SX SST 57 Vintage

This review is going to be of the SX SST LTD2 2TS, and NOT the vintage '57 strat. The reason I am submitting a review in this section is because the LTD2 is basically an upgraded version of the lower priced sx strats and, in my opinion, there is a lot of bad information being posted here for potential buyers... and I don't want other people the read all these positive reviews (like I did) and think the LTD must be even better.

I won't go into all the details about the features that have already been mentioned, but the main difference between the vintage 57 SX Strat and LTD2 2TS and NAT is that the LTD bodies are made from swamp ash and the neck is supposed to be AAA flamed maple neck with the new SX headstock. Other than that it's the pretty much the same junk hardware and electronics.

I was supposed to get a "NAT" with a clear butter scotch looking finish, but Rondo sent me the "2TS"instead with the dark cherry burst finish; they are basically the same guitar with a different finish. I did return the guitar for a full refund (more on that later), but feel it's still important to share my experience and tell the truth.

I'm only giving the features on this guitar a 5 because, IMHO, the swamp ash body and AAA flamed neck (the two reasons I wanted to purchase this guitar) are of little added value from the vintage 57 when taken into account that the neck looks like it's been puked on with yellow cat barf and then dunked deep into a giant bath of hot gooey crispy donut glaze... it's that bad. Other than that it has the same junk hardware anyway and so the features aren't much to talk about.

The neck seems like a really good strong piece of maple- too bad it looked like it had about a quarter inch of plastic shrink wrap melted over; I must of spent about half an hour looking for the starting point... no kidding, it's that bad.

I'm very disappointed... if only they had given the neck a standard satin or gloss finish it would be a very nice neck, but as it is it feels very "plasticy" and toy like to play on and as if the sound wasn't bright enough with swamp ash and maple... the thick coat on top makes it snap crackle and pop even more to the point that it's just way too bright to play on... beyond that the logo that looks like it's branded in the pictures on Rondo's website is now just a cheesey looking gold paint.

No complaints here... the pickups actually sounded very good for cheap stock pups, but only at lower volumes as they would just sort of fall out and lose power as you turned up the volume. Still, they aren't bad tonewise and there was clear definition of strings and a nice tonal range from all 5 tone settings.

The swamp ash body just resonates with full vibrant sound and is, IMO, the best thing about this guitar. It really breathes and looks fantastic.

The neck seems like it would really sound great too if it wasn't for that thick clear coat messing things up... way too much lacquer makes the maple neck sound too bright and poppy on an ash body... with a plasticy sounding dead-end to boot.

The neck could be very really good, but NOT thanks to lacquer overkill!

Again, the body sounds great!!! If you still want to try the LTD2 out with swamp ash body, maybe get one with a rosewood neck (if that's even possible) and that might balance things out tone wise and you wouldn't have to deal with the blinding glare.

The frets are indeed jumbo and actually would be very nice to play on if only they were polished "round" at the end, but instead they are "cut" way too short from the edge of the fretboard which is the cheap and easy way of doing it so as not to hang over the edge...

Normally, that would be okay for somebody to just polish the sharp edge off, but they are cut way too short and when you pull off on the e string it slides down on to the wood of the neck and the string goes dead. Not good.

I've heard you can't remove the glazed finish either because the frets are placed over it and if you do it will leave a big gap under the frets and above the finger board with daylight showing through forcing an entire refret.

The neck pocket was nice and tight and the action was not too bad out of the box, but I couldn't even adust the saddles because Rondo sent me the wrong Allen wrench and I had misplaced my own.

Anyway, intonation was a bit off, but not so bad that it wouldn't tune up and I could tell that there was plenty of room to intonate the string saddles back properly when and if I needed to... but I never kept the goo guitar that long.

I noticed a slight buzz at about the 7th fret and so tried to give the neck a slight turn to add more relief (since I couldn't raise the saddles), but quickly noticed that the relief was already all the way out of the truss rod and the only resistence keeping the neck straight was the THICK coat of lacquer covering it. No kidding... this thing doesn't even need a truss rod... you could probably put 12-14 gauge strings on without any bow whatsoever!

