Schecter Nick Johnston Traditional

AniML

AniML

New member
I've never been much into Strats (or Schecter), but I gave a quick look to the Schecter Nick Johnston Traditional at GC yesterday and it could be my next electric. I think it may be the only old school solid body in Schecter's line up and they nailed it.

Very comfy weight, alder body, great feeling roasted maple neck / ebony board with very unique and understated fret markers, locking tuners and it just feels right. I didn't take the time to plug it in but acoustically, it resonated very nicely and I think it spoke to me.

Finishes on this line are limited and nothing special, kind of shiny/plasticy, very much like a similar priced Fender. The nicer finishes are reserved for their higher end. An oversaturated surf green they call atomic green, atomic coral which is a glossy bubblegum pink (again the 4x higher priced signature model has nitro more like shell pink and looks sweet) and the 2 which I am considering are atomic frost (aka sonic / daphne blue) and the most likely atomic snow (white)

The big decision is on the bridge pickup - HSS vs SSS. Do I want another bridge HB (have a LP Std and an Epi G400) or get the less ballsy strat bridge, just to check the box? PIckups in youtube demos sound surprisingly good but I can find nothing on their builds - singles are "Schecter Diamond Nick Johnston", HB is a "Schecter '78 Special".

For $799 its a lot of guitar, but I am hoping they are reduced for Black Friday / seasonally.

https://www.musiciansfriend.com/gui...itional-electric-guitar?rNtt=johnston&index=2

https://www.musiciansfriend.com/gui...-guitar/l73878000002001?rNtt=johnston&index=5
 
I think this was his signature before he went to Epiphone, right? Either way, he is a good player. BTW, Strat bridges don't have to be 'less ballsy' with the right pickups. You choice depends on what sounds you want or need out of the guitar, or how you plan on modding it in the future.
 
Well, the hss model does have coil split option.....but as Mincer said singles dont have to be less ballsy
 
It's a guitar I'd love to try out.

I suspect if it was available in three tone sunburt, I may well fall for it.
 
Mincer said:
I think this was his signature before he went to Epiphone, right? Either way, he is a good player. BTW, Strat bridges don't have to be 'less ballsy' with the right pickups. You choice depends on what sounds you want or need out of the guitar, or how you plan on modding it in the future.
Click to expand...

Epiphone doesn't sound like the most typical match for him. I didn't know he had changed.
 
He may not have. But it was somewhere in my mind that he had one. Hmm, strange.

EDIT: I had him confused with someone else (whom I met around the same time).
 
I was excited to see he had a Schecter model when it was first launched, IMO he takes the "modern metal" brand and uses it as a tool for some amazing smooth sounds. He's a friendly guy to boot!

If both your other axes have humbuckers, what do you imagine you'll do with this one? The guitar speaks to you, so I say go with his setup (SSS) and explore the diversity of the single in the bridge and what your hands do with that texture. A beefy boost or just dialing up the bass a tad on the amp could lead to your new temporary Nirvana.

In my medium-to-high gain setup I'm still surprised by how my P90s and singles hit the front end in a satisfying way, punching through without the need for (sometimes) more gain.

You will dig the guitar, have you played other Schecter before?

Sent from my SM-N986W using Tapatalk
 
Metalman_666 said:
I was excited to see he had a Schecter model when it was first launched, IMO he takes the "modern metal" brand and uses it as a tool for some amazing smooth sounds. He's a friendly guy to boot!

If both your other axes have humbuckers, what do you imagine you'll do with this one? The guitar speaks to you, so I say go with his setup (SSS) and explore the diversity of the single in the bridge and what your hands do with that texture. A beefy boost or just dialing up the bass a tad on the amp could lead to your new temporary Nirvana.

In my medium-to-high gain setup I'm still surprised by how my P90s and singles hit the front end in a satisfying way, punching through without the need for (sometimes) more gain.

You will dig the guitar, have you played other Schecter before?

Sent from my SM-N986W using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

I rarely find a strat style guitar (pickups aside) that feels right in my hands. I want to like them and this is one of those few that I could see myself continuing to play for the longer term. I think your suggestion to go for the SSS is a good one. I am really hoping the pickups are as good in person as they sound online. I will need to plug in on my next GC visit
 
I'd go with the SSS version myself. There are plenty of great single coil sized pickups that would make for an excellent bridge swap if you feel you should have to do that down the road. A humbucker in the bridge will never sound like a single coil, but there are plenty of single coils that will sound like a humbucker. And Nick is still with Schecter.
 
Bogner said:
It's amazing how much guitar you get now a days for the price.
Click to expand...

There are much better choices for guitars at a given price point today than there was even 20 years ago. I think the automation has gotten a lot better.
 
Anybody know what type of neck profile these guitars have?

It has a 42mm nut width and 14" radius, so would be interesting to see the profile, as it sounds like a comfortable neck in principle.
 
playas said:
Anybody know what type of neck profile these guitars have?

It has a 42mm nut width and 14" radius, so would be interesting to see the profile, as it sounds like a comfortable neck in principle.
Click to expand...

I loved the neck. It felt like a C profile to me, but a bit thicker than you might find on a comparable Fender. Very satin like feel to it, nothing sticky about it
 
I would take the SSS model too. I have a couple of HSS guitars and it can be a pain to match humbuckers with single coils if you ever decide to change them out. It can be done, but for me I found that I would compromise on the humbucker in output to match the single coil, or that I would have to go with a higher output single coil to match the humbucker, and in most cases both. Trying to match volume and tone can be a process. While I was able to get my guitars where they sound good now, I went through several iterations of pickup swaps before getting there (and I am still not 100% happy with one). The SSS model would definitely be easier in this aspect, and you can still get a ballsy single coil in the bridge if you need it (for example the Seymour Duncan STK-S9).

Those are cool guitars for sure! I love the aesthetics, but I have never played one.

Cole
 
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