Schecter KM-6 MKIII Legacy is GARBAGE!!!

[@jonvonjoni3045]

There’s really no reason for mass produced guitars to be $2000 and have flaws.

[@josephfigueroa3527]

There's no reason for a mass production guitar to cost $2000

[@taxo]

true, but consider a USA/JP/EU guitar with the same specs of a 2k korean would cost something most wouldn't want to spend.

[@beefnacos6258]

​@josephfigueroa3527 especially an import. Players have lost their minds.

[@josephfigueroa3527]

@beefnacos6258 it's the marketing and legacy. Players have been regurgitating the same BS that they've been led to believe for decades and refuse to listen to anyone who says any different.

[@deweyoogwey]

there’s no reason to price a musical instrument at $2k AT ALL

[@RH-xs8gz]

That crooked bridge is absolutely unforgivable. Even at a $500 price point.

[@RichardGarcia93]

At ANY price point. Instruments should not need intensive work when they’re brand new.

[@johndesrosier1672]

This bridge angle is correct. A hardtail bridge is supposed to be slightly crooked for intonation. This bridge is proper.

[@Keshro]

@@johndesrosier1672 No. Not with hipshots. You move the saddles back or forth to intonate.

[@Jgirard257]

That component between the terminals of the volume pot is a capacitor, most likely serving as a treble bleed. Nothing wrong with that, and nothing that would explain the guitar sounding “bad”

[@CrzyWzrd4L]

Treble bleed is meant to sound like a tone pot that’s slightly rolled off. That’s definitely not a good sound with Lundgrens lol

[@Jgirard257]

@@CrzyWzrd4L treble bleed is a high frequency bypass for the volume pot resistor divider circuitry. It is Intended to account for high frequency attenuation when rolling off the volume with high output impedance pickups (i.e. passive pickups). It does strictly nothing with the volume knob at full. In the worst case, if wrongly designed, it could cause the tone to thin out when decreasing the volume, but I'm pretty sure that's not the concern stated in this video.

[@juanvaldez5422]

@@CrzyWzrd4Lyou don’t know what you are talking about . Please stop

[@juanvaldez5422]

@@Jgirard257you are correct… doofie there hasn’t a clue

[@WillfulThinker]

I appreciate your video. You point out some unacceptable problems and flaws with the instrument. The more people who expose shoddy work by these companies, the more likely they are to raise their standards to protect their reputation. Also, Sweetwater apparently needs to whip their QC into shape, as well. Over several years, I've had three very well built Schecters and one bad one. By the way, a treble bleed cap on the volume pot isn't a bad thing, per se. Most players (including Metal) may choose to have one to retain clarity if/when they roll down the volume (if they ever do). That's why it's there from the factory. I can tell you from experience that a cheap-ass pot or output jack or a bad solder joint can cause signal output issues and make the guitar sound weak. Also, if these companies are not taking the time to dry out the wood properly--in favor of moving more product out the door to meet deadlines--that excess moisture content can contribute to a guitar sounding lifeless.

[@pauldestefano7073]

Crazy to me that Schecter would let this out of the factory. I’ve gotten some new schecters recently and they have been absolutely killer. Would be a shame if they’ve started going down. Hopefully this was just a bad batch.

[@archangelguitarsusa9205]

I sure hope that’s all it is man!

[@6Metal6Head6]

Have you seen the new schecter mgk razor 😂

[@satch60]

This is a huge issue with Schecter. I bought a brand new C1 Apocalypse last year and it was completely unplayable. The Volume pot wasn't secured tight meaning all the wires had snapped off it. The bridge humbucker wires that you solder to ground for a coil split weren't taped/soldered anything, just left completely bare and loose. The sustaniac wasn't wired properly. Luckily i know how to fix all these problems but if it had been a Christmas present for a kid, they'd have been devastated. There were a good few cosmetic flaws too, but i could overlook them ish and i paid £1700 for this guitar and when i complained i was sent some strap locks ha ha ha.

[@archangelguitarsusa9205]

Wow that’s a bummer man. These things cost way too much for that crap. Quality control in basically everything these days is practically nonexistent

[@cashway0420]

This is true, I'm a garbage man and I see these by the curb-side in the trash all the time when I'm on my daily route.

[@solidus317]

This is ridiculous, thank you for making this video and shedding light on the QC. I got my C1 Hellraiser FR back around 2012 as new old stock for $300 OTD. It’s one of the models that still had a German OFR before the 1000 series(I’ve got a few guitars with 1000/1500 too so I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with those ) was used and it still plays like a dream. Competes with my ESP Standard MII, Eclipse and Prestige Ibanezes in most categories. Those Korean Schecters and LTD used to be the best deals out there but I’ve had bad experiences with newer LTD too, specifically the Indo made ones. Nothing like my near mint early 2000s MIK KH602 which is incredibly close to my ESP and only cost me $450 used when I got it a few years ago. Best to get ~2010 and earlier on reverb and local if you can get a good price and condition. Sucks because I’ve been eyeing one of those newer C1 Apocalypse models but don’t want a lemon.

[@SOYUSE]

I bought an indonesian km-6 for 700 bucks just out of curiosity and it had a few minor problems (I was lucky, cuz indonesian guitars can fall to piecies right in the hands, they are built too bad usually), but it were sounding and feeling really good, so I just replaced tuners with locking, replaced pickups with Bare Knuckles Silo and decided to keep it as an additional guitar. It's an instrument with a good value for its price, but looks like your $2000 model has pretty close specs and condition and OMG even the indonesian version has a normal neck spacing. Btw, pot is the same, but without a resistor, nut is the same, bridge is a copy of Hipshot, I guess, but it works. The funny moment (relatively), indonesian model neck is bolt-on, usually guitars has 2 short bolts and 2 long, but indonesian workers decidet it will be ok with 3 short bolts and 1 long, so when I took off the neck, it was a good quest to find the right slot for long bolt and not to break the fingerboard from inside.

[@archangelguitarsusa9205]

I really appreciate all the comments guys! Hopefully between the video and a few corrections some have pointed out it will at least let people have a more informed view on this particular guitar. My ultimate suggestion on it would be if you can’t play it first don’t buy it. There’s a high probability this one is a fluke but it really sucks to get hyped up and let down when it finally shows up and you realize instead of getting to enjoy it now you gotta take the time to send the stupid thing back. Btw I lost around $25 with return fees. Not a lot but any kinda makes me wanna stick to in person transactions on everything from now on.

