Ive argued Schecter is the best value out there. I have an $800 Schecter Reaper, and it plays better than my Kiesel. Whenever I pick up a Schecter, it feels solid.
So glad you agree! I took a chance on this particular guitar after selling my Epiphone Les Paul Pro FX and I am so glad I did. Literally just used it 45 minutes ago to teach a guitar lesson. It's fantastic.
Schecters are great guitars. So many artists like DJ Ashba, Synyster Gates, and even the bass legend Michael Anthony has their customs with Schecter. Great review!
About 3 months ago I purchased a Schecter Solo II Custom Natural. I'm so impressed with this guitar I just ordered the Translucent Black Burst Solo II Custom... I recommend the Schecter Solo II Custom for players who want a more modern style Single Cut
I just got one in natural finish and I’m blown away that it plays and sounds way better than my Les Paul standard (2018) and my Les Paul traditional (2016). These Schecter single cuts are built very well, ebony board is smooth. I feel like I overpaid on Gibsons all these years trying to find that great guitar when I payed 800 bucks for the custom solo two and it’s just a better built and overall better guitar.
Completely agree. I’d still love to have a Gibson in my collection, but I am glad to see you can get a quality budget model without much (if any) sacrifice.
Thank you! I was happy with the swag they sent me but I wouldn’t complain if they’d let me borrow their new guitars for more reviews. Better get some more subs first! 🤣
I own two schecter solo 6 , the old version and one older v1 . Solid guitars , great build , it's my go to brand for used guitars . I like all of there newer models , great value for the money.
LTD has stainless steel frets for $100 more on the passive models. So this can't compete with that. With a proper steel re-fret, fixing their error, it's up to $1500. I like the way these look better than LTDs on average. The pearl inlays are incandescent. Not used to seeing real pearl.
I was able to buy this used in Mint conditions for $750 including a ESP molded HSC. This was a great buy! My guitar does not have the crackling issue reported by Austin at 6:03. Personally, I love the ability to split the coils, and I would not have replaced them, especially not with a set that does not accommodate the feature. Also, I don't necessarily agree that it would be a better product if provided with the 4th knob. My one complaint is that the volume pots are wired counterintuitively, with the one closer to the bridge controlling the neck, and vice versa.
Thanks for watching! Mine appears to have nickel frets in terms of look and feel. And I can’t seem to find any proof of them being stainless. The newer supreme models are 100% stainless though. It’s a mystery to me! What is your source? You’re not the first to say this so I’m very curious!
I was for sure a strat was my next guitar purchase, until I saw the apocalypse model. I already have a les paul, but still. That thing is amazing looking. Grrrrr.
I owned a Gibson Custom Shop Signature Joe Perry Les Paul that I paid over $4000 dollars for over 20 years ago. I was absolutely blown away by this guitar when I bought it. Outside of that 4th knob, the Custom Solo ii is better than that Custom Shop Gibson Les Paul that I had. I have had several people play my guitar and come to the same conclusion while also going out and purchasing their own right after.
So glad you agree and had a similar experience. Imagine if this thing even had stainless steel frets? Thanks for watching. I’m a bit envious that you’ve owned a Gibson Custom Shop though. Still something to be said of the prestige of owning a Gibson. 😊
Thank you for taking the time to watch! I really tried to condense this one and keep things moving a little better than the first review. Glad you enjoyed! 🤘🏻
4 knob layout isn’t possible on that one Gibson sued ESP already for that so they had to change the entire lineup so 3 knob for the U.S. and 4 allowed only in Japan
@@Austin_Shredder yup exactly like that too bad for brands like Dean it completely ruined them ESP was much bigger and survived it pretty easy in comparison
My next review will be of my Dean ML Select. It’s a great guitar so I’m sad to see Dean struggle as of late. Hoping they can figure out ownership and legal issues and make a comeback before it’s too late.
You’re the first person to say that! Means a lot actually, thank you for the feedback. I like to dig into the company and learn more as I do these reviews. Happy shredding. 🤘🏻
While I think the trend of everything needing a “grip” is hilarious, these are truly helpful on stage and in studio. It’s slightly better than the plastic knobs having a simple textured surface.
@@Austin_Shredder I'm not sure if Gibson owns the patent for the two volume, two tone knob deal for single cut guitars . But the way Gibson is raising hell now a days I won't be 😯 surprised.
Great review! Do you think that Gibsons are better? If so, why? And what is your opinion about other alternative like, epiphone, prs, harly benton and etc?
