Schecter SB-1 Diamond Series

2001 SB-1 24 frets, CrimsonBurst finish. Bolt-on neck, mahogany body, maple neck, rosewood fingerboard, 34" scale, diamond inlays, chrome hardware, 22X-Jumbo electronics. Knobs include master bridge volume, master neck volume, high cut/boost, low cut/boost. Active electronics. The neck is long and thin, and the body has an SG style shape. This bass is a real beauty in my opinion, and I knew I had to have one from the moment I first laid eyes on it in the Musician's Friend catalog.

I play many different styles-hard rock primarily, but also blues, country, punk, alt rock, and weird undefinable crap. This bass is versatile. It is highly compatible with my Hartke stack-a 3500 head with a 410 cab and a 115 cab. I don't need effects and don't want them. I'm equipped for stage and studio, and sound great wherever I go.

It came factory strung with GHS Nickel Wound .45 - 1.05's and I was so happy with the guitar right out of the case that I buy those strings to this day. The action is easy and this is the most "playable" bass I've ever had. I bought a second one in see-thru cherry finish, and it is practically identical in every way except for the color. Just amazing, and with the double cutaway design I implement all my nifty tricks and string climbs with ease. I haven't had to adjust a thing on either one.

This bass is a monster. I'm the most aggressive bass player I know, and I can't hurt these guitars unless I want to. I tend to go through the strings, so I always have both of my SB-1's handy when playing live. This guitar is solid, and stays in tune. The hardware is fine, as is the beautiful finish. I lock my straps on, and I never have a problem. I've inadvertently abused these things a few times and they handle it.

They were cool when I was in the research process (before buying). Haven't needed them since, but I'm sure that if I ever did they would be alright.

Been playing 23 years. As I mentioned, I play through a Hartke 3500 amp w/a 410 cab and a 115 cab. Loudly, for the most part. But I also practice with a small Hartke 10w. Have two of the SB1 basses, and I couldn't live without them. I'm not saying they're right for everybody, but I love mine. I also have two Schecter S1 guitars, but they're not nearly as nice as the basses. I guess the newer ones are much better, mine are rather generic. I've got some Ovation 12 strings (an electric and an acoustic roundback), an old Harmony guitar, and have had all kinds of gear over the years, most of it cheap. I got rid of all my other basses. Don't care for the Fenders at all. My Ibanez Roadstar was expendable as well. I like my SB-1's, and don't care to play any others at this point. This is all a matter of personal taste, of course, so I rate it a 10 overall for me, and a 5 for everybody else to avoid hearing from the whiners about how wrong I am.

This is a Schecter SB-1 Diamond Series Fretless 4-string bass. It has a beautiful crimson burst on black finish on the body and the top edge is beveled out perfectly. It features 2 soapbar EMG-HZ pickups, chrome knobs, bridge and tuners and a thinline maple neck with rosewood fretboard. It is a full scale bass with the neck joined to the body at the 21st fret. Mine came with a set of roundwound heavy gauge strings which was odd since fretless bass's should be fitted with flatwounds or quarterwounds. Maybe the dealer who sold it to me changed the strings on it, who knows. I have changed it back to La Bella Flatwounds but it seems even with that the rosewood fingerboard is already showing some signs of errosion. Oh well, have to get used to changing the necks if I continue to play fretless bass's regularly I suppose.

I use a Hughes & Kettner Bassforce XL for the studio and an Ampeg head with Bag End cabs on stage. I use a Line6 Bass POD as well as Boss Octaver, Boss Compressor/Sustainer and Boss Bass Chorus. This bass does not make noise even at high volume/gain levels. It has a rich/full sound and seems to work great on music where smooth flowing bass is required. Of course there are some cases where a fretless bass would not be appropriate though. There is quite a bit of difference on stage and in the studio but I attribute that to the amplifiers rather than the bass.

When I bought the bass the action was pretty low and upon changing the strings to La Bella Flatwounds I was forced to do some intonation on it and to raise the action a bit. The pickups respond great and the fingerboard is smooth as a baby's bottom. Cosmetically there wasnt a single flaw and aside from the normal wear and tear of the fretless fingerboard everything is still in pristine condition. I have had this bass for over a year now and the chrome is still shiny, the finish still glows and although it has had its share of minor bumps there has yet to be a single ding on the body although the headstock did suffer a ding. The hardware is well fit and nothing comes loose. The knobs come off if you pull it out of course but besides that everything is great.

This bass seems very sturdy although it is pretty light as well. The construction feels solid and I have hammered it and put it through some heavy playing during live shows and it has come out unscathed all the time. I have never had to adjust the neck/truss rod (besides when I'm actually changing the neck) and I could definitely rely on this bass on stage without having to have a backup. The finish is remarkable... there hasnt been a single scratch on it yet... surprising since my other 2 basses are newer that this one and already show minor scratches on the finish. This is a bass that can withstand hours of live playing and it is definitely something I would recommend for heavy use.

Warranty is 3 years I think although I'm not quite sure. I wanted to purchase an original hardcase for the bass and called customer service. They were prompt and very helpful and in 10 minutes I had my hardcase ordered and in a week it was at my doorstep. Their customer service is top notch with what I've seen so far.

I've been playing this bass for almost a year now and it is my favourite fretless ever. If it were ever lost or stolen I would definitely buy one again. Although I did try to buy another one just so that my backup bass would be another Schecter SB-1! I compared it to Warwicks, Alembics and Yamahas and this Schecter blows them away! I must mention though that this bass seems to be quite difficult to find. When trying to order another one Schecter told me that there is a 6 month backorder on this bass. And finding it used would probably be impossible, for what Schecter SB-1 owner would want to sell it anyways? This is one of the best basses I've ever played. I'm surprised it is only 300-500 dollars because Schecter could probably slap on better pickups and charge a grand over and it would still be worth the price.