The Perfect Workhorse? Schecter Nick Johnston Review

For my Presets visit: johnnathancordy.gumroad.com/ The @Schecter Guitar Research Nick Johnston Diamond Series might be the guitar that I've been asked my opinion on the most out of guitars I've never tried. It's actually uncannily similar to looking at a Sire neck which I wasn't necessarily expecting.
thmn.to/thoprod/489015?partner_id=90281 - here's an affiliate link for the Schecter....
redir.love/thocf/5zairdej93 here's an affiliate link for Thomann if you were thinking of grabbing a Sire....
This preset is "Andy Timm Alt 2"
I've decided to make it possible to grab both my Helix/HX Stomp bundles (the expression bundle with freeze presets has always been separate) together for £5 - www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=CCTNL7P2XSQDC - I will then email you a link to both bundles!
You can get my EXPRESSION patches in this bundle using this link - I will then send out the patches! www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=3PUJ7M8YPS4WU
Try my patches (60-70+) for Helix or HX Stomp in this bundle for £3 using this link - I will then send out the patches! www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=45L8AZ4RYL3HW
Try my patches for Pod GO for £3 using this link - I will then send out the patches! www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=2E7DSCRZW45JN
www.patreon.com/johnnathancordy get my backing tracks here
www.buymeacoffee.com/johnnathancordy - if you like what I do and
only if you wanted, you could buy me a coffee!

[@Newbyrock23]

Dude, you’re an incredible player. Your feel and dynamic is staggeringly good. Please don’t stop, KZbin is better because you’re on it. Well done all around, cheers

[@TheHumbuckerboy]

I like this two knob configuration over a Strat's and in particular the fact that the volume knob is positioned further from the high 'E' string thus facilitating room for the picking hand.

[@andrefludd]

I’ve also played this strat and can confirm it is very good for the price. At the same time, there are now so many similar guitars at this price point that are all very good. That includes guitars made by charvel, and of course the silver sky se. It’s strange that these other brands are beating fender at being fender, but they are IMO. With all of that being said, if I was buying a guitar right now in this price range, I’d still consider finding a higher end guitar that is used. I’m of course partial to the Parker Nitefly, but a used kiesel is another good choice. They are a little out of this price range, but if you save a little longer they are worth it and you won’t feel the need to upgrade anytime soon. But that’s just my opinion. Happy buying and playing everyone!

[@thymick5581]

Could you please list of guitar brands that you mentioned? Looking for a guitar to play R&B, Soul, Gospel music style.

[@andrefludd]

@@thymick5581 PRS Silver Sky SE, Charvel Pro Mod Series, just about any fender guitar will also work fine. All great options.

[@hollywoodactress]

My view on why all those you mention are great is that they are all made in the Cort Indonesian factory. ( I could be wrong but Someone else can confirm here) There might be different level of quality control by each brand within that factory depending on what they have requested cort to do and what hardware etc the brands have paid for to be on their guitar models. Whereas the fenders are made in their own Mexican factory.

[@andrefludd]

@@hollywoodactress Interesting! I'm just a player and teacher so I don't tend to get too far into researching manufacturing. But now that you shared that, I wonder if the smart move would be to find the "cheapest" guitar brand using a respected specific factory and then purchase that? Just a thought.

[@hollywoodactress]

@@andrefludd in fact cort do make their own guitars same factory. I have played a couple in a guitar shop a, Pre pandemic. It was interesting, as I tried the strat version they made. The shop had two of them, exact same model, one blue and one red. I tried the blue as it looked nice and I owned 2 red guitars already. Felt ok for the £260 price tag. Not amazing but ok. The sales guy then said try the red one, it’s nicer. I picked it up and straight away I understood what he meant. Neck felt right and sounded good. The sales guy said I don’t know what it is, but the red does feel a lot better. It took me a couple of mins to work out why. The red guitar had more medium size frets whereas the blue had almost jumbo frets. I told the guy and he agreed, then said, I’m not sure why they would be different as they should be the same model just different colour. I then explained how for that price point of £260, they make lots of different guitars at the cort factory. Perhaps the employee was given /or picked up, the wrong fret sizes when fretting the guitar during the production process that day. I left the shop without buying it, as it was around Christmas time and money was tight. I did think about that guitar all holiday then called them back see if they still had it. It had gone 😔 I think the model was cort G260, 1 vol and 2 tone control, with a baked roasted neck neck and alder. If you are not a brand or headstock shape person then defo try a few to see what you think. My advice for any guitar regardless of price but even more so at sub £1000 is try a couple of them if you have the luxury to do so. As the same models can feel different.

