When I got the guitar the strings were scraping against the fretboard too much while bending because the wood is in such a prime dry condition. I used a light scented cleaner to spray on the fretboard & the rest of the guitar to clean. The pickups work well & I'm getting a "less redundant" tone than using a Schecter C-7 FR with "duncan designed" closed, not covered, double humbucker pick ups. I've heard these single coil open magnet type pick ups are "hotter" & "wilder", they seem to be known for that. The middle pick up came with very low magnet height (1-2mm above the surface), the bridge was 3-5 mm high, and the neck pick up was set the highest, being around 5-7mm. The pick up magnet heights may or may not be adjustable from the under side of the pick guard (you have to loosen or remove the strings & unscrew the pick guard to get to them) & you must be careful of the electronic wires OR they may/will be removed from the metal soder or damaged/pulled/etc. There generally is enough length of wire to easily work. I put black electrical tape in the tremolo chamber.(get to that from the back plate; unscrew it). All the metal pieces(tremolo springs, claw plate, pick up ground wire, tremolo block) & wooden areas. This is for protection/safty/electronic energy containment. Is can also give a better functioning instrument & also electronic guitar tone performance. Some people use self-sticking copper foil tape for electronic grounding/etc. You can do this on the entire underside of the pick guard & the pick guard chamber, & tremolo chamber. The nut (fret zero) is white plastic standard & I have not needed to file the nut to better fit the strings yet. The string tuners & string tree (guides the string) are quite good. After tightening the 2 screws on the guitar tuners, they are very responsive & accurate at tuning.

The "extras" in the package are appreciated. basic but not weak black guitar strap, 1 good durable medium green/black "liquid marble" design, Basic instructions, 1 wrench for the truss rod (this guitar doesn't have a truss rod plate so it's easy & clean) & 1 small wrench for bridge string saddle height adjustment (change the "action" of the guitar strings AKA how far from the neck the strings are) The frets came very smooth & rounded. They seem to be a standard small/medium-small type fret. The package came with a small 5-8" black string. I don't know why. I wove the string between & around the bridge saddle springs & tied it off. To prevent rattling/loosening of metal parts & give a more solid function. I also wove a ribbon (not included) around the headstock/strings

I don't use the tremolo very much, it's pretty tight, removing 1 of the springs might keep it more effective. The modeling software is giving me decent results but, I haven't gotten a better heavy metal super distorted tone than what my CRATE DX 112 can provide. I couldn't get the USB cable to work with my computer when I first got this item. I think the ASIO audio drivers for the amp modeling software were not working right or they didn't install right. When I would try to change the audio input/output in the modeling software the program would insta-crash. I am able to record guitar tracks with the amp modeling software using a normal audio cable. I tightened down all the screws for better function. I also removed "extra" screws on the back body plate & the pick guard. There are 11 screws on the pick guard. I removed 5 cause they are redundant for in-studio only use. I also removed 4 of the 6 back plate screws (leaving 2 screws in opposite corner).

The guitar came & still is in very clean condition. The wood is naturally tight or "sealed" (it's not cracked or soft) & it also is smooth, dry, & light. In a good way. The sunburst finish w/ white pickgaurd & Chrome shine is classic & I enjoy it a lot. The thinnest string (high E #1) broke when I first got the guitar & was tuning up. Easy to replace & the guitar neck & strings stayed in tune while I waited for the replacement. The back plate is pure white in color, is very light, & seems easily breakable. Is it not a standard thick plastic plate that other guitars may have. You can easily replace the back plate or remove it if you'd like.

I read the knowledge base to try to get an answer about the amp modeling software driver error. I could not easily contact them, I havn't yet. I think you need to log-in or register to contact them. I would like to get that sorted out so I can use the USB cable to record. If I can't get better latency or audio quality with the USB cable, I would just use a normal audio cable anyway.

I would say this guitar package is great if you want to buy a low price standard guitar.

The amp modeling software, cable, & basic items included help sell this guitar. The classic sunburst helps sell the guitar.

The ION strat style guitar is a nice package. The guitar its self is simple & very effective. I got it set up in the first couple weeks & it plays great & I can change tunings around & back to a standard tuning easily. The guitar detunes a little bit but, I've been changing the tuning a lot, the guitar is new, I'm using the included strings, ect.