Over the last days I have watched several reviews/demos of this instrument. I find this to be the best video. Not overly hip, but honest and thorough. Thanks for your opinion on this guitar.
Got one on the way. 2 day shipping so it should be here tomorrow or Thursday. The nut is a GraphTech Tusq nut according to Schecter. I'll be switching the string tree to a GraphTech T tree specifically made for a Strat, not the eyeball looking one. They come in a set of two, each at a different height and I should be able to use the original screw to not widen the predrilled hole. If not, I'll find a washer in my parts bin or hardware store. As far as frets needing polished, simple job if needed. I had to do it on another guitar of mine. I've corresponded with Nick and he's a really nice guy. Had he been otherwise, I'd probably have looked elsewhere but I wanted something different in a S type guitar, own five Strats along with an embarrassingly amount of other guitars and the roasted/baked/torrified neck will be something new as well. To my understanding, the baking process is often done with stacked lumber, not individually. I'm not sure or even claim to know how Schecter does it but when wood is baked in stacks each piece will have a different coloration that goes completely through the wood. This could explain why people are saying the necks on the NJ series vary in color.
Nice to hear your plans! Did it arrive on time and meet your expectations? I think you might be spot on with the stacking process, I've seen other manufacturers doing the same thing with the ordinary drying process (PRS being the one I know for sure).
@@MattsGAP The guitar arrived on time and played fine out of the box. The maple neck is darker than the one in your video. I'm thinking it's luck of the draw with torrified necks. No fret polishing needed. Put the GraphTech tree on using the screw that came with the guitar, replaced the string saddle height screws with shorter ones, put on new strings, tweaked the vibrato springs so the baseplate floats even with the top of the body (like PRS), played the guitar for an hour to get the GraphTech nut and tree to start lubricating and am very happy with the guitar. The guitar weighs less than any of my Strats and the body is slightly slimmer width top to bottom at the bridge side of the guitar but is very comfortable to play. I'm very pleased with the guitar. It was playable out of the box. I could have just leveled the baseplate and been fine with it really. I just wanted to get it to suit my needs. Spent at or under $25 (US) for the tree and grub screws. I've spent more on other guitars. I also lowered the pickups. I do that with all my Strats. There's a spot where I'll start and adjust from there. It's what I like to hear out of single coils. Humbuckers are a different beast entirely. I'm happy with the pickups themselves. Again, I do it with all my Strats. It's just me. To each his own.
Cool, glad to hear you like it. I'm currently wrestling with the idea of fitting one of those Free-Way 10 switches to my strat, I like HSS strats normally but miss having the quack from position 2, the thought being I can have fat humbucker ish sounds and my favourite single coil tones as well. Thanks for watching!!!
@@MattsGAP I have HB equipped guitars and two Gretsch guitars with filtertrons. I'm debating on building a Strat or Tele with P90s or gold foils down the road. One of my Strats was bought used with the David Gilmour mod. Had to have it re-soldered due to whoever installed it did a cold solder job. So I get a near humbucker sound on that Strat from the singles.
Hi there...just bought this guitar two weeks ago...thinking about doing a review as you did...I think your review is important for the ppl that want to buy one like this...myself I loving roasted maple neck...the feeling the colour...the ease of bending..the x.large jumbo frets (makes easier to play...legato...tapping...makes play more relaxed....I'm very inspired by the guitar...makes me compose and creat much more....and the sound of the pick-up its so airy....inspiring...specially on he cleans....what I don't like...the pick-ups noise...and the weight...much more weight then my American Strat....well hope you like yours...I will play mine...and probably will sell my Fender lol...I will videos using it on my chanel for sure...grettings....
Also you have to do a set-up...because from factory the action comes super high...I hope I don't regret of not returning the guitar because as you say on the video it's really heavy...and I've always been very picky on chossing lightweight guitars...and now....bought and heavy one lol....
@@paulo_costa Thanks Paulo, I love the neck too, it's really comfortable, super smooth and the fret job is very nice! I did tweak the setup but mine wasn't too bad, just a tiny bit high. Like I mentioned in my vid I am probably going to change the grub screws/saddles and I'm thinking of putting a stacked humbucker in the bridge. I'd like to see your review if you make one, I've subscribed to your channel, that Les Paul you're playing can't be very light, is the NJ heavier than that?