[@edlicari3909]

I have the same guitar, it’s absolutely amazing!! 👍

[@bloozfreek493]

Love mine, ebony board, baby blue body...it's a stunner. Have not had one issue, fret work is excellent. Only addition I made was adding a Gilmour switch to add neck p/u to middle and bridge positions.

[@garywaddell6309]

I returned my Sire S7 for this guitar (HSS version) and very happy I did. They were so similar but the feel of the Schecter just felt better and the fact I can split the humbucker on the Schecter was nice. Just ordered the area 61 and 58’s single coils as replacements as I just didn’t feel the stock single pickups had much life. Love the neck on this model.

[@c.j.robert5350]

I bought the green sss model, and upgraded it with a Emg SA set and a Vega Trem bridge...awesome awesome guitar!!

[@jesseasch-ortiz6136]

The vegatrem fits on this? Thought I read elsewhere that it wasn’t a clean fit.

[@c.j.robert5350]

@@jesseasch-ortiz6136 the inserts, either the American model, or the Asian ones are a little loose. You can buy bushings from Fender and it fits perfectly. Absolutely no issue. And tuning stability is unmatched.

[@Hiro.the.God.]

Hands down just my favorite channel. Do you have music anywhere online? You play amazing mate!

[@zackwatson6438]

Bought a MIM player in shell pink for $680 over the 4th of July sale at Guitar Center…..Immediately returned it because it felt off and scored a barely touched “used” NJ HSS for $650. Best decision I’ve made, such a great player. Definitely wanted a SSS version, maybe in pink.

[@slickfingerstratman]

One of favourite guitars ,I've got atomic silver & atomic frost,now also after the maple version ,I feel they play & feel better than my USA Strats,the vibe is amazing

[@danielbreaux1842]

Got one today on a stupid deal of the day from the friend...at $499 i am blown away even if it is pink!

[@nmtodorow]

Bought one also , nice guitar

[@ASKAJOEJOE]

My schecter NJ isn’t light. It is the heaviest strat I’ve owned. The pickups are more mid focused I feel, higher output than typical vintage tone based pickups.

[@soulfullsolos]

We need a shootout between this, a Fender Vintera and the Silver Se

[@jazznotes3802]

There’s one in this price range that blows them all away and that’s the “Fender JV 60’s modified Strat.”

[@tenebroruncr4374]

This one beats the other two. I have the same in pink and the vintera or prs are worse in all aspects. I have them and I know what I'm talking about. The Schecter NJ is a great guitar that in Fender would cost much more.

[@NelsonBlakeII]

I’ve played the PRS SS SE and I own the NJ. Honestly, they are built so differently that preference is a huge factor. Both great but my preference is the NJ easily. It’s totally satisfied my need for a strat in both sound and feel.

[@jazznotes3802]

@@NelsonBlakeII The downside (with the NJ model) is your basically stuck with what you get. (meaning its not modular like a Strat) If you break something, or don't like something your screwed. I like Strat's because there's 1000's of modifications you can make. e.g: Don't like the neck? You can get any type of neck you want to replace it. Break anything? It's easily replaceable and there's 100's of companies that make different parts too fit. With a Strat you can make it unique & personal, basically your dream guitar. This is why (imo) it's the greatest guitar ever. I was thinking of getting the NJ model myself, until i spotted the "Fender JV 60's Modified" going for £1090 in my local music store. :)

[@NelsonBlakeII]

@@jazznotes3802 The roasted maple neck is literally my favorite advantage of the NJ over strats and the PRS. I don’t buy a guitar based on “if it breaks.” I’m a gigging musician for 20+ years and have literally never encountered having to replace parts on a guitar beyond the basics of pickups, knobs, nuts etc.

[@theaartzvolta]

No bad experiences with mine. Fantastic, versatile guitar, especially with the HSS config. I actually love mine so much I’m in the market for the roasted maple fretboard version now, having gone with the ebony with my current one.

[@nicktshredz]

That intro jam was so tight! Great job!

[@hansgruenweg294]

I was in the lucky situation to buy second hand an only a few month old HSS Schecter for about 30% less from a wedding gig guitar player. The band decided to have a somehow uniform appearance w.r.t. to the color of instruments and clothes. He initially bought the wrong color. For me color of the guitar sound is perfect.

[@mikemph7779]

I really love your playing Thanks for posting 🙏

[@adamrock8685]

Pay attention to the QC on these. I bought one and only when setting it up did i realize the pick-ups were misaligned with the strings and the saddle was also misaligned/crooked. It was impossible to intonate the guitar. I took it back and the guys at the shop said they had seen inconsistencies with the QC on these. If you find a good one they are extremely comfortable to play with very good tones.

