Schecter Diamond Series Stiletto Studio 4 Electric Bass Review

Aloha!

Looking over my blog, it does not appear that I have ever reviewed any instruments built by Schecter, and their guitars and basses have never really been on my radar. I always saw them as a shredding metal guitar manufacturer, which is not exactly my bag. That as changed, as I recently had the chance to play a Diamond Series Stiletto Studio 4 bass, and it is a pretty neat piece of work.

Schecter has been around for 40 years; the company stated as a guitar parts supplier from its headquarters near Los Angeles (the valley!). Eventually they started making complete instruments, earning them a lawsuit from Fender and a cadre of high-profile endorsees. After a few different owner and moves, they still maintain a custom shop in Southern California, import instruments from overseas, and have branched out into amplifiers and cabinets. A little bit of everything, I guess.

The Stiletto Studio 4 bass we are looking at today is one of the imported instruments, and it was built in Korea (the Southern one). It has a really cool luck, with a sleek body profile and a transparent Honey Satin poly finish to show off the awesome woods and a neck-through construction. The woods include a bubinga top over a mahogany body, and a maple/walnut laminated neck with a rosewood fretboard.

The 34-inch scale neck has a very fast feel with great access to the upper frets, if you are the kind of person who plays up there. The fretboard is pretty flat (16-inch radius), and the profile is a thin C shape with a nut that measures a tick under 1.5 inches. There are 24 frets to choose from and they are huge! Extra jumbo, I guess… The fretboard inlays are simple dots, but they are offset, which is kind of a cool look. By the way, if you move up to a 5-string, it has a 35-inch scale neck, but this is not available on the 4-string models.

The hardware selection is pretty good, with Schecter-branded tuners that hold well, and a high mass bridge. Everything is coated in a satin gold finish that looks awfully cheap. Go for shiny gold or nickel, not this goofy plating.

Electronics-wise, this Schecter bass is well equipped. There is a pair of EMG-35hz pickups that are wired through an 18-volt pre-amp with a 3-band equalizer and master volume and blend knobs. The pre-amp batteries have their own cavity that is accessed through the back of the guitar.

The instrument that I received was very well built. The finish was clean, and there were no flaws wit the fretwork. Set-up was good out of the box, and it appears that it shipped with Ernie ball 0.045 to 0.105 strings. The only problem I could find was that two of the tuners are just a little bit crooked. According to my scale it weighs 8 pounds, 6 ounces, which is light for a neck-through bass.

I could not find any flaws with the way the bass played or sounded. It has the EMG tone (which I like), and it was possible to dial in sounds that would work for blues, jazz, rock, and even… metal. It is an easy playing neck, though it is too skinny for my tastes, as I have been a p-bass guy for the last decade. It is a winner with good looks craftsmanship and sound, and it would definitely get the job done.

If you want your own Schecter Diamond Series Stiletto Studio 4 bass, you can get in the honey or see-through black satin (which comes with black hardware). The list price is $1149, which translates into a street price of $799, and no case is included. This is an ok value, but the real deal is on the used market (Reverb and eBay) where near mint ones sell for under $500, often with some sort of case or bag.

Mahalo!

Guild S-200 T-Bird Electric Guitar Review

Aloha!

Sometimes it seems like there is nothing new out there, and each year guitar manufacturers come out with new versions of the same old Stratocasters, Telecasters, and Les Pauls that they have been building for the past 50 years. This is the reason why I was so excited to get a chance to play the new Guild S-200 T-Bird re-issue. When is the last time you saw one of these?

The original S-200 guitars were built between 1964 and 1968, and they featured a unique body shape and a crazy electronics package. Maybe you have seen Buddy Guy, or Dan Auerbach (Black Keys) playing one of these. Vintage versions of these guitars are hard to find and when they do come up for sale they are really expensive. Guild has solved this problem, and this Korean-made instrument is a nice guitar and a solid value.

