Schecter Diamond Series Bass Guitar For Sale (2024 Update)

After 2 hours of trying many different basses in the store around the same price point (and higher), finally choosing this one, and having it in my hands for 2 weeks, I definitely made the best choice. This bass sounds great, plays great, and looks great. It needs minor setup adjustments, but other than there, zero regrets. For the price, this is an unbeatable instrument.ALEX

Schecter, ( I read) takes great pride in their craftmanship. I was not happy with getting my fingers ripped up by the rough, sharp fret ends. I talked to a tech at Schecter I described why I was not satisfied. He told me to return it ASAP. I then went out looking for a bass at my local guitar shop, saw the exact same one but the frets were nice and smooth. Makes me wonder if I was sold and received a knock off. Best to try out what you are interested in. P.S. Don't expect a quick refund.Bobby

I was a hair's length away from ordering a custom boutique bass from some fancy overpriced workshop due to not finding a single bass that had everything I needed in a single design…. well, until I found the Ultra V… I have had already recorded 5 songs on this bass since January. It is able to range from jazz to doom, from hip hop to modern rock. For the specs that I personally want out of a bass… which are 35 scale length, passive electronics, set thru neck construction, string thru bridge, and matte black finish… they are all EXACTLY what I need. Anyone else with similar spec needs should consider this as their main above all else. I love this instrument and if you hunger for design like this, you will as well 100%Loren, W

Beautiful bass, with a slim and fast neck, and the fit and finish is exceptional. Great time, and good variety with the onboard electronics.mikewoz46n2

I primarily play fretless basses, but this one is the exception! It is smooth, crisp, and bold. The tone is unmatchable and I can switch from genre to genre with this! Highly recommend!Lonnie Bon

I was a hair's length away from ordering a custom boutique bass from some fancy overpriced workshop due to not finding a single bass that had everything I needed in a single design…. well, until I found the Ultra V… I have had already recorded 5 songs on this bass since January. It is able to range from jazz to doom, from hip hop to modern rock. For the specs that I personally want out of a bass… which are 35 scale length, passive electronics, set thru neck construction, string thru bridge, and matte black finish… they are all EXACTLY what I need. Anyone else with similar spec needs should consider this as their main above all else. I love this instrument and if you hunger for design like this, you will as well 100%Loren, W

This bass is everything anyone could want. You can dial in consistent tones for Jazz, Rock, Blues; anything you can imagine. You're only limited by your amp and skill. Good for novices or pros, and priced for both of them. I play progressive rock/metal, jazz, classical, fusion, etc and the bass lends itself well to all these things. The hardware is solid: the tuners tight, the bridge stable, and the nut functions as prescribed. Some people have problems with the TEK bridge but I personally find it convenient. No cross-talk, easy stringing, reliable setup that DOESN'T BUDGE. The pickup/preamp complements the bass and its resonance qualities. Passive EMG HZ pickups with the mahogany body work together constructively. The bass and treble controls work well with amps, not adding much to the gain of the signal but still affecting the tone strikingly. The body and neck are well constructed and add a lot to the tone. Mahogany+maple+rosewood are the essential dream-team. Access up to the 24th fret is relatively easy. The satin finish allows more vibrations to transfer through the hardware and body. The quality craftsmanship is fairly decent. The fret ends are smooth and all the edges are clean. The factory setup is alright but I like my action low for easy playability. Overall, the bass is clean, simple, and contributes to any playing style well.ProgJazzMetalBassist

Overall: When I purchased this bass guitar, I did it on a whim based purely off how much I like the sound of Schecter 6 string guitars. I was prepared to be a little disappointed and make a trade in if necessary, but no, I pulled this baby out of the box and fell straight in love from the first ultra twangy acoustic note. A few hours tweaking my Fender Rumble amp (also courtesy of zZounds) and suddenly I had THE sound I had been chasing. The layout of the pot functions were confusing at best but Schecter released an online wiring diagram so a little research got me exactly what I needed; excellent customer support in that regard, but with the quality of this bass, I feel as if I'll never even need to contact customer support in order to give them a review on it! Everything from chunky 90's post-punk to soft jazz to slap bass in tha face to dad rock to death metal to orchestral, just turn a few knobs and this baby knocks it out of the park. The EMG pickups really scream for passives, too.Taran

