CST-24 Paradise Flame : Amazing value

Amazing value comes to mind to describe this guitar. Not the best in the world but a lot more than I would expect at this price point.

Use

It feels great to play. Nice neck profile and easy to play high up the neck thanks to the double cutaway design. The action is high but the intonation is perfect right out of the box, at least on my guitar. The pickups are decent and on the hot and bright side. They sound good with heavy distortion. I would have preferred a mellower sound but that?s personal preference. I?m also not a huge fan of the chromed knobs but again, personal preference. The finish is very impressive and the binding looks nice.

pros

Price. Mahogany body and neck. Shielded and grounded pots cavity. Good pickups. Nice finish. Nut seems to be of good quality. Intonation perfect right out of the box. Nice new set of strings.

cons

Ugly fretboard (I would have gladly paid 20 pounds extra for a nicer fretboard). Frets not leveled. High action. I have a visible chip in the veneer maple top, under the clear coat.

Worth mentioning

Not necessarily cons but worth mentioning that unlike the Grovers, that you have to spin several times for half of tone adjustments, small adjustments on these tuners translate to significant tonal changes. I prefer not having to keep spinning the tuners when tuning but they might be less precise. Also, both the bridge piece and the tuners seem to be coated with a chrome layer. I might be wrong but that?s how they look to me. It?s worth noting how well they hold up in time. The pots are tiny.