Looking over this re-issue Guild, the first thing anybody comments on is the body shape. This asymmetrical chunk of mahogany is dead sexy and looks equally fine in either antique burst or black, the two glossy poly finishes that are currently available. This body is loaded up with a whacky tremolo and more switches than you can shake a stick at, and I will get into these a bit later.

The neck is also mahogany, and this is a comfy C-shaped chunk of lumber with a 24 ¾-inch scale length, like a Gibson. The 12-inch rosewood fretboard is really pretty with its pearloid block inlays and ivory binding. There is a 1 11/16-inch bone nut and 22 medium size frets sunk into the board. The classic looking headstock has a pearloid thunderbird inlay on the front, and a set of cool 3 on a side Grover Sta-Tite open gear tuners (kind of like Waverlys).

Another unique feature of the S-200 is the vintage-correct Hagstrom Tremar vibrato. This hardware was originally introduced in 1961, and was installed on most solid-body Hagstroms up to the early 1970s. It became a popular piece of hardware for many other guitars of the era, as they were cheap and easy to install. This is a simple tremolo, with a horseshoe-shaped base-plate hinged to another plate connected to the arm; both plates are connected from below with a tension adjustment screw. There is not much pitch variation with this style of bridge, but generally they return to pitch well and do not break many strings.

Lastly, there is the cool electronics package that comes with this Guild, and it is built around a pair of reproduction LB-1 Little Bucker Alnico 5 humbucker pickups. These are wired through 2 volume and 2 tone knobs, as well as slider switches for ON/OFF, rhythm/lead mode and tone. This allows for a variety of sounds, as it is possible to select single coil or humbucker sounds, as well a circuit that uses a tone capacitor.

This all comes together well. The guitar has a comfortable neck that is easy to play, and I have been able to find a lot of Les Paul-like sounds that are good for rock and excellent for blues. The craftsmanship is good, with a nice finish, and well set frets. Plus, it just looks awesome! The only downsides are that it is heavy (10 pounds+), and it does not fit in most guitar stands very well.

The Guild S-200 falls squarely into the mid-priced guitar realm, with a list price of $1010, and a street price of $799. This includes a nice padded gig bag. For this price it is definitely worth giving one a try, especially if you are tired of having a guitar that looks like what everybody else is playing. Let me know what you think!

Mahalo!

Goya G-312 Acoustic Guitar Review

Hello!

Today we are going to look at something a little different today - a pretty cool budget acoustic guitar that I picked up from Craigslist. This is an early 1990s Goya G-312 6-string dreadnaught.

Goya guitars were an offshoot of Sweden’s Levin, and were an effort for the company to enter the US Market. Martin bought the Goya brand in 1976 and used it to produce budget instruments overseas. This was particularly important to them as around that time many Japanese companies were building guitars that looked just like theirs, and it was hurting their business. So, the Goya brand was Martin’s effort to fight back. Initial production was in Japan, and eventually was moved to Korea. Martin gave up on this experiment in 1996 and eventually sold the name to a food company. Goyas are generally good guitars, though they were not wildly successful.

The G-312 guitar that we are looking at today was probably built in Korea, though it is hard to get an exact date as there is no serial number and very little information about these instruments online. I am thinking it is from the early 1990s. The model name is a complete mystery, as this is pretty much a copy of the Martin D-18 dreadnaught and nothing seems to correspond to this. The “G” might stand for “guitar” or “Goya” or “good enough.” Who knows? As far as the “312,” that is anybody’s guess.

The triple-bound body has the traditional broad-shouldered shape, and there are 14 frets clear from the body. The top appears to be solid spruce, and the back and sides are mahogany, though I cannot tell if it is solid or a laminate. I am going with laminate until I figure out otherwise. The neck is mahogany with a rosewood overlay and a silkscreen inlaid logo that is fading, and the fretboard is rosewood too. The bridge is painted to look like ebony. Sad.