The finish on the body LTD 2TS is very nice... simply beautiful! You can see the swamp ash wood grain showing through the clear coat (also thick, but acceptable) and the burst was very nice as well. The clear finish was a little too deep for my taste, but still very nice with absolutely NO FLAWS anywhere.

Almost too perfect! The swamp body and finish is really a nice selling point to this guitar, but really... if that's all you're getting... it's not worth $222 shipped + all the mods. For that kind of money you can get a nice nitro finish that's just as deep looking without actually being so deep, if you know what I mean.

Don't know about the electronics, but obviously the hardware is utter junk and would have to be changed out. The tuners were like happy meal toys and it was scary to use the whammy bar... don't do a dive bomb... the bridge will rip right out.

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What can I say... nothing bad can be said about the customer support. Rondo really shines here... so even if your worried about getting something you don't want... as long as you play by the rules they will honor them.

From the day I orderd the guitar to receiving it and sending it back and getting my account refunded it was only about 17 days for a cross country round trip. That's very timely and not just due to Fed

If you track the package you can see that Rondo responds very fast and lives up to the great comments that people have made in the reviews as far as customer service. Also, when I told Kurt that I wanted a refund there was no attempt to change my mind or get an exchange. All good here... thanks Kurt!

Would I do business with Rondo again? Absolutely, but I only wish they took the time to care for the customer before they send the package as they do once the package is returned. I'm very sure that nobody even took the time to look inside at what they were sending me... it was the wrong guitar and the neck was missing a nice patch of toner in the back and the "silk" cover inside was torn from the case and they sent me the wrong Allen wrench.... come on people!!!

I think with the cheaper $99 or less guitars there may actually be a bargain factor for mods, but for $199 ($222 shipped) the current LTD2 is just not worth it when you consider all you have to do. You're better off buying a used Mexican Strat!

The Good: The Swamp Ash Body and Customer Service...
The Bad: The Junk Hardware and Cut of the Frets!
The Ugly: The Neck Toner and OVERLY THICK "PLASTICY" LACQUER!!!

Rondo, if you read this please take note... this would be a fine product if you would just give the neck a normal finish and upgrade the hardware at least slightly. You could probably use the money you save in lacquer to buy decent hardware!

This review is going to be of the SX SST LTD 2TS, and NOT the vintage '57 strat. The reason I am submitting a review in this section is because the LTD is basically an upgraded version of the lower priced sx strats and, in my opinion, there is a lot of bad information being posted here for potential buyers... and I don't want other people the read all these positive reviews (like I did) and think the LTD must be even better.

The main difference between the vintage 57 SX Strat and LTD 2TS and NAT is that the LTD bodies are made from swamp ash and the neck is supposed to be AAA flamed maple neck with the new SX headstock.

I was supposed to get a NAT, but they sent me the 2TS instead; they are basically the same guitar with a different finish. I did return the guitar for a full refund (more on that later), but feel it's still important to share my experience. I will probably post this review in the 2TS section as well.

I'm only giving the features a 5 because, IMHO, the swamp ash body and AAA flamed neck (the two reason I wanted to purchase this guitar) are of little added value when taken into account that the hardware is utter junk and the neck looks like it's been puked on with yellow cat barf and then dunked deep into a giant bath of hot gooey crispy donut glaze... it's that bad.

I actually thought it had about a quarter inch of plastic shrink wrap on it and spent about half an hour looking for the starting point... no kidding, it's that bad.

I'm very disappointed... if only they had given the neck a standard finish it would be a very nice neck, but as it is it feels very toy like to play on with that surface covering and looks like a toy too.

I've heard you can't remove the glazed finish either because the frets are placed over it and if you do it will leave a big gap btwn the frets and the finger board with daylight showing through.

No qualms here... the so called cheap pickups sounded good, but only at lower volumes as they would just sort of lose power as you turned the volume up... probably due to the volume pots and caps, etc. Still, they aren't bad tonewise and there was clear definition and tonal range in all 5 settings.

