Gassing for a Schecter 7 string... Pros? Cons?

errrrrl

Well-known member
Thinking of pulling the trigger on my first 7 string. So far I have my sights on some used Schecter's with a natural wood finish. Kind of leaning towards a Schecter KM-7 MK-II or maybe a Schecter Banshee Elite-7 both with hardtails.

How are their pickups? And necks? Do they stay in tune pretty good? Or do I have to invest in new tuners? I read up a little and seem like Schecters have pretty good quality control overall.... too bad there are no dealers where I live.

Looking for pros and cons from RT peeps that have or have had these models... Thanks!
 
errrrrl":26rj7nl5 said:
Thinking of pulling the trigger on my first 7 string. So far I have my sights on some used Schecter's with a natural wood finish. Kind of leaning towards a Schecter KM-7 MK-II or maybe a Schecter Banshee Elite-7 both with hardtails.

How are their pickups? And necks? Do they stay in tune pretty good? Or do I have to invest in new tuners? I read up a little and seem like Schecters have pretty good quality control overall.... too bad there are no dealers where I live.

Looking for pros and cons from RT peeps that have or have had these models... Thanks!
Man they are killer. I’d get the Merrow. I REALLY like the Sentient/Nazgul set. The hardware is all nice. Hipshot bridges, CTS pots. Mine has Schaller tuners. The new ones have Schecter branded. The new one has a 5-piece neck which is very nice.

It plays KILLER! Like I said, I got my MK1 for dirt cheap!
 
Thanks JerEvil, I'm pretty much sold on the KM-7 MKII. Just not sure if I should go used + shipping to Hawaii which is just shy of the cost of New with free shipping from Amazon :doh:
 
I used to be a schecter hater. I just never bonded with them and felt they targeted the kids who were into screamo. But the more I played them, the more my attitude changed. Their import stuff in the $600 and up range is nice quality for an import guitar. Their USA Custom Shop guitars are absolutely stellar fiddles.

As for other brands- the Ibanez RGD series are neat as are the Vai Universe guitars. At a lower price-point, theres the Sterling JP and if you keep looking on ebay, Carvin DC727's pop up here and there. If you really want something different, I think Eastman makes an acoustic 7 string jazzbox.
 
I used to not respect Schecter either, thought of it as a fad brand plugged by eyeliner bands obsessed with bats and cross motifs.

A few months back I picked up this used Diamond Series Blackjack ATX and I was floored. Ebony board, locking tuners, stainless frets, Blackouts, full LP thickness...etc. Just sick!


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At least the Korean-made Schecter stuff is really nice. I've played some new ones that felt great. I picked up a used one for super cheap because it was in unplayable condition, but all it needed was a truss rod adjustment, and it played awesome.
 
I am not sure why Schecter gets all the hate, except for their marketing for bands like Avenged Sevenfold.

I have always found them to be great guitars overall. Usually their quality is much better than other brands at similar prices. I have always found their $600-$1200 range to be excellent.

I have an older Hellraiser C7 from when their necks were baseball bat thick. I have never found another guitar to sound as huge as that one. All mahogany, fat neck, EMG 707 pickups. Thing is huge sounding. It is the only guitar I have that can get that Nevermore type chunkiness.

Most of their newer guitars have switched to having thinner necks. I also have a 6 string Banshee, and it has one of the smallest necks I have ever seen. It is like an older Ibanez wizard, but rounder, and narrower. That is a great playing guitar as well.

Most of their hardtail guitars come with locking tuners in that price range. Most come with Duncans or EMGs. Hardware should be fine on them. You might need a small setup, but I usually find them to be pretty good right out of the box. I have had to make small adjustments, like adding foam under a pickup, but for the most part, they have been excellent.
 
I 've been wanting a 7 string for a long time. Maybe Santa will be nice to me this year. I probably would get a Schecter too. I have there blackjack atx c-1 6 string and its amazing!
 
Honestly for me it was all the tacky abalone and quite frankly brossociation.

If it wasn’t for the high quality of the Balaguer import line, I’d not have considered the KM-7. Glad to eat crow here.

I’d actually suggest you give them a look as well.

www.balaguerguitars.com
 
I had an older Schecter 7 String from the Black Jack line but I sold it because the neck was just too uncomfortable. Quite honestly the one thing that kept me away from Schecter for a long, long time were the huge necks. They were too thick. When they finally thinned out the necks a bit (SLS neck?) I started considering them again. Their designs (inlays mainly, also like JerEvil mentioned the ugly abalone binding (also kept me away from a lot of ESP LTD stuff too)) also are really fucking ugly or just embarrassing, which kept me away from the bulk of their guitars. Once they finally axed the ugly / embarrassing stuff I started considering their guitars a lot more.

I have a KM-7 (first series) which is a great 7 string. Plays and sounds awesome. Highly recommend the Keith Merrow signature line. If you can play before you buy it would be preferred too since there are some duds so I've heard
 
JerEvil":1but9no8 said:
Honestly for me it was all the tacky abalone and quite frankly brossociation.

If it wasn’t for the high quality of the Balaguer import line, I’d not have considered the KM-7. Glad to eat crow here.

