Sx Vintage Series Electric Guitar For Sale (2024 Update)

Pros; fairly well made from a nice piece of American swamp ash, it sounds good, and plays as it should, great price. Cons; I don't like the set of the bridge posts. Worst part; made in China…slytone1

Nicely made. I did change strings as suggested by instructor. Has a nice case and everything went together well. Will be a challenge to learn…a lot to concentrate on while playing…good fun for an old man's brain..records1320

As far as natural sunscreens go, this is the best! I will never buy another brand, and my mind is at ease knowing I am not putting toxic chemicals on my kids.shannon h

I want to start by saying I did not get it from GC. I got it from another site where they had a charcoal option. This is a review on the guitar and not the supplier. They say a good guitar isn't necessary how it looks. I also read a lot about "a PRS sounds somewhere between a Les Paul and a Strat." For some reason people hold these sounds as the "gold standard" for musical guitar tone. Now I don't know about that either. What I can tell you is that what makes this a good guitar is how inspiring it is and how creative it's making me play. I don't know how to describe it- maybe a more experience person can weigh in (I've been playing on and off for a few years) but I seem so much more creative in my playing when I'm jamming with this as compared to my Gibson SG standard or Fender Player. At the end of the day, you want a guitar that not only sounds great (which this absolutely does) but also feels great and inspires you to play out of your norm. It does not have as much rock power when distorted when compared to my SG, so if you're looking for a rock heavy guitar, I don't know if this is for you. But it sounds incredible clean (which is how I mostly play). My Player sounds great clean too, but I love the wider and thicker neck profile it has compared to my strat (I got big gorilla hands so I like a chunkier neck). I've only had this for 2 weeks but it's become my grab guitar.Robbie A

I was looking for an entry level guitar that was priced right and built well. First of all, how can you go wrong with this beautiful style. It is also very light and wont leave you with back pain after a couple hours of riffing. Tuning keys are solid without any dead spots and dont slip. The guitar stays in tune very well with only slight adjustment needed due to temperature changes. Pick up selector is smooth and not notchy. Havent used the whammy bar and have been playing with studio headphones, so sound is subjective, but as someone that has been playing several instruments for 30 years, I like to think I have a good ear. All in all a great purchase decision.oxouk

I have previously played and owned only long scale basses. Have always wanted to try a short scale. Went to my local GC and tried a few they had in house. The short scale Sterling was a nice looking bass but the fret work was terrible. Based on reading other reviews I took a risk and ordered a Squire CV 60 Mustang. It is a beautiful instrument. Arrived in great condition with absolutely no flaws. Finish is great, Fretwork is great, string action and intonation were nearly perfect. Hard to believe that Squire can make an instrument like this for such a reasonable price.Jim

I have always wanted a short-scale Fender and decided to pull the trigger on the Squire CV version. Being a Gibson player, the 25.5 scale length always threw me off but this Mustang is very easy to play/swap between my Les Paul and 335's. The single-coil tones are great and certainly a contrast to the humbuckers & P90's I usually play. To be 100% honest, you better have some skills in setting up guitars and polishing frets or be prepared to pay a tech to get these guitars to their full potential. I had to completely polish the frets and fiddle for weeks to get the action to my liking. A neck shim is almost essential to get any height on the bridge and provide enough downward pressure to keep things intonated. I have no idea why Fender doesn't do this on all Mustang's, Jazzmasters and Jaguars since this is a very well-known issue. Once dialed in and frets polished up, this Mustang is a little tone monster.Jason F

Sound: It's a classic Mustang sound. Ease of Use: The Mustang bass was originally made for younger players and students, but it has a serious professional following as well. Quality: The only problem initially was rough fret ends which were quickly taken care of. Look for pro advice online as to how to do this. Value: Because I owned one before, I feel this is worth the selling price. Manufacturer Support: No contact with Fender about any concerns. Unless it's something out of my ability I'll handle it myself. The Wow Factor: When I first saw the "Vintage Vibe" Mustang bass, it owned me. Overall: I've owned one before and had to sell it. Incredible instrument. I've always preferred short scale basses because they're so much fun to play. Had to buy this one. I like playing this bass more than my 2001 American Series Precision bass! You won't be disappointed. Perhaps some minor tweaking may be needed, but worth every cent.Ampman

