i have a Fernando LP copy that's over a year old.
mine's not the unique series, but it had a bonus...
Epiphone 490R neck and 500T bridge pups.
as far as playability is concern, i've been gigging with it using stock hardware until late last december. i had to replace the kluson-styled machines with gold gotoh machine heads that i just recently acquired (which meant modifying the headstock to have 10mm holes instead of 8mm). the bridge stays okay, although the saddles wear out easily, and have to be replaced, i would say, at least every year (if you gig with it like every week).
neck has a truss rod, which i haven't touched at all. maybe because i was using gauge .008 strings (because of carpal tunnel syndrome), leaving the neck with the least bit of tension, even at E# tuning (for some Black Crowes songs).
tailpiece studs are kinda fragile, and so do the bridge studs, so be careful in adjusting the tailpiece heights. the studs itself get eaten by a standard screwdriver really quick, so you have to be extra careful. plus, the output jack loosens up pretty quick, so you have to be gentle in pushing/pulling the plug.
compared to the RJ LP copy (which was another choice for me before i had my Fernando), weight appears to be evenly distributed. although the finish doesn't appear the same on both guitars, i would say that mine looks good at any angle, although the RJ has a lot of nice finishes available. plus, the tone appears to be different as well. the Fernando (since mine was modded already from out of the box, i tried a stock guitar instead. both stringed with .010 sets, and plugged straight into an MG15CD Marshall amp) sounded warmer, more round and heavy with the least bit of gain on any pickup setting, ideal for rock, blues or metal applications. the RJ, IMHO, sounds a bit thinner, as if you're playing Jazz, although the sustain appears okay though. with a little tweaking, you can get a real fat sound from the guitar, and you can use it to play rock, blues or metal. both guitars need its pickups to be properly set prior to getting your optimal playing performance and listening quality.
overall, if gauging the guitars on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest), i give the RJ's a good 7, and the Fernando a whopping 8 for the reason that they have very good tone and sustain considering the fact that they are very affordable guitars. if we were to compare a Fernando Unique LP copy against the RJ, now that's totally different. maybe the Unique would get a scandalous 9 on my scale.
then again, my review is a bit subjective, so you should really rely on your taste. listen on how the guitars sing for you, how comfortable you can play the guitar while sitting down or standing up. most guitars have different weights, so you have to take that into account (you might have difficulties playing a guitar that makes you feel uncomfortable, regardless of weight).
sensya na, mahaba ang sagot ko po... i hope i didn't bore anyone with my post. di naman po lecture ini... hehehe
btw, i just remembered what a friend of mine said about guitars and players....
"wala sa pana iyan, pare... nasa indian yun..."
