SCHECTER PT VAN NUYS - Super Versatile T-Style

[@johnbose7454]

I bought one used for $400.00 in perfect condition. I love this guitar! And I was a previous owner of an actual 1980’s Van Nuys Schecter. This neo recreation is wonderful. Best neck I’ve ever had on ANY guitar. These pickups seem a little hotter and brighter than the old originals. But I don’t mind that. They are very musical and versatile. Clean tones and drive are both really nice. And it’s just stunning to look at. The best bang for your buck guitar out there.

[@AceBambam]

so pretty, i would love to add this to my imaginary telecaster collection

[@toneydavis9802]

Schecter kills it with their guitars. I call them face plant guitars. When you spend $2000 on a Fender and find out Schecter puts out something similar and better for $899. Great review Liegh.

[@LeighFugeGuitar]

Hey Toney, Yeah absolutely, they’re making some awesome stuff right now. For the longest time they appealed more to metal guys, but it seems their portfolio is widening and they’re making great, versatile guitars! For the money they’re amazing. I agree with that, they can really hang with the big boys. I’ve got a pink Schecter Nick Johnston Strat style and it’s every bit as good as every other Strat I’ve owned and played. It’s one of my main guitars at the moment

[@the.communist]

Harley benton puts out similar ones for half the price of that schecter. Both made in indonesia

[@diecaverna]

I love mine but I didn’t like those pickups so I just put 1 Suhr SSV on the Bridge and 1 Suhr Thornbucker on the Neck and now it sound like heaven lol

[@isaiahj117]

Tried this SCHECTER PT VAN NUYS at guitar center today, it is a great guitar, sound perfect, love the clean tone position 2 and 4. Love the aggressive powerful sound from the bridge, nice blues tone with the neck position. Overall, a super wonderful guitar. Love the natural wood color.

[@gslide06]

Totally agree about the suggestion to add different color options. They'd have my cash instantly with identical specs with different colors, red, black, deep blue, purple, brighter orange.

[@LeighFugeGuitar]

Yeah, this colour is nice... but it's not mind blowing, and I can certainly imagine its not to everyone's taste. But, with it being a stain, its very easy for them to offer that as different colour stains for the same price point.

[@malcolmhardwick4258]

I got an original early 80s Schecter strat from Van Nuys. Solid koa body and curly maple neck...its a thing of beauty !

[@LeighFugeGuitar]

Oh man, I bet that is so amazing!

[@malcolmhardwick4258]

@@LeighFugeGuitar It was my dream guitar from when I was 15 ! Seeing Mark Knopfler play them I was hooked ! But they are rare and I never even seen one until I saw one for sale from a web shop in Japan. They thought it was a 90s Japanese era Schecter guitar but I wasnt gonna educate them, i knew it was a late 70s early 80s guitar from Van Nuys !...so I got a deal !

[@kornklone]

Oh man, that is a beauty! Schecter is gonna keep taking all my money...

[@LeighFugeGuitar]

Hahaha! Yeah they are a dangerous company this year! Everything I've tried in the last few months has been SOOOOO good!

[@BasementGuitarSuperstar]

Dude I LOVE Schecter. Been wanting a Tempest for a long time. This model sounds great too

[@LeighFugeGuitar]

I really love them! I kinda avoided them for a long time cause they were leaning more onto the metal guitars but lately they’ve been really dropping some cool 80s vibe guitars. They’re great guitars and so well built. I did always have a soft spot for the Tempest. Used to play in a band with a guy who had a white one and I loved it.

[@mailvilla]

08/14/2021: Sorry this is lengthy. I forgot to ask (1) does the volume drop when switching to single coils?, (2) Does it have rolled-edged on the fretboard? (3) Does it have a pop-in-out tremolo rod with a tightening screw?, (4) I can see the Ash grain follows right into the edges of the guitar. But, the white trim hides the wood grain procession. Can you see, if the top grain matches the sides past the white biding? There is a way to see, if it is veneer on top. Many companies have nice wood bodies, but put a veneer on top and hide it with the white binding, and they do not mention on their websites there is a veneer on top. A good example of this is Fender on their top-line American-made guitars with a sunburst finish. The tops and backs are veneers and hidden with the edges of the guitar sprayed black, then fades into the brownish clear showing wood grain. I know this for a fact, per I had an American-made $1,000.00 sunburst guitar that got badly damaged, and I sanded it done. Yes, I found the veneer. There is another way to see if a top is a veneer or not. Take off a knob or amplifier cable jack socket and look in the hole. You may see it there. Thank you again, and Cheers from Orlando Florida USA, which is the home of Disneyland.

