well had an old rj frankenstrat bought round 13yrs ago....was my first guitar...
pretty decent,,,i got it for 2.5k brand new at rj,,,,my problem was the neck,,, intonation fret buzz at string height ,,,,had it set up and played decent metal,,,change pickups thou,,, back then twas ok for a noob like me...,,id go for a used ibby or squire IMHO,,,easier to set up and to resell if you get tired of it