Subject
Retro-fabulous guitar!
By: Scott from Raleigh, NC, USA
Submitted: 6/2/2010
Quality
Would you consider this product to be made well? How dependable?
This is a quality product apart from some minor finish issues with the body and neck bindings and some sharp edges on the Bigsby vibrato arm. The Grover tuners are excellent (as usual) and everything from the headstock to the Bigsby vibrato is decently assembled (some screw heads on the Bigsby were sharp from sloppy screwdriver control) and seemingly reliable.
Reliability
How has it stood up over time?
It's stood up well for the week I've had it...
Overall
Your general opinion of this product.
This is a very attractive, "vibey" guitar that has all the features I desire, mainly the two-humbucker complement with coil splitting and the Bigsby vibrato. The sunburst finish and binding make this look like a much more expensive guitar. The tones are great with the exception of the split-coil sounds, which are too quiet and thin to be very useful except as a contrast to the "full" humbucking sound. In general, if you're looking for a '50s or '60s vintage time machine, this is a good way to go.
Playability and Feel
How does it feel, Heavy, Fast, Chunky? How was the neck? Are the controls easy to get to while playing?
The flat top makes it less comfortable than a Strat, of course, and the neck is slightly thin for my taste. The Bigsby blocks access to the volume controls, but that also means the vibrato arm is well-positioned for easy use.
Tone
Bright and snappy? Dark and smooth? Were the pickups hot, mellow, thick, thin?
Both humbuckers are hot and thick, and when switched into single-coil mode, the pickups are thin and have much less volume. Thus the two pickup modes contrast more than complement.
Finish
How did the stain or paint job look?
The two-tone sunburst looks wonderful, and this finish is also applied to the back of the body, neck, and headstock.
Action
How was the action out of the box?
Very low, but the supplied strings felt like a set of .009s, and I use .011s, so after restringing I straightened the truss rod and the action is again low, but with no buzzing this time.