Fender Stratocaster XII 12-String Electric Guitar

Feature:
I bought the Burgundy Mist Metallic and was pleasantly surprised to find cream colored knobs and ivory pickup covers which really give the guitar a classy aged look. The neck was stained to simulate an aged/vintage appearance and it's absolutely gorgeous! I have heard some complaints about the vintage tuners, but I thought they work just fine, and again, the appearance is classy.

Quality:
This guitar was made in Japan and I found the quality on this particular guitar to be exemplary and absolutely flawless. Intonation, action, etc. were all dead on. Not a scratch or flaw in the finish. Compare that to the last (and I mean LAST) Gibson I bought: It was an ES-137 made in Memphis and arrived in a horrible state. No setup, shoddy fretwork, buffing compound residue everywhere. the pickups weren't even set at the right height and the guitar appeared to have been dropped... a couple of times!

Value:
This is a phenomenal deal. I am thinking about buying another just for a backup. Get your's while they last.

Desirability:
As I said before this guitar was designed with a nod to classy and elegant. I looks like vintage old stock and sparkles like new. Very cool.

Sound:
This guitar has all the tonal characteristics of a conventional 6 string strat, but in addition I was surprised to hear a great acoustic/electric sound as well. This guitar is a chameleon of tone and has a wide range of sounds just by switching pickup/tone settings. My only recommendation would be for Fender to utilize the vintage noiseless pickups as the installed vintage pickups have just a touch of hum.

Ease of Use:
This guitar has some of the best "feel" of any guitar I have ever played. It just plays so easy and the string spacing is great. I am used to 1 7/8" wide acoustic 12 string necks, and frankly was a little worried that the neck would be too narrow (like a Rickenbacker's). I have rather blocky, stubby fingers affixed to large hands and yet, I have had no problem fretting any chord on this guitar. I was also amazed to find I can do whole step bends on the higher strings with no problem.

Support:
N/A I have no problems with this guitar.

Overall:
I think I have a new number one guitar!

Feature:
My only gripe is there was no case included, not even a gig bag! I wasn't sure if the different headstock would allow it to fit into a standard Strat/Tele hardcase so I couldn't order a case for it right away. Now that I have it, I see that it fits fine in a regular Strat case I already owned.

Quality:
It has a solid feel and the finish is spot-on Fender beautiful. I plan to use it instead of my Rickenbacker 12 on occasion.

Value:
For the price, it is the champ in my opinion.

Desirability:
The 3 color sunburst gives this guitar that vintage look, so that really appeals to us old Byrds and Beatles fans, who already love the jangly sound of the electric 12.

Sound:
It has a great Byrds-y chime which shocked me a little. As the owner of several Rickenbacker guitars, I am really impressed with this Strat.

Ease of Use:
The action is great right out of the box and it is EZ to chord. When I plug it into my JangleBox and Sonic Stomp, the sound of this guitar is as good as my Rickenbacker 12 which costs a great deal more than the Strat.

Support:
Never needed to contact Fender for anything. All their products that I have ever owned, Tele's, Strat's, and amps, have never needed servicing.

Overall:
I take extremely good care of all my musical instruments, so I expect it to last a long time. I owned one of these several years ago and kept it for a couple of years. I loved its sound, but I traded it for my first Rickenbacker 12. The Ricks have a great sound, but the models I like (300's) have that narrow fretboard, which is characteristic of Ricks, and my fingers find them too hard to play. Now I have come full circle.