I bought this guitar as a present for someone who has been playing lower-quality acoustics occasionally for quite a while and wanted to try switching to electrics. Before ordering, I checked out three Sonic Teles at various music shops, as well as an alternative brand. I was impressed by the playability of the neck and the sturdiness of the Sonic Teles, which were decisive factors, especially considering that kids might handle and play around with it too. The neck on this particular model is fine, though chunkier compared to my old US Strat, but in a way that's quite enjoyable. Most importantly, the frets are well-levelled with no fret buzz. The out-of-the-box setup was poor, with issues including high string action, incorrect pickup height, intonation problems, and a G string that was cut too short, resulting in a shallow break angle between the nut and tuning key and causing weird noises. Although I was able to quickly identify and fix these problems, I imagine this might be challenging for beginners, who are likely the main target market. Speaking of strings, I was surprised by the extremely low-quality strings that came with the guitar. I replaced them with a set of genuine Fender 0.10-0.46 nickel strings, which made a significant difference. The tuners are also subpar, unstable, with two that don't turn smoothly. While the bridge saddles are not great either, they still do their job. The body paint appears flawless. I did find a few minor rough spots on the back of the neck where the sanding was uneven. These are almost imperceptible and should wear down over time. The pickups are noisy, but the overall sound of the guitar is surprisingly good. Most importantly, playing it is enjoyable. Upgrading the tuners, bridge saddles, and possibly the nut could be worth considering in the future.