Most Liked Positive Review

Great guitar plus Sustainiac at a bargain price

I got this guitar primarily because of the Sustainiac pickup - a feature that's kind of understated in the product description. You can get a detailed rundown of this pickup on the Sustainiac website; but in short: when the sustain function is switched off, it's a normal pickup; when on, it uses the signal from the bridge-position pickup to create an electromagnetic field that vibrates the strings, effectively duplicating what amp feedback does, except at any volume. If you're familiar with the E-Bow, it works on the same principle, except that you don't have to hold something in your hand, and it works on all the strings simultaneously. It's an amazing device: at the least, it allows you to get literally infinite sustain out of a note; with the harmonic selector switch, it allows you to get incredible overtones that exceed even what you can get out of a cranked amp - without damaging your hearing or your relationship with your neighbors. About the guitar itself: first of all, it was an unbeatable deal, with a rebate offer for a free hardshell case and a Guitar Center promotion that knocked off another $150 (yow!) But at any price it would still be an impressive instrument: a beautiful dark burst border fading into a wine-red flame maple top, nicely contoured and completed with a matte-silver binding; and hardware (trem bridge, knobs, tuners) with the same matte-silver chrome finish. The instrument seems very accurately built; the Floyd Rose Special trem/bridge works smoothly, and intonation and string height were good right out of the box. (Really. I'm skeptical when people say that in reviews, but it's true.) This is my first guitar with an active pickup - the EMG 81 in the bridge - and I like it a lot: the preamp built into the pickup effectively acts as sort of a compressor, creating a consistently higher output with more sustain than a passive humbucker. Add the natural sustaining properties of a set neck, and even without boosted gain it has terrific natural sustain. Add the Sustainiac, and... well, you can imagine. No regrets in adding this guitar to my stable.