You should play one round crappy so I could see what I would sound like playing them.

Honestly, I can't "hear" much of a difference. The difference you're paying for, IMHO, is in the quality of the workmanship, materials, and the feel of it in your hands. If you are a good player, all 3 of them will sound good in your hands.....but the more expensive one will likely be the one that feels best and is more enjoyable to play more often for longer periods.

There is a world of difference between a Squier and a real Stratocaster, and it doesn't even take a musician to hear it.

The player stood out.

I have a Player Tele. It's a great guitar. I see no reason to pay twice the price for an "upgraded" Tele. Maple neck, Alder body, Alnico 5 pups. It's all you need, IMHO.

To be honest, the Affinity sounds dead, so I would suggest getting the Squier Classic Vibe instead as an entry level guitar. Those actually sounds great, and are much better instruments in every other department also.

This is a real "class act" video, no sales pitch, just good information. My ear isn't good enough to tell big differences, but for anyone considering buying a Stratocaster I would recommend they watch this video. Suggest you do the same for the Telecaster. I don't own an acoustic guitar, but I have watched your videos and you provide good info on those also.

The player sounds about as good as the ultra

The affinity is a little tinny, the player is a great middle ground and the ultra is a step up but unnecessary for most

I’ve had them all, the pro II is by far the best. Those ultras stray to far from what a strat is imho. I consider the pro II the best choice for intermediate/advanced players. If your just starting get a player, don’t waste your time on a squire. Player series doesn’t have the QC Americans do, so don’t online purchase. Check the fit and finish at the music store. I never buy any guitar without holding it first…. I currently own three strats, all Americans. Two are used for live performances, one is my bedroom guitar.

Squier:

Thanks, great playing, excellent musicianship. You and the rest of the Alamo Music Center staff have made monumental improvements to this series of videos. No longer a commercial endorsement for the things that you sell. This series is now truly helpful, with excellent advice and insightful conversations. Over the years your musicianship has remained as outstanding as ever, and possibly even improved, if that is possible. Congratulations, keep up the good work, fare well in good health.

I love my Player Strat. When it came time to upgrade my son from a knock-off strat copy to a Fender, we went Player. He plays that guitar every night for a couple hours. It sounds great. It is that sweet spot in quality. I did try an American Strat at the same time. Yes, there are differences. Could I justify in my own mind the mark-up from Player to American? No, I am just a hobby player. I play every day too, but I am not taking things on the road. The Player is a great option.

I’ve just bought a used Player and it’s in perfect condition for literally half of the retail price! I have a Squire Bullet Mustang and yes they are different guitars but the difference in quality is huge.

I noticed that cheaper squires tend to sound very thin, while more high end pickups have more body to notes. I wouldn't say one is objectively better than the other as a squier tome might be the tone for you! As a former owner of a stock squier affinity, I learned to embrace it's "weaknesses" and shape my tone around it. I modified this strat with some area 58s and a virtual vintage and thought the difference would be huuuuuge, yet I found a substantial difference in tone but I couldn't say it was "better". I prefer the pickup config I currently have, but mostly because I knew what I wanted to sound like and bought the pickups accordingly. My advice, go for a squier of you're a beginner. A good tone doesn't appear when you buy a expensive guitar. Work on not making your cheap squire sound like trash. I find this instrumental in learning how to craft great guitar tones.

I have that exact Player Plus Top, which I love. But I just got the new American Pro II, which I love even more. Even bought a second one for my dad for his birthday. The neck feels absolutely incredible, and the tones are more crisp. But both are great guitars.

The highend Gibson's and Fenders are nice for content purposes, however every player who is going to purchase a CS Gibson or Fender most likely isn't going to be reviewing KZread Videos to help make their choice.

Cooper is so chilled out he'll live to be 120 years old

The American Professional ll is a fabulous Strat and I appreciated them so much that I bought one for myself. I bought a HSS model, which I love as it allows you the flexibility of choosing between the smoother humbucker sound or the more cranky single coil sound on the bridge position. It gives you the best of both worlds. If you can afford it I recommend making the investment as it will be a wonderful guitar for your lifetime.

I definitely enjoyed the smoother sound of the guitars as the price point went up. That being said, I have a signature series made in Mexico Strat that I enjoy more than my American-made Telecaster.