[@12to3Guitars]

Ehhh I've gotten a lot of flukes lately then. I sent back a LOT of guitars and basses in 2023. I just think QC across the board has been horrible, regardless of country of origin. Specifically the fretwork in general has been horrific for me. I haven't received a single guitar that didn't require a full fret level- at all price points between $349 to $1999. Got so sick of it that I bought all my own tools and began putting together partscasters where I'm expected to do the work. Lots of folks have cited improperly cured wood overseas, climatic issues during sea transport in the cargo haulers, etc etc- these companies are trying to keep their shipping costs low and their general costs low. But someone needs to step up and start doing QC seaside for these imports. What I'm seeing on the market getting sent to customers is unacceptable and unethical in my opinion. A business is a business and they need to make money, but an instrument NEEDS to be able to be play properly with the manufacturers suggested setup specifications without having to initiate remediation work. If a set of hex keys can't get your new guitar playing right, it's junk and you got screwed. That's how I feel about it. Unapologetically. Great video, man. Made me feel better!

[@mrSmoky111]

​@@12to3Guitars not being inspected in the US at this price point is absolutely nuts

[@msi1985]

Interesting that you found some kind of an additional piece of electronics in the pickup signal path. Would you be able to advise me if I could check if my Km-7 mk-iii artist has the same? I don't know what I'm looking for but the guktsr always feels like it's missing a little volume / bite but I've always made up for it with boost / more volume on my amp

[@archangelguitarsusa9205]

Depends on if it has active or passive. Honestly every guitar I buy I go ahead and order a 500k CTS pot for volume and if it has a tone I get a 500k CTS and an orange drop capacitor. Wire that stuff in and the signal cleans up beautifully. If it’s active just try and make sure there isn’t anything like some stupid resistor like in this guitar and you have a good battery.

[@Quicksilver_Cookie]

It's just a cap, most likely for treble bleed. It won't make your guitar miss in volume or "bite", whatever this nonsense means. People will get paranoid over the most mundane shit, and listen with their eyes.

[@juanvaldez5422]

It’s a treble bleed … this guy says he builds guitars to 🥴

[@benburnett8109]

A guitar "builder" that gets most of the terminology wrong. This to me is someone trying to troll. For example, you completely misunderstand "quartersawn" lumber and why builders use multiple pieces of woods to make necks. And for what it's worth, you aren't a builder until you've built a guitar. You have a neck and a body with a neck joint that will starve for glue as it is much too tight. I watched until the end and waited for you to say, "Hey guys, just kidding." But nope. You stuck with it. My question for you is this? If you are a master builder, why buy a guitar? Just build your own. Makes no sense to me. I would also suggest additional studies to get more; if not most, of the incorrect terminology you used, corrected.

[@archangelguitarsusa9205]

Definitely not trolling! Not sure what terminology you’re referring to but I can call something a thingamajig and still know perfectly how it functions and how to use it. I’m absolutely correct about quarter sawn wood, I never said I was a master builder, and the answer to why I don’t just build myself another guitar is because I honestly still don’t have all the tools I need to make it as perfect as I want lol. You are more than welcome to not take my advice it’s only human nature to be skeptical but if you do you’ll find that even lower end guitars can sound high end with just a few stupid modifications

[@benburnett8109]

@@archangelguitarsusa9205 The reason manufacturers and builders use quartersawn wood in many pieces is for stability. It gets grain going in different directions. This is done so as the wood changes with humidity, there are equal forces going in every direction. Every neck has flexibility. Dual action truss rods and carbon fiber inserts are there for stability, not strength. The "thingamajig" on the volume pot is called a treble bleed mod. It is supposed to be there. AND I've never seen the use of a standard or f spaced pickup have any noticeable effect on tone. Especially at the neck position. Go into Guitar center and you will see slight misalignment on Every guitar from 100 to 100,000 dollars. And please correct the neck joint on your kit build. If you leave it as is, you will force all the glue out when you assemble it and end up with problems down the road. And All my guitars are currently kit guitars that cost less than 300.00. All 10 of them. Some came from Grizzly, some came from BYOG and a couple came from GKW. They all play great with some requiring much more work than others. In fact, some have the treble bleed mod. Some have quartersawn necks in multiple pieces. AND none of them have pickups that are perfectly aligned. In fact my friends JP Majesty guitars are not perfectly aligned. Because it is a non issue. YOu do realize that the string moves back and forth? It doesn't stay in one place. IF you do a video attacking the quality of a Fantastic brand, then at least have your facts straight. I don't own a shecter but I know of many people that have them and the have had no issues. Which leads me to believe that the issue is with you. The guy who "builds guitars but doesn't have all the tools to make them perfect and doesn't know what a "treble bleed mod" is"

[@archangelguitarsusa9205]

That’s not a kit guitar though lol. I built that from scratch. That guitar actually is a dud because a dull drill bit did too much dancing and the mounting holes are crooked. I just keep it around because it hurt my feelings lol. Yes you’re definitely correct about laminating necks with opposing grain helps with stability but I promise that’s just a great side affect to the problem with getting big enough pieces of quarter sawn lumber for necks. This was explained to me by my lumber supplier. He said he can get me quarter sawn pieces that big but because of the waste it causes it’ll cost a premium. Also when I say that neck joint after being glued isn’t going anywhere I mean even if you want it to. Once I glue a neck in either the neck or the body will need to be destroyed to repurpose the other. It’s too solid of a glue joint really.

[@jonprendergast]

That is a capacitor for a treble bleed on the volume pot, not a resistor.

[@archangelguitarsusa9205]

It still takes a lot out of those pickups. They sound so much better without it

[@andrewbecker3700]

Yep, so how can it take anything away? Resistors are sometimes used for coil tapping 3 wire PRS 58/15LT E humbuckers. It's reminded me to go under the hood of my McCarty .594 singlecut standard, and take them out. I wired it 50's style and they're messing with the taper of the volumes.

[@archangelguitarsusa9205]

Anything but a straight wiring is gonna restrict the signal at some level and although this may not be drastic by any means I was definitely able to tell that it was not as aggressive as it should’ve been. I was really confused when I saw Fluff review the guitar and describe the pickups as very tame and not very high output because my previous experience owning that set was they’re definitely not the hottest but they’re very aggressive. It’s such a simple wiring situation that I can only imagine that’s the cause. I could only know for sure if I removed it but I can’t modify it in any way because I’m returning it. I do know that without fail every guitar I’ve ever wired with high quality components and with as little wire to restrict the signal as possible has drastically transformed how the guitar sounds and for the better.

[@andrewbecker3700]

@@archangelguitarsusa9205 Believe what you will. There's a big difference between a capacitor and a resistor. A potentiometer is a variable resistor. When they're on 10 they all sound the same.

[@Gubson]

​ That cap is only active when you start to decrease the volume pot.

[@archangelguitarsusa9205]

For reference on past builds when I was still building you can check me out on Facebook. Just look up Archangel Guitars. Here’s a link to a short video of a buddy playing a Blackmachine B2 replica I built for him. This guitar was built 100% from scratch by me but thanks to an error in the template where the bridge was placed the entire guitar had to be scrapped and rebuilt because it was impossible to intonate. It had the exact same neck joint as the unfinished build in this video. kzbin.infoueyN8YwaKmM?si=4Vp6Al5Jj7uKRl_s

[@tellus.aflame]

You know what, almost 10 years ago I bought original KM-6 (rev1), and I have had this weird thing that every time I strum chords everything goes out of tune, I had no idea the f was wrong with it. I got rid of it as soon as I could. And 10 years later these guitars are +1000, but the same crap) Unbelivable.