I’d actually suggest you give them a look as well.

http://www.balaguerguitars.com

I never heard of Balaguer. Visited the page and recognized Fluff's Hyperion. Thanks for sharing. They have some cool designs and TONS of options.
 
EvilBatman":3kwgc38o said:
JerEvil":3kwgc38o said:
Honestly for me it was all the tacky abalone and quite frankly brossociation.

If it wasn’t for the high quality of the Balaguer import line, I’d not have considered the KM-7. Glad to eat crow here.

I’d actually suggest you give them a look as well.

http://www.balaguerguitars.com

I never heard of Balaguer. Visited the page and recognized Fluff's Hyperion. Thanks for sharing. They have some cool designs and TONS of options.
Yeah man. Joe offers a TON of options when you go Semi-Custom and the prices are really pretty good. Any of his models can be made 7 string I believe. You pick that in the Semi build. You can basically spec it out with the $0 options and then 7 string is a $150 upcharge
 
The pots often need to be changed, and finishes arent always impeccable, but there are no brands with the same top notch hardware in the same price range, usually not even for twice as much. Also, as their name suggests, they tend to research a lot on new solutions, which is always nice in a very conservative scenario as guitar world is.

All considered, their Diamond series is nice workhouse stuff, excellent mod platform on lower series.

USA Production is on par with your Suhr or Tom Anderson; I've liked some of their Traditionals more than many Suhrs I've played lately, but you can't go wrong with any of them, if quality is what matters mostly to you.

I am not sure why Schecter gets all the hate, except for their marketing for bands like Avenged Sevenfold.

Gibson made a signature for Jonas Brothers, Fender made a signature for Avril Lavigne.
 
Mine came setup for 2 Volumes 1 Tone which I thought was shit. I also bought a Pegasus/Sentient set. I went in knowing I would change this and wired it up to my liking; made a thread about it.

The combination of a Set Neck, 26.5" Scale, Fixed Bridge and Carved Top make the guitar loud and resonant. The notes are clear and jump off the Top. I set up the action to my liking because it was to low and buzzy. The SS Frets seem more sibilant, but it doesn't translate thru the Pickups and should last longer cuz I can wear out some Nickle Frets... The longer Scale is harder to play, but like all things, you get used to it.

Here's the final nail in your coffin: the Sweetwater pics of my axe, and a couple of my own.

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I like the Keith Morrow too.I have had 2 Hellraisers and 1 of the earlier Blackjacks with the JB/59' set from factory and non-locking Grover tuners and Tone Pros bridge and tailpiece.I didn't like the EMG's in the Hellraisers but the Blackjack was a kickass guitar..get the Keith Morrow in Natural finish !
 
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Man I really dig this guitar. Yeah the 26.5" scale feels weird at first but after a week or so I can jump from my LP, to my Tele then to this no problem and without hiccup.
 
the rossness":1zpgjboa said:
I used to be a schecter hater. I just never bonded with them and felt they targeted the kids who were into screamo. But the more I played them, the more my attitude changed. Their import stuff in the $600 and up range is nice quality for an import guitar. Their USA Custom Shop guitars are absolutely stellar fiddles.

As for other brands- the Ibanez RGD series are neat as are the Vai Universe guitars. At a lower price-point, theres the Sterling JP and if you keep looking on ebay, Carvin DC727's pop up here and there. If you really want something different, I think Eastman makes an acoustic 7 string jazzbox.
Thanks man... you just opened my eyes to Carvin's DC727... Never been much of a Carvin guy before but after googling them I got to say I like their natural wood look. Not sure how their pickups would sound compared to the SD's in the KM-7's though.

I'm guessing the Carvin would be better than the Schecter in terms of quality but how about tone?
 
Thanks guys for the intel on Schecters. I'm pretty much sold on the KM7 MKII. The 26.5 scale is something I think I'd really like. I've got some giant grape ape gorilla sized hands that would probably enjoy that scale ;) Also digging on a Carvin DC727 but have no idea how their C26 humbuckers sound compared against the KM7's SD's.

midnightlaundry":kvf6xvnb said:
Mine came setup for 2 Volumes 1 Tone which I thought was shit. I also bought a Pegasus/Sentient set. I went in knowing I would change this and wired it up to my liking; made a thread about it.

The combination of a Set Neck, 26.5" Scale, Fixed Bridge and Carved Top make the guitar loud and resonant. The notes are clear and jump off the Top. I set up the action to my liking because it was to low and buzzy. The SS Frets seem more sibilant, but it doesn't translate thru the Pickups and should last longer cuz I can wear out some Nickle Frets... The longer Scale is harder to play, but like all things, you get used to it.

Here's the final nail in your coffin: the Sweetwater pics of my axe, and a couple of my own.
Dude you put the first nail in my coffin as well lol... it was your NGD post of that guitar that got the 7 string wood grain bug stuck in butt lol. Then JerEvil's KM7 after that... and thanks Jer for the Balaguer link, gonna go thru that site right now.
 
I'm surprised on how good it really sounds. It's like a new door has opened. It makes my Ibanez 7620 sound like cardboard. It's a brave new world.
 
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