Thank you for watching! I do not think Gibsons are superior, truly. I do enjoy Gibsons for their iconic status and legacy, but in terms of “price to performance”, this guitar is the better choice. I’ve owned Epiphones and find them to be excellent albeit not as good as the Schecter. I have no experience with Harley Benton! But I’ve had students with PRS SE instruments and they are fantastic values. ESP LTD also makes fantastic alternatives to this guitar.
Beautiful guitar. I used to have an LTD EC-1000 that I sold to a friend, but I’m felling the LP bug again… that, or the schecter E-1 custom, hard to choose!
Great review! liked & subbed. 2 Questions: Do you think this model with the electronics fixed could be an option over the big ones? and second, is that a veneer or a real maple top? thanks!
Thank you! 🤘🏻 my answer to that is absolutely. Stock pickups are awesome but pick your Les Paul pickup of choice, change out the pots, and you’re set. Although I’d suspect a stock one would be just fine and this one is just a fluke.
Certainly not like a Fender neck. I wish I could describe it better. Probably more comparable to a thin Epiphone neck? If you’ve ever grabbed a Schecter off the wall, it is their tried and true C profile, just thinner. I prefer a thicker neck for LP Style guitars but I have no complaints here. I think it’s fantastic!
I was curious to know how heavy the Solo II is. The Les Paul is notorious for being heavy and what I hated most was the fact that there's so much weight in the lower bout that it made it difficult to play while in a sitting position. In other words poorly balanced.
If you’re going for pure ergonomics, I’d recommend an Ibanez AZ. But for a LP Style guitar, this is wonderful. It’s thinner than an LP and much less hefty. I haven’t had issues with balance both in studio and live with this guitar. If anything, at 6’3” and 225 lbs, the guitar looks a little small on me!
Those guitars are amazing, I’d love to have one! Those pickups are Lundgrens. They are high dollar pickups primarily for metal. Definitely a very progressive set up.
All those upgrades you mentioned would put it well over the thousand dollar price point. You'd be better off just buying used and upgrade to whatever hardware or electronics you want.
Great point! That’s essentially what I did with mine. But the guitar is good enough stock that it isn’t necessary. My slash pickups were a Christmas gift 😊 I really appreciate you watching!
I own several Schecter Solo IIs, a Hybrid Hellrsiser Solo II and a red Solo II Hellraiser, they both look awesome. But i am curious how thick the quilted maple top is? Also how thick the flame maple top is on that Solo II is and are the mother of pearl inlays real mother of pearl? They both came with EMGs, which i threw away as quickly as i could and replaced with a set of cudtom shop Duncan Black Winters with covers and a set of Bareknuckle Ragnaroks, shielded the inside of the guitars, for a wiring harness i used Mad Hatter solderless set up, and put in a string butler in the head stock. I like the LP shape, Slash was my favorite guitarist as a kid but i love black metal and death metal . I really want one of these Solo IIs like youve got, an Apocalypse, and Supreme Solo II
You have excellent taste! Thanks for watching my review. As for the top, on this particular model it is a thin veneer - probably to keep the price down. As for the MOP, I am not sure if it is real or not. My eyes aren’t trained enough to tell the difference!
@@Austin_Shredder yeah same, I've seen that model of schecter up close and I can't tell. The only guitar Ive owned (traded it a long time ago for an amp that is even long gone now) that I knew had MOP in it was a Jackson King V. I'd assume that the schecter models I own have just a maple veneer too. Itd be cool if they put a solid 3/4" maple top with a veneer on. Instead of just a veneer. Oh well. I liked the way they played better than Gibson, I had the $ to get a silver burst Gibson and got two schecters instead and had $ left over to put better pickups in. I really wanted to like that Gibson but it sucked. 🤷 expensive garbage.
Thank you! I appreciate it. Unfortunately I’ve tried contact cleaner a few times and it temporarily improves the issue, but then it quickly returns to how it originally was. I’d like to switch them out for some EVH pots. Not sure!
Not at all! More weight is toward the body on this, so it naturally holds the next up a bit. I’ve used this extensively in the studio and on stage and it feels great, especially with a nice leather strap. Thanks for watching! 🤘🏻
Ibanez is always a solid choice. Particularly the RG and AZ series. The real value is in their Premium line. Make sure to check out Schecter’s lineup too. They have a killer selection of guitars for rock and shred. Sterling by Music Man is also good.
