Schecter guitars................just how good are they?

[SixVeeSix]

I'm not sure that a Paul Studio compares all that favorably to a Standard or a Custom.

Once again, you have that all mahogany tone which is not all that great to my ears anyway.

Most Les Paul Studios have the same maple cap as a Standard or a Custom. Some are all mahogany, as are some Customs. Truly, the only real difference between a Les Paul Custom and a Studio is the binding and the gold. Some Studios even came with the gold. I think they can play even better since the frets go all the way to the edge instead of stopping at the binding. You get almost an eighth of an inch of extra fret board width without any increase in neck size.

 

[mikeymike]

Most Japanese made guitars have some short-comings by comparison as well and are overpriced, especially Ibanez. A Steve Vai "Monkey Grip" Strat clone has the same cheap switches, pots and jacks as most $400-500 dollar guitars and they want $2k for one? I have replaced the entire harness in several of them, it is pretty sad to see such cheap components in there.

The woods are not as good.
The metals are not as good.
The electronics are not as good.

Yeah and the USA made Jackson football jacks are so much more superior than the Ibanez barrel.. are you kidding? By the way the guitar is called a JEM not a Monkey Grip Strat Clone... Are you sure you've "replaced the entire harness in several of them" I don't see anyone randomly replacing the entire electronics harness replaced in a JEM. Why were you even inside a JEM in the first place? Several of them... really... Seems like an embellishment to me

 

[Rocky]

not all output jacks are created equal. Same can be said for electronic components. that they may do the same job is not the issue. I have had to work of 4 jem guitars over my time in the guitar biz....2 had dead singles that needed warranty replacement, 3 had pot issues and one had a bad switch out of the box. Ibanez are not crap guitars by any definition but Ibanez is nowhere near being an elite level maker. Those factories churn out a lot of guitars...issues are to be expected. The lack of skilled labor working their assembly lines guarantees issues. In comparison a small boutique luthier like Driskill or Heatley or a small shop like Tom Anderson or Tyler is not going to miss things that will slide by on a factory piece.


Once again Mikey....come over to TGP. Lets see you in the ring with big guys...

 

[Kaz]

I feel some serious nationalist bias coming on in here. Why is it that guitars are only 'good' if they are made in the USA? I have a 10-15 year old made Korean Hamer Sunburst that held up in near perfect condition, (though the last user dicked around in the control cavity so I had to fix his mistakes), completely stock. I also own several ESP/LTDs--soon to own a MIJ ESP--and am very satisfied.

Most of my bandmates/people I play with play Schecters, and I can firmly say that they are quality guitars. Schecter is owned by Shibuya Hisatake, the owner of ESP, and that guy stands behind his companies when it comes to quality. Doesn't mean a $300 guitar is going to stand up to a $1700 one, but it does mean if you bother to look, you'll find a great instrument in either company's line up. I own an LTD EC-1000VB with EMGs and it is seriously one of the best guitars I have ever played, compared against several Les Pauls (Which I like), PRSes (Some of my favorite guitars) and Jacksons, and still found to be the winner in many cases (PRS is tough competition. )

I think people are too biased against Asian-made instruments and products. Or is it that is an Asian makes a guitar better than an American, something has gone terribly wrong?

 

[domct203]

I have been playing the same LP Custom since '84. Needless to say I love this guitar.

But, time is evident on this classic, and it's been re-fretted once, and is getting due to be leveled and crowned. Yes, I play her alot

With that said, I need a second guitar to lighten the load a bit. Maybe something in the $500-700 range.

I just ordered the Schecter C-1 Hellraiser, I'm interested if it's all it's been made out to be (play-ability), and the Quilted black cherry top sure looks nice in the pictures. No sweat 'sight unseen' here with a 30-day return period.

I'll post my opinions vs. my LP after I've played it for a couple of rehersals.

Dom

 

[SixVeeSix]

Most Japanese made guitars have some short-comings by comparison as well and are overpriced, especially Ibanez. A Steve Vai "Monkey Grip" Strat clone has the same cheap switches, pots and jacks as most $400-500 dollar guitars and they want $2k for one? I have replaced the entire harness in several of them, it is pretty sad to see such cheap components in there.

The woods are not as good.
The metals are not as good.
The electronics are not as good.

Yeah and the USA made Jackson football jacks are so much more superior than the Ibanez barrel.. are you kidding? By the way the guitar is called a JEM not a Monkey Grip Strat Clone... Are you sure you've "replaced the entire harness in several of them" I don't see anyone randomly replacing the entire electronics harness replaced in a JEM. Why were you even inside a JEM in the first place? Several of them... really... Seems like an embellishment to me

If you want to say that you think I am a liar, just come right out with it instead of trying to be a diplomatic pussy.

