Overall, great guitar, and it is definitely worth the money, but as always, try before you buy.

Sound
I give it a 10 based on other guitars I have used in this price range. The pickups in this guitar are active, so they are very hot, some of the hottest I have ever used. EMG's have a certain sound to them, these are not going to have that "EMG Feel" which for some, may be a good thing, others may hate it, try before you buy people! Personally I feel that the SD Blackouts are very very good pickups for hard rock and metal. Depending on the amp and effects, they cleans could be good, but with the wrong set up they will sound a little dirty, then again, your picking style can change that as well, and rolling off the volume on the neck pickup can help as well. For solos, these pickups are great, I prefer them to EMGs in both rhythm and soloing. The battery life is great on these as well.

Features
2 volume pots, 1 tone, 3 way switch, and a original floyd, awesome features for the price. The floyd is great, don't trust the licensed ones, always go with the original. The only thing that would make this guitar better would be no inlays (including the one at the 12th fret)

Ease of Use
The neck has a paint finish, but it is surprisingly fast. The jumbo frets and ebony neck combine to make a wonderful guitar playing experience. It makes sweeping arpeggios easy. The ultra access neck… read more gives you good access to all the frets.

Quality
The craftsmanship of this guitar is great. All the frets were even the edges were ground down nicely, the paint job was flawless, it just has an all around appeal. The aged white finish is much more beautiful than the pictures makes it look. The flat black is more like a dull charcoal gray color, personally, I find it ugly, but I would google search it for pics before you decide which color to go with.

Value
It is hard to beat in the price range for a metal guitar.

Manufacturer Support
I'll go ahead and assume that it is a 10 since I have never had to use it.

The Wow Factor
It's a very sexy guitar, but I would prefer it in a snow white finish with black binding, or gloss black with white binding, but that's just personal preference.

Musical Background:
Active Musician

Musical Style:
Different styles of Metal and Hard Rock, and I dabble in Alternative read less