Almost 40 years of playing experience and this bass is by far the best value that I've experienced. I've had my share of Precisions, Jazz basses, etc. over the years up to the $1500 range. When the pandemic kicked in I had sold most of my equipment but decided I had to have one bass. The neck is solid and similar to a P-bass thickness which I prefer and I don't need a 24-fret, 2 octave one anymore based on playing blues, jam, reggae, and rock. The tonal landscape is phenomenal rolling off the treble or bass dependent upon what I'm playing. Bright highs and deep lows are easily accomplished. I've never written a review before, but this was worthy of the time. Enjoy!Steve

Sound: when you own a sterling bass you do know, what your getting in quality . this bass is heavier then my sterling sub music man. same bass just diff color .the pick up of course is still amazing ,from my sub to this bass today. Ease of Use: i pulled out the box, was not in tune from shipping of course. used my d,addario head stock tuner on it, was only off a little from shipping. easy to retune and play out of the box. Quality: i love these bass., i have small hands. witha full scale to the get the best of the tone possible, long scale is the only way for me. small hand will use the neck as a whole. Value: would buy this for any one starting. would also buy another my self lol i have two lol Manufacturer Support: never had an issue Overall: awesome for the money, get great workmenship right out of the box, a small tune . after shipping of course. love the balance and small necks for my small hands. does not take away sustain. bass talks if you listen. so this is the second one i owned and would own another.Mickey

I'm a long time guitarist with some really fine instruments who decided to pick up a "value" bass just to learn for fun. Knowing what to look for in guitars, I translated that over to basses and went to GC to try some out, see what appealed to me, and how far I could stretch the dollars I was willing to spend on an instrument to start out and, maybe, stick with. I found this Sterling by Music Man Ray4 in mint green that filled the bill on all fronts. As usual, the guys at GC let me try several instruments and test to my hearts content. I do all my own guitar set-ups and would never buy a guitar sight unseen, being worried about how much adjustment might be needed. The Ray4 wasn't too bad out of the box (quite literally because I didn't like the display instrument and they had another in stock for me to try). Once home, I did adjust neck relief, string height, intonation, and pickup to a point that I liked best. The pickup required the most adjustment actually because it had gotten stuck in an odd and very high position, perhaps from being jostled in shipping. There is some fret sprout on the higher frets, but nothing that would bother my hand. Bottom line: Everything could easily be adjusted to where I really like it and has been stable now over several days. It's comfortable to play and is, in my opinion, a real "looker." The satin finished neck is great and, although I usually don't go for maple fret boards, I do like this one. I'm very pleased with my purchase decision and would buy it again. Now onto attack that fret sprout . . .AARP Rocker

I started looking for a “real” Strat with Fender on the headstock. My budget would work with a Player Series Strat so i started doing my research. The first couple I played weren’t overly impressive, the necks didn’t feel great and the switch & pots felt just like the Squier guitars I had. I saw a couple Squier CV models but I was determined to have the name Fender on my next guitar. I finally picked one up and was blown away! I loved it so I checked the specs and tried another CV and came away impressed. That night I placed my order with AMS, used their payment plan and a couple days later had one of my own. My other guitars are not seeing much use these days – just too fun and easy to play my real Strat! Thanks Squier/Fender.BigBuzz

