C Shape Neck Guitar For Sale (2024 Update)

I got this neck to replace the one I had on my Squier FSR Bullet Telecaster (in Metallic Purple with Maple Fretboard). This telecaster has a Maple neck with a normal C shape and felt really unrefined for a "Fender" neck. I decided to get this Fender Telecaster Standard Replacement Neck with a Modern C shape neck. This new actual Fender neck was a drastic change in quality and performance. Here's just a quick Pros and Con of this product. PROS: Real Fender Product – Because this is an official Fender product, the neck replacement on my Squier was seamless and very simple. Modern C – Makes a better feeling guitar when playing compared to the normal C shape neck. Satin Neck Finish on back – The neck is very smooth feeling when playing. The finish on the back of the neck doesn't get in the way of you playing fast. This helps if you have sweaty hands when playing. Gloss fretboard – This makes a difference because if doesn't feel like your fingers are sticking to the fretboard. Medium Jumbo Frets – Just feels nice when moving around the fretboard. Bending strings feel nicer than my old Squier frets. Pre Drilled Holes for Tuners – I already had Fender locking tuners. So it was a simple swap with no mods needed. CONS: Nut not slotted – I don't understand why the NUT isn't slotted at least for common string size. It is very slightly to get you started but you would need a file. I just used the low E strong and used it like a file but it didn't come out too well and I've had to buy a new nut that comes preslotted. No predrilled String tree hold – This really wasn't too much of a problem but it's scary if you get it wrong. Overall, I'm very happy with my purchase after two weeks of everyday playing with it. This was a much needed upgrade from my Squier telecaster neck I had.C. Barona

this is my 4th roasted neck and I can't recommend them enough. especially if you live on or near the water. I can pull out my strat or tele after not playing them for a few days and they are right in tune look at the quality that is put into them and you'd agree. when screwed to a sunburst or pastel colored body they just really enhance the look of your instrument. the cost of the roasted neck is something you gotta think about like do you really want to spend that kinda Ching on a neck? hell you can buy a standard neck for less or even buy an after market neck and play the same its all about the stability of the wood that closed the deal for me. dig down deep in yer pocket and pony up the Ching for one of these I'm pretty sure you be pleased you did. I have them mounted to Mexican fenders and American fenders all have mated up perfect and very little fret work was needed this is my experience with these necks and you will find the same. in short I dig mine and will in the future will only use these beautiesho-joe56

perfect fitment into a MIM fender body. finish was flawless and the dark maple is beautiful. mistake made on my part, not fender….. the roasted maple has so much less give than standard maple. I should have thought about that with all of the moisture being removed from the wood. I used fender press fit tuner bushings and installed them with a C-clamp as I always have. I heard the headstock crack as I was installing the D string bushing and my heart sank. Luckily, I was able to inject some wood glue and clamp it overnight to close it up, but I reamed out the G tuner bushing and learned my lesson. use care when installing the tuner bushings on anything roasted as the fibers in the wood simply will not compress the same way another neck would.Grey

1 month review with guitar being setup professionally: Great pickups and tone and overall good sounding guitar after a proper setup, gorgeous nitro finish and paintjob. Relic effects are beautiful. The nitro finish feels thin enough for you to eventually make your own marks from repeated playing – a perfect way to tell a story and give the guitar character. Worn in neck feels amazing to play and not sticky to touch. Worth noting that the Pure Vintage 59 pickups on these don't have a reverse-wound middle pick, so there will be hum including positions 2 and 4. If you are easily annoyed with single coil hum, these pickups might not be for you. Also worth noting that these pickups do sound a bit warmer than a stock Fender Player pickups. These respond so MUCH better to high gain type of playing, all while still sounding amazing on low-gain and clean playing. Despite the pros, there are still some areas are lacking and needs improvement. The guitar had razor sharp frets along the binding that could easily cut you, meanwhile I have a $700 MIM fender player didn't have this problem straight out of the box. It's crazy to think that $700 guitar went through better QA than a $1200 guitar, but whatever, the frets are bound to be polished and worked on anyway with your initial setup regardless. CME's shipping page policies say "Every guitar gets a full inspection, as well as basic setup." Guitar came with an inspection card that had overall playability specs checked but some of it was questionable. The guitar was not playable at all out of the box despite letting it acclimate for over a day before opening BUT that is a given considering it spent time in a delivery truck trunk in freezing winter. However, it was a bit bogus how they even checked off volume output when the pickups were NOWEHERE near the appropriate height out of the box and there was BARELY any audible output on the treble side of the guitar. I highly doubt weather and temperature fluctuation will make the pickup screws spin by themselves to the degree at which the pickups came out of the box. Secondly, the tremolo springs at the back also weren't ******* in the appropriate depth for a either a floating or flushed trem setup – it was just sort of in the middle of the cavity. Weather fluctuation from their shop and may have affected string tension, but I also don't think it would make the claw springs in the back unscrew themselves to the degree the guitar came. Makes me wonder how thorough the inspection was. These might not matter as much to some especially those who will get their new guitars setup anyway, but it's good to note that you may still need to budget for a setup if you aren't doing it yourself. Although there could've been improvements on Fender and CME's part that I don't think could be blamed on external factors such as weather and climate fluctuations, overall, I would still 100% recommend this guitar, and it's a gem. The guitar played well after a proper setup, so I'm happy with it now. The price may be too expensive for some considering it's not made in USA, but it must be considered that this is the cheapest proper nitro-finish guitar you will currently find. The next best thing are Fender custom shop, so this guitar is perfect for those looking to enjoy vintage style paint/nitro body finish, and vintage specs without paying custom shop prices. The appearances are just a plus, since they sound and play amazing after a proper set up.Carlos T.

I've been playing for a little while, I rehearse with my band once/twice a week so my guitars definitely get played quite a bit, I've preferred Stratocasters from an early age. The shape is legendary and the tone is versatile. I own Chinese, Japanese, U.S. and Mexican Strats. This one is very comparable to my American Professional Stratocaster, the neck profile, the weight and intonation. Electronics are great, single coils produce a sweet twangy clean tone and the humbucker roars really nice with the right amount of gain/distortion. Makes it a very comfortable instrument that plays as easy as mantequilla on a hot tortilla. Only issue, (hence the 'almost comparable to MIA strats comment in the headline) are the frets… They are a little bit on the sharp side, I'm guessing it comes down to a player's preference? A competent luthier can dress the fret ends and make this one a real player/main axe. Other than the sharp frets, everything else is pretty solid and straight, the vatos down in Ensenada MX do great work producing these!Benjamin

