Just because they call themselves Schecter Guitar Research doesn’t mean they’re focused only on guitar players. Schecter basses can keep up with any of the guitar models in terms of build quality and innovation, making them a go-to for players in nearly every genre.
Bassists are nuts about tone, too. That’s why Schecter built an EQ right into the Stiletto series of basses. You can control the highs, lows, and (depending on the model) mids of your sound with the turn of a knob. Throw in Schecter active bass pickups, and you have an instrument that’s sure to bring the low-end.
With looks like these, you might incite a Riot! The Schecter Riot Series of basses have a completely unique look that’ll have people do a double take when you step on stage. This no-nonsense bass is straightforward and fun to play with EMG active humbuckers and gorgeous swamp ash body.
The Schecter Omen Extreme series takes a thin C-profile neck and adds a deep body cutaway to create one of the fastest basses this side of the Mississippi. And with a long 34-inch scale, you can take things down a notch and play in lower tunings without losing string tension. Now that’s extreme!
Take your Schecter unplugged with their lineup of high-quality acoustic guitars. Schecter acoustics are designed for superior playability with single-cutaway bodies on all their models.
The Schecter Deluxe series acoustic guitars are at the forefront of the Schecter acoustic lineup. They feature a dovetail-set neck for tons of resonance and stability. Plus, the spruce top and mahogany back and sides make these guitars sound resonant and balanced. They’re a great addition to any acoustic setup.
The Schecter Orleans series takes a great acoustic guitar with flamed maple body and spruce neck, packs it with high-quality Fishman electronics, and makes a guitar that’s ready to hit the stage. Plug in or play sans-amp, the choice is up to you!
Similar to their electric guitar lineup, Schecter also has a Signature Acoustic Series based on playing preferences of some of the biggest names in music. The results are several amazing acoustics that would look and sound good in any collection:
The year was 1976. A guitar tech named David Schecter opens a repair shop in Van Nuys, California that he calls Schecter Guitar Research. The shop’s main focus is fixing and updating guitars by making replacement necks and bodies, bridges, pickup assemblies, tuners, knobs, and any other parts you might need to make a guitar sing.
For most of the ‘70s, Schecter focused mainly on guitar parts and never offered any full builds. But in 1979, they finally released their very first custom guitars. They used the absolute best materials and were very expensive. Most of the Schecter guitars were based on Fender models with upgraded hardware and electronics.
The quality and tone coming from Schecter guitars (whether they were full builds or custom touches) made Schecter known as “the original California hot rod guitar shop.” Many professional musicians came to Schecter Guitar Research for their guitar needs, including Pete Townshend and Mark Knopfler.
By 1983, the little California custom shop couldn’t keep up with demand. The company was purchased and moved to Texas to increase manufacturing operations. The new Schecter guitars were still built with high-quality components, but the more efficient manufacturing processes brought down the cost slightly and made these amazing instruments available to more people around the country.
Through this era, Schecter guitars were still largely based on Fender designs. The most popular Schecter model was the T-style guitar, which looked a lot like a Telecaster. The popularity of the Schecter T-style exploded when Pete Townshend adopted the model and used it almost exclusively on stage. Despite his love of the guitar, Townshend never officially endorsed it. However, it still widely became known as the “Pete Townshend model.”
Of course, Fender didn’t appreciate that another guitar manufacturer copying their designs for too long. By the mid- ‘80s, Fender slapped Schecter with a lawsuit, which eventually led to Schecter’s closing in late 1986.
Since Schecter Guitar Research is still around today (obviously), it wasn’t long before the name was snatched up by another investor, and they started manufacturing more unique guitar designs with the same incredible quality and tone.
In 1987, Schecter went back to its roots and moved the shop back to California under its new ownership. They also went back to producing incredible high-quality custom guitars, just like they did in the beginning.
During this era, Schecter was able to sign a few new musicians to endorse their brand, but the most notable was super-shredder Yngwie Malmsteen. All his custom guitars featured reverse headstocks and his iconic scalloped necks.
Schecter continued to produce their expensive, one-off custom guitars through the ‘80s and early ‘90s. In 1995, Schecter released their S-series of guitars and basses, which brought Schecter sound and quality to the masses once again. But this time, they had a unique design that wouldn’t land them in hot water with competitors.
As the company continued to grow, they picked up more endorsements from professional musicians — typically in the hard rock and metal genres — and added the Hellcat, Avenger, and Tempest models to their increasingly awesome lineup of guitars.
At this point, Schecter guitars were still very expensive, and the president at the time, Michael Ciravolo, started to look for a factory that could produce more guitars at a lower cost to make them more widely available. In 1997, Schecter opened a factory in South Korea to produce amazing guitars that anyone could afford.
By 2012, the company had grown so much that they decided to expand their California custom shop by an additional 14,000 square feet and introduce a new U.S. production facility to offer more American-made guitars. Thus, the USA Production Series was born! This new factory also led to the introduction of Schecter’s own hand-wound pickups for guitar and bass.
Ever since, Schecter Guitar Research has been producing a wide variety of guitars to suit nearly any genre and play style. They’re still used by some of the best musicians in the world of rock, and their budget-friendly models are beloved by anyone looking for a quality guitar that won’t break the bank.
If you’re looking for a guitar or bass with lightning-fast playability and solid build materials at a reasonable price, Schecter might just be the perfect option.
