted neck and both HH...amazingly perfect! I can play Hendrix to Metallica! TE-20 is $69, Affinity is $260. HB Fusion-0T DB $260 is far superior specs to Affinity!
I think the Affinity was a little throatier... BTW, my Tele build is making progress again (my puppy is growing up enough to give me a little time to myself). Great advice on visiting your guitar store. If nothing else it's fun!
Do you prefer the throatier sound? At which stage are you with your build ATM? If everything goes according to plan, I will defret my P-Bass Kit during Sunday's livestream!
@@Bandforge Yes, I prefer the Affinity. On my build... because of puppies, I am restricted to working in small increments (I'm lucky if they give me 15 minutes at a time) so I quit work on the body and moved to the neck. I can shape one fret at a time, so it is a good project to work on in little bits. I figure I've got another 2 weeks on the neck. I decided that the finish on the body is good enough for now. It's not what I want for the finished build, but I can always take it apart and refinish later. After I finish the neck, I'm just going to make a late night after the puppies are asleep and assemble the whole thing.
So... two weeks!
I think puppies are one of the best reasons for not having more than 15 minutes for anything at a time! :) Sounds super cute! Do you use dedicated fret files or a regular file for shaping the frets? Also, for what kind of finish did you go for the body?
@@Bandforge I use regular files. I wouldn't recommend that, but I have them, and I (usually) have lots of time. Well, at least I'm not in a hurry.
@Arfonfree Thanks for the advice! I'll get some special files, then. I promised my dad to rework his Strat's fretwork. Let's see how this will go… ;)
I had a HB TE-20 and loved it! until i had a few beers with my cousin in law and sold it to him cheap 3 years ago 🤣🤣
TBH the price of the squire is only £29 cheaper than i paid for an IVY custom shop tele guitar built to my specs, delivered to the UK 3 weeks ago and is a beautifully made guitar..so I would sooner buy another IYV custom shop than pay that for a squire lol 🤣 plus i like a tele with separate string intonation adjustment not 3 adjusters for 6 strings 😊
meeting the guy i sold my TE-20 next month for a few beers..maybe i will buy it back 🤣🤣
I would get a deferent hb Tele with a roasted neck and one made to rock
The hb te 20 is a very good guitare ❤❤❤
I think both sounded quite good .. not much difference
The string tension on the hands/fingers is NOT just a woman issue. I play 24.75 'Gibson scale' guitars because of it, and I like the sound of them better. But, if you want a "Tele", you must deal with it! Mine is a $90 Indio by Monoprice...a bit modded/upgraded, of course.
The most impressive cheap guitar I've had is my Shine WT240 (SG-like). $149 and that thing plays like a $1000 guitar! It came with Grover tuners even, so all I did is upgrade the pickups/pots.
HB Guitars - better tuners, pickups, fit n finish, better frets.
Squier - Necks are REAL 9.5 C necks.
Soooo, it's up to you what's more important
FOR ME??? I need a playable NECK.
I can replace pups and idc about finish.
Love my TE-52. But it's a heavy guitar, so I don't recommend it for ladies. It might hurt your back.
The TE-52 is really nice, too! And yeah, I would be afraid of the weight. A chambered Tele would be a nice option.
@@Bandforge They made exactly that recently. Check it out ;)
Asking Fender snob which is better HB or Squier you won't be surprised with answer.
The TE-20 bridge pickup at least has a bit of the characteristic telecaster twang, but other than that all the pickups seem flat and lifeless. Obviously being low output ceramics doesn’t help but I suspect in both cases it’s mainly down to cheap bridge hardware with insufficient mass that’s robbing the instrument of sustain.
I so lovely to see Alex here too.😌 Showing those Malmsteen shred skillz 😎
I missed this video at first. Don’t think I got notified. Goddammit, CZcams!
I super enjoyed not being alone in front of the camera! 😊
And I always relate to her when I'm not able to play something myself… 😅
Fender for life!!!
I like the T-20 much more than the Affinity. Top loader is one reason why. Also I hate that thin body and cutout... The T-20 is more Telecaster than the Squier.
Have you tried one or both of the guitars? I prefer my 2020 Affinity Telecaster's thicker body, too. What do you like more about the top loader? The non-string-through body or also the three brass saddles?
affinity para quem tem mãos pequenas é a salvação, não só para mulheres mais também homens...
I own both of these guitars and prefer the harley benton