Picked up this little wonder for $70 used at my local guitar emporium a couple months ago as a more cost effective means of scratching my burning itch for an Ibanez Blazer... and boy howdy was I surprised. She played better than any Strat I have had the pleasure of laying my hands on, and that includes American Fenders. I know, I know -- I hear the naysayers already, using words like "starter guitar" and "piece of shit" -- but naysayers, I rebuke you! The fact is, the vibrato actually... gasp!... functioned properly and allowed me to put in my time worshiping certain shoegaze pioneers that are named after useful tools for staying alive in the heat of battle, without knocking the whole situation out of tune. The stock pickups were surprisingly articulate. The whole thing just felt "right" to me. I have played my fair share of sub-par cheap guitars and let me tell you, it was a relief to play an instrument that worked with me rather than against me!
Unfortunately, as you can see in the picture above, the Angels of the Strings decided it was time for her to go home. Around 4:00 this morning, when I was much too tired to be standing up let alone making the ungodly racket I like to inflict upon the graveyard-shift janitor of the soccer store under my studio space, I relied just a tad too much on the integrity of the strap and she went flying onto her head...stock. CR-R-R-ack! Time for some well-deserved rest while I track down a new neck, because unless I am very much mistaken I don't think there's any coming back from this one.
Just wanted to post this here to acknowledge a beautiful 3 months together.
