ST-20 SB Standard Series : Could be very good value

Unpacking the guitar I was pleasantly surprised by how good the finish appeared and generally how well made the guitar appeared to be - particularly at this low price point. I bought the guitar to modify and have removed the sunburst finish - this was very hard work and it should survive minor knocks quite well.

The neck and fretboard are comfortable and the frets are reasonably well finished although would benefit from levelling and polishing, but this is often true of guitars at many times the price.

Acoustically the guitar was pleasingly resonant and appeared easy to tune. The tremolo is fitted with 3 springs and in this case it is flat on the body rather than floating (press down only, no room to lift). Given that the tremolo is of a very light construction this may contribute to the tuning stability.

The pickups and controls work adequately but are fairly low powered and a little thin sounding when plugged in.

Unfortunately when I came to level and polish the frets I discovered a spiral twist in the neck, only a few degrees but enough to make a truly good set up impossible. This is probably a rare fault rather than a general issue.

Overall, a good beginners guitar at the price point and had I not had the issue with the neck I would have given it an extra star