Schecter PT Fastback...

[rage_311]

Anyone have any experience with this guitar? I've been looking for a potential shredder-type guitar without LOOKING like a shredder guitar. The PT Fastback looks great aesthetically as well as spec-wise. 25.5" scale, jumbo frets, alder body, maple bolt-on neck, maple fretboard... any idea on fretboard radius?

I'm sure it'll need a little electronics upgrade lovin' (especially the pickups), but will this be a mid-heavy enough guitar to do the job?

Also... is a mini-humbucker (in the bridge) gonna do the job? Looks like seymour's got a pretty hot mini, but I've heard they're very thin sounding. Can a soapbar replace it? Would it be better to get it routed for a full-size HB? Thanks in advance!


EDIT: Found that it's a 14" radius...

 

[rage_311]

Re: Schecter PT Fastback...

Thought I'd throw in a pic to legitimize my GAS.

 

[Mr 9finger]

Re: Schecter PT Fastback...

A soapbar P90 will drop right in that mini slot. I'm betting the bridge would already be routed for a hummer under that guard.

 

[rage_311]

Re: Schecter PT Fastback...

Ah, I bet you're right. If that's the case, all it would take is a little trimming of the pickguard then, eh? That gives me hope.

Any thoughts on this being playable as a shredder? Obviously the neck feel will have a lot to do with this as well, but it's supposedly a slim neck. I've got a les paul and an american tele... I'm not even remotely familiar with the shredder types. I believe it's got woods that'll work for the tone, and a bolt-on neck, which seems to be common in shredders.

 

[3'scompany]

Re: Schecter PT Fastback...

People 'shred' on many kinds of guitars. Sure, some guitars have better access to upper frets than others, or have a floyd rose or such. Really, the guitar just needs to be comfortable to you. Nothing is going to make a guitar a better "shredder" than that. Go for the tone woods you want and find a guitar that has a neck carve that you really gel with. That is what I would suggest.

 

[rage_311]

Re: Schecter PT Fastback...

Thanks for the reply. I suppose I'll have to do some calling around to see if anybody has got them locally since guitar center doesn't. I don't want to get one without trying it first, so I'll have to see what I can do.

 

[ImmortalSix]

Re: Schecter PT Fastback...

Something I categorize as shred is a wide and flat neck, and low low low action without buzz.


It's those two things, but mainly just low action I would look for.

I think shredding generally relies more on the post-guitar electron manipulation than the pickups for tone.

I would certainly not reach for a Tele if I was going to be getting a shredder

 

[CaughtLikeFire]

Re: Schecter PT Fastback...

thin neck, low action, hot pickups . . . but conservative looks?

how about an Ibanez S-Classic and some Duncan pups? you can pick those up for $400 or less.

 

[rage_311]

Re: Schecter PT Fastback...

Bah, the PT fastback is sweet lookin! I'm not a fan of the strat or super-strat bodies at all... or maybe it's because they're used commonly in heavy music and I want to be different. Either way, that's one of my requirements for my "shredder".

Conservative is my middle name...

 

[dd12939]

Re: Schecter PT Fastback...

Here's a tele shape that should be pretty good for shredding.

http://www.charvel.com/images/3rd_san_dimas_style2.jpg

 

[SchecMan]

Re: Schecter PT Fastback...

I have a PT Fastback. Funny thing is the smaller pickup was in the neck and the humbucker was in the bridge on the one I have. I ended up putting a Jazz humbucker in the neck and a JB in the bridge. I did have to route out the neck to make the Jazz fit. I also had to have a pickguard made. A mini humbucker would not fit in mine. The stock neck pickup is more like a TV Jones type pickup on the one I have, think Gretsch guitars. I'm guessing that if you decide to change out the bridge to a full size humbucker you will have to route it.

Here's what mine looked like before I changed the pickups. I would take a pic of it with the humbuckers, but a friend is making good use of these days. I'm wondering if I'll ever see it again....

 

[Rich_S]

Re: Schecter PT Fastback...

I took apart a PT for a project, kept the body, sold off the neck. Now, I don't know squat about shredding, but I didn't like the original neck because it was thin (front-to-back). I'm no expert but it seemed kind of Ibanez-ish, and to me that spells shredder.

However, I would skip the fastback and go for a regular PT. It's a 2 HB model, and will save you hassles if you decide to swap pickups. You may actually like the pickups that come in it: they are Duncan-designed, a "Custom" bridge, and what was described by Seymour Duncan himself as a "Ceramic Jazz" in the neck.

Me? I prefer a fatter neck and so used a MIM Tele neck and a Custom/59n set for not shredding. Here's the finished version:

 

[RockStarNick]

Re: Schecter PT Fastback...

Just because I love to post it any chance I get, here's my shred tele deluxe...

Loaded with Duncans. Warmoth build, slim neck, super fast, comound radius, mahogany body for chunky tone... its my perfect guitar. Loved it so much i made another one.

Cost me about $1K even when it was all said and done.

 

[CaughtLikeFire]

Re: Schecter PT Fastback...

Nick, that Tele is ridiculously good-looking!


I have a Tele Dlx that I should post some pics of too. Warmoth 1-piece swamp ash body, original fat neck sanded down and oiled, Duncan CC and PGn, Fender/schaller locking tuners.

more of a work-horse rock n roll machine

I didn't think to recommend the 72 Tele Dlx to rage 311 since the neck is pretty fat from the factory but it still has a nice 12" radius and with a few electronics upgrades it really smokes.

 

[WhoFan]

Re: Schecter PT Fastback...

Just because I love to post it any chance I get, here's my shred tele deluxe...

Loaded with Duncans. Warmoth build, slim neck, super fast, comound radius, mahogany body for chunky tone... its my perfect guitar. Loved it so much i made another one.

Cost me about $1K even when it was all said and done.

very nice!!!

 

[rage_311]

Re: Schecter PT Fastback...

Don't mean to resurrect here, but I haven't been able to get on the forums in a while...

Thanks for all the replies! The Warmoth seems like it's exactly what I'd want. It's a little pricey for me now though. What's the neck like on the regular PT non-fastback? Flat fretboard too? I'm wanting it to be at LEAST 12". Everything but the mini-HB on the fastback seems perfect though! Curse Schecter for building such a near-perfect guitar that requires a lot of work to make it perfect!

Is routing the fastback body and getting a new pickguard/modified pickguard gonna cost me quite a bit? Any idea price-wise?

Would a regular PT with a fastback neck be possible? That would be difficult to do, I suppose. Regular PT with a warmoth neck? What are my options here?

Thanks again for everybody's input!

 

[CaughtLikeFire]

Re: Schecter PT Fastback...

Is routing the fastback body and getting a new pickguard/modified pickguard gonna cost me quite a bit? Any idea price-wise?

you can send out the original pickguard to a custom pg manufacturer and have them make one that accomodates a full-size bucker. last time I had that done it ran me $50 + shipping the old guard.

a little bit of routing will be ~$20 tacked on to the charge of a pickup install in my experience.

I'd get a Warmoth body and order a neck with a flat 14 or 16" radius. not as cheap as the Schecter but you can pick the wood type you want, headstock, tuners, everything.

I wasted a lot of $$ modifying my 72 Tele Dlx (routing, pickguard, etc) before I just decided to custom order a body and pickguard from Warmoth. I'm much happier now.

1-piece swamp ash in trans-butterscotch, Callaham bridge, Duncan CC and PG pups. Fender locking tuners and bone nut on the factory 12" radius neck (sanded down and oiled)

 

[opiepride]

Re: Schecter PT Fastback...

Has anyone else changed out pickups on the PT Fastback that now has the small pickup in the bridge