Story first, review second.
TL;DR
Story: I always wanted a Schecter, finally got one, and at a very good price.
Review: It's good.
Story:
This is a pretty exciting NBD for me.
Back when I first started (12ish years ago), I was torn between a Geddy Lee Jazz and a Schecter Stiletto Studio 4. My Dad made the decision for me and got me a Geddy for Christmas, but I've always liked Schecters.
GC generally has nothing I'm interested in, and I usually don't bother going in. A few weeks ago I had time to kill and was in the neighborhood, so I walk in expecting to walk right out. Instead, I see a gorgeous trans purple burst Stiletto Studio (a limited GC exclusive color with active EMGs instead of HZs). I instantly feel in love.
I played it, and liked it even more. They had a few other lower end model Stilettos, but I completely wrote them off. I realized what a mistake this was when I looked up the specs of the Stage-4 (neck through, ebony board!!!, carbon fiber neck reinforcement, all for $100 cheaper than the Studio).
I really couldn't shake the idea of the Stilettos. I did a stock check at a closer GC, and they had the Stiletto Studio, Stealth, and Stage in stock so I took a trip to A/B/C them.
I picked up the Stealth first, and the neck/fret ends felt just like the other Stilettos, but something about that particular bass made the strings feel super stiff. I didn't bother to plug it in. I feel confident saying that Schecter's lower price offerings don't skimp on quality at all.
I ask the sales guy to take down the purple burst Studio and the gloss black Stage from the tippy top of the rows of basses hanging on the wall.
The basses played and sounded almost identical.I was super impressed with Schecter's pickups on the Stage. I was never a huge EMG guy, but the Schecter pickups totally held their own against them.
I check the price tag, and the Stage was on clearance for $450 (down from $700). Despite liking the looks of the Studio WAY more, that price (along with the ebony board, carbon rods, and a lack of perceivable difference in quality between the 2) Swayed me over to the Stage.
I traded in a few things and got it for 300 out the door with an extended warranty and a once over from their tech.
Review:
Features:
This bass has some great features going for it, even at it's non-clearance price point.
Neck through, ebony board, 24 frets, 3 piece maple neck with carbon fiber reinforcement, 2 humbuckers w/ 3 band EQ and a passive option, glow in the dark side markers. Schecter packed a lot of value into this one. This bass is made in Indonesia, whereas the Studio is made in Korea. This is probably why the Stage has some more high-end features despite being a little cheaper.
Playability:
I got it home, set it up to my liking (Neck almost dead flat, 1.27mm action at the 17th fret on all strings. No buzz unless I dig in). This thing plays like an absolute dream. The neck is very thin, slightly more narrow than a J at both the nut and last fret, and has a flat radius (16"). This makes the neck super fast. Bends don't choke out anywhere on the neck. The back of the neck has a satin finish, which I really like. I have no complaints in this department. The bass body is a bit smaller and lighter than my Jazz which Is great for me (5'6"). It weights about 9.2 pounds. It balances perfectly on a strap.
Hardware:
The bass come with Grover tuners, and a heavy duty Schecter Bridge. They both do exactly what they should, and do it well. I might consider swapping the tuners to save some weight, and If a Hipshot A style bridge will fit this bass, I might slap one on to mess with different string spacings. The only definite mod I'll be making here is some Schaller strap locks.
I've seen it reported that Schecters have a narrow string spacing, but this bass is 19mm at the bridge. I don't know if older/different models are any different.
Looks:
I'm not thrilled here. I like the Stiletto shape, but the bass is a very plain, very glossy black. Pretty uninspiring. I might have a pickguard made for it or add some decals to spice things up a bit. Looks a bit too "metal" to me right now. I'm all about metal, and I know that Schecter leans heavily in that direction, but I prefer basses to look a bit more vintage. This is just a personal thing, but I hate MM pickups in non MM basses. I don't know why. I think it's the big pole pieces and the lack of symmetry.
Sound:
The bass has a clarity to it that's great for slap and tap stuff. Those techniques really cut through with both pickups selected. The bridge pickup soloed gets a MM vibe, but it's positioned too close to the bridge to really nail it. The 3 band EQ definitely helps sculpt your tone. I like to cut all 3 bands to tame the bass a bit. It makes the response with pedals more similar to my J, which means I don't have to make any drastic changes if/when I swap basses. The neck pickup is right in the P-bass sweet spot, but I wouldn't really say it sounds like a P when soloed. It's super meaty, and has a lot of mids to help you cut through. It's nice that they included a passive option, but I honestly find the bass to be a little muddy without the EQ to work with.
The bass sounds good, but it is drastically different from all of my main players (Modded Geddy, modded Ric, Dano). It's nice that it's unique, but I kinda wish I could coax some more vintage sounds out of it. It's very modern and aggressive. I think coil split options would help, or maybe a more vintage voiced pickup.
The current plan is to make the bass passive and swap the pickups for Nordstand Big Splitman 4s. This will give me the big humbucker sound when I want it, and should allow for some J and P-ish tones with different coils selected. Plus I'll have the benefit of noise free operation in any position.
Bottom Line:
This is a great bass. Not just for the price I paid. The sound definitely leans towards modern, but the EQ helps it to blend into other scenarios. I highly recommend this bass, or any part of the Stiletto series (though the Session has a different neck than any other model).
I haven't seen too much on this model, so I wanted to write more detailed review to hopefully help answer any questions people might have about it. Let me know if there's any other info you guys would like!
