Given the low cost of the guitar, I was not expecting any miracles, so I was pleasantly surprised to find out that there were no sharp fret ends sticking out, that there were no high frets, that the neck pocket was tighter than spandex, and that the setup and intonation were spot on. The only defects I was able to find upon close examination of the instrument were a few barely perceptible scratches and three slightly crooked control plate screws (and I am really nitpicking here).
The thing I was most anxious about before ordering the guitar was the Indian Laurel fretboard. Since I had never owned a guitar with a fretboard made of this species of wood, I was afraid that it might be noticeably lighter in color than Rosewood or have a bit coarser texture, so I was glad to discover that the fretboard on the guitar I was sent was rather dark (although a bit more orange than most Rosewood fretboards I have seen) and unexpectedly smooth. In terms of how it feels to the touch, it could be likened to Ebony.
Since tone is a subjective topic, I am not going to discuss it at length. All I am going to say is that with the help of the numerous switching options on offer I was able to not only dial in some conventional jazz tones but also a pretty convincing approximation (at least to my ears) of the Stratocaster sound.
With its offset-waist body, which is a real treat to play while sitting down, its sculpted neck heel, its baked-maple neck, and its seemingly inexhaustible tonal capabilities, it truly is an unparalleled value for money!
Update: I liked this guitar so much, that I ordered another one to use as a backup. However, not long after taking it out of the box, I knew that I was going to return it. The first impression was positive, as it was significantly lighter in weight than the one I had purchased previously, but the quality of craftsmanship was nowhere near as good: many times more crooked screws, a gap between the pickguard and the upper control plate, knobs fitted askew, remnants of the buffing compound everywhere. The people who built it must have been in a hurry to meet their quota. In any case, it serves to show how much variation in build quality can occur in a budget guitar such as this. It also explains the discrepancies in customer reviews. Sure, all of those issues are cosmetic, and most of them can be fixed very easily, but I expected something better for the money I paid. My takeway is that the ones that are built well are worth their price, but the ones that are built much more carelessly — not so much.
