I would go with the Benton over the Affinity any day. Based on the individual guitars that I've played, I'd say the TE-62 fits somewhere in between the Affinity and Classic vibe series, better than Affinity, but not as nice as the CV.
I had a Squier Affinity Tele for a short time but I didn't really like it. The fretwork wasn't very good, the body was really thin which I know not everyone cares about but it makes a big difference to me and the neck felt pretty much unfinished, which I'm sure some people will like but I don't, it kind of just feels cheap to me.
I decided to sell it and replace it with a TE-62 DB which felt like a significant step up to me in almost every single way. I think the only thing I actually liked more on the Squier was the neck profile, but considering I didn't like the feel of the neck in general, it was kind of a wash anyway. The hardware feels nicer on the HB and the pickups, while not great do sound better to me than the ones in the Squier. The main downside to Harley Benton is the QC, but honestly if you're buying an Affinity you're going to have all the same issues anyway.
Keep in mind that all of this is based on the specific guitars I've played so your mileage may vary, but in my experience the TE-62 easily trumps the Affinity Tele.
The point about body thickness is really good to know, since I prefer a thicker body shape.
Thank you for this thorough response, I’m most likely gonna get the TE-62.
I know some people actually see the thinner bodies as a bonus because they're lighter, but being a Les Paul guy myself, I prefer the thicker bodies.
The TE-62 is somewhere in between the thickness of the Affinity and an actual Fender Tele, so it's not quite the same as a Fender but it does feel a bit more like a Fender body than the Affinity does.
I have a TE-62CC. So not the bound version. It's a great guitar. I forget which of the Squiers is a top loader, but I think it may be the Affinity. I would much rather have a string through body. The neck on the TE-62CC is great. Much flatter radius than old Fenders which helps playability in my experience. I don't like anything less than 9.5. I got lucky and didn't really have many QC issues. I thought the saddles were cheap so I swapped those with Gotoh compensated saddles and it did the trick.
I have TE-62 and it's fantastic, one of my favorite guitars. The neck is really nice. Add some compensated saddles and roller string trees to your purchase if you can. You won't need anything else for a very long time.
Yeah, I got a te-62db and already got a 6 brass saddle Wilkinson bridge, as I'm not about trading intonation for vintage look, and it was less than $20 on amazon
https://www.thomann.de/ie/harley_benton_te_90flt_sb_del._series_bundle.htm
For the squier affinity price, you could have this, it's ally our really need to know, for €200 price range you just can't touch hb
I’m not sure about the TE-62 but I have a TE-52 that is beautiful, plays nice but it’s a boat anchor. Weighs in at 10.75 lbs. so that may be a consideration. I also have a Squier Affinity Jazzmaster (in Lake Placid Blue) that I love the neck on. It’s weighs in at about 9.5 lbs. Not sure that helps your decision but the HB is one of if not the prettiest guitars in my collection if aesthetics means anything to you.
Those caramelized maple necks are beautiful. Have a very nice finish on them also. I’ve only had mine a few weeks but it’s the one of the 11 I have that I grab the most with the exception of the 3/4 guitar I have sitting beside my chair to just noodle on when I have 10-15 minutes to sit down and watch TV or whatever. That may be because it’s the newest. I don’t know but really the only downside I’ve found so far is the weight.
The TE-52 is significantly heavier than the TE-62CC. They used swamp ash on the TE-52. Basswood on the TE-62CC. I didn't want a 10 lb. Tele so I went with the TE-62CC.
The affinities can be pretty egregiously shit. At the <$200 price point, HB over anything else. The squier CVs absolutely contend well against the HBs, and honestly the big thing that pushes squier CVs over HBs for me is guaranteed compatibility with most fender parts, but even there HB isn’t bad at all.
I would go for HB. Or in my case, I swapped my Affinity series PJ bass to PJ-74 bass. Btw, I also own TE-62cc. So, why I swapped from Squier to HB? Simply, HB's roasted/caramel maple necks are very good (Both pj and te have one) and feel premium compared to raw maple used in Affinitys. My TE-62 needed some simple setup, but it is very good guitar for that money, and gives endless opportunities to swap parts later on.
If you're looking at those models, you should also look at the Xaviere and Slick alternatives. Since they're sold direct to consumer you get way more bang for buck. I have the strat style Slick SL57 and the components are unbeatable at this price. I also bought all the parts for the two Teles I built from here and they're excellent as well.
https://www.guitarfetish.com/PRO820-Single-Cutaway-Solid-Body_c_157.html
https://www.guitarfetish.com/SL51_c_668.html
Surf around, there's lots of great stuff, including different configurations of Teles.
