Schecter Jeff Loomis FR

Jeff Loomis is one of the few decent players that Schecter happened to pick up. They decided to make him a signature model, and rightfully so. The guy's an amazing guitarist. The guitar features an ash body, a maple neck with a maple fretboard, some weird inlays, an original floyd rose, two humbuckers, one volume and a three way switch.

UTILIZATION

The guitar is pretty good quality considering what you get. The fretwork isn't quite as nice as the Ibanez Prestige stuff, but it's pretty solid. The ends could be finished a bit better, but the rest of the issues it had (dull frets) are easily fixed. The frets were straight, and I was able to get some nice action on this without it fretting out when bending. The finish on this is semi transparent, and it looks pretty cool. Personally, I prefer the black finish. Access to the higher frets is pretty easy, but the neck on this is fairly beefy. You'll want to keep that in mind if you prefer the thinner Ibanez necks.

SOUNDS

The guitar comes equipped with EMG 707s. They're pretty solid pickups, and you can get a great metal tone with these. The bridge is punchy and tight. It's also not super thin sounding, despite the wood being ash. However, it's not your traditional metal tone. It has more highs and lows while scooping out the midrange a bit. While this sounds like what most metal guys would go for, most metal guitars have stronger mids with the guitarist dipping them a bit via the amp. The neck is pretty much the same, and you can get some cool lead tones with this thing. It's not the best for cleans and lower gain stuff, but it can do it if you need it.

OVERALL OPINION

The guitar is probably my favorite Schecter seven string. If it's not my favorite, than it's real close to the Hellraiser C7FR. I always go back and forth between these two guitars. The Loomis is a bit punchier and brighter, but the Hellraiser has that awesome midrange and low end that the Loomis doesn't have. It depends on what you're looking for.

Jeff Loomis is well known guitar player in the metal world. He was the guitar player in the recently disbanded band Nevermore. He was one of the founding members and a huge part of their unique sound. He is known for his incredible chops and mastery of the 7 string. This was his signature model and main go to guitar for a long time. He recently got a new signature model which is basically the same guitar but with a V body shape. This guitar has a traditional superstrat shape albiet slightly englarged and 7 string. This guitar has an ash body with a set maple neck. The fretboard is maple as well with a maple headstock. When these guitars first came out everyone said the non matching headstock was weird. The neck has a 26.5 inch scale with 24 jumbo frets and cross inlays. All the hardware is black chrome. up top you get 7 Grover Rotomatic tuners on the 3x4 headstock. The bridge is a 7 string Floyd Rose unit. The pickups are a set of EMG 707s and the controls are super simple with just a volume and a 3 way toggle.

UTILIZATION

This guitar was certainly built for Loomis. Many people say this is one of the hardest guitars to play there is. Schecter guitar necks are usually on the bigger side and this guitar takes it over the top. The 7 string neck is wider than most 7 string necks and the neck is thicker than most. You really need to have big paws to play this guitar. Loomis is a really big guy so I guess this is what he needed to not feel cramped on the fretboard. The 26.5 inch scale and the jumbo frets means everything is super clear when you play. The longer scale gives good snap to the strings and lets you keep tension with even light strings.

SOUNDS

The Loomis production model has EMG 707s in both positions. It would be interesting to see if this is what Loomis still uses personally with the 81-7 becoming a popular bridge pickup for 7 strings. The 707s are like 7 string EMG 85's. I like the 85 in both positions but some people see it as a neck only pickup. It is more common to see 707s in the bridge as well as the neck but with the newer 81-7 this trend might decline. The tone from the 707s and the natural tone of the body blend well. Naturally the tone on this guitar is pretty bright. You have the maple neck and maple fretboard with the long scale neck. This combined with the ash body give you a good high end sound from the guitar. The 707s being thicker sounding pickups give real depth to the sound while the natural brightness of the guitar keeps the sound from becoming too boomy.

OVERALL OPINION

Lots of players have signature guitars that they dont really play or they might have it as a back up guitar. Loomis actually plays his signature guitar as his primary guitar and this shows the quality and ruggedness of the Schecter design. Loomis is the type of player who can play anything he wanted and if this guitar didnt suit his needs perfectly he would be playing something else for most of his sets. If you are looking for a super solid 7 string that doesnt feel like a toy this is a good option. Some people like pencil thin necks and light bodies while some people like guitars that have a substantial feel to this. This guitar certainly has some mass and if thats what suits you this 7 string is right up your alley.

