ST-62MN VW Vintage Series : Great, but problems with Micro Amp on AC power

I've played quite a few ST style guitars over the years, but the biggest drawback for me was that none of them actually sounded like the real thing.

I was therefore pleasantly surprised by the ST-62. In a blind test, I'd find it really difficult to tell the difference between this and a Mexican Strat (which costs over five times more!).

Build quality is great and it's really enjoyable to play. Set-up was pretty good 'out of the box'.

The only weak point in my opinion is the electronics. I normally play at home through a small micro-amp powered by an AC adaptor. I've several guitars and they all work fine with this, however the ST-62 produced quite a bit of "hissing" noise when idle. The noise only disappeared when I touched the strings or any metal part. When I removed the AC adaptor and used batteries instead, it worked fine. I suspect, therefore, that there might be some kind of grounding/shielding issue, or that the guitar is just overly sensitive to electrical interference.

I tested it with a larger, mains-only amplifier with good quality earthing, and it performed much better. That said, it is somewhat noisier when idle compared to my other guitars, especially my Harley Benton TE-20 which is super-quiet.

Overall, however, this is a great guitar and definitely a "keeper" in my collection.