So my story goes like this, I flew into Portland Oregon for work and immediately drove from the airport to Guitar Center. Upon walking in, someone was shredding on a guitar and it went on for a good 10 minutes. The guitar he was playing was the Candy Red Burst Fender Stratocaster Player Series. After he was done, I grabbed it and saw why he played it so long. It felt just solid in the hands. The strings, fret board and neck were silky smooth; Super easy to glide up and down with no fret buzz. The pickups are all Fender Player Stratocaster series which I have had no issue with and perform great out of the box. Also, just holding the guitar is a treat in the hands. It's a beautiful guitar. The Candy Red Burst has a very high functioning coat that gives a deep black fade anyway you turn it. It also fit my bill for something to remember Oregon by since the guitar is a deep Rose Red and Portland is know as the City of Roses.The Pau Ferro fingerboard is also eye candy as it has black veins that run through the grain matching the black hardware of the guitar. Other then that, I have had this guitar for 5 months as of this review and absolutely love it. The guitar holds its tune very well I enjoy playing it every time. Wait, you still reading this? Go get one already!Allan

I got this neck to replace the one I had on my Squier FSR Bullet Telecaster (in Metallic Purple with Maple Fretboard). This telecaster has a Maple neck with a normal C shape and felt really unrefined for a "Fender" neck. I decided to get this Fender Telecaster Standard Replacement Neck with a Modern C shape neck. This new actual Fender neck was a drastic change in quality and performance. Here's just a quick Pros and Con of this product. PROS: Real Fender Product – Because this is an official Fender product, the neck replacement on my Squier was seamless and very simple. Modern C – Makes a better feeling guitar when playing compared to the normal C shape neck. Satin Neck Finish on back – The neck is very smooth feeling when playing. The finish on the back of the neck doesn't get in the way of you playing fast. This helps if you have sweaty hands when playing. Gloss fretboard – This makes a difference because if doesn't feel like your fingers are sticking to the fretboard. Medium Jumbo Frets – Just feels nice when moving around the fretboard. Bending strings feel nicer than my old Squier frets. Pre Drilled Holes for Tuners – I already had Fender locking tuners. So it was a simple swap with no mods needed. CONS: Nut not slotted – I don't understand why the NUT isn't slotted at least for common string size. It is very slightly to get you started but you would need a file. I just used the low E strong and used it like a file but it didn't come out too well and I've had to buy a new nut that comes preslotted. No predrilled String tree hold – This really wasn't too much of a problem but it's scary if you get it wrong. Overall, I'm very happy with my purchase after two weeks of everyday playing with it. This was a much needed upgrade from my Squier telecaster neck I had.C. Barona

this is my 4th roasted neck and I can't recommend them enough. especially if you live on or near the water. I can pull out my strat or tele after not playing them for a few days and they are right in tune look at the quality that is put into them and you'd agree. when screwed to a sunburst or pastel colored body they just really enhance the look of your instrument. the cost of the roasted neck is something you gotta think about like do you really want to spend that kinda Ching on a neck? hell you can buy a standard neck for less or even buy an after market neck and play the same its all about the stability of the wood that closed the deal for me. dig down deep in yer pocket and pony up the Ching for one of these I'm pretty sure you be pleased you did. I have them mounted to Mexican fenders and American fenders all have mated up perfect and very little fret work was needed this is my experience with these necks and you will find the same. in short I dig mine and will in the future will only use these beautiesho-joe56

perfect fitment into a MIM fender body. finish was flawless and the dark maple is beautiful. mistake made on my part, not fender….. the roasted maple has so much less give than standard maple. I should have thought about that with all of the moisture being removed from the wood. I used fender press fit tuner bushings and installed them with a C-clamp as I always have. I heard the headstock crack as I was installing the D string bushing and my heart sank. Luckily, I was able to inject some wood glue and clamp it overnight to close it up, but I reamed out the G tuner bushing and learned my lesson. use care when installing the tuner bushings on anything roasted as the fibers in the wood simply will not compress the same way another neck would.Grey

I got this neck to replace the one I had on my Squier FSR Bullet Telecaster (in Metallic Purple with Maple Fretboard). This telecaster has a Maple neck with a normal C shape and felt really unrefined for a "Fender" neck. I decided to get this Fender Telecaster Standard Replacement Neck with a Modern C shape neck. This new actual Fender neck was a drastic change in quality and performance. Here's just a quick Pros and Con of this product. PROS: Real Fender Product – Because this is an official Fender product, the neck replacement on my Squier was seamless and very simple. Modern C – Makes a better feeling guitar when playing compared to the normal C shape neck. Satin Neck Finish on back – The neck is very smooth feeling when playing. The finish on the back of the neck doesn't get in the way of you playing fast. This helps if you have sweaty hands when playing. Gloss fretboard – This makes a difference because if doesn't feel like your fingers are sticking to the fretboard. Medium Jumbo Frets – Just feels nice when moving around the fretboard. Bending strings feel nicer than my old Squier frets. Pre Drilled Holes for Tuners – I already had Fender locking tuners. So it was a simple swap with no mods needed. CONS: Nut not slotted – I don't understand why the NUT isn't slotted at least for common string size. It is very slightly to get you started but you would need a file. I just used the low E strong and used it like a file but it didn't come out too well and I've had to buy a new nut that comes preslotted. No predrilled String tree hold – This really wasn't too much of a problem but it's scary if you get it wrong. Overall, I'm very happy with my purchase after two weeks of everyday playing with it. This was a much needed upgrade from my Squier telecaster neck I had.C. Barona

this is my 4th roasted neck and I can't recommend them enough. especially if you live on or near the water. I can pull out my strat or tele after not playing them for a few days and they are right in tune look at the quality that is put into them and you'd agree. when screwed to a sunburst or pastel colored body they just really enhance the look of your instrument. the cost of the roasted neck is something you gotta think about like do you really want to spend that kinda Ching on a neck? hell you can buy a standard neck for less or even buy an after market neck and play the same its all about the stability of the wood that closed the deal for me. dig down deep in yer pocket and pony up the Ching for one of these I'm pretty sure you be pleased you did. I have them mounted to Mexican fenders and American fenders all have mated up perfect and very little fret work was needed this is my experience with these necks and you will find the same. in short I dig mine and will in the future will only use these beautiesho-joe56

perfect fitment into a MIM fender body. finish was flawless and the dark maple is beautiful. mistake made on my part, not fender….. the roasted maple has so much less give than standard maple. I should have thought about that with all of the moisture being removed from the wood. I used fender press fit tuner bushings and installed them with a C-clamp as I always have. I heard the headstock crack as I was installing the D string bushing and my heart sank. Luckily, I was able to inject some wood glue and clamp it overnight to close it up, but I reamed out the G tuner bushing and learned my lesson. use care when installing the tuner bushings on anything roasted as the fibers in the wood simply will not compress the same way another neck would.Grey