The swamp ash body really resonates with a full vibrant sound and is, IMO, the best thing about this guitar. It really breathes.

The neck seems like it would really sound good too if it wasn't for all that clear coat messing things up... it makes the maple neck sound way too bright and poppy on an ash body... with a plasticy sounding dead end feel to boot. Could be very good, but NOT!

It's hard to describe, but you just get the feeling it would be a sweet sounding combination without the cheap THICK COAT of lacquer (or whateveter it is) giving it that plasticy feel and sound.

Again, the body sounds great!!! If you still want to try the LTD out with the swamp ash body, maybe get one with a rosewood neck, if that's even possible, and that might balance things out tone wise and you wouldn't have to deal with the clear coat problems.

Neck pocket was nice and tight. Action was not too bad out of the box, but I couldn't adust the saddles because the allen wrench they sent me was too big and I misplaced my own.

Little bastards... where are they when you need them.

Anyway, intonation was a bit off, but not so bad that it wouldn't tune up and I could tell that there was plenty of room to intonate properly when and if I wanted to... but I never kept it that long.

I noticed a slight buzz at about the 7th fret and so tried to give the neck a slight turn to add more relief (since I couldn't raise the saddles), but I quickly noticed that the relief in the truss rod was already all the way out...

I gues the only resistence keeping the neck in opposition to the string tension was the THICK COAT OF CLEAR GLAZE covering it. Not good...you could probably put 12-14 gauge strings on without any bow whatsoever.

The finish on the LTD 2TS is very nice... simply beautiful. You can see the swamp ash wood grain show through the clear coat and the burst was very nice as well. The clear finish was a little too deep for my taste, but still very nice with absolutely NO FLAWS anywhere. Almost too perfect!

Don't know about the electronics, but obviously the hardware is junk and would have to be changed out. Tuners were toy-like and bridge was too.

Don't do a dive bomb... it will probably rip right out.

Awesome!!!

Rondo really shines here... so even if your worried about getting something you don't want... as long as you play by the rules they will honor them.

From the day I orderd the guitar to receiving it and sending it back and getting my account refunded it was only about 17 days for a cross country round trip. That's very timely...

If you track the package you can see that Rondo responds very fast and lives up to the great comments that people have made.

Well, this guitar would be great for modding if they stopped putting so much clear on the neck and toned down the yellow (don't expect it to have the orange tint you see in the pictures, it's more of a puke yellow with orange highlights). Still, structurally it's a great neck that would be even better without the clear and stronger truss rod. Swamp Body is a great starting point.

I bought this guitar with the same intentions as most people buy this guitar and the lower end SX strats... to mod... but what's the point when you have to remove the finish from the neck and all the hardware and at some point even the electronics... it's not worth it for $199, but the $99 sx may very well be worth it.

The neck is a nice big strong neck with big frets and would be great without the finish being so overdone. I'm repeating this so much because so many others have said nothing but great things and it's very misleading...

My thinking was if the neck was as nice as they say it is and I get a beautiful swamp ash body then I've got a great modder... well the neck failed to live up to the reviews... so back it went.

The Good (The Body)
The Bad (The Hardware)
The Ugly (The Neck)

21 frets 3 single coils traditional vintage strat, Alder body, maple neck etc. I'm giving a 10 here because if you're looking for a vintage strat then this guitar has all you need. The neck is a little fat but to me it felt great

Don't let anyone fool you, if you're buying this guitar for the vintage sound, then you will be blown away by how close these pickups sound so much the fender 57 pickups. I originally thought for sure I was going to change the pickups but once I heard them and played them I quickly decided this guitar was not going to be a Frankestein. I has a great neck and body. I changed the nut and I might change the pickup selector but I install in it itw will be to keep imporve on the original configeration.
After I set up the action to Fender specs this guitar sound and feel
as good if not better than many american made fenders. if you don't know how to do a setup aguitar then by all means spend whatever amount needed and you will be way a head! Guitar 99! Setup is how much? for under a couple of hundreds you will have a true vintage strat. It's trully amazing that I was going to spend some money on after market necks and bodies and as I was lookig I heard about SX and came here for the reviews. You know the rest

