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> (had guests from out of town with us, so I didn't get a chance to put
> it through the ringer yet...take this review with a grain of salt).
>
> Picked up the guitar last Thursday:
>
> http://store.guitarfetish.com/xvsoashtrrof.html
>
> I know, how can I get a tele-style guitar without a maple
> fingerboard...truth is, I can't stand maple fingerboards. Don't like
> how they look or feel. I've always been a rosewood/ebony guy.
>
> Real quickly:
>
> Grade: B
> The guitar looks and feels very nice. Mine came a little darker, more
> "woody" than "honey", and the grain on mine is definitely more
> pronounced. I like that. It makes it look gritter, for what it's
> worth.
>
> Pros:
> -The neck (my main concern on any guitar), is very nice. The
> fingerboard is smooth, and all the frets checked out for evenness with
> my fret checker. The frets could use a polishing/buffing, but are
> playable as is. No fret ends sticking out. Able to do nice deep
> bends very easily.
> -Nice graphite nut, smooth nut slots (see Cons)
> -Very good fit/finish/construction, doesn't look/feel *noticeably*
> inferior to a Fender Strat. Purists may differ. I'm not a purist.
> -Bridge pickup: I'm guessing they plunked in their standard GFS Tele
> pup set (alnicos), but the bridge pup was a revelation to me; it does
> SC tele pops & quacks nicely, but it overdrives and distorts as well
> when pushed without getting muddy. Very articulate but ballsy.
>
> Cons:
> -G string buzzes up & down the entire fretboard when you dig in; when
> you look at the nut, the G slot is visibly cut too deep. The nut will
> have to be replaced.
> -The tone control is a little on the useless side; highs roll off only
> at the very end. Basically, either on or off. But neither the volume
> or tone pots are scratchy.
> -The neck could use a little tilt backwards; while the nut is cut nice
> & low (the way I like it, G-slot notwithstanding), action around the
> upper frets is a little too high for my taste. Not by much.
>
> Sound:
> Can't really comment too much yet because I haven't really spent too
> much time with it. Like I mentioned above, the bridge pup can do
> country to metal (yup...) without breaking a sweat. I haven't noticed
> a lot of noise (out of the ordinary) or microphonics yet. The neck
> pup's output is noticeably lower than the bridge pup. The sound
> is...what you'd expect from a tele lipstick neck pup.
>
> Overall, mine's well worth the $170, from what I can tell. After I
> replace the nut & shim the neck, I suspect it'll be a gem.
>
> -d