Fullerton ST3 3 Single-Coil Pickup Solid Body Electric Guitar (Closeout) $49!

[SuperSwede]

T-man, thats a good looking guitar! Congrats

[Big K]

T-man; mine is scheduled for delivery tomorrow, I can't wait.... had a ??? though that has been bugging me.... if the body is solid or plywood?

[sunvalleylaw]

My ST4 arrived today, a business day early, in good shape. The strings will need to be changed, but it seems in good shape. The fret ends feel a little sharp to me compared to my strat, and the rosewood over the fretboard extends a little beyond the end of the maple neck at the bottom fret. Maybe that is normal, but it is not what I am used to seeing. (see pic at link below) The strings are a little floppy feeling, and don't hold a tune well, but I bought new strings to change out. It will be great to have here at the office to noodle with on breaks and as an extra.

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w...w/P1010022.jpg
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w...w/P1010001.jpg
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w...w/P1010023.jpg

[Robert****]

Still waiting for mine... how's the feel of the neck? Any buzz problems with the frets?

[sunvalleylaw]

Robert: The neck feels fine. Flatter radius and thinner than my modern C strat, and certainly different. Action seems fine. No buzzing issues, though some of the ends, esp. down in the high teens and twenties, need to be softened a touch. I am pretty much a newb, and could be missing something, but this seems pretty nice for the price! Really better than I expected. I plugged it into my computer and listened really quietly at work, and it seems to sound decent there too!

[sunvalleylaw]

UPDATE/INITIAL REVIEW: Brought the Fullerton ST-4 (fat strat type, HSS) home and set up my stuff, I plugged in to my C-30, and played it alternating with my 60th strat. I started with no pedals, clean channel on the amph. Then I started adding pedals and such. Bottom line, I was really pleasantly impressed! For the price, it seems like a steal! Now the down and dirty:

Robert, now that I have played around a little harder with it, I do get a little fret buzz. Not super bad, but there. And this is with the action higher than on my 60th. I was getting it particularly with some open E minor chords I was playing. Low E string, up near or around the first - third frets. The fret ends definately need work. They are sharp all the way up and down the neck, and I was starting to get a sliver or two on my fret hand, and/or some chafing. The rosewood on the fret board does not seem too dry or anything, and the edges of the fret board itself seems nice. The neck on my 60th is just finished way nicer, both how it feels, and looks. As it should be for the difference in price, even before the blowout on these. The Fender neck is a little more substantial and rounded, and of course the fret radius is different. The fret wire is thinner than the medium jumbos on my Fender.

Weight is very close to the same as my 60th. Maybe a touch lighter. Shape is comfortable, but not quite as refined in my opinion, both looks and smoothness of contours. Big K, I have no idea what the body is made of, but it seems quite a bit lighter than a ply squire I borrowed for a while. The body paint seems finished pretty well in black. No really noticeable flaws or orange peel, etc. I have noticed so far. No pickguard on this one.

The tone knob (pot issue?) does not turn very freely.

The pickups sound pretty good to me. Overall, louder than my strat. Not as dynamic, warm, responsive and toneful as the tex mex pups on my strat, but really not bad. Compared to the tex mex ones, the sound really seems to "thin out" as you move the switch up from bridge to neck. The guitar has five very distinct tones with the switch. On the first night, I tend to like the bridge position, with the bucker, or one off, best. Overall, they just are not quite as full somehow. That said, if I am not sitting there comparing the two, the pups do just fine, My pedals really liven the guitar up. Also, it is now staying in tune a lot better.

(side note, watching Elvis Costello play a tele type geetar on Austin City Limits as I write this. Always liked him. Apparently the angels have stolen his red shoes again. Hah, he just invited the audience up on stage with him!)

Once the ST-4 gets the frets cleaned up, and some set up to address the little bit of buzzing, it will do very nicely for my purposes. Certainly a good second guitar. I am excited to have it! Anyway, those are the thoughts of a semi-newbie experiencing his second electric guitar.

P.S. What is so funny about peace, love and understanding? Oh, and . . .

Pump it Up!

[Big K]

my ST4 arrived yesterday, expected a black body but to my suprise upon opening was a silver metalflake finished body. saddles needed some major adjustment but no buzz or rattles once dialed in. the frets are fairly small vintage sized with some smoothing to be done to the ends, they tore my hand up pretty good in an hour of goofing around.. Sunvalleylaw's review summed it up nicely. a pickup change should really make it a nice guitar, would say it would compare to a $150>$200 (a notch above entry level) piece for 50 bucks.... very pleased

[tot_Ou_tard]

(side note, watching Elvis Costello play a tele type geetar on Austin City Limits as I write this. Always liked him. Apparently the angels have stolen his red shoes again. Hah, he just invited the audience up on stage with him!)

P.S. What is so funny about peace, love and understanding? Oh, and . . .

Pump it Up!

Damn! I missed him. I love Elvis Costello...My Aim is True, Imperial Bedroom..just great stuff.

I was at an Elvis show at the Warfield in San Francisco in the 80's. I went to the urinal, guess who was at the next urinal? Bruce Springsteen..too bad I never liked his music. After we left the bathroom, my friend asked him when his next album was coming out. He said soon. That was Born in the USA.