[@cjod7916]

$2K bucks for a Korean made guitar is absolutely insanity

[@beefnacos6258]

With a shit finish

[@jeleopard]

welcome to current year.

[@anthonychin8610]

Wait until you see .strandberg prices for Indonesian guitars 🙃

[@nathanlanahan6565]

I just recently bought one of these myself and noticed the second i plugged it in that the pickups sounded extremely thin. In the video you mentioned that there was a resistor that needed to be taken out, how would you go about doing that? Is it relatively easy or should i go see a luthier?

[@archangelguitarsusa9205]

Yeah it’s not difficult at all. Just replace it with a jumper wire. I’m not 100% sure that’ll fix the problem though. I didn’t get to experiment with it since I had to return the guitar.

[@chasewilliams6725]

This certainly validates some feelings I've had lately that I thought I was crazy for. The last four Schecter guitars I've bought have had awful QC. I Sent back two of the four including the KM iii artist which I was stoked for. Could not stay in tune to save its life and the fret sprout out of the box was awful. It also had obnoxious overtones most likely due to a bridge/nut issue. It's a shame as my 10 year old C-1 Hellraiser hybrid is still my favorite guitar. It feels like we're being punked with Schecter hand-selecting the good ones to send to KZbin reviewers to praise.

[@taxo]

every brand sends the best stuff to youtubers, the'd be dumb to do otherwise

[@mattbarker1411]

Who keeps buying guitars after having QC issues? Doesn't make any sense.

[@fightingzero]

Early 2000’s Korean-made Schecters were amazing bang-for-the-buck. I’ve waffled on picking up one of their new models and I can’t get past the fact that a simple thing like the tuning keys are installed shoddy. Really inspect the alignment of them and you’ll see at least 1 or 2 tuning keys are crooked compared to the rest.

[@archangelguitarsusa9205]

My buddy noticed that same problem with his Gibson Explorer and also noticed others the same way on Sweetwater’s website

[@ericsmith6633]

Those compensated nuts, you really have to make sure the guitar is intonated. If not, it will sound out of tune by the way the nut is cut. That’s the one bad thing about them. If your guitar is just a little out of intonation, that comp nut will make the whole guitar sound way out of tune. I’ve had my issues with previous km models. I’ve all 3 mk’s. Mki, mkii, mkiii artist. And although the artist was the best it still needed work done to it. I’ve had problems with all the pots on the ones I had. But ya when I saw the price I kinda thought it was way too much. The John brown sig is the way to go

[@William_Earl]

The only thing that holds me back from the JB model is the neck profile. It has the U profile, which is what ESP/LTD has on almost all their guitars. Don't get me wrong, every ESP/LTD I've touched has been solid, but the neck profile combined with radius always made my hand cramp. Which sucks, because I love the brand. I highly prefer C shaped necks, preferably with compound radius.

[@hughjanus5518]

This wouldn't affect how it would sound with all open strings though, intonation comes into play when a string is fretted. All of this I could have just shook my head and went "ehhh" 🤷‍♂️ but a crooked bridge and a unstable neck is 100% unforgivable and from Schecter? REALLY?!?!

[@mityaIvanov2023]

Brother, thank you so much for the advice to just solder a WIRE instead of a resistor. My pickup opened up, "roared", and started to "bite"!!! :) It's a miracle!!!! I've been searching for this sound for years !!!

[@somber91]

Hey man, I'm looking for a new 7 string. I already have a multiscale one, but I'm looking for a 26.5in one as well. I've heard a lot about the C-7 SLS Evil Twin. Do you recommend those? Or do you have any other recommendations? Thanks!

[@archangelguitarsusa9205]

Get one of the original Hellraisers lol. The one where you can’t see the body binding from the front. Those are amazing guitars. They’re worth getting and paying someone to refret with stainless frets and completely upgrading in general. I’ve had a few over the years and they were legit some of the best playing and most reliable guitars I’ve ever owned and I’ve owned a Vik Duality 7 and a Daemoness Cimmerian 7

[@archangelguitarsusa9205]

reverb.com/item/71677563-schecter-c-7-hellraiser-2008-grover-locking-tuners?bk=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJqdGkiOiJmM2FhMDQ1ZS01ZWI0LTQ1ODgtOTYyNi02ODNkMDhhZGEzZjciLCJpYXQiOjE3MDU3MjY3MTcsInVzZXJfaWQiOiIiLCJzZXNzaW9uX2lkIjoiMDRlMTA2NjUtYWJlYS00YWRkLTk3MjktMDY4MjBmM2JjZjllIiwiY29va2llX2lkIjoiYTgzODI0NjktNTFiOC00ODIxLTk3OTQtMWIxZTQ4M2EyNjZjIiwicHJvZHVjdF9pZCI6IjcxNjc3NTYzIiwic291cmNlIjoiTk9ORSJ9.K9IxkAHXiQqlMHz1cGp9rBGyf1V34LWQGyWb6ibV5LU

[@TheMrrolland77]

What worries me the most is really the flex in the neck , I was looking at getting my first Schecter , either the KM or TAO one but now im not so sure , the TAO is a bolt on neck , does bolt on neck have less flex or does it not matter

[@archangelguitarsusa9205]

Honestly I’ve never had a problem like this with any guitar before

[@tPostee]

i had the KM6 Hybrid in white with a maple board, had almost every issue you did, the bridge ground wasnt soldered properly on mine, the neck was very touchy and would go out of tune by fretting it, the nut was cut wrong and would catch on the A,D and B like crazy. ive also seen a ton of schecter B stocks across all their lines on reverb lately as well.

[@mattz1686]

Could the bridge and neck pickups be flipped? Like the f space is actually a bridge pickup they mounted in the neck??

[@archangelguitarsusa9205]

Naw they were exactly the same lol. I’ve seen people put aftermarket pickups in guitars and make this mistake but I’ve never seen a guitar come from the factory like that.

[@jasonsmith1133]

I just bought a $200 Harley Benton DC and replaced the tuning keys and it is amazing. Plays amazingly, stays in tune and the pickups sound great.

[@archangelguitarsusa9205]

I’ve been hearing a lot of good things about that brand!

[@chrismccreight8207]

Want to also say that we should not excuse Sweetwater in this case, they drop the ball a fair amount when it comes to their "inspection" they always laud

[@KennedyofSolace]

Hey man, just wanted to say I've also noticed this on some newer schecters too. I have a Schecter Synyster Custom S from about 7 years back that is made in Korea and plays like a dream, but recently I ordered a Miles Baker 7 string which is made in Indonesia directly from Schecter and it came in with a bunch of QC issues. So, I had them swap it and the second one had pickup issues and qc issues. Hopefully this isn't a sign that Schecter is going downhill, but it seems like it might be. If a guitar is upwards of 1500 dollars it better be in near perfect shape and play great since there are many under that price that can do so imo.