Pros: This is a beautiful neck-through bass with a luscious satin mahogany body, and matte gold hardware. 5 control knobs – volume, pickup selector/tone, then 3 band EQ. Stays in tune. Great tone. Cons: The active pickups/EQ require TWO 9v batteries! Don't need changing often though (like every few years, playing 2 hours a week). The matte gold hardware is prone to some mild patina formation. In some electronic environments you get a bit of hiss from the pickups. I think fluorescent lights contribute to this. Mitigated by turning down the treble EQ knob, and fixed if your sound guy kills the highs on the mixer.blueflame1611

Overall: Absolutely BEAUTIFUL looking 5-string bass!!!! In your hands, in your sight, and in your lap, this guy is stunning. Stunning to look at and to handle. Schecter really nailed it on the Stiletto series. That low B sting is what I have been looking for in a bass for a while now. I mostly am into classic rock & country type of stuff. But I am also into 70's funk like Stevie Wonder. The low B is a MUST for old school funk and reggae. When I first got the guitar, it was way out of tune and every string vibrated like mad. So when you first get your guitar from zZounds, it is not set up. That is a chore for the end user. Which is great because a musician should not have to be completely reliant on a "professional" tech in order to perform basic comprehensive maintenance on their instrument. So, I emailed zZounds requesting some help and advice from them for the proper setup of my newly bought bass. As quick as that, they replied with a bunch of links to help me get myself up to speed. After reviewing the guides, I was able to tune my bass and set the truss rod properly. Now my Stiletto sounds dang near perfect! To be honest, I am not that great of a player. I do have a musical background, but I am pretty new on the bass. But I can tell you that the more I practice with this guy and listen and appreciate its wonderful sound through the Markbass I'm using, the more I am happy with this purchase. TL;DR Excellent instrument. Excellent fitment of components (this guy was assembled in Indonesia) Marvellous to feel and to hold Emits beautifully clear, super deep bass notes Wish I knew about Schecter's stuff before I dropped over 2K on my LĀKLAND 😉Billy

I now own 5 solid body neck-throughs: Two 4003's, two Warwicks, and this Schector, which just arrived yesterday. I don't think I'm a good enough expert to sit and analyze each bass's pros and cons, and then try them out with a bunch of different amp/speaker combinations. That's what they pay the guys at Bass Player for. All I can say is I haven't stopped grinning about this Studio-4 since I opened the box. Easy playability, excellent build quality, sexy looks, and a good, loud, punchy sound. What's not to like ? I will say this: The EQ knobs don't do a wide range of tone-shifting. The EMG pickups are very bright, modern-sounding, and with the stock Ernie Ball RW strings, that's exactly what I wanted. Plenty of glass up top, and a bit (maybe a bit too much) at the bottom. If you're looking for P-bass thud-thud Motown sound, my first thought is this may not be your best bet, although with flatwounds it would probably be within dial-able range on your rig. The rest is all good, and this would make a great bass for a student, a working bassist or the dedicated hack (that's me). If you're a world-famous bass soloist, this may not necessarily be the axe you'd take the stage with, but I'm betting you'd spend lots of time practicing your moves on it. It will keep up. One more thing. It arrived set up as nicely as I've ever seen, right out of the box.doc

Over the years I have owned several bass guitars of varying quality and price range, some custom made and others hailed to be a top of the line model. This bass succeeds in playing, sounding and feeling like a top notch instrument. The electronics are very quiet, the neck feels natural for a 5 string and the weight is light comparatively speaking. The equalization offers a wide palette of tonal varieties and there has to be a sound to suit every bass player in this bass, even the most discerning. The low end is tight and expressive while the highs are clear and distinct. The Studio 5 is currently my favorite 5 string bass and I recommend this as a first choice instrument.denekawa