[@edlicari3909]

That goes for any production line guitars!

[@Dogsrule777]

The playing is so tasty! Well done man. Sounds awesome. ✊🏽

[@zerotoguitarhero5023]

Would you say you can get your thumb involved playing SRV/Hendrix style on this or is the neck's flatness going to impede that? Thanks

[@blee3621]

A couple other options apart from the Sire are the Yamaha PAC612 and the Godin Session.

[@SausageFingers1]

Really interested in trying this guitar at some point. Thanks for the video, it answered pretty much every question I had about it.

[@scottbronder]

I love mine. I have an HSS version and replaced the Trem with a Vega. Fantastic instrument. I got mine used for 600 USD.

[@DigitalViperGaming]

Scott, I have two HSS Nick Johnston Strats. Which Vega-Trem model did you buy and did it fit correctly or did you have to make any modifications? Thanks!

[@scottbronder]

@@DigitalViperGaming I put the V1 Ultratrem in (2 bolt model) and it fits perfectly. They give you a couple sets of metal couplers that go into the existing 2 bolt holes, so you simple put the larger set in, drop in the bolt screws in, and you are good to go. The Vega is a game changer vs the stock trem.

[@lukather1]

Vs the Sire ! I’ve played both and the price of the sire still has it ! Same quality if not the Sires neck is nicer for me !

[@PoliBoneless]

Great video about this guitar. Would you recomend me buy this guitar used for 650 euros or buy a Sire S3 new for 390? I am no profesional, and dont do much gigs, just want an S type in my collection. Thankss!!

[@stratmagic6893]

I bought one of these and it sounded great but the 14in radius and really slim neck just didn't do it for me so I returned it and bought a K Line instead 😅 🙃

[@jaricklosey4607]

I tried one and thought it was good, but then splurged on an MIJ Ibanez AZ2204. Jumbo stainless frets, roasted maple neck, Duncans, awesome.

[@markdeboer9804]

@@jaricklosey4607 but the neck of ibanez is much bigger right? And more expensive?

[@kevinmoore8896]

Anything sounds amazing in your hands!

[@andresorio9389]

One of the best intros you've made, should turn it into a full song, and tutorial, My fav player lately

[@johnnyway8667]

How does it compare to PRS SE Silver Sky or Charvel Pro Mod DK24? You've played all 3 of these guitars so I'm wondering how big is the difference between neck sizes.

[@funfreq9282]

Looking for an SSS type guitar and this looks to fit the bill! I like the fact that it doesn't have a gloss neck and fretboard like the Sire! I like the side jack, never did care for look of a top mount. The only thing I wish it had was SS fret wire. Other than that it looks and sounds really good!

[@sboy1955]

$900 🇺🇸 so I consider this is upper mid priced.. but that’s where i tend to gravitate 👍🏽

[@Atibu]

Hey John ! I have a Jackson DK2S but I have seen NJ Schecter on a trade site and should I try to swap my jackson with it ? What do you think ?

[@bryantwalley]

If you are having to ask if you should do something, the answer is always no.

[@jesper1320]

will you take a look on the new chapman ml3 traditional standard ? i'd love to have your thoughts on that one.

[@Mr_Woodchuck]

Nice, I just picked up the USA Custom Shop HSS cracked nitro finish version this week. The Wenge neck is the best I have ever played.

[@kyran4238]

They retail for almost $1700 here in Australia, which is $500 more than a player. Plenty of used USA Strats at that price and they hold their value way better.

[@DestinMcWhorter]

Wow, why are they almost twice as expensive down under?

[@KenithCopeland]

Kyran if you are buying a guitar for resale value then you’re buying it for the wrong reasons

[@KenithCopeland]

Dez the biggest issue for us aussies other then the shipping cost (we are pretty far away) is our import tariffs from the USA, a straight currency conversion doesn’t even come close to retail price here. Funny thing is, buying american guitars from the United Kingdom is MUCH cheaper, i got a prs s2 from the UK (it was new) for just under half price price for what i can find in stores here because import fees and tariffs from the uk are cheaper

[@chaz__]

@@KenithCopeland I don't think he would buy one for that reason alone. Maybe the good resale value is for emergency financial reasons. Which is very understandable in these times. Especially if you're not a gigging musician, like the vast majority of players.

[@sboy1955]

@@KenithCopeland - not #1 on the list - should be around #3.

[@sugarprobe]

I love mine. I have a love hate with Strats but solve 2 problems that’s Strats give me. The volume knob is moved out of my way when picking. Also the slim heel compared to the 2x4 block on a regular Strat.