This guitar had been played regularly and was kept in a loving home, so it did not really need much attention when I got it. It has a good set-up and there are no repairs or unsightly damage to speak of.

It plays very well. The neck has a pleasantly rounded profile that is fairly slim and fast, and the tone is very rich and loud. The sounds is well balanced from string to string, though I think it would be nice to find a compensated bridge saddle as the intonation is just a touch off. Also, the sealed tuners are cheap and do not hold as well as I would like them to. But, it is certainly good enough for anything I will be doing with it, especially at the bargain basement price I paid for it.

I rarely see Goya guitars on the market as once players get their hands on them they do not let them go. Generally they are solid instruments, but it is a good idea to try before you buy (be careful with eBay), as I have run into a few clunkers and shoddy repairs. If you have one, post a comment below, I am curious what you think!

Mahalo!

1990s Sigma SDM-18 Acoustic Guitar Review

Hiya!

We are going to look at something a little different today - a pretty cool budget acoustic guitar that I picked up at the monthly flea market they have by my house. This is an early 1990s Sigma SDM-18 6-string dreadnaught.

Sigma guitars were introduced in 1970 as an attempt by the venerable Marin guitar company to get a toehold into the entry level guitar market by licensing the production of instruments from overseas. This was particularly important to them as around that time many Japanese companies were building guitars that looked just like theirs, and it was hurting their business. So, the Sigma brand was their effort to fight back.

The Sigmas were good guitars, though not wildly successful, and in 1984 production moved to Korea. Seeking further reductions in labor costs, in 1994 they stated importing instruments from Taiwan, and then Indonesia by the time Martin folded the brand in 2007. A German company (AMI Musical Instruments GmbH) bought the name and started selling made in China guitars.

The SDM-18 guitar that we are looking at today was built in Korea, though it is hard to get an exact date as the serial numbers seem to have been issued with little rhyme or reason. The model name is a little easier to figure out, as this is pretty much a copy of the Martin D-18 dreadnaught. The “M” in the model name stands for mahogany side and back, and the “S” is a mystery. Maybe it stands for solid wood (top and/or back and sides), or maybe it means that there are scalloped braces, but I am not exactly seeing any in there…

The body has the traditional broad-shouldered shape, and there are 14 frets clear from the body. The top is solid spruce, and as I said earlier the back and sides are mahogany, though I cannot tell if it is solid or a laminate. I am going with laminate until I figure out otherwise. The neck is mahogany with a rosewood overlay and an inlaid logo, and the bridge and fretboard are rosewood too.

This guitar had been sitting for years before I got my mitts on it, and it came with a plastic case with foam that had completely disintegrated. So, there were little foam bits stuck all over it and piled up inside the body too. I did a quick cleanup on it, but when I am done with school it will need a more thorough cleaning and fret polish. It is otherwise in good shape with no cracks or repairs and the frets show very little wear. The spruce top has darkened nicely, and it is very attractive.

It plays very well, too. The neck has a pleasantly rounded profile that is fairly slim and fast, and the tone is very rich and loud. The sounds is pretty well balanced from string to string, though I think it would be nice to find a compensated bridge saddle as the intonation is just a touch off. It is certainly good enough for anything I will be doing with it, especially at the bargain basement price I paid for it.

I rarely see Japanese-built Sigma guitars on the market as once players get their hands on them they do not let them go. I di see Korean ones every now and then, and generally they are solid instruments, but it is a good idea to try before you buy (be careful with eBay), as I have run into a few clunkers and shoddy repairs. If you have one, post a comment below, I am curious what you think!

Mahalo!

ESP LTD Deluxe EC-1000 Electric Guitar Review

Greetings!

I have not had very many nice things to say about the Les Paul model guitars that have been coming out of Gibson’s Nashville factory in recent years. I think that a brand new guitar that costs thousands of dollars should have level frets and a playable neck right out of the box, which is something they are unable to do. Fortunately there are companies that are building very good alternatives for a lot less money, such as ESP’s LTD Deluxe EC-1000.

