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When moving up from a beginner's level of instruments, the question of choosing a guitar with a solid top arose. This guitar was chosen. And at the time, it was an excellent choice.

The sound of the guitar, compared to cheaper instruments without a solid top, is something almost everyone who moves up to the next level will notice.

I give this instrument credit; the motivation and desire to improve my guitar playing was evident from the first day I bought it.

The comfort of the Grand Auditorium body with a cutaway for the high positions is undeniable. It's perfect for learning and honing your skills.

I spent quite a bit of time with this guitar. And perhaps without it, I would never have felt the desire to move on.

Yes, the instrument is extremely simple in appearance. Everything is classic, no binding. However, none of that was required. The key was high-quality build quality and acceptable sound. There was nothing to complain about on these points.

Now, with a full-bodied instrument, the difference in sound is noticeable. But not dramatic.

The guitar has a drawback: it's been through various revisions at different points in time. I don't know how significant this is, but on my particular guitar, and based on reviews of other guitars of the same model, the truss rod nut is extremely tight.

Tightening it myself was unpleasant, difficult, and even scary. So, I had it adjusted by a luthier. But after that, the instrument doesn't require any neck adjustments at all.

I'll note that for an acoustic guitar, the tuning above the 12th fret was very low. At the same time, NOT A SINGLE extraneous tone, clang, or buzz came out of the instrument. It's a joy for fingerstyle playing.

There's not much to say about the pickup. I tried playing the setup, but it left me with no impressions. The guitar is still used exclusively in acoustic mode, without any connection. Although the built-in tuner is a nice bonus.

If I were asked whether I would recommend this instrument to someone moving up from beginner, my answer would be 100% yes.

This guitar is quite complex.

When I first picked it up and unpacked it, the first thing I noticed was that it's a rather beautiful Stratocaster. I bought it based on reviews, commercials, and pictures, and many things weren't immediately obvious.

The color isn't your typical sunburst. It has its own distinct yellow tint. Perhaps this is a signature feature of the American Vintage guitar series. Perhaps the nitro lacquer imparts its own tint, but it looks quite interesting and stands out from other sunburst guitars I've owned in the past.

The pickguard has a greenish tint. If you've never seen anything like it before, it's almost impossible to tell from pictures this mint green effect. And the first problem with it was obvious—it cracked in three places, near the screw holes. This is not uncommon on vintage guitars, but to see it cracked straight out of the box on a brand new one raises questions.

There are no complaints whatsoever regarding the appearance of the neck and fretboard; they look solid and respectable. Lacquered necks are generally a matter for amateurs—I am one, so I was pleased. However, playability and tuning are the second major drawback of this guitar. To access the truss rod, the neck has to be unscrewed from the body. While this would be fine if you had to do it a couple of times, the neck's extreme sensitivity to humidity forces you to do it frequently. And the most counterintuitive thing is that this neck only returns to its final shape after tightening the truss rod nut about five days later!

Then there's the fretboard radius itself. This makes the instrument more difficult to play. The radius is something to consider. You can certainly get used to it, but this topic is specifically intended for those who understand what a 7.25 radius is (I had no idea at first, as all my guitars had a relatively flat radius).

Now, regarding string height and the most annoying thing – fret buzz: Perhaps the seasonal humidity played a role, but the frets have popped out at both sides of the neck. The varnish they were coated with couldn't withstand the protruding pressure in some places and cracked slightly. But that's not the most annoying thing. It's that with a fret height of 1.8 mm at the 12th fret of the 6th string, there's a buzz and clank in various places on the neck from the 1st to the 20th fret, all the strings, which carries into the amp and headphones. Attempts to adjust the neck arch to increase the fret reach don't produce a significant effect. Since the ringing will still be picked up by the amp, setting the height to 2-2.25 mm above the 12th fret makes no sense, as it will compromise playability.

You'll definitely need to take the instrument to a luthier, and it'll likely be there for a long time, as the neck arch changes and takes a long time to stabilize.

The guitar comes with a case. And yes, there's something to be said about that, too. It's nice, but the mechanisms leave a lot to be desired. One of the latches has been sticking constantly since day one, and I had to get used to the correct release mechanism to open the case lid.

And yet, despite all the aforementioned shortcomings, this Strat has one undeniable advantage: the classic Fender Stratocaster sound. I can play these single-coil pickups without much noise coming into the amp, and I didn't use any shielding. But then again, classic vintage Strat single-coil pickups aren't universally suitable for specific applications. In my usage scenario, the tasks are fully covered.

In summary, I can say that this guitar is not for beginners at all. It's not even for amateurs. This instrument is specifically for those who understand what they're getting and are willing to correct any flaws that undoubtedly exist, right out of the box. But with a competent guitar repairman, this Strat can be turned into a gem, and the instrument definitely deserves it.

This review will be updated after a follow-up visit to the repairman and the remaining issues are resolved.

i can't even express my love for this amp, probably my favorite piece of gear of all time

For $100, you get a really good digital pedal setup that condenses a whole pedalboard into one input. The only issue is the limit of 5 pedals per setup.