Ordered in early Jan, and was told to wait 7-8 weeks.
It arrived couple weeks ago, and here are my initial observations...
PROS
1. Looks even better than in the pictures. The red tortoise pick-guard really nice against the matte black body- which had no finish flaws.
2. Neck is fairly straight, and the fretwork is good - level with no sharp edges although I did polish them.
3. Stays in tune well, but I imediately replaced the basic tuners with Harley Benton brand locking tuners (black). Nut and bridge seem fine.
4. The pickups are pretty good, and all 5 positions are usable from clean to dirty tones & various points in between.
Note: Bridge pickup is quite hot, so some amp/pedal tweaking might be necessary to get the sound you're after (especially since it's not wired to the tone control - per usual Strat-style configuration).
5. Electronics are fine for what they are, and do the job without fuss. This can be considered another upgrade point in the future.
CONS
1. The strings are a bit heavy and flat feeling- personal taste thing.
2. Rough edges on the pickguard around the selector switch cutout. A quick 2-3 mins with a small file should do the trick if it bugs you.
3. Screw-in vibrato arm is either too loose or too tight, which is typical of this type of application. You'll need either a small spring or some tape to make it stay in your personal sweet-spot.
CONCLUSION
If you're a beginner or intermediate player looking for a good-quality HSS Strat that won't break the bank, this is a definite contender. Great deal and upgrade platform: as you get better and want to get to know a guitar by working on it, or someone who needs a backup guitar, or just to get a strat type w/ HSS layout?