[@giorgoskazantis9966]

I have the hss version with the ebony fretboard paired with headrush gigboard (+neural dsp Irs ). The tones i can get...just wow, amazing tools for giggs or recording sessions.

[@popo_perez]

Nice axe! I'd love to see a vid of you testing a G&l Tribute Legacy, I bet you'd make it sound amazing!

[@MaTTheWish]

Yeah, that would be great. G and l tribute might be equal to Mexican player series... I have the blues boy telet, it's perfect.

[@popo_perez]

@@MaTTheWish I have the Tribute Asat, the single coiled Tele type. The best sounding guitar I've ever got!

[@GS-uy4xo]

Yeah G&L - I have a legacy model and the tones and playability are so satisfying in every situation. 👍🏼👍🏼

[@RicardoTrigo19]

love your playing

[@umatgeratonleik2584]

But will it blend?

[@guilletjean-jacques5107]

tres bonne video , je suis tres interressé par ce model , mais la version orange .....je suis partagé entre acheter celle ci , ou mettre a niveau ma squier Classic vibe 50 stratocaster , mais cela reviendrait a plus de la moitié du prix de cette Schecter ......et honnetement j ai beau regarder chez la concurrence ....charvel , FJN , je reviens toujours vers ce model , j adores aussi la touche ebene , mais ma preference absolue va vers l erable , j ai meme pensé a un moment donné acheter un joli manche Erable flamé AAA pour ma classic vibe , mais c est beaucoup d argent .

[@phrelancelotmusic]

I recently played this guitar to try out an amp at the music store. The neck felt great and it sounded great as well. I was kinda impressed. I’m considering a Hss

[@DarthV506]

Local shop has the SSS Sires for $950CAD and the Schecter is $1250, really worth another 20%? Then again, must stop thinking bad, my RGR5221 just came in this week. But I did just sell my Kemper. Never ending cycle :P

[@keithb5612]

I bought the Sire S7 HSS but I didn't like the stock pickups so swapped them out for a different set. The pups in this vid sound better than the Sire pups however. The Sire Fingerboard radius is 9.5" and is very comfortable to play. I think the Nick Johnston radius is 14" so may feel quite different. Happy shopping.

[@DarthV506]

@@keithb5612 Just spent $2800CAD on the RG5221, I'm good for a while on guitars... or am I? Think John needs another gear anonymous vid :P

[@mougabo]

this vs the Silver Sky SE?

[@edlicari3909]

No competition, the Schecter NJ blows the Prs Se Silver sky away!!!

[@lewisbeeman]

So, I have this guitar in Atomic Green. It is phenomenal. I will say that the one thing, IMO, that is bland, are the pickups. I swapped them for Lindy Fralin Blues Specials and now it is perfect. I felt like the stock pickups just lacked character. It is like they were trying to be everything but ended up being nothing. But that is an easy fix.

[@Bairov]

I just bought it in atomic green. Patiently waiting and shopping for pickups.

[@guilletjean-jacques5107]

De ce que je sais c est que les micros qui equipent cette guitare de la serie Diamond sont les meme que la version Custom shop , ce sont des micros signature , mais avant ceux ci NJ utilisait sur ses guitares ses micros preferré , les seymour duncan Antiquity texas hot , il y a donc for a parier que ces micros signature fait par Schecter sont des micros inspiré par les seymour duncan .

[@Bairov]

@Guillet jean-jacques The diamond series are Korean made not U.S and are made to sound similar. They are GB brand and sound quite good. I bought some Lollar Blackface 64's to replace them.

[@Bairov]

I find it interesting that these pups are bland in comparison. The Fralins vintage hot and Lollars 64's were top on my list. The Lollars won out. This guitar is phenomenal! Especially with rhese ratio graphtech staggered tuners i installed

[@mattmanley7118]

Been hearing quite a bit of buzz around this model

[@ErebosGR]

If you're gonna upgrade a $900 guitar anyway, why not start lower then? Even $200-400 guitars are now better built than my American Strat from the '80s. You can get a $200 Ibanez GSA60, upgrade the pickups & electronics (for less than $100) and have a "workhorse" S-type.

[@milankotevski1663]

Mid priced strat!? This guitar is 1135 usd after vat and customs fees in Norway. Lol.

[@lazvt8469]

lefty is $950 in USA. I offered an online store $800 and they sold it to me...new, free SH.....should be here next week. MIM is $850...got several used USA Strats in minty shape this year for around $800. MIM's are OK... Needed an HSS....hope it delivers.