Squier Affinity P Bass MN PJ BK

I really like how this one looks and sounds. Also nice to have an extra pickup if you want to play more with a sounding.
What is really not nice is the neck quality. It is solid wood. There is no clear coat on it. So it feels like someone forgot to finish the work in the factory.

Also fretwork is not that nice. Frets are not filed. They have very distinct sharp edges. Some are not tucked in properly so you can feel the gap between the fret and the fretboard.

I would say, all in all, it's a playable-ish instrument for the beginner. But will very quickly become not. As soon as the beginner will develop some speed, bad fretwork will become an issue.

I think, if the bass is a budget one, at least it has to have some finished feeling. This one doesn't.

So, I wanted to give my son a Christmas present with a considerable coolness factor. After a great (thank you!) conversation with someone at Thomann I opted for this instrument. The quality, finish and sound are simply incredible given the price. My son is in in heaven and, as much as I can judge from the sound and finish, he will have many years of fun with this instrument. A clear recommendation.

I heard some bad things about the Affinity series in general, like noisey electronics, bad necks, subpar hardware, and so on.

I decided to buy this one anyway, because I wanted a cheap PJ in black with a maple fretboard. The impressions are purely out of the box.

The electronics are not noisey at all, but the pickups are really high output. Might need to lower them all though they are already pretty low. Otherwise the sound is just fine.

The hardware might rust quickly, or at least it feels like that, but a good bridge does not cost much and I expect to replace it at some point.

Intonation, string height were spot on. I like my action fairly low and the strings are set low enough with no fret buzz what so ever. This might change when the neck sets so to say.

The frets are nice, no sharp edges. I did not do a sock test but my hands are fine. The neck itself does feel rough, more so than on other basses I have played. Its not bad, a good polish or really light sanding might fix that, need to check with my luthier about this.

I expected the machine heads to be janky and not real hold tune, but they are excellent. They are smooth and hold tuning really well. Again they might rust, but a good replacement is not much.

I was told that with the Affinity you might get a piece of s***, or you might get something really good for the money. I guess I got the later.

I intend to keep it and upgrade if need be in the long run.

Would recommend to least order it and see what you get, you can alway return it.