Schecter AB-5+ Diamond Series

Same features as the other guy's, although I found them to be more appealing than he did. I do wish that instead of seperate volumes it had a master and a blend.

It has a very unique, punchy sound that works great for me (death metal - think Bloodbath). I play it through a Boss ODB-3 to an Ampeg SVT-IIIPro into a Mesa 8x10 with a dbx 160a in the fx loop. I can get pretty much any sound I want out of it and then some. It's all there from near-Warwick growl to a Fender P-bass to a MM and back. No hum at all unless I'm right next to my amp or computer with it. The body is different from anything else out there so it gets points for creativity.

It was a floor demo so it had gotten some use (and abuse) from people. I had the guy set it up and tune it (F,C,F,B,E) at the store and it stayed in tune the whole time I was trying it out, on the way home, and a few days later.

The "horns" on it don't seem like they could hold up to much, just like a BC Rich Warlock's. They always seem to have chips in the paint, other than that it's pretty sturdy. It doesn't suck batteries but it's always nice to have some on hand.

I've been playing bass for 8 years and this is my second adventure into the world of the 5 string. The first went horribly wrong (Washburn xb105). I love the look, the sound, and the feel; they all seem to hold their own against other basses. It has a more consistent feel to it than ESP's or Ibanez's and it doesn't buzz at all. My baby's a custom Fender Jazz for standard E or dropped D tunings for playing pretty much everything. I need a lot more low end though with my death band and this bass delivers. I'm assuming the guy before me just got the bad apple and wasn't paying attention to the important things when he bought the bass...mine was absolutely fine.

I bought this bass brand new in January 2000. Schecter sets up their Diamond Series basses in California but they're not made in the U.S.. It has 24 frets and five strings. Each of the two EMGhz active pick-ups has its own volume pot and there is one treble and one bass pot.{All four pots rub against the body.} The body is Mahogany and the thru-neck, maple with a rosewood fingerboard, jumbo frets and diamond inlays. It comes with a nice glossy black finish. The unusual body design is quite attractive and original; kind of a 21st century version of the Fender Jazz bass. All of the Diamond Series hardware is chrome. This bass didn't come with a gig bag or case.

I play progressive rock and this axe's tone was beautifully clear, crisp and amazingly ballsy on the B-string. I played it through my Carvin Red-eye 1000w 4/10+ 1/18 stack and its roar was impressive. I think it would best be used as a stage bass because of its looks and overall punch. This bass would embarrass me in the studio and I'll tell you why....

It was set up terribly in L.A. at Schecter. The truss rod was over tightened so the neck bowed back and made the bass frett out, to different degrees, everywhere. Before I realized that this was the problem I had the G-string 1/4 inch up of of the neck and it was still buzzing like crazy. The pick-ups are great. They really are. I mean with guitars a'blairin' the bass sounded great, but, if your ever alone in the mix, people are gonna think everything is being misfretted or something.
Another problem was with the tuners. On this bass, the D-string tuner is missing a tooth inside. So I've got to force it passed a certain point in order to continue tightening the string when changing a set out. The tuners are sealed[btw].
Another sign of God-awful craftsmanship is what I saw when I took the control cavity cover off of the back. A large area around one of the volume pots has been sloppily gouged out with some sort of hand-woodworking tool; I assume to make the pot fit. This was done after the shielding paint was applied, so there wasn't any shielding there.

One of the guys bumped into the bass while it was on a stand and it fell onto a carpetted floor. I was mortified when I saw that a dime sized chunk of wood and finish had come off the back side of the horn, near the strap button. It wasn't that bad of a fall. Because of the deffective tuning key, I would have to say that the hardware is crap. Whoever strung this bass up, knew of the defect and just let it go. I would never use this bass on a gig without backup. It's nothing more than a nice, shiny new YUGO GT Turbo. It seems to be priced right and it looks new and exciting. It purs like a kitten and growls like a lion, but, over a very short period of time one realizes that thay made a huge mistake in trusting that this company was selling a quality product. I've been ripped off. Please, don't be the next. Papa Roach can keep on playin' their Diamond series guitars, they get something back for endorsing this brand. What do they care if you can't get a playing and paying gig because your equipment is dressed-up firewood?

I e-mailed the company with two different requests. First I asked them if they would tell me how to get a new tuning key to replace the defective one. Then I asked if they could provide me with a model# for the case that would go with this bass{ It's a special case that only fits the AB5} Their other bass cases don't fit. They never replied to my email. Musicians Friend got the model number and ordered the correct case from Schecter. After a month and a half of waiting for Schecter to send M.Friend the case, I cancelled the order in disgust. I will be selling this bass because I need money to purchase another bass{not a Schecter}. I'll take a huge loss on it though because, if I don't, I'll really be ripping someone off.

I have been playing bass for 15 years, utilizing Ibanez, Warwick and Conklin basses. I bought the Schecter because of its looks and neck through construction. The fact that they say it is a "limited edition" was appealing also. My guitar player uses a Diamond series guitar and is satisfied with it. I can't think of anything more that I could have asked before buying it, and there weren't any consumer reviews done yet. I did read a news bulletin at Harmony Central telling of it's unveiling and what its impressive sounding features were. If someone stole it, I would never consider another Schecter to replace it. This has been the worst buying experience of my life and I'm covinced by their craftsmanship and unwillingness to respond to my inquiries that they could care less about us. We've worked hard to become the bass players of today. We deserve so much better than this.