@@MattsGAP by the way can you please send me a photo of your tremolo bar...? or check if it is like this: www.dropbox.com/s/3mmhho0orxhr0to/SCHECTER%20-%20TREMOLO%20BAR.JPG?dl=0
I had mine shipped to me from Sweetwater without first playing it and I really didn't like the sound of it. I recently played it again, and I find that it sounds great with ambient tones.
Yeah, it is lighter, I watched the latest GAK video on them and the necks on all three are the same as mine. Must have been a guitar or batch that got a longer bake.
thank you so much for this video+++ i like a lot+++ nice detailed and good balance between talking and playing+++ i am going to order right now... really+++
My opinion hasn't changed, unfortunately I had to sell it, otherwise I would still be enjoying it. The bottom line is the guitars coming out of Indonesia and Korea atm are very good on the whole, the hardware and pickups are sometimes of a lesser quality but overall they are very good.
Thanks for the great review. Can you tell me if positions 2 and 4 are hum cancelling? Also FYI, I see a lot of comments about the weight. Sweetwater has 8 of them and they are all between 7 lb, 10 oz and 7 lb 14 oz.
Thanks, I don't recall if 2 & 4 were hum cancelling i'd say they probably are as that's the norm. Mine was 8 1/2 pounds I think. quite heavy but nice none the less.
Great question, the Schecter website doesn't specify that in the specs list. I believe they are Alnico. That's based on the way they are constructed and their sound, however, I could be wrong. Also worth pointing out that the USA versions are Alnico V's
Thanks for the highly detailed review man, much appreciated! I am a huge fan of Nick and was thinking about buying this very guitar for some time now. I have already played the previous Johnston diamond model (the silver one) and I 'm currently waiting for the local schecter dealer to bring this latest, upgraded one. My two main concerns are: 1. The weight ( the previous model i've tried was also quite heavy and if you consider my main guitar for the last 15 years is a USA Parker Nitefly M, that's even worse for me) and 2. The neck shape and dimensions. The model i've tried was quite skinny and as i 'm reading on Schecter's website, the new diamond model is even skinier. Anyways, i'm torn apart between this guitar (waiting for it to arrive to test it) and the Fender Player maple strat, which i've already played and the neck is fantastic! Main pros for the Schecter right now are the locking tuners, roasted neck, spoke wheel, flatter radius ( i'm a modern legato player). What's your opinion mate? (Sorry for the long post...)
Erhhhh, well I've never owned a Fly, only played one of the cheaper ones at a guitar show years ago so i'll say nothing in terms of a comparison to that. Strats though i've had loads over the years so I can say with some authority that the NJ is pretty close to a strat neck. flatter radius and perhaps slightly wider than a US standard but there is nothing about the NJ that feels skinny to me. If you're a fan of the Player series the two are quite different but I am definitely going to say that the NJ is a much much nicer guitar overall. The only Player Strat I've played was dead, no resonance or life in the guitar, the Player Tele I own is fantastic though so that could be a one off issue. As for weight yeah the NJ is heavy mines 8.5lbs so you'll either put up with it or hate it. I'm a Les Paul fan so 8.5lbs is nothing really but if you're used to a Fly then you will definitely notice it. Trying it out in store was the deciding factor for me I wouldn't have bought this online, there are loads of guitars like it visually speaking but it stands alone in terms of playability and value for money, just my opinion but the NJ is a great guitar.
@@MattsGAP Thanks again for taking the time to answer ! I guess i 'll wait for it to arrive, so i can try it myself at the shop. I wouldn't really buy a guitar sight unseen, unless it was one of these Suhrs i tend to drewl over from time to time. But that's a different price point altogether...
I've just yesterday bought this and apart from the cheaply made whammy bar and some very minor things, for a £779 guitar it is really very nice indeed. I too bought it from Peach, who are the best, end of. I have recently started to play a lot of Steve Lukather style stuff and I thought this would be a great NO. '2' for my Suhr Classic S Antique which is a top, top-end guitar.
Thanks Gary! I'm not sure what profile I was using but they're all usually Marshall, Boogie, Morgan or Friedman profiles from Michael Britt or the Tone Junkie.