Sound: If you're looking for the Strat sound this will obviously work. Features: I'm impressed with the quality of it. It stays in tune and it came perfectly set up right out of the box. Ease of Use: It is not playable at all for me. This guitar would be much better suited for a small guy or a female. Certainly not for somebody with big hands. Quality: I managed to get a good look at the pickguard when I dropped a Seymour Duncan JB Jr pickup in the bridge position. Everything looked good. My only complaint is that the output jack was loose. Value: Yes, but I wouldn't pay more. Manufacturer Support: N/A The Wow Factor: I got it because I wanted to have a lefty Strat. I had planned on painting it and making modifications to it anyway but the neck is too thin and it's unplayable. Overall: The checkout, delivery and everything with the zZounds went fine. But be warned that this has a VERY thin neck and every time I play it, it makes my hand hurt so I have to set it back down after two minutes.Craig

This is truly the best current production strat by fmic you can get outside of the custom shop. And not just for the money, like overall. I've tried/owned Strats from the player, vintera, performer, pro, american OG, ultra, custom shop. Outside of the custom shop this is the crown jewel of the line. The Cort factory knows what they're doing and does it better than american line guitars at 3-4 times the price. It has the same narrow tall frets they're putting on the american pros, which make bends go off like butter. It's an extremely fast feeling neck without being too skinny (I have large hands and generally prefer a bigger neck, but I love this neck. It's like a medium c with the slightest hint of a v, not a baseball bat but not a toothpick). The back of the neck is lacquered but it never gets sticky when sweating. The fretwork is immaculate, better than all the fender Mexican guitars. The frets are polished to a mirror finish, the fretboard edges are rolled. The tuners are smooth turning vintage style. Bone nut, steel saddles, perfect semi-light weight… it literally ticks every single box a vintage strat enthusiast could want. Oh and the pickups? Don't worry about having to swap them out for some expensive after market pups. They are PERFECTLY voiced for this instrument. Plenty of low end but not overwound, striking clarity and glassiness, middle positions quack properly, and the bridge pup is even wired to the tone control stock! I'd wager to bet this will become your #1 strat…JT

I cant believe how good this D'Angelico is. Workmanship is perfect – It looks stunning. I got the vintage tint natural color which looks so beautiful to me, and the flamed maple rims and back are very classy almost 3D looking and really set it off I removed the factory fitted roundwound strings which were quite bright to my ears, and put on a set of flatwound D'Addario Chormes 12's which made it sound so much louder and feel much nicer. Acoustically it is pretty loud. When plugged in, it sounds superb, the Kent Armstrong pick up is simply wonderful – full, clear and fat sounding and it has that big warm classic jazz sound. I tried out a lot of archtops in the same price range and this was way by far the best of them. I almost bought a Ibanez LGB30 which was fantastic, but this one for me was the better of the two and more of the jazz tone I was looking for. It came with a nice hard shell case too. I will be keeping this guitar. Its exceeded my expectations in every way.6 stringed picker

I'm a recent convert to D'Angelico guitars. I had seen them at big box retailers for a couple of years, but always dismissed them as overpriced imports until I saw one heavily discounted and picked it up. I had been looking for an inexpensive jazz box to experiment with and it fit the bill (EXL-1 model), so I took it home. Once I really starting playing it I was blown away by the quality. These are not your typical imports. The fit and finish are better than most and absolutely the equal of (or better than) any American made guitars. Once I was sold on the brand, I started checking out some of their other offerings. I have a custom shop '59 Les Paul reissue, but it's too expensive for me to leave it out as a daily player, so I've been looking for another HH to serve as my daily driver. The SS does everything I want. It's lightweight, but not so light that you get neck dive (like an SG). The neck profile is very comfortable to me – it's smaller than the '59's neck, but thicker than the typical modern C. The pickups on the Excel-level model are very good. I would say they're slightly warmer than a standard PAF but not muddy. The pickups on this Deluxe model are fantastic. Seymour Duncan '59's (you can disregard the mfg.-specific DA prefix – they're the SD '59's you'd get straight from them and you can find plenty of reviews and discussions of them online). They'll give you any tone you want from a humbucker. What sends this Deluxe model into "perfect guitar" territory is the addition of the 6-way switch. You can split any humbucker, but you won't necessarily like the single-coil sound from any humbucker. These could have been designed for splitting. Also, nearly every maker uses push-pull pots for splitting which, for me, is ridiculous. If you happen to want to split coils while playing, it's nearly impossible to pull the pot without turning it some at the same time. The 6-way switch is fast and snappy. When you throw Grover locking tuners and the other premium components into the mix, I can't think of anything that could possibly be done to upgrade this guitar. If you haven't played one – give it shot. You won't regret it.Big Pete

