Schecter Stiletto Elite 4-String

Purchased in 2003, this bass has a 34" scale neck-thru Mahogony Body with a Quilted Maple Top in a gorgeous Black Cherry Stain. The neck is a 24 JUMBO fret, 5-piece maple/walnut neck, with a Rosewood fretboard and cream colored binding (sweeeet) :) The fretboard only has 1 "Diamond" inlay at the 12th fret. When I purched the bass it came with 2 EMG-HZ soapbar p/u's and an active pre-amp with a VOL/VOL/BASS/TREB setup. All gold hardware including an ABM "Monorail" type bridge (Schecter lists this bridge is an "S-Tek" bridge, but its the EXACT same as the ABM), strap buttons and "Grover type" tuners. As another side note, I replaced the ABM bridge with a Schaller Roller bridge. I don't care for the bridge only because in order to adjust intonation, you ahve to detune the string, lift it out of the saddle, loosen a small allen screw, move the saddle, tighten the allen screw back down, and tune back up. Too many steps for a sometimes already tedious process. Also, its a "quick release" bridge and IMO they are great for taking strings OFF, but a pain for when you are trying to put strings on. Nothing to hold the end of the string in place while you wind.

I'd give this a perfect 10 except for the fact that I don't care for the 2 VOLUME knob setup. I prefer 1 VOL/1 BAL

As I mentioned above, when I purchased the bass it had EMG-HZ p/u's and an active pre-amp. The tone was wonderful. Very versitile. I could easily dial in j-bass to jaco. Although I did notice that the output of the G string seemed a bit "harsher" or hotter to me, than the other strings. I tried lowering the treble side of the p/u's but couldn't fix it. It might've just been me though..this isn't a negative with the bass :) However about a month after owning the bass, I decided to have passive Bartolini soapbars put in. This was just done out of personal preference and to change out the 2 VOL knob setup (more on that below)

The action couldnt've been more perfect in the store. I've read alot of reviews and they all say the same thing pretty much. That Schecter must really tweek the heck out of the bass before it leaves the factory because I was told the bass came in that way. After alot of bad experiences with basses I felt it necessary to take the bass to have a "checkup" My tech thought the nut was aliiiiiiiitle too high (nothing major) and he found that there was a small piece cut out of the fretboard for the nut to sit in, which he found strange. Not a major deal, but he did put a piece of brass in there to give it something more secure to sit on. Fretwise he only found 2 high frets up in no-mans-land where I never play anyway *lol* He could've only fixed those 2 frets, but I had him crown/polish all the frets just out of personal preference. One of the control cavity cover screw holes in the body was alittle misaligned so he had to fix that as well. Again, not a major job. The last and only other problem I found construction-wise but probably my biggest gripe, was in the volume pots. VERY staticky..basically crap. I dont care for 2 VOL knob setups, and seeing as I wanted different pickups anyway, I had him change to a VOL/BAL setup. Finish is top notch. Very beautiful. I spend more time looking at the bass than playing :)

I give this an 8 only because of the volume pots. Definately something that shouldnt've been left out of the factory.

Oh! And one more thing..make sure you take note that there is plastic covering the control cavity cover. I thought my was all scratched and really crappy looking, but it turns out that it was just covering in the protective plastic :) Laugh if you will, but Schecter obviously put it on so well I couldn't tell it was there! :)

The bass is built rather solid. More than most basses I've seen for $600. I might swap out the tuners, only because as with most basses in this range, they don't feel as good as lets say, Hip-Shot's. Also it would help the bass stay in tune when being put in the case alittle better. The finish looks very durable, I don't think it'll be coming off anytime soon. The neck is rather flexy though which is good because it takes an adjustment quickly, but also might be prone to climate changes. I've had it about 4-5 months, and while I've tweeked it a few times only because I keep trying to see how low I can get the action, I've only adjusted it because of an actual neck change like twice. And each time it required not even an 1/8th of a turn. The strap buttons are very solid. Actually one of the things I noticed about them are the felts underneath. Alot of basses in this price range, the felt looks kind of sloppy, but the felts fit PERFECTLY underneath the strap buttons are totally uniform and well, perfect looking :) I know I'm impressed by it :)

Only emailed Schecter once inquiring about fretless models. They wrote back within 24 hours and were very helpful and seemed like a pleasure to deal with.

If this were lost or stolen I would definately buy again. Schecter is truely one of the underrated bass companies. Even though I put almost as much money into it upgrading the electronics and bridge and could've probably bought an even better used bass for the same total amount of money, I'm very satisfied.

This bass is made in korea. It has a neck thru contruction with rosewood fingerboard. The body top is quilted flamed maple,comes in two colors honeyburst or black cherry, mine is honeyburst. It has a long scale 34" slim neck with jumbo frets and comes strung with GHS Boomers. Active electronics are EMG Hz pickups, 2 volume controls, seperate bass and treble boost controls powered by 9v. All hardware is gold finished, complete with Diamond tuners and S-Tek Bridge. Great looking and solidly built. Comes with allen wrenches and cord. Balances well while standing or sitting, weighs a couple pounds less than a P-bass

This bass has the EMG signature sound, to some the refined sound may not be suitable. Since I play jazz, classic rock and country rock using a pick, this baby is the ultimate for anyone desiring to put out clear, punchy warm non distorted tones. At club size venues I run thru a Music Man HD130 with 2 folded horn cabs with 15" k140's. At larger gigs I run thru the mains or rent concert sized equip. Haven't had the opportunity yet to see how well this axe records.
Treble boost is noisy when turned past 3/4.

