Bought myself a nice SX STL-50 Tele!

[kerc]

...And it's exactly what I was looking for--a cheap but well-built guitar that can be a solid platform for modding and tinkering. Neck is thick and nice, very smooth finish with a very flat radius. Frets are pretty big and are nicely polished. No fret sprout whatsoever! Tuners look nice (engraved with the SX logo) but feel so-so, although they do their job.

The body feels nice and I'm pretty sure this guitar is about 1/2 pound lighter than my old MIM. I expected the hardware to look kinda cheesy, but the chrome finish is nice (nicer than that on Squiers) and the paint on the body is flawless. The color is sweet! Beautiful and mellow green hue.

I still have to set it up, check intonation and action, but it plays nicely as is. This is honestly one of the best cheap guitars I've played, and to think it costs $109, it's just...wow.

Some pics:

 

[Robert]

Congrats! SX make good guitars for the money. It seems their Strats and Teles mostly have fairly fat necks?

 

[kerc]

Yup. Pretty fat with thick frets...I love it.

 

[Katastrophe]

Congrats, man! SX really has the concept of neck tinting down. Looks great!

 

[kerc]

Squier should do something similar...Their paper-white necks are kind of a turn-off...

 

[sunvalleylaw]

I really like that color, and also the nice honey color of the neck. Looks pretty sweet!

 

[SuperSwede]

Nice one Kerc!

 

[ted s]

Nice score Kerc !, I don't like green, except on guitars !

 

[jasongins]

Looks nice Kerc. I just got an STL also, though I got the STL Ash. I posted it in the "show off your telecasters" thread, but it might go better here since it is an SX. Here is what I wrote:

So I just got a Tele. Nothing fancy, just an SX STL Ash from Rondomusic. It does have some interesting features though. Like a Strat, it has a body contour on the back and one on the front for your right arm. The neck has a nice cream binding with the markers offset to one side, though I would prefer it to have the normal Tele shape headstock. The wood and chrome look nice, the neck feels nice if not a bit thick. When took it out of the box, I tuned it up, strummed a chord, and....YUCK. The intonation was so far off that the sound made me seasick. The guitar was very mal-adjusted, and I was disappointed at that moment. However, I spent quite a while adjusting the intonation with a tuner, as well as adjusting the action and the truss rod. Strangely, the low E saddle is at almost full adjustment (see photo) and yet it is still a bit sharp when played at the 12th fret. The others I was able to get right on. Does anyone have any suggestions on this? The neck pickup is a little muddy, and the volume pot a bit scratchy, so I will be replacing those down the road. The neck is a little thicker than what I am used to, but I am starting to like that. Despite the issues, I am loving this guitar. It sounds good, feels good, and I think was well worth the $119.

Pics:

SX STL Ash
Body
Arm Contour
Body Contour - Rear
Neck
Bridge Saddles

 

[duhvoodooman]

Oh, man--I LOVE the look of that Tele, Kerc! I had my eye on a Reverend Warhawk II 390 for a while that was that same green & black combo. Just a stunning looking guitar, IMO. For $109, it wouldn't even have to play or sound good--I'd just hang it on the wall and admire it!

 

[Robert]

Jason, I dig yours too! Looks great.

 

[marnold]

Squier should do something similar...Their paper-white necks are kind of a turn-off...

Actually, I tend to take the contrarian point of view on this. I saw an SX Jazz bass with a similarly tinted neck. I really didn't like how dark it was, to say nothing of the ultra thick gloss finish on it. Give me plain, buck-naked wood! (Why do I have a feeling that last sentence will end up in someone's sig?) My dream guitar will have a bird's eye maple neck with only a tung oil finish. Having said that, that seems like a pretty nice Tele, especially for the price.

 

[zeusse]

I gotta say thats impressive looking for that money and even that green looks really good on it...yeah thats a great deal on that

 

[Katastrophe]

Give me plain, buck-naked wood! (Why do I have a feeling that last sentence will end up in someone's sig?)

Well, since you mentioned it, I had to oblige.