Opinions on these basses?

[Deviant]

Hey guys,

I wanted to step into the bass world and saved up some money. Now my budget is 350 in dollars and there aren't many options here where I live, so a couple of friends suggested that I should go for a used bass to get more value for money.
So I've been searching for a month narrowing down options and now there are two basses I can't decide between.

- Schecter C-4 Deluxe
- PRS SE Kestrel

I know they are pretty far from each other in the spectrum but I liked them both and they have their advantages and disadvantages.
Both are pretty clean, only used for 1.5 - 2 years and both have lifetime support from the distributor here. And both are selling for near 340$.

Now I know which one to go with should depend on my musical taste but there lies the problem. I don't wanna limit myself to specific genres (I wanna play some metal, and some blues) and I probably cannot afford a second bass for a couple of years. I just wanted to hear some experienced opinions on this.

A brand new Kestrel is way expensive than the C-4 Deluxe (Kestrel 858$ - C4Dlx 514$) and it's built in Korea. It has a hipshot bridge and tuners I've heard a lot about. And has 2 PRS J pickups. It's a neck-thru and the build quality seems to be pretty good. But I've heard people complain about its sound. And I couldn't find any sound examples for rock/metal of this one.

C-4 Deluxe on the other hand is an active bass with a harsher sound I really liked. Has a Schecter Diamond MM style and a Schecter Diamond J neck pickup. Bolt- on and built in Indonesia. Has 24 frets (which I see as an advantage). I couldn't find much info about this one. I think it is now discontinued. I don't know if that's a bad thing or not.

I'm an absolute beginner so please forgive if I misinformed or am misinformed, or created the thread in a wrong forum.

Which one would benefit me more in the long run? What do you guys think?

 

[CallMeAl]

Both are nice basses and would serve you well. The "right" bass is the one that inspires you to pick it up and play! If you can see both in person, the one that "feels " right would tip the scales for me. (If you play guitar this is obvious. If not, it means how does the neck feel in your hand? How does the bass feel against your body? How does the weight feel on a strap?)

If you like the sound of the schecter, that might seal the deal. Personally I like passive jazz basses, and I'd go with the prs, but that's me. If you do end up with the prs, and can't get the crunch and drive you like, you can add a preamp or overdrive pedal.

 

[abarson]

I've tried the Schecter in a store and was very impressed. I've not come across the Kestrel.
Both get very high reviews. I don't think you could go wrong with either one.

 

[JRA]

it looks like the schecter is two octaves --- so that may be a consideration for you. i agree with the previous comments that both instruments would make fine players. good luck with your decision --- and good luck with your playing!

 

[Paulabass]

I've never seen/heard anybody playing the PRS. Schecters are everywhere.

 

[Deviant]

Thanks a lot for the comments, it makes sense to decide once I get my hands on both.

I've never seen/heard anybody playing the PRS. Schecters are everywhere.

Does this mean that they are more preferred and thus Schecter is the better option?

 

[BurningSkies]

I've had a PRS bass, but not this model. It played fantastically well but was tonally a mess. The preamp and/or pickups didn't serve it well at all. That said, I don't know that the resale on PRS basses beyond the earlier ones is great, but not so sure about the Schecters either.

 

[Bass V]

Does this mean that they are more preferred and thus Schecter is the better option?

even if it is that doesn't mean it's better to / for you, obviously any PRS is of higher quality than most basses out there but I'd suggest further research and hands-on experience cos there are great basses around for less $$ which might be even more suited for the range of styles you plan to play. keep in mind that changing strings can make drastic differences in sound and preferences, a meh bass may be THE one with a simple string swap, you just never know til you try and that gets pricey quick, so save all your strings properly for optional use. good luck!

 

[Maxdusty]

Hey guys,

C-4 Deluxe on the other hand is an active bass with a harsher sound I really liked. Has a Schecter Diamond MM style and a Schecter Diamond J neck pickup. Bolt- on and built in Indonesia. Has 24 frets (which I see as an advantage). I couldn't find much info about this one. I think it is now discontinued. I don't know if that's a bad thing or not.

I'm an absolute beginner so please forgive if I misinformed or am misinformed, or created the thread in a wrong forum.

Which one would benefit me more in the long run? What do you guys think?

I've tried both - the PRS I tried very briefly at a store, being a PRS and they specializing in guitars rather than basses, I wanted to see how it played. To be honest, I don't remember how it sounded, it didn't really make much of an impression on me I guess to consider buying one.
I've owned quite a few Schecters but not the C4 you're talking about- the joke is, which version did you try as they go through different versions like every other year for no apparent reason other than coming up with something new for NAMM. lol
An example is the Schecter CV-4, google it and you'll see 3 or 4 very different looking versions of it.
So if you like a particular configuration, get it before it either disappears or changes drastically the following year. In other words, it's not a bad thing it's discontinued, that's just Schecter.

Schecter basses are very underrated, and are very nice basses for the money - so quality is very good.

