SM
Hidden gem in the guitar world.
I am mostly a metal dude that plays superstrats, but always wanted a clasic strat, not necessarely for metal, but for blues, indie, rock, stuff that I only play sometimes. Never wanted to bust the bank for one though, so I was searching for strats under 500€, under 400€ preferably, and optionally pink, always wanted a pink guitar. And I wanted to find the perfect one for me, since I doubt I'll own more than one classic strat given my metal player profile.
So I came accros HB and the ST-modern plus series (after long researches for all the other classic strats on this price range). Never actually owned a HB, and never really did much research of them, only knew they are the "budget option". But then I did the research, and I did it extensively. Found out that some models are meh, others are top tier, like this series. Also found out that there are QC issues, and it's a gamble if you get a perfect one or a bad one.
Since this guitar was likely the perfect strat for me and there is a bigger chance that I won't get a classic strat anytime soon (or ever), I wanted to NOT get a bad one. So I asked Thomann to use their services to inspect for QC issues, and why not, also to set it up. The service costed me around 60€.
The guitar came in PERFECT condition, and perfectly set up. Amazing services.
Stainless steel frets and top tier fretwork, beautiful neck that you only find in very expensive guitars, great colors on the guitar and neck (my neck came in darker than in the photos, and I actually like that more), perfect weight for my preferance, interesting bridge.
The biggest con are the pickups. BUT, if you don't plan to record or to play live with this guitar, but instead you plan only to play it at home and rehearsals, I see no reason to swap them. They are good enough for that. Second biggest con are the saddles of the bridge if you want to palm mute. They are not flat with the strings, they are fat and rise above the strings, making you to shift the palm to the left, giving you effectively less space for the mute. I find that it's harder to play a slight palm mute, and mostly play a more obvious one (but can be just an adjusting thing that will solve itself with time). But I can see that being a true problem only if you need precise palm mutes like for metal, think Master Of Puppers riff. Since this is not exactly a metal guitar, it's not the end of the world. Third biggest con are the tuners, which are not great, but not terrible. Might change them at some point, but at least they are locking.
What can I say, IF you get one in perfect condition with 0 QC issues (either by luck or paying Thomann to inspect it), it's a steal. It's at least comparable to a guitar double the price, if not a bit more. I think that if you are serious about getting one, pay Thomann to pick a good one. I'm looking forward to have a great life alongside this gem.
So I came accros HB and the ST-modern plus series (after long researches for all the other classic strats on this price range). Never actually owned a HB, and never really did much research of them, only knew they are the "budget option". But then I did the research, and I did it extensively. Found out that some models are meh, others are top tier, like this series. Also found out that there are QC issues, and it's a gamble if you get a perfect one or a bad one.
Since this guitar was likely the perfect strat for me and there is a bigger chance that I won't get a classic strat anytime soon (or ever), I wanted to NOT get a bad one. So I asked Thomann to use their services to inspect for QC issues, and why not, also to set it up. The service costed me around 60€.
The guitar came in PERFECT condition, and perfectly set up. Amazing services.
Stainless steel frets and top tier fretwork, beautiful neck that you only find in very expensive guitars, great colors on the guitar and neck (my neck came in darker than in the photos, and I actually like that more), perfect weight for my preferance, interesting bridge.
The biggest con are the pickups. BUT, if you don't plan to record or to play live with this guitar, but instead you plan only to play it at home and rehearsals, I see no reason to swap them. They are good enough for that. Second biggest con are the saddles of the bridge if you want to palm mute. They are not flat with the strings, they are fat and rise above the strings, making you to shift the palm to the left, giving you effectively less space for the mute. I find that it's harder to play a slight palm mute, and mostly play a more obvious one (but can be just an adjusting thing that will solve itself with time). But I can see that being a true problem only if you need precise palm mutes like for metal, think Master Of Puppers riff. Since this is not exactly a metal guitar, it's not the end of the world. Third biggest con are the tuners, which are not great, but not terrible. Might change them at some point, but at least they are locking.
What can I say, IF you get one in perfect condition with 0 QC issues (either by luck or paying Thomann to inspect it), it's a steal. It's at least comparable to a guitar double the price, if not a bit more. I think that if you are serious about getting one, pay Thomann to pick a good one. I'm looking forward to have a great life alongside this gem.
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