One of my customers was the son of a wealthy farmer and a farmer himself. He played in a local metal band and owned 3 Ibanez Vai Monkey Grip Strat Clones. He was a good player but rather energetic. His favorite green one started making all sorts of crappy noises. He used 2 Mesa Collesium heads through 8 4-12 Boogie cabs so the crappy noises were really loud!

We popped his guitar open and I showed him the cheap flimsy components. They were exactly the same crappy electronics that Ibanez was putting in their low line guitars - junk. I showed him the difference between quality cloth insulated cabling with braided shielding and the cheap plastic spiral braided stuff they had used in his expensive guitar. He said "fix it, I don't care what it costs" so I put in Switchcraft and Allen Bradley components and quality wiring.

He was happy with that (his other two were mostly for show) until I loaned him my parts Franken Tele with a REAL Floyd Rose (made in Germany) and EMG pickups. He was stuck with the mush metal Licensed bridge but he had me redo all three of his guitars with the EMGs.

I had two other customers whose switches, pots and/or jacks went out on them within two years of buying their Ibanez Vai Monkey Grip Strat Clones and were willing to do the full replacement I suggested. It isn't that hard to rewire a guitar like that if you know what you are doing. I fixed LOTS of lesser Ibanez, Washburn, Electra, etc. for the same reason. They were all building guitars down to a price, rather than up to a standard. Most of those guitars I just replaced the bad component, customers who buy inexpensive guitars rarely have expensive repairs done on them, it is too stupid.

As far as me being nationalist, I drive a Japanese made Subaru because American made automobiles cannot match the reliability. I do my photography with a Japanese/Asian made Canon EOS system dSLR, can't afford the German stuff and America makes no cameras. I am typing this on a Chinese made iMac computer that works great. I do not like using Chinese made anything, they are financiers of terrorism and have a massive record of human rights violations. They also make inferior guitars. I hate doing fret mills and bridge tweaking on them, the metal clogs my files because it is soft.

You can go back to playing your guitar now.

 

[devilrob1979]

I don't understand why people spend so much money on amps and then buy second tier guitars. The closest I have to a boutique guitar is my Hamer (they only made 30 of 'em so I guess that makes it cooler) but all of my guitars are pretty nice. After playing mine at practice all night picked up a Schecter Diamond Series and it felt like a big ol' piecer. Didn't sound too great either. My thinking with these is if that if it works for you then who cares? I'd never be able to convince a dyed-in-the wool Gibson guy that my Hamer's head and shoulders better than their VOS Paul but I still think it is.

 

[RJ2213]

sixveesix, actually ibanez uses a different switch in the japanese made guitars than they do there korean made guitars. i'm guessing you were working on crappy korean JEM555's since you say teh switch was the same. and the JEM555 is NOT the same as a real JEM. same goes for the bridge, the real JEM should have a Lo-Pro Edge, the JEM555 will have the Lo-TRS2 soft metal crap bridge.

learn your ibanez info, then spew it out to the forums, not before you learn it.

thank you.

 

[mikey383]

The tuners work well but will not last, the electronics are truly cheap junk, you will be replacing them in about 2 years or less. Your switches will fail and your pots will become intermittent, to say nothing of the jack making popping noises every time you move. When you do replace the wiring harness, be sure to trash the cheap cabling. For what it will cost you (unless you do it yourself) you could have bought a real guitar.

Mine has Grover tuners, which the last time I checked, weren't exactly junk. It also has the REAL Duncan pickups (JB and Jazz), and a Tone Pros bridge. If I have to replace a couple $5 pots, a $10 5-way switch, and a $5 jack in a couple of years, then I'm not displeased at all. I wouldn't pay the expensive prices that a tech would charge to replace all that anyway, when it's a very simple procedure that I can do myself.

It's very comfortable to play, plays very nicely, and sounds teriffic. It was well setup from the factory, and I only had to make minor personal adjustments to it. IMO, in it's stock form it played nicer than most anything Gibson is putting out as of lately.

I also have an Epi LP that I have put new pickups and a toggle switch in, and after a few personal adjustments, plays nicer and sounds better than most Gibson LPs I've played. Will I be able to sell it for what I have in it? No, but I don't plan on getting rid of it because I love that guitar.

I have friends who have high-priced Gibsons, PRSs, ESPs, USA Fenders, and I've played every one of them. I still like the way my Schecter plays, and I've been complimented by every one of them on how it plays and sounds.

I respect a well-built guitar. At the same time, I don't think that current USA built guitars can hold a flame to a good Korean built guitar. There are some exceptions like PRS, but for the most part, everyone is trying to built them cheaper and not better.