This is just a terrific instrument. It's what we've come to expect from the quality producers in S Korea. The trim is flawless, and the matte midnight was the perfect choice. Intonation is perfect. The sustain stays on or nearly on pitch throughout attenuation. Pots are sensitive/effective from ~2.5 to 10, which in my experience is better than most. The six-way switch locks in distinctly different sounds. I play mostly jazz/blues, so I can't comment on the harder rock side of things, but it's beautiful clean. And IMHO, clean is where the test should be.Delivery was impressive, ordered early Thanksgiving afternoon, delivered Saturday morning. They must have known I was going to buy, and had it on the truck addressed and ready to go when I made the purchase! Seriously, this is a fine instrument, and compares well to models up to twice the price.Rwjax-79612

Overall: In a YouTube review of this guitar, there was one guy that said he didn't understand why any experienced and knowledgable guitar player would want THIS guitar over something more high-end (i.e., a "real" Eclipse), because of the differing body design features. I, myself, am not anything of a virtuoso player, nor do I have the fattest wallet at the moment, which is why I settled on something more in the midrange for my first relatively decent guitar. I've been playing for years, writing songs on "piece of crap" guitars, and it didn't matter to me that my instrument was nothing to show off when that's all that I was using it for (i.e., to write songs). Before I am an instrumentalist, I am a vocalist and songwriter… but I digress. Anyhow, coming from someone that has a limited span of what truly "decent" is in this department, I, personally, found this guitar to be worth the price. I am not the most knowledgable about guitars, no, but I know what feels right to me as a player. This one is pretty nice. The body is lightweight and thin without feeling or looking cheap or flimsy, and the playability is fantastic. There is little strain on your fingering hand due to how easy it is to press the strings down, unlike on cheaper guitars. Had I learned to play on this one, I would have been totally spoiled! Maybe like that guy with the YouTube review. Haha. The sound is nice and crisp… and the color is beautiful. I went with the Cobalt Blue, because it matches with my room. I have no complaints about it, under the circumstances. It is everything that I needed it to be. The available payment plan was the cherry on top. Just two more payments! Thanks, zZounds!Note: I was required to rate "Manufacturer Support" when I submitted this review, even though I never made any direct contact with the manufacturer. I couldn't give it less than 5 stars when there was never a problem with it. *shrug*Emha

IT WAS WORTH THE WAIT! It was on backorder. It took round-a-bout 5 months to get it in my eager hands. I bought the Purple Burst version. What their online photos do not properly convey is that the back and the neck are purple as well (how purple depends on each guitar-having seen two in person). The 1st appeared almost black in most lighting. The 2nd is defiantly purple but when photographed there is a color mismatch between the back and front that is NOT noticeable in person (see photos) This is my first Les Paul body style and my first guitar with split coil capability. The jumbo frets are awesome. I haven't been playing long (2-ish years). They cut down on my mis-fretting. The ease & sound of bending the strings + the sound of the pick-ups are more than I was expecting. The neck is super slim. I have size S/M woman hands. I love the size. There is not a lot of stretching to reach around for the low end strings. The neck also has a lovely coating that allows me to slide up and down easy without sticking- if you have played a matte coated neck, you know what I mean. The fret board and the inlays are leveled out very well but the fret board was a bit thirsty when I got it. A fret board oil & cloth buff were all it needed. The frets are very well placed & filed (no snags or fret spouts). The "Set-Up" was really good straight out of the box. The string height was set really well. Low enough (esp. at the nut) that It was not a finger killer to fret but there was no fret buzz at any frets when playing. The intonation was pretty spot on as well. Took slight adjustment when it got new strings (mostly at the Low E and A). The top pick-up was a touch high for my taste but if that is the worst I can say… The neck was straight and ready to play. The tuners work well and I love the keystone buttons on them that match the headstock style. It is heavier than I expected 7.5lbs- 8.4lbs. To sum things up, I cannot believe I got this beauty for this price point.Elaine, K