I bought this bass over 7 years ago and to this day I haven't felt the need to buy another bass. I've been on tour multiple times and played this thing all around the United States, and it has never let me down. Not even once. I run my own studio and about 70% of the bands that come in end up using this to record because it sounds better than almost every bass that a band might bring in. I've tuned it down to dropped F#, tuned it up to dropped B (B F# B E A) and it's handled everything, provided some modifications in string size. The only complaint I could possibly have with this gorgeous beast is that for whatever reason, if I rest my thumb on the neck pickup when it play (which is the most comfortable for me) it doesn't project very well on all the strings. It will project well on the lowest 2 or 3 strings, but not the D and G. I've changed the batteries, messed with the tone knobs, used compressors, nothing. No idea why it does this. If I rest my finger on the bridge pickup, then there's no problem, but it's not comfortable for me. If you play with a pick then this will not be an issue. One way or another this bass is the best investment I have ever made. I wouldn't be the person I am today had I not bought this instrument. You will not regret this purchase.B-REX

Came ready to play out of the box. String action was a tad high but a little tweaking with a string gauge and trial/error brought things down to my comfort zone. I really like the ability to switch the pickups from single to dual-coil configurations. The difference is clear and use both settings a lot depending on the song/genre I am playing at the time. I've been playing DR Coated strings for the last year and I found the Ernie Ball strings that came on the bass quite comfortable and good sounding. The neck is very smooth and comfortable. It is wider than my ESP 4 string but narrower than some other 5 strings I've played. The ebony fingerboard is solid and I only have trouble accessing the last fret on the low strings. Overall quality is excellent and I am very happy with bass. You get a hell of a lot of bass for a great price.Raisin'Hell Again

Everything I wanted it to be. Wished I would have got a 5 string sooner. Neck seems wider but, you get used to it almost immediately. Super tones high and low. Very nice quality as I expected. My 1st Schector. Strings low no buzz out of box. Tuning keys are good so far time will tell. Stays in tune like a quality axe should. Very satisfied, getting used to extra string but coming along fast…..loving the LOW B. Not super high end but very nice for the money. Color is sweet, very nice looking bass…. stays in tuneskibert

The Bass has everything I wanted. Tone-wise it is off the chart. Deep, well defined Low End all the way down the Low B, which is nice and tight. It packs beautiful highs as well. The EQ works great and give more tone shaping ability than most in much higher end basses. I like the push pull EMG's but they stay on Dual Coil most of the time. Still, what a powerful pickup. The bass has such a rich sound, that I feel like I can't do it justice. The sky is the limit for this thing. I feel like it can easily put to bed a lot of basses at twice the price. In the looks department, it has a sort of dark elegance that still impresses me everytime I open the case, 2 months after buying it. I fall more and more in love with this Bass. It shows me more and more evryday. Also, I had a question, and Schecter's support was great. I think if you play the Bass it will speak for itself. Anyone thinking of getting a Bass near this range, you may come to regret it if you don't look at this Bass. Nobody wants to realize the one they bought comes in second to one they didn't think about.Red87

Sound: Sound wise, it is great. Very good for soft rock to all genres of metal. Haven't played any other types of music with it yet but the pickups seem very versatile. Features: The active pickups are a plus and sound great. Has all the basic bass controls. Manufacturer Support: Only dealt with schecter in regards to questions a few times in the past. Never had an issue with any of their instruments. Overall: I am a guitar player who needed a bass for my home recording.I'll admit, I am a Shecter fanboy. I have been playing and collecting schecter guitars for a long time. The quality of their instruments are great and for the price they can't be beat.Purchased this for some home recording and I am amazed at the playability and sound.Not being a native bass player I was not sure what to expect. I have played bass before for my home recordings and let me say this bass sounds amazing.Using it with a motu m4 and a 24 volt mod for the active pickups.It has a lot of gain so I have to turn down the input volume on my m4 quite a bit but the sound come through great in my daw.J

Sound: Sound wise, it is great. Very good for soft rock to all genres of metal. Haven't played any other types of music with it yet but the pickups seem very versatile. Features: The active pickups are a plus and sound great. Has all the basic bass controls. Manufacturer Support: Only dealt with schecter in regards to questions a few times in the past. Never had an issue with any of their instruments. Overall: I am a guitar player who needed a bass for my home recording.I'll admit, I am a Shecter fanboy. I have been playing and collecting schecter guitars for a long time. The quality of their instruments are great and for the price they can't be beat.Purchased this for some home recording and I am amazed at the playability and sound.Not being a native bass player I was not sure what to expect. I have played bass before for my home recordings and let me say this bass sounds amazing.Using it with a motu m4 and a 24 volt mod for the active pickups.It has a lot of gain so I have to turn down the input volume on my m4 quite a bit but the sound come through great in my daw.J

