Schecter Tempest Custom

Brand new 2006 Tempest Custom, Black Cherry Red. Typical features: 22 jumbo frets, dual humbuckers (Duncan Designed HB-102), and a nice TonePros stopbar bridge. Great Grover tuners. Two volume knobs and one tone knob; the tone knob can be pulled up for split coil action. Set neck into a mahogany body with a beautiful maple top, and cream binding all around. Looks like a what a Les Paul would if it grew a Strat-style cutaway on the top side.

I'm mostly into hardcore/metal so I wanted something that was built solid and could ROCK OUT, but also could clean up well for other purposes. I am running it through a number of effects into a Fender Deluxe 85 1x12 combo, but I can't wait to hear it on the new Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier head I ordered!

The sound overall is pretty smooth and even from the Duncan Designed HB-102 pickups, which are supposed to emulate a JB in the bridge and a '59 in the neck. (People rip on the stock pickups, but they aren't THAT bad...) I wanted something hotter in the bridge, so I soldered in an SH-6 Duncan Distortion, and it freaking screams. Great harmonics out of the whole setup. I'll replace the neck pickup with a real '59 sometime soon.

The split coil option is rather unusual for a guitar of this body style and in this price range, but it's a thoughtful touch. Plenty of tonal options available. The electronics are nice and quiet, unless you decide you want to trainwreck it with feedback, which I'm assuming every guitarist has been tempted to do live at least ONCE in his musical career.

This guitar feels so natural! Everything feels the way it should--you know that feeling I'm talking about when you're playing that special axe. The cream binding on the neck is a sheer delight. Cosmetically perfect. I thrash a little bit when I play, so I unscrewed the knob off of the pickup selector, and have had no problems accidentally knocking it out of position.

I put on heavier gauged strings, Ernie Ball Power Slinky's (11-48), so I needed to raise the action a little bit on the low E side and readjust the intonation, but everything is where it should be. I thought I would have problems with the nut being able to fit the [slightly] heavier gauged strings, but no worries. The Grover tuners are the best and most solid I've ever had on a guitar.

The body style, and especially the maple top, is just gorgeous. I'm not gonna lie--when I'm not playing it, I'm most often staring at it. Baby's got curves.

Some of my inspiration for purchasing this model came from seeing Jeremy Talley of The Bled rock the guts out of it live. Like I mentioned before, I'm definitely an aggressive player, and I like to get physical. This guitar is rock solid and can withstand the thrashing. I replaced the strap buttons with Dunlop Strap Locks because I've had good experiences with them--and bad experiences without.

For those of you who so far have said that this feels like a Les Paul, yes, it's true, and no, it's not... The body shape essentially feels like an LP, but the weight is LIGHTER. If you can heft an LP, you can throw a Tempest. Still a rock machine, though. I was pleasantly surprised.

I would never want to gig without a backup, but I do. This guitar is built very well and I expect to have no [natural] problems with the wood or the finish.

This is where I have a beef with Schecter. I ordered it in the middle of February from a small music shop near my house. The guitar was on back order from their factory in Korea and I was told that it would be in my hands in the middle of March. So I wait... It doesn't come. I called Schecter directly and asked them what's up. The gentleman on the phone explained that their factory had been going by slowly and the guitar should arrive in another two to three weeks. So I wait, only more impatiently this time around. Three weeks goes by, it hasn't come in, so I call Schecter back. They have made the Tempest models in black and white, but the black cherry red was going to take longer, so another two weeks... AAAAARRRGGH! I finally got it, two months after I was originally supposed to. I don't know what happened. I'm guessing they got flooded with orders for their recent line of "30th Anniversary" models or something. Oh well. I had to deal with my impatience, and now I have the guitar in my possession.

At any rate, every time I called them I had to leave a message, but received quick correspondence from their Customer Support rep. Other than the factory-backup issue, I found everything else about them to be very impressive.

I've been playing for six years. My previous guitar before this one is an Epiphone G-400 that I've played to death. Before that, it was a Squier Affinity Strat. I'm working my way up in my practice regimen and with the gear I'm purchasing--I'll be getting a Mesa Dual Rec soon. This may sound odd, but I was looking for a more midpriced guitar like this one instead of something like a $1200+ Gibson, so I could be a little more at ease with wearing it out from use. Plus, I think that with a good set of pickups, it can sound just as good as anything else. A top class instrument for a working class price.

