I bought this guitar back in 2011 for my metalcore project. I sold it after I ended that project, but I would consider getting another one once again. However, this guitar definitely needs some upgrades in my humble opinion. First of all, the sound was quite muddy and artificial for my taste, so I would change these active EMGs to some good passive metal pickups. After playing some time, the fingerboard started to crack as well, but this problem was solved by the guitar technician. In overall, I have been a long-time Fender user for years and I would only consider some Gibson model as the substitute for this guitar due to their 24.75" scale necks.