I don't know if it was just luck, but the guitar sounded very good right out of the box after I tunned it. Only few buzz, but this it's kinda normal. After a setup I think that those buzz will be gone. The pickups sounds great in every situation, so I will keep them. Solos sounds good and clear, heavy stuffs also sounds great on lower strings, but I think it largely depends of amplifier and it's settings. Playability is just beautiful on this guitar. And it's a beautiful, good looking guitar.