I bought this guitar , as I was looking for a strat. , I thought that they looked good..
I have been playing, collecting and setting up guitars for around 20 years..
When I got this guitar from the shop I realised that it was not even close to being set up , that in mind I tried to make good a bad situation ..
I left with this guitar , I took a few hours setting the relief, alternation , new strings, bridged was locked off and action set-up.. so a full set up .. I then changed my mind about the colour and took it back to the shop to change it for the sun burst..
this was set up even worse , so another long set up was needed . as I removed the plastic on the pick guard I had a large scratch which I was un happy about , so back to the shop , this time a upgraded to a standard.. but had the guitar for one week.
The first thing to notice is the finish , guess you ever like it or hate it , I love the finish , think some will age better than others.
This guitar has huge frets they are super big , I was in two minds about this is really personal choice , the neck felt narrow , and thin. again personal choice. .
The guitar was put together well better than Mexicans prob good as jap.. not as good as a full usa tho. But was SO not set up , i guess the store just took it out the box and hung it on the wall , in fact I would of been ashamed to of sold it like it ..
I tested the guitar in the shop , if you could call it a test , through a piss poor amp , When I got home I put it through my ac15 , and then this is when the problems started . . I didn't like the pick ups , it seemed far from a strat , more lower and darker sounding not bright at all , I really played with this and I found the best tone was from the mid pick up .. the grease bucket circuit works great and I did like that..
For me when I put it all together thin, narrow feeling neck , super huge frets and pick ups that was a fair bit from a strat sound , for me I had decided that this guitar was not really a strat at all .. ok It might have strat like looks , and name but for me that is where it stopped , if didn't feel like or sound like a strat , hence NOT A STRAT . .
Apart from the need of setting up this is a fine guitar but a poor strat.. It really was not for me as I was looking for a strat feeling and sounding guitar. so I took it back and spent the extra and got a standard..
So for every one looking for a fender strat then this might not be the guitar your looking for , for every one who is looking for a guitar then it is something a bit diff..
What I liked
Looks , finish , grease bucket circuit , 60% is usa ,
What I didn't like
Set up , pick ups , feeling un strat like , 70s head stock (70s strats were poo any way ) chalky stuff on fret board , no hard case , 40% made in ???
Still unsure
super jumbo frets . .
I have tried to be fair and un biased if you are really looking to buy one of these then go to a shop and have a long play through a good amp, I know that it is popular to put new pick ups in these guitars . so that might be an option ..
Good luck ..
I bought this guitar , as I was looking for a strat. , I thought that they looked good..
I have been playing, collecting and setting up guitars for around 20 years..
When I got this guitar from the shop I realised that it was not even close to being set up , that in mind I tried to make good a bad situation ..
I left with this guitar , I took a few hours setting the relief, alternation , new strings, bridged was locked off and action set-up.. so a full set up .. I then changed my mind about the colour and took it back to the shop to change it for the sun burst..
this was set up even worse , so another long set up was needed . as I removed the plastic on the pick guard I had a large scratch which I was un happy about , so back to the shop , this time a upgraded to a standard.. but had the guitar for one week.
The first thing to notice is the finish , guess you ever like it or hate it , I love the finish , think some will age better than others.
This guitar has huge frets they are super big , I was in two minds about this is really personal choice , the neck felt narrow , and thin. again personal choice. .
The guitar was put together well better than Mexicans prob good as jap.. not as good as a full usa tho. But was SO not set up , i guess the store just took it out the box and hung it on the wall , in fact I would of been ashamed to of sold it like it ..
I tested the guitar in the shop , if you could call it a test , through a piss poor amp , When I got home I put it through my ac15 , and then this is when the problems started . . I didn't like the pick ups , it seemed far from a strat , more lower and darker sounding not bright at all , I really played with this and I found the best tone was from the mid pick up .. the grease bucket circuit works great and I did like that..
For me when I put it all together thin, narrow feeling neck , super huge frets and pick ups that was a fair bit from a strat sound , for me I had decided that this guitar was not really a strat at all .. ok It might have strat like looks , and name but for me that is where it stopped , if didn't feel like or sound like a strat , hence NOT A STRAT . .
Apart from the need of setting up this is a fine guitar but a poor strat.. It really was not for me as I was looking for a strat feeling and sounding guitar. so I took it back and spent the extra and got a standard..
So for every one looking for a fender strat then this might not be the guitar your looking for , for every one who is looking for a guitar then it is something a bit diff..
