I am not a beginner player. I have about 10 guitars- Strats, Teles, Les Paul, Ibanez, and a few acoustics and classical guitars. I also enjoy working on guitars. My review is out of the box, tuning it and playing on my amp. No setup yet, not even string height and I thought it was going to play like a dog. It did not. The tuners are not great with some tightening they work. I wanted a very light guitar and this sycamore guitar is half the weight of an ash or alder body. If you are a beginner spend the $148 and with the money you save get this set up by a pro shop and buy an Orange practice amp. The gig bag is well padded, more so than my Fender gig bag. Sawtooth adds in a strap, tuner and some picks that look like a mix of Fender and turtles. I have not checked the frets for levelness but I will say the fret ends were sanded smoother than a Fender neck out of the box. The frets played well and as I've said I have yet to set the string height or set the nut. The intonation was dead on out of the box which was very surprising. The neck has no finish on the back which I was glad to see so I can leave it raw or put what finish I want on it. And yes the fretboard is rosewood or something very similar to rosewood. I got the Seafoam green as I play left handed and Fender does not offer their Seafoam green for lefties and I love the color. I think I will be playing this a lot as it is so comfortable to play. Look forward to setting this up and see how it plays. But I know from the out of the box it is a very playable guitar and it will be easy to set up. I will be changing the nut and tuners soon but nothing else planned for now. I would love to gig with this guitar and have tele die hards give me a look. The pickups are obviously not super high gain but did I mention I paid $148 bucks with a bunch of other stuff included? Have fun with it. If you are a beginner and want a light tele then buy it. If you want a heavier tele then get a Squier for $230. And remember, Jack Pearson, probably the greatest tone player I have ever heard plays a stock Squier.I just wanted a cheap Telecaster copy to practice on and upgrade all the hardware. I paid $119 for this guitar and it looks and sounds beautiful. The fret ends are smooth and the neck is great for quick access up and down the fret board. I'm just stunned by the value of this guitar.I played the drums professionally years ago and always messed with friends' RH guitars playing left-handed but never made a study of it. Now I am two years into seriously trying to play left-handed upside down guitar. I chose a Telecaster-style because it is a symmetrical layout and what I wanted was a right-handed guitar but with left-handed knobs and cutout. I plan to change the tone and volume pots and pick-ups but they are good enough as is. The overall appearance is good and the craftsmanship is as well. The fret edges could be sanded a little and the nut upgraded but this is otherwise a real bargain. Years ago, cheap guitars cost more in adjusted dollars than they do now and they were plywood crap. Not this one. Compared to a Squire though I would say it is not quite there so unless you plan to tear into it, maybe get the Squire.This is a well-made guitar for the money I paid $128 including tax. The neck is sweet and the fret wire was level and smooth on the edges. Pickups sound great. The body is sycamore and sustains well. Lefties are hard to find anywhere no matter the price. Oh, and it came with a ChromaCast gig bag. I'm happy with it.For the price you cant go wrong. The guitars finish is all scratched up though. The B and E strings were put on in reverse so had to put new strings on immediately as it couldnt be resrtrung due to the string thru bridge. The saddle springs are extremely thin and weak and the bridge pickup is highly microphonic. Also the machine heads feel like plastic. Given that, even after putting a little extra work and money into this guitar, it's well worth it. A padded bag, tuner, and pack of picks is gonna run 75 to 80 bucks anyway. So why not spend an extra 45 and get a guitar too?! Great guitar for modding!Fresh out of the box, I have to say I'm pretty impressed. For a budget Telecaster clone, it's pretty well done. I suppose the nut is a little high and could stand replacing or filing down, but the rest of the guitar is solid. I used to own an actual Fender Stratocaster, and this guitar is quite a bit lighter, which could be either a positive or a negative depending on your usage, but for me it's