The funniest thing was after he left a chick in tight pants asked us if that was Bruce Springsteen & we said yes....she bolted up the stairs after him.



I'm waiting for the end of the world.....

[stingx]

My ST4 arrived today, a business day early, in good shape. The strings will need to be changed, but it seems in good shape. The fret ends feel a little sharp to me compared to my strat, and the rosewood over the fretboard extends a little beyond the end of the maple neck at the bottom fret. Maybe that is normal, but it is not what I am used to seeing. (see pic at link below) The strings are a little floppy feeling, and don't hold a tune well, but I bought new strings to change out. It will be great to have here at the office to noodle with on breaks and as an extra.

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w...w/P1010022.jpg
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w...w/P1010001.jpg
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w...w/P1010023.jpg

In P1010001.jpg the action looks really high.

[sunvalleylaw]

In P1010001.jpg the action looks really high.

Yep, Pete, it is. I commented on that in my more full review. And it still buzzes some with the action that high. Will need some set up work. Big K apparently got his squared away with some work at the bridge/saddles. Guess I better study up on that.

[tremoloman***]

Sorry I haven't posted more pics already!

I've read some all of the posts of the Fullertons thus far and your impresions are accurate as far as what I'm feeling. Since I ordered 3 of these, I can tell you a few things I noticed.

• 2 out of 3 came with the wrong size whammy bar. It's useable, but the shaft on the threaded end is too short to clear clear the tone and volume knob.

• Some frets are sharp and need to be filed before they turn your hands into hamburger.

• 2 out of 3 needed to have the nuts filed. My G string sounded like a sitar on the two that came in most recently, but a quick file and a little pencil lead cleared this up nicely.

• Electronics are excellent - high quality pots and switches.

To those of you who mentioned the knobs being stiff to turn, just pull up on the knob a little... it's just rubbing against the body.

Over for the cost I think it's a hell of a steal! I'm pawning one off in our family's annual Christmas grab, donating one to a friend who's eager to learn thr guitar, and the last one is staying right here with me!

[Robert****]

Still haven't received mine. Are the frets super-tiny, so it's hard to grab the string? I can't stand those kind of frets.

[sunvalleylaw]

Still haven't received mine. Are the frets super-tiny, so it's hard to grab the string? I can't stand those kind of frets.

No, I wouldn't say super tiny. I did not think it was hard to grab a string, though some polishing for smoothness wouldn't hurt. Look at the second jpg I list in my earlier post. It gives you a good idea of the size.

[Big K]

New fret wire from http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Fretting..._Fretwire.html or elsewhere and an afternoon of time and that vintage wire can be a thing of the past....

[Robert****]

I got mine today. I am quite impressed! Hands down, it beats the quality of my SX strat. The neck is much higher quality. The sounds is a little dark, but still very good for a 44 dollar guitar. What a steal!

I haven't adjusted it anything yet - I'll adjust the action a bit and try out the tremolo. The nut is that plastic crap again, like all cheap guitars. I'll install a Tusq pre-slotted nut this weekend.

So far, my impression is a fantastic guitar for the price. The quality seem, at first glance anyway, to be like the Squiers I have.

Later,
R

[sunvalleylaw]

I got mine today. I am quite impressed! Hands down, it beats the quality of my SX strat. The neck is much higher quality. The sounds is a little dark, but still very good for a 44 dollar guitar. What a steal!

I haven't adjusted it anything yet - I'll adjust the action a bit and try out the tremolo. The nut is that plastic crap again, like all cheap guitars. I'll install a Tusq pre-slotted nut this weekend.

So far, my impression is a fantastic guitar for the price. The quality seem, at first glance anyway, to be like the Squiers I have.

Later,
R

How were your frets? Sharp? Is it easy to do the tusq nut? I would like to do that myself. I also need to adjust my action.

[Robert****]

Frets were just fine! Installing a Tusq nut is easy-peasy. I shall do that soon.

Dang, it plays nicely! Maybe I'll just install some quality pickups and this can be my number 1 strat! Hehe!

I am really thinking about selling my SX now. Except I installed my Fender CS 54s and a new bridge on it.

Tremoloman, do you feel the Fullerton is better quality than the SX SST57? I have a Franken-SX SST62 I think - it's not quite the same as the other SST57/62 strats, since my came with a practice amp and other stuff.

[marnold***]

Frets were just fine! Installing a Tusq nut is easy-peasy. I shall do that soon.

Hmmm, I smell another Dolphin Street instructional video! Although I may have to dock you 10 points for use of the phrase "easy-peasy." I'll cut you some slack since you have small children. Or maybe it's some suggestive slang term in Canadio-Swedish.

In all seriousness, how would you compare it to your beloved '51?

[Robert****]

How it compares? Well, let me think about that one for a while. I am still in the cheap-guitar-honeymoon, if there is such a thing.

I jammed with it all night yesterday. It worked really well. Stayed in tune, a blast to play. The only things I need to do right now is get a new nut and better pickups. The pickups sound a little muddy and unclear, especially with distortion.