NEW GUITAR DAY!! Schecter Nick Johnston - A Brutally Honest Review, Unboxing & Sound Test

🎸 Get Skype guitar lessons with me: patreon.com/seanbennett
In this video I will be giving my honest opinion of my new @Schecter Nick Johnston Diamond Series guitar in Atomic Snow. This video includes the unboxing of the guitar, a sound test through different pedals/gear and the pros and cons I found of this guitar along the way.
This video is a whooping (near) 28 minute beast - so hopefully it will be of use to people looking to buy this guitar.
and yes...I did put this guitar to the test in a metal context haha!
Thanks for watching guys - let me know in the comments what you think of the guitar and tones in this video!
Best!
Sean
#Schecter
#SchecterNickJohnston
#SchecterGuitarResearch
Socials:
Instagram: seanbennettguitar
TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@seanbennett
0.00 - Intro
1.07 - Unboxing!
6.06 - Why did I buy this guitar?
8.25 - 8 Days After Unboxing...
9.43 - Tone Test: PRS MT15 Clean
10.58 - Tone Test: Tubescreamer
12.41 - Tone Test: Morning Glory (Blue Channel)
13.58 - Tone Test: Morning Glory (Red Channel)
16.03 - Tone Test: JHS AT+
17.00 - Tone Test: PRS MT15 Lead (Metal)
17.55 - Quick Evaluation of the Guitar!
18.35 - Restringing with the Locking Tuners
19.22 - Why Schecter Over My Usual Ibanez Guitars?
20.38 - Pros and Cons of this Guitar
26.46 - Conclusion

[@danielhartman5086]

That guitar had way more balls then a Fender Strat. Without mods. Love it.

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Even I was surprised at how huge it sounded when I started editing a day or two later 😂 usually when I think a tone is great, I come back to it later and I’m less impressed - not in this case!

[@vinimedina91]

By far the best review of this guitar. It’s probably the most versatile option out there. Congrats for the purchase!

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Thank you man! Thanks for commenting 👍🏻 appreciate the feedback

[@number1darren]

Thanks a lot man, now I want a new guitar too! I have the middle pick up problem on my ibanez s470 and the 22nd fret issue too. Great video man, informative and thorough!

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Haha sorry pal! Glad you liked the video 👍🏻

[@r4nd4hl]

Thank you for a really useful and unbiased review, Sean.

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

No problem! Thank you for the feedback

[@BillM.-tu3pq]

Awesome review ! A lot of people complain about the pickups in the Diamond Series Nick Johnson, but they sound great ! Nice playing, too ! Thanks for doing this review.

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Thanks for watching and commenting! No idea why anyone would complain about these pickups? Since making the video I just can’t stop playing on the neck pick-up 1st position. This pickup makes any average guitar tone sound awesome and packs a punch! Completely took me by surprise as I wasn’t expecting anything like that. Never had anyone say anything bad about the pickups live or in videos once 🎸

[@sean4586]

Sean, Great review. Just subscribed. Your a very good player. I really liked the split humbucker sound and the middle by itself. Thanks

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Thank you man! Really appreciate the kind words and for letting me know what your favourite tones were. I have to admit that I’m digging the split humbucker tone way more than expected. Cheers! 👍🏻

[@timholtguitar6999]

I have the Nick Johnston PT. Big fan of this line!

[@Earthless.]

Great video dude, also great playing! I want one too for a long time and I will definitely buy it someday. Humbucker necks are too muddy for me and I almost never use it on my gibson lp. HSS with a split option is just great.

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Thanks man, glad you liked the video! This guitar is a great workhorse and I'm using it all the time when gigging. I'm absolutely hooked on the 1st position and 2nd position tones haha. There's no weird static coming from the pick guard like I saw in other reviews of this guitar on YT. Think I'm actually preferring the humbucker split which is a bit of a shocker for me. Tempted to get another one of these in the future in a more interesting colour. Thanks for commenting :)

[@JacksonDouglasYT]

Great video, looking at picking this exact one up. Could you please tell me the swampy guitar song name in the background, it was so good!