Specifications:
CONSTRUCTION/SCALE: Set-Neck / 26.5" / Smooth access transition to body
BODY: Ash
NECK/FINGERBOARD: Maple/Maple
FRETS: 24 Jumbo
INLAYS: Metal Cross
PICKUPS: Active EMG 707 humbuckers in neck and bridge position
ELECTRONICS: Vol/3-Way switch
BRIDGE: Floyd Rose Original 7-String Tremolo
TUNERS: High Quality Grover
HARDWARE: Black
OUTPUT: 1/4"

UTILIZATION

This is a very nice 7 string guitar from Schecter, yet the design is a bit limiting. What I mean is, due to the cosmetic appointments, the audience will be a niche audience of metalheads and Loomis-freaks. This is fine - this guitar is incredible for the style of high-impact shred and brutality that Nevermore offers. The Original Floyd Rose vibrato system is very smooth, withstands loads of abuse, and comes true back to pitch pretty well. Dive bombs and up-pulls are possible, and they sound great all over.

SOUNDS

The added 7th string combined with the greater scale length makes this guitar thunderous. The lows are unreal! And the maple neck with maple fretboard enhance the clarity overall. EMG 707 pickups round out the package, and they compliment the 7th string and wood choice very well. As one could imagine, the pickups are high-output, with boosted lows and highs, a touch of a scooped mid sound, and crystal clear. Normally I'd knock a point off for lack of a tone control and just 3 pickup positions, but this guitar sounds perfect for what it does, so this section gets a perfect 10!

OVERALL OPINION

For anyone looking to get a great extended range instrument, this is a fine choice, so long as the cosmetic appointments are welcomed. The guitar surely looks very distinctive. But if it fits, go for it - this is a very well-made axe that will perform every time. I'd recommend this highly for shredders, metalheads, and anyone in to very experimental music.

(Originally written by mikethehobbit/translated from Audiofanzine FR)
Jeff Loomis Signature model (Nevermore guitarist)
Made in Korea.
Neck
Type:Set neck
Wood:Maple
Finish:Vampire Red Satin (neck back and head)
Fingerboard
Wood:Maple
Fret typeJumbo
Number of frets:24
Neck length (mm):66,7
Black binding
InlaysMetal cross (black)
Body
Wood:Ash
Finish:Vampire Red Satin
Accessories
Machine heads:Grover
Bridge type:Floating tremolo or TonePros w/Thru-Body
Tremolo brand:Floyd Rose
Finish:Black
Electronics
Pickups:EMG 707
Pickups type:Humbucker
Pickups model:EMG 707 (85-like)
Toggle switch:3-way
Electronics
Controls:Volume (x1)
and for those of you who are wondering: D´Addario XL strings (.010/.013/.017/.026/.036/.046)
Plus a .056 string for the B string
https://www.schecterguitars.com/index.asp

UTILIZATION

Wide neck but pretty comfortable to play with. A bit too "thick" but 7-string guitar players will quickly feel comfortable with this neck.
The access to the upper frets is perfect and the hand slides smoothly and naturally all the way to the 24th fret.
The guitar is very well-balanced, not too heavy and not too light. The Strat-like shaping allows all possible playing positions whether you are sitting or standing.
The sound is no problem either, given the two EMG707 the beast is equipped with. The bridge pickup delivers a razor-sharp tone, ideal for high-speed rhythmic parts. The neck pickup is a real wonder for clean sounds. You'll get the "Tomorrow turns into yesterday" sound without a sweat. Although it's a typical heavy metal, low-tuning guitar, it also allows you to play other music styles with a decent sound.

SOUNDS

I had been looking for exactly this kind of guitar for a long time.
No frills, no gadgets only a volume knob and a 3-way toggle switch. I'm a metal fan but I also like arpeggios and I believe this guitar is a great compromise between both worlds.

I use different sets according to the situation. For band rehearsals I plug the guitar directly into a POD XT feeding a mixing console and I get a big tone. Now and then I use a Line6 Flextone 3 XL and the sound is also excellent. For recording, I use my POD XT directly feeding a sound card to get a larger-than-life sound.

OVERALL OPINION

I tried it at a music trade show a couple of months ago but I just bought it two days ago. The guitar has a fantastic finish (vampire red satin), it's unique and beautiful. I love the pickups and the neck, and the metal cross inlays give it a really slick look.
I previously played a Vigier Excalibur and an Ibanez K7, both very good guitars, but I think I found the ideal mix between the sweetness of the Vigier and the big sound of the Ibanez. In short, it's an iron hand in a velvet glove!

The value for money is good. This Schecter guitar is a real masterpiece! It's now my main guitar and I promise you I love it just the way it is! lol
Of course I would buy it again and I will even purchase a second one if I have enough money.
Go try it out, it's really worthwhile, it's an exceptional guitar.
Contact me for more info, it'll be my pleasure.