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Hatsubai « Solid, but be sure to play a few »
Published on 08/12/11 at 15:09This is actually one of my favorite configurations for a strat as you get the best of both worlds. You have both the singles in the neck/middle for the clean tones and the humbucker in the bridge for those rocking rhythm tones. The guitar features an alder body, a maple neck with a maple fretboard (one piece with a skunk stripe), 21 frets, dot inlays, vintage tremolo, one humbucker and two single coil pickups, one volume, two tones and a five way switch.
UTILIZATION
The guitar is put together decently, but it's nothing amazing by any means. The frets themselves could have had some more attention to them. The edges aren't sharp, but they need to be leveled a bit more. Getting low action on this is a pain due to the small radius, too. The neck joint had a slight gap, and that can potentially hinder tone in a negative way. The nut itself was cut properly, so no issues there. I'm not the biggest fan of the vintage tremolo, but it can work for certain things. I like to deck mine, personally. They seem to be a bit more stable then.
SOUNDS
The stock pickups in this were a bit uninspiring. The bridge pickup sounded like a regular bridge humbucker. It didn't really jump out at me as something that blew my socks off. It was decent, but it's nothing to write home about. I think I'd swap it with a DiMarzio Andy Timmons pickup or something. The neck and middle singles were standard Fender singles, and they were a bit noisy for what they were. They're workable, but I prefer something with a little more power and oomph. The in between positions were great, and delivered a great clean tone.
OVERALL OPINION
Play a few of these before deciding on which one to get. Also, I'd recommend a pickup change to really get the most out of this guitar. Buying used is a good way to save money, but just expect to potentially pay for a nice setup if you decide to to that.
UTILIZATION
The guitar is put together decently, but it's nothing amazing by any means. The frets themselves could have had some more attention to them. The edges aren't sharp, but they need to be leveled a bit more. Getting low action on this is a pain due to the small radius, too. The neck joint had a slight gap, and that can potentially hinder tone in a negative way. The nut itself was cut properly, so no issues there. I'm not the biggest fan of the vintage tremolo, but it can work for certain things. I like to deck mine, personally. They seem to be a bit more stable then.
SOUNDS
The stock pickups in this were a bit uninspiring. The bridge pickup sounded like a regular bridge humbucker. It didn't really jump out at me as something that blew my socks off. It was decent, but it's nothing to write home about. I think I'd swap it with a DiMarzio Andy Timmons pickup or something. The neck and middle singles were standard Fender singles, and they were a bit noisy for what they were. They're workable, but I prefer something with a little more power and oomph. The in between positions were great, and delivered a great clean tone.
OVERALL OPINION
Play a few of these before deciding on which one to get. Also, I'd recommend a pickup change to really get the most out of this guitar. Buying used is a good way to save money, but just expect to potentially pay for a nice setup if you decide to to that.