If you don't care for the vintge sound then this guitar could be a great strating point to modifiy in any way you like, good neck good body and the rest is up to you

The action was very high. It was playble but it was somewhere near 8 to 9/64!! the good news I was able to bring it down to somewhere around slightly less or at 4/64 at the first 4 strings and 5/64 at the 5ht and 6th. These are almost the identical numbers suggested by fender at their website.

I kept three springs tenstioned with a distace of 23/32 fro the body cavity and the bridge is somewhere less than 3/32 for the body surface.
The pickups distance were neck 6/64, middle 5/64 and bridge 4/64.
if you want to go higher and retain the vintag sound i wouldn't go any higher than adding 1/64 t the above numbers. IF you really want volume raise the volume knob, don't raise the pickups, turst me on this, if you know tone you won't believe your ears.

This setup yielded a tremelo that stays in tune with light use and responds smoothly to the mere touch of your hand
I didn't like the nut so I changed it to a graph tech tremelo nut Preslotted so that wasn't so bad. I filed the new nut down after I nodged the old one with a small block of wood lightly tapping with a hammer came right out. After I put the new nut, there was good improvement but the original nut would have been ok. The finish is trully goregeous. I will give this category a 10 becuase if you want to buy a stratocaster to get rediculously low action then you have just bought the wrong guitar and I think 1/16 is damn nice action for any guitar for that matter.

This guitar will very likely outlive a few generation if it's not left out in the rain or hidden in a moldy basement but then again you never know

Kurt is very responsive. i sent an email at 4 AM got a reply around 7:am. It was a question about the order I placed.

I have to give it a 10 because every new guitar needs a setup and for a vintage strat this guitar has that sound. Most people including me buy it with the intention of swaping pickups but those of us who appreciate vintage tone will likley keep the guitar as is (changing the nut and basic electronics only enhances the vintage tone).
I will buy another one to modify with other pickups and I have no doubt that I will get a great guitar because the one i got has a great sound unplugged. I've been playinf for close to 20 years and I've played many guitars 20 to 30 times the price of this one and this one doesn't sound inferior.

Not sure what year it was made. 21 frets, standard S/S/S coil configuration. Alder body (same as Fender), maple neck with vintage tint. Regular standard Stratocaster body style, full size. String-thru body, steel bridge saddles, upgraded tuners and looks like a graphite replacement nut, and tremolo bar. The body and neck look and feel (except for slightly different headstock) exactly like Fender.

Very close to a vintage Strat sound. I'm using a solid state amp, but I can still here that very "Strat-type" sound coming from this thing. It sounds just like a Stratocaster should sound. The 5-way switch will give you all the variations you expect from a good Stratocaster. It does have the single-coil hum that you will get on even the most expensive Fenders. I can definitely get the Hendrix tone, SRV tone, with good, clear not separation in chords. I am very impressed with the sound. Especially at this price-point.

I got mine second hand from an estate sale. So I don't know what the factory set-up was like. I still had to do some minor adjustments, but that is to be expected from any guitar that you buy. As mentioned before, it looks like the factory nut has been replaced, as well as the tuners. I forgot to mention before that the pickguard was also replaced, and the plastic control knobs were replaced with chrome speed knobs. There is a small space between the top of the pickguard by the neck pickup and the neck itself. It might just be a poor fit with the replacement pickguard. My guess is that the body may be routed for H/S/H pickups, just as the new American Standards are. I haven't removed the pickguard yet, so I can't be sure. The finish is a beautiful 3-tone sunburst. I have owned an American Standard Strat, and it really does compare. VERY GOOD QUALITY!!! EXCELLENT VALUE!!