Pics!:
TL;DR
Story: I always wanted a Schecter, finally got one, and at a very good price.
Review: It's good.
Story:
This is a pretty exciting NBD for me.
Back when I first started (12ish years ago), I was torn between a Geddy Lee Jazz and a Schecter Stiletto Studio 4. My Dad made the decision for me and got me a Geddy for Christmas, but I've always liked Schecters.
GC generally has nothing I'm interested in, and I usually don't bother going in. A few weeks ago I had time to kill and was in the neighborhood, so I walk in expecting to walk right out. Instead, I see a gorgeous trans purple burst Stiletto Studio (a limited GC exclusive color with active EMGs instead of HZs). I instantly feel in love.
I played it, and liked it even more. They had a few other lower end model Stilettos, but I completely wrote them off. I realized what a mistake this was when I looked up the specs of the Stage-4 (neck through, ebony board!!!, carbon fiber neck reinforcement, all for $100 cheaper than the Studio).
I really couldn't shake the idea of the Stilettos. I did a stock check at a closer GC, and they had the Stiletto Studio, Stealth, and Stage in stock so I took a trip to A/B/C them.
I picked up the Stealth first, and the neck/fret ends felt just like the other Stilettos, but something about that particular bass made the strings feel super stiff. I didn't bother to plug it in. I feel confident saying that Schecter's lower price offerings don't skimp on quality at all.
I ask the sales guy to take down the purple burst Studio and the gloss black Stage from the tippy top of the rows of basses hanging on the wall.
The basses played and sounded almost identical.I was super impressed with Schecter's pickups on the Stage. I was never a huge EMG guy, but the Schecter pickups totally held their own against them.
I check the price tag, and the Stage was on clearance for $450 (down from $700). Despite liking the looks of the Studio WAY more, that price (along with the ebony board, carbon rods, and a lack of perceivable difference in quality between the 2) Swayed me over to the Stage.
I traded in a few things and got it for 300 out the door with an extended warranty and a once over from their tech.
Review:
Features:
This bass has some great features going for it, even at it's non-clearance price point.
Neck through, ebony board, 24 frets, 3 piece maple neck with carbon fiber reinforcement, 2 humbuckers w/ 3 band EQ and a passive option, glow in the dark side markers. Schecter packed a lot of value into this one. This bass is made in Indonesia, whereas the Studio is made in Korea. This is probably why the Stage has some more high-end features despite being a little cheaper.
Playability:
I got it home, set it up to my liking (Neck almost dead flat, 1.27mm action at the 17th fret on all strings. No buzz unless I dig in). This thing plays like an absolute dream. The neck is very thin, slightly more narrow than a J at both the nut and last fret, and has a flat radius (16"). This makes the neck super fast. Bends don't choke out anywhere on the neck. The back of the neck has a satin finish, which I really like. I have no complaints in this department. The bass body is a bit smaller and lighter than my Jazz which Is great for me (5'6"). It weights about 9.2 pounds. It balances perfectly on a strap.
Hardware:
The bass come with Grover tuners, and a heavy duty Schecter Bridge. They both do exactly what they should, and do it well. I might consider swapping the tuners to save some weight, and If a Hipshot A style bridge will fit this bass, I might slap one on to mess with different string spacings. The only definite mod I'll be making here is some Schaller strap locks.
I've seen it reported that Schecters have a narrow string spacing, but this bass is 19mm at the bridge. I don't know if older/different models are any different.
Looks:
I'm not thrilled here. I like the Stiletto shape, but the bass is a very plain, very glossy black. Pretty uninspiring. I might have a pickguard made for it or add some decals to spice things up a bit. Looks a bit too "metal" to me right now. I'm all about metal, and I know that Schecter leans heavily in that direction, but I prefer basses to look a bit more vintage. This is just a personal thing, but I hate MM pickups in non MM basses. I don't know why. I think it's the big pole pieces and the lack of symmetry.
Sound:
The bass has a clarity to it that's great for slap and tap stuff. Those techniques really cut through with both pickups selected. The bridge pickup soloed gets a MM vibe, but it's positioned too close to the bridge to really nail it. The 3 band EQ definitely helps sculpt your tone. I like to cut all 3 bands to tame the bass a bit. It makes the response with pedals more similar to my J, which means I don't have to make any drastic changes if/when I swap basses. The neck pickup is right in the P-bass sweet spot, but I wouldn't really say it sounds like a P when soloed. It's super meaty, and has a lot of mids to help you cut through. It's nice that they included a passive option, but I honestly find the bass to be a little muddy without the EQ to work with.
The bass sounds good, but it is drastically different from all of my main players (Modded Geddy, modded Ric, Dano). It's nice that it's unique, but I kinda wish I could coax some more vintage sounds out of it. It's very modern and aggressive. I think coil split options would help, or maybe a more vintage voiced pickup.
The current plan is to make the bass passive and swap the pickups for Nordstand Big Splitman 4s. This will give me the big humbucker sound when I want it, and should allow for some J and P-ish tones with different coils selected. Plus I'll have the benefit of noise free operation in any position.
Bottom Line:
This is a great bass. Not just for the price I paid. The sound definitely leans towards modern, but the EQ helps it to blend into other scenarios. I highly recommend this bass, or any part of the Stiletto series (though the Session has a different neck than any other model).
I haven't seen too much on this model, so I wanted to write more detailed review to hopefully help answer any questions people might have about it. Let me know if there's any other info you guys would like!
Pics!:
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Play it well!!