[@LeighFugeGuitar]

Hey, thanks for checking out the video and taking the time to leave a comment. It's been quite a while since I shot this video so I will try to recall... 1. Yeah, coil taps/splits always have a slight drop, but it's not a huge drop 2. I don't recall if the fretboard had rolled edges, but it was very comfortable to play 3. Yeah, the trem just pops in and you tighten it with an allen key bolt 4. I don't actually know much about the grain matching, I didn't really look at it properly but I'd assume for the price that it's a veneer top Hope that helps!

[@anthonymccarthy4493]

I will say this: I tried a GC floor model and the frets were dressed and set up well, pickups were awesome neck joint was good to go... The Schecter guitars coming out of Indonesia are awesome...of course individual set up are up to the player, just need to be tweaked to individual taste, but overall, this is a solid guitar out of the box for the price especially at this point.

[@danhopper8266]

I really love the finish on this one also

[@LeighFugeGuitar]

It's a really cool finish, love the roasted maple too!

[@josedabigbrain3667]

i got this for $550 used at guitar center and someone replaced the bridge pickup with a seymour-duncan humbucker. easily my favorite guitar.

[@sledge1960]

I pulled the trigger on this, I'm a collector, big Fender fan and this thing should have Fender shaking in their boots for the workmanship, the spec, the price is a steal, the five way switch is fantastic, I just love it. No way I expected so much for so little. For not that much more than a Fender Player series, which is a good guitar, but not as good as this. The trem works well, no dive bombing but stays well in tune. Locking Tuners, what more do you want. I'm tempted now to get the S Type.

[@theos.3809]

I've had mine for 2 years. It was such great value

[@Sattvaarising]

Great video!!!!! I was wondering if the neck on this guitar is similar to the neck on the pt pro schecter? Big fan of those thin c shapes.

[@LeighFugeGuitar]

Hey man, thanks for checking out the video, glad you enjoyed it! I have not personally played the PT Pro, but I would imagine it's a pretty similar neck. The PT Pro also seems to be made in the same factory and is around the same price as the PT Van Nuys so my guess would be that the neck would be pretty much the same.

[@TheRycooder]

THAT is a BEAST......LOVE IT.

[@LeighFugeGuitar]

Yeah they're great guitars! There is also a Strat style in the same range which looks great too!

[@mrcloopreturns4265]

Can you get a nice heavy tone out of those pickups? I'm sold on everything, but I need to know it can bring the heat when I need it. It will be played direct into a Marshall DSL40CR

[@LeighFugeGuitar]

They seem like they can probably go pretty heavy, but I have no idea about dialling in heavy tones because I'm more of a low gain player. They seem like they could handle it though.

[@the12gage37]

I tried it at Guitar Center (happened to use a DSL40 funny enough, as well as a Boss Katana), they can get pretty heavy although I would recommend putting an overdrive in front of the amp to get a stronger sound

[@bobbychubb6913]

Okay I just got one of these something no one has said that's worth mentioning is it's Les Paul heavy at least mine is I just did a three hour bike night gig and my back feels it . Nothing wrong with this guitar in fact the neck is amazing the tremolo is smooth and stays in tune really well. I love it but it's heavy as in heavy enough to be a deal breaker for some but not me it's a keeper.

[@LeighFugeGuitar]

I don’t remember it being too heavy when I shot the video but I did shoot the video sitting down haha! I didn’t gig the guitar. I agree though, for me a heavy guitar isn’t a dealbreaker. As long as it sounds and feels good!

[@bobbychubb6913]

@@LeighFugeGuitar three hour gigs would still hurt with a styrofoam guitar. I have another ash tele that is heavy too. Maybe I need an S model Ibanez .see good excuse to buy another guitar. Cheers!

[@pdbordelon]

I have two Schecter USA PTs and want to add this one to my stable!

[@waynecribb4922]

Beautiful guitar and sounds great. Very good review.

[@LeighFugeGuitar]

Thanks Wayne! Glad you enjoyed the video. These guitars are great!

[@doopeyduk]

Was split between this and the Charvel So-Cal Pro Mod, a similar axe with the same selling points. Wondering how the two stack up against one another.

[@LeighFugeGuitar]

That would be a really interesting shoot out. The Schecter was great, I really enjoyed playing that. I'd love to compare it.

[@doopeyduk]

@@LeighFugeGuitar Wound up getting the Charvel. Neck is to die for. The only drawback is the battery powered active pups (Fishman Fluence) but it makes up for it in pretty impressive flexibility.

[@doopeyduk]

@@LeighFugeGuitar You REALLY should do that shootout..:)

[@Paralung]

Funnily enough, I'm split between the exact same guitars. Tryin' them both out next Monday. Can't wait.

[@josephromano7303]

smart move.. not taking anything away from shector, they are awesome quality built but the charvel has a tad more features. The neck-joint access on the upper frets is a big plus (24frets) when soloing, also the truss rod wheel is super easy...last..you cant beat the F.F. pickups on the charvel, it can sound and play any style that suits you. one of my favorite all around guitars plus a great price point!! congrats!

