I have all kinds of guitars from Gibson Les Pauls to PRS CEs to Charvel Pro Mods to more affordable brands, like Hagstrom, Fame, and Sire, and I have to say this guitar is not just a good guitar for the money, it is a GOOD guitar PERIOD!
PROS:
- Beautiful, vivid, calm blue colour with flawless finish.
- It has a belter of a neck! Dark, roasted, beautifully figured and professionally finished. Playing it is a joy.
- Binding looks decent.
- Tuners do their job.
- Frets are well-polished. I didn't detect a single scratchy fret, which is huge for a guitar in this price range.
- Pickups sound great for my taste. I always disliked the Jazzmaster's shrill bridge pickup, but the bridge pickup on this guitar is mellow yet punchy (and has higher output).
CONS:
- The binding is a bit filthy in some spots, but within expectations.
- The body is smaller than that of a Jazzmaster and can look a bit too small compared to the neck, but it's not off-putting in anyway.
If I didn't know that this is a $150 guitar, I would have guessed it's worth around $700 minimum!
Please keep in mind that I ordered this guitar as soon as it was announced, so I believe I received mine from the 1st batch.
HB are known for dishing out batches of slightly inconsistent quality, but judging from what I have in my hands, this is one hell of a deal!