Overall I love it, Great tone. Great sustain. Plays nice. The things I would change: The color isn't quite the purple in the images on the web site. It's much darker and has a reddish tint. I would have preferred it match the ad. The main complaint is balance. The Ibanez it's replacing was perfectly balanced. With no hands on the base, it didn't shift position. This one is neck-heavy and wants to move as soon as I let go of it, so I have to prop it somehow when I'm changing charts. Minor complaints would be what I consider slightly odd placement of the cable jack and the location of the bottom strap post. None of these are deal breakers, but they are areas where there could be improvement.Stone

I picked this up in October as my first bass, and have been training many hours a day. I've been playing with some serious pros (the kind with metal records on the wall) and through their kindness and the internet am getting half decent. First, it's a gorgeous bass. The color is darker than the pictures, and is subtle and really pretty. It gets a lot of admiration. It's also heavy, so have a good padded strap of 3" or even more if your shoulders fit a wider strap. Invest in strap locks – just the little rubber washers are fine, but mine slipped out of a strap keyhole while picking it up before I got a locking strap. It's very well balanced and falls perfectly into place standing up, and fits well sitting. Out of the box, intonation was good but the action was fairly high although still playable. That was very easy to fix and spending a bit of time being taught how to properly set it up was invaluable. I've been through 3 sets of different new strings so far, and all sound great. I currently have a set of DR pink neons on because my wife really likes the look – which does get a lot of positive comments. I couldn't stand the sound of the DR neons E at first, but it got good after several hours of playing. The bridge is a bit different than most videos will show you, but it's incredibly easy to adjust – just have a piece of 1/4" dowel and a small hammer to knock the saddles into place – there's no screw adjustment for the intonation, just gently push the saddles into the right place and lock them down. This bass sounds great with flats and rounds and coated strings – although as I mentioned above, the coated DR neon E was nasty until it broke in after a couple of hours. There's tremendous adjustability between the 3 band active EQ and mixing the pickups. I do wish there was a passive bypass – that should have been possible since the EMG pickups themselves are passive pickups. Maybe an easy modification.Peter H

***Note: I mistakenly posted this review for the honey-colored version of this bass. The bass that I actually bought is this gorgeous purple-burst finished model, and the finish is every bit in keeping with all of it's other fine features. The rest of the comments are repeated here*** ________________________________________________________________________________ I now own 5 solid body neck-throughs: Two 4003's, two Warwicks, and this Schector, which just arrived yesterday. I don't think I'm a good enough expert to sit and analyze each bass's pros and cons, and then try them out with a bunch of different amp/speaker combinations. That's what they pay the guys at Bass Player for. All I can say is I haven't stopped grinning about this Studio-4 since I opened the box. Easy playability, excellent build quality, sexy looks, and a good, loud, punchy sound. What's not to like ? I will say this: The EQ knobs don't do a wide range of tone-shifting. The EMG pickups are very bright, modern-sounding, and with the stock Ernie Ball RW strings, that's exactly what I wanted. Plenty of glass up top, and a bit (maybe a bit too much) at the bottom. If you're looking for P-bass thud-thud Motown sound, my first thought is this may not be your best bet, although with flatwounds it would probably be within dial-able range on your rig. The rest is all good, and this would make a great bass for a student, a working bassist or the dedicated hack (that's me). If you're a world-famous bass soloist, this may not necessarily be the axe you'd take the stage with, but I'm betting you'd spend lots of time practicing your moves on it. It will keep up. One more thing. It arrived set up as nicely as I've ever seen, right out of the box.doc

I am really impressed with this Banshee Bass. I was surprised on how light it was and the quality of woods is nice also..Alder body with Maple/Rosewood neck and a graphtech nut. I would recommend this bass to anyone looking to get a short scale Bass. Good job Schecter!Curt

