CST-24HB Tortoise Flame : A terrific bargain, but expect to spend some time setting it up.

This guitar has six excellent sounds, is very attractive, and is light and well built. It was delivered in a timely manner. It has a few small finish flaws, but from 3 feet away, is a real eye catcher.

Pros: The sound and playability are excellent. The fretboard is practically flat, if you are looking for that, and the neck is a little thicker than usual. This guitar can support a very wide range of sounds and playing techniques. It ships with a tool kit for adjustments, and I needed them. The unusual bridge seems to work just fine. I really like the Roswell Pickups.

Cons: As received, it was not set up, at all. No neck relief, intonation a half step sharp, very high string action. Several frets were too high, I was able to tap them in. A few other frets are too low. These will require a bit more work. The D string was bad, it buzzed like a sitar. With new strings, problem solved. The nut is ok, although some of the strings are a little high. Fixable. Pickups were not adjusted, adjusting them really improved the sound.

The tuners are lousy, surprisingly so. But these are easily changed.

****EDIT: The tuner paddles are held on with small Phillips screws. I discovered these were barely finger tight. After tightening the screws, the tuners work fine. So this is a ding on quality control, not the overall guitar. ****

After setup, it is playable and a very enjoyable guitar.

The guitar does stay in tune, has balanced sound over the whole range, and is fully stage worthy. With a fret leveling and new tuners, it would be right up there with my Les Paul or Stratocaster. At just over $200, you can't beat this guitar.