[@ferramirez4668]

Thanks for the review man!!

[@LeighFugeGuitar]

Thank you for checking it out and commenting! Glad you enjoyed!

[@chriscutmore492]

Great Demo and review’ I liked it so much, I bought mine today!! (From Merchant City Music), comes delivered tomorrow, can’t wait!! 🎸🎸🎸

[@LeighFugeGuitar]

Hey Chris, that's awesome! Thanks for checking out the video! Glad you enjoyed it and that's awesome to hear you bought one! I loved having this here to demo, let me know what you think of yours when it arrives!

[@DaddyPants]

I'm between this van nuys model and the pt pro. I am leaning towards the pro but the only thing that's stopping me is the finish is way too modern and colorful for my taste. This van nuys is a little more my style.

[@LeighFugeGuitar]

Oh man, it's a tough one but personally I'd lean more to the Van Nuys ones too. The PT Pro's are killer, but the Van Nuys have a slightly more vintage feel about them too which I prefer. This one, and the S style one are both great!

[@robdonell9915]

Is the tremolo arm pop-in or screw-in type ?

[@LeighFugeGuitar]

If I remember correctly it was a pop in type with a small allen key bolt to tighten the arm when it is in

[@mailvilla]

07/29/2021: Very cool! Can you get a Fender Telecaster Twang out of the guitar? Also, it is a solid Ash Body, but is that a veneer on top and back?

[@LeighFugeGuitar]

Yeah it can get pretty twangy with some of the 5 way switch positions because they split the coils in different ways, but it doesn't sound exactly like a Tele. It's more of a hot rod vibe. According to the Schecter website its just an Ash body, there is no mention of any veneers on the top or back.

[@mailvilla]

@@LeighFugeGuitar: Thank you for your helpful fast reply. I watch a lot of videos and 99% of video demos do not reply back.

[@LeighFugeGuitar]

You’re welcome man, I always try to respond to everyone who takes the time to check out my videos and leave comments

[@dotoievsky]

Thank you Leigh for this great video. Can't wait to test these models. Just one question about the neck. Is the shape different from the Johnston one? Thank you!

[@LeighFugeGuitar]

Hey! Thanks for checking the video out and commenting! Great question, it's actually not too different. I think it may be slightly... and I mean slightly, thicker than the Johnston model. The other big difference is that this has the roasted maple board and the Johnston has the Ebony, but neck size is pretty close. They feel very similar. They've both made in Indonesia (I imagine the same factory) and both the same price point.

[@dotoievsky]

Big thank you for you answer. I have tried the Johnston one and I think it’s a great guitar for the money. I can’t wait to see the van Nuys for real in shops or maybe I won’t wait...;-) It should be nice to see you make a video on the super strat van Nuys model too!:-) greetings from Paris!!

[@roygertel]

Where is it made ?

[@LeighFugeGuitar]

This series of Schecters are made in Indonesia, the quality is fantastic.

[@keithclark486]

Whammy aside , What about this compared to the Fender FMT ?

[@LeighFugeGuitar]

It's a very different guitar to the FMT. The FMT has a set neck and the Schecter is bolt on. I actually think, personally, the Schecter is a little better. The FMT is a great hot-rod Tele style, but the ones I've played, I just didn't love. To me, the Schecter feels sleeker and a bit more retro (which I prefer!).

[@ZE4MC]

Great review! I bought one- Schecter should pay you a commission! Oh and its not brown its "natural" sounds so much more earthy for a guitar LOL

[@LeighFugeGuitar]

Thanks for the comment and glad to hear you picked one up. How are you getting on with it? It's a great guitar.

[@ANTHONY81586]

Hello, it’s been about 9 months since your purchase, how’re you liking it? I was thinking of purchasing one

[@angusorvid8840]

I love Schecters and own one, but not this model. Another thing Schecter is known for are excellent pickups. They were never as well known for their pickups as Duncan, DiMarzio or EMG, but players like me who've been playing since the eighties are well aware of this.

[@LeighFugeGuitar]

This one is a great one, I was sad to send this back! I did really like this. I do wish they would offer it in a few more colours because the standard colour isn't to everyone's taste, but regardless of that, it's a great guitar! The pickups are fantastic.

[@angusorvid8840]

@@LeighFugeGuitar I like the finish but I agree, they should offer it in more colors. I think the reason for this default finish is in part a cost saving measure but also going for a certain kind of audience that prefers vintage style instruments, and it doesn't get more vintage style than a natural finish like this. I like it when a guitar comes with good pickups because I am one of those aftermarket pickup fanatics who will pop in a different set if I don't like the stock pups. I don't like having to do that. If a guitar is fine stock, then I get a certain satisfaction from that. It makes me feel like its money well spent, and the only thing I have to spend money on are new picks and strings when they wear out. This guitar looks like something Mark Knopfler would like, like one of his old Pensa Suhrs.