I've been searching for a precision-style bass that is smaller and lighter and more comfortable to play than the traditional Fender models. I've tried a lot of short-scale basses and this is the first one that really works. When strung with flat-wound strings, it has a warm tone that is very similar to a P bass. Other short-scale basses either look like toys or suffer from poor tone. Usually the E string is at fault because it will be floppy and will sound different and ugly compared with the other strings. On the Banshee, the E string is taught and sounds good. I think the large tuners and high-mass bridge make the difference. The Banshee is well-built and has high-quality components. The neck is C shaped at the low end and flattens to a D shape at the high end, making it easy to reach the high notes. I know it's a good neck when I find myself noodling for hours when I practice. I can't wait to pick it up and I hate to put it down. My only complaint is the tuners. They don't hold tune for long and they are fiddley. The slightest nudge will send a string over or under tune and it can be difficult to find the sweet spot. Also, there is a loud 60 cycle hum that will probably require some additional shielding to fix. I'd recommend the Banshee to anyone who plays classic rock or soul music and wants a bass that's comfortable and easy to play. Check it out!David, K

I recently switched to exclusively short scale basses, and recently let go of my American Pro Fender P bass, which was difficult to part with. Since then, I've not been able to find the signature P bass sound – until now. The Banshee is a grown up, solid bass that plays a lot like an American Mustang meets the P bass. The string-through body might be the reason for the powerful sustain, as well as the beefy alder body and the high-mass bridge. I threw DR Black Beauties on it, and it's just fantastic. Solid craftsmanship and the pickup is strong and versatile, even with just a volume and tone knob. I've owned about a half-dozen basses, three short scales, and this is way above the rest, including the Mustang. Just for comparison's sake, I recently purchased a Fallout Tribute bass from G&L, and it just felt tinny and cheap compared to the Banshee. Other features are the neck – slim and fast, and so easy to play. Fretwork was above average for the price, no sharp fret ends. Tuners are light, no neck dive at all. I checked the setup when I got it back home, and the truss rod needed a slight adjustment but the intonation was perfect. The TUSQ nut was set too high for the string action on the first fret, and required a tiny bit of filing. Only two issues were that the rosewood looked warped out of the box, and the pickup anchor screws stripped immediately with just a slight turn, and appear to be stuck in the body and unable to be adjusted. Overall, this is one of the best short scale basses out there for the price.Scott

I played this bass about seven times, and knew I wanted one. The neck has very Fender-like feel to it. The pickups both have three settings, series, split and parallel. In series the sound is loud and powerful, good for heavy rock. In split, the volume is lower, and you will get slight 60 cycle hum with each pickup soloed, but not when they're used together. On parallel, the pickups sound very Fender-ish. The neck pickup alone on parallel has a nice, round and warm P-bass tone. Both pickups on split sound like a 70s Jazz bass. It also has many other tones; you simply have to experiment with the switches. The tuners stay in tune, and it has a good bridge on it. I got the ivory with maple board. It is gorgeous. The fit and finish is extremely good. If you're looking for a bass that has vintage Fender tones, and more, this bass is it. It is worth much more than it sells for. Buy one. You will love it. MikeMike