While I am not gigging professionally, I have owned pro gear. I believe with some minor upgrades this guitar could definitely surprise you. Again, it is an EXCELLENT value. It's a very solid-feeling guitar. Definitely as good as the MIM or Squire Standards, for a fraction of the price. Yes, you could play live with this guitar. I am so happy with it, and because I'm a huge David Gilmour fan, I plan on getting another in CAR (candy apple red).

As far as I know SX guitars are sold exclusively through Rondo Music Online. I will find out how they are when I purchase a NEW SX SST SE Stratocaster! I have heard though that they are very good in customer support.

I have been playing guitar off and on since I was 10 years old. I got serious about it when I was about 20, and that was 30 years ago. So yes for quite awhile. I have owned all the great guitars, Gibson Les Pauls, SGs, Fender American Standard Strats, Teles, Marshall, Fender, and Peavey amplifiers. Lots of toys over the years. This guitar surpasses what I would expect from something at this price. These are currently $99.00 USD through Rondo's website. Simply incredible. I like the solid feel and finish of this SX SST Vintage. If it were stolen, I would definitely buy another. Heck for this price, buy 2 or 3!

Standard Strat style features. Vintage 6 screw tremolo, plastic nut, Vintage white body color, tinted neck. Body is 3 piece alder, 21 fret Maple neck with Maple fingerboard. Import quality tuners, bridge, etc. 2009 Made in China. Jumbo frets. Because of the nut and tuner quality, I give "features" an 8

OK. This is my 2nd go around with this guitar, as I sent the 1st one back due to shipping damage and defective bridge saddles. As far as sound, after set up and pickup adjustment, I am impressed. The 3 ceramic magnet pickups are hot and quiet. They are a bit too bright and brittle, but this guitar sounds like a strat should sound, in all pickup configurations. I am comparing this guitar to a Custom Shop '58 relic I once owned. The CS relic obviously sounded better, but at $3,000 + it should. I have played the snot out of this thing with numerous POD X3 models, and really enjoy the sound. I have recorded with it using a very accurately modeled vintage Marshall, and it sounds great. The middle pickup is reverse wound for noise cancelling, but all in all, the guitar is very quiet and stratty, no apparent mis-wiring or grounding issues. For th price, wow!

Set up was non-existent. I immediately adjusted the truss rod, set the string height, adjusted the pickup heigth, set the intonation and tuned it up. Because the nut is cheap plastic and the strings trees are rough, the tuners felt horrible. After putting some lipbalm on the underside of the string trees, and penciling some graphite on the nut, the tuners felt better, no pulling, quite smooth. Finish is very good, the wood in the neck is beautiful, with very nice figuring design. After set up and alot of oplaying, I must say this guitar plays very well. The action is vey low, it stays in tune, and the neck plays very fast. This is quickly becoming one of the best playing guitars I have owned. Knobs and pickup selector feel very solid, even though I know they are cheap, there are no issues.

This guitar will definately withstand live playing. The 1st one I got from Rondo worried me. Along with the shipping damage, there were stress cracks on both sides of the neck pocket, and the saddle adjust screw stripped out on the 3rd string saddle, rendering the guitar unplayable from the outset. On the replacement, the bridge and saddles seem guite good, although the tremolo block is small, pot metal, and will eventually be updraded.

Although I generally don't use the tremolo on a strat much, I put this through the paces and the guitar did go overly out of tune, which was surprising. The guitar is very solid and has a quality feel to it. It will go well with my Epiphone Les Paul on stage.

Kurt at Rondo offered an incentive if I wanted to keep the 1s one, I did not, so it was sent back and replaced with a perfect condition replacement. Kurt at Rondo answered every email promptly, and updated me on order status regularly. Excellent customer service.

I have been playing for over 24 years now. I started out as a drummer, and eventually became a jack of all trades. I have played in bands most of my adult life, on guitar, bass, and drums. I somehow got the recording bug years ago and have become very skilled at engineering and production. I like to think I have a good ear, ad definitely know good tone when I hear it.