[@RyRyTheBassGuy]

I've seen multiple guitars over the years with crooked bridges for sale in the Sweetwater gallery. They don't care, unfortunately.

[@jasonwright5610]

THANK YOU! For making this video. I had this guitar for one day and new it wasn’t worth $2k! Shipped it back the next morning. Loved the look of it but it felt cheap like a toy. Thanks for the honesty!

[@the_artisan3392]

I had 2 banshee mach 7s, one regular and one evertune. The regular one constantly went out of tune and the pickup cavity for the bridge pickup wasn't deep enough so the magnet poles were too close to the strings. The evertune one held tuning for a couple days at best and the neck was attached way too high for the bridge. I had the action set as high as it possibly could be on the evertune and still the strings were touching some of the first frets. And yes, the neck was straight. Sold those pieces of shit and now use a Strandberg USA Custom and a Kiesel Headless. Holds tuning for weeks, sometimes months, sounds great and looks great.

[@archangelguitarsusa9205]

Damn I’m seeing a lot of this in these comments! I thought Schecter were still on point like back in the day! Sad to see they have so many flaws. I wish so bad this guitar didn’t have the issue with the neck because it feels so damn good

[@Double_0_7_Strings]

I was happy to see another iteration in the KM line, but it’s more expensive than my KM7 Mk III Artist, and it doesn’t come with coil splits. I love Lundgrens, but not when the older model has more to it. I think there’s always something wrong with Schecter’s first batch of a new guitar. I always see bad reviews when stuff drops, but in a year or more (like when I got my KM7) everyone loves these guitars. I hope you get a dope replacement, dude.

[@GuitarGuy4647]

It’s nice to see KM’s in a finish that doesn’t have a fuck ugly burl top for a change. However more money for a worse bridge, tuners, and no fancy neck is just bull shit.

[@chrismccreight8207]

This is 100% the case. I was an early adopter of the first km7 and it was shoddy out of the box. Shitty finish issues, clumsy routes, bad nut. Same thing happened when i got an early mkiii artist; I have no idea why they let the lemons like that out. It's kinda embarrassing

[@Itemno9]

Damn, I have been looking at these all day too. Curious if you are going to try and get another one of these, or go a different route now?

[@archangelguitarsusa9205]

Yeah same here. I was super excited about this guitar. I’ve decided to just save up and get another USA Charvel lol

[@Itemno9]

I got a Banshee Mach-7 a few months ago (my first Schecter) and it came pristine, so this was a bit of a shock.

[@archangelguitarsusa9205]

It’s my first bad experience with a Schecter honestly

[@crc9564]

​@@archangelguitarsusa9205 Charvels are all 1pc flat sawn necks though... Isn't that quite a sacrifice to make? I'd be all over Charvel if they'd do multi laminate necks. I'm so sick of guitars that do what you demonstrated here in this video. I decided long ago no more one piece necks. And at the very least at least never anything other than maple.

[@ofnir123]

I bought a brand new Omen Extreme FR6 this summer. I literally had to sand down the neck pocket because the QA team didn't see the neck was being shimmed by a wood shaving that got caught under the finish. Also I had to shim the nut because the middle strings would just flatten out on the first 2 frets. Now an Omen is not a 2K guitar, but still, Squier Bullet guitars don't have issues like that. A shame because once it was setup right, it's one of the nicest guitars I had

[@emaxelson1436]

Hello my friend. I really liked the video and thank you. I actually have a question. I'm looking to buy a guitar but can't decide between the SLS elite and the mk6 kmIII. I will be grateful if you guide me.

[@archangelguitarsusa9205]

I’m not familiar enough with later models honestly to give you any solid advice other than try and make sure whatever guitar you’re interested in you can test out in person. You can always return a guitar like I did but for me it’s more of a pain than it’s worth

[@emaxelson1436]

@@archangelguitarsusa9205 thank you so much 🙏🤘

[@namnefternamn5463]

2 valid questions in my opinion: 1. If you build your own guitars and are obviously proud of your work - why buy a new mass produced guitar? 2. Since you build your own guitars you of all people should know better than to buy a guitar without trying it first?

[@archangelguitarsusa9205]

Well at the moment I don’t have the tools or the place to build at the moment. Divorce kinda killed that. Second even if I did building guitars takes a lot of work and time. It’s kinda like knowing how to cook but getting takeout because cooking is exhausting lol

[@mattz1686]

I love these kinds of reviews because everything is on KZbin is “omg this is the best thing evaaaaar buy it now buy buy buy”

[@planet__ben]

The last few years, I've only bought guitars from the shops directly. Unless I've seen it and played it I wont buy it. Juat never know what you are going to be sent regardless of price. Awesome video my man!!

[@cmonsterz]

Fair criticisms. I thought Sweetwater brags up that they take the time to go through the guitars they sell? So it isn’t just Schecter that flunked out; so did Sweetwater.

[@archangelguitarsusa9205]

I agree 100%! That inspection card was signed off by 2 people!

[@kmalienko]

Here is my experience with Schecter Reaper-6 Custom($1150 pre tax) that i bought from Sweetwater. First one i bought was a Demo item because there was no new guitar in stock. Well, when manufacture routed slot for a bridge pickup they didn`t do it straight, line is wavy and really messy. It has more problems with clear coat around fretboard too. Send that one back and got a replacement. Secont one had other issues. Hoping for a third one not having issues(third time is a charm) but after watching this video i think Schecter quality control need some work, same with Sweetwater but i guess there goal is sell as many guitars as possible.

[@humanbeing2420]

That's a bummer. I got a Reaper 6 FRS from a shop called Dave's Guitars in Milwaukee in 2021, and it's perfect. I paid $900. It's a great guitar - as long as you get a good one.

[@humanbeing2420]

My experience with Schecter has been very good. In 2021 I bought a Reaper 6 FRS for $900 that is flawless and plays like a dream - a fantastic guitar. In 2022 I bought a Nick Johnston S-style for $600 and it plays great but the volume pot sometimes makes a scratchy noise. I don't gig though, so that doesn't really bother me (and I imagine it's easily fixable if I want to fix it).Aside from that issue I love that guitar too....

[@matthewvalenti1348]

I can’t speak for any Schecter guitars, but the one bass I had was a fantastic instrument with no flaws. Had a J4. Also tried several others that were all fantastic, from $500 models to $1000+. It’s impossible for there to never be a bad job that slips through the cracks. Hopefully you just got a bad one.

[@brandonbryson3317]

I had two KM Artists. One was an near flawless and the other had some pretty notable issues…namely a busted trust rod and some uneven frets. I got them both used, though, so I can’t comment out of the box. The new one appeals to me, looks wise, and I much prefer the lundgren M7 to the fishman.