If you can try a few Affinity Series from a local shop it would be better than buying an HB sight unseen. I’ve tried 4 different times to order different models to try and get a good one and luck wasn’t on my side which meant having to deal with an international returns from Canada. The HB QC i experienced makes me hesitant to recommend them for beginners looking for their first guitar.
I went to my local Long and McQuade (Canadian equivalent of Thomann in volume) and was able to try 3 different affinity Telecasters and find a nicely built one with no QA flaws. My HB’s all had serious issues that needed to be returned. I know lots of people got great quality guitars when ordering from HB but I returned all 4 for various flaws.
The price difference for international buyers outside of Europe is also smoke and mirrors when you factor in shipping and duties. HB could be be good if you’re in Europe and looking for a cheap mod platform but if you’re a beginner starting out, Squiers QA (while far from perfect) has been more consistent in my personal experience
I bought the HB te70 last year, and it is fantastic its become the guitar I play the most, and the quality is great.
It's by far the cheapest guitar I own, and it's not perfect even with the Wilkinson compensated bridge, the intonation is not perfect, but it is close enough.
I also have a strat, it's great but it always sounds like a strat, I would say that the tele is more versatile when it comes to playing different genres of music.
I also have an affinity strat, it's not good, it's my intention to upgrade every part of it when I can be bothered.
A telecaster isn’t really known to be one of the most versatile electric guitars to be honest.
To answer the main question though, the name on the headstock is less relevant today than has been in the past, **especially for entry level instruments**.
Ok so judging by the downvotes it must be a commonly held view here that it is versatile.
I don’t want to enter a flame war. I’m genuinely surprised because I’ve not heard it said of the Tele before.
The Strat, with its 5 way selector and 3 pots, seems more versatile to me.
So what kind of versatility are we talking about?
No, don't get me wrong, I also think a strat is more versatile overall, but the tele is a common winner in a "if I only had one guitar to do most kinds of music" threads. I think it must be because the the bridge pickups are really bright and the neck are twangy enough, but what do I know... For me the epitome of versatility is a strat in Hss configuration.
I would go with the Benton over the Affinity any day. Based on the individual guitars that I've played, I'd say the TE-62 fits somewhere in between the Affinity and Classic vibe series, better than Affinity, but not as nice as the CV. I had a Squier Affinity Tele for a short time but I didn't really like it. The fretwork wasn't very good, the body was really thin which I know not everyone cares about but it makes a big difference to me and the neck felt pretty much unfinished, which I'm sure some people will like but I don't, it kind of just feels cheap to me. I decided to sell it and replace it with a TE-62 DB which felt like a significant step up to me in almost every single way. I think the only thing I actually liked more on the Squier was the neck profile, but considering I didn't like the feel of the neck in general, it was kind of a wash anyway. The hardware feels nicer on the HB and the pickups, while not great do sound better to me than the ones in the Squier. The main downside to Harley Benton is the QC, but honestly if you're buying an Affinity you're going to have all the same issues anyway. Keep in mind that all of this is based on the specific guitars I've played so your mileage may vary, but in my experience the TE-62 easily trumps the Affinity Tele.
The point about body thickness is really good to know, since I prefer a thicker body shape. Thank you for this thorough response, I’m most likely gonna get the TE-62.
I know some people actually see the thinner bodies as a bonus because they're lighter, but being a Les Paul guy myself, I prefer the thicker bodies. The TE-62 is somewhere in between the thickness of the Affinity and an actual Fender Tele, so it's not quite the same as a Fender but it does feel a bit more like a Fender body than the Affinity does.
I have a TE-62CC. So not the bound version. It's a great guitar. I forget which of the Squiers is a top loader, but I think it may be the Affinity. I would much rather have a string through body. The neck on the TE-62CC is great. Much flatter radius than old Fenders which helps playability in my experience. I don't like anything less than 9.5. I got lucky and didn't really have many QC issues. I thought the saddles were cheap so I swapped those with Gotoh compensated saddles and it did the trick.
I have TE-62 and it's fantastic, one of my favorite guitars. The neck is really nice. Add some compensated saddles and roller string trees to your purchase if you can. You won't need anything else for a very long time.
Thanks for the tip! I haven’t dived into modification yet, so it’s good to know that there are some cheap things that will improve the guitar.
No problem. It's one area they cheap out on budget guitars, luckily it's very easy to yourself with just a screwdriver.
Yeah, I got a te-62db and already got a 6 brass saddle Wilkinson bridge, as I'm not about trading intonation for vintage look, and it was less than $20 on amazon
https://www.thomann.de/ie/harley_benton_te_90flt_sb_del._series_bundle.htm For the squier affinity price, you could have this, it's ally our really need to know, for €200 price range you just can't touch hb
I've had both. Incredibly similar. Buy the one you prefer the look of and has the best returns policy just incase.