Having a wife and 3 kids, my budget for another guitar was very limited. I read everything I could find on this guitar before ordering, and I am glad I did. I have many upgrades in mind for this thing, a new trem with a fullsize block, an Earvana nut, better tuners, and eventually better Alnico Pickups. However, as it is, stock, I am loving this guitar! Solid feel, great action, stratty tone, and it stays in tune. The neck is truly special, just like all the review hype about it. I will probably get another, to mod with a Fender licensed neck. Strip off the Poly finish, paint it black nitro, and relic it. I miss my '58 relic, and love he look of a reliced strat.

Don't hesitate to add this guitar to any collection. For the price, there is no better deal, and with some work, these guitars play well above the pricepoint.

SX sst 57 in vintage white "VINTAGE SERIES" model - 2009. I was looking for an alternative to the FENDER standard M.I.M STRAT ( since FENDER has jacked UP the price of the standard from a street price of $399 to a whopping $549 ...ADIOS FENDER) Out of frustration I decided to search online and stumbled across these SX guitars. WOW vintage tinted maple neck , alder body,sealed tuners, 3 ply pickguard , vintage tremelo, single coil pick ups , 5 way switch, vintage white finish; ok looks good . Price was $99 plus shipping- decided to test the water with this one first . If this one was gig worthy I would order another. When the guitar arrived I was not going to delude myself by thinking no set up would be necessary and had my tools ready to set it up to my tastes. Upon opening the box I noticed right away the action was " CHEESE GRATER" high. With the supplied allen wrenches I was able to reset the neck enough to adjust the saddles for a nice buzz free action. 15 minutes later I had it set ...time to tune up and plug it in!

I play rock , blues ,jazz ,c&w or what have you, and play regularly in church as well as public gigs. I ran this SX thru Fender Blues DEVILLE, REDBEAR MK50 CUB COMBO and VOX PATHFINDER 15r. I grabbed my M.I.M Fender standard STRAT (also in white )to do a side by side comparison. With the SX I found a great sound with either amp altho the stock pickups lacked definition; there just wasn't enough clarity between the notes of chords with the SX that I came to enjoy from FENDER. Still the SX came thru with the FENDER DEVILLE giving a very Fender -ish tone altho more similar to a MUSTANG than a STRAT. The SX output was slightly less than a FENDER and due to the lack of note detail a pickup upgrade is a must. Pickups get this an 8 .

AS stated the action out of the box was horrible but once adjusted was great. The neck was well done with a slick orange tinged finish. To my surprise the frets were well dressed and did not have the " IMPORT PALM -SHREDDER" feature found on most import guitars in this price range. The nut was a little cheesy but was entirely functional and presented me with no issues. The tuners held up fine and I do not see replacing them soon. There were no finish flaws and the guitar looked great . When doing a side by side comparison with the FENDER , the SX held its own in fit and finish. On the merits of the quality of neck alone I would give this a 9 ..the overall beauty and finish of this guitar earns a solid 9.

One of the things I love to do is find sleeper and awaken it to its's full potential. After my initial set up I took the SX out for its first gig! ( I NEVER gig without a back up ...anyone that gigs on a regular basis knows " MURPHY'S LAW " will SCREW up the intonation on your PRS Private Stock or yank the input jack right out of your GIBSON ES 335 at the worst time.) I however did have my trusty FENDER STRAT on standby. Playing the SX halfway thru the set on a few slow songs gave me the courage to let fly with a bendey ALBERT KING blues solo on the next song . The SX did sound bluesy thru the FENDER Blues Deville and did very well , altho the slight volume loss and lack of definition made me wish I would have grabbed the FENDER instead. VERDICT :PICKUP UPGRADE ( I'm thinking CARVIN PREWIRED PICKGUARD) The finish seems thinner than FENDER as I got a nice nice pea sized ding in the finish right away banging into a mic stand ....oh well $99 bucks not $999 ! The hardware seemed sturdy enuff for gigging ..I dont forsee changing them soon. Once I change out the pickups this SX will gigged bwith for sure! For the pittance paid for this guitar you get a whole lot of bang for the buck a well finished well made BEAUTIFUL guitar that with a pick up swap will give you a solid guitar to gig with! I WILL BUY ANOTHER RIGHT AWAY!!