Great review, thanks! I want to buy a e-guitar under 1k euros. But i can't decide between this and a fender players 60s Strat. I think the schecter gives u much more quality for the money. But I'm playing clean for 98% of the time and the fender sounds so good at this. Could not find much clean samples of the schecter. Is it nearly at the same level with cleans? Sorry for bad english :/
The pickups in my Player Tele weren't bad but I upgraded them with custom shop twisted tele pickups after a short while. I say that because I believe I would do the same to the player strat pickups if I owned one. I am planning on putting Fender 69 pickups in my Schecter NJ and a stacked humbucker in the bridge soon. I like the pickups in the NJ but I love the fender sound and I think the schecter pickups are a little lacking in character. So it might work out to be the best of both worlds, having the Schecter with the Fender Pickups. Unfortunately I don't know whether this combination will work yet, but either way I would upgrade the pickups in both the Fender Player Strat and the Schecter NJ. Sorry for the complicated answer!
@@MattsGAP .i have mine since two weeks....a litel disapointed with the sound, a bit too modern and steril..no mids and bright......so more in the vein of ibanez, vigier,charvel than i expected... Is the guitare more vintage (fender) sounding after changing your pickups? thanks
Hey man, thanks for the video! Im really considering buying this guitar.. i was wondering how you think this stacks up to the chapman ml1 PRO traditional? Great video
I wish I knew.... I've been hoping to try the Chapman range out but I'm nowhere near a retailer that stocks them. All I can say is the Schecter is very good value for money, plays great and sounds good too.
Yes it is...I just bought one also....and I'm loving a guitar ...I might do a review of it...has a lot of Prós....the cons for are; the body weight and the pick-ups noise...
Cracking observation! It's definitely lighter than other pics on the web, including my thumbnail pic. I suspect this will be due to how long it is torrefied for. It would be interesting to see other real life examples to compare!
You would pay around $2,000 (US) or more to get a Fender with the same sort of specs. Even the stock pickups sound fantastic. Thank you for this review. I'll go ahead and sub.
@eric morissonWhat I said is to get some of the same features, such as locking tuners, a modern 2-point trem that is solid and even an ebony fretboard (the Elite does not even have that option) and decent pickups you have have to buy a top of the line Fender. This is just a fact as it costs more to make guitars in America. Also, I am 42 and have had more American Strats than I can remember and think you can do just as good with a cheaper, fully loaded guitar that is made overseas. Made in the USA does not carry the weight it used to. Not even close.
Let me just say, I just got the Nick Johnston HSS version of this strat for 800 dollars. It plays, feel better than the 2K Fender American Ultra strat I had for almost 30 days. It even sounds better. (To my 👂). I waited for the guitar to arrived before I sent the Ultra back. I spent an additional week, to play both. I learn that sometimes, its not the price, or the name of the brand that matters. What matters is, who makes a better playing guitar. And this schector is a better playing guitar than the Fender Ultra. If fender manufacturered this guitar, they would sell it as a "custom" guitar. Thats how good it is.
Over the last days I have watched several reviews/demos of this instrument. I find this to be the best video. Not overly hip, but honest and thorough. Thanks for your opinion on this guitar.
Thanks, I enjoyed making the video!
Great detailed and in depth review! You did more than shred for 5 minutes like a lot of reviewers, you actually told me important info! Subscribed!
Thanks bud! much appreciated!
fantastic playing, great demo!
Thanks!
Brilliant as always, beautiful guitar well played. Your video are very slick, very impressed!
Thanks Murt, you're a legend!
Got one on the way. 2 day shipping so it should be here tomorrow or Thursday. The nut is a GraphTech Tusq nut according to Schecter. I'll be switching the string tree to a GraphTech T tree specifically made for a Strat, not the eyeball looking one. They come in a set of two, each at a different height and I should be able to use the original screw to not widen the predrilled hole. If not, I'll find a washer in my parts bin or hardware store. As far as frets needing polished, simple job if needed. I had to do it on another guitar of mine. I've corresponded with Nick and he's a really nice guy. Had he been otherwise, I'd probably have looked elsewhere but I wanted something different in a S type guitar, own five Strats along with an embarrassingly amount of other guitars and the roasted/baked/torrified neck will be something new as well.