[@archangelguitarsusa9205]

Yeah man those Lundgren are sweet! I stick with Dimarzio though because they’re very similar for less overall price but the Lundgren are superior

[@realniter]

I've had a Schecter KM-7 MK3 Artist once. From the shop the bridge was not soldered to the ground, so the background noise was very loud. Also i found this same plastic plate under the bridge. I consider this is very unsmart decision to route the pit for the bridge but then put a plastic in it. Fretwork and fretboard were not good made. Sold that guitar without any regret.

[@Voidspine_]

I know Its probably not financially feasable but you should definitely make videos like this a regular occurence on your channel. Honest and straight to the point, I've enjoyed every minute of the video and I've learned a thing or two to check on when I buy my next guitar. Keep at it, man.

[@Zimak0v]

I agree. No bullshit. Straight to the point. This video helped me decide not to get this guitar.

[@archangelguitarsusa9205]

The video got such a good response that I think I will honestly! It only took me like 20 minutes to make the video and post it so I have a few more reviews I can do soon. Mainly a Solar V that I did some work on for a buddy that seriously pissed me off😂

[@LucasLeCompteMusic]

I got a SLS Elite 7 about a year ago (from Sweetwater) and it came in with pretty much no flaws and is awesome. It keeps up with 3k guitars. I am really shocked that the KM-6 MKIII is that bad. I can understand some minor flaws but the bad bridge and non F spaced neck pickup is insane.

[@georgeangelakopoulos8884]

Very informative vid. Maybe the pickups are installed in the wrong place... the other problems are surely a NO NO for 2000. I don't know but for 2000 I would surely prefer something that is built from Japan. Its just me and my weird feeling for guitars built in Korea, Indonesia etc that I can't get off my mind... If you can plz let me know... in what situation do you bridge those two poles on the column knob?

[@arvetemecha]

at 8:00, it's probably a capacitor (or a cap+resistor in parallel) and not a single resistor, to make a treble bleed on the volume pot. Some people like it, others get rid of it, but indeed it does affect the tone (it's a high-pass filter).

[@BaselKhaddam]

very shocking information regarding schecter since i had many of them (all cheaper than the one mentioned) and they all were of great quality, so im very surprised that a schecter can be made that bad, and especially a korean one which is usually higher quality than chinese or indonesian ones, would love to hear it if there are any updates on this matter

[@cheeseshark5]

MAN, I've had a Banshee Mach 7 for about 2 years now, and those things are nearly identical to the Merrow guitars in shape and neck profile etc, main difference is that they offer an Evertune model, and they came with the Lundgren M pickups back when the Merrows only had Fishmans in em. Easily the best feeling guitar I've ever owned or played, I love it. But my #1 gripe was that I could NEVER get a saturated, cutting, modern metal tone out of that thing. It felt like the guitar was way too dark, and the pickups were just too low output, even when I was using an overdrive, and even on the brightest sounds I could get. I had 6 strings with horrible, loose string tension that still had more bite than I've been getting out of that. It was like any tone I dialed in just had a blanket over the speakers when I plugged this thing in. Now I HEAVILY suspect that it has a similar resistor to what's in your KM-6. Gotta figure out how to identify it and get it out of there, if I don't just rip the pickups out as a whole. So THANK YOU, for that!

[@archangelguitarsusa9205]

Go to stewmac.com, get CTS 500k pots to replace what’s in the guitar. If it has tone pots get orange drop capacitors. Get a Switchcraft output jack and if the guitar has a 3-way toggle get a Switchcraft to replace that. I wouldn’t bother if it has a blade switch. Just that small cheap mod will make the guitar come alive man. It’s nuts how much the components effect the tone

[@BoostedBlazer]

My km7 mkiii is literally flawless.. its not a legacy but it cost $1800 new and it’s been a workhorse for years now

[@vessal1]

Thanks for saying what needed to be SAID. I just bought a KM6 MKIII lefty and while it plays really nice, it sounds HORRIBLE. So I replaced the Fishmans with SD Black Winters (also in my other axes) which the corners of the SD's had to be cut off to fit the fishman only routing design. The switch had a flat spot which I replaced and the pot to 500k(for passive) the pots and switches included reminded of the ones you get with China DIY guitars. The bridge pickup is half an inch closer to the bridge than my Charvels, Ibanez etc. No matter what I do, it sounds thin and tinny. My other axes(even knock offs) sound "chunka-chunka" (EVH 5150iii)this guitar sounds "chinka-chinka" I am soooooo disappointed and for the 2k I spent I am considering returning it! Mine also had a lot of bodywork flaws and such. I have a South Korean AGILE 7 that smokes this thing silly. It was 400$ at the time. We all know the price of everything has doubled in the last 3 years but still, I probably would been happier with a Keisel or a Solar but they to seem to have their own sets of problems. Also Schecter, BC Rich, Dean, and some others are all being made by the same company. Over priced -under quality. Just like everything else in life now, food, cars, tools, you name it, NOTHING is made like they used to. I should have you build me something! Thanks Brother!

[@KyleP133]

I had a Schecter C-7 SLS Elite that the neck just moved around constantly on me. I gave up on it. Supposedly had the same carbon fiber reinforcement rods. But I could watch treble strings go out of tune if I started turning the tuners for any of the low strings. A half turn on the low B tuner would send the high E out of tune enough to notice when playing. I've speculated that it may be either the carbon fiber rods arent really under any tension in the neck, or the heel carve is so deep and aggressive that in combination with the neck pickup rout there's not enough structure there.

[@archangelguitarsusa9205]

My guess is the heel carve combined with how thin the neck is. I love a deep heel carve but that takes away a crapload of support apparently in this case. I’m old fashioned so the old style block heel is still fine by me lol

[@ChazOfGod]

@@archangelguitarsusa9205the guitar has a neck thru design so I highly doubt that the issue is the deep carve, that actually makes no sense.

[@archangelguitarsusa9205]

It makes a lot of sense actually there’s a lot less material to resist the string tension and there’s a good bit more length of thin neck. You can actually prove the point by using a ruler at the end of a table. The more ruler hangs off the table the easier it is to bend it

[@ChazOfGod]

@@archangelguitarsusa9205I would say that it is much more stable than a set neck, I think what you are doing and hearing is with xtra jumbo frets, if you press down to hard you actually make the note go out of tune and when your bending the neck that’s actually what’s happening first. I’m not discrediting anything else you say in the video just that I don’t believe that neck is that flimsy.

[@ChazOfGod]

@@archangelguitarsusa9205with tall frets you can basically get a half note bend from pushing the string down towards fret board.

[@dankuzoli]

A couple of months ago, I bought an Ibanez RGRT421 because one of my friends had that guitar, and I liked it. Well, mine had problems straight out of the box. Loose tuner screws, really bad setup, nut not cut deep enough and I just can't lower the strings for my liking because it has fret buzz all over the neck. Ok, it's "just" and 500 dollar guitar, but my problem is, I have two other guitars in the 150 dollar price range, which have better hardware and no problems with the neck, can be setup way better than my new Ibanez.