Cmon this thing is a steal, don't hassle the man , buy it and tweak it yourself. If you do not have the cash to spring for a tech to go over your SX this is the time for you to learn and save HUGE. SOLID beautiful well finished neck and a well finished body in a good selection of colors is well worth the $99

I have been playing guitar for 15 yrs and mainly use Gibson Les Pauls and Fender Strats . I have several Mexican made Fender Strats for daily use which I have come to love. Due to FENDERS' insane jump in street price i.e $399 to $549 I chose the SX SST 57 as my new daily gigging guitar. I will buy several more . YES if bwere lost or whatever I would not hesitate to grab another . GREAT BUY!!

Recently I received my 57 Vintage guitar from SX and it's a beautiful axe. The guitar came in perfect condition with the exception of a missing screw which was a very minor thing. The tones are great as well as the pickups. It feels like a Fender strat. I'd recommend this product to anyone.

I've been playing guitar over 10 years now and honestly can't hear the difference between a fender strat and my SX. If it were a blind test, I'd think it was a 57 fender strat. I'm using a BXR 25 Fender bass amp with the guitar and it sounds great with it. The guitar sounds like a top of the line brand but only costed $99. You won't find a better deal.

The guitar wasn't really set up at all. I could tell that it was probably never played before, just put together and thrown into the box. The set up was way off. However setting it up myself allowed me to set it to fit me perfectly, it just took some extra time and was tougher because of the missing screw.

The guitar will withstand live playing and the hardware seems like it will last. The finish should last and the only part that has started to wear is the top of the neck and that's because of the allen wrench when I tried to set it up. You can depend on it. If it broke I'd buy another one.

I bought the guitar on a Tuesday and was playing it by Friday. It was shipped quickly. I never had to deal with the notorious Kurt because I didn't have any problems and didn't need to call Rondo.

Honestly, you won't find a nicer guitar that actually sounds like a genuine strat for less money. You could buy a more expensive Squier, but you'll just be paying more and will receive a poorer sounding guitar. The Sx SST 57 blows all other copies out of the water. Also as a side note, all 57 models are vintage, not just the white.

SX SST57 Vintage white, made in China. Alder body, maple neck and fretboard with a vintage-esque amber tone to the wood which turns out a bit too orange but to an extent makes it look more vintage. Cheap import hardware; tuners, tremolo and pickups but they're all something you can change.

The pickups are stock and weak but do an alright job for the price of the guitar. I wasn't expecting it to have top of the line pickups out of the box but they're not bad for what they are.

The neck is chunky and took me a few days to get used to, after a new set of strings and a saddle adjustment the guitar plays really well. Out of the box it wasn't too terrible but it wasn't to my standards.

Import hardware is junk, change it out and you'll have a solid guitar at an unbeatable price! The hardware really brings this score down.

Mine came in damages but Rondomusic made it worth while! I can't say enough about Kurt.

I bought this guitar to modify in the first place, if you're expecting a gig ready guitar out of the box don't even try. If you're wanting a solid no frills guitar you can swap things out on, whether you're a beginner and you're afraid to take a soldering iron to your Les Paul or you're a profession who'd taken a soldering iron to all of their gear, these guitars are worth giving a try!

Well its a strat. A strat with a big "S" with an atitude. Litlle rough around the edges with some flaws ... nobody is perfect, but this baby got caracter and can stand its own graund with a pride. The best fature is no doubt the neck, heavy laquer beautiful neck ... certanly one of the best neck i ever played and i have a lots of guitar and lots of strats. it gots vintage tuners, cant beat them, body is heavy nice finish, mine is black with maple neck. U just got to do your own set up and it may take a litle more time like usual, but ita a big pay off.