I got this neck to replace the one I had on my Squier FSR Bullet Telecaster (in Metallic Purple with Maple Fretboard). This telecaster has a Maple neck with a normal C shape and felt really unrefined for a "Fender" neck. I decided to get this Fender Telecaster Standard Replacement Neck with a Modern C shape neck. This new actual Fender neck was a drastic change in quality and performance. Here's just a quick Pros and Con of this product. PROS: Real Fender Product – Because this is an official Fender product, the neck replacement on my Squier was seamless and very simple. Modern C – Makes a better feeling guitar when playing compared to the normal C shape neck. Satin Neck Finish on back – The neck is very smooth feeling when playing. The finish on the back of the neck doesn't get in the way of you playing fast. This helps if you have sweaty hands when playing. Gloss fretboard – This makes a difference because if doesn't feel like your fingers are sticking to the fretboard. Medium Jumbo Frets – Just feels nice when moving around the fretboard. Bending strings feel nicer than my old Squier frets. Pre Drilled Holes for Tuners – I already had Fender locking tuners. So it was a simple swap with no mods needed. CONS: Nut not slotted – I don't understand why the NUT isn't slotted at least for common string size. It is very slightly to get you started but you would need a file. I just used the low E strong and used it like a file but it didn't come out too well and I've had to buy a new nut that comes preslotted. No predrilled String tree hold – This really wasn't too much of a problem but it's scary if you get it wrong. Overall, I'm very happy with my purchase after two weeks of everyday playing with it. This was a much needed upgrade from my Squier telecaster neck I had.C. Barona

this is my 4th roasted neck and I can't recommend them enough. especially if you live on or near the water. I can pull out my strat or tele after not playing them for a few days and they are right in tune look at the quality that is put into them and you'd agree. when screwed to a sunburst or pastel colored body they just really enhance the look of your instrument. the cost of the roasted neck is something you gotta think about like do you really want to spend that kinda Ching on a neck? hell you can buy a standard neck for less or even buy an after market neck and play the same its all about the stability of the wood that closed the deal for me. dig down deep in yer pocket and pony up the Ching for one of these I'm pretty sure you be pleased you did. I have them mounted to Mexican fenders and American fenders all have mated up perfect and very little fret work was needed this is my experience with these necks and you will find the same. in short I dig mine and will in the future will only use these beautiesho-joe56

perfect fitment into a MIM fender body. finish was flawless and the dark maple is beautiful. mistake made on my part, not fender….. the roasted maple has so much less give than standard maple. I should have thought about that with all of the moisture being removed from the wood. I used fender press fit tuner bushings and installed them with a C-clamp as I always have. I heard the headstock crack as I was installing the D string bushing and my heart sank. Luckily, I was able to inject some wood glue and clamp it overnight to close it up, but I reamed out the G tuner bushing and learned my lesson. use care when installing the tuner bushings on anything roasted as the fibers in the wood simply will not compress the same way another neck would.Grey

I got this neck to replace the one I had on my Squier FSR Bullet Telecaster (in Metallic Purple with Maple Fretboard). This telecaster has a Maple neck with a normal C shape and felt really unrefined for a "Fender" neck. I decided to get this Fender Telecaster Standard Replacement Neck with a Modern C shape neck. This new actual Fender neck was a drastic change in quality and performance. Here's just a quick Pros and Con of this product. PROS: Real Fender Product – Because this is an official Fender product, the neck replacement on my Squier was seamless and very simple. Modern C – Makes a better feeling guitar when playing compared to the normal C shape neck. Satin Neck Finish on back – The neck is very smooth feeling when playing. The finish on the back of the neck doesn't get in the way of you playing fast. This helps if you have sweaty hands when playing. Gloss fretboard – This makes a difference because if doesn't feel like your fingers are sticking to the fretboard. Medium Jumbo Frets – Just feels nice when moving around the fretboard. Bending strings feel nicer than my old Squier frets. Pre Drilled Holes for Tuners – I already had Fender locking tuners. So it was a simple swap with no mods needed. CONS: Nut not slotted – I don't understand why the NUT isn't slotted at least for common string size. It is very slightly to get you started but you would need a file. I just used the low E strong and used it like a file but it didn't come out too well and I've had to buy a new nut that comes preslotted. No predrilled String tree hold – This really wasn't too much of a problem but it's scary if you get it wrong. Overall, I'm very happy with my purchase after two weeks of everyday playing with it. This was a much needed upgrade from my Squier telecaster neck I had.C. Barona

this is my 4th roasted neck and I can't recommend them enough. especially if you live on or near the water. I can pull out my strat or tele after not playing them for a few days and they are right in tune look at the quality that is put into them and you'd agree. when screwed to a sunburst or pastel colored body they just really enhance the look of your instrument. the cost of the roasted neck is something you gotta think about like do you really want to spend that kinda Ching on a neck? hell you can buy a standard neck for less or even buy an after market neck and play the same its all about the stability of the wood that closed the deal for me. dig down deep in yer pocket and pony up the Ching for one of these I'm pretty sure you be pleased you did. I have them mounted to Mexican fenders and American fenders all have mated up perfect and very little fret work was needed this is my experience with these necks and you will find the same. in short I dig mine and will in the future will only use these beautiesho-joe56

perfect fitment into a MIM fender body. finish was flawless and the dark maple is beautiful. mistake made on my part, not fender….. the roasted maple has so much less give than standard maple. I should have thought about that with all of the moisture being removed from the wood. I used fender press fit tuner bushings and installed them with a C-clamp as I always have. I heard the headstock crack as I was installing the D string bushing and my heart sank. Luckily, I was able to inject some wood glue and clamp it overnight to close it up, but I reamed out the G tuner bushing and learned my lesson. use care when installing the tuner bushings on anything roasted as the fibers in the wood simply will not compress the same way another neck would.Grey

I got this neck to replace the one I had on my Squier FSR Bullet Telecaster (in Metallic Purple with Maple Fretboard). This telecaster has a Maple neck with a normal C shape and felt really unrefined for a "Fender" neck. I decided to get this Fender Telecaster Standard Replacement Neck with a Modern C shape neck. This new actual Fender neck was a drastic change in quality and performance. Here's just a quick Pros and Con of this product. PROS: Real Fender Product – Because this is an official Fender product, the neck replacement on my Squier was seamless and very simple. Modern C – Makes a better feeling guitar when playing compared to the normal C shape neck. Satin Neck Finish on back – The neck is very smooth feeling when playing. The finish on the back of the neck doesn't get in the way of you playing fast. This helps if you have sweaty hands when playing. Gloss fretboard – This makes a difference because if doesn't feel like your fingers are sticking to the fretboard. Medium Jumbo Frets – Just feels nice when moving around the fretboard. Bending strings feel nicer than my old Squier frets. Pre Drilled Holes for Tuners – I already had Fender locking tuners. So it was a simple swap with no mods needed. CONS: Nut not slotted – I don't understand why the NUT isn't slotted at least for common string size. It is very slightly to get you started but you would need a file. I just used the low E strong and used it like a file but it didn't come out too well and I've had to buy a new nut that comes preslotted. No predrilled String tree hold – This really wasn't too much of a problem but it's scary if you get it wrong. Overall, I'm very happy with my purchase after two weeks of everyday playing with it. This was a much needed upgrade from my Squier telecaster neck I had.C. Barona

