i have the 06 6500. and well, since you are buying frame only and putting your own components on it, there is not much to say.. the bike is nimble, but i think it feels more stable at good speeds than lets say a genesis hardtail. i put 40 mm rise bars on mine and i do not feel SO much over the front end while going down, though it can get hairy on some steeps (with quick turns and ruts etc, but this is more my limited skills than the bike..). the rise bars have gotten the front end a little too light at some sections of the steep climbs around here and man, i still have to walk certain parts because i cant get the front end to track and behave. i hate that. when am i gonna get better? bah
anyway, all those quirks (light front end etc) can be fixed with appropriate parts parts.. the frame itself is a normal xc hardtail, a little less "xc" than a garyfisher hardtail, but definately xc. i find it easy to throw my ass backwards on it though, even with my saddle at xc-ish height. its reasonably light (?). the paint chips easy. i carry a minipump on my frame and the thing bumps against my frame on the trail, so some paint has chipped there (eventually i wrapped zip ties around that portion of the frame). i think the frame is relatively strong. i dont know how to hop etc yet, but i keep trying and the frame takes a beating there. also i like going down stairs etc, so i think the frame has held up pretty well. i think the standover sucks on this bike, but i have short legs..i have a seventen inch frame, i am five feet nine and have barely 5 mm of clearance
ok, that is pretty much what i can think of to tell you. sorry for the lame review. maybe if you have any specific questions i could try getting back to you.