[@ransombaggins9301]

Great review! I had the SSS before I had to sell it to stay afloat during the "pandemic." It was easily one of my favorite guitars and punched well above it's weight. If and when we recover from all that crap, it's one I want to get back; though I think I will go for the HSS this time around (they weren't available when I got my first one). Keep up the great work! Liked and Subbed! FWIW, mine was VERY LOUD unplugged, too. Noticeably louder than the other half dozen or so other solid bodies I had at the time. Loved that.

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Thanks for the feedback and for the sub! Sorry to hear about your SSS Nick Johnston, the colours from those earlier models were really cool. I'd love to try out an SSS version at some point as I do like the split humbucker a lot and it would be interesting to hear the difference. These definitely do punch above their weight. I have put this guitar under its paces further, since this review, and I'm convinced it can actually do metal rhythm tones now haha! Thanks again

[@Ottophil]

pandemic was real, people died,

[@Chris_Nouvelli]

I just bought the HSS in Atomic Green. Absolutely love it. Easily my favourite guitar in my collection. Really pleased you like yours. Props to Peach Guitars - mine came setup perfectly. I’m worried about ruining their good work 🤣

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Congrats! The Atomic Green colour looks amazing! I almost bought mine from Peach Guitars myself. I need to give Peach Guitars a try I think. Glad you’re pleased with the Schecter Nick Johnston.

[@Terrysoddy]

Nice video man, and awesome playing

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Thank you mate!

[@VideoDetection]

You could solder in a treble bleed circuit, (resistor/cap in parallel) onto your volume pot and that would fix the treble roll off you get as you wind down the volume. Great review of a great guitar that I have been thinking about buying.

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Thanks! Yeah definitely going to get a treble bleed circuit sorted 👍🏻 then it would be the perfect modern strat 😊 only thing I would like extra is 24 frets since I’m so used to Ibanez - that really would be the icing on the cake!

[@SuperdangerStudios]

Sounds great man. I own the Schecter PT Van Nuys and have been wanting to get this one too! Subbed!

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Thanks for the sub! That Schecter PT Van Nuys looks great - never seen one of those before.

[@tadeoantelo6768]

amazing guitar video and tone

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Thanks! Glad you liked

[@MrJingles021]

I enjoyed this. I'm primarily a metal player but I also dabble in blues too. I've been eyeing the Nick Johnston T-style because it is so different than what I'm used to. I used to have an HSS American Deluxe strat. It was my dream guitar as a teenager, but I ended up not liking it. I hated the volume knob position. But this NJ strat wouldnt have that problem.

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Glad you enjoyed the video! Releasing another update video on this guitar soon.

[@andy_k81]

I love my Schecter Nick Johnston (I have HSS also) so much so I want to buy another SSS as I'm more of a traditional strat /blues player. You mentioned in your video about enjoying bending on this guitar and I 100% agree. I've put it down to the jumbo frets (you do go on to mention that the frets feel higher). Not had a guitar with jumbo frets and I want them on all my guitars now (hence wanting another Schecter NJ). When researching jumbo frets, people have said that as they're wider than normal frets, it's more stable tuning when bending. The downside (so others argue) is you perhaps lose a little dynamic range because of it. But really enjoyed this vid and your bluesy playing

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Good point about the jumbo frets! Never thought about that before. This is my first guitar with jumbo frets too and I'm really enjoying playing it. I didn't notice any reduction in dynamic range - didn't even come to mind, so I'm keeping with the jumbo frets haha! Surprisingly for me I think I prefer the bridge split sound rather than the full humbucker sound, so I can imagine picking up another one of these in SSS too! I thought I would just be using the full humbucker all the time, but the split humbucker is tighter and sounds slightly better I think. Thanks for commenting and watching!

[@danielhartman5086]

I was looking at getting a Fender pro II. Not anymore. Love this guitar and the price.Glad I found out about these Nick Johnson Strats. Sold.