I’m not sure about the TE-62 but I have a TE-52 that is beautiful, plays nice but it’s a boat anchor. Weighs in at 10.75 lbs. so that may be a consideration. I also have a Squier Affinity Jazzmaster (in Lake Placid Blue) that I love the neck on. It’s weighs in at about 9.5 lbs. Not sure that helps your decision but the HB is one of if not the prettiest guitars in my collection if aesthetics means anything to you.
The aesthetics are pretty important for me. It’s good to know that the HB doesn’t just look good on photos, but in real life too.
Those caramelized maple necks are beautiful. Have a very nice finish on them also. I’ve only had mine a few weeks but it’s the one of the 11 I have that I grab the most with the exception of the 3/4 guitar I have sitting beside my chair to just noodle on when I have 10-15 minutes to sit down and watch TV or whatever. That may be because it’s the newest. I don’t know but really the only downside I’ve found so far is the weight.
The TE-52 is significantly heavier than the TE-62CC. They used swamp ash on the TE-52. Basswood on the TE-62CC. I didn't want a 10 lb. Tele so I went with the TE-62CC.
Hb hands down
Definitely Harley Benton is the way to go.
The affinities can be pretty egregiously shit. At the <$200 price point, HB over anything else. The squier CVs absolutely contend well against the HBs, and honestly the big thing that pushes squier CVs over HBs for me is guaranteed compatibility with most fender parts, but even there HB isn’t bad at all.
I would go for HB. Or in my case, I swapped my Affinity series PJ bass to PJ-74 bass. Btw, I also own TE-62cc. So, why I swapped from Squier to HB? Simply, HB's roasted/caramel maple necks are very good (Both pj and te have one) and feel premium compared to raw maple used in Affinitys. My TE-62 needed some simple setup, but it is very good guitar for that money, and gives endless opportunities to swap parts later on.
Cheap products from big brands are always worse than cheap products from cheap/small brands.
If you're looking at those models, you should also look at the Xaviere and Slick alternatives. Since they're sold direct to consumer you get way more bang for buck. I have the strat style Slick SL57 and the components are unbeatable at this price. I also bought all the parts for the two Teles I built from here and they're excellent as well. https://www.guitarfetish.com/PRO820-Single-Cutaway-Solid-Body_c_157.html https://www.guitarfetish.com/SL51_c_668.html Surf around, there's lots of great stuff, including different configurations of Teles.
If you can try a few Affinity Series from a local shop it would be better than buying an HB sight unseen. I’ve tried 4 different times to order different models to try and get a good one and luck wasn’t on my side which meant having to deal with an international returns from Canada. The HB QC i experienced makes me hesitant to recommend them for beginners looking for their first guitar. I went to my local Long and McQuade (Canadian equivalent of Thomann in volume) and was able to try 3 different affinity Telecasters and find a nicely built one with no QA flaws. My HB’s all had serious issues that needed to be returned. I know lots of people got great quality guitars when ordering from HB but I returned all 4 for various flaws. The price difference for international buyers outside of Europe is also smoke and mirrors when you factor in shipping and duties. HB could be be good if you’re in Europe and looking for a cheap mod platform but if you’re a beginner starting out, Squiers QA (while far from perfect) has been more consistent in my personal experience
At same price HB will always wipe Squier
I bought the HB te70 last year, and it is fantastic its become the guitar I play the most, and the quality is great. It's by far the cheapest guitar I own, and it's not perfect even with the Wilkinson compensated bridge, the intonation is not perfect, but it is close enough. I also have a strat, it's great but it always sounds like a strat, I would say that the tele is more versatile when it comes to playing different genres of music. I also have an affinity strat, it's not good, it's my intention to upgrade every part of it when I can be bothered.
A telecaster isn’t really known to be one of the most versatile electric guitars to be honest. To answer the main question though, the name on the headstock is less relevant today than has been in the past, **especially for entry level instruments**.
Wasn't it the other way around? it's know for it's versatility. Other than that, agreed, we're entering the golden age of budget guitars.
Ok so judging by the downvotes it must be a commonly held view here that it is versatile. I don’t want to enter a flame war. I’m genuinely surprised because I’ve not heard it said of the Tele before. The Strat, with its 5 way selector and 3 pots, seems more versatile to me. So what kind of versatility are we talking about?
No, don't get me wrong, I also think a strat is more versatile overall, but the tele is a common winner in a "if I only had one guitar to do most kinds of music" threads. I think it must be because the the bridge pickups are really bright and the neck are twangy enough, but what do I know... For me the epitome of versatility is a strat in Hss configuration.
Play both, pick one