Schecter Stiletto Deluxe-5

While shopping for a five string bass at a guitar center, I came across the best deal I have ever seen, an active preamped, beautifully finished, 5 string axe known as a Schecter Stiletto deluxe. Although I could only fiddle with it then, I had to have one. I paid $350 from Musician's friend fo it and I could never let it go. You would have to kill me and tear it from my corpse first.

What I like, well, I am pleased if not astounded with every aspect of this bass, from the active eq, to the duncan designed humbuckers, to the beautiful finish and hardware. I have played my friend's Fender jazz bass, and all I can say is why did you waste the money on that. I feel as if I got at least a grand or more of any other company's product and tone for less than half that through Schecter. In response to the review submitted by Paul Ortiz, I have looked my bass over again and again, but it seems that I have three eq controls that are notched; one for bass, one for mid, and one for treble, and a single un-notched volume control so don't have a problem with tuning into the tone that I want. I guess Since I bought my schecter in the US, I lucked out in that reguard.

I can't say that I dislike anything about this bass. It satisfies my every dream for a bass, even my limited pocket book. The only thing that I could even bring into my mind to complain about is the extended 35" scale neck, not because of its length, but instead because of my cluminess. I have so far, after a half a year with it, managed to deck my dad, my lead guitarist, and my girl friend! I can even recall a close encounter with my Priest, phew! This is not a fault of the product, I love the extended neck, but for those who are as clumsy as me, love can hurt!

This bass is the most sturdy and roadworthy axe I have ever played. Refering back to that jazz bass that I am so unhappily aquainted with, I felt that if I tried any move onstage with it, I would take the whole neck off. It is the exact opposite with my schecter, having kissed the ground unexpectedly due to a faulty strap in front of the entire congrigation and survived with only a broken cord, I feel that even if I tried, I could not break this axe it is so well made. The six bolt maple neck keeps that sustain going, and it makes the entire feel of the guitar more secure. The basswood body has the looks and the quiality to kill. It takes all of the slapping, popping, and picking I can throw out, and it still turns heads when I take it out of the case. I have yet to see $350 of anything do that.

Get a Schecter for the whole family! I'll even put in a good word for Schecter guitars. My brother, who is the rhythm guitarist of my band, owns a schecter Omen 6 and he can put out bone crunching tone that makes those punk posers head for the hills through a Crate! Mind you this madness is acheved with the cheapest Schecter guitar on the market, and he is looking to get his hands on a C-1 Classic, won't the neighbors be so pleased! There is no better bass for a beginner or a professional in this price range, so I implore that you toss that piece of driftwood that you call a bass and pick up a Schecter ASAP.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I bought this bass guitar from Sound Control UK for around £339, although Schecter being an American based company I should imagine it is readily available at your nearest guitar dealer for around the same price if not cheaper. It was intended as a replacement for a rather knackered out hunk of wood with strings on it (also known as the Peavey DynaBass). A 5 string was a MUST for me, as I also own a baritone guitar and from time to time need to drop down to gut rumbling, bowel-movement-inducing lows!

This bass is fantastic! Where to start: well first of all it's active, and although the control surface is simplified in comparison with it's more expensive relatives, it more than does the job and offers a wide range of tones. Plus all the controls are 'notched' so you can find that middle point very easily and recall your favourite sounds no problem. The pickups are Shecter's own Diamond series, and although they are not a patch on the EMG's that come on the Custom/Studio/Elite, they are well balanced and quiet - no huuuummmmm here! The low B sustains through every bit as much as the D and G strings, due in part to the whopping 6 bolt neck join. Also worth mentioning is the extended scale length of 35". This keeps the low B tight enough for all manner of slapping and popping - something which is near impossible on similarly (and often higher) priced 34" models, unless you string em up with a set of suspension bridge wires. The factory setup was great, the intonation was spot on up and down the fretboard and the action was perfect for slappin-tappin tomfoolery right out of the box. And of course, it came with a battery. Always handy on an active bass.

Added to all this, mine came in a rather foxy Walnut Gloss with chrome hardware - it looks awesome.

The only thing I would of liked to see would probably be a mid-range/Q control. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of sounds available to you here, but more often than not I end up having to fiddle around with the EQ section in my sequencer to bring out those low mids. But then I can't grumble considering the price tag. It's a small trade off! Also a gig bag or cheapo case would off been nice..but hey, now I'm just being picky.

The construction quality is superb. The hardware is all in perfect condition and is fitted in a solid manner. The nut has been filed to match the profile of the neck, so you won't catch your hands on any razor sharp edges zooming down to first fret (as was the case with my old bass - god I hated that thing!). The strap buttons are sturdy and reliable, so you won't have to worry about your bass and the floor having an unexpected meeting any time soon. The only flaw I could find was the smallest of small notches in the top edge of the fretboard, but it's really nothing to cry about.

A word of caution - the close string spacing, combined with the extended scale length, means that for first time 5-stringers, things might get messy. You'll need to have a pretty accurate thumb if you intend on doing any slapping, and particularly on those first few frets you'll need to stretch those little fingers of yours quite a bit. This isn't so much a criticism (if I wanted pro string spacing, I would have paid a pro price!), but it's definitely worth taking into consideration if you're just starting out.

Overall, you can't go wrong with this bass. It will get you noticed on the looks front - it's got a sleek 'Euro-design' body shape, and from a distance, you could almost fool people into thinking it was a Warwick! It plays like a bass many times it's price tag, and sounds just as good. Whether you're after that aggressive, low tuned modern rock sound, or fancy yourself as a bit of a Jaco wannabe, then you owe it to yourself to at least try one out. At £339 or LESS, this just goes to show that highly affordable, can still mean highly playable.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I got this guitar from the musicians friend website for a mere $360, which was an amazingly low price for the quality for guitar I got. I got the guitar because I finally decided to take the step from 4 string to 5 string and one of my friends suggested schecter because it was a new company with low prices. I decided to wait untill I could try the guitar out, so I made my way up to a guitar center in San Jose and finally got to play it. I don't want to ramble but the sound I got at the guitar center through a SWR Mo' Bass amp blew my pants off, Kinda makes me wish I had one.

I love the small size and the 24 frets, which I could never live without. 24 frets is something you cannot find in a fender very easily if at all so i enjoy my schecter even more. Since I play in a punk band, I love the growl that I can get from the dual diamond humbuckers, my jazz theory teacher's worst nightmare. I had looked long and far for a new guitar, and I am happy to say that this one blows what I had looked at away .

When it arrived I discovered that the low b and e were a bit rattly but I fixed that problem within the first five minutes by adjusting the action, no problem!

The basswood body is durable, and the finish is beautiful. Not that I beat it up or anything, but dents and scratches hardly show compared to my old black finish. The six bolts keep the neck on nice and tight, and the electronics hold out wonderfully. It can take my wost slap bass solos, not too bad!


The bottom line, well, although it is heavier than my yamaha, the overall quiality is outstanding and I could never look for another guitar, for the kind of music I play.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com