this is my 4th roasted neck and I can't recommend them enough. especially if you live on or near the water. I can pull out my strat or tele after not playing them for a few days and they are right in tune look at the quality that is put into them and you'd agree. when screwed to a sunburst or pastel colored body they just really enhance the look of your instrument. the cost of the roasted neck is something you gotta think about like do you really want to spend that kinda Ching on a neck? hell you can buy a standard neck for less or even buy an after market neck and play the same its all about the stability of the wood that closed the deal for me. dig down deep in yer pocket and pony up the Ching for one of these I'm pretty sure you be pleased you did. I have them mounted to Mexican fenders and American fenders all have mated up perfect and very little fret work was needed this is my experience with these necks and you will find the same. in short I dig mine and will in the future will only use these beautiesho-joe56

perfect fitment into a MIM fender body. finish was flawless and the dark maple is beautiful. mistake made on my part, not fender….. the roasted maple has so much less give than standard maple. I should have thought about that with all of the moisture being removed from the wood. I used fender press fit tuner bushings and installed them with a C-clamp as I always have. I heard the headstock crack as I was installing the D string bushing and my heart sank. Luckily, I was able to inject some wood glue and clamp it overnight to close it up, but I reamed out the G tuner bushing and learned my lesson. use care when installing the tuner bushings on anything roasted as the fibers in the wood simply will not compress the same way another neck would.Grey

I bought this guitar on sale for about $590, which, let's be clear, is an absolute steal. It's a gorgeous instrument, the electronics are great for the price point, and the craftsmanship is superb except for one small thing… the nut was on backwards. I ordered the instrument online and drove about an hour for curbside pickup where I did my best to check for any obvious damage or crafting issues, but the sale tag was tied around the B & E string so I didn't notice the nut issue until I got home and heard a pronounced buzz on the B string. I took it to a local guitar shop and had the nut replaced with a hand-slotted bone nut for about $40, rather than dealing with a return or exchange at the nearest Guitar Center. In truth, I had been planning to replace the nut with a bone nut anyway so I didn't really care that much. Aside from this pretty glaring error, though, the guitar is just a delight. There was no fret sprout, no sharp frets, and no fret buzz, like I've heard some people mention. The neck was perfectly straight and smooth, electronics were sturdy-feeling and sounded awesome (I expected more hum and a thinner sound from stock pickups). The saddles were also incredibly easy to adjust for intonation and the instrument is just generally comfortable to hold/play. Also, this guitar looks absolutely incredible in Surf Pearl. Moral of the story, if you find this guitar on sale for less than $700, the value is pretty hard to beat. Just make sure you give it a thorough look-see before taking it home or that you're prepared to spend ~$50 extra for some additional work. If not for this manufacturing error, this would be a 5-star instrument.Carson C.

I've had this beauty for some weeks now. It's been played through a Fender HRD with Private Jack for speaker, a Marshall DSL40 and Vox AC15. Sounds beautiful in all these mediums, including Tube Screamers, Chorus, and Fuzz pedals. I see no need to change the PUs or Tuners. I only changed the strings to Elixer 9s. Neck feels great. Had one fret that was buzzing slightly, but a minor truss adjustment and minor fret filing solved that little issue. NOT FOR NUTHIN, but guitarists should learn how to perform some mechanical adjustments – it feels good fixing some problems on your own. Although I'll steer clear of electrical issues. Anyway, the guitar is beautiful. I've got the blue. It's almost a work of art. If I needed another Tele I would buy this one again. I bought it while it was on sale, but I would have bought it at regular price anyway. If you're on the fence, hop off and pick up one of these. They're worth the investment. No need to spend Fender Pro money.Hans-Dieter

This guitar is built extremely well, and is a great platform for modifications. The body has a tummy cut that makes it really comfortable compared to other telecasters. The tuning stability is great, and never seems to go out of tune. When I received the guitar, the action was set too low and the neck was back bowed. After adjusting the truss rod to .010" of relief and raising the action to 4/64" the guitar played like a dream. The one downfall for this guitar is the stock pickups; I ended up swapping mine out with an f spaced Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge and a Seymour Duncan Jazz in the neck. I love this guitar and will never part with it.JP

I bought this guitar on sale for about $590, which, let's be clear, is an absolute steal. It's a gorgeous instrument, the electronics are great for the price point, and the craftsmanship is superb except for one small thing… the nut was on backwards. I ordered the instrument online and drove about an hour for curbside pickup where I did my best to check for any obvious damage or crafting issues, but the sale tag was tied around the B & E string so I didn't notice the nut issue until I got home and heard a pronounced buzz on the B string. I took it to a local guitar shop and had the nut replaced with a hand-slotted bone nut for about $40, rather than dealing with a return or exchange at the nearest Guitar Center. In truth, I had been planning to replace the nut with a bone nut anyway so I didn't really care that much. Aside from this pretty glaring error, though, the guitar is just a delight. There was no fret sprout, no sharp frets, and no fret buzz, like I've heard some people mention. The neck was perfectly straight and smooth, electronics were sturdy-feeling and sounded awesome (I expected more hum and a thinner sound from stock pickups). The saddles were also incredibly easy to adjust for intonation and the instrument is just generally comfortable to hold/play. Also, this guitar looks absolutely incredible in Surf Pearl. Moral of the story, if you find this guitar on sale for less than $700, the value is pretty hard to beat. Just make sure you give it a thorough look-see before taking it home or that you're prepared to spend ~$50 extra for some additional work. If not for this manufacturing error, this would be a 5-star instrument.Carson C.

I've had this beauty for some weeks now. It's been played through a Fender HRD with Private Jack for speaker, a Marshall DSL40 and Vox AC15. Sounds beautiful in all these mediums, including Tube Screamers, Chorus, and Fuzz pedals. I see no need to change the PUs or Tuners. I only changed the strings to Elixer 9s. Neck feels great. Had one fret that was buzzing slightly, but a minor truss adjustment and minor fret filing solved that little issue. NOT FOR NUTHIN, but guitarists should learn how to perform some mechanical adjustments – it feels good fixing some problems on your own. Although I'll steer clear of electrical issues. Anyway, the guitar is beautiful. I've got the blue. It's almost a work of art. If I needed another Tele I would buy this one again. I bought it while it was on sale, but I would have bought it at regular price anyway. If you're on the fence, hop off and pick up one of these. They're worth the investment. No need to spend Fender Pro money.Hans-Dieter

