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Schecter Diamond P?

B

Bofuss

Apr 6, 2009
16
0
Syracuse, NY
#1
Hello All:

I'm trying to decide between purchasing a Schecter Diamond P or an MIM Fender P.

Schecter is a mystery to me. Have people here had good luck with this brand? Many happy owners?

I admit to being fascinated with the pickup combination on the Schecter Diamond P. The only other bass I've seen with a P at the neck and humbucker at the bridge was the unaffordable (to me) American Deluxe P-Bass. What tone, or variety of tones, can I expect from the bridge humbucker?

Thanks to All,
KM
 
#4
I remember someone daying the diamond p sounds nothing like a P,its hot and aggressive. I say if you want a P and the P sound....you can't do that with anything other than a P. If you want a P looking bass,with similar tone,but is hotter,more aggressive then go with the schecter.
 
#5
When is a P not a P? The Diamond P would be the answer to that question.

Overall, I've been pretty impressed with the Schecter line over the last couple of years, but to be honest I wasn't all that impressed with this model, and I wanted to be with the P/MM configuration. Fit and finish was excellent. The physical feel though was not to my liking. It didn't feel as solid as some of their other models. The pickups are definitely hotter than one might expect, not as full and rounded as I'd like, and a little sterile. A fairly common sentiment with Schecters. It really does depend on what you're playing them through for sure though.

I tested a number of Schecters through some Ampeg's and thought they sounded great. Tried the same models through some GK rigs and there was a big difference. Certainly to be expected, but had I tried them solely with the GK rigs, I would never have picked up my Studio 5.

If you could find a used one, and swap out the pickups for some Duncans, I think it could be a damn fine rock and roll machine. I felt that those were truly the weakest link for this model.
 
#6
I own one. It's one loud bass with tons of vibe. I compared it to a MIM P-Special, a USA P and P-Plus and that new Modulus "explorer-ish" bass. This is much louder compared to the flat settings of those active basses with a much thicker neck. It's quite heavy! Very playable. Single coil taping of the humbucker does alot! It's most likely series since there's a huge change in bass/mids and sounds great soloed. I would switch out the capacitor with a PIO .47 and the P-pup with a Dimarzio, but it sounds great to it's merit, but I am itching to do it because I am more familiar with the Dimarzio's abillity. D'Addario 100-45's strings, too. I have no problems getting a nice round tone by cutting the tone by half. I was moved so much to get it I sold my heavily modded Hohner BB-4 and heavily modded Spector NS2000-4 to get it with enough cash to fix my old MIJ Precision and to buy a MIJ BC Rich P style bass very cheap. It holds it's own and doesn't look cheap. The blue finish is amazing. Many might not like it because you can just get a used USA Fender for a bit more and get that vibe or look to a multi plied neck bass Schecter offers and feel "secure", but I have made a great choice and with no buyer's regret. Go give it a run. I sat and played it for an hour with other basses of the same style nearby for comparison.
 
#7
I'd go for the Schecter personally. I don't own one but I have a friend who has two and they are frankly awesome basses. Way ahead of a MIM P-bass. They are pretty hot sounding (the pickups are Duncan SPB-2 / SJB-2) but still retain that classic P-bass thump. If the pickups aren't for you they can always be swapped out for something a bit less loud. Only thing I didn't like was the shape of the neck, it was a little too thin and flat for me - I prefer something pretty chunky. But that's overshadowed by the overall awesomeness of the instrument.

Oh, and the Schecter comes with a much better gigbag than the Fender. ;)
 
#8
OK, so the gushing praise I just heaped on this bass was actually referring to the Model-T bass Schecter make. Ooops. Still, if the build quality of that is anything to go by I'd still jump at the Diamond P over a MIM Fender.
 
#12
BassmanAd said:
Looks to me that the Diamond P is pretty similar to the Model T so I'd be confident picking one up based on the quality.
Click to expand...

Model T > Diamond P by quite a bit.

The feel of the model T imo is much more solid and substantial and the tone with the Duncans...yeah. Not too big on the Schecter brand pickups. Wouldn't say that the Diamond P isn't worth it (see previous post) but between a Model T and the Diamond. No contest. I've been looking for a used one for a while :(

So what kind of P do you really want though is the question. You could go new and pick up a regular old MIM P, which can be hit or miss. You could look at a used Deluxe active P, which should run you about 400, maybe a Highway 1 even for just a bit more. A Reggie Hamilton would give you a Jazz body but with a P/J configuration and an active/passive switch to boot and the stock p-ups on that are actually pretty nice.
 
#13
I'll throw in my 2 cents...

I almost bought a Diamond P. I played one at the Chattanooga Guitar Center and then played one at the Knoxville GC. It (both) sounded better than any bass I've ever played.

Well, I know that is very subjective, and I know some may think I've probably never played a great bass, but I actually have.
Anyway, if the tone is what you like, then it may be the bass for you, right?

I ended up with another bass because of a lack of funds, but man, it sure has the sound that I like. Go with your heart and ears... it has the tone or it doesn't.

BTW, the playability was great.
And the tone I'm talking about was a growl. It growled better than anything I've played.
 
#14
I loved the Diamond Custom P. It was funny, because it was the main reason behind the recent "upgrade" of my own bass. I added a humbucker to it (it is a P styled bass, more or less), which admittedly, is nothing new, but now my bass sounds IMHO, better than the custom P.

I would indeed pickup the Schecter over the MIM, to be honest. It plays and sounds very good.
 
#15
I got to play one in a local store. I didn't plug it in...(electronics can be changed)..due to time constraints.

Now, the store I went to sets up all it's inventory very well, so the playability was off the scale. The resonance was there, the feel was there. Very well made bass. You want it to sound like a Precision? Or a Jazz? Or a MM? Nope, it'll sound like itself. Not a clone, but a well made standalone marque.

If I had the cash right now, that sparkly blue thing would be mine. MIM's? Not bad, but they too suffer from the "Take nine down from the wall and see if one is playable." Fender curse (well, that's my experience....not that Squier seems that bad).
 
#17
Your classic vibe P is probably better than the MIM you were going for. I don't understand why you would want another bass just like it.

Uhh, honestly, you can't unless you get lucky. Model T's aren't on the floors of many music shops. You just have to get lucky to find one.
 
#18
Good choice! I'm loving my Diamond P. Very thick sound that can even be a bit woody if you eq it just right. Definitely it's own beast though. Quality is outstanding except for the junky tone pot. Already crackling and most of the control is in about 1/8 of a rotation. I'll replace that pot when I have time. What color did you get?
 

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