I've mentioned before my appreciation of zZounds' customer service. That's why I'm shopping with them. On to the guitar...the build quality seems to be quite good. The fret ends are a bit sharp, but I'm in the minority as to liking sharper fret ends. My eyesight isn't the best, and it helps to feel where I am on the neck. The neck itself is perfectly smooth for me. It doesn't feel sticky or difficult to play, so that's a plus. The body's finish is really nice, in my opinion. I believe it's also a full body, so that's another plus. I haven't pulled the pickguard off to see if the wiring is correct as had been mentioned in countless other reviews. I think the sound is correct, so there's no reason for me to pull the pickguard unless I want to change pickups. That's not happening anytime soon. I've been a single coil player for 3 decades, but I've started getting into Jazz Fusion, so I thought humbuckers might be a good idea to delve into. Other reviews I've read have stated these Duncan Designed Hot Rails have a sound all their own, and I think that's a fairly accurate description of the sounds these pickups produce. Seeing as though they are hot pickups, they don't clean up as well as other humbuckers, but they DO retain the warmth of humbuckers and manage to keep a good amount of chime and quack. I don't really care for distortion, but these will certainly give one a really good metal sound. I much prefer overdrive, and the Duncan Designed Hot Rails don't go too far. The height… read more of the pickups do, however, matter. Have them too high, and they can easily send a clean valve amp into overdrive. Would I gig with this Strat? Absolutely. Here ends my 2 cents' worth.

Musical Background:
I've been gigging and teaching for 30 years. I am a guitar player who plays strictly Strat style guitars

Musical Style:
I'm a Blues fanatic, but I've heavily gotten into Jazz Fusion. read less