SC-Custom II Vintage Black : Black Beauty

Of the seven HBs I have, this one is one of the best. It looks, feels and plays great. The coil split isn't as useful as others but is nice to have. I have seen earlier reviews which show that the strap locks don't lock. Mine do so it appears that that problem has been addressed. I have also seen a review showing the gold finish rubbing off the hardware after some use. Mine hasn't done that but I haven't played it much, yet. This is not uncommon with gold hardware but I hope it won't affect it too quickly. Cleaning it regularly after use should help.

Beyond that, this guitar compares favourably with the DC-Custom for quality of build and finish. Those two are the pick of the bunch. The fretboard wasn't dry like most and I haven't treated it, yet, however, after sitting for a while there appears to be some kind of tarnish or discolouration on some frets, particularly on the upper fretboard, that wasn't present before. That's not nice but I will give them a light buff when I restring it and it hasn't obviously affected playability.

There are some other minor things which I have noted:

-The tone knob does suffer just slightly from being misaligned. It's not enough to be problematic. See my other reviews for more on this. The volumes both seem fine.

-There is a very tiny spot in one place on the binding. It's nothing.

-Some minor scrapiness around the pot recess plate.

-A few screws installed badly on the recess covers.

Overall this is a nice guitar. The matt finish is very nice, it looks good, plays well, has a through-neck, sleek, contoured lines and, at the price, is a great way to get that 'LP' experience without the thousand-dollar price tag. Buy it.