Okay, I think I'm the fourth BGUer to claim this deal. I got the black one delivered today. UPS guy drove up as I walked in from work.
Looks beautiful. There was a little glue on the f-holes that wiped right off. There is some stain from the fingerboard on the binding that looks like it will clean off easily. I don't see a flaw anywhere. When I first peeled the plastic cover off the pick guard there was a speck I tried to wipe off and it turned into a scratch. After fooling with it for a bit, I realized there was another plastic coat that peeled off leaving a spotless pick guard.
Tuned it up. Intonation is close on most strings, accurate on others. I don't know a whole lot about necks and frets. This seems like a straight neck with a little too much relief at the head that should adjust out easily enough (I will do my research before fooling with that (after all, I'm risking 140 bucks)). The frets seem fine to me, but again, not much experience. I think the action is too high at the bridge and I will investigate and adjust.
Sounds good. I like the bridge pickup cuz it has a similar twang to my tele (not full tele bell-ringing tone, but nice), The neck pickup sounds nice and full and clear (like a 335 should), my son was playing some jazz chords on it and I was fully digging it, then I handed him my Les Paul with the classic 57 in the neck and it was soooo much nicer. Then again, to my ears, that Les Paul has perfect tone and that pickup alone is worth more than the firefly so it should sound better. The Les Paul also weighs approximately 247 pounds and I'm hurting by the end of a 3 hour gig. I'm guessing the firefly clocks in at about 28 ounces (it is light).
So, I have a beautiful firefly that needs some minor setup. plays great and sounds very good. I will play it for a while and then consider upgrading the pickups if I continue to really like it.
jahmer