Sound. I have mexican, american, squire, g&l as a strats. As i plug this baby in and start to play ... well i ve got tears in my eyes its that good. Its got tons of character a big sound, articulate sound. I realy dont know how they do it for such a price, If u forget about the tag on the head and close ur eyes and just listen, its everything u want from the strat, belive me its just cant get any better. Pickups are not so sweet sounding like on g&l and not so lifeless like on mexican, they are wild ... dynamic, with some fine amplification u can get all strats sounds u want ... purple, hendrix, SRV, knopfler ...

As i say u need to do your own set up. take your time. Quality of the neck is just perfect. I used to have sx tele, sx ash strat (also a great guitar i just dont like natural ash as it looks) and now i have sx bass ... and they all have beautifil necks. Body finish is flawless. Electronics ... pickups are great, potenciometers are not so great, but i can live with that. This guitars have no money values, but they are keepers. Belive me i have some crap strats they look and sound like some f**** plastic toys, but not this one. This one sounds like a 57 strat ... just listen thats all u need.

as woods parts and finish ... its a strat its a tank its a haevy peace ... Electornics u may need to change, but keep the pickups. Tuners r vintige ones and they can coupe with lockin tuners anytime.

never deal with them

I have a lots of guitars, some i buy some i trade... right now i have fender cij telecaster, les paul supreme and this baby ... i just love sx guitars, they r wild beasts and beautiful guitars ... and what is most importand they sound and play great, give them some reverb and some overdrive and u r in strat heaven. For that kind of price there s no better deal. For this one i trade some amp twice the price of a new sx 57. But it was worth it.

Strat knockoff, made in China, solid (3 piece) alder body, Sunburst finish, Maple fretboard maple neck, s-s-s pickup configuration. Very nice looking right out of the box. Bought it strictly as a project. The body & neck are a great base to begin with so for that it gets an 8

Fairly lifeless sound as stock but that was expected. First off I shielded the body cavity. Then dropped in a set of BL Keystones, changed out the pots with CTS, soldered in new caps & resistors (custom values from internet research, ie: "woman tone") Did 5 way switch mod using push/pull vol pot for getting the two extra p/u combinations. Very sweet & extremely gig usable after all this. Twas much fun along the way. Strat types guitars are the easiest to do this sort of thing with & you come away with a much better understanding of what makes them tick. Make a change or a mod, try it out, make the next change & try that out etc. After all these upgrades I truly can call it a 9 in the sound category.

The action was mediocre but I was able to dial it in pretty dang nice. Certainly not a race car but I'm no race car driver. Great bluesy feel to it. Something you can really grab on to & pull the tone from. It intonats well with saddle adjustment room to spare. Had to flip a couple bridge saddles to gain more adjustment but it was there to be had. Just enough truss rod adjustment available to get some slight relief to the neck & drop the action to a very usable level. The tuning keys were bottom of the line so that was a necessary change. Now it's very serviceable & reliable. Finish & color are quite nice & allow me to kick this part up to an 8

Seems durable enough so far. Pretty sure it wouldn't survive a Pete Townsend attack though. Few do. Like I have said, it now is quite gig worthy but not before going all through it. For me that was just good clean fun & was my plan anyway. Better pick-ups are a must & the Bill Lawrence Keystones make this great fun to hear & play. For the money($99.00) it's a prefect choice for "Project Frankencaster" It sounds great on Zep,Beatles,any blues,etc. It has great tone & a nice feel, now.

I've purchased several guitars from Rondo & love them all. Great fast service from them. My others are Agiles but this is my first SX. I just might get another.

I've been playing since,.... well, all those oldies were brand new when I first learned them. I'm just a weekend warrior these days but it's still good fun & great therapy. Got some nice enough pro gear to try & do it up right as possible. Mesa 5:50, Fender telecaster w/Bardens, DeArmond M75T w/TV Jones, a couple of Agiles: AL3000 with great stock P-90's (nearly my favorite to play) & and an AS820 with Bill Lawrence L500's(too sweet). All analog pedals like Carl Martin, FullTone, TC Elec.,Maxon OD808. All goes together pretty well for getting what I think is a nice straight ahead tone that I've spent way too much time & money hunting for.