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View Full Version : SX SST57 Powder Blue #2 review



tremoloman
July 14th, 2006, 07:41 AM
I got my 2nd Poweder Blue SST57 last night. I played and worked on it for a few hours and thought I'd share my comments in regards to my previous review.

The good!

Binding bridge nonexistent!
I'm happy to report that this new SX does not suffer from any sort of bridge binding whatsoever as did my previous one had. As usual, I replaced the 6 bridge screws with Callaham hardened steel ones to improve tone and smoothness as I do with all 6-screw bridges. Unlike my previous SST, this one did come with the correct bridge screws that lack thread on the top 1/4" of the screw, giving it trouble-free action. Perhaps my previous encounter was an isolated incident - only future purchases will tell. God knows I'll be back to Rondo soon. :)

Tuners
The tuners on this SST57 are vastly improved over my previous one, making tuning much easier. No stab wounds!

Guitar tone
This SST sounds just as exceptional as first one I bought. I took the pickguard off while installing .010 strings for the hell of it and was happily suprised to see the pickguard is shielded, routed cleanly, and evey solder joint given had been given a healthy amount of solder. SX uses heavy gauge wire for the pickups which is an added bonus. The pots are the tiny ones normally found on budget guitars, but again there was no sign of static or crackle .

Now the only negative comment I have to make:

The dreaded nut
The nut on this guitar was worse than the first. 2 of the strings sounded like a sitar when played. As done previously, I installed a Graph-Tech precut nut from Stew-Mac and my tuning stability problems were resolved in about 10 minues.

Again, I'd rate the guitar a 9.5 out of 10 and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a low budget Stratocaster who doesn't want to shell $400+ for one.

Special thanks to Kurt at Rondo Music. I got the guitar in 2 days once I placed my order. Talk about quick shipping! Outstanding service as expected by Rondo. I'll be continuing to give them my business in the future for sure!

Robert
July 14th, 2006, 08:23 AM
Dang, you certainly have me wanting one badly! ;)

tremoloman
July 14th, 2006, 09:06 AM
Go for it Robert! I've been eyeballing the P-90 equipped model but I'm waiting for another color option such as LPB. ;)

t_ross33
July 14th, 2006, 09:38 AM
2 for 2. Getting closer to that Lake Placid Blue SST57. 3 strikes and I'm out (to visit rondo's website).

Pox on you :D

Tim
July 14th, 2006, 11:45 AM
The dreaded nut
The nut on this guitar was worse than the first. 2 of the strings sounded like a sitar when played. As done previously, I installed a Graph-Tech precut nut from Stew-Mac and my tuning stability problems were resolved in about 10 minues.

Trem - Can you discuss the Graph-Tech precut nut in more detail? Is it basically a change out only or is some filing involved. I need a new nut but lack the experience to set one up with proper clearance.

Katastrophe
July 14th, 2006, 12:47 PM
Awesome, T-man! Congrats on the new purchase, and I'm glad this one seems to be even better than the last, with the exception of the dreaded nut.

tremoloman
July 14th, 2006, 03:49 PM
I posed my comments about nuts under another thread. You should be able to find it relatively easy. :)

Thanks for the positive feedback! I'll be purchasing more of these as Christmas gifts for sure.

Spudman
July 14th, 2006, 10:50 PM
Thanks for the positive feedback! I'll be purchasing more of these as Christmas gifts for sure.

Trem. I appreciate the gesture with Christmas and all, but please don't send me one. I'm full.;)

tremoloman
July 15th, 2006, 04:37 PM
Hey... that's not such a bad idea. Maybe we could have a member recruitment contest or something. I'll have to talk to Robert about it. ;)

We have a Christmas grab in my family where each person buys 1 gift of $100 or under. There will be a SST57 in the grab this Christmas.

SuperSwede
July 16th, 2006, 12:38 AM
I hope you manage to grab it yourself T-man :P






Spud, I can take care of your old stock so you can make room for a SX instead :D

Robert
July 16th, 2006, 09:39 PM
What about this "kit"? http://www.rondomusic.net/product666.html

You get an amp, cable, tuner, gig bag, strap, picks + the SST57 strat for $99.99? Am I missing something obvious?

Spudman
July 16th, 2006, 10:04 PM
My guess is that it's time for Rondo to dump some inventory. Still it sounds like a killer deal. Keep the guitar and sell the extras on Ebay for $15 plus $60 shipping. Killer guitar for $35.;)

tremoloman
July 17th, 2006, 12:37 PM
What about this "kit"? http://www.rondomusic.net/product666.html

You get an amp, cable, tuner, gig bag, strap, picks + the SST57 strat for $99.99? Am I missing something obvious?I asked Kurt about that. He said its exactly the same guitar, only the neck doesn't have the vintage color and that the headstock on the pink model isn't matching as is the one sold by itself.

If you don't mind a whiter looking neck, by all means go for it!