Sound: I can't think of any way to describe it tonally other than two jazz basses mashed together, with the option to turn one off or turn both on into a series or parallel beast. That's what this bass sounds like tonally, which somehow the double jazz pickup that was in the american series P basses couldn't even seem to perfectly emulate. It's a very impressive sound and the series/single/parallel switch attached to them is where this bass seems almost magical in managing to sound like 3 different basses in one. Going to have to split this section into three to describe it better. Series mode: very much like those double jazz pickups mentioned earlier that are in early 00s american series P basses and certain discontinued warwick models. Single Coil mode: put the pickup selector in the middle and you have a jazz bass plain and simple. That's pretty much the best way to describe this sound. Parallel mode: The final setup provides a very unique sound that lends itself very well to the genre I play. It's a midrange scooped sound that still retains plenty of high and low mid definition and manages to cut very well without sounding muddy like series bass humbuckers can tend to do. The best comparison I can think of for the parallel setup on the BRIDGE pickup is somewhat close to a Warwick Thumb bass with it's very aggressive percussive tone, but instead of a low mid focus it's very high mid heavy. The neck pickup in parallel is it's own sound that I've never heard out of a bass before, and is great for smooth runs and calm basslines. That being said, this bass manages to be the most dynamic bass I've ever played tonally, without a single battery powering it. Very impressive especially considering what you're paying for it. Features: Pickup wiring switching and the unique j-buckers are what makes this bass so special. However, the inability to blend pickups kind of sucks and it could've only been made even better by an active circuit, also with it's own on/off switch but that's something I can do should I ever see the need. Ease of Use: Might not be the best bass if you're after a VERY SPECIFIC sound (ala jazz bass, ibanez lows and highs, warwick low mid growl, musicman midrange bite) and is definitely something that might confuse and scare away people with the 80's-esque switching options, however it makes up for that in how many convincing and unique tones it can produce. Quality: Overall, the instrument is solid. There are two reasons I've taken off stars however: there's a minor cosmetic defect on mine that irks me even though no one has noticed it but me: when the pickguard was mounted, it was actually mounted in such a way that the back side of the pickguard, inbetween the pickups, is lifting up due to the mounting holes being drilled a bit too close to the center of the body. Second one is something more unavoidable due to the combination of a maple fretboard and the instrument being made in indonesia and coming over here to california: sharp fret ends. 40 dollars at a local tech solved it for me within 2 days of owning it, however it's something to consider and I feel it's more inherent of maple fretboards, so the only one that might suffer from this is the Ivory one (which is what I got) Value: In my opinion, best 5 string bass in the sub-1000 range by a mile. Only other contenders for that spot in my mind are the Ibanez BTB options and the Warwick Rockbass Corvette Doublebuck. Manufacturer Support: I did ask about a case and they were very quick to respond with plenty of helpful info on solutions. For those curious, the 5 string variant is ridiculously long (approx 49" from headstock to end of body) so don't expect it to fit in most hard cases. Schecter is yet to make a case so case hunting will be a thing! The Wow Factor: Unreal tone palette and options for this pricerange, extremely hard to beat for the same price. When I first tried this bass I was expecting a 1,000 dollar pricetag. I saw a 649.99 one. Needless to say, I sought it out on zZounds and bought it a few days later LOL. Here's for hoping Schecter continues to use these pickups and puts them in more cutting edge models like the Stiletto, I'd be on the waiting list for one that's for sure. Overall: Surprised to see no one has said much about this bass yet, so here's my takeaway and why I bought one. I'll save my life story for later for the sake of making this a review rather than a story, however I should mention I've never owned let alone played a Schecter bass until now, however I've owned well over a dozen various Ibanez soundgear basses, from the cheapest GSRs to the higher end prestiges.William

I bought this bass on a whim, and I don't think I could be happier. The pickups have a surprising amount of versatility, and the body is surprisingly lightweight. Only downside is a there's JUST a bit too much neck dive. Nothing to make me wish I didn't buy though. I do recording and play live, and this bass sounds spectacular through everything I've plugged it into. 8/10Justin, W

Overall: I had a Fender american pro jazz 5 bass and had a hard time playing it. I have short fat fingers and my Fender would just wear me out.I found this bass and tried to buy one they had none. Finally zZounds came up with some and I got my hands on it. Cut the strings off and put a set of low tension LaBalla on her the B string is a .118 they are flats and fun to play.With the narrow nut and the thin C she is more like playing a 4 string fast and smooth and sweet and a growl better than the big Fender. Yes I said it Schecter has hit it out of the park on this one. Thank you so much Schecter and zZounds!Crazy

Have had the Schecter J5 for almost two months now and it still my go to bass. Great J bass with modern features. I have an American Fender Deluxe Jazz V but wanted the 17mm spacing, and flatter radius the Schecter has. I did replace the pickups for hum canceling barts since I prefer the tone and play some noisy stages where hum is an issue, but the stock ones are not bad at all and have a modern J tone in there if that is what you want and the coil-tap was pretty cool and would get you in vintage tone territory. Keep the schecter on your short list if you are in the market for a Jazz style fiver.RickC

