ST-62MN SB Vintage Series : really really good!

This thing is great!

I gave my four star rating for quality without considering the cost. For the price, it's way better than it should be.

I was expecting a budget guitar, and would have been very happy with that, but this is a really nice guitar. I have a Fender American Strat, an Ibanez strat-style, and a very cheap Chinese strat-style, and this one better than all but the Fender. And it's not far off the Fender. If it came with a better fret job, I'd call them even.

Looking at the pictures on-line, I guessed that the body had a veneered top, but it isn't, it's solid ash, or something similar. It's not too heavy, but it's definitely hardwood. The sunburst is just like it looks online, and the surface is perfect. Shiny and smooth. There aren't any flaws that I can find anywhere. All the woodworking is spot-on. There are no fitting gaps or blemishes. The neck is aligned and seated tight.

The neck is thick, and the fretboard is wide for a strat. The frets are fairly big. The tuners work well and feel smooth. The nut is cut well, needing no adjustment.

The setup was pretty good out of the box. I put half a turn on the truss rod, lowered all the bridge saddles about 1/2mm and set the intonation on a couple of the strings, but otherwise nothing at all was needed. The fretwork is good, not great, nothing that needs fixing.

It sounds good! Very middle of the road in terms of tonality. Not too weak, not too hot. It pretty much sounds like a '62-ish fender, which makes sense, given the model number.

Overall, this guitar exceeded what I expected in every aspect. I'm really amazed. With some slightly better tuners and a bridge, and a better fret job, this guitar would be the equal of any guitar.