I checked the neck to make sure there was no bowing or bending. Thankfully, it was straight and no adjusting of the truss rod was necessary.
I lowered the strings as low as I could without getting any buzzing ...
I swapped the strings that came with the kit for a pair of Ernie Ball Slinkys that I had lying around and tuned them up.
... and fixed the intonation. Tune it up one last time and it’s ready to rock!
The stock pickups are actually pretty good - nice full tone, not too screechy on the highs (which I tend to find with some Strats), and just enough twang. I’m used to playing my Gretsch, so the neck feels a little wide to me, but the action is nice and low and there’s no hum or whine in the electronics.
I realize that there’s a large amount of personal preference involved with buying an instrument. If you aren’t happy with it for whatever reason, send it back to me within 30 days and, provided there is no damage to the instrument, I’ll happily refund your purchase price. If you have any questions, by all means contact me.