Schecter Ultra Bass

This review is for a Schecter Ultra Bass, bought lightly used on ebay for $400ish. The bass has a Mahogany set neck and solid Mahogany body with a deep natural sunburst finish and a raised center block not unlike a T-bird. The two pick ups are EMG HZ passive humbuckers but the bass does sport an onboard preamp which makes it's output really hot. Tuners are Gotoh and are lightly adjusted but quite accurate once you get used to them as opposed to the huge gears on Fender stuff. The Bridge is Schecter, something between a standard Fender issue and a L. Quan Bad Ass but prettier. It is easily adjustable and funtions well. Besides sound issues to follow, the best thing about this bass is the body design. When Schecter designed it, I'm certain they were looking to compete with a Gibson Thunderbird but apart from lifting a few styling cues, it ends there. The weighty mahogany, enormous size and scale as well as the raised center block are T-bird-ish but the shape is totally and thankfully original and is almost a blend of Jazz bass, Tele and something never before seen....Very pleasing!

This bass lies somewhere between Jazz Bass and T-Bird. I would class it as a rock and blues instrument rather that a effective slapper but that said, I have been jamming some heavier Tramps, Wild Cherry and Rick James tunes on it and it still holds it own. The sound is deep and dark but thanks to the preamp you can get the bright highs you may seek/need with some simple tone adjustments on the 3 preamp and tone pots. With every pots on "full" it can produce a hum when you are too close to the amp but at 4 feet away it disappears. The overall sound of this bass reminds me of that classic Entwhistle piano string lows with funky bright highs. With Medium strings and a healthy volume setting you will shake the room with its bottom end.

I received this bass lightly used. It is in excellent condition and I would speculate lightly played. At the time it was strung with light slinky strings which did not suit it at all. The light strings produced fret buzz and although fingering was speedy and light, the sound was wimpy, loose and unimpressive. A fresh set of medium (45 to 105), long scale round wound strings and a quick easy bridge set up made all the difference. The string height this bass needs to perform is a hair over two quarters at the 22nd fret and man, the neck is strong and straight. Otherwise the finish is outstanding, the set neck looks more like a neck through than set, and the finish is near perfect. Wiring looks sturdy and pro and the chrome is thick and deep.

This bass is good to go live but like a T-bird, watch the headstock, my Ultra is two years old and has the original style headstock which is hockey stick-ish with tuners on the downside, I love it but I will treat that end with extra care. Strap locks are on my shopping list but no accidents have occurred. I would use it with no back up but that is not my game as my bands style has me swapping the Ultra for my Geddy Lee Jazz once in a while.

No experience here

At 40, I have been playing 25 years and gig often. My amp is a Traynor all tube YBA 200 head with matching cab. My other stage bass is the Fender MIJ Geddy Lee '72 Jazz bass re-issue, and believe it or not my little treasure I've kept since '83 is a Japanese Squire Jazz that I will never sell! I've bought and sold Ricks, Fenders, Ibanez, Hofner etc. and with respect to the Schecter, it is a keeper. Its sound is so useful and powerful, its design is so original that even with some design roots from a T-bird it is NO copy and no one else playing the same stages I play on here in Canada has one. If I saw another in a pawn shop or on ebay I would probably grab it.