Schecter make great guitars and their necks are truly incredible. The Tempest Custom model is particularly eye-catching and I've been receiving some great compliments on it. Get one! They're rad!

2006 Shecter tempest custom. Vintage White. Released under the 30th anniversary series, but not the anniversary model. Dual duncan designed humbuckers with coil tapping. Can be compared in weight, and action to a gibson les paul.

rock music--> hardcore, emo, alternative, some blues even
pickups--> duncan designed sound great, nice and crunchy, big sound. Little to no feedback from teh pickups. dont really sound muddy. suit the types of music i play perfectly.
compared--> i own a gibson sg standard, and a gibson les paul as well. i bought this to get something that sounded different, plus i wanted something that can have a single coil in the neck, which you can get with the coil tap. I like it better than the les paul by far, but it cant be compared to the sg... totally different guitars.

> gorgeous finish, flawless.
> setup out of the box was not too bad. Playable but not as good as it could have been
> some fret buzz. they could use some filing

no problems yet, dont really expect any.. solid guitar. would never gig without a backup even if i were playing a prs

no experience yet

never find a better guitar for the price, even for a lot more you wont find something more practical. beautiful. Dallas green from alexisonfire uses it... doesnt that say enough

2005 white tempest custom, you know the guitar. owned for almost a year.

plays beautifuly set up great right out of the box from the factory. Gibson and fender forgot what it's like to make a quality guitar at a good price so I turned to schecter. The pickups are superior to any other in the price range. I should know I got a loaner ephi les paul for a month while i was waiting for my guitar. The ephiphone felt like it was 50 different pieces glued together. the pickups on that thing were a joke it was like listening to a static on a radio. Can't believe they want 550 for an ephi les paul. The schecter is a far better guitar and is in a different league. My cousin has a 1974 sg and the schecter pickups are better. More definative and crunchy. Now my brother has a nice gibson les paul with a 5A flame top that he payed top dollar for with burst buckers. yeah the pickups are better but i'm not impressed with those either. The schecter is balanced better for playing standing up and is easier to grab below the 12th. I'm going swap out the pickups for lindy fralins. I play out of an all tube 80watt 2x12 combo made by traynor ycv80. I've played it out of a bunch of fender tube amps and a mesa. It's real thin out of a fender. the pickups are more single than double because of there low power out put. but overall i'd give them a 6. check out traynor amps if you get a chance..

the fit and finish is nice. looks nice and wet out of the box and hopefully the white ages nicely. love the tuners stays in tune. tone pro bridge rules. frets and neck are finished nicely. Awesome for korea. guitar chord jack came loose like ever fender i've ever owned so can say it's perfect.

main axe it's great.

never delt with traynor.

playing for 11 years. I know my gear. Worth checking this guitar out. I'm not a metal head though which seems to be what schecter markets there guitars toward. I'm a radiohead, wilco, frusciante, Neil Young type guy. So if your like me don't let schecter's metal head rep turn you away from a good low cost alternative to fender/gibson. Plan on replacing the pickups if your a serious player. I would have been very happy with them 5 or 6 years ago or if i had a solid state amp. Over all they get me by, I just always want to sound better, ya know?

Get the specs from some of the other reviews or the website.

It kicks for the most part. If you're serious about your tone, you'll replace the Duncan Designed pickups with something else. What depends on your style of music. For rock, a Duncan JB in the bridge and '59 in the neck are a good choice. Metal users should install the EMG Zakk Wylde set.

This is actually my second Tempest. My first one had the Duncan Designed P-90's. I replaced those with Dimarzio Super Distortions. Serious tone with those.

The guitar is very similar in tone to a Les Paul but a bit more comfortable I feel.

My only complaint is that I wish this guitar had a zero heel like the Schecter C1's and some of there other guitars. It can be a bit tough (but no tougher than a Les Paul or PRS) to access the upper frets.

As I said, this was my second. By no means in line with a custom built guitar as far as fit and finish, but the quality/fit/finish are all very nice.