What I liked
Looks , finish , grease bucket circuit , 60% is usa ,
What I didn't like
Set up , pick ups , feeling un strat like , 70s head stock (70s strats were poo any way ) chalky stuff on fret board , no hard case , 40% made in ???
Still unsure
super jumbo frets . .
I have tried to be fair and un biased if you are really looking to buy one of these then go to a shop and have a long play through a good amp, I know that it is popular to put new pick ups in these guitars . so that might be an option ..
Good luck ..
I bought this guitar , as I was looking for a strat. , I thought that they looked good..
I have been playing, collecting and setting up guitars for around 20 years..
When I got this guitar from the shop I realised that it was not even close to being set up , that in mind I tried to make good a bad situation ..
I left with this guitar , I took a few hours setting the relief, alternation , new strings, bridged was locked off and action set-up.. so a full set up .. I then changed my mind about the colour and took it back to the shop to change it for the sun burst..
this was set up even worse , so another long set up was needed . as I removed the plastic on the pick guard I had a large scratch which I was un happy about , so back to the shop , this time a upgraded to a standard.. but had the guitar for one week.
The first thing to notice is the finish , guess you ever like it or hate it , I love the finish , think some will age better than others.
This guitar has huge frets they are super big , I was in two minds about this is really personal choice , the neck felt narrow , and thin. again personal choice. .
The guitar was put together well better than Mexicans prob good as jap.. not as good as a full usa tho. But was SO not set up , i guess the store just took it out the box and hung it on the wall , in fact I would of been ashamed to of sold it like it ..
I tested the guitar in the shop , if you could call it a test , through a piss poor amp , When I got home I put it through my ac15 , and then this is when the problems started . . I didn't like the pick ups , it seemed far from a strat , more lower and darker sounding not bright at all , I really played with this and I found the best tone was from the mid pick up .. the grease bucket circuit works great and I did like that..
For me when I put it all together thin, narrow feeling neck , super huge frets and pick ups that was a fair bit from a strat sound , for me I had decided that this guitar was not really a strat at all .. ok It might have strat like looks , and name but for me that is where it stopped , if didn't feel like or sound like a strat , hence NOT A STRAT . .
Apart from the need of setting up this is a fine guitar but a poor strat.. It really was not for me as I was looking for a strat feeling and sounding guitar. so I took it back and spent the extra and got a standard..
So for every one looking for a fender strat then this might not be the guitar your looking for , for every one who is looking for a guitar then it is something a bit diff..
What I liked
Looks , finish , grease bucket circuit , 60% is usa ,
What I didn't like
Set up , pick ups , feeling un strat like , 70s head stock (70s strats were poo any way ) chalky stuff on fret board , no hard case , 40% made in ???
Still unsure
super jumbo frets . .
I have tried to be fair and un biased if you are really looking to buy one of these then go to a shop and have a long play through a good amp, I know that it is popular to put new pick ups in these guitars . so that might be an option ..
Good luck ..
Very disapointed with this guitar, i've had this guitar 4 months and only now have i got it to a point of acceptability, the pick ups,have a limited tonal range, i've changed the pick ups now. There was alot of buzzing on top E and A which i've now addressed getting a low action on this guitar has been a nightmare, i spent hours with it, had to shim the neck also, as the angle again wasn't acceptable for me, it's a great looking guitar, the machine heads and tremo bridge unit are good, but frankly my Mexican strat is far superior, in fact the Highway one is not in the same league as my mexican. In my opinion this is a £250 guitar. Like snakebite i bought it because i wanted a US strat. Doesn't make sense really does it, why would a guitar be any better, using the same parts, made in a different country. By a good mexican strat and save your money.
Yes i agree with snakebite, same reasons for buying it, mine is a great looking deep blue colour with the grain showing, extremly playable, ive never played a u.s. standard strat but i honestly feel as though this cheaper u.s. version is just as good to play. excellent way to own a us strat for a little less money.
Again could have come with hardcase!!
I bought this basicaly because I had always wanted a US Strat and this was the cheapest way to achieve my dream.
Almost a year on I can only say that this was one of the best decisions I could have made. The sound is amazing but the loks are just as sweet. The thin nitro finish wears in nicely and the white plastic has already taken on a very slight yellow tinge. In all it is a guitar that will age and become a relic without paying the extra money for the factory doing it for you.
The only improvement I could think of is them coming with a hardcase.
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aevans692
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