This is quite honestly the nicest guitar I've ever owned and played. Played mostly Gibsons in past, (SG and LP) but the tonal palette, playability and "feel" on this Strat is great. The flame top maple finish is stunning and thanks to Sweetwater's great set up it sounds as good as it looks. If had to complain about one thing it is the pop in tremolo arm...it takes quite a bit of force to install and remove it. Hopefully it will get easier as time goes by. A big tip of the hat to Ben Porter (ext 1275), my sales rep. He always comes through in the clutch!

I have an early 70s Les Paul Custom and a couple of other guitars. I wanted a guitar that would come close to the Les Paul but with a tremolo. After playing the Strat for several weeks, it has become my favorite guitar to play. (Don,t get me wrong the LP will always be a favorite). What impresses me most is that the Strat does everything very well. It sounds great (as good as the LP) for hard rock, but where it really shines is for blues and clean tones. I have never played a guitar as versatile... it has endless tone variety.
Also, the guitar is extremely comfortable to play. The body fits me like a glove and the neck and fret height are perfect. The tremolo is much better than I expected. The guitar is also as nice to look at as it is to play. The finish is just awesome! I feel like I purchased more than a guitar with the Strat...it is a piece of history. There are only a few guitars that I can say that about. I do however, think that such a nice guitar could come with a more deluxe case.
Finally, I must point out that I was very apprehensive about buying a guitar online. I said I could never do it. The customer service, the price at Sweetwater and the return policy pursuaded me to take a chance (plus it is quite a drive to the nearest well equipped guitar store). I figured I couldn't go wrong and I was right! I love the guitar and it will stay in my family forever.

Read More Show Less