Sound: I haven't even got far enough to plug it in the action is so buzzy that is why i do not recommend this guitar. If it was set up to playable i would probably like it. You can feel a feel a few fret edges, but nothing horrible. That i would expect for a guitar in this price range, but for it to show up completely unplayable is unacceptable. Value: The way it arrived no. Overall: I have always liked ESP products, but today i am disappointed. This guitar arrived today and is unplayable. The neck has got a back bow and all the strings buzz horribly. The strings are hitting on the back of the bridge after the saddle because the tail piece was screwed all the way down to the body. If ESP did this they should be ashamed, if zZounds did this they should be ashamed. Not sure who set this guitar up? I'm going to try to fix it tomorrow wish me luck. If i can get to stop buzzing and to play decent i may keep it, if not it's going back. It is a pretty guitar and aside from the atrocious setup seems to be of decent quality.Shawn

Having previously purchased a lemon drop second hand I was impressed with the vintage brand. I've previously owned custom shop guitars by Fender and Gibson so have perspective on how "good ones" should sound. The v6 was ordered from Richard as I enjoyed his YouTube videos and liked the thought of the guitar being essentially hand picked and set up prior to delivery. Richards pricing is not the cheapest but it does ensure that the guitar you receive plays as well as it possibly can. The guitar itself arrived in tune, set up to my specifications with a blocked trem and 10 gauge strings. The finish was flawless and the fact vintage spec the correct woods for these guitars (alder and maple) really sold me. It has a full size tremblock, bent steel saddles and sounds like a good strat should. The Wilkinson pickups in the lemon drop where excellent paf approximations and the single coils are no exception. Plus the bridge is wired to the second tone pot which is something I always do as I tend to roll off the treble when soloing. The guitar is also very light and can be played comfortably for hours. Packing was top notch. Double boxed. Comms excellent and I would wholeheartedly recommend purchasing from Richard again. In fact I have Gas for a Eastman Les Paul in 2020😊Matt S.

If you've ever put a guitar together from after market parts, even 2nd hand, its doesn't take long to rack up an expense. For Richard to offer this guitar for £287 with a full setup is quite extraordinarily extraordinary. The QC on this one is exceptional from Vintage and despite thorough inspection I cannot find any flaws at all. It is a very lightweight guitar, slightly neck heavy, so I'd recommend purchasing a good quality leather strap to prevent slippage. The highlight of the VS6 would be the neck which is a wide C profile and very enjoyable to play. The setup from Richard again is exceptional and you really have to applaud the effort invested making these very affordable guitars so playable. On that note, I would also recommend that these are perfect guitars to learn some basic setup skills on; though very well setup I have made small adjustments as can be expected as you break a guitar in. All in all, a great value guitar which Richard and his team have helped punch well above its weight.Jordan T.

I can't speak highly enough of my experience with Richards Guitars. The guitar itself is great value for money. Highly playable and light-weight. Lovely finish, and great to look at, which is saying something, as I've never been into 'road-worn' finish, generally speaking… The instrument feels great in the hand, and it's been played every day since I got it 🙂 The setup on the guitar was spot-on too, so I couldn't be happier. Richard (and team) agreed to have the guitar ready and delivered in a pretty tight time-window too, and it was right on time, which was greatly appreciated. Last but not least, I needed the exact dimensions of the guitar in a pinch. Richard answered the phone and got the measurement for me while I waited. Quality 🙂Tim C.