[@Cbuzz1399]

I ordered the KM7 MKIII Artist a while back and the first one that came in was a disaster. The laminates on the 7 piece neck were de-laminating in places. The veneer on the body was wavy over the laminated section of the neck thorugh section toward the bout of the guitar as well as the headstock. Like you could feel the different laminates of wood under the veneer and it was visible. I sent it back. The replacement I got was better but still some serious issues. the EB compensated nut was not glued in. It was just being held on by string pressure. Those guitars also have the brass sustain block. The route for the block was too deep and messy and unlevel causing the block to teeter inside the route. As you can imagine between the loose nut and wonky sustain block, tuning stability was absolute garbage. I reached out to Schecter to see if they could fix under warranty and they refused saying that neither of those things would cause tuning stability issues. What a joke. I took it upon myself to fix both issues. I routed the sustain block hole a tad deeper just to make it level and I secured the nut. Plays and stays in tune a lot bettwer. I still feel that a guitar with those features and the 7 piece neck-through should hold a tune better but it doesnt. Overall, I love the guitar but not worth the almost $2k. As some others have mentioned here, I have two guitars from Harley Benton that are sub $400 and they were miles ahead in out-of-the-box QC.

[@archangelguitarsusa9205]

There’s no excuse for that crap dude because they use CNC. They’re being lazy/greedy and not changing out with fresh sharp router bits in that case so it’s taking more wood than it should

[@bernardlebel2341]

Thank you for that video. I actually bought this guitar last fall and returned it after less than 48 hours. While I found the fretboard playability to be amazing, there were 3 sticking points, in order of severity: 1) Light neck dive. Not significant, but as you say, price point ya know; 2) I found the pickups very underwhelming. I thought "wow is that really what all the buzz is about??" Thanks for letting me know that it's not how it's supposed to sound, because for a first impression Schecter really failed me; 3) Most importantly, not a design or construction flaw per se, but the thin profile of the body was completely throwing me off, and I started having pain in my right arm almost right away. I wanted to like this guitar but it didn't happen.

[@chrismccreight8207]

your problems were all personal preference. user error

[@mylogify]

:D@@chrismccreight8207

[@ripley7t429]

Jackson Virtuoso is 1999, should give em a try. Mine was flawless. Sorry to see Schecter and ESP slipping a bit. Some of the lower line ESPs currently hitting the store have been pretty knarley too.

[@SapperRJMorgan]

My Mark 1 is bomb proof and it’s a second.

[@archangelguitarsusa9205]

Probably because those were still the tried and true C shaped guitars. Those are tanks lol

[@TheDevign]

The crazy thing is, I have a $500 Cort CR250 that is basically flawless. I can understand diminishing returns for expensive guitars, but this is insane.

[@michaelgriffin5304]

Hey! Interested in checking out some of your work in the future. I have a builder I would recommend if you are looking for a new axe for whatever reason- Lacello Guitars. Super cool guy and the build I have from him is absolutely killer, especially for the price. For 2k, I would have tried to grab something he had for sale at a discount lol that being said, Schecter has definitely changed. I have a Stiletto 5 that I have had for 18 years now. The guitar is quite literally perfect. I rue that I was a broke teen and was unable to grab more early Schecter guitars because that bass is nuts. I think they were really trying to make an impression when they came out and then got lazy, like most companies do. Shame. 2k!!!

[@archangelguitarsusa9205]

If I can ever get on the positive side of my divorce and all this inflation and get a shop set back up I definitely plan to continue building but I’ve been dead in the water for about 5 years now sadly. I’ll definitely check them out! I really only learned how to build because at the time all the things I wanted in a guitar were strictly custom shop only but a lot of mass production guitars have caught up with what I like so hopefully they’ll eventually get back on track with quality control and I won’t have to worry about building lol

[@GearStuffandThings]

No guitar in that class should be anywhere near $2000. Personally I don’t subscribe to USA made instruments always being better in quality but Schecter’s USA custom shop does do great work. Fender USA and Gibson USA have tons of QC issues as well for guitars in this price range.

[@archangelguitarsusa9205]

Yeah Schecter USA is on par with Jackson/Charvel and ESP USA

[@chief8825]

I pray this is a one time thing, schecter have some of the best axes on the market and are my personal favorite brand. I’d hate to see them fall off

[@jordanprice7124]

This might be a hot take. Don’t get me wrong, I love Sweetwater. But I think the whole inspection system thing might be doing more harm than good. The amount of handling they go through before they arrive at your door seems like you are more likely to damage the guitar. I received a guitar in terrible shape from them and also a really great quality guitar from them. So it is hit and miss. Considering your guitar had the bridge installed crooked and the pot isn’t top notch is for sure manufacturing based, but the other small things like the nut and the dents might have come from people at Sweetwater handling it.

[@ZagrasNixillis]

I had a schecter KM7 Mark II that would not stay in tune. You could hear it in the middle of playing go out of tune. Fret buzz no matter how the action was set. And the neck was thin, but very flexible and fragile. I sold it to a music go round.

[@ssb201]

Holy shit. I have 2 Schecter guitars (c-1 platinum and 8-string silver mountain) and I thought they play pretty great. I was considering getting a 3rd Schecter with a Floyd Rose. This makes me want to seriously think about whether another Schecter should be added to my collection. Hopefully Schecter is taking notice and is recitfying QC issues.

[@Sneaky-Snek]

at first i was like "is he really bitching about minor finish flaws? no, its an absolute turd" love keith merrows videos been watching him over 10 years now and this is abysmal QC by both schecter and sweetwater

[@archangelguitarsusa9205]

Fun fact! This exact guitar is back available on Sweetwater and isn’t labeled as demo or used. I mean the literal guitar in the video lol. I’ve lost all faith in Sweetwater

[@nikhil10011]

that's pretty sad I have a 2008 Schecter Omen Extreme 7 which I know is their budget line and other than an issue with a loose jack 2 years ago I've had no problems and is still one of my favourite guitars to play. I always thought if I did go for a 1000+ range guitar it would be Schecter but kind of makes me think twice if things like this get overlooked by them

[@daveklein6585]

Man... that's a huge bummer... I have a Km-7 mkiii Artist and it is absolutely incredible... also have one of the new sunset 7 extremes and it is also a remarkable guitar, especially for the price... makes me wonder if i just got lucky and hit the lottery because what you just showed is just absurdly unacceptable.

[@archangelguitarsusa9205]

I can’t remember if the MKiii artist is the one with the wenge/Purple Heart neck but if it is I don’t think that neck could possibly not be solid as a rock lol. Those woods are themselves like rock🤣

[@daveklein6585]

@@archangelguitarsusa9205 Yep.. that's the one.. and its a neck through.. The sunset extreme 7 is a maple/rosewood bolt on.. Both play, feel, and look great, but the mkiii Artist just has something "magnificent" feeling about it... Really blown away to see that they would let a guitar be designed with an F-Spaced in the neck like that... like,.. what is the excuse for that!!???

