Spira S-420 CHM Chameleon - Return (Condition: Very Good)

I normally use guitars from 1000 € upwards. I liked the Spira S-420 visually and conceptually so much that I wanted to give it a chance... and it absolutely surprised me positively and even thrilled me. The excellent fret work stands out in particular. You can set the action as low as you like without hesitation. Overall, the neck and fingerboard are perfectly finished, so that the Spira can keep up with top instruments in terms of playing feel. The fingerboard is only a little dirty at first. I had to take the Il-Sung tremolo out briefly and tighten the arm anchoring properly. This is the only small flaw that would not have occurred on a more expensive guitar. Otherwise, the Spira tuners and the tremolo make a solid impression. It's not quite as smooth as an original Floyd Rose or even a Schaller, but it does what it's supposed to do, is extremely stable and feels solid. The strings were coated with a strange soapy substance, which is probably supposed to keep them fresh. However, the strings (after cleaning) still sounded so unbrilliant that I initially thought the pickups were no good. Fortunately, changing the strings to my favorite brand remedied the situation. So if you're unhappy with the sound - be sure to change the strings first! By the way, the intonation was fine out of the box for my target setting. Finally, let's talk about the Villain pickups. The bridge position is great in modern metal! The middle position of both together is quite suitable for clear clean parts and, within limits, for less distorted soloing, but is less suitable for crunchier sounds.
The neck pickup sounds passable for metal solos but doesn't really come close to quality pickups.
All in all, I love the Spira! And I ordered a second one, which also turned out to be great - again, no quality defects and pure fun to play.