RB-612CS Classic Series : Don't expect to play it right out of the box

I received this guitar around 2? years ago, so this is a "test of time" review as well.

Starting from The price - very attractive.

I was looking for an electric 12 string guitar and given that it's a niche guitar, the other options available would cost 10 times as much as this one.

Looks - Great, the paint, finish and hardware (looks only) look great.

Sound - pickups are ok, but a 12 string guitar has its own sound, and an electric 12 string - even more, so if you're looking for that familiar sound - you'll get it from this guitar.

So far so good... until the setup and playability:

fretwork - one of the worst fret jobs I've ever seen. buzzing everywhere, uneven frets, untreated frets (no polishing so the frets does not feel smooth) - overall very very sloppy job. I spent a lot of time on leveling, recrowning and polishing the frets in order for this guitar to be playable. luckily - I'm well experienced in that field so I saved myself a lot of money. bear that in mind in case you need someone else to do your setups for you.

setup (out of the box) - terrible and unplayable. the one good thing I can say is that the guitar has a double action truss rod, which means the neck could be adjusted both ways (back bow vs. relief).

the nut also needed serious work, but I chose to replace it with my own custom brass nut.

Tuners - bad quality, they slip sometimes and generally do not hold tuning very well.

Electronics - so far, working great after 2? years. no noises, nothing falling apart (pots, jack etc.) so good job in that area.

The main reason for this lengthy review is because when I ordered this guitar, I was told that the delivery is delayed because my guitar is being inspected and set-up... so this is either a lie or the inspector doesn't know how to do his job...

Overall - for the price and sound - worth it, just keep in mind that you might have to spend more money on setup and tuners if you really intend to play this guitar on a regular basis.