I got this kit to maybe learn more about how an electric guitar works and how to set it up, and so far I've been having nothing but fun with it. The top of the body looked pretty bad out of the box with white stains (probably excess sealing compound) and some ugly tool marks, so I sanded it down and finished it with teak oil, which I probably would've done anyway.
The spacing between the drill holes for the bridge and the string holder seemed a bit wide, but I managed to coax them into position, hopefully that doesn't cause problems further on.
First fret action was quite high, so I removed the nut and sanded it down. I also had to level a couple of frets with sandpaper to get the overall action down to where I want it. I use quite heavy strings, and the two lowest strings didn't fit the slots on the bridge, so I had to widen those with a small file. The bridge actually doesn't seem to match the radius of the fretboard, so maybe I'll buy a proper bridge at some point.
But with all that done it plays great! Low action, comfortable neck profile and nicely balanced. I really like the sound of the neck pickup; bridge pickup not so great, but I never liked the sound of bridge pickups on any guitar I've owned, so I might be biased. The tuners seem stable enough, but that's another possible upgrade.