Buying guitars online always seems like a crapshoot. I have had good, bad, and horrible experiences. This guitar, oddly enough, has been the only guitar that I have bought that has needed no further setup at all. It was totally perfect. Everything. And this is after buying a Majesty and a Stratocaster which did need additional setup. No complaints whatsoever. I rarely feel the need to write a review, but the quality of this PRS definitely deserved some comments. Only thing that was a little different was the scale length which I had overlooked. 1/2" shorter than many of my other guitars. This makes it extremely easy to play, but getting up to 22-24 frets… well, ya gotta squish your fingers a tad.Steve

I've had mine for a couple of weeks now and I have to say it doesn't look, play or feel like a $500 guitar. I was immediately impressed by the quality and comfort of this instrument. I have a couple of Les Pauls and a G&L and this thing is at least a couple of pounds lighter than any of them. The body has an extremely compact feel and the cut and shape make it comfortable to play anywhere on the neck. The neck itself is comfortable and fast. The pickups have a warm, full tone with a nice amount of growl with a little overdrive. Many guitars in this price range have weak, tinny sounding pickups, but not this one. On the downside, it's a bit of a challenge to keep in tune. But, that's common of many guitars in this price range that don't come equipped with locking nuts and trems. I'll change and stretch the strings and lubricate the nut and do all the normal things and we'll see how it comes out. Also, the neck seems to pick up a slight twist every couple of days and I've had to adjust the truss rod several times. Hopefully, I'll get it just right soon and this won't be an ongoing issue. I've never played a PRS before and this was an affordable way for me to dip my toe in that pool. I'm glad I did. For $500 you can't go wrong with this one.nowalruses

An absolutely brilliant guitar for the money. The finish is excellent, the setup was perfect out of the box. Frets are nicely finished, nut is cut well, strings feel nice, tuners work well, switches are smooth. Honestly the only things that do not feel like they could be on a much more expensive guitar are a small amount of play in the tremolo arm, and a small amount of play in the tone knob (with coil tap). For less than £500, this is a beautiful instrument – huge tonal diversity with the humbuckers and coil split, and plays exceptionally well. You don’t get a maple top, but you do get the PRS bird inlays, which look great!Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

Overall: The YJM guitars are near exceptional and the scalloped board plays like a dream and the craftsmanship is a solid 9 out of 10. It screams and is very well built. There are things I love and things that can be improved. For issues I will explain below on how to fix them!Pros:- Super fast playing neck- Perfect scallop work- New and improved brass nut that is shiny and not clunky like the old one- The contours are nice and the guitar is very comfy to hold- Has the screaming signature YJM sound- The body color being cream is beautiful compared to the older models- Built in strap locks- Comes with a YJM leopard print strap- Tweed case is gorgeousCons:- The tremolo is problematic for a few reasons – The string spacing is on the wide side 2 7/32" which causes high e slips constantly. – The guitar due to the tight 9.5" radius will fret out if you bend up two whole steps unless the action is pretty high. YJM likes his action high- The pickups do not have much gain- You can see tooling marks left behind by the crowing file- The neck is a really white maple neck which is unappealing vs the old models it was an amber yellow which makes more sense when going with a vintage look- Fender tuners are vintage and for me they are not that great. Because they are vintage you will need to drill the head stock if you want to replace with locking tuners. If you do go that route make sure you observe the diameter so you do not have to drill them larger- The string tree is metal and you can hear it making noise when using the trem which sounds like when you pluck a string near the tuner. I replaced mine with a composite one- 21 Frets but I knew that going inHow to fix the bridge issue: – I went and purchased a Callaham VN bridge kit and it's a direct drop in but with 2 1/16" spacing. This dramatically reduced the high e string slips. This also fixed the fret outs as well! The issue is the YJM features a modern nut and spacing with a vintage bridge. You could also loosen the strings, loosen the neck plate screws and realign the neck but unless you change the bridge you are going to have high e slips. Weak gain on the pickups:- YJM used to use a DOD pedal until he went his signature YJM208 and when you dial it in correctly you will get a near perfect YJM sound. – Alternatively if you have AxeFx and I have an AxeFxXLII+ all you need to do is place the tube screamer right before your amp block and dial up the tone on it. I was shocked how close it sounded to my real YJM pedal. You could also omit the tube screamer amp block in the AxeFx and actually run your YJM308 pedal from your guitar into the AxeFx. Overall it's an awesome guitar and I wouldn't even think of returning it or selling it. It really is a job to play and you will be spoiled with a scalloped neck!Joseph

