AXL DIY Strat style KIT

Okay, DIY kit-real important. The instructions say all you need is a screw driver. Not true!! Fit leaves a lot to be desired. Looks like a cross eyed chinaman drilled all the holes and cut the neck slot. Neck bolt holes not aligned at all. Frets were not square to the fretboard. This is okay since the bolt holes for the bridge were drilled on an angle also. Maybe hindsight I don't know. Adjustable bridge is necessary to intonate correctly. Sealer really thick and oversprayed on fretboard. Basswood, w/maple neck w/rosewood fretboard. About 12 to 15 inch radius on fretboard.

Classic sound once everything is assembled. Looks real funny with crooked frets but it does play really well and intonation is dead on once bridge is set. Tuners slip a little but whammy bridge pulls back into tune correctly. Would not be playable if just a screwdriver is used. Beginners beware. Be ready for an assembly challenge. Pickups all preassembled, wiring with quick connect. Easiest part. A little noisy since there is no sheilding, but that could be left up to you.

You set the action. As stated earlier, Do it yourself kit means exactly that. Action can be set correctly, but it was a challenge with crooked frets. Nothing was prefit or checked at point of manufacturing. No quality control at factory, maybe why so cheap.

After making necessary changes to kit design, I feel guitar will stand up to many years of playing. The fun thing is you can custom design your own headstock and be real creative.

Don't know.

Seasoned vet at guitar. Own several. This is my first attempt at building. May not do another. I would not replace if stolen. Plays as good as any copy guitar. Allowed me my own setup. Would like to see better tuners.

The axe comes with a matte transparent sealer.
Strat style body, routed to accept H-S-H pickup set.
Vintage style tremolo
Cheap tuners, I have replaced them immediately for some Dixon tuners.
21 fret maple neck with rosewood fingerboard.
Standard strat-like controls.
3 single-coil passive pickups, I think the magnets are ferrite, impedance of each is 6,3 kOhm.
Solid basswood body.

I play hard-rock, sometimes blues.
I use it with a home made 18W Marshall copy tube amp.
The guitar has a good loud sound without amplification. Aplified it sounds like those ordinary Strat copies. I am planning to replace the pickups for some Shadow twinbuckers to extend the variety of sounds of this guitar.

As it is a DIY kit the set-up is up to you.
I had some problems with the pre-drilled holes in the neck, they were in wrong position and I had to file and fill a bit at the neck-pocket to make the neck stand straight.
I had problems with the tremolo-sprng claws screw-holes too, I had to fill them with epoxy glue and redrill them, but at the end I had a very good and easily usable tremolo, I don't have to arm-wrestle with it like on some factory-set-up guitars.
I can easily set the action low without having too much buzz.
After I have sanded the sealer from the top, I dyed the axe with green dye and sunbursted it with black. Then I have clearcoated it with nitro lacquer.
I give a 10 because if you spend the time on it you can set it right.

I will use it on live concerts.
The hardware is good expect the tuners wich I have replaced (Thats why I give a 7).
Strap buttons are plastic, I will also replace them.

Don't know about them.

I play the guitar for 11 years, I also have a Harley Benton SG and a home made Explorer with EMG-81.
I play thru my own Marshall copy amp and Guvnor copy stompbox.
If it were stolen I would buy an other, it is a great instrument for the money (less than 100 US dollars). With some upgrades (tuner and pickups) it can easily beat a Squier Obey strat.