[@berkayakdag733]

I have been using schecters for the past 6 years they are one of the best axes you can get but this one is unacceptable i cant understand how my 2015 made indonesian schecter is better in every way than newly released korean ones their QC has been lacking for the past several years

[@papapotato408]

I have a km-6 mkiii artist. It looks great and the thin wenge neck feels like heaven. But mine is also riddled with qc issues. The biggest problem is the nut. It's set slightly off center and it took me forever to realise that they made the cut for it too far into the first fret, making the scale length actually too short. Which would explain why I can't get the damned thing properly intonated. The guitar feels phenomenal in the hands so I've been thinking about trading it in for the similar John Browne Tao-6, but I'm a little gun-shy about the brand now. Schecters seem to get stellar reviews, so I'm hoping it's just a problem with the Keith Merrow guitars.

[@wah9312]

Man that sucks, I have a cheaper KM6 that I got years ago for about 600 and it has way less issues than this. They're phenomenal guitars when they work right lol, hope they can replace that one with a good one or something.

[@defrauder_band]

Most guitars do have capacitors for tone bleed. So your saying this affects tone in all guitars?

[@archangelguitarsusa9205]

Oh absolutely! Even the thickness and length of wire from one point to another provides different levels of resistance. I try to limit the signal as little as possible and use only enough length of wire to make it from one point to another

[@JustJoshing4L]

Man, I have a 90 dollar pawn shop epiphone lp junior(was my first guitar) with a neck that bends that easily. Don't get me wrong, it's fun for literally only neck bends, but sucks at everything else. Wouldn't want that kind of neck issue on a 2k guitar or the hipshot being installed wrong. I could overlook a ding, finish texture differences, pickup wiring, or the nut(hard to overlook, but not that bad), but not those. Those and bad fret edges/leveling are the biggest killers of a guitar for me

[@taxo]

Honestly I have hard time believing the neck bends and gets back into shape when you're done playing. It's more easily a string thing. A neck that bends when picking means during the night it turns into a banana with no effort.

[@JustJoshing4L]

@@taxo the neck on my guitar bends when you put pressure on it, but it's still playable for a good while without going out of tune. Just telling you what it does even with new strings. Doesn't really go out of tune from picking. Neck can literally flex around decently easy. Hasn't always been like that. If you don't believe me tho, then that's cool lol

[@taxo]

@@JustJoshing4L if the neck "bends" when you physically put pressure on it with your hands that's fine, it might happen (you don't really see the neck curving and going banana ofc, just see the pitch change or hear the strings going higher tune). But no way the neck bends when you're picking too strong, otherwise every single string bending you make would totally mess up your guitar.

[@JustJoshing4L]

@@taxo I have nothing to prove, so it is what it is I guess

[@jimmypennell8831]

I bought a LTD JM-ll last Christmas from Sweetwater and was absolutely garbage. Fret sprout all up the neck. 50 point inspection 😅. 1700 with the case. I kept it. I think I should have sent it back

[@archangelguitarsusa9205]

Damn. Yeah I was hoping by making this video to save at least a few people some money who may not know these things are normal. Some things can be dealt with after the fact if the original price is right including a crappy fret job but the neck on this particular guitar being so easy to move isn’t something anyone can fix. I’d hate for someone to be stuck with a $2000 guitar that is perpetually out of tune

[@dennismeyers2008]

What is an f or s spaced pickup versus a standard?

[@TheGtrman91]

F spaced has slightly wider pole pieces. Used to be the difference between spacing for a Tune-o-matic vs a fender trem (which floyd rose also used as spacing). Most modern guitars will have f spaced bridges, but it's essentially cosmetic.

[@BlackChromeJamTracks]

Excellent review. Thx for your honesty

[@psychological6707]

My E-1 has the same neck issue. I thought the truss rod was broken because the neck moves so much.

[@nicolasbeaudry6158]

I had a diamond series Lady Luck with a crazy gun metal matte finish in gray metallic. Ebony board , a girl holding to race flag in a silouhette at the 12 th fret. Made in Korea , amazing schecter pick ups . Sick sick sick guitar. And of course I sold it. I should haved never sold it. In the 2000, schecter had them models with Playing cards inlays, and a lot of punk rock guitarist signature . I don’t know what happened to theses. Maybe they cost too much to make. Now they seem to concentrate on more of a boutique luthier, like they used to be. But that comes with a price tags . And this my friend is Unacceptable. I like your video . 💯

[@gonza.shreds]

Correct me if I'm wrong but hipshot bridges are not f spaced. They have a 10.6mm so it's kind of gibson spaced. Fender is 10.8mm

[@archangelguitarsusa9205]

Nah they’re definitely f spaced. Even Gibson is f spaced these days.

[@gonza.shreds]

@@archangelguitarsusa9205 I had two schecters with hipshot hardtails and both were 52mm

[@pauljohnson1382]

I can clearly see that bridge isnt mounted perpendicular to the neck. Its not even hard to get that right. I sure as hell wont be giving schecter any money.

[@leovan83]

I believe F-Spaced pickups in general are designed for guitars with tremolos (Floyd, Kahler). Guitars with NO trems should be standard spacing, so I’m not sure if you’re right on that one. However, the poles not aligning might be just because of the bad design of the guitar.

[@JD-vj4go]

How did sweetwater miss a bad nut and crooked bridge during the 55 point inspection?

[@jordanqueen6897]

Because they don’t actually do it. I bought a Fender Stratocaster from them and the whole ass neck was crooked when I got it. What made me noticed was the E string was falling off the neck even though the bridge saddles were perfectly straight. This is why you should support local if you can but it seems like big box companies are gonna be the new norm.

[@JD-vj4go]

@@jordanqueen6897 I kind of think they aren't doing the inspections anymore too. My last couple guitars from them had big problems that would have been caught with even a quick glance. One Fender fixed under warranty (frets were never leveled) the other I had to return. I think a lot of us don't have much in the way of local shops anymore.

[@crc9564]

​​@@jordanqueen6897 what does supporting local do? I can walk 15min to my local Long and Mcquade and order this exact guitars and get just as ripped off. The employees there don't give a fuck. Edit, they will sell/order me a guitar that neither myself or any staff at the store has seen or touched, make me pay for it in full, then wait a mk th or so for it to come in. When it arrives they call me to come pick it up. Still in the box. I take it home and am the first person to touch it. I've had to return a few guitars cause I end up with a guitar with issues. Not any different than ordering online really. Just a slightly easier return process.