The pickup configuration with that MM humbucker in the bridge area is going to give you a much fuller, powerful sound than the PRS, probably the bass you'd want between the two. The neck on Schecters are typically thin and comfortable btw, not Ibanez SR thin but slim which is another reason why I like them.
Try both and see which does it for you.

 

[Ric5]

Hey guys,

I wanted to step into the bass world and saved up some money. Now my budget is 350 in dollars and there aren't many options here where I live, so a couple of friends suggested that I should go for a used bass to get more value for money.
So I've been searching for a month narrowing down options and now there are two basses I can't decide between.

- Schecter C-4 Deluxe
- PRS SE Kestrel

I know they are pretty far from each other in the spectrum but I liked them both and they have their advantages and disadvantages.
Both are pretty clean, only used for 1.5 - 2 years and both have lifetime support from the distributor here. And both are selling for near 340$.

Now I know which one to go with should depend on my musical taste but there lies the problem. I don't wanna limit myself to specific genres (I wanna play some metal, and some blues) and I probably cannot afford a second bass for a couple of years. I just wanted to hear some experienced opinions on this.

A brand new Kestrel is way expensive than the C-4 Deluxe (Kestrel 858$ - C4Dlx 514$) and it's built in Korea. It has a hipshot bridge and tuners I've heard a lot about. And has 2 PRS J pickups. It's a neck-thru and the build quality seems to be pretty good. But I've heard people complain about its sound. And I couldn't find any sound examples for rock/metal of this one.

C-4 Deluxe on the other hand is an active bass with a harsher sound I really liked. Has a Schecter Diamond MM style and a Schecter Diamond J neck pickup. Bolt- on and built in Indonesia. Has 24 frets (which I see as an advantage). I couldn't find much info about this one. I think it is now discontinued. I don't know if that's a bad thing or not.

I'm an absolute beginner so please forgive if I misinformed or am misinformed, or created the thread in a wrong forum.

Which one would benefit me more in the long run? What do you guys think?

I don't know the PRS bass,

Schecters … I don't like their 2 band preamps and I don't like their pickups. Their 3 band preamps are good. Schecters are nice looking basses with good necks.

 

[Nev375]

Now I know which one to go with should depend on my musical taste but there lies the problem. I don't wanna limit myself to specific genres (I wanna play some metal, and some blues) and I probably cannot afford a second bass for a couple of years. I just wanted to hear some experienced opinions on this.

You may be surprised to learn that you can play both metal and blues on either one of those basses. In fact, you can play ANY genre on them.

 

[Cowboy in Latvia]

Both bases are quite good. I've played a few examples of each and I think you won't go wrong either way. It comes down to which one feels better and which one works better. A bad truss rod will kill either deal while the neck profile can make the difference between a good bass and a bad bass.

 

[GoLeafsGo]

I have never seen a PRS bass in the wild, pretty rare up here. But I do own a Schecter C4 Custom, and it is a wonderful instrument. 3 band EQ, EMG pickups (which I think are very good), and a really easy to play neck, nice and light too. They make a great bass, not just a great bass for the price.

 

[nilorius]

Don't know about helping you, but i know the Schecter - pretty nice bass, but don't know anything about the other one. The best way should be a decision from your side.

 

[deff]

I'd always say play both. I own a Schecter and love mine, but I'm me. That being said, IMO Schecter makes the best value basses today. Build quality is fantastic. Well beyond expectations. Good luck in your search.

 

[Wfrance3]

‘Nother Schecter vote. I just like their stuff...

 

[GBBSbassist]

I've always disliked how Schecters look, so I've never had the inclination to play one. I just always associate Schecter in my mind with bands like Limp Bizkit. I know it's superficial, but whatever. It matters to me. I'm sure they're great instruments for the money though, as many people on here mentioned.

When it comes to PRS though, they're definitely more rare to see in the wild, but I don't think it's anything to do with them being less desirable. From what I've seen, they just haven't really had more affordable instruments lines as long as a manufacturer like Schecter.

As far as quality in the instrument, I've played a few budget PRS guitar models and they always felt great.

Here's a decent demo going over the specs and some tones. It sounds exactly what I'd expect it to sound like, which is good.



My vote is the PRS, but at the end of the day, play them both one more time and go with what feels right to you.

 

[GBBSbassist]

I forgot to mention that if both instruments are near $340, it seems like you're getting more value for your money with the PRS as it costs more new, but that's only if you enjoy playing it.

 

[Paulabass]

Thanks a lot for the comments, it makes sense to decide once I get my hands on both.

Does this mean that they are more preferred and thus Schecter is the better option?

Can't say which is better for you, just a comment on popularity.

 

[Deviant]

Well I wasn't expecting this much input, this place seems pretty friendly (especially after spending a lot of time in stackoverflow).
So thanks again guys.
I'll be trying them both this weekend, taking all your wisdom and all my feelings and blending them into a final decision. I'll update!