Advice on possible guitar acquisition - Schecter Diamond series

[leevc5]

A friend is selling a Schecter Diamond Series Damien-6 with EMGHZ Pickups. I have played it several times and like it. However, I would appreciate any opinions on this guitar and/or pups. She wants $150 for it. Googling doesn't really give me a clue if this is a reasonable price.

You know how you can get enamored with a guitar and sorta lose site of the long term/practical side? That's where I am.

 

[tc]

Re: Advice on possible guitar acquisition - Schecter Diamond series

They're alright. What kind of guitar/s do you have now? What kind of guitars would you like to have? If the answer to the first one is "nothing like a Damien" and the second is "something like a Damien" then $150 isn't a huge amount of money to put towards a guitar. There's one on Reverb for $100 and another for $199 and it goes up, so it seems to be a fair price. But it still is a entry level guitar, and that money could be diverted towards something you really, really want.

 

[leevc5]

Re: Advice on possible guitar acquisition - Schecter Diamond series

They're alright. What kind of guitar/s do you have now? What kind of guitars would you like to have? If the answer to the first one is "nothing like a Damien" and the second is "something like a Damien" then $150 isn't a huge amount of money to put towards a guitar. There's one on Reverb for $100 and another for $199 and it goes up, so it seems to be a fair price. But it still is a entry level guitar, and that money could be diverted towards something you really, really want.

Excellent point. The BATWING FRETMARKERS are really attractive to me for some reason.
BTW, what is an "entry level guitars"?

 

[Silence Kid]

Re: Advice on possible guitar acquisition - Schecter Diamond series

They're ok. I assume it's a hardtail, bolt-neck, six string? As far as entry level... They're good guitars, as much as can be expected for the money, sure. They're also one of the cheapest Schecters. More expensive ones get you better everything.

Decent fret access thanks to the angled heel. A pretty typical Superstrat w/ 24 frets and a string through hardtail or otherwise a cheap/liscenced Floyd. Typical cheap guitar appointments; rubbery nut, passive EMG HZ pickups that aren't to everyone's liking. If you like it, buy it, but in my opinion there isn't much that distinguishes it from the dozens of other guitars on the market that offer about the same thing. This sort of guitar, to me, is at a level where it is difficult or impossible to generalize based on brand; that type of guitar is a commodity purchase and individual product quality (the one you're holding in your hand) matters more than brand. The price is probably fair.
'

 

[KeeperOS]

Re: Advice on possible guitar acquisition - Schecter Diamond series

I've yet to come across a Schecter I didn't like.

The very first I played was an Omen Extreme, another lower-end model and for the life of me couldn't find a fault in it. On the other hand, if you play their Hellraisers or active Blackjacks you do notice an increase in quality across the board, however for 150 usd I don't think there are many better guitars to be had.

BTW, in case it is relevant to you, my cheapest guitar also ended up being one of my most expensive in that the original purchase price was 300 euro but I felt she had so much potential I ended up spending about 1500-1600 more in various upgrades over the years including all electronics (two sets of pickups, the first one has since moved to different guitars), all hardware, upgrades ON the after-market hardware, you get the idea.
Point being, as long as you think the basis for a great guitar is there and you don't particularly care about resale price, there's a lot you can do to turn a good guitar into a great guitar. Don't let the MSRP stop you.

Also, check my signature

 

[GEC]

Re: Advice on possible guitar acquisition - Schecter Diamond series

They're ok. I assume it's a hardtail, bolt-neck, six string? As far as entry level... They're good guitars, as much as can be expected for the money, sure. They're also one of the cheapest Schecters. More expensive ones get you better everything.

Decent fret access thanks to the angled heel. A pretty typical Superstrat w/ 24 frets and a string through hardtail or otherwise a cheap/liscenced Floyd. Typical cheap guitar appointments; rubbery nut, passive EMG HZ pickups that aren't to everyone's liking. If you like it, buy it, but in my opinion there isn't much that distinguishes it from the dozens of other guitars on the market that offer about the same thing. This sort of guitar, to me, is at a level where it is difficult or impossible to generalize based on brand; that type of guitar is a commodity purchase and individual product quality (the one you're holding in your hand) matters more than brand. The price is probably fair.
'

I agree with most of this, but I will say the nut might be better than regular cheap nut material. I have a Schecter Omen-7, which I think was a little lower-priced than the Damien series, and my guitar has a Graphtech nut. Of course, that only matters if your friend's guitar is the fixed-bridge model. If it has a Floyd Rose, the nut will be the same quality as the bridge. I have one other Schecter guitar, and I think they sound and feel better than other stuff at the same price range. $150 is a good price on that guitar, I believe they were $400-$500 new when they were still being manufactured. In the end, I'd say just play it a little more and decide whether it speaks to you.