SQUIER SHOOT-OUT Classic Vibe vs Affinity Jazzmasters
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- čas přidán 6. 09. 2024
- These are two lower priced, affordable guitars from Squier. There are some similarities and quite a few differences.
0:09 Introduction & prices
0:23 Specs & differences
1:05 Sounds
3:06 Differences in tone
3:28 Playability
4:28 Conclusion
4:56 Outro & credits
Great video! I bought a Classic Vibe as a Covid project. It is now a great guitar, but I had to do A LOT of tinkering to get it to a place that felt good. Leveled the frets, mustang bridge, updated the pickups, rewired with rhythm circuit delete. I wanted a project guitar, and boy did I get one! I built a Partsmaster with the left overs that I love. I would DEFINITELY get the Affinity if I was a beginner or wanted a modding platform. The neck (after some work) on the Classic Vibe is amazing. I would put my Classic Vibe up against an American Jazzmaster now, but it was a beast of an effort for someone new to the finer points of setups and modding.
Thanks! I've upgraded my CVJM with a J Mascis neck. Much better. I have a video about that as well. The other upgrade I might do is the bridge - maybe a Mastery.
Thanks for posting a most honest review where we got to hear the clean tonal properties of both. If the CV were my main guitar would definitely get work done on it.
Glad it was helpful!
Pretty spot on comparison. After living with the Affinity with real JM pickups installed for a week now I am very happy with the sound and playability. It stays in tune really well after a string change and the trem is great.
Which pickups did you install? I’m thinking about some Seymour Duncan antiquities but I’m not sure.. there are lot of good options
@@dn4166 Fender Pure Vintage
I am thinking about getting an Affinity and installing Fender 65 Jazzmaster pickups too. How do you like yours? Looking for authentic Jazzmaster sounds on a budget.
@@earthmachine1 The affinity jazz masters have the best build quality out of any squier. I would recommend Curtis Novak pickups if you don't mind spending $275. I put the JM-V in the neck and the JM-fat in the bridge. Sounds incredible and is vintage correct, but with higher output.
@@tlister67 Yeah, I also went with the Fender PV 65's. Gotta install them, but I'm hoping they'll turn this Affinity Jazzmaster into awesome Surf-Master! Now if only I could source a replacement pickguard in mint green or tortoise...
If you put a set of Alnico Jazzmaster pickups in the Affinity, you get the perfect Surf guitar...
I put a set of Vintera Jazzmaster Pick ups in my Burgundy Mist Affinity Jazzmaster, upgraded the pots to 500K (stock pots are 250K) and I couldn't be happier... The guitar is THE perfect mix between a Strat and a Jazzmaster!
I played a lot of Jazzmasters over the years, but for the price the 2021 Affinity comes, you get a lot of a bang for your buck... And it's a perfect modding platform. The build quality of these guitars is incredible.
Thanks for the heads up! Currently waiting on my affinity to arrive and was over thinking it. This video really helped out!
Glad it was helpful!
I've been way over-analyzing which of these (and the Mascis) to get after a verrry long layoff from playing. The CV seemed like a fun project, but if I just want to get my fingers used to playing again, it seems like the Affinity would get me there faster, and I could always expand the arsenal later.
Of the three, the J Mascis is superior, at least in terms of playability and build quality. I gig with it all the time.
@@anotherheadlessdemo How big of a difference in tone do the p90s make on the Mascis model compared the the classic vibe? I thought he used the Jazzmaster pickups live at least with Dinosaur Jr.
I would jump on a Mascis Squire JM if it came in a different color.
@@Ryansax1983 The CV pickups are more vintage correct. The J Mascis pickups are their own animal, indeed with a P90 type flavour. Personally I really like the way they sound, too. Live J Mascis has used all kinds of guitars, including the Squier now and then, and quite a few of the studio recordings feature non-JM guitars like Telecaster, LP Junior etc.