This guitar is built extremely well, and is a great platform for modifications. The body has a tummy cut that makes it really comfortable compared to other telecasters. The tuning stability is great, and never seems to go out of tune. When I received the guitar, the action was set too low and the neck was back bowed. After adjusting the truss rod to .010" of relief and raising the action to 4/64" the guitar played like a dream. The one downfall for this guitar is the stock pickups; I ended up swapping mine out with an f spaced Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge and a Seymour Duncan Jazz in the neck. I love this guitar and will never part with it.JP

I got this neck to replace the one I had on my Squier FSR Bullet Telecaster (in Metallic Purple with Maple Fretboard). This telecaster has a Maple neck with a normal C shape and felt really unrefined for a "Fender" neck. I decided to get this Fender Telecaster Standard Replacement Neck with a Modern C shape neck. This new actual Fender neck was a drastic change in quality and performance. Here's just a quick Pros and Con of this product. PROS: Real Fender Product – Because this is an official Fender product, the neck replacement on my Squier was seamless and very simple. Modern C – Makes a better feeling guitar when playing compared to the normal C shape neck. Satin Neck Finish on back – The neck is very smooth feeling when playing. The finish on the back of the neck doesn't get in the way of you playing fast. This helps if you have sweaty hands when playing. Gloss fretboard – This makes a difference because if doesn't feel like your fingers are sticking to the fretboard. Medium Jumbo Frets – Just feels nice when moving around the fretboard. Bending strings feel nicer than my old Squier frets. Pre Drilled Holes for Tuners – I already had Fender locking tuners. So it was a simple swap with no mods needed. CONS: Nut not slotted – I don't understand why the NUT isn't slotted at least for common string size. It is very slightly to get you started but you would need a file. I just used the low E strong and used it like a file but it didn't come out too well and I've had to buy a new nut that comes preslotted. No predrilled String tree hold – This really wasn't too much of a problem but it's scary if you get it wrong. Overall, I'm very happy with my purchase after two weeks of everyday playing with it. This was a much needed upgrade from my Squier telecaster neck I had.C. Barona

this is my 4th roasted neck and I can't recommend them enough. especially if you live on or near the water. I can pull out my strat or tele after not playing them for a few days and they are right in tune look at the quality that is put into them and you'd agree. when screwed to a sunburst or pastel colored body they just really enhance the look of your instrument. the cost of the roasted neck is something you gotta think about like do you really want to spend that kinda Ching on a neck? hell you can buy a standard neck for less or even buy an after market neck and play the same its all about the stability of the wood that closed the deal for me. dig down deep in yer pocket and pony up the Ching for one of these I'm pretty sure you be pleased you did. I have them mounted to Mexican fenders and American fenders all have mated up perfect and very little fret work was needed this is my experience with these necks and you will find the same. in short I dig mine and will in the future will only use these beautiesho-joe56

perfect fitment into a MIM fender body. finish was flawless and the dark maple is beautiful. mistake made on my part, not fender….. the roasted maple has so much less give than standard maple. I should have thought about that with all of the moisture being removed from the wood. I used fender press fit tuner bushings and installed them with a C-clamp as I always have. I heard the headstock crack as I was installing the D string bushing and my heart sank. Luckily, I was able to inject some wood glue and clamp it overnight to close it up, but I reamed out the G tuner bushing and learned my lesson. use care when installing the tuner bushings on anything roasted as the fibers in the wood simply will not compress the same way another neck would.Grey

1 month review with guitar being setup professionally: Great pickups and tone and overall good sounding guitar after a proper setup, gorgeous nitro finish and paintjob. Relic effects are beautiful. The nitro finish feels thin enough for you to eventually make your own marks from repeated playing – a perfect way to tell a story and give the guitar character. Worn in neck feels amazing to play and not sticky to touch. Worth noting that the Pure Vintage 59 pickups on these don't have a reverse-wound middle pick, so there will be hum including positions 2 and 4. If you are easily annoyed with single coil hum, these pickups might not be for you. Also worth noting that these pickups do sound a bit warmer than a stock Fender Player pickups. These respond so MUCH better to high gain type of playing, all while still sounding amazing on low-gain and clean playing. Despite the pros, there are still some areas are lacking and needs improvement. The guitar had razor sharp frets along the binding that could easily cut you, meanwhile I have a $700 MIM fender player didn't have this problem straight out of the box. It's crazy to think that $700 guitar went through better QA than a $1200 guitar, but whatever, the frets are bound to be polished and worked on anyway with your initial setup regardless. CME's shipping page policies say "Every guitar gets a full inspection, as well as basic setup." Guitar came with an inspection card that had overall playability specs checked but some of it was questionable. The guitar was not playable at all out of the box despite letting it acclimate for over a day before opening BUT that is a given considering it spent time in a delivery truck trunk in freezing winter. However, it was a bit bogus how they even checked off volume output when the pickups were NOWEHERE near the appropriate height out of the box and there was BARELY any audible output on the treble side of the guitar. I highly doubt weather and temperature fluctuation will make the pickup screws spin by themselves to the degree at which the pickups came out of the box. Secondly, the tremolo springs at the back also weren't ******* in the appropriate depth for a either a floating or flushed trem setup – it was just sort of in the middle of the cavity. Weather fluctuation from their shop and may have affected string tension, but I also don't think it would make the claw springs in the back unscrew themselves to the degree the guitar came. Makes me wonder how thorough the inspection was. These might not matter as much to some especially those who will get their new guitars setup anyway, but it's good to note that you may still need to budget for a setup if you aren't doing it yourself. Although there could've been improvements on Fender and CME's part that I don't think could be blamed on external factors such as weather and climate fluctuations, overall, I would still 100% recommend this guitar, and it's a gem. The guitar played well after a proper setup, so I'm happy with it now. The price may be too expensive for some considering it's not made in USA, but it must be considered that this is the cheapest proper nitro-finish guitar you will currently find. The next best thing are Fender custom shop, so this guitar is perfect for those looking to enjoy vintage style paint/nitro body finish, and vintage specs without paying custom shop prices. The appearances are just a plus, since they sound and play amazing after a proper set up.Carlos T.