There have not been many legitimate domestic competitors to the Les Paul, and the best copies have always come from Japanese companies such as Tokai, Yamaha and Ibanez. ESP got into the game after all the lawsuits, so their guitars have a different enough appearance that they are not going to get into trouble with Gibson’s legal team, but they hit very close to the mark of what a real Les Paul should be.

ESP makes what may be the finest production guitars on the planet, but with Japanese labor and the vagaries of the Yen, you are going to pay a premium to get one of their new guitars slung around your neck. This is where their LTD series come in, as the models are very similar but are assembled outside of the land of the rising sun (Korea), where workers do not get paid as much. Obviously the attention to detail will not be as good, but the LTD instruments are still very good.

The LTD Deluxe EC-1000 maintains a Les Paul-like body shape with a sharper cutaway, and a headstock design that will not get them into trouble. They do not come with a tremolo, and come in two flavors: a more traditional Sunburst model with Seymour Duncan pickups or a metal monster with active EMG pickups.

The bodies on these instruments are made of mahogany, and are bound, and the models transparent finishes have figured maple tops and abalone purfling around the edges. These guitars are surprisingly light (under 9 pounds), and none of them come with a pickguard. Mounted to the body is a Tonepros locking bridge and tailpiece, which will be black, gold or chrome, depending on the color of the guitar. The ESP website shows a model with a locking tremolo, but I have never seen one in person and wonder if they really exist.

The set mahogany neck is wonderful, with a thin U profile. It has the traditional Les Paul scale length of 24.75 inches, but ESP uses 24 (instead of 22) and they hammered in extra jumbo wire. The bigger cutaway makes it easier to reach those extra frets (for those of you who use such things). The fretboard is rosewood (or ebony on vintage black), which is a bonus since Gibson is now using some sort of stained maple. There are really nice mother of pearl inlays, with the model number embedded at the 12th fret marker. The nut width is 42mm, which is tad skinnier than the 43mm found on most Les Pauls. The headstock is equipped with ESP locking tuners that look like Sperzels, again in gold, black or chrome.

As I said earlier, you can choose a two totally different flavors of electronics. The Seymour Duncan equipped instruments get an SH-4 at the bridge position (like a JB) and an SH-1 at the neck (think 59 PAF Style). The EMG guitars get an 81 at the bridge and a 60 at the neck. Either way the controls are set up the same with two volume controls, a tone knob and a three-way selector switch. I prefer this to the Les Paul 4-knob design.

I have had the opportunity to play both versions of this guitar and came away impressed. I could find no visible difference in quality between these Korean-made guitars and the ones that come from ESP’s Japanese shops. The fretwork is very good, and fit and finish are first-rate. Both of these guitars came out of the box with good set-ups and only required tuning before getting down to business.

The necks on these instruments have a very fast feel, and are comfortable for extended playing periods. The extra reach is nice if access if the upper frets are needed, and these guitars hang well from a strap with no neck dive despite their lighter weight. I did not miss having a tremolo, though it is something that I do not use terribly often anyway. Since there is no whammy bar the locking tuners are not a necessity, but they sure make string changes quicker!

As they always are, the EMGs are as clear as a bell with tons of output. These pickups are always a love them or hate them proposition, and I love the way they sound so they worked out fine. Getting an EC-1000 set-up with these makes for the perfect heavy hard rock/metal guitar. The Duncans are warmer and make all of the appropriate classic rock and blues sounds.

Either version of this guitar is a winner, so just pick whichever one you need for task at hand and you will not be sorry. The ESP LTD Deluxe EC-1000 will do anything a Les Paul will do for less than half the price. These instruments have a list price of $1141 and a street price of $799 which includes a one-year warranty and no case. For the money you are not going to find a better rock guitar. Check one out and see for yourself!

Mahalo!