As it always is in life, there are no perfect answers to fit all situations. I’d say that the guitarist who already has a traditional style jazzmaster would be happiest with keeping the Affinity since it gives you something that you don’t already have. Furthermore, you could use the money saved to then invest in a quality set of pickups to suit your preferences.
For the person who does not already own a jazzmaster(and craves one), it would be the Classic Vibe all the way.
If you didn’t really care all that much about jazzmasters then I would say to go for the Affinity and also swap out the pickups. And if you were handy with a soldering iron then you could also purchase a pair of VIP, CTS, Bourne, etc., pots and an orange drop capacitor, all in for easily under 50 bucks, swap out the original electronics and then be over the moon.
BTW, I would think that there’s enough variation in the quality of the fret work on Squiers(your luck may be different from David’s) such that you might benefit from having work done on the frets with either guitar. After all, neither of these are USA Fenders.
Given the price of both guitars, I'd have to really want to keep them before I put too much money into either. Of the three Jazzmasters I own, I gig with J Mascis (I know, not a real Jazzmaster, blah, blah, blah), but not so much the other two.
I've had quite a few Squires over the years. I personally prefer the Affinity over the CV's. Like you mentioned, I found they played better overall, were much better out of box (even though I do a thorough setup on all guitars), and the Affinities are more consistent model to model. The CV's I had needed lots of neck/fret/nut work, had screw holes severely mis-drilled, and never played particularly well even after being setup. CV's do look great though.
Fyi, the Classic Vibes from just a few years ago, had medium jumbo frets vs the narrow-tall now. So they can be found.
I agree with another commenter here, that a real JM needs the rhythm circuit at the top. I really enjoy the sound from it & wish it was included in the demo.
Check out my review of the CV where I use the rhythm circuit: czcams.com/video/7MXBzkBOYkM/video.html
I watched this video after I bought an Affinity Jazzmaster in Burgundy Mist last October. This Labor Day, I bought a CV 60s Jazzmaster for $305. I think your assessment is right on the money. I think I’ll be keeping both guitars. I play the Affinity all of the time, but I still wanted a more traditional Jazzmaster. Thanks for this video.
Thanks, David. Because I needed $ for something else, I sold the Affinity. A subscriber was very gracious and sent me a J Mascis neck which I'll be installing on the CV Jazzmaster. I'll see if I like it any better.
If I had to keep one of these guitars, it would probably be the Affinity. It's far from perfect but more fun to play. Modding anything on the guitar would be fairly easy.
UPDATE: For any of you who think Squiers are toys and too cheap to be bothered with, meet Jack Pearson. :)
czcams.com/video/EW_ajThs8Vo/video.html
Yeah, Squiers are more than ok. I have a stock CV Jaguar and it already sounds like a professional instrument from big commercial rock records even just through some Amplitube's VST Fender amps lol. I dunno, maybe I don't have a good ear for spotting which guitar tone is truly good and which is not, and I also haven't had any American made guitars to compare, but I'm pretty satisfied.
The point of a jazz master is the way it chimes or rings more than standard fenders. The affinity doesn't do that. It's not jazzy.
For me these are like buying shoes.... Gotta have both.... Which I do... I set the pickups really low on my affinity to keep the tone a little cleaner. When it comes to my wife Susan, of all my guitars, her favorite is my 08 Classic Player Jazzmaster.
She says the Affinity is very close to my Classic Player. My Classic Vibe is Danelectro light though. All 3 are keepers and I do my own work.... The affinity needed less work, but are were well worth what I paid. Each Jazzmaster has its own personality.... I will undoubtedly buy another Jazzmaster in the future too
I agree. All three of my Jazzmasters sound and play very differently from each other - very different personalities. The one I gig with the most is my J Mascis.
My fav is the JMascis Squier Jazzmaster. I won't trade that in even with an USA Fender Jazzmaster. I have had it for a few years and it just plays fantastic. I have the CV as well. I never liked the new laurel fretboards at all. All previous made in China or Japan are better. I have had a few Squier Telecasters made in China compared to The Made in Indonesia ones and there is a big difference in quality. If I ever buy a Squier thats what I look for staying away from Indonesian ones.