Sound: This guitar is very expressive. The pickups are clear and bell like on clean, and retain this aspect even with distortion. Chords are not muddy, easy to tell individual notes. Plenty of sustain, and the body reverberates well. To me this guitar just sounds so great, I'm having a hard time going back to my other guitars. Features: Features of this guitar are perfect for a Fender. Vintage bridge works well, pickups sound amazing, fret finish is good. Very comfortable neck profile. Ease of Use: There is a slight learning curve with this guitar because of the scalloped fret board. But the neck profile is great. I've been primarily an Ibanez player, plating jem and other wizard necks. I did not find the profile hard to get used to and I am able to switch back and forth easily. After you get used to the scallops and the benefits of them, its hard to go back to a normal neck! the scallops just make bending and vibrato so much more easy and expressive. You really have extreme control of the strings. The neck is not as wide as Ibanez necks though, and if you are used to having a few millimeters of thickness extra next to the high and low E strings to prevent slippage, you will not have this. I did have to adjust my playing to prevent the high E from slipping, because this will happen if your vibrato is wide, pulling the string towards the outside of the neck. This can easily be adjusted in my case. I rarely have an issue with string slippage now and do not have to think about it. Quality: Although the guitar is really well made. I do have to disclose a few issues. When I received the guitar, the neck was not aligned. This made the high E string easily, VERY easily slip off. So the first thing I had to do was look at the center fret dots and loosen the bolts on the neck and straighten the neck up. (There are YouTube videos explaining this very issue and how to do this if you need them) And this problem could easily be seen IN the pictures before the guitar was sent to me, so this did not happen in shipping I believe. Also I noticed right where the neck pocket and body meet, there was a extremely small gap between the paint and wood. Almost as if the paint did not adhere to the wood well, almost like a bubble in the paint. So me, being like an inquisitive idiot, pushed the paint there. And that put a hairline crack in the paint in that area. So not extremely happy about that, but to me this guitar is a player, and I'm not actually worried about minor cosmetic details at this price point. I guess I'll just be starting on the natural relic process of this guitar early. 🙂 I must also disclose that the inside of the spring cavity is painted, but you can tell it was horribly finished inside as far as smoothness and saw dust under paint there. But this is normal on many guitars and something I'm okay with at this price point. I still think that a guitar over one thousand dollars should be cleaned up a little more. Especially American made. Intonation is still perfect out of the box, and after neck alignment and re string. Fret finishing is good, neck is very comfortable and smooth with rolled edges. Nitrocellulose lacquer can get a bit tacky if your hands are getting warm or sweaty, but it is easy to adjust and clean. The neck did really well with this winters hot to cold temperatures with the heat on. No fret popping out on the sides. Just a good and stable neck so far. Value: I think this guitar, despite the above mentioned quality control issues, is great for the price compared to other American made Fenders. And the added features, like scalloping on the neck are a bonus value above your typical Fender. Guitar strap that came with it is high quality, but I am not using it because it will not adjust small enough for me, and I prefer the guitar riding a little higher. The tweed fender case that it comes with is beautiful. Manufacturer Support: I have not dealt with the company/ manufacturer of the instrument. The Wow Factor: This is a great looking, classic Fender with amazing sound from the YJM pickups, and lots of extras. I wish they would do these in a few more colors. Overall: I have been an Ibanez JEM and RG player for years. I have installed push pull coil splits on an RG just to try to get a more strat like sound. Also being an Yngwie fan, I really loved the sound and tone he was getting from his Fender. I toyed with getting a different strat and possibly switching pickups and modifying it. But the Yngwie strat ticked all the right boxes already. And I was very curious about scalloped frets, and had read about all the supposed benefits. So I went for it, bought one here, am very happy with the purchase. The guitar is very easy to play. Neck shape is just right, not to fat, not too thin, with a smaller width than most Ibanez necks which is fine with my hands. (cursed with shorter fingers!!) The scallops take some getting used to, but after you do, you'll see that bending and vibrato are amazingly easy and exJustin

