TE-30 BE Standard Series : How!?

I am baffled at how good this guitar is for the price. I bought this and a Squier Classic Vibe Strat at the same time, and honestly? This is the one I'm keeping. While they are different models, the pickups had more "presence" and character to me, even though they are said to be cheap ceramic pickups. In fact, I bought a Dimarzio Twang King neck pickup (check the reviews - top tier clean pickup) and while it was superior, the difference wasn't enormous. I have no plans on replacing the bridge pickup.

Tuners had consistent turning tension, although they don't have a very high gear ratio.

Nut was well cut. Frets were almost perfectly level with the expection of a few frets. Unpolished, but easily polished with steel wool or high grit sandpaper. This neck feels amazing, it isn't as wide as some reviews make it seem.

My only gripe is the finish. Since the paint is semi-opaque, you can easily see the grain underneath. Depending on what you get, you might get a body where you can clearly see where parts are joined together.