Without a doubt, an Ibanez Prestige model RG. The quintessential shred machine with amazing quality for the money. RGR5221 or Ibanez RG5320C. I’d love to try those!
thanks for your time. I will have a gander. Getting my hands on one of those before I buy it will be a monumental task here in Italy. Great for cheese and wine but good guitars....nightmare@@Austin_Shredder
Hey! You didn't tell me the pickups are custom! :D Still, I am tempted to decide on this one... Word is, new stock prices (in Europe) are about to go up. I like the ABSN look more, but if I order that and wait for it, might come up like 20% higher. While this one is in the store, armed and ready. Tough decisions! :D
Go buy it! I give you permission! 🤣 On a serious note, only buy it if you’re comfortable with it. It’s easy to overthink though. If it’ll fit your budget and make the music you want, I’d say go for it. I love mine.
They weren’t bad at all - I bought this guitar to replace my Epiphone Les Paul that I had the slash pickups in. These slash pickups were a gift and I wanted to keep them in a guitar. Plus, they are tonally “my style”. The stock pickups were fantastic. In fact, they were much more versatile than the slash pickups. Thanks for watching! 🤘🏻
Thanks for watching! I believe this is a veneer, but you may want to search around online for confirmation. At this price point, real flame tops are very rare. I will say despite it being a veneer, it looks fantastic!
Привет, мой друг! Спасибо за видео. Я тоже хочу поменять Pasadena на Seymour Duncan Black Winter. Мне не нравится, что звук на Pasadena очень толстый и размытый. Какие струны здесь?
Thank you for watching! Nothing wrong with changing out the pickups to define your own sound. I bet those Black Winters will be amazing. I am using 10-46 strings in this video. 🤘🏻
The tuning stability I’ve experienced is fantastic. I often record several takes for my videos and this will stay in tune for a large number of takes. It’s extremely reliable. Thanks for watching! 🤘🏻
Thanks for watching! You’re the second person to mention that. I can’t seem to find any proof of these being stainless though!. I even did some double checking when I was writing my script. The Schecter website doesn’t state they are stainless and mine don’t feel stainless, but I could be wrong. Where did you see otherwise? Thank you!
I’m a metal guitarist, brother. I hope the clean and crunch tones I also demonstrated helped a bit though. Sadly there is no better replacement for playing the guitar yourself though - so many things such as amp, impulse response, effects, etc can impact the tone a ton! Even RU-vid compression impacts my tone.
Mine doesn’t! I thought they were stainless at first too but after playing for a while, they certainly feel like nickel. The fretwork is pretty good on this axe.
Hadn’t heard of that guitar until I saw this comment. All I can say is WOW. I’d love to own that! The Schecter appears to be more “modern” while the Epiphone will feel more “vintage”. Both are incredible options though. If you want a more traditional LP, go with the Epiphone.
@@Austin_Shredder im just starting off so tbh I have no idea what style I want. Especially since I do mainly listen to grunge, post punk, and goth style music so not always demanding. 🤣 both look really nice though
I’d recommend this Schecter for you, that Epiphone, or possibly an HSS (humbucker bridge, single coil middle and neck) Fender guitar. All solid choices. Happy hunting! Also, thanks for watching my video! Hope it was helpful.
@@Austin_Shredderis the comfort cuts not being on this on the back matter at all? Like is the stray hss a lot more comfortable for a beginner? Do you also think it matters at all Bolt on neck vs the schecter solo type when it comes to a beginner and how the guitar is handled when learning? My only concerns but this guitar looks great and is my first choice beyond those worries😂
Strats are certainly more comfortable to play at all times due to the contours. That being said, I think Les Pauls look better in many cases! As for bolt-on vs set-neck or neck-thru - they’re all great. I prefer bolt-ons typically due to the snappiness of their tone. Many beginners think bolt-ons are cheap but that’s not true!
I like Gibsons but if I was buying new, I wouldn't be buying a Gibson. A modern update like this Solo-II Custom or a top of the range Jap Tokai would be my choice. Gibson's attitude sucks!
You can’t go wrong with a modern interpretation like this! Hopefully with Gibson’s new leadership we will see more satisfying builds from the brand very soon. I do like Gibson, but lately I view them more as art pieces rather than guitars I’d actually gig.
@@Austin_Shredder I did recently buy a second hand Epiphone Prophesy in Midnite Blue because it had active Fishman Fluence pickups in it. Coz' it was going cheap, basically :-)