This bass shipped for 7 days across the country in sub freezing temperatures. When I opened the box and lifted it out the volume and tone knobs fell off,every screw was loose and the neck had a serious bend. Not good even for a moderate priced instrument. The finish is flawless. Aside from the loose hardware this bass is very sturdily built. After a couple hours set-up work, the action, intonation and loose parts are now right. The trim neck is only slightly fatter than a Ric, feels like my old M85 Guild, very fast.

I've only had this bass 4 months. This beautiful bass was built to be seen and played. Everything about its construction from the quality hardware to the neckthru design and electronics define its rugged durability. I may be daring, but in 25 years performing I've never lugged a back-up bass along to a gig, so far this bass has carried the load and performed problem free.

I contacted the manufacturer, Schecter Guitar Research and told them about the defective volume/tone knobs. They were very considerate and shipped me new replacement knobs (at no charge)within two days from my call. This bass comes with a lifetime warranty.

I have been playing bass for 33 years. In my career I have owned Ric's, Music Man, Gibson, Guild and Fenders. I prefer a bass with a fast neck, enduring sustain and clear tone at high volume. This bass has it all. The looks, qualty of workmanship and playability make this bass a tremendous bargain for the price. At my age if it was stolen I would likely die. If so, my wife would buy this one, for me to be burried with.

Made in Korea, bound maple neck-through with rosewood board, medium jumbo frets, mahogany body wings and quilted maple top, Gotoh tuners, 2 passive Emg Hz pickups, active tone circuit: 2 vol controls(like Fender Jazz) treble, bass, gold hardware, dark cherry finish. Narrow J-style neck 1.5" at nut with a slim profile. Easy on my left hand. Bridge is made of 4 unconnected saddles. Body size is lightly smaller than a J-bass and weighs about 7 lbs. Nice looking and well made and easy on the back.

I am in a jazz combo that plays bossa style tunes with a smattering of ballads and blues. With my Nemesis 112 Combo it sounds very good. I think the pickups are quite good as they sound solid and punchy and can also sound mellow and warm. However, I would prefer a master vol with a pan knob instead of the 2 ind vol controls. I can get a wide variety of sounds, but a master vol works better for me in a live setting. Just a touch of hiss when the highs are pushed.

Well, Schecter does the final set up in their USA shop, and it came out of the box very well set up. Action, intonation, pickup height, I didn't have to change a thing. Above average construction.

Have only had it a month. Then hardware seems ok, the finish seems to be above average.

N|A

Been playing on and off for 25 years, bass for the last 5. I bought this bass because it was time to upgrade from a no name short scale frankenbass, and I liked the neck profile, the build quality and the price. It compared farvorably with some Ibanez high-end basses and Warwick Rockbass, but I prefered the feel of this neck. No regrets. Great value for the price.

The full specification on this guitar can be found at http://www.schecterguitars.com/Dprods.htm ; mine has the standard black cherry finish with gold hardware - standard 34" scale with two full octaves, EMG active pickups and Diamond tuners. Everything is extremely well done; this instrument is strikingly beautiful. This guitar is made in Korea.

I play classic rock with a smattering of slap whenever I can get the white bread in my band to ante up on some funk. I am currently playing through a Gallien-Krueger 240 Watt Combo amp that has a replacement 400 watt Fender speaker. The guitar makes no noise at all when you don't want it to; when you want it to make noise, it comes at you with great definition no matter what the style. You can get chunky sounds (like the bass lines on Johnny Winter's "Highway 61 Rvisited") or bright, punchy Chili-Pepper type slap riffs. This guitar stops short of being able to recreate fretless or Alembic-type tones, but for the money who's complaining?

The action is awesome. The most impressive thing about this axe is speed of the neck - the action is perfect, and it feels like my 1983 Rickenbacker 4003. The pickups are ideally distanced from the bottoms of the strings - for my taste, anyway. The only (slight) negative about this guitar is the tuning machines don't seem to be perfectly aligned. Still, it has had no negative impact on the intonation and the strings have not gone out of tune yet. Otherwise, this one is built like a tank and is one of the more beautiful entries on the current scene.

This bass is definitely built for wear. I don't know where you can find a more solidly built mass-production guitar for this price. All hardware is solid and built for use. I would consider this guitar completely dependable, but just as a general rule, I never ever play out without a backup.

Lifetime warranty. Currently I have no dealings with the manufacturer.

I have been playing bass guitar for nearly 30 years. I also own a 1983 Rickenbacker 4003 and an Ibanez Soundgear. This guitar is heavier than the Ibanez, lighter than the Rick, but has the feel of the Rick with a more comfortable body. My favorite thing about this guitar is that is has absolutely great tone throughout all ranges and sustains until the year 2525 if you want it to. Again, the neck is incredibly fast and the finish is beautiful and I am completely pissed that something of this superior quality can't be made in the U.S. for this price (just read some of the reviews of the NAFTA P-Basses - they are garbage). If this guitar were stolen, I would definitely buy it again. Come to think of it, if my Ibanez were stolen I would buy this one to replace it.