SuperSwede
July 17th, 2006, 03:01 PM
Product 666 ... recommended additions to that strat should be a bottle of holy water.

tremoloman
July 18th, 2006, 10:14 AM
Robert said Kurt mentioned the following differences between the $99.99 package SST57 and the SST57 by itself:

The pickguard
The pickguard on the package SST57 is a 1-ply model where the solo SST uses a 3-ply.

The neck
We're lead to believe the package SST does not have a skunk stripe unlike the solo SST which does.

The headstock
Kurt said the headstock is a little different than the solo SST.

No big deal... but thought I should mention it.

Robert
July 19th, 2006, 09:40 PM
Kurt sent me a page outlining the difference between "SST" and "SST pack" guitars.

http://www.rondomusic.net/sstpack.htm

tremoloman
July 19th, 2006, 10:59 PM
Kurt sent me a page outlining the difference between "SST" and "SST pack" guitars.

http://www.rondomusic.net/sstpack.htmThank you for the link Robert. I wonder why you get an extra fret for going with the kit. I'm going to still go for the kit for my Christmas grab gift. Even with the minimal differences it's still a steal!

tremoloman
July 19th, 2006, 11:01 PM
Product 666 ... recommended additions to that strat should be a bottle of holy water.Now THAT is funny! You got a good laugh out of me SuperSwede. :)

Robert
July 25th, 2006, 05:53 PM
Well, I just ordered the SST57 kit with amp all that stuff. Hard to resist when it's ninetynine bucks. I'll let you know all about it once it arrives!

SuperSwede
July 26th, 2006, 05:02 AM
Congrats Robert! Do some clean recordings with the SST57 please!

tremoloman
July 26th, 2006, 11:29 AM
Congrats Robert! Do some clean recordings with the SST57 please!I promise I will. We're going to try being recording tonight, so I may have something for you all very soon!

tremoloman
July 26th, 2006, 11:31 AM
Well, I just ordered the SST57 kit with amp all that stuff. Hard to resist when it's ninetynine bucks. I'll let you know all about it once it arrives!All right Robert! I knew I could sucker at least one of you in!

If yours is ½ as good as my two SX's, you'll love yours! What color did you pick BTW? Let me guess... 3TS?

Robert
July 26th, 2006, 12:52 PM
There's only one color to pick! That white, whatever it's called, vintage white, off-white? Looks cool to me. Actually looks like an old vintage geetar!

Oh, and mine will be 1 1/2 as good as yours.

t_ross33
July 26th, 2006, 07:34 PM
Robert, let me know what shipping a duty actually works out to. Rondo's shipping calculator had it a nearly $100 US, double the price of the guitar. If it ends up being more reasonable, I may take the plunge!

Robert
July 26th, 2006, 08:32 PM
Shipping: UPS Standard $47.39
Customs Duty: Canada $40.00
Still ends up being cheaper than a decent Squier Strat here in Canada. Plus I get an amp for the kids!

SuperSwede
July 27th, 2006, 07:54 AM
I promise I will. We're going to try being recording tonight, so I may have something for you all very soon!

Im looking forward to it T-man! I am considering buying one myself but unfortunately they only have the 3-tone sunburst (I dont like sunburst on strats)... But perhaps I could repaint it :D

marnold
July 27th, 2006, 08:28 AM
I'm interested in hearing about this too. I'm looking for a guitar for my nine-year-old, perhaps for Christmas. My main concern it that it would be built reasonably well and, most importantly, stay in tune.

tremoloman
July 27th, 2006, 11:26 AM
Shipping: UPS Standard $47.39
Customs Duty: Canada $40.00
Still ends up being cheaper than a decent Squier Strat here in Canada. Plus I get an amp for the kids!Ouch!

Darn... the UPS seems pricey since I sent you the guitar parts for $35 USD. (Or maybe the UPS was in CDN funds?) I sure hope you like it!

Robert
July 27th, 2006, 11:29 AM
The box is likely bigger since I get and amp and other goodies. It's still a good deal! As long as I like the guitar I guess.

tremoloman
July 28th, 2006, 07:16 AM
The box is likely bigger since I get and amp and other goodies. It's still a good deal! As long as I like the guitar I guess.Oh yeah... I'm an idiot. That would indeed be heavier than just the guitar by itself. :P

Cranium
July 28th, 2006, 09:46 AM
How are the frets tremoloman? I read review's or people complaining for frets being too long and going under the neck and poking into their hand, do you have any problem with that or any other fret/neck problem besides the nut?

tremoloman
July 31st, 2006, 06:10 PM
How are the frets tremoloman? I read review's or people complaining for frets being too long and going under the neck and poking into their hand, do you have any problem with that or any other fret/neck problem besides the nut?Neither of mine had these issues.

Just about every guitar I've ever purchased came with a little oxidation on the frets. A quick rub of .0000 steel wool across each fret a few times will have them shiny as new. I've done this to every Squier, SX, and Fender I've owned, excluding the American Delxe necks.