OK, fresh set of '9s and a fiddle later and everything improves. It came out of the factory with '10s according to the tag but because the guitar is so light I think they overwhelmed it. I also backed the pickups off quite a ways as it seems sensitive to the height and definitely has a sweet spot for them that took a bit of dialing in. Now it sings. Because of the lack of weight (it is quite a shock when you first pick it up) in its body and neck it actually feels and sounds more like a semi, 335 kind of thing, somehow got a bit of 'air' and jangle. I certainly wouldn't describe it as dead, but naturally it has a significantly different tone to a denser mahogany bodied guitar. Now I understand it a bit better I really like it. The only thing I don't like are the tuners. For someone used to Schallers and Spertzels they just aren't natural! The whole string tie thing was like rocket science initially and I broke a G string (NO, NOT WHAT YOU ARE THINKING) and got two cuts as part of the learning process. Can I put a set of Phase IIIs on there, please!