this is truly a wonderful instrument. i got mine last year in april for about 520$ at guitar center brand new. the best color is tobacco sunburst which isn't available here. this beaut will span genre to genre with ease. i play a little bit of everything but mainly progressive music. if your looking for a jack of all trades I'd say this is the best deal for the money. try and look around at other places for better colors/prices. GL

Unless you are an overly subjective weenie and your (obviously entirely too generous) girlfriend doesn't know enough about you to appease your passionately awful aesthetic taste, you really can't go wrong with this guitar for the price.

- First off, it's light as a feather. I was very surprised at how light-weight this guitar was, while still being able to possess such truly outstanding sustain.

- While the neck shape itself is as subjective to each individual's taste as the looks are, the quality of the craftsmanship (and with the whole guitar) is something that can not be argued. A+ considering the dollar amount, flawless neck with a great silky feel. Flawless finish as well.

- The sound is amazing, depending on what you are looking for. To my ear, this guitar has a unique voice of it's own.. and that voice screams versatility. If I had to pick one word to describe it, it would be "Clarity". It's capable of the full-bodied tones you would expect from a semi-hollow electric, but it's also able to project either a bit more spank or a bit more jangle if you are so inclined. It seems at home no matter what style of music I'm playing (which is anything but the most extreme of metal). If you are checking the reviews on this guitar, more than likely you already like the way it looks. As someone who has one, I'd just like to go on record and say 'Wait 'till you hear it!'

In this price range, I'm not certain that there is a better quality guitar.

This was a birthday gift from the better half and I must say that there is no way she could have picked an uglier guitar. The problem is the lousy pickguard on the natural finish model, I am ashamed to be seen in public with this turd. An uglier combination I have yet to see.

Yes I like the neck and the way it plays but I do not like the way it feels against me, rather awkward. I wish I could get rid of this thing as I will never play it but I cannot without offending a wonderful woman. I will stick to my CIJ Strat and my Godin Velocity.

This guitar is truly amazing. I got mine last summer when they still had the blue. This guitar is one of my main go to guitars. I can get just about any sound I want out of it. Mine plays and feels just like the more expensive models. The only thing that I would suggest to mod on this guitar would be to get strap locks. That is all I had to do. I did however also raised the pickups closer to the strings in order to get a more heavy metal sound when needed. The guitar was setup perfectly for me right out of the box. In short this guitar is a great axe to add to your collection.

This is a wonderful guitar for the money. I've owned it for about seven months and have yet to experience the tuning problems described in some other reviews. Perhaps this because I use .010s and live in the Southwest. In fact, the thing has stayed in tune for weeks on end without having been touched.

The instrument is good for blues and you can achieve some jazzy tones by rolling down the tone. Higher gain (I'm using a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe) will require a bit of compression. Also, a Tube Screamer will go a long way towards achieving acceptable distorted tones.

Most importantly, the thing is just fun to play, even unplugged. I own a high end Strat among others guitars and find I'm grabbing the SE Custom most frequently.

It should be noted that if one were to seriously gig with this the tuners may need replacing and the pickups probably won't be satisfactory for all playing situations.