 

[mikeymike]

sixveesix, actually ibanez uses a different switch in the japanese made guitars than they do there korean made guitars. i'm guessing you were working on crappy korean JEM555's since you say teh switch was the same. and the JEM555 is NOT the same as a real JEM. same goes for the bridge, the real JEM should have a Lo-Pro Edge, the JEM555 will have the Lo-TRS2 soft metal crap bridge.

learn your ibanez info, then spew it out to the forums, not before you learn it.

thank you.

Thanks for backing me up, this guy is clearly a moron when it comes to Ibanez. I let him spew his bullsh** then sit back and watch the responses.

The Lo-Pro and Original edge bridges are just as good or better than the original floyd rose bridges. To call a J-Craft guitar cheap junk is something ridiculous if you ask me.

On a side note: EMG's in a JEM.... lol

 

[Rocky]

The switch that Ibanez uses in thier higher end guitars is made by Yamaha if memory serves.

It is a good quality switch.

 

[SixVeeSix]

sixveesix, actually ibanez uses a different switch in the japanese made guitars than they do there korean made guitars. i'm guessing you were working on crappy korean JEM555's since you say teh switch was the same. and the JEM555 is NOT the same as a real JEM. same goes for the bridge, the real JEM should have a Lo-Pro Edge, the JEM555 will have the Lo-TRS2 soft metal crap bridge.

learn your ibanez info, then spew it out to the forums, not before you learn it.

thank you.

Was working on the earliest Japanese models, thank you very much. Would have been late 80's early 90's, perhaps some of you were not even born yet. All the Ibanez strat style guitars at that time sported one of those nylon encased 5 way switches with the thin flimsy tabs, thin jacks that failed and small Asian made pot. If I had kept all of those switches and pots I replaced it would fill a shoebox easily.

Not surprised to learn they make an even cheaper version of the switch now but that would be in line with their trend. The best Ibanez guitars ever made were the Artist series (without the active EQ) and the early George Benson models, they have had some nice designs since then but quality of materials has declined steadily.

So how many of you all have taken any Ibanez guitars completely apart let alone dozens of them?

 

[Rocky]

I remember those encased switches...they are TERRIBLE!

I once had an Ibanez 550....that crappy switch kicked off in no time. I replaced it with a proper switchcraft one that lasted until I moved up from Japanese guitars to boutique gear. That 550 literally disintegrated on me, and it wasnt battered by me.

In fixing guitars I see more Japanese and Korean pieces with major issues (a bad pot isnt a major issue) than I do US or European made instruments.

 

[SixVeeSix]

sixveesix, actually ibanez uses a different switch in the japanese made guitars than they do there korean made guitars. i'm guessing you were working on crappy korean JEM555's since you say teh switch was the same. and the JEM555 is NOT the same as a real JEM. same goes for the bridge, the real JEM should have a Lo-Pro Edge, the JEM555 will have the Lo-TRS2 soft metal crap bridge.

learn your ibanez info, then spew it out to the forums, not before you learn it.

thank you.

Thanks for backing me up, this guy is clearly a moron when it comes to Ibanez. I let him spew his bullsh** then sit back and watch the responses.

The Lo-Pro and Original edge bridges are just as good or better than the original floyd rose bridges. To call a J-Craft guitar cheap junk is something ridiculous if you ask me.

On a side note: EMG's in a JEM.... lol

Sorry, none of the licensed bridges are made of quality metal, it is soft and easily filed or ground. You can barely make a dent in the base plate of an original Floyd Rose with a chainsaw sharpening file. German steel versus Japanese pot metal.

EMGs in plenty of JEMs, if that is what their owner wants. Most of them have been very please. I have replaced EMGs too. People have choices, they make them.

So MikeyMike, how many guitars have you repaired? Can you tell the difference between Honduras Mahogany and Luan by sight (EASY but I bet you can't do it)? Brazilian Rosewood vs Indian Rosewood? Can you rewire a Strat correctly by memory? Ever done a fret job on a Martin with frets overlapping the binding? Have you ever taken any of your guitars completely apart and successfully put it back together with no extra parts?

I am guessing not because you continue to make ignorant statements with regards to things you know very little or nothing about. I challenge you to actually say something meaningful that shows the depth of your knowledge about luthiery (Go ahead and Google it, but be careful. There might be a big word or two. You can Google those also).

 

[Rocky]

6v6.

Mikeymike is a talker that likes to play the spin game...he will look for one minor t hing and then try to word it into a big thing to discredit an opponent. While he is FAIRLY good at it he isnt as good at it as he thinks he is. In short, on this forum, he is not worth it. He actually doesnt know what he is talking about it but seems to have mastered the art of Google. He can't back anything up and WON'T even try...he knows that if he tries he will be f'ked.