[@3rdtonefromthesun]

Great review! Tonally overall, it sounds quite unique, it has a lot of high and mid definition - quite compressed and tight sounding, perhaps something to do with the pickups being ceramic. I felt the clean tones seemed to lack a bit of sweetness and thought the pickups sounded best at home when mated with some gain, the leads still sounded articulate. So it's a jack of all trades, but is it a master of any?...

[@LeighFugeGuitar]

Hey thanks for checking it out, glad you enjoyed! It's definitely more at home with a bit of gain through it. It handles clean well, but personally I've never really liked any clean humbucker tones. My ear pulls me towards single coils for clean. There's something about humbucker clean tones that I just can't get into. It's an 80s vibe guitar so the overdriven riffs and leads is where this guitar is very very happy.

[@3rdtonefromthesun]

@@LeighFugeGuitar No worries, great review! t’s a bit of a fusion guitar in many ways. It’s funny what you say about humbucker clean tones, I used to feel the same way but lately my ear’s been more receptive, particularly with chords and arpeggios. There’s a certain harmonic richness that is beautiful, but ideally we’re talking about lower output neck humbuckers in specifically the middle and neck positions, but hotter pickups in that position tend to lose that open air chime. Think Foo Fighters Learn to Fly, the verses sound so full and rich, as much as I love single coil clean tones they’ve simply got a narrower band of frequencies more focussed and arguably suited to single notes and attack. Scale length of the guitar is another thing too, humbuckers also sound different on a non-Gibson scale length! Horses for courses I guess… I was comparing this PT Van Nuys to the Charvel Pro-Mod So Cal Style 2 and I think the latter pips it to the post, more tonal options with the Fishman pickups and a better pickup selector position.

[@reneliebregt6319]

The pickups are not ceramic , they have Alnico V magnets 😀

[@alanoffer]

I love the guitar but would have preferred a choice of a different colour

[@LeighFugeGuitar]

I agree! I think the colours are nice, but they aren't my favourite colours. If they offered a few other colours, even simple things like black or white, it would widen the appeal to a bigger range of players because these guitars sound and play amazing.

[@joelbeckwith5379]

Great video! How do you like the pickups? Have you tried rolling down the volume, if so how do you like it? I'm really excited about this guitar!

[@LeighFugeGuitar]

Hey Joel, Thanks for checking the video out! I really like the pickups. They've got a really nice vintage vibe. Sorta like aggressive 80s pickups but without being "metal". I think they could do metal if you wanted them to, but for rock stuff they work really well. Lots of detail in the sound. They roll back pretty well too. I like this guitar, I think when it hits the stores in a few weeks it'll be a very successful line. I'm loving this retro vibe that Schecter are on right now!

[@VukBackingTracks]

Wow!!

[@LeighFugeGuitar]

Thank you man!

[@arielista]

Love but the color is not for me. If Schecter offered more colors I would totally get one.

[@LeighFugeGuitar]

Thanks for checking out the video man. I agree, this guitar would look awesome in some other colours!

[@the.communist]

They build it in indonesia cause its cheaper labour than korean built.

[@laurovargas7241]

Top

[@LeighFugeGuitar]

Nope, missed it again. The trick is to comment before anyone else does.

[@beerdeddi1]

That would be even better guitars if they had a floating tremolo.

[@LeighFugeGuitar]

The tremolos on these guitars are floating. They just aren’t locking tremolos, but the guitars have locking tuners. They come out if the box with the vintage style tremolos floating.

[@valebliz]

@@LeighFugeGuitar wait, they have a recessed cavity like a floyd or an ibanez az? I thought not.

[@LeighFugeGuitar]

No, but it’s a vintage style floating trem, like an old Strat. You can pull the bar up about a tone. You can’t do the big pull ups like a Floyd

[@mr.smithgnrsmith7808]

Nice playing dude…..but…Poison?!? Smfh

[@LeighFugeGuitar]

Poison are one of my favourite bands. They're not for everyone, but that's music for you, I'm sure I dislike bands that other people adore. Don't let your day get ruined because you disagree with a band tshirt that someone wears. There are much bigger things to worry about on a day to day basis than if someone is a fan of Poison.

[@gregoriodecker2692]

A thousand pound guitar? Damn you must need a thick strap. Lol

[@LeighFugeGuitar]

Hahaha!! Love it! Yeah if you played this standing up, you better get ready for a bad back!! 😂

[@gregoriodecker2692]

@@LeighFugeGuitar lol 😆

[@robdonell9915]

😂😂😂

[@briane.paulson]

Sounds out of tune.

[@LeighFugeGuitar]

Probably just my playing

[@MCGguitar698]

It's your imagination, it's in tune.

[@apico]

Then don't buy one.