christopher_hixson

Bought this for laughs, was actually surprised. Tried to consider the 85 USD price tag when considering a list of pros and cons. Didn't want to slam the guitar for the same things I'd slam a 1200 USD instrument for. Pros (all stock out of the box) - It tunes and intonates quickly and holds well. - Almost no 'hot' noise when running through high gain options of Neural DSP's Gojira plugin and just a little bit more noise when running high gain on my Orange Crush 20. I'm talking almost-don't-need-a-gate levels of noise. - Matte finish is constant throughout, no paint issues - Input jack is firmly installed. Have had lots of issues with input jacks on budget instruments where the come loose with little effort. This thing isn't going anywhere. - Vol, tone, and selector hardware are all solid. Selector has that clicky weight to each detent and the knobs have just the right amount of resistance. Cons - Fretboard finish is kinda wack. It has that finished sheen to it but when you bend a string, it feels like you're dragging it across medium-fine grit sandpaper. Just enough to be noticeable. This and the below are my only two "objective" issues with the build quality. Beyond that is mostly preference. - Some minor fret protrusions on the outside edge of neck. Could be easily filed down. - I'm not a fan of the tortoise shell pickguard and the template does not appear Tele standard. I ordered a Tele-standard replacement and when comparing the two, the stock guard is maybe 10-15% smaller with the middle screw holes on either side being about an inch lower than the standard template. Additionally, despite being smaller, the bridge and neck cavities are larger than the template and my replacement needed to be dremel'd down. All of this is moot if you like the stock pickguard though. - Despite being more than a pound heavier than a standard Tele, the guitar has this weird hollow feeling to it. Again, subject to preference.

Does everything that a Helix, Kemper, or Axe-Fx does but does but in a smaller, cleaner package. The UI is so brain dead simple that any two year old who can work an ipad can figure it out.