napalmdeath
Well-known member
Showed up today, and out of the box, it was in perfect tune. Fit, finish, impressive.
However, it needed some adjustments, of course, so I took the strings off and went to work..
While adjusting the trem, I had some new, unused Floyd Rose black HD noiseless springs I went ahead and threw in. Not because the springs were noisy, I just assumed they were cheap anyway. Good move, because it's stable as could be. I polished up the frets to a smooth and shiney finish, and conditioned the board a bit. I lowered the action, straightened the neck a tad, and even put a black Tusq string tree on, in place of the cheapee metal one. Nut's cut beautifully. I got super low, buzz-free action no problem, honed in the intonation, and put some nut sauce in the nut slots, and it's super stable. Stays in tune beautifully, plays beautifully. This neck is smooth as butter! And, to my surprise, this neck is much darker than most pics, which I dig. Some Music Nomad F-One really made the fingerboard nice and dark.
The pickups... The humbucker is surprisingly serviceable. A tad dark, but still has bite. Definitely better than other G&B Asian made garbage I experienced with PRS. But, the Laney likes anything, and the Savage Drive lets me fine-tune the low end, so you can get them pretty tight. Definitely not muddy. I'll probably put the Duncan SH-5 in it, but the stock Diamond 78 is good enough that I'm in no rush. The Single coils are certainly not a noiseless variety. That, I will have to address. Something a little hotter, grittier, brighter and quieter, (for higher gain, anyway) are a must.
All in all, I'm impressed. It's better than any MIM Strat I've played, and even some USA's. It's an impressive guitar. If you're on the fence, don't be. And, since I bought mine, more are popping up on Reverb used. I got mine for $679 new, and I certainly ain't bitchin'! Even less used? It's a no-brainer.
However, it needed some adjustments, of course, so I took the strings off and went to work..
While adjusting the trem, I had some new, unused Floyd Rose black HD noiseless springs I went ahead and threw in. Not because the springs were noisy, I just assumed they were cheap anyway. Good move, because it's stable as could be. I polished up the frets to a smooth and shiney finish, and conditioned the board a bit. I lowered the action, straightened the neck a tad, and even put a black Tusq string tree on, in place of the cheapee metal one. Nut's cut beautifully. I got super low, buzz-free action no problem, honed in the intonation, and put some nut sauce in the nut slots, and it's super stable. Stays in tune beautifully, plays beautifully. This neck is smooth as butter! And, to my surprise, this neck is much darker than most pics, which I dig. Some Music Nomad F-One really made the fingerboard nice and dark.
The pickups... The humbucker is surprisingly serviceable. A tad dark, but still has bite. Definitely better than other G&B Asian made garbage I experienced with PRS. But, the Laney likes anything, and the Savage Drive lets me fine-tune the low end, so you can get them pretty tight. Definitely not muddy. I'll probably put the Duncan SH-5 in it, but the stock Diamond 78 is good enough that I'm in no rush. The Single coils are certainly not a noiseless variety. That, I will have to address. Something a little hotter, grittier, brighter and quieter, (for higher gain, anyway) are a must.
All in all, I'm impressed. It's better than any MIM Strat I've played, and even some USA's. It's an impressive guitar. If you're on the fence, don't be. And, since I bought mine, more are popping up on Reverb used. I got mine for $679 new, and I certainly ain't bitchin'! Even less used? It's a no-brainer.
