CV Starcaster MN WN : Not amazing but very nice

Full disclosure: I seriously considered returning this guitar. In the end, I decided to keep it because the positives outweighed the negatives. However, this is not (by far) the most amazing guitar I own.

First, the negatives:

Number one - the setup. I have noticed that Fender products generally come from the factory poorly set up, and this guitar is no exception. The action was high enough that a leap from the strings to the fretboard would likely be fatal. Neck relief was also suboptimal.

Noise: the pickups are quite a bit noisier than other humbucking pickups.

Positives:

The neck. I really love this neck. Yeah, the setup wasn't great (or anywhere near great) but the neck just feels GOOD!

The build quality is really terrific. Sure - whoever is responsible for QA/QC and final setup deserves a firm talking to, but the guitar was free of flaws and blemishes. The finish (although not my preferred color) looked great. Everything is solid and well made.

The looks. I watched a lot of reviews before deciding on this guitar. Although the Starcaster got really good reviews, it wasn't head-and-shoulders above other semi-hollow bodies. However, it WAS very unique. The Strat-ish headstock and offset body profile are different enough to make this guitar stand out.

And of course, the tone. Despite being a tad noisy, the Starcaster sounds really nice.

So...I'm glad I decided to keep this guitar. It isn't perfect, but no guitar is. It's a solid value for the money and will probably be a great addition to my family.