I've been playing for a little while, I rehearse with my band once/twice a week so my guitars definitely get played quite a bit, I've preferred Stratocasters from an early age. The shape is legendary and the tone is versatile. I own Chinese, Japanese, U.S. and Mexican Strats. This one is very comparable to my American Professional Stratocaster, the neck profile, the weight and intonation. Electronics are great, single coils produce a sweet twangy clean tone and the humbucker roars really nice with the right amount of gain/distortion. Makes it a very comfortable instrument that plays as easy as mantequilla on a hot tortilla. Only issue, (hence the 'almost comparable to MIA strats comment in the headline) are the frets… They are a little bit on the sharp side, I'm guessing it comes down to a player's preference? A competent luthier can dress the fret ends and make this one a real player/main axe. Other than the sharp frets, everything else is pretty solid and straight, the vatos down in Ensenada MX do great work producing these!Benjamin

So my story goes like this, I flew into Portland Oregon for work and immediately drove from the airport to Guitar Center. Upon walking in, someone was shredding on a guitar and it went on for a good 10 minutes. The guitar he was playing was the Candy Red Burst Fender Stratocaster Player Series. After he was done, I grabbed it and saw why he played it so long. It felt just solid in the hands. The strings, fret board and neck were silky smooth; Super easy to glide up and down with no fret buzz. The pickups are all Fender Player Stratocaster series which I have had no issue with and perform great out of the box. Also, just holding the guitar is a treat in the hands. It's a beautiful guitar. The Candy Red Burst has a very high functioning coat that gives a deep black fade anyway you turn it. It also fit my bill for something to remember Oregon by since the guitar is a deep Rose Red and Portland is know as the City of Roses.The Pau Ferro fingerboard is also eye candy as it has black veins that run through the grain matching the black hardware of the guitar. Other then that, I have had this guitar for 5 months as of this review and absolutely love it. The guitar holds its tune very well I enjoy playing it every time. Wait, you still reading this? Go get one already!Allan

As a Schecter user since 2002, I've been able to see their products improve from year to year. With this Hybrid Hellraiser, the build of this guitar is borderline flawless. A great combination of the SLS body style but the audio girth of their Hellraiser models. For a 7 string, it is about as light and fast as possible. Even though it's meant to handle the heaviest of metal, the neck is smooth enough to deal with a variety of styles. The stock locking tuners are solid as is my favorite EMG combination the 66/57 which provides all the goods. Headroom but gain, bite but warmth. To top it off, the looks of the guitar is as classy as possible. From whatever light is shining on it, the trans black is either a slight green, or a dark grey. So the personality of the guitar varies as much as what you choose to play on it. I've yet to own a bad Schecter. And this is the best one yet. It leaves all LTD's and Ibanez's in this price range in the dust.Druzovich

You do not have to spend $5,000 to achieve big boy vibe. The features on this guitar well exceed the price. I am pretty blown away with the impression it’s made and I just got it. After a good set up this guitar will gladly catch anything you thrown at it. You will definitely feel like a rock star with a Blackjack in your hands. The tone capability seems to be endless, I can’t really find an end to them. If you buy one of these, I promise you will be very happy that you did. Guitar dealers should be a little intimidated by this one because once you’ve got this one, you’re guitar buying fever will be quenched for quite awhile.Kevin

Overall: Ok lets start of with , I own PRS, Gibson, Fender, Epiphone… Never crossed my mind to ever try a Schecter . But i was interested in the Sustainiac pickup, so i took a chance and bought this model because i did not want the active EMG pick up , wanted active . Now this guitar is not cheap as you can see. So here it is open the box amazed at what i saw, stunning guitar, Came set up perfect slight tuning adjustment that was it , the intonation was right on..Lets talk neck ..thin 'C' with a 12”-16” Compound Radius ..Are you kidding ? Wow. Its probably the best i ever played compound radius along with a thin 'c' neck is like surf & turf…..Ebony fretboard ..super smooth tight grain , body and neck finish is flawless binding is perfect ,the pickups are real nice i am loving sustain and its real nice how they made it very adjustable . Only have a few days and i cannot put it down .sounds awesome , i play blues mostly and some rock and Santana, the sound is very clear and clean, i play through a Marshall dsl all tube, fender tube, and a Vox …On boost or other distortion it real kicks. .A…. I am very happy and would recommend this guitar to anyone regardless of the type of music you play , seems to cover a lot.. also its pretty light i would say around 7lb few oz's…it also has a set neck not a bolt on… Very impressed with this, only regret is i never bought one earlier..John

Overall, its a good guitar. I noticed some lines next to the 11th and 13th frets. At first I thought they were pencil marks under the finish, but after some closer inspection it's actually discolored / dirty finish next to the frets. I think it'll clean up or at least be less noticeable after I clean it with the strings removed. There were also two tiny pin holes missing filler under a couple fret ends on the bass side. These were like tiny needle tip sized holes. I took a similarly colored tan crayon and rubbed into them making them complete unnoticeable. The neck is super comfortable to play. Very nice rounded C profile. 24 in scale is easy to play. The pickups are good so far. No complaints. The push-pull pot is nice for added versatility. The factory setup was decent. Action low enough but neck had too much relief. A minor adjustment of the truss rod was needed. Nut was cut well. Action is 4/6th's inch at 12th fret at low E and 3/64th at high E. Intonation needs minor adjustmentBrandon

I got this guitar for my younger brother for Christmas 2018, and he has been playing it everyday since. I managed to find a local store in order to demo the different Duo-Sonic models before buying from Adorama, and I'm glad I did. This HS version is ideal because of the greater variety of tones that can be achieved with the humbucker, including when it is split with the coil-tap option on it. It is well worth the extra money as a step up from from the version with two single coils. Additionally, after playing the Duo-Sonic version with the Pau Ferro fingerboard, I highly recommend the maple version. Pau Ferro is a cheaper, perhaps more sustainable wood being used to replace rosewood in guitars (at least the ones under $1000) from here on out, and it feels significantly cheaper than both rosewood and maple on a Fender neck. Also, the shorter scale neck on these offset models is very easy and fun to play no matter whether you are a beginner or advanced guitarist. There is one thing to keep in consideration with this guitar: many of these MIM offset Fender electric guitars shipped with a scratchy pickup selector switch. Apparently there is a common flaw where they are dusty inside. But don't worry, they can easily be cleaned and really have no negative impact on tone and playability (just sound scratchy through your amp when flipped sometimes).This is the second Fender electric guitar I've purchased from Adorama, and I cannot recommend them as a vendor enough. Both this Duo-Sonic and the Johnny Marr Signature Jaguar I purchased from them (in September 2018) arrived with a perfect factory set-up, in the original unopened Fender packaging, and for the best possible price. Adorama always has wonderful customer service and ships out very quickly: the Duo-Sonic shipped the Sunday before Christmas and arrived in PA two days later. If you are considering buying a brand new Fender guitar, wait around for a Special Price deal from Adorama and buy from them and no one else ever.Nicholas

I've been playing guitar for over a decade now and have owned and played quite a few guitars. While this guitar is not USA made it is a quality, well designed guitar. Here's what I like about it first: -It plays great, it's a lot of fun to play. It's light enough you can hop around jamming without being too light where you lose out on sound. The neck is nice and easy to slide and bend on and the frets aren't jagged. – It's very versatile, great for clean tones or hard rock. The coil split is great for versatility and achieving different sounds. With a single coil and a humbucker with coil split, as well as the toggle switch and tone knob, it can cross genres easily. The main reason I got it was how versatile it is. – It looks great. Great paint job and neck, looks very proffessional overall. – it's unique. Everyone (practically) plays a strat or les paul shaped guitar these days so the offset mustang like shape is much more unique and cool in my opinion. Also has it's own unique tone while still also being able to get strat like or traditional rock tones duo to pickups, configuration, coil split, toggle switch and tone knob. People will notice this guitar. – Quality built. While not a USA model it's remarkably well built and stays it tune well. What could be better: The humbucker in the bridge is not very fat sounding and could be better. Other fender models have beefier, fuller sounding humbuckers in the bridge. Such as the hss Strat or HH jaguar. However it does not sound bad, just could be better. Still sounds crunchy and good for rock. Could be upgraded though for better sound. Overall: Great guitar for a great price. If you want a solid axe that's fun to play, versatile and will stand out in a crowd, then this is the one.Tiezzi