To my understanding, the baking process is often done with stacked lumber, not individually. I'm not sure or even claim to know how Schecter does it but when wood is baked in stacks each piece will have a different coloration that goes completely through the wood. This could explain why people are saying the necks on the NJ series vary in color.
Nice to hear your plans! Did it arrive on time and meet your expectations? I think you might be spot on with the stacking process, I've seen other manufacturers doing the same thing with the ordinary drying process (PRS being the one I know for sure).
@@MattsGAP The guitar arrived on time and played fine out of the box. The maple neck is darker than the one in your video. I'm thinking it's luck of the draw with torrified necks. No fret polishing needed. Put the GraphTech tree on using the screw that came with the guitar, replaced the string saddle height screws with shorter ones, put on new strings, tweaked the vibrato springs so the baseplate floats even with the top of the body (like PRS), played the guitar for an hour to get the GraphTech nut and tree to start lubricating and am very happy with the guitar. The guitar weighs less than any of my Strats and the body is slightly slimmer width top to bottom at the bridge side of the guitar but is very comfortable to play. I'm very pleased with the guitar.
It was playable out of the box. I could have just leveled the baseplate and been fine with it really. I just wanted to get it to suit my needs. Spent at or under $25 (US) for the tree and grub screws. I've spent more on other guitars.
I also lowered the pickups. I do that with all my Strats. There's a spot where I'll start and adjust from there. It's what I like to hear out of single coils. Humbuckers are a different beast entirely. I'm happy with the pickups themselves. Again, I do it with all my Strats. It's just me. To each his own.
Cool, glad to hear you like it. I'm currently wrestling with the idea of fitting one of those Free-Way 10 switches to my strat, I like HSS strats normally but miss having the quack from position 2, the thought being I can have fat humbucker ish sounds and my favourite single coil tones as well. Thanks for watching!!!
@@MattsGAP I have HB equipped guitars and two Gretsch guitars with filtertrons. I'm debating on building a Strat or Tele with P90s or gold foils down the road. One of my Strats was bought used with the David Gilmour mod. Had to have it re-soldered due to whoever installed it did a cold solder job. So I get a near humbucker sound on that Strat from the singles.
Hi there...just bought this guitar two weeks ago...thinking about doing a review as you did...I think your review is important for the ppl that want to buy one like this...myself I loving roasted maple neck...the feeling the colour...the ease of bending..the x.large jumbo frets (makes easier to play...legato...tapping...makes play more relaxed....I'm very inspired by the guitar...makes me compose and creat much more....and the sound of the pick-up its so airy....inspiring...specially on he cleans....what I don't like...the pick-ups noise...and the weight...much more weight then my American Strat....well hope you like yours...I will play mine...and probably will sell my Fender lol...I will videos using it on my chanel for sure...grettings....
Also you have to do a set-up...because from factory the action comes super high...I hope I don't regret of not returning the guitar because as you say on the video it's really heavy...and I've always been very picky on chossing lightweight guitars...and now....bought and heavy one lol....
@@paulo_costa Thanks Paulo, I love the neck too, it's really comfortable, super smooth and the fret job is very nice! I did tweak the setup but mine wasn't too bad, just a tiny bit high. Like I mentioned in my vid I am probably going to change the grub screws/saddles and I'm thinking of putting a stacked humbucker in the bridge. I'd like to see your review if you make one, I've subscribed to your channel, that Les Paul you're playing can't be very light, is the NJ heavier than that?
@@MattsGAP yes it is much lighter; it's the less plus model... And the strat you see in my videos it's also much lighter...
@@MattsGAP by the way can you please send me a photo of your tremolo bar...? or check if it is like this: www.dropbox.com/s/3mmhho0orxhr0to/SCHECTER%20-%20TREMOLO%20BAR.JPG?dl=0
Love how the guitar disappears every once in awhile. 😄 Great review, this is my next Guitar!!
have you noticed how Hulk also goes transparent in some of my videos?
I had mine shipped to me from Sweetwater without first playing it and I really didn't like the sound of it. I recently played it again, and I find that it sounds great with ambient tones.
I ended up selling mine on, there was something about the sound I wasn't happy with. I guess that's what NJ likes but ultimately not for me.
I noticed that on most onlinne stores that sell this guitar, the neck looks redish. I wish it really was!
