Review: Xaviere XV-870 Strat

[bc1957]

Hi all,

So GAS got the better of me (although, amazingly, it's welling up again as I read about the Squier Classic Vibe 50s Strat!), and I pulled the trigger on a Xaviere XV-870 sunburst "Strat" from GuitarFetish. $239 shipped with case.

Packing: First class. Nicely boxed, not a bad case either for $39. It'll do the job for sure.

Set up: Almost tuned to pitch! I like fairly low action, and this was real close to perfect. If you like the action just a tad higher than Strat clank/spank height, you might not make any adjustments at all, except for intonation

Body: uh oh - a four-piece body, not three as advertised. Not that I really care at this price point; my long-gone 1971 Stratocaster had a seven (yes - seven) piece body. However, you really have to look for the seams. Well done, GFS.

Finish: Yep, glossy, hard, yet thin. Very nice, actually. Highly polished.
The paint job I give an A-, only because a little bit of the dark paint made it into the body. Again, not much of a concern. In fact, I had given some thought to relic'ing this thing, but now I'm not so sure.

Neck, frets, and fit: Best part of the guitar. Frets nicely finished, chunky neck, 12-inch flat radius. Did I mention that it was sort of chunky? Me likey. A 9.5 radius would have been perfect, but since I'm a lead guitarist, I shouldn't complain!

Hardware: tuners seem to be holding their own. Nice tremelo bridge - lots of mass. Pickguard was really rough - the edges look like they could use a sanding. Again, at this price point, who cares.

Pickups: Bingo! GFS Vintage Alnicos - a perfect match for this guitar, if you like vintage pickups. Maximum quack in the notch positions. Weaker output than the 57/62s in my American Vintage Reissue, but a little sweeter. Played through Fender and Peavey tubes amps, clean.

Yet a few days later I had buyers remorse and was kind of disappointed. Maybe I was comparing it to my other Strats, maybe I didn't appreciate Jay's effort to deliver a guitar that I would have loved to have had for $200 when I was 15 (those '70s $200 guitars were horrible).
Maybe I shoulda ordered the seafoam, or waited on a Classic Vibe 50s Strat.

Then I took it to my weekly open mike and had one of my buddy's play it.
"Too tinny!", he said. It was then that I knew I had a winner - heck, his hearing is all shot and from the back of the bar, clean, it cut right through the motley crew of musicians choogling through "Stormy Monday." Then I played it on "Wonderful Tonight" and that was it. I was sold.

Now, I can't put it down. Bottom line, the neck and pickups are awesome, and the assembly is really tight. Would I gig with it? Yep.
(If I could get a gig - it's really tough down here in Florida right now!)

http://www.tdpri.com/telephoto/data/...0-1_Large_.jpg
http://www.tdpri.com/telephoto/data/...0-2_Large_.jpg



Comments? Questions?

[beep.click]

That's a great price, and a great recommendation. I'm going to have to check out their stuff!

[bc1957]

Just make sure you search this web site and the Web for other reviews - remember, this is a guitar priced at $179, but with some added value (I have GFS pickups in my other Strats, and they are pretty well made and sound great). But if ever-so-slightly less than perfect things bugs you, look elsewhere. In terms of quality, mine was just a hair below a particularly great 2007 MIM Strat that I have - which I got for about $375.

However, the fretwork is excellent, and the finish is well-done for a non-nitro guitar.
For me, it's a perfect guitar to bring to open mikes at this point, and, yes, I probably would gig with it. Again, if you don't like a flat 12-inch radius, that could be a sticking point.