Guitar is so beautiful I'd almost hate to use it live but I guess that's what most musicians hope to do. I think it would last/hold up well, but be warned, keep you're eye on it because someones going to want to steal it.

I've had to deal with them in the past. Support could be a little better.

I love this guitar. What other reason could there be for buying a second one. The shape is a bit different and I've found that most folks either love it or hate it. It's a bit more comfortable to handle than a Les Paul when sitting down. The balance and shape seem to put it in a better position. The contoured top is gorgeous. The coil split is a nice feature (my first didn't have that). Personally, if you're looking at an Epiphone Les Paul copy, I think you'd be better off getting this guitar. The quality is so much better, the sound (even stock) is much better and plus you won't have to worry about having the same guitar as every other Tom, Dick and Harry.

2004 korean made solidbody, Mahogany body with Maple top, Set Mahogany neck, two duncan design pickups, tonepros tune o matic bridge and tailpiece, Grover machineheads, 3 way selector, two volumes and one push pull tone pot for coil taps. All in all not too complex to be unreliable but enough to make it fairly flexible...

I mainly play punk and metal and this guitar suits both perfectly, pickups sound great distorted or clean with a good balance between the bass, midrange and treble, this guitar has even more bass than an epiphone les paul but its much more controlled and never woolly like a paul can be, the neck pickup has a great sound for lead work and even with the coil tap activated you can get a great distortion sound, this would be a great guitar for anyone wanting to play rock/punk/metal. If you're thinking of buying a Schecter C1 or 006 buy this instead as the open coil pickups give a lot more clarity and punch compared to either of them.Jerry Horton of Papa Roach has been using this model recently so its credentials as a metal guitar are fairly well backed.

Action and intonation were great off the shelf, i know for a fact that the shop didn't set it up so this is down to good work on schecters part. There are no visible flaws in the gloss black finish but the gold hardware is begginig to get dull. I also had a problem with a very scratchy bridge volume pot but as the guitar was under warranty it got fixed for free, the tech told me schecter had been fitting sub standard tone pots to some guitars so make sure to check this if you plan to buy any schecter. Also The nut hasn't been cut very well on the G string so it goes out of tune after heavy playing or string bending.

I have not played this guitar live but expect no problems as it feels rock solid, the finish is thick and will last well, strap buttons are fairly solid and i would be very happy to gig it without a backup as long as i had a fairly fresh set of strings on it...

never dealt with schecter but when the tone pot started acting up sound control fixed it quickly and for free as it was under warranty, i wont put a rating here as i have not dealt with schecter.

Overall this is a great guitar for rock punk or metal, the only problems being a poorly cut g string slot and the scratchy tone pot. This is an excellent guitar that will not let you down, I always play guitars before buying as I like to know what i'm buying but i would be happy to tell anyone to buy this guitar on mail order as i am confident they would not be dissapointed.

I just recently recieved my 2004 Tempest Custom. 22 frets, 24 3/4 scale mahogany neck. The standard electronics are Duncan Desigened HB 103 pickups wired to 2 volume controls and 1 push/pull tone control. I swapped the pickups for an EMG Zakk Wylde set and will be reviewing the guitar with the upfated electronics. The body Les Paul type with a tonepros locking tune-o-matic bridge. Grover tuners are standard and I added a hipshot guitar extender. Overall the features that come standard on this guitar are pretty flexible and those who can only get one guitar but still want some decent tonal options, then this is a good chioce.

I play in an electronic rock/goth/industrial band and I needed a guitar with EMGs. For the past 2 months I've been using the bass players epiphone Les Paul and just needed to get my own instrument. The sound of my Tempest is similar to a les paul, but definitely has it's own character. With the EMGs, the sound is full with excellent definition. I'm running this trough an HD147 head direct to club PA's and the sound is not as muddy as with the epiphone. I use both pickups and leave my volume and tone controls at the max. There isn't too much variety with the sounds I can get, but I don't need very much variety. I depend on the amp to get the variety I need and tthe guitar is just the catalyst. Overall, I'm loving this more than the epiphone.

