An Affinity with 22 Frets?

[Blackmore Fan]

I've been trading emails with someone offering me an Affinity for a decent price. The only thing throwing me off is the pics show a stock Affinity headstock with a 22 fret neck (rather than the 21 that I'm used to seeing).

Can anyone confirm that they've seen this before? The serial # begins with IC98.

[zombiebear]

That's odd.
My standard strat has a serial number starting with IC.
Sounds like the necks were switched at one point.

[Blackmore Fan]

Originally Posted by zombiebear

That's odd.
My standard strat has a serial number starting with IC.
Sounds like the necks were switched at one point.

Here's a couple of pics he sent--I'm not sure how he could (or why he would have bothered to) have switched the neck while keeping an Affinity headstock?

[peskypesky]

22-fret Affinity

Squier Affinity Stratocaster | Sweetwater.com

[zombiebear]

Haha, i have no idea, lol.

[peskypesky]

to me, it's not the 22-frets that are weird for an Affinity. It's the small headstock. Every Affinity I've ever seen had the big 70s headstock.

[Blackmore Fan]

Originally Posted by peskypesky

22-fret Affinity

Squier Affinity Stratocaster | Sweetwater.com

Its an interesting start, but if you look at the picture, there's only 21 frets on that one! And I've seen another Affinity (this one at GC) described as "22 frets" that I pointed out to an employee only had 21.

[peskypesky]

Originally Posted by Blackmore Fan

Its an interesting start, but if you look at the picture, there's only 21 frets on that one! And I've seen another Affinity (this one at GC) described as "22 frets" that I pointed out to an employee only had 21.

i see 22 frets

[Blackmore Fan]

Originally Posted by peskypesky

i see 22 frets

When you "Click to Enlarge", 22 appear--but the pickup covers change colors too--as does the color of the headstock. When you look at the original image on the page, only 21 frets appear.

[peskypesky]

ok, how about this one? see 22 frets?

Squier Affinity Series Standard Stratocaster Electric Guitar Assorted Colors | Sam Ash Music 1-800-4-SAMASH

[peskypesky]

so weird. even the people selling the Affinities can't tell if they have 21 or 22 frets. lol

[Blackmore Fan]

Originally Posted by peskypesky

ok, how about this one? see 22 frets?

Squier Affinity Series Standard Stratocaster Electric Guitar Assorted Colors | Sam Ash Music 1-800-4-SAMASH

*laughs* Yes, BUT!!! When you click to enlarge, you find that the guitar pictured is a STANDARD! Fender's web designers obviously don't play their products!

By the way, the text in that link says 21!

[peskypesky]

Originally Posted by Blackmore Fan

*laughs* Yes, BUT!!! When you click to enlarge, you find that the guitar pictured is a STANDARD! Fender's web designers obviously don't play their products!

By the way, the text in that link says 21!

ouch, my head hurts!

[Blackmore Fan]

Originally Posted by peskypesky

ouch, my head hurts!

*laughs* Mine too!

[peskypesky]

i want to go check my Affinity now and see how many frets it has...but my GF is asleep in the bedroom where it's tucked away.

[spike5]

I think i have a simple answer to the mystery.
the serial number on the guitar in question starts with IC indicating it was made the Cort factory in Indonesia - the first two numbers are 98 that tells us it was manufactured in 1998.
Of the two Affinity squires i have made in 1997 and 1998 both have 22 fret necks.
It would seem that squires of that era came with 22 fret necks.
I have also seen Affinity squires that come with 21 fret necks and also ones with the large 70's style headstock but these where later models.
I discussed these and other inconsistencies in the squire range a little while back - with so many different companies licensed to manufacture these guitars each will have their own specs so what applies to an Affinity today may not tomorrow or 5-10 years ago.

[Squier?!?]

Yup... the 22 fret Affinity models
are oddballs, but they're out there.

I looked at a Chinese '97 Torino Red Strat
a couple of weeks ago that had 22 frets &
a small headstock on it as well as the same
style Black print on it's headstock as this one.

[Stratty]

Craziness!

[peskypesky]

just looked at my Affinity. only 21 frets. :(

[kiwi]

Lots of 22 fret Affinities MIC or CIC were made around '97 and '98. They usually have full thickness bodies but often have slightly non-standard hole spacings.

Here's two Affinity sunbursts for you. One I own and it's a CY98.

[demonale]

I say go for it, kinda like Spinal Tap said, "this one goes to 22, that's 1 higher, innit?!"

Seriously though, I've only seen Affinity's with 21 frets, but my preference is for 22- the option to bend to a high E on string one can come in handy sometimes...