Squier Affinity Stratocaster FMT HSS Review: The Prettiest Squier You Can Buy?
The Squier Affinity Stratocaster FMT HSS is not what most people picture when they think of a budget Squier. The flame maple top in Sienna Sunburst makes it one of the best-looking guitars at its price point, and the HSS pickup configuration — humbucker at the bridge, two single-coils in the middle and neck — gives it more tonal range than a standard SSS Stratocaster. Landon does a complete deep dive: teardown, measurements, full spec gallery, clean and dirty tone samples, and an extended pros and cons verdict.
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What FMT Means
FMT stands for Flame Maple Top. It refers to the decorative veneer of figured maple applied over the body of the guitar. The flame pattern — the wavy, reflective grain that catches light and changes as you move the guitar — is the visual feature that sets the FMT apart from every other Affinity Stratocaster in the lineup. On the Sienna Sunburst version the amber-to-brown gradient works beautifully with the figure in the maple, making it look significantly more expensive than the price tag would suggest.
It is worth being clear that the FMT is a veneer, not a solid flame maple body. The underlying body is basswood, which is the standard tonewood for the Affinity Series. The flame maple top is a decorative layer rather than a structural contribution to the tone. That is not a criticism — it is how the guitar is priced the way it is — but it is worth knowing before you buy.
Full Specs
| Body | Basswood with flame maple veneer top |
| Body finish | Gloss polyester (Sienna Sunburst) |
| Neck | Maple, C-shape |
| Fingerboard | Indian laurel |
| Frets | 21 medium jumbo |
| Scale length | 25.5" (648 mm) |
| Nut width | 1.650" (42 mm) |
| Bridge pickup | Squier Standard humbucker |
| Middle pickup | Squier Standard single-coil |
| Neck pickup | Squier Standard single-coil |
| Controls | Master volume, 2x tone |
| Pickup switching | 5-way blade |
| Bridge | Vintage-style synchronized tremolo |
| Tuners | Vintage-style |
| Country of origin | China |
The HSS Pickup Configuration
The bridge humbucker is the key practical difference between the FMT HSS and a standard Affinity SSS Stratocaster. A single-coil bridge pickup on a Strat is bright, cutting, and excellent for clean tones but can feel thin and noisy when you push gain. The humbucker in the bridge position changes that significantly. It handles gain more smoothly, produces more output, and eliminates the hum that is inherent in single-coil pickups in that position.
The trade-off is that a standard Strat bridge tone — that sharp, glassy snap — is no longer available. If that sound is important to you, an HSS guitar is not the right choice. But if you want a Stratocaster that can handle heavier playing styles, higher-gain tones, or just cleaner high-gain passages without noise, the bridge humbucker is a genuine practical advantage over the standard SSS layout.
The middle and neck single-coils retain the classic Strat character. The two coil-split or series combinations available through the 5-way switch give you quack in positions 2 and 4, and the neck single-coil delivers the warm, round tone that position is known for.
Teardown and Measurements
Tone Samples
Clean tone samples start at 7:30 and cover multiple pickup positions. The neck and middle single-coils deliver the classic Affinity Strat character: clear, bright, with that characteristic Stratocaster glassiness. Position 4 gives you the standard out-of-phase quack that is hard to replicate with any other pickup layout. The bridge humbucker clean tone is noticeably fuller and warmer than a single-coil in the same position, and it sits in a different tonal register from the other positions in a way that adds genuine versatility.
Dirty tones start at 9:35. This is where the HSS layout shows its advantage most clearly. The bridge humbucker handles gain with a smooth, sustained quality that a single-coil simply cannot match. For players who want a single guitar that covers clean Strat tones and heavier driven tones without compromise, the FMT HSS covers that territory in a way a standard SSS Affinity does not.
Who This Guitar Is For
The Affinity FMT HSS is for the player who wants to stand out visually and needs a bit more tonal range than a standard Affinity Stratocaster offers. If you primarily play clean or light-gain tones and want the classic Strat sound, the standard Affinity SSS or Classic Vibe '50s will serve you better. But if you play across a range of styles, want the bridge humbucker for heavier moments, and like the idea of a guitar that looks genuinely striking without paying a premium, the FMT HSS is a hard guitar to argue against at its price.
It is also worth noting that the Sienna Sunburst over flame maple is a finish combination typically found on guitars that cost significantly more. Part of what makes this guitar interesting is the visual value it delivers, and that matters if you play live or care about how your instrument looks on stage.
Pros and Cons
- Flame maple top looks exceptional for the price
- HSS layout adds genuine tonal versatility
- Bridge humbucker handles gain far better than a single-coil
- Vintage-style tuners are a step up from standard Affinity hardware
- Lightweight body is comfortable for long sessions
- Neck profile is comfortable and fast
- Strong value proposition overall
- Flame maple is a veneer, not a solid top
- Basswood body rather than alder
- Indian laurel fingerboard rather than maple or rosewood
- Bridge humbucker loses the classic single-coil Strat bridge sound
- Stock electronics are functional but upgrade candidates
Verdict
The Squier Affinity Stratocaster FMT HSS punches well above its weight on looks and delivers genuinely useful tonal versatility through the HSS pickup configuration. The flame maple veneer top is a cosmetic choice that costs Squier essentially nothing extra to produce but makes the guitar look considerably more expensive than it is. If you want a Strat-style guitar that covers clean tones, can handle gain, and turns heads when you take it out of the case, this is one of the best options available at this price point.
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