First impressions were surprisingly amazing.. No dings, scratches or mishaps at all. Guitar stayed in tune since fabric, and with a change of strings, stays in tune better than some of my higher end guitars (non locking tuners). The feel of the neck is that of a Ibanez, and a sploosh of lubrication on the strings, makes it a fast playing mean machine. Going from 6 string, to my first 8 sting, and first fanned fret, i was afraid that id'd be a long learning curve, but upon unwrapping it from the annoying white plastic wrap that stick to everything and everyone, I was instantly shredding, with no challenge at all. Yes, i have to angle my barre chords at a slight tilt, but it's something your hand memory catches onto instantly.
The sound of the pickups is as one would expect for a <200$ guitar, but it's comparable to that of an ESP LTD EC-100.
All in all, i'd definetly recommend this for an first extended range guitars, if you're unsure about the transition being something of "your taste" :)