Why spend $200 for a cheep neck when I can buy a quality usa made neck for the same price!! USACG OR WARMOTH!! Yeah! Thats the real stuff!becksgtrs270f3

Im a player that has longer fingers and the fat neck cut down on player fatigue. Bought a rosewood a few weeks ago and came back to buy a maple neck with the nitro finish. They are beautiful necks and Im more than happy with my two Tele builds. Keep in mind that you will have to remove the nitro finish from the frets for it is standard practice to apply the finish to the entire neck. There are a few YouTube videos out there on how to properly do this. I personally taped up my fretboard and used a fine sandpaper to remove the finish from the frets. Also pay attention to the hole size in the headstock for your tuners. You may have to enlarge the holes provided and add those little pilot holes to stabilize your tuners. Just TAKE YOUR TIME with your build or replacement neck and you should be as satisfied as I am.smitus_s3lzwcnku

1 month review with guitar being setup professionally: Great pickups and tone and overall good sounding guitar after a proper setup, gorgeous nitro finish and paintjob. Relic effects are beautiful. The nitro finish feels thin enough for you to eventually make your own marks from repeated playing – a perfect way to tell a story and give the guitar character. Worn in neck feels amazing to play and not sticky to touch. Worth noting that the Pure Vintage 59 pickups on these don't have a reverse-wound middle pick, so there will be hum including positions 2 and 4. If you are easily annoyed with single coil hum, these pickups might not be for you. Also worth noting that these pickups do sound a bit warmer than a stock Fender Player pickups. These respond so MUCH better to high gain type of playing, all while still sounding amazing on low-gain and clean playing. Despite the pros, there are still some areas are lacking and needs improvement. The guitar had razor sharp frets along the binding that could easily cut you, meanwhile I have a $700 MIM fender player didn't have this problem straight out of the box. It's crazy to think that $700 guitar went through better QA than a $1200 guitar, but whatever, the frets are bound to be polished and worked on anyway with your initial setup regardless. CME's shipping page policies say "Every guitar gets a full inspection, as well as basic setup." Guitar came with an inspection card that had overall playability specs checked but some of it was questionable. The guitar was not playable at all out of the box despite letting it acclimate for over a day before opening BUT that is a given considering it spent time in a delivery truck trunk in freezing winter. However, it was a bit bogus how they even checked off volume output when the pickups were NOWEHERE near the appropriate height out of the box and there was BARELY any audible output on the treble side of the guitar. I highly doubt weather and temperature fluctuation will make the pickup screws spin by themselves to the degree at which the pickups came out of the box. Secondly, the tremolo springs at the back also weren't ******* in the appropriate depth for a either a floating or flushed trem setup – it was just sort of in the middle of the cavity. Weather fluctuation from their shop and may have affected string tension, but I also don't think it would make the claw springs in the back unscrew themselves to the degree the guitar came. Makes me wonder how thorough the inspection was. These might not matter as much to some especially those who will get their new guitars setup anyway, but it's good to note that you may still need to budget for a setup if you aren't doing it yourself. Although there could've been improvements on Fender and CME's part that I don't think could be blamed on external factors such as weather and climate fluctuations, overall, I would still 100% recommend this guitar, and it's a gem. The guitar played well after a proper setup, so I'm happy with it now. The price may be too expensive for some considering it's not made in USA, but it must be considered that this is the cheapest proper nitro-finish guitar you will currently find. The next best thing are Fender custom shop, so this guitar is perfect for those looking to enjoy vintage style paint/nitro body finish, and vintage specs without paying custom shop prices. The appearances are just a plus, since they sound and play amazing after a proper set up.Carlos T.

I've been playing for a little while, I rehearse with my band once/twice a week so my guitars definitely get played quite a bit, I've preferred Stratocasters from an early age. The shape is legendary and the tone is versatile. I own Chinese, Japanese, U.S. and Mexican Strats. This one is very comparable to my American Professional Stratocaster, the neck profile, the weight and intonation. Electronics are great, single coils produce a sweet twangy clean tone and the humbucker roars really nice with the right amount of gain/distortion. Makes it a very comfortable instrument that plays as easy as mantequilla on a hot tortilla. Only issue, (hence the 'almost comparable to MIA strats comment in the headline) are the frets… They are a little bit on the sharp side, I'm guessing it comes down to a player's preference? A competent luthier can dress the fret ends and make this one a real player/main axe. Other than the sharp frets, everything else is pretty solid and straight, the vatos down in Ensenada MX do great work producing these!Benjamin

So my story goes like this, I flew into Portland Oregon for work and immediately drove from the airport to Guitar Center. Upon walking in, someone was shredding on a guitar and it went on for a good 10 minutes. The guitar he was playing was the Candy Red Burst Fender Stratocaster Player Series. After he was done, I grabbed it and saw why he played it so long. It felt just solid in the hands. The strings, fret board and neck were silky smooth; Super easy to glide up and down with no fret buzz. The pickups are all Fender Player Stratocaster series which I have had no issue with and perform great out of the box. Also, just holding the guitar is a treat in the hands. It's a beautiful guitar. The Candy Red Burst has a very high functioning coat that gives a deep black fade anyway you turn it. It also fit my bill for something to remember Oregon by since the guitar is a deep Rose Red and Portland is know as the City of Roses.The Pau Ferro fingerboard is also eye candy as it has black veins that run through the grain matching the black hardware of the guitar. Other then that, I have had this guitar for 5 months as of this review and absolutely love it. The guitar holds its tune very well I enjoy playing it every time. Wait, you still reading this? Go get one already!Allan

I bought this guitar on sale for about $590, which, let's be clear, is an absolute steal. It's a gorgeous instrument, the electronics are great for the price point, and the craftsmanship is superb except for one small thing… the nut was on backwards. I ordered the instrument online and drove about an hour for curbside pickup where I did my best to check for any obvious damage or crafting issues, but the sale tag was tied around the B & E string so I didn't notice the nut issue until I got home and heard a pronounced buzz on the B string. I took it to a local guitar shop and had the nut replaced with a hand-slotted bone nut for about $40, rather than dealing with a return or exchange at the nearest Guitar Center. In truth, I had been planning to replace the nut with a bone nut anyway so I didn't really care that much. Aside from this pretty glaring error, though, the guitar is just a delight. There was no fret sprout, no sharp frets, and no fret buzz, like I've heard some people mention. The neck was perfectly straight and smooth, electronics were sturdy-feeling and sounded awesome (I expected more hum and a thinner sound from stock pickups). The saddles were also incredibly easy to adjust for intonation and the instrument is just generally comfortable to hold/play. Also, this guitar looks absolutely incredible in Surf Pearl. Moral of the story, if you find this guitar on sale for less than $700, the value is pretty hard to beat. Just make sure you give it a thorough look-see before taking it home or that you're prepared to spend ~$50 extra for some additional work. If not for this manufacturing error, this would be a 5-star instrument.Carson C.