First off I love the color of this bass. It also had a great action right out of the box. It's got a solid tone. Totally recommend for anybody that plays for fun or professionally at gigs.Ryan

Overall I love it, Great tone. Great sustain. Plays nice. The things I would change: The color isn't quite the purple in the images on the web site. It's much darker and has a reddish tint. I would have preferred it match the ad. The main complaint is balance. The Ibanez it's replacing was perfectly balanced. With no hands on the base, it didn't shift position. This one is neck-heavy and wants to move as soon as I let go of it, so I have to prop it somehow when I'm changing charts. Minor complaints would be what I consider slightly odd placement of the cable jack and the location of the bottom strap post. None of these are deal breakers, but they are areas where there could be improvement.Stone

I picked this up in October as my first bass, and have been training many hours a day. I've been playing with some serious pros (the kind with metal records on the wall) and through their kindness and the internet am getting half decent. First, it's a gorgeous bass. The color is darker than the pictures, and is subtle and really pretty. It gets a lot of admiration. It's also heavy, so have a good padded strap of 3" or even more if your shoulders fit a wider strap. Invest in strap locks – just the little rubber washers are fine, but mine slipped out of a strap keyhole while picking it up before I got a locking strap. It's very well balanced and falls perfectly into place standing up, and fits well sitting. Out of the box, intonation was good but the action was fairly high although still playable. That was very easy to fix and spending a bit of time being taught how to properly set it up was invaluable. I've been through 3 sets of different new strings so far, and all sound great. I currently have a set of DR pink neons on because my wife really likes the look – which does get a lot of positive comments. I couldn't stand the sound of the DR neons E at first, but it got good after several hours of playing. The bridge is a bit different than most videos will show you, but it's incredibly easy to adjust – just have a piece of 1/4" dowel and a small hammer to knock the saddles into place – there's no screw adjustment for the intonation, just gently push the saddles into the right place and lock them down. This bass sounds great with flats and rounds and coated strings – although as I mentioned above, the coated DR neon E was nasty until it broke in after a couple of hours. There's tremendous adjustability between the 3 band active EQ and mixing the pickups. I do wish there was a passive bypass – that should have been possible since the EMG pickups themselves are passive pickups. Maybe an easy modification.Peter H

***Note: I mistakenly posted this review for the honey-colored version of this bass. The bass that I actually bought is this gorgeous purple-burst finished model, and the finish is every bit in keeping with all of it's other fine features. The rest of the comments are repeated here*** ________________________________________________________________________________ I now own 5 solid body neck-throughs: Two 4003's, two Warwicks, and this Schector, which just arrived yesterday. I don't think I'm a good enough expert to sit and analyze each bass's pros and cons, and then try them out with a bunch of different amp/speaker combinations. That's what they pay the guys at Bass Player for. All I can say is I haven't stopped grinning about this Studio-4 since I opened the box. Easy playability, excellent build quality, sexy looks, and a good, loud, punchy sound. What's not to like ? I will say this: The EQ knobs don't do a wide range of tone-shifting. The EMG pickups are very bright, modern-sounding, and with the stock Ernie Ball RW strings, that's exactly what I wanted. Plenty of glass up top, and a bit (maybe a bit too much) at the bottom. If you're looking for P-bass thud-thud Motown sound, my first thought is this may not be your best bet, although with flatwounds it would probably be within dial-able range on your rig. The rest is all good, and this would make a great bass for a student, a working bassist or the dedicated hack (that's me). If you're a world-famous bass soloist, this may not necessarily be the axe you'd take the stage with, but I'm betting you'd spend lots of time practicing your moves on it. It will keep up. One more thing. It arrived set up as nicely as I've ever seen, right out of the box.doc

My best bass ever. Light weight, great tone, and outstanding playability. Quality construction using high end components. Stands up to hard playing. Highly recommend this bass.Art

Amazing instrument, cannot put it down. Also can't stop fiddling with the knobs to figure out which tones I like more. That guitar pickup is an interesting edition, but depending on the song its either at 50/50 or totally off for me. This is one of my first expensive instruments, and you can tell it is worth every single penny. Im almost not used to having an instrument of this quality. Also my first shecter. Even if you aren't a fan of the band, check this out. Love it.Joshua