He still has an open invite to try his crap at TGP...but his lack of bite prevents him from taking the offer.

 

[devilrob1979]

I'll take a good American made guitar over any Japanese guitar and I own both. By good I mean my Hamer which I'm very sorry but absolutely no Schecter stacks up against it in terms of quality of materials and workmanship. I know it's not fair to compare the two but that was what was being thrown out. By the way, Steve Vai has to replace his bridges quite often due to wear at the knife points and Evo's cracking like crazy to the point where he has retired it to the studio only.

 

[mikeymike]

I'll take a good American made guitar over any Japanese guitar and I own both. By good I mean my Hamer which I'm very sorry but absolutely no Schecter stacks up against it in terms of quality of materials and workmanship. I know it's not fair to compare the two but that was what was being thrown out. By the way, Steve Vai has to replace his bridges quite often due to wear at the knife points and Evo's cracking like crazy to the point where he has retired it to the studio only.

If you read his journal about Evo you'll know the reason why it cracked was not from ordinary wear and tear it's from being thrown across the stage and getting caught on something causing it to slam to the ground. I wonder why he would replace the entire bridge when the knife edges are removeable...

 

[mikeymike]

sixveesix, actually ibanez uses a different switch in the japanese made guitars than they do there korean made guitars. i'm guessing you were working on crappy korean JEM555's since you say teh switch was the same. and the JEM555 is NOT the same as a real JEM. same goes for the bridge, the real JEM should have a Lo-Pro Edge, the JEM555 will have the Lo-TRS2 soft metal crap bridge.

learn your ibanez info, then spew it out to the forums, not before you learn it.

thank you.

Thanks for backing me up, this guy is clearly a moron when it comes to Ibanez. I let him spew his bullsh** then sit back and watch the responses.

The Lo-Pro and Original edge bridges are just as good or better than the original floyd rose bridges. To call a J-Craft guitar cheap junk is something ridiculous if you ask me.

On a side note: EMG's in a JEM.... lol

Sorry, none of the licensed bridges are made of quality metal, it is soft and easily filed or ground. You can barely make a dent in the base plate of an original Floyd Rose with a chainsaw sharpening file. German steel versus Japanese pot metal.

So being able to dent a metal is a sign of its tonal quality? Good one... The base plate on the OFR is thin. The baseplate on the Ibanez edge/lo-pro edge are thick. Why does it matter?

EMGs in plenty of JEMs, if that is what their owner wants. Most of them have been very please. I have replaced EMGs too. People have choices, they make them.

So MikeyMike, how many guitars have you repaired? Can you tell the difference between Honduras Mahogany and Luan by sight (EASY but I bet you can't do it)? Brazilian Rosewood vs Indian Rosewood? Can you rewire a Strat correctly by memory? Ever done a fret job on a Martin with frets overlapping the binding? Have you ever taken any of your guitars completely apart and successfully put it back together with no extra parts?

This has nothing to do with the quality of Ibanez guitars. I've taken apart all of my guitars and properly adjusted the truss rod within the .007 to .017 string height range that Ibanez specifies. I've shimmed the necks in the pocket and the nut to raise the string height and intonated the bridges all on various occasions. I set up guitars for other people for free because I like doing it. I don't have to prove my passion for setting up guitars and the technical aspects to some goon on a forum who thinks Japanese made guitars are inferior to American made ones. I'm sure you don't know that Gotoh manufacturers the bridges for Ibanez exclusively and they are known for their quality tuners and bridges. Ibanez chose to make their own bridge because they're innovators not followers. I'm pretty sure that they wouldn't be putting cheap junk on their top of the line guitars what sense would that make? Hoshino has a pretty stout reputation to uphold and putting cheap bridges, pots, and wiring in guitars they charge quite a bit of money for wouldn't make too much sense now would it? I'm pretty sure Steve Vai is not complacent when it comes to quality otherwise he could have anyone else build him a signature model. He is an icon and people would be lining up to offer signature guitars if he ever left Ibanez.

I am guessing not because you continue to make ignorant statements with regards to things you know very little or nothing about. I challenge you to actually say something meaningful that shows the depth of your knowledge about luthiery (Go ahead and Google it, but be careful. There might be a big word or two. You can Google those also).

I googled my response and pasted it in here for you to read.

 

[Rocky]

I wonder why he would replace the entire bridge when the knife edges are removeable...

here is a PRIME example of how a googler like Mikey here can't get the whole picture.

POUNCE.

Mikey, come on over to TGP.

 

[Rocky]

I'm pretty sure Steve Vai is not complacent when it comes to quality otherwise he could have anyone else build him a signature model. He is an icon and people would be lining up to offer signature guitars if he ever left Ibanez.

You poor bugger