Yeah, it is lighter, I watched the latest GAK video on them and the necks on all three are the same as mine. Must have been a guitar or batch that got a longer bake.
thank you so much for this video+++ i like a lot+++ nice detailed and good balance between talking and playing+++ i am going to order right now... really+++
Thanks Alex, let me know what you think of yours when it arrives!
One other thing, I see this video is about a year and a half old. Has your opinion changed any? How do you feel about it now?
My opinion hasn't changed, unfortunately I had to sell it, otherwise I would still be enjoying it. The bottom line is the guitars coming out of Indonesia and Korea atm are very good on the whole, the hardware and pickups are sometimes of a lesser quality but overall they are very good.
Thanks for the great review. Can you tell me if positions 2 and 4 are hum cancelling? Also FYI, I see a lot of comments about the weight. Sweetwater has 8 of them and they are all between 7 lb, 10 oz and 7 lb 14 oz.
Thanks, I don't recall if 2 & 4 were hum cancelling i'd say they probably are as that's the norm. Mine was 8 1/2 pounds I think. quite heavy but nice none the less.
Hi, nice demo. Do you know if the pickups are ceramic or alnico?
Great question, the Schecter website doesn't specify that in the specs list. I believe they are Alnico. That's based on the way they are constructed and their sound, however, I could be wrong. Also worth pointing out that the USA versions are Alnico V's
Bummer I love Schecter but the tone barely changed at all through the different selector switch settings and it was way to bright
Interesting pov, you could switch the pickups for your favourite set!
Thanks for the highly detailed review man, much appreciated! I am a huge fan of Nick and was thinking about buying this very guitar for some time now. I have already played the previous Johnston diamond model (the silver one) and I 'm currently waiting for the local schecter dealer to bring this latest, upgraded one. My two main concerns are: 1. The weight ( the previous model i've tried was also quite heavy and if you consider my main guitar for the last 15 years is a USA Parker Nitefly M, that's even worse for me) and 2. The neck shape and dimensions. The model i've tried was quite skinny and as i 'm reading on Schecter's website, the new diamond model is even skinier. Anyways, i'm torn apart between this guitar (waiting for it to arrive to test it) and the Fender Player maple strat, which i've already played and the neck is fantastic! Main pros for the Schecter right now are the locking tuners, roasted neck, spoke wheel, flatter radius ( i'm a modern legato player). What's your opinion mate? (Sorry for the long post...)
Erhhhh, well I've never owned a Fly, only played one of the cheaper ones at a guitar show years ago so i'll say nothing in terms of a comparison to that. Strats though i've had loads over the years so I can say with some authority that the NJ is pretty close to a strat neck. flatter radius and perhaps slightly wider than a US standard but there is nothing about the NJ that feels skinny to me. If you're a fan of the Player series the two are quite different but I am definitely going to say that the NJ is a much much nicer guitar overall. The only Player Strat I've played was dead, no resonance or life in the guitar, the Player Tele I own is fantastic though so that could be a one off issue. As for weight yeah the NJ is heavy mines 8.5lbs so you'll either put up with it or hate it. I'm a Les Paul fan so 8.5lbs is nothing really but if you're used to a Fly then you will definitely notice it. Trying it out in store was the deciding factor for me I wouldn't have bought this online, there are loads of guitars like it visually speaking but it stands alone in terms of playability and value for money, just my opinion but the NJ is a great guitar.
@@MattsGAP Thanks again for taking the time to answer ! I guess i 'll wait for it to arrive, so i can try it myself at the shop. I wouldn't really buy a guitar sight unseen, unless it was one of these Suhrs i tend to drewl over from time to time. But that's a different price point altogether...
@@nikoskouts Lol, yeah I know exactly what you mean bud! Thanks for watching!
Sorry, you say at the end! Not too heavy though?
Hi, it's about 8.5lbs overall thanks for watching!
Amazing review!! Wanted to know If the pickups are Alnico or Ceramic. If you know about the same please let me know. Thank you :)
i haven't got a clue, I assume they are alnico
Beside to be a guitar its also a green screen for video production :D
Yeah, still working on getting the green screen right though. Thanks for watching!
I've just yesterday bought this and apart from the cheaply made whammy bar and some very minor things, for a £779 guitar it is really very nice indeed. I too bought it from Peach, who are the best, end of. I have recently started to play a lot of Steve Lukather style stuff and I thought this would be a great NO. '2' for my Suhr Classic S Antique which is a top, top-end guitar.