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

There was nothing I could complain about too much for the RRP! It’s a lot of guitar for the money 😊 I don’t think I would ever feel the need to buy a Fender now

[@johngee4306]

Please still don’t rule out the Fender Pro if you have budget for it. While these are really nice and a great instrument for the price, they are however quite different from a Fender in feel and sound and build wise these are similar to the Mexican “player” fenders than a USA fender.

[@dr.stevenpennym.d.3241]

Schecter is awesome. They are really at the top of their game.

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

This guitar really changed my mind on the brand 🎸

[@donparkison4617]

Excellent review. I just got this guitar as well. I am a fender guy. Strats and Jaguars my whole life. But I have recently gotten into doing a lot of arpeggios and the reason I liked this guitar is the neck radius. With such a flat fretboard and the huge frets it is really conducive to legato playing that arpeggios tend to encourage. The pickups are really nice as well, not a lot of that standard strat buzz that I always had issues with. And the trem is really nice. One annoying thing with the Jag is the trem bar always falling out. This thing is modern and solid. -- Honestly my biggest complaint with this guitar is the looks. With all the shiny chrome bits on on my jag, this guy just looks a little bit dull in comparison.

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Thanks! Glad you're enjoying the guitar. I was worried about the pickup noise, being an Ibanez player predominantly, but the noise isn't that obvious really. The flat fretboard is perfect for me and the trem stays in tune really, really well - even if used excessively.

[@waycat100]

Great job!! Great guitar!!

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Thanks!

[@davidalvarez5150]

Great demo 🎉🎉🎉

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Thanks!

[@benloveday6113]

Very good review mate. I enjoyed your playing too. That treble issue might be fixed with a treble bleed circuit which is very simple to install. I’m torn between something like this Schecter and the Charvel pro mod DK22 argh! But I have to admit I love the look of these guitars. Great play by schecter to release a super strat that looks vintage!

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Thanks mate! Definitely going to upgrade with the treble bleed circuit. Thinking of maybe swapping the humbucker too with something else - perhaps the Dimarzio AT-1 for a warm lead tone. I was the same with the Charvel DK22! But the classic look of the Schecter was what did it for me. Thanks for commenting.

[@benloveday6113]

@@SeanBennettGuitar glad to hear your comments on the Charvel. I’m the same, I’m a real sucker for the vintage strat styling vs the Charvel, but wondered if the Charvel pups were better. Sounds like I might have to replace them either way haha. Thanks mate, great video.

[@nirbhaysaini9578]

@@benloveday6113 hi! even i am considering between the two. which one did u end up buying in that price range?

[@benloveday6113]

@nirbhaysaini9578 I actually ended up with the Cort g300 pro and I'm very happy with it. Plus it was cheaper than both of those other options!

[@laganandaprayhandguitar6867]

Yeah... it would be perfect with HS pickups configuration (NO Middle pickup), 24 Frets and 'Treble Bleed'. By the way, thanks for great review. Cheers from Bali 🍻

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

True about the middle pickup! Hardly use it and its right where my picking hand is. The middle pickup is probably my least favourite sound on the guitar. No middle pickup, better upper fret access, 24 frets and a treble bleed circuit would make this guitar incredible. Thanks for commenting! 👍🏻

[@DamianS1893]

I love the tone of this guitar

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Me too! So much variety in tone I’m noticing the more and more as I get used to it

[@78evh22]

Sounds great 😊

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Thanks! 😊

[@mikestubbs4580]

16 years! I hate to think how many guitars I’ve gone through in that time!

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Haha I know! Couldn’t believe it when I realised

[@Terrysoddy]

Man you and me both. Lol

[@Tatted-ne7tu]

Very good review. Much like yourself I am in the market for a strat type of sound. I have an Ibanez AZ but the Hyperons wont cut through the band mix. Apparently those pups are eq'd to cut the glassy frequencies and I absolutely agree even though they are single coils there is no Strat sound possible with them, Almost like all mids

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Thanks for commenting and checking the review out! Sorry to hear about your Ibanez AZ pups - it’s interesting what you said about them though. Surprised they did that to the Hyperons - surely they knew they were playing with fire messing with the upper mids/treble frequencies? How weird!