Great review! I have the Fender Player strat and tele. For my jazzmaster and thinline tele i went for SQ CV60s. They need a setup and some small upgrades but they are worth it. They are by far most true to the original, even compared to the Fenders.
🎉Love my CV,came set up straight from the box,and has a roasted neck and headstock..didnt have to adjust anything..maybe down to supplier set up spose, I love mine
Mine is definitely not a roasted neck, although I swapped out the stock neck for a J Mascis with a rosewood fingerboard. Much better!
I just purchased an Affinity Jazzmaster. Playability is really good. If I want it to sound more like a Jazzmaster classic vibe I would have to replace the pickups with the Fender pure vintage 65 Jazzmaster Alnico pickups? A doable upgrade. Thank you for the comparison.
I've never played a Jazzmaster with Pure Vintage 65s, but I've read they are a good choice to get that classic Jazzmaster sound.
For most players, the " jazz" circuit is fairly useless.It's a little better with high end pickups, but otherwise, the type used on the Jaguar is much better.
I don't use the rhythm all that often. When I do, I never use it for rhythm, I use for a more mellow, muted solo sound.
I use rhythm circuit for a warmer tone while my overdrive is on, adding some gain on my amp. It’s kind of a “humbucker tone but with an ability to easily control the feedback”
Love it, cause I play noise rock/grunge songs and it sounds great.
Ooh these are 2 tasty Jazzmasters. They sound very different is why I'd keep both. I've had to level 3 fingerboards on my electrics. The leveling is easy, the pain is crowing the frets and getting them right. Each one I had to crown 3 times till the frets play right. Easy stuff tho. Time consuming but save alot of $ and rewarding when they play like a champ.
Exactly. The crowning is the most difficult part and I've never been able to do that correctly. I'd rather take a guitar to someone who knows what they are doing!
Great video! I think the Affinity is really calling my name....
Good choice!
I currently have a classic vibe JM and really want one of these new Affinity’s in the Lake Placid Blue. But my take on it is that it’s basically a Jagmaster for $250, not a Jazzmaster. Taking it for what I see it as though, I want one.
Doesn't the Jagmaster have humbuckers? That would change the tone considerably.
I missed this video!! I had tele affinity, great guitar & love it 👍👍. Thanks for sharing this my friend. Cheers.
Glad you liked it! Really good guitars for the money.
I played 5 different CV jazzmasters and 2 CV jaguars at 2 different stores yesterday. They all had major fret issues. They needed fret leveling cause they would fret out, rough feeling unpolished frets, fret sprout, plus the fingerboards were dried out and the action was too high or low. The affinity jazzmasters, like the CV strats, don't have these issues and are good to go out of the box, which makes me suspect they're made in a different factory.
Yup. I've played a couple of CV Jaguars and one other CV Jazzmasters and the fretwork was pretty bad. I suspect the Affinity series is made somewhere else. My J Mascis' neck is on another level compared to the CVs. So much better without the issues.
My only electric is a Telecaster, and even though I love my Tele, I'm always wishing I had a whammy bar like the jazzmaster so I could make some cool surf vibrato
its not the same
Second User - I love Teles and have had several over the years. The one thing I wish I had now was a Tele with a Bigsby.
I would love to see a review on the squier contemporary Jaguar. I know it’s not a jazzmaster but it is fitted with humbuckers so it has a jazz-y tone
There must be one somewhere on CZcams?
Hi David, thanks for the demo. I won't character the Affinity a childrens guitar. I gig with two relentlessly. Price doesn't mean anything in the last 20+ years. However, back to the review; I like both! The Affinity is much different than a strat or tele and that's good. Fender finally dropped the two humbuckers that plagued the early Affinitys. The CV is just a good Jazzmaster in it's favor. BTW, a friend asked me to set up his CV which was excellent on arrival. Only lowered strings slightly and adjusted pickup heights for balance. I have one question: are the Affinity pickups shorter in the winding stack that normal single coils? As you know, this is an important distinction for Jazzmaster sound, not regarding the actual number of winds. Thanks again David!!
