SCHECTER---Reviews and advice

i was actually looking into getting a c4, i like the way the play, love the neck sound, and for only 500 bucks, seems good. but i dont know i've heard bad about schecter so i wasnt going to get it.

 

That's impossible... It's a bass, you can never have too much low-end!

lol

My experiences... I play alot sitting down, so I tested out a beautiful Silletto, a custom I believe (Had the beautiful wood grain satin finish, felt impeccable) I found the build quality superb, and the tone was, well to me, they all sound the same (Schecter) so nothing new to me, but the one thing that stood out, was amazingly annoying neck-dive. I imagine she balances well on a strap, I didn't feel the need to try it out on one (seeing as I play sitting down moreso than standing) so I just kept on ripping on it sitting. I did like the bass, but not for the price. IME, the neck-dive killed it for me. However, it excelled in every other department, and made me feel like I was playing an Ibanez SR100X, which reminds me of a Corvette, so I was happy... Not as entertained as I was with a Hondo accoustic/electric the same store had, but I was happy, lol.

~Ryan

 

Never had any complaints with my C-4, and it has been slowly creeping in to my main bass slot. I think it is a fantastic bass for this price range.

 

Well, don't go selling the cow for bad milk, before you try chaging it's feed out. ( ) You might just want to try a different set of pickups. Active isn't always better when it comes to playing in a band.

The model I was playing was definately a Schecter Stiletto Custom 4 string, this one right here, in natural finish. When I sat down, I let it balance on my lap, and it almost fell off my lap, heading head-first to the floor, and fast! Thankfully, my cat-like reflexes kicked in, and I saved it not a moment too soon. I loved the tone of the bass, look and feel too. Absolutley amazing. My guess was that the bass was just too light, as these basses are incredibly light. Again, nothing against the Stiletto line, love it, just not for me I guess. I'm just a Fender/Spector/Ibanez guy I guess.

~Ryan

 

I'm going to toot my own horn for a sec. A friend of mine, under my influence invested in the Schecter Stilleto Exotic. Zebrawood Top. The EQ, in my humblest of opinions, can really shift the tone to anything you want, minus the traditional p sound. With an active passive switch you can go from active to that real nice thuddy warm passive sound. Plus, i find with the duncan designed pickups, the tone is far superior to a fender J for the same price (deluxe, or cij). The Shcect is also more slap-happy, you can have so much fun thumbing that neck. Furthermore, it works for any type of music you could ever want to play.

Just my $.02

 

I just picked up my Schecter last week, diamond studio 5, so I'm still working with it, experimenting. But what I can tell you is that it feels alot like my warwick 5. The biggest difference is the range in the EQ, I love it. Got a variety of tones to work with, and the action is just what I'm used to.

I'm liking it more and more.

 

I posted this yeasterday in an old thread, but since this "Dedicated Schecter Thread" popped up, I figured I would paste it in here as well.

I just bought a Stiletto Exotic (zebrawood) at GC in Towson, Md last night.
I was trading in my MM SR4 to get something with a wider tone range and 24 frets. I LOVED my 'ray, but it was slightly too limiting to be my main bass anymore. I went in there looking for a Warwick Corvette, Thumb, and a Tobias Growler to play and eventually purchase/trade for one. I found and played all 3, and then the sales guy handed me the Exotic. Bottom line is I was blown away. It SMOKED the Corvette. It sounded extremely dull in comparison. Next on the list were the Growler and Thumb. The Growlers neck felt better (go figure...its a Tobias for christ sake), the tone was just as versatile as the Exotic, but the Schecter had more bite to the high end. Close one. Next, the Thumb. The tone was just as good in quality, but it lacked the versatility of the Exotic. And even though the neck felt good, it was huge. Winner: Exotic. The thing that made me purchase this over the Growler was the contour switch on Stiletto. I call it my "Jekyll and Hyde" switch. In the down position it plays your on-board eq settings. in the up position it scoops some mids out for better slapping and warmth. Perfect for what I do.
For all of you Warwick junkees, this bass has the exact same neck material as your bass, just a little smaller. And for all you growler fans, stick this in your arsenal for your soloing. The electronics are good enough to compete with any "high profile" bass, and the craftsmanship is on par with any boutique bass collector. BUY THIS BASS. At a list price of just under $1200, you can get a great number one bass, for the price of a backup.

 

Has anybody figured out how to adjust the action from the bridge?? I broke out my usual tools and i had NOTHING that could raise or drop the string height. Its driving me nuts. Its a certain tool that almost screws into the bridge from it looks like. Never had a bass like that before. Any suggestions??

 

I was really close to buying a Schecter recently. They look great with some really nice finishes...and the ones that I checked out in the shop all had good setups and played really smooth. However those EMG HZ's turned me away, they seemed to lack 'warmth'. Its a shame cause the C-4 in black cherry looks sexy as heck with those 'V' inlays.

 

My black cherry Stiletto Elite 5 now has a set of Bart classic bass pups and a Bart 3 band preamp in it. The tone of the Schecter is now finally able to get past the crap pups and pre it came with, and damn what a sweet voice it has! For what I have invested in this bass, there isn't a stock one out there that is sweeter. Great playability and feel, and an amazing and flexible tone. What else could you want?

 

I had a sweet honey burst stilleto elite 5 string from 2000-2003. It was a nice bass, but I never really became proficient at the 5 string thing. The B string was pretty nice though. I had a difficult time getting the action low enough. It would buzz if set too low. I suspected less-than-perfect fret work. The frets certainly weren't as dressed and flawless as the new USA Peavey Millenium I got. But, I really enjoyed the tone and had alot of fun with it. I would certainly recommend them. Especially to those that like to tweak their basses (changing pups, dressing the frets yourself, etc).

 

I am also a Schecter owner, playing the Stilletto Studio 5. It sounds very good with the active preamp, 3 band EQ, and EMG-HZ pickups. Solid build quality as well. I would say it's suceptible to denting, but it was bashed against a curb in a soft case, so I think that one's my fault. Anyway, my only real complaint is that the B sting isn't amazing. Not awful, but it is somewhat floppy and not quite as defined as the other strings. Other than that, it looks, plays and sounds very good for the price I paid.

 

I have the Stiletto Studio 5 as well.
I have to say right now that I'm shying away from playing it. I think moreso because I'm getting into a little more aggressive sound these days.
The EMG HZ's are.........OK. But maybe a little too much on the high end. I usually have the treble all the way off.
My only real complaint (besides it's tone not suiting MY needs at the moment) is the the finish is already worn away from my thumb placement. After a while the satin starts to get a little glossy.
All in all a very nice bass for a $600 investment.

 

My pal Marty O'Brien endorses them. You can ask him any questions on his own "Ask A Pro" board right here on TB:
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=120

 

i just put a down payment on a brand spankin new Shecter Studio 4 today.......It's gunna end up being $550 total and have a 2 year warranty and all that fun stuff. i should have it by the end of the week!