So I caved in and bought one-- it was in South Wales, so I combined collecting the guitar and seeing an old friend who happened to only 20mins away.
So i've just restrung it (and top-wrapped the tailpiece) and am just letting it all settle for a while-- It looked like it originally had 10s on it, but was restrung for sale with 9s, so there was some fret buzz because of the extra neck relief. I've put 11s on it, and am going to leave it for a while before I make any truss rod adjustments-- at the moment it is better, but there's still some buzz so we'll wait and see.
You can tell that it's not a high-end instrument-- there a small attentions to detail that wouldn't be present if this was a higher-end SG or an LP, but this guitar is going to be a workhorse for me, so i'm not too concerned about a couple of areas where sanding could have been a bit better. The finish I quite like-- it looks like it will wear quite quickly-- it is already poking through a little bit on the arm rest, but I like the way it looks. Can't decide on the fretboard-- I think that it is dyed rosewood, as there's a little area where the brown pokes through, but the rest of it is jet black, but i'm not sure, it might just be a dark piece of wood with a blemish. Either way it plays nicely, so no worries there. Not really had a chance to test the pickups out much, but apparently they're not much to write home about-- was planning on putting some MQs in this at some point anyway.
Unusually it's not neck heavy at all, it balances really well with the strap button in the middle and not on the horn. Came with Schaller straplocks, so that was a bonus-- just moved the strap from another guitar. The neck is a little small for my ideal guitar, but it's comfortable and I think it'll be more comfortable when playing for longer periods of time.
So i'm happy-- it's a nice player, and it's going to be a workhorse for me-- nice and light, and seems quite a lively guitar too, so i'm looking forward to getting it through an amp at a rehearsal volume.