[@Tatted-ne7tu]

@@SeanBennettGuitar Yeah I agree but it seems they are going for the new kind of Periphery type of tone which requires something very different than the SRV gritty thing I’m after. Looking forward to some more of your content.

[@Tatted-ne7tu]

@@SeanBennettGuitar Yeah I agree but it seems they are going for the new kind of Periphery type of tone which requires something very different than the SRV gritty thing I’m after. Looking forward to some more of your content.

[@thierryc5544]

Great review ! I love my HSS Atomic Frost Traditional ! I play better and faster than before with this beauty. 🙂 Just put ice blue luminlay fret markers on the neck 🤩 Cheers from France !

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Thanks! Glad to hear you're having a positive experience with the guitar too. The blue luminleys sound sweet! Thanks for commenting

[@Plextortion]

Just saw this video because I was looking at these. Did you know you've still got the clear plastic protective cover on the humbucking pickup?

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Yeah I had the plastic cover on - it came off shortly afterwards 👍🏻

[@attrition0]

It's probably louder because under the pickguard is a swimming pool route. I also have a NJ HSS and it's great.

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Yeah, I noticed that too when getting the treble bleed circuit installed!

[@wagneralvesgtr]

Ótimo review. Acabei de comprar uma idêntica a sua e estou aguardando ela chegar. Você conseguiu alguma informação sobre as especificações dos pickups? Não encontrei isso em nenhum lugar.

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Obrigado - espero que você goste! Não, infelizmente não sei nada sobre os captadores, mas eles são ótimos.

[@iwilrage]

Fantastic

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Thank you! Cheers!

2 improvements I did with my Schecter NJ, 1: graphtec string tree and 2: Fender treble bleed (2nf cap and 150K resistor parallel and a 20K resistor in series.)

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Thanks for sharing! Did you notice much improvement with the graphtec string tree?

@@SeanBennettGuitar yes, the original one was pretty bad in my case. It definitely improved tuning as I usually use trem arm

[@petrucci973]

Bends are amazing because of the ebony fretboard and of course the rounded frets being a flat strat at 16” does the whole magic mate. Imagine if the frets were stainless steel.. the feel would’ve been out of this world with ebony fretboard

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Still play this guitar nearly every day and like it just as much as I did from the get-go. Love the flat fretboard radius. Got my eye on the new Schecter MV-6 line now though! Same specs as the Nick Johnston but no middle pickup, 24 frets and better upper fret access. Basically my dream guitar 🤣

[@petrucci973]

@@SeanBennettGuitar then maybe you should perhaps try a music man majesty? It's possibly the best guitar you'd ever play in terms of playability, specs and tone woods too!

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

@@petrucci973 Really want to try one out, just not had chance yet! Only thing that puts me off is the Dream Theatre logo on the 1st fret. It pains me to say, but I totally get why Petrucci went from Ibanez to Ernie Ball with a signature model like that!

[@petrucci973]

@@SeanBennettGuitar being a DT/JP fan boy myself, it doesn't bother me at all😂 but I understand taste in everything is subjective. No regrets with the guitar though trust me on that one.

[@PeraDespera]

Is this atomic snow color? It look little dirty white? I am looking for this guitar 😍

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

That’s the one!

[@TheLadsBandLive]

I've seen a lot of videos where users are, basically, gutting this thing (swapping pickups, pots and bridge). Is it really that bad? Sounded great to me.

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Yeah I can’t understand it either really. Pickups sound great and are quiet - never disappointed with either cleans or overdrive. Bridge stays in tune really well with whammy bar use. Not sure what the need is to swap the pots either. The only thing I plan to modify is installing a treble bleed circuit - that’s it. I couldn’t even begin to imagine swapping the neck pickup out especially - obsessed with the tone in 1st position.