I've had this beauty for some weeks now. It's been played through a Fender HRD with Private Jack for speaker, a Marshall DSL40 and Vox AC15. Sounds beautiful in all these mediums, including Tube Screamers, Chorus, and Fuzz pedals. I see no need to change the PUs or Tuners. I only changed the strings to Elixer 9s. Neck feels great. Had one fret that was buzzing slightly, but a minor truss adjustment and minor fret filing solved that little issue. NOT FOR NUTHIN, but guitarists should learn how to perform some mechanical adjustments – it feels good fixing some problems on your own. Although I'll steer clear of electrical issues. Anyway, the guitar is beautiful. I've got the blue. It's almost a work of art. If I needed another Tele I would buy this one again. I bought it while it was on sale, but I would have bought it at regular price anyway. If you're on the fence, hop off and pick up one of these. They're worth the investment. No need to spend Fender Pro money.Hans-Dieter

This guitar is built extremely well, and is a great platform for modifications. The body has a tummy cut that makes it really comfortable compared to other telecasters. The tuning stability is great, and never seems to go out of tune. When I received the guitar, the action was set too low and the neck was back bowed. After adjusting the truss rod to .010" of relief and raising the action to 4/64" the guitar played like a dream. The one downfall for this guitar is the stock pickups; I ended up swapping mine out with an f spaced Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge and a Seymour Duncan Jazz in the neck. I love this guitar and will never part with it.JP

1 month review with guitar being setup professionally: Great pickups and tone and overall good sounding guitar after a proper setup, gorgeous nitro finish and paintjob. Relic effects are beautiful. The nitro finish feels thin enough for you to eventually make your own marks from repeated playing – a perfect way to tell a story and give the guitar character. Worn in neck feels amazing to play and not sticky to touch. Worth noting that the Pure Vintage 59 pickups on these don't have a reverse-wound middle pick, so there will be hum including positions 2 and 4. If you are easily annoyed with single coil hum, these pickups might not be for you. Also worth noting that these pickups do sound a bit warmer than a stock Fender Player pickups. These respond so MUCH better to high gain type of playing, all while still sounding amazing on low-gain and clean playing. Despite the pros, there are still some areas are lacking and needs improvement. The guitar had razor sharp frets along the binding that could easily cut you, meanwhile I have a $700 MIM fender player didn't have this problem straight out of the box. It's crazy to think that $700 guitar went through better QA than a $1200 guitar, but whatever, the frets are bound to be polished and worked on anyway with your initial setup regardless. CME's shipping page policies say "Every guitar gets a full inspection, as well as basic setup." Guitar came with an inspection card that had overall playability specs checked but some of it was questionable. The guitar was not playable at all out of the box despite letting it acclimate for over a day before opening BUT that is a given considering it spent time in a delivery truck trunk in freezing winter. However, it was a bit bogus how they even checked off volume output when the pickups were NOWEHERE near the appropriate height out of the box and there was BARELY any audible output on the treble side of the guitar. I highly doubt weather and temperature fluctuation will make the pickup screws spin by themselves to the degree at which the pickups came out of the box. Secondly, the tremolo springs at the back also weren't ******* in the appropriate depth for a either a floating or flushed trem setup – it was just sort of in the middle of the cavity. Weather fluctuation from their shop and may have affected string tension, but I also don't think it would make the claw springs in the back unscrew themselves to the degree the guitar came. Makes me wonder how thorough the inspection was. These might not matter as much to some especially those who will get their new guitars setup anyway, but it's good to note that you may still need to budget for a setup if you aren't doing it yourself. Although there could've been improvements on Fender and CME's part that I don't think could be blamed on external factors such as weather and climate fluctuations, overall, I would still 100% recommend this guitar, and it's a gem. The guitar played well after a proper setup, so I'm happy with it now. The price may be too expensive for some considering it's not made in USA, but it must be considered that this is the cheapest proper nitro-finish guitar you will currently find. The next best thing are Fender custom shop, so this guitar is perfect for those looking to enjoy vintage style paint/nitro body finish, and vintage specs without paying custom shop prices. The appearances are just a plus, since they sound and play amazing after a proper set up.Carlos T.

I've been playing for a little while, I rehearse with my band once/twice a week so my guitars definitely get played quite a bit, I've preferred Stratocasters from an early age. The shape is legendary and the tone is versatile. I own Chinese, Japanese, U.S. and Mexican Strats. This one is very comparable to my American Professional Stratocaster, the neck profile, the weight and intonation. Electronics are great, single coils produce a sweet twangy clean tone and the humbucker roars really nice with the right amount of gain/distortion. Makes it a very comfortable instrument that plays as easy as mantequilla on a hot tortilla. Only issue, (hence the 'almost comparable to MIA strats comment in the headline) are the frets… They are a little bit on the sharp side, I'm guessing it comes down to a player's preference? A competent luthier can dress the fret ends and make this one a real player/main axe. Other than the sharp frets, everything else is pretty solid and straight, the vatos down in Ensenada MX do great work producing these!Benjamin

So my story goes like this, I flew into Portland Oregon for work and immediately drove from the airport to Guitar Center. Upon walking in, someone was shredding on a guitar and it went on for a good 10 minutes. The guitar he was playing was the Candy Red Burst Fender Stratocaster Player Series. After he was done, I grabbed it and saw why he played it so long. It felt just solid in the hands. The strings, fret board and neck were silky smooth; Super easy to glide up and down with no fret buzz. The pickups are all Fender Player Stratocaster series which I have had no issue with and perform great out of the box. Also, just holding the guitar is a treat in the hands. It's a beautiful guitar. The Candy Red Burst has a very high functioning coat that gives a deep black fade anyway you turn it. It also fit my bill for something to remember Oregon by since the guitar is a deep Rose Red and Portland is know as the City of Roses.The Pau Ferro fingerboard is also eye candy as it has black veins that run through the grain matching the black hardware of the guitar. Other then that, I have had this guitar for 5 months as of this review and absolutely love it. The guitar holds its tune very well I enjoy playing it every time. Wait, you still reading this? Go get one already!Allan