Bought this one six weeks ago. Never thought of buying a Marauder. They are rather dull, not sexy, not a Les Paul, not a SG, not a Strat, not a Tele. Flat peace of wood with the wrong pickup combination. The blender control though is rather cool, I must say. And, that the guitar is not really hot makes it a splendid work horse with sounds you do not find on any other guitar. Bright and distinctive, not like a Fender guitar, certainly not like a Les Paul. This one particularly has a nice orange-brown natural mahogany color, gloss, not satin. A nice one, I must say.