[@BG-jg4pt]

Elixirs are the best strings I’ve tried every other brand and coated strings they sound better and feel better it’s crazy there is even a question. They last like 6 months+ depending how often you play even longer if yo I have a few instruments you rotate. And for acoustics their tone is unmatched

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Totally agree! Can't get along with any other strings

[@zynosgd9982]

You may not respond to this as this video is a year old, but how has the guitar evolved within the last year? Any pros/cons that showed up with time? I am very interested in ordering one soon.

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

I had to get a treble bleed circuit installed, but that’s about the only negative because it doesn’t come with one. Everything else is still working as it should and I’m probably going to get the blue version of this model as a live backup. Can’t fault it!

[@zynosgd9982]

I'm so close to pulling the trigger lol! Probably on the SSS version as I already have a lot of humbucker guitars and chug machines, but I've been recently loving the more single-coily tones that some prog and even full on metal artists I listen to can get out of simple singles like those@@SeanBennettGuitar

[@wknagy]

Are the single coils noisless?

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

They are not noiseless but the single coils are very quiet when it comes to noise. Coming from someone who only used humbuckers 95% of the time before buying this guitar, I don’t even notice or pay attention to any noise coming from the single coils. These single coils are epic and I wouldn’t consider swapping them out for noiseless single coils.

[@Bedroom_Blues]

Is it Us made

[@jamestejada3673]

Made in Indonesia.

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Yeah it’s made in Indonesia

[@Annunaki_0517]

Ha! My son (who’s a much better player than I am) can corrode a set of uncoated strings in about a week. It must be something in his skin/ sweat, because he’s been taught to wipe all the strings down after playing. So I do believe your “theory”. So I now try to keep Elixers on all his guitars, and they will last him for months.

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Yeah, it’s a nuisance when it comes to strings. Elixirs do a great job though. I thought I was the only one with this issue, so it’s interesting to hear that it’s not just me! Would be fascinating to scientifically find out why this happens, yet not for other people. I’ve noticed that even my pickguard screws and bridge saddles easily corrode for the same reason - especially if I’m not careful with wiping down all the time. Thanks for commenting!

[@Annunaki_0517]

@@SeanBennettGuitarSubscribed. Best of luck with your channel. I’m sure it will grow quickly from here on out.

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

@@Annunaki_0517 Thank you! Much appreciated 👍🏻

[@nikverschuren4291]

Do 2 strings at a time, no problems then.

[@ShawnGuess]

Pickup selector position labels are backward.

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Are they? 😅

[@z1g]

I just bought the HSS Sonic blue. Easily on of my top 5 hated guitars. I just hate this thing from top to bottom aside from the trem. It feels like a cheap piece of plastic and needs fretwork. Big time buyers remorse.

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Really? Sorry to hear! Strange that yours is a bad one. Can you not swap it?

[@z1g]

@@SeanBennettGuitar Yeah sorry for the salt. I had been watching reviews of this guitar prior to getting it and you video was recommended to me after I received it so I was still pretty irritated. The cause for it feeling cheap was loose nuts on the tuning pegs causing it to rattle, very much so when playing chords. The tip of the blade selector was bent to about a 45 degree angle from the scratch plate and there were frets that needed tapping down. The guitar overall is very noise. Not just the single coils, the pickups are very micro phonic. Even at low gain, they are noisy. I will speak to the sales rep Monday and see what can be done. I won't name the seller as they can't defend themselves. I don't know who is responsible for the condition of this guitar but I know who is responsible for sending it out that way. Thanks for the reply and the videos.

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

@@z1g No worries, just sorry to hear you had a bad experience with the guitar. They should definitely take the guitar back if it's in poor condition. It's crazy they would even ship it to you in that state. The pickups shouldn't be noisy at all.

[@jbrosupra]

Dude, I get you have an accent. But its EEEEElixers. Not alexers... you got my alexas goin off

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Remember whose language you speak 🇬🇧 We decide the correct pronunciation, not the U.S.A 😉👍🏻