I originally purchased the red one with the Maple neck and was blown away by it so much that I bought this one! I have to say I prefer this neck as its slightly bigger and feels more like a "Strat". Its a great guitar and plays great straight out of the box. Only upgrade I did was tuners, the ones that are stock are good but i like the extra security of upgrading them to Wilkinsons. Its very playable and has great tomes on every pick up, only flaw I would say is the volume pot, rolling off dampens the tone a little but for this price range I cant complain. Would make a great first guitar for a beginner or a workhorse for a seasoned pro, they are great value and the finish on them are way above their price point.