Good questions about the pickups. I haven't taken it apart yet. Maybe that's a good next video?!
@@CCovers1 they are shit in fact
Great video Sir. Interesting to see the Affinity has a better neck. I was wondering if it fits the Classic Vibe perfectly if you swapped them around and see the difference in the CV after.
The CV is wider (2 1/4") than the Affinity (2 2/8") at the 21st fret. I don't think you can swap the neck. That said, I like the frets more on the Affinity. They are bigger and closer to being a medium jumbo than the CV.
@@anotherheadlessdemo That is a shame as it would had been a great option to have. Thank You Sir
@@anotherheadlessdemo 2\8ths & 1/4...whats the difference?
Great vid, thanks. So hard to say how much it varies by instrument but I think they probably cut costs in different departments. In the 90s it was easy to find Mexican strats that played well and ones that were awful.
I had a couple of Mexican Teles way back when which sounded really good and played great. And yes, I had a friend that had a Mexican Strat that played like a dream.
I liked the Classic Vibe more in terms of sound than the Classic Vibe. The former has a more unique signature color in the midrange. Wilkinson tremolo or other wood or other pickups influenced the sound - I won't argue. But I would not get rid of the Classic Vibe, the instrument sounds more interesting, more beautiful and the character of the sound is emphatically bright. I love the sound of it.
We'll see, I'm making no plans on selling any of my Jazzmasters!
Great video! Thanks for this comparison!
Thanks for watching!
The Anico pickups on the CV sound beautiful...
I know, right? I don't see any reason to swap out these pickups if you want an authentic Jazzmaster sound.
I can see you slinging that CV through the window no matter how good it sounds.. Playabilty is everything for me . I do my own setup's too but on a relatively cheap guitar like this is it worth the time and effort. Those tall high fret's ..you dig em or you don't .
I think I'll try selling it before slinging it out the window! Of the three Jazzmasters I have, the J Mascis is the keeper. The others, not so much. :)
On reflection I definitely prefer the Affinity.
Which is unfortunate, because I've just bought a Classic Vibe Jazzmaster and am waiting for it to be delivered!
It might have to go back. 😳
They are very different from each other. After you get your CV, see if you can find a store with an Affinity and do your own comparison.
Do you still have your classic vibe ? I ordered the affinity if I don't like it we could trade hehe ! Happy holidays everyone 🙂☃️🎄
How's the string tension on the Affinity with bridge moved up compared to the CV? I always associate a looser string tension with JM's, but I imaging the Affinity's alternate bridge design would make it feel a bit tighter like a strat or tele.
Personally, I'd be interested in seeing how the Affinity compares to the J. Mascis as well. Thanks for the upload!
I'm not detecting a huge difference in string tension. If anything, the CV has slightly more tension.
Very helpful! Thanks
Glad it was helpful!
I was surprised by the Affinity being the better playing guitar
Same here!
Im thinking of getting a used affinity jazzmaster for my first project guitar!! Is it good idea?!
They are worth it!
hows the neck? i heard it has medium jumbo frets like the JMJM, so is the neck shape like the JMJM as well?
The frets on the Affinity are smaller than the JMJM. The neck is really good on the Affinity. I was very surprised.
It’s December. You owe us a new video.
LOL. I know, I've been kinda busy but I'm working on it!
The Affinity is not really a Jazzmaster. Buy the J Mascis Squier Jazzmaster if you are short on funds. All guitars need set ups, and Jazzmasters and Jaguars are best with Mastery bridges. They may cost as much as your guitar, but it is what it takes. The J Mascis Jazzmaster with the Adjusto-matic bridge is fine as well. A Jazzmaster without the rhythm circuit, ceases to be a Jazzmaster.
Interestingly enough, some of the new Fender Jazzmasters, like the Professional II, don't have the traditional rhythm circuit. It looks the same, but functions differently. Can the Pro II sound like a Jazzmaster? Absolutely. I have the J Mascis as well. It's a killer guitar.
