In this one I time-travel back to 2005 and rescue a proper “dirty minger” of a starter pack: a Squier Affinity Strat from the old Squier Starter Pack, plus the Fender Frontman 15G. A mate of mine wants to sell it but he’s not a guitarist, so he can’t even tell if it works. So I plug the Frontman in first (hopefully it doesn’t blow up), run a different guitar through it to check it’s alive, and then I start messing with the drive channel—because yes, I like a lot of gain. Once the amp checks out, it’s on to the Affinity. It’s a 2005 Crafted in Indonesia (Cort factory), absolutely caked in dust with cruddy strings, and the action is so high I could fit a bus under it. I test the pickups to make sure everything actually passes signal, then I strip the old strings, give it a proper clean, sort the action, throw on fresh strings, and set it up as best I can. The takeaway is simple: it’s amazing what a clean and new strings will do—suddenly it’s more punchy, more playable, and actually a decent beginner rig. I told him he’s probably looking at around £60–£100 for the lot if it’s presented properly, and that’s exactly the point: condition sells.