I waited a month for this guitar on special order and couldn't be happier. The action was set up perfectly for the 10's that came with the guitar, so a fe minor tweaks were needed when I put on my preferred set of 9's. The pickups were set up well with a good balance in tone and there were no flaws in the electronics or wiring. The biniding goes all the way around the body, neck, and headstock and where the binding on the neck meets the headstock there is a tiny, tiny gap...about the size of a high E string. Not absoluteley perfect, but I wold only expect perfection on a cutom made guitar.

The epiphone I used before seemed pretty tough, but the finish is coming off where I rest my right arm while strumming. The finish on my Tempest is prety thick and I don't forsee any major problems. I did all the wiring myself and while I"m not the best electronics guy, the guitar did stand up to my manhandling. I splattered a bit of solder on the back of the guitar and sprayed contact cleaner all over it while i was putting on the finishing touches. After cleaning up my messes there was absolutely no damage to the finish of the guitar. I replaced the strap buttons withe straplocks, so there will never be a problem with it falling on a gig. After all of my mods, there really isn't any reason for me to have another guitar for live playing, so i would gig without a backup if I had to.

Never had to deal with Schecter.

I've been playing seriously for about 3 years and have been gigging for about 8 months only. I have an epiphone LP Special that will be getting the duncans I took out of my Tempest, an old Fender-copy epiphone and a Schecter 006 elite. Live I use my HD147 and have a marshall 2x12 for when i'm jamming with other bands. I wish I had a chance to try this guitar beffore I ordered it because I like to know what I'm buying, but after playing every other schecter i could get my hands on I felt comfortable ordering this without any prior experience. If this was stolen I wouldn't hunt down the guy who stole it because my mom would beat me to it. I'm looking at the Tempest Blackjack right now because I absolutely love my tempest. The body style is unique, it had the most name-brand parts for a guitar in it's price range and is so relatively obscure that I most likely won't find another guitar player in miami who has one. The neck is a bit thick for my taste, but I think that just adds to its durability.

Same as all.

Great sound for all types of music.

The guitar needed to be set up but after that............ROCK!

Same as all.

This is where Schecter lacks. I purchased my Tempest Custom new from American Musical Supply, after about 6 months my bridge volume pot started to go bad, the sound was cutting in and out and making a cracking noise. The guitar was still under warranty so I thought no problem. I took my Tempest over to the guy that does all my guitar work Doug (at the Guitar ER, if you are ever in Chicago and need guitar work done, look him up); Doug tried to contact Schecter to find out about doing warranty repair work. After about a week and a half of calling Schecter and leaving messages he finally gets to talk to some on the phone. Apparently the only way you to get warranty repair work done on you Schecter is to ship that guitar to Schecter in California with me paying all the shipping costs, and have them do it. I live in Chicago. So something that would cost me like $15 for my guy to do is now going to cost me like $50 for shipping, so buyer beware. The guitars are great, I also have a C1 E/A. But unless you live near Schecter you are going to have ship you guitar to them for any warranty repair work.

Over all I love the guitar.

it's 2003 i think made in japan , set up in usa. mine is a white one with chrome grover tuners and a tone pros bridge, rosewood fret board blah blah blah it is a white les paulish looking guitar check the website for al features

i find this guitar to suit me well i play a sort of dark melodic rock with some industrial influences. played clean it is very bright a little muddy when distorted but i think it is my amp it is a pile of sheeit. this guitar is good for metal.blues,whatever i think it is very versitile

i got this fat daddy from guitar center -they had to order it for me
the action on this is sweet very fast it doesn't take a lot to fret a note the pick -up are ok but i will definitly get some real duncans in there.no flaws in the finish the tuners needed to be tightened,but other than that it was good to go

this is where i get pissed off been playin a couple weeks and my neck pick-up goes out i just paid a hefty sum for this guitar so the pu should be working turns out it is the loose wiring nothing major but still enough to piss me off,other than that this thing is built soild it really feels good strapped on,i will not be gigging with a backup for i have no money to get another guitar because the piece of shit i was playing got smashed plus all funds are going to my new amp.i give this section a 6 for not wiring things corectly

in lieu of my wiring complications i emailed them and it took a week to get back with me i do not usally contact tech support so i dont know if this good or bad

i love this guitar because it is not a fender or gibson.it looks cool plays nice and feels good to me.i was going to buy an esp viper but the people at sam ash suck and would not cut me a good deal so i got this and i am happier. if lost or stolen a team would be erected and we would find the person who stole it and beat him with it then tape him to the full stack ears in and jam til his ears bled

Year Made: 2003, Antique White.

