comparison of MIA Tele to Squier Affinity Tele

peskypesky · 05-20-2010, 02:07 PM

so i happen to have a co-worker's MIA Tele here in my office for a few hours, along with my own MIC Affinity. I'll be playing the two this afternoon to see if there's this huge difference I've been told about. cosmetically, it sure is pretty, with a sunburst satin finish and maple fretboard.

squierjosh · 05-20-2010, 02:16 PM

This should make for an interesting (possibly controversial) thread! In all honesty, I can tell when I'm playing my MIM Strat vs. my Squiers. The neck just feels a wee bit better. However, with good setups and electronics, I can't tell any tonal differences.

peskypesky · 05-20-2010, 05:49 PM

so the tele is MIA, but it's the Highway One model, not the American Standard.

ok, here are my thoughts. yes, overall, the MIA Telecaster is a better guitar. No big surprise there. it has a more polished and solid feel than the Squier, and the body is thicker than the Squier by a couple of mm.

the tuners on the MIA are better. no slop and a higher gear ratio. they just feel like the better quality tuners they are.

i didn't open the guitar up, but i could tell from feel that the MIA pickup selector switch is higher quality. it felt more solid and smooth in it's movement. i didn't notice any difference in feel for the pots.

the bridge on the MIA feels more solid and of higher quality metal than the Squier.

the fret-work on the MIA is better. smoother edges. but not a real big difference.

in terms of playability, i did not notice much if any difference. i would play a few licks on one guitar, then pick up the other and play them again. i bashed out chords and did some leads. i felt i pretty much played the same on either guitar.

soundwise i did not notice a big difference. granted, i wasn't playing through an amp. i was using a Vox AmPlug and headphones. wish i could've played them through a tube amp but didn't have one around. that being said, i thought they were pretty close tonally, with the MIA being louder.

Takeway? Yeah, the HWY1 MIA is a better guitar. since it costs about 4 times as much, that's to be expected. but is it 4 times as good? no way. not even close. i'd say the stock Squier is about 60-65% of the guitar that the HWY1 is. not that you can really use percentages to measure guitars, but i think you get my drift.

in terms of just playability and sound, i'd say it's about 70% as good. put in some better tuners, some better electronics and maybe a pickup upgrade, and i really think the Squier gets to about the 80% level.

with a bridge upgrade, you're getting even closer.

for me, the Squier wins hands down. the bang for the buck is just huge. if money is no object, give me the MIA. but for my purposes, Squier fits the bill.

Phoenix59 · 05-20-2010, 06:19 PM

Also, an Affinity Tele is a toploader.

peskypesky · 05-20-2010, 06:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phoenix59

Also, an Affinity Tele is a toploader.

true. i have no preference when it comes to that.

squierjosh · 05-20-2010, 07:09 PM

Excellent review, Pesky. I'm curious to read other people's comments on their observations.

grumpy old git · 05-21-2010, 03:40 AM

Nice review, very objective. Another advantage of the Squiers to me is that you have a licence to mod and not feel guilty about it

All in all my four strats (3 Squiers) have cost me, including all purchases and mods, £780, more than happy with that!

edandis · 05-21-2010, 07:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grumpy old git

Nice review, very objective. Another advantage of the Squiers to me is that you have a licence to mod and not feel guilty about it

All in all my four strats (3 Squiers) have cost me, including all purchases and mods, £780, more than happy with that!

+1 on that comment.

BillStickers · 05-21-2010, 01:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grumpy old git

Nice review, very objective. Another advantage of the Squiers to me is that you have a licence to mod and not feel guilty about it

All in all my four strats (3 Squiers) have cost me, including all purchases and mods, £780, more than happy with that!

That makes me happy too! LOL
I'm managing a build that is essentially finished and hasn't reached the £90 mark yet... and it's a good Squier...

Builds and Mods are awesome!!! It's just like LEGO, "they" supply the bits and you use your imagination to give them character and a value unmeasured by money in terms of sentiment

Love it when the mods are simple but worth a ton...

adamjn · 05-22-2010, 02:55 AM

I've been playing a buddy's MIA Deluxe Tele lately, and I have say, it's really a wonderful guitar. The most attractive part of it to me is the bridge pickup--serious tele twang--and the mid position tone. The neck is fantastic as well. That being said, I've played a CVC Tele that felt as good, and had a vastly superior neck pickup.

Take home message for me? Let's see: $375 for a CVC, maybe $250 in upgrades, say, Fender Noiseless or SCN, new pots and caps, brass saddles. This has me up to maybe $625. I could buy and upgrade two Squier Teles and have enough left over for an amp!! Kind of a no brainer.

Bullitt · 08-31-2010, 12:52 PM

Ive found that I prefer my MIJ Squier Tele to most all of the MIAs I have played lately,the better I could find was a Masterbuilt at GC used for 4500.oo,not in my book considering the other awesome gear i could buy for that money.

Buzzz · 01-08-2011, 07:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bullitt

Ive found that I prefer my MIJ Squier Tele to most all of the MIAs I have played lately,the better I could find was a Masterbuilt at GC used for 4500.oo,not in my book considering the other awesome gear i could buy for that money.

After 12 years with my MIC Squier Strat I bought a MIA Standard. Today, I got a Squier Affinity Tele.

Tomorrow - my MIA Standard Strat goes on Ebay. Neither Squier is going anywhere, ever. I'm _really_ disappointed with the feel of the MIA model.

kevinpaul · 01-10-2011, 12:55 AM

I havea Squier Tele Custom, I like to pick things a part. I tried hard to find fault with this guitar and I can't. I love it, one of the best.

nomadh · 01-27-2011, 03:34 AM

I'd rate the affinity at about 85% or so. Its prettier than almost all the mia's except a ash blond or burst. I dont like the thick finish mia necks at all. The tuners on the affinity are fine. Maybe not as good or solid feeling but equally tunable. Tone is different but I'd mark them as equal. The bsb affinity is actually a bit more raw and unrefined sound and I think thats more a tele sound to me.

AllroyPA · 01-27-2011, 07:58 AM

The solid woods and the beefier neck with rolled edges is the biggest difference, the MIA is more of a sportscar. I'll have a bunch of strats but maybe only one or two tele's, one will definitly be an MIA.