Absolutely fell in love with this guitar after taking the time to set it up when it arrived.
Firstly, the guitar pickups that come stock are okay. They are high gain, which is great for Metal, however, they are slightly muddy when you are using a lower tuning, otherwise they respond well with distortion, especially having a tube screamer before the amp.
I currently have a set of 10-59 d'addario nickel wound set on it right now tuned to Drop G#. The stock strings are not good unless you like a set of 9-52s, but it is just too floppy for even the standard 7-string tuning in my opinion. The default should really be 10-62, just like a baritone.
The finish on the body feels great, though it is a bit difficult to clean, and can catch finger marks easily. The neck feels very comfortable with the satin finish and low profile, even though I am not a shredder. Felt one spot of roughness on the neck but it wasn't hindering my playing.
I will be adding aftermarket hardware on this. Stock hardware is fine but I know this guitar can do better.