@@anotherheadlessdemo The Pro II also comes with the Panorama vibrato which is a plus since it allows for deeper dives.
BTW, the J.Mascis, while still in stock around the world, is no longer in production. Down the road, people will be selling them used for high prices. I recently bought a Squier Classic Vibe Late 50's Jazzmaster which I plan to swap the neck out for a used J. Mascis neck that I found on Reverb.
I've heard that about the J Mascis. I'm wondering if it reappear called as something else?
A lot of people rip the rhythm circuit out and repurpose the switch to do something cooler (like series/parallel or a in/out of phase switch). To me, the body shape, the scale length and the pickups make it a Jazzmaster. Now, those pickups in the Affinity are clearly not what we think of as “Jazzmaster pickups” but at least standard Jazzmaster pickups will fit. I think it’s a hell of a deal at $279.
Would this be a good starter guitar or should I snag a tele instead?
It depends on what you want to play. Teles sound different from Jazzmasters. I love Teles, but my Jazzmasters get most of the playing time.
I like the cv sound but I'm holding back, I don't want to pay that mutch for a dodgy guitar. I'm thinking if you want a jazzmaster you got to go fender. Shame harley benton don't make one.
Find a used Squier J Mascis and swap out the pickups for a "real" Jazzmaster set. That guitar would be a beast.
40th anniversary jazzmaster ??
Are you asking if one is a 40th Anniversary? Neither is one of those. If you are asking could I do a demo of one, probably not. I'm not planning on buying one.
@@anotherheadlessdemo the seafoam green one looks like the 40th Anniversary
In case someone is new to Jazzmasters, the text overlay @0:15 doesn't match ;)
Mmmm ... it says $279.99 for the Affinity. Maybe the dark background over the opposite guitar is too confusing?
Wish the affinity had alnico pickups 😒
Why?
A lot of people prefer ceramics.
Including me.
@@christoguichard4311 just depends on the guitar and what I'm gonna do with it really.
For single coils I prefer alnico For humbuckers I prefer ceramic.
I really like the sounds on both JMs & wouldn't feel the need to change the pickups. I used to be biased against ceramics cuz they were cheaper, but occasionally they sound great & have a different sound.
My fav is usually alnico 2's
@@BoltRM yeh. I've got one strat that's an HSS configuration and the single coils in it are ceramic.
I feel like the ceramic singles in this situation keeps up with the humbucker's output better. 🤔
Affinity Jazzmaster really isn't even a Jazzmaster I guess. Just a budget guitar with a JM body?
I think the pickups are constructed the same way any Jazzmaster pickup would be. I haven't taken it apart yet; maybe that would make a good video?
who neck shims a jazzmaster? between the nut , the truss rod, and the bridge-you cant figure that out? Stop making videos.
It's really common thing to do with Jazzmasters. I suggest you get your facts straight.
@@anotherheadlessdemo what is neck shimming?
Neck shimming is when you change the angle of the neck using a business card or thin piece of wood between the neck and neck plate. StewMac sells various widths. Some Fender guitars come with an adjustment built in. I've used shims on a couple of Teles and Jazzmasters. With a Jazzmaster, it can help with lower action as well as adding better tuning stability.
@@anotherheadlessdemo thank you so much for your feedback, Mr Niles.
@@anotherheadlessdemo you could try lubing the nut and bridge for tuning, or lowering the saddles, adjusting the relief through your truss rod, or cutting your nut. If you need a shim, your guitar is garbage. Take it to a luthier.
I own the affinity, and love the less bright pickups, the fret work is great no buzz, set up really good out of the box. i have a classic vibe mustang and it is terrible, a lot of work to get it right.
The Squiers seem to be hit or miss. The Affinity Jazzmaster seems to be well liked by anyone who plays or owns it.
I just ordered the affinity and I'm already hunting for some alnico pickups that sound more like the old 50s jazzmasters. Do you guys know of any ? Thanks for reading this 🙂☃️🎄