[@tommyibanez3958]

The '55 point inspection' is simply a card they throw in the box. I bought an Ibanez from them- pull it out of the box, Floyd not level, action SUPER high, and when I set it up with playable action it had dead frets galore, had to level them. I had bought it as a platform to customize so their suckage didn't ruin my life, but for someone else it might have. Sweetwater is simply a big box store with cold caller salesmen, whose marketing obscures that fact.

[@kevinwhite6172]

The worst guitars I’ve bought have came from Sweetwater. There’s know way they’re checking them.

[@chordatag]

I 've tried only one schecter in my life, it was in a guitar store. 7 string, but it was totally messed up guitar. Frets was awfully finished and it felt bad while playin. And that wasnt cheap model as well. It was very long ago but i remebered it and after that i told to myself to never touch any schecter again. Ibanez for life

[@boomerbob]

Sweetwater has been slipping the last 7-8 years. Guitars I’ve ordered from them arrive with manufacturing dust still on the bodies. SW never touched them for any inspection purposes. I’m talking >$1k guitars too. I pre-ordered the Shuriken from SW and it came with horrible action, intonation whacked, truss rod issues… never again.

[@resington]

Guitar pricing has gone quite crazy and at 2 grand, that's nowhere near good enough.

[@richardjones2811]

Many Fender Player Strats have the same issue with the polepieces. I've been told it has no effect on the output sound quality but it still put me off buying one.

[@archangelguitarsusa9205]

It really doesn’t but when they make pickups that line up properly for the same price it just makes no sense to not use them

[@pgman5416]

:/ I felt this video So I've only owned a couple of Schecters recently, with my PT7 being the most expensive. I dont recally having the same neck issues, but they did manage to wire the EMG 57-7/66-7 without the regular emg pots and instead soldered the pickups to some cheap no-brand pots. They also used their own cap on the tone control and I didnt have a meter available to figure out what these things were rated at. The guitar sounded DEAD. The pickups still had the quick connect, so I swapped in the Hot 70 set, and it still sounded sterile and dead. And, for the record, I know EMGs are compressed and tend to be more "sterile", but I also know exactly how they should sound and this was not it. Oh also one of the pickup adjustment screws were stripped from factory so the swap was a pain. I ended up trading the guitar.

[@AdamManley7]

🎸 Man even though they’re sister brands you gotta try out ESP instead, been very happy my end even though I tend to always get used guitars

[@archangelguitarsusa9205]

I haven’t heard anything negative about them yet! Rob Arnold has been doing reviews on newer LTDs and he’s absolutely loving them

[@AdamManley7]

@@archangelguitarsusa9205 he’s great man such a good band too, I watch a channel called Jordan’s guitar channel that does flame on the cheaper indo guitar and even the high end LTD his opinion the only thing worth has to be E2 and up which if you’ve ever tried those Japan made guitars mannn they are pretty much top tier

[@Liminal.Headspace]

​@@archangelguitarsusa9205 ESP and LTD/LTD-2 are one of the very last brands that will always get you your money's worth. Never seen a bad instrument from them, either a 200 or 2000 bucks one. It's honestly impressive. And annoying when looking at Ibanez.

[@taxo]

@@archangelguitarsusa9205 isn't Rob Arnold an ESP artist?

[@archangelguitarsusa9205]

I believe so yes. I have seen him review other brands on his channel though so I’m not sure to what extent he’s an ESP artist.

[@stratdx]

I’ve owned two Schecters. The necks are not sanded evenly, so you can feel the difference in woods as you run your hand down the neck.

[@peachmelba1000]

The neck instability has to be down to either low quality/not properly seasoned wood, the carbon rod channels being too wide, or somthing is up with the neck/body junction (is that thing set-thru, or true neck thru?). Overseas factory guitars will always have QC issues. Those mass production makers are building guitars for dozens of brands at a time, and frankly, the people doing the work are just there for the paycheck. This may not be the case for every facility, but it's largely true.

[@archangelguitarsusa9205]

On Sweetwater it said neck through but I’ve noticed they get things wrong a lot in descriptions so I’m not 100% sure

[@BurntSquirrel]

I own a custom shop MK3 with Keiths Fishmans in it and it's a phenomenally built guitar. I have a feeling the resistor you found is to cut down how hot the pickups are. Keith generally likes a lower output on his pickups, so maybe thats why thats there.

[@archangelguitarsusa9205]

Oh yeah that’s exactly what it does and I completely think it’s not just that he likes lower output but he just hasn’t had time to put out his signature Lundgren. I mainly point that out because if anyone manages to find a playable one and wants more output that those pickups have plenty more juice on tap lol

[@fightingzero]

Also, I had a Silver/Gray Schecter 006 Set-neck from 2004 (yes, set neck) and ended up selling it to Ty Dietzler of Thousand Foot Krutch… Ty, if you’re out there, I want that guitar back! LOL It was crushing guitar. @tydietzler

[@robertomejias5479]

I had a similar experience with a Charvel So Cal Style 2 recently... The fret dressing, the cut of the nut and the alignment of the strings with the pick ups were terrible. This proves, once again, that an impressive list of specs does not necessarily make for a quality instrument. I'm never buying an instrument without playing it first!

[@georgyj111111]

What you tell about the electronics is garbage. The part on the pot is not a resistor, but a capacitor. It retains the highs, when turning down he volume.

[@imfloatin09]

My John Browne signature came with Alot of dents and finish issues. But since it was the only one that reached the states for months I kept it . Still plays absolutely amazing but it was almost 1700.00 kinda was disappointed with the QC . Look up my video on it I open the box and show all the flaws on video

[@saulalmighty7061]

damn this bums me out my first schecter was a 500 dollar demon 6 and it was flawless. I've always stood by schecter I really hope this was just one time thing

[@UlfhedinnNorsk]

It’s a business 🤷🏻‍♂️. Making cheap shit to sell the name alone is how you make money. Sad but true 🤨

[@CyberSoulLover]

I had a C-7 SLS Elite FR recently I was amazed by how nice it played and felt! But it had a massive issue.. the neck has the same problem yours did Just putting my finger on the neck would make it change pitch.. it was unbearable because any movement while playing would make it go out of tune. I think it’s due to how extreme the neck carve is and how thin the neck is. Even after a setup and restring, I still had issues with tuning Very sad because it played amazing and I got it for under a $1000 basically used. But that neck issues makes it unplayable

[@archangelguitarsusa9205]

Yeah it’s incredibly frustrating for sure! Seems like modern guitars aren’t up to par anymore

[@jdoxTV]

Damn, I just ordered the new Sunset Extreme 7 - I hope it doesnt arrive with a plethora of issues D: Last Ibanez I bought had horrrrrrrible QC issues and thats why I went with this Schecter FML.

[@Tatted-ne7tu]

Well how did the Sunset turn out?

[@TheAmirShimon]

I have a KM6 mkiii artist that is really good, there are a few spot blemishes in the satin finish but other then that it is fine, not tuning issue or annything. I also have mk i KM7 and KM6 and both of those are perfect.