I have had this guitar for more than a month and intentionally delayed to write this review.
To start with, I have been a huge Iron Maiden fan for more than 3 decades and Dave Murray is my favorite guitarist on planet Earth. This was going to be my first ever Fender.
I was more than excited to unbox the guitar as soon as it arrived. As for the looks, it is flawless. Beautiful, intact, shiny finish, no scratches, chips, it is a beauty. It weighs slightly more than a regular strat, though.
Action was way too high, especially at the first few frets and the guitar was unable to stay in tune. Even after a couple of bends it would go off tune. When I used the whammy, all strings went way too flat.
It was no question to take it to a luthier, who after the inspection said the following:
1. Frets are not leveled.
2. Action is high because it is a compound radius fretboard but the locking nut is a simple 12" nut (shame on Fender). For this reason, you cannot set the proper action for the strings.
3. The neck of the guitar needed angle adjustment (not bow!)
4. Floyd Rose sucks, as FR 1000 has a fix radius which does not match the radius of the fretboard - shims are needed to fix it.
5. In addition, springs were not properly turned in and needed a fix so that the guitar can stay in tune.
I left the guitar with him to restring and make the necessary adjustment.
It is really a shame on Fender that their QC passes a signature model in this condition. Dave Murray would definitely ban his name from the headstock if he saw this quality.
For such a hefty price tag, one would expect a posh guitar.
On a positive note, the sound of the pickups is huge, the bridge and neck pickups are a blast, the middle pickup brings in some nice versatility. The neck of the guitar is great, plays like a charm, very comfortable and smooth.
Overall, I feel biased about this axe. On the one hand, it is a failure and does not live up to Dave Murray's name. A shame on Fender. On the other hand, once you fix all things Fender should have, you get a beautiful beast.
This is the locking nut your luthier needs to fix the guitar.
<a class="article link" href="https://www.thomann.de/hu/schaller_locking_nut_383_r3_chrome.htm">Schaller Locking Nut Right R3 CH</a>
Don't let your emotions cloud your judgement, unless you are an Iron Maiden fan, and willing to spend some more money on this instrument to fix it, you should not give it a go. Spend your hard earned money on a better assembled guitar.
PS: Thomann was again excellent- when I let them know the guitar did not stay in tune they offered the replacement immediately, no questions asked. Best customer service, ever.
PS2: I love mine, though.
Update - 24/04/2024
The luthier installed the Schaller compound radius locking nut to the guitar - it is night and day compared to the original nut. Playability has greatly increased, I highly recommend this upgrade to install.