Yeah, Peach Guitars have the best guitar store in the UK. I wonder if Schecter have changed the trem arm cause mine's a solid/quality arm!
It's nice to see someone who plays guitar with exceptional ability and great sound doing the review!! By the way what type amp are you playing thru?
Thanks Gary! I'm not sure what profile I was using but they're all usually Marshall, Boogie, Morgan or Friedman profiles from Michael Britt or the Tone Junkie.
Great review, thanks! I want to buy a e-guitar under 1k euros. But i can't decide between this and a fender players 60s Strat. I think the schecter gives u much more quality for the money. But I'm playing clean for 98% of the time and the fender sounds so good at this. Could not find much clean samples of the schecter. Is it nearly at the same level with cleans? Sorry for bad english :/
The pickups in my Player Tele weren't bad but I upgraded them with custom shop twisted tele pickups after a short while. I say that because I believe I would do the same to the player strat pickups if I owned one. I am planning on putting Fender 69 pickups in my Schecter NJ and a stacked humbucker in the bridge soon. I like the pickups in the NJ but I love the fender sound and I think the schecter pickups are a little lacking in character. So it might work out to be the best of both worlds, having the Schecter with the Fender Pickups. Unfortunately I don't know whether this combination will work yet, but either way I would upgrade the pickups in both the Fender Player Strat and the Schecter NJ. Sorry for the complicated answer!
Thanks a lot :)
@@MattsGAP .i have mine since two weeks....a litel disapointed with the sound, a bit too modern and steril..no mids and bright......so more in the vein of ibanez, vigier,charvel than i expected...
Is the guitare more vintage (fender) sounding after changing your pickups? thanks
Hey man, thanks for the video! Im really considering buying this guitar.. i was wondering how you think this stacks up to the chapman ml1 PRO traditional?
Great video
I wish I knew.... I've been hoping to try the Chapman range out but I'm nowhere near a retailer that stocks them. All I can say is the Schecter is very good value for money, plays great and sounds good too.
Nice demo. Is it heavy?
Yes it is...I just bought one also....and I'm loving a guitar ...I might do a review of it...has a lot of Prós....the cons for are; the body weight and the pick-ups noise...
Mine weighs 8.5lbs
the roasted maple does not look anywhere near as dark as they show in the pictures
Cracking observation! It's definitely lighter than other pics on the web, including my thumbnail pic. I suspect this will be due to how long it is torrefied for. It would be interesting to see other real life examples to compare!
I own one and its definitely darker than it seems in this video.
Do know about how much she weighs?
about 8.5lbs, thanks for watching!
The wood grain on then back of the neck 🤣🤣🤣 looks like they are using fire wood for the necks lool
Well they have baked it!
You would pay around $2,000 (US) or more to get a Fender with the same sort of specs. Even the stock pickups sound fantastic. Thank you for this review. I'll go ahead and sub.
Thanks, yeah you're right Schecter have made an excellent product for this price point.
@eric morisson Not over $1,200 difference superior. I'll keep the savings, thanks.
@eric morissonWhat I said is to get some of the same features, such as locking tuners, a modern 2-point trem that is solid and even an ebony fretboard (the Elite does not even have that option) and decent pickups you have have to buy a top of the line Fender. This is just a fact as it costs more to make guitars in America.
Also, I am 42 and have had more American Strats than I can remember and think you can do just as good with a cheaper, fully loaded guitar that is made overseas. Made in the USA does not carry the weight it used to. Not even close.
Let me just say, I just got the Nick Johnston HSS version of this strat for 800 dollars. It plays, feel better than the 2K Fender American Ultra strat I had for almost 30 days. It even sounds better. (To my 👂).
I waited for the guitar to arrived before I sent the Ultra back. I spent an additional week, to play both. I learn that sometimes, its not the price, or the name of the brand that matters. What matters is, who makes a better playing guitar. And this schector is a better playing guitar than the Fender Ultra. If fender manufacturered this guitar, they would sell it as a "custom" guitar. Thats how good it is.
u talk too much man
I was tempted to write a four paragraph response but I won't as I have been told I type too much as well!
@@MattsGAP but at least your talking was really informative!
Nick listens too little