This has got to be the most value I've ever seen in a budget instrument. Out of the box it was set up good. Finish was perfect. I purchased the ruby red version. Stock pick up is aggressive and hot. Tremolo works as it should. Although I ain't a big user of them I can dive like EVH does on the first record with this thing and it comes back up in tune. Many people prefer something better but this works perfect for me. The only flaws I could find was one of the drill holes on the back plate was not lined up correct and a screw fell out. Not a big thing because I have take. It off for access to the springs and to change strings. The hardware is not the best. The screws on the claw stripped a little when I was taking it out for whammy use. Over all a very enjoyable guitar. Incredibly hot sounding and fast. The look is great too. I don't plan on upgrading anything just yet. Many buyers of this do hot rod them and that's also a very cool thing. Maybe in the future I'll consider some upgrades but stock is fine. I'd trust it on a stage no problem. Get them before they all go! There's a reason why very little of them are on the used market. For this price you cannot go wrong! Maybe if a yellow one of these was to come along I'd be all over it. Would definitely buy again!Cris w

I owed a Wolfgang for years and when I bought it, a friend of mine said "Don't waste your money on that…get an N4 and get it over with". Being the EVH fan I was, I bought it. A few years ago I came across an N4 here and bought it. I should've listened to my bud years ago. What an instrument!! I can't begin to tell you how amazing it is. I've been playing for 23 years. I've owned USA Fender, higher end Yamaha's, the Wolfgang and have owned and played many other amazing brand name instruments and this is by far the best guitar I have ever laid hands on. Beats my old boss's '62 Tele and his friends '54 Les Paul. I don't use a Floyd much anymore, but man…it's such an amazing guitar. Versatile tones, ease of playability, comfortable and a simple layout. You can't ask for anything more. I play Rock, classic rock, alternative, metal, a little country and blues from time to time…I do it all on this guitar. Stop reading this, sell the fire wood you have right now (maybe keep one if you blow a string mid set…), and get an N4!Darryl

AMS got it to me quickly and well packaged. Action was high (pretty normal) and after I made a few quick adjustments this thing sings! Love the Bill Lawrence bridge pick up, especially when using the coil tap. Quick neck, great tone. This is my 2nd Washburn and definitely not my last.Craig

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

While Ive been a professional musician for over 35 years as a guitarist, Ive never played lap steel, so I wanted a good first guitar that was solid yet affordable. This is it! Easy to play, sounds good, stays in tune. A great learning instrument that can also gig when Im proficient enough to do so. Thanks Rhonda Music!allerando

Be aware this will need some work. Raised pickup with more foam, leveled saddles, re-cut grooves, lowered bridge with pan head machine screws in place of adjustable posts. After all of that, it works great.melody1876

As far as natural sunscreens go, this is the best! I will never buy another brand, and my mind is at ease knowing I am not putting toxic chemicals on my kids.shannon h

As far as natural sunscreens go, this is the best! I will never buy another brand, and my mind is at ease knowing I am not putting toxic chemicals on my kids.shannon h

As far as natural sunscreens go, this is the best! I will never buy another brand, and my mind is at ease knowing I am not putting toxic chemicals on my kids.shannon h