First thing I did was swap out the Semour Designed Pickups. There a joke. I put in the Semour Custom 5 (SH-14) and the Jazz in the neck. I'm using a Mesa dual rect. with the 4 x 12 cabinet. No effects processor just pedals.

First of all the guitar is very solid. Craftsmanship even though made in Japan is perfect. Sound quality through my amp is crushing. It's a very heavy guitar so it feels like a Les Paul. all the frets are accessible with ease. Volume and toggle switch never get in the way. When clean is very smooth. This guitar is overall nice for any kind of music in sound and style. I liked it because the shape is timeless like the Les Paul.

Finish is the Antique White. No flaws in binding and since its a set neck there was no defect in the paint or finish around the body and neck area. Like I said before swap out the pickups. Don't even bother with the originals.

I've used it for 2 months now in the studio and live with no problems. It's very solid. Enough said. Oh and get some strap locks, you're not going to want to drop this guitar on your foot. You will need a cast.

Took 4 months to get. It was on back order. That was the only problem. Worth the wait.

Very nice guitar. It's only my second 4th electric guitar and I've been using a Carvin for the last 12 years as my main. This is relacing it without a fight. The Carvin will be in the bullpen.

This is a 2002, built in Korea (like all diamond series) and was set up in the schecter USA shop. 22 "jumbo" frets, solid mahogany body w/maple arch top. Set mahogany neck w/rosewood fretboard. Has 2 duncan design humbuckers with two volume and one tone. The tone knob is a push/pull coil tap, so you can turn the humbuckers into single coils - this is really a great feature. Tune-o-matic bridge, grover tuners. Mine is gloss black finish, gold hardware, 5-ply creme/black binding on body/neck/headstock and split crown inlays. This guitar is absolutely beautiful! looks like nothing else.

The sound of this guitar has a huge range. Anything from massive beefy humbucker distortion to the twangiest single coil sound. Distortion with the bridge pickup is very smooth punchy. the neck pickup can get great rich jazzy tones. i play mostly rock/metal/emo but now and then get into a little jazz/blues and this guitar works greatly for all of them, especially because you can get twice the amount of different sounds than most guitars because of the coil tap.

All schecters are set up at their US factory. I have not adjusted anything since i've had it. the action is perfect, very even and low, no fret buzzing. The tuners work very well.. i don't remember the last time i tuned it and i play it everyday. Everything seems to fit perfectly. Wonderful finish, there are a few dents, mostly on the binding but i bought this "new" over ebay, and it was apparently the floor model so i don't think this was to blame on schecter. the only problem, is sometimes the top strap peg starts to come a bit loose.

This guitar would definatly hold up live, i'm not much of a guitar abuser but when i do get jumping arround the guitar seems to enjoy the ride. The frets are starting to get marked up a bit, but doesn't seem to be anything to be concerned with. Finish is great, the gold hardware seems to be wearing a bit (i think this is common for the gold color). Very solid strap buttons, i've never had the strap come undone. As mentioned above, the one peg has come loose a few times but it's fine now after tightening it up. I have no fears of this breaking in anyway, and would definatly use it without a backup, although i have another schecter (mike tempesta model) because it's nice to have two set for different tunings.

This is my third schecter, and i've never had to deal with any repairs/defective products. Seeing how i've bought them used off ebay, i've not had the warentee but i haven't needed it. I've e-mailed the company a few times asking questions about their guitars before i've bought them online, and they always got back to me quickly and wre very helpful. i love these guys.

i've been playing bass for about 5 years and guitar for 2-3. I've got an epiphone LP special and a fender acoustic, along with a schecter bass and now two of their guitars. I must say, these are by far my favorite guitars i've ever played on. they always sound great, and come at a fraction of the price that they could be selling them for. i love everything about this guitar and dislike nothing. Wonderful playability and tons of tone. If this guitar were stolen, i would be extremely upset because they are kind of hard to come by in this area (iowa) and i would definatly search to find another one, not even considering gettingsomething else.