good because having a guitar slung over your shoulder for a few hours, it can get pretty heavy after a while.All in all, I'm quite pleased with the design and the feel of it. I am still waiting on an amplifier to arrive so I can't attest to the sound, which is the most important part - but I'm anticipating no problems. I hesitate to give it 5 stars because it's not PERFECT, but four ("I like it") seem inadequate. I love it. Five stars.Gift for an 11 year old child. I didn't want to go through the return policy and I want him to learn. One of the screws had stripped the wood of the body and was loose. Haven't seen so many out-of-the-box disasters myself I was able to guide his family to a solution. I think it's important for children to learn that not everything is going to be perfect out of the box. And it's a first guitar that might end up with Knicks dents scratches and stickers on itThe listing has 3 split saddles and the one I received has 6 individual saddles.This Sawtooth starter pack is excellent value for the price. The gig bag is more than the usual garbage bag with a zipper. It is padded and appears well made. The tuner is a neat add on, and is a big help. The strap and cable are both very basic, but will get you started.The guitar itself is quite nice. It is not heavy, maybe about 7 or 8lbs. The maple neck is unfinished and needs a little sanding using a microfiber block (only a few dollars). A couple minute with some careful passes and the once not too rough neck will become smooth as silk. There is some fret buzz in a couple places, so I will need to fix those issues if they won't play out in a couple months. The neck pick up is muddy sounding with overdrive, but the bridge pickup delivers that twang you want from a Tele style guitar.This is a great guitar for a beginner. It is also a great platform for anyone who would like to try their hand a modifying a guitar. I give this guitar a BIG THUMBS UP for value and playablility.UPDATE: 2 MONTHS LATERI am enjoying my Sawtooth more and more. For a budget guitar, it really delivers that John Fogarty of CCR Tele sound, even out of my little 10w Marshall. The guitar stays in tune very well if the temperature doesn't fluctuate too much. The light weight makes it this retiree's first guitar to play in the morning.I love this guitar. The price for what you get in this pack is crazy. I don't know how they do it, but I'm glad they do. The guitar itself is extremely light. There is a bit of neck dive because the body is so light, but that's so minor, I feel bad for even mentioning it. It was almost in tune when I received it. Considering I live in northern Canada,that is a minor miracle in itself. The action is a bit high but easily fixable, and the frets need a polish, but everything works as it should, and its quieter than I would expect a t-style to be. My strats pickups are noisier when it comes to microphonics and hum. no fret sprout on the neck, and it feels good in the hand. The string through body is nice, I feel it adds more stability and tone than a body mounted ashtray style bridge. No buzzy frets, no scratchy tone pots. People will argue with you about the color though. Mine is butterscotch, but it looks more like a mustard. I dig it, very versatile. blues,jazz, country, metal, it can do it all. I think me and Sawtooth just became good friends, definitely want a few more of these babys.GOOD1. Already set up, plays good out of the box 2. Very light 3. Stays in tune 4. Tuners are decent, 5. smooth neck, no sharp edges 6. Frets are even 7. Finish looks great 8.Switch is decent 9. Bridge, plate, knobs is solid real metal 10. Nut is well cut, but could use sanding (aesthetic purposes) 11. Pickups are not bad, not good eitherBAD1. Loose Jack 2. Graphite Smudges on neck 3. Over sand on part of head stock 4. Small ding on bottom of body (not noticeable) 5. Pots disconnect when pressed on/moved 6. Bad taper on pots 7. Frets feel gritty when bending8. Pick guard/pickup cavity has no shieldingExtraComes with decent picksFlimsy thin strap, but worksSoft case is good, paddedTuner is goodFinal ThoughtsI'd suggest swapping the pickups and electronics with better parts. With a good setup and detailing. You'd get a quality guitar at the fraction of the price of a Squier or Fender.Left handed guitars are hard to come by at a budget price, this is a great kit!So happy with this guitar. Love everything about it. Sounds amazing!!Great guitar for beginner or accomplished player. You will not bedisappointed.