Schecter USA Nick Johnston SSS Demo/Review

The Raven

The Raven

Inspired



Greetings again everyone,

I made another demo video a bit ago on my Schecter Nick Johnston USA (one of the earlier ones) but then immediately had some car troubles so I forgot to share it here. This is a really cool guitar and is/was one of the first modern Strat-style guitars I enjoyed, even though there are some aspects of it I'd prefer were different.

If you've seen my other posts, you know the drill by now. @York Audio IR's on all guitars and Axe Fx 3 producing all the tones (aside from the "Direct Funk" tone which has no amp or IR).

This one was a bit tricky to do because I had never tried to record true single coils. I want to make another video with guitar in the future once I get the noise sorted out, but I still tried to show it off with a couple different tones. I had hoped to make the demo track at the beginning longer, but seeing as its already painfully Nick Johnston inspired, and I had no idea how to go about writing the drums, I decided it was best to cut it short.

Also, some camera weirdness since I am still relying on auto-focus/auto-exposure, but I hope it isn't too distracting.

Currently working on another video for some Ibanez signature guitars some friends loaned to me, so hopefully I'll have that done soon as well and I'll make sure to actually post that here once its live for those who are interested in the stuff I'm doing.

Thanks for taking the time to read/watch. Let me know what you think, good or bad. If you have any questions, feel free to ask as well.

Best,

Seth
 
Great review and guitar! Thank you for sharing it

Mine is an even earlier model, like the one he used for recording the "Remarkably Human" album. With Seymour Duncan Antiquity Texas Hot pickups, normal dot inlays, maple neck and rosewood fretboard.

It is a hi-end Strat for a non-astronomic price. I traded it for a Ibanez JS2410, and I do not regret the change.

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@Piing Thank you so much. That’s an awesome guitar. I wanted the Atomic Silver one when it first launched but I didn’t have the cash for it. Then they launched this one and I instantly drooled over the Atomic Green (I LOVE seafoam/surf green), so I sold some stuff and got it.

I see yours is also signed on the backplate. I have a signed backplate too but Schecter was cool and sent me another one so I didn’t rub it off when playing.
 
Cool!

Have either of you played the non-USA built signature guitars with the Ebony fretboard.
Kind of been eyeing those.

Thanks! :)
 
la noise said:
Cool!

Have either of you played the non-USA built signature guitars with the Ebony fretboard.
Kind of been eyeing those.

Thanks! :)
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I haven't, but there is one interview where Nick Johnston says that he uses the Indonesian model at many places where he offers clinics, and he cannot notice the difference
 
Dave Merrill said:
Really liked the crunch tones you had there, very cool.
Looks like that pickup set is available separately, not a lot of places, but some.
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Thank you! And yeah they are pretty great pickups. If I ever get another strat type thing down the road I don’t like the sound of, I might try slapping a set of these in it. Then again, I still need to try some more noiseless options like Fishmans or Kinman.
 
The Raven said:
Thank you! And yeah they are pretty great pickups. If I ever get another strat type thing down the road I don’t like the sound of, I might try slapping a set of these in it. Then again, I still need to try some more noiseless options like Fishmans or Kinman.
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I'm with you, hate the noise of single coils, it's one of the reasons I edit more on the unit than a computer.

However, this weekend I finally tried two guitars with Fishmans, both Reverends, a Gil Parris and a Greg Koch, didn't like the tones of either one. Funny top end, too extended, fake sounding, to me. The tech is cool, but sounds aren't for me, so far.

Don't like the noiseless Fenders I've tried either, different problems, but still not really like a strat.

Of course that's my $0.00002, ymmv, caveats deluxe, etc.

I'm interested in the Kinmans, and the ZexCoils, and the backplate thing, but I'd have buy em to try em, and I'm not that sold, yet.
 
I have one.
Great guitars that can hold their own against any other hi-end guitars.
Mine is new with his latest version pickups (Sub-Atomics) that are lower output, they are amazing!
The inbetween positions are too die for, and that is compared to Suhr, Tyler, Fender CS and other comparable guitars here.
 

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Today I have replaced the Seymour Duncan Antiquity Texas Hot that came at my NJ Custom Shop USA with EMG DG-20

It is not that I dislike the Antiquity, but I already have the vintage area covered with a set of SSL-5 / CS Fat' 50 / CS Fat' 50 in a American Deluxe Strat (it is not black, but it does the job :D )

Schecter NJ EMG 01.jpg
Schecter NJ EMG 00.jpg

I had to do adapt the new Strat pickguard to the neck pocket because the Schecter neck is longer than the Fender. The last fretboard segment of the Fender is suspended in the air (the pickguard is under the fretboard), while the Schecter is compact until the end
Schecter_Fender necks.jpg

This is my third EMG set. I had the first one even before it was commercialized as a "David GiImour DG20" set. It was sold as SA, EXG, SPC individual components.

They instantly go into the so called "Pulse / Division Bell" tone, which is not easy to get with passive pickups, even though I have tried many different EQ settings. And the lower noise level is a relief.

If Gilmour grabbed this Schecter now, I am afraid that Fender would lose another endorser, like it happened with John Mayer :D
 
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@Dave Merrill I actually have the Greg Koch tele pickups in my tele currently and I personally like the sound. Always been more of a Tele guy than a strat guy. Only thing about the Greg Koch set i’m iffy on is the middle position in the “whiteguard” mode and I really liked the Broadcaster/Twisted Tele set the guitar came with, but I like Teles with gain and the noise was too much. I’m not completely sold on the tones I hear in demos of the strat pickups, but i still want to try them, potentially with that HF tilt engaged to see if it tames some of that high end you mentioned.

@Powers of Ten Thats a great looking guitar! I didn’t know they made another lower output version of his strat single coils. I like the push these ones give, but I might need to check those out too down the line.

@Piing That pickguard is pretty wild. I’ve never tried EMG’s strat pickups but i know a lot of big names swear by them. And yeah, these guitars are pretty cool. My biggest personal gripe is just i feel like the neck on mine is a touch wider/thicker than the Fenders my brother has, but its still a great player.
 
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Nice review!!

I just got a nitro finished NJ two weeks ago, and to me, its the nicest playing strat Ive Ever tried. Neck is absolutely perfect for my hands And the sub atomics sound fantastic


the only thing driving me up a wall is the master tone…I think I’m going to take the next pickup off he tone pot so I can balance the treble of the neck versus the bridge.
 
Dave Merrill said:
Really, strats should have one MORE tone control, not one less ;)
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No, no, that's what replacement pickups are for! :p

I kid...mostly. But I'd rather have one tone knob and have all the pickups achieve the correct sound for each position of THAT tone knob, rather than using it to balance one against the other.

Basically it's a philosophy: I don't want to use my guitar controls for tweaking tone while I'm playing. I want to have, as it were, presets of tone, and then be able to get to them with a single switch-flick or a single knob movement, quickly, in-between strums.

My ideal would be highly-flexible guitar controls that respond to a wireless MIDI (bluetooth or whatever) command from my pedalboard, so that I can set 'em how I want 'em for THIS section of the song, and set 'em a different way for THAT section, and have them automatically change at the same moment that my amp and effects-settings change, when I hit the appropriate footswitch.
 
Dr. Dipwad said:
No, no, that's what replacement pickups are for! :p

I kid...mostly. But I'd rather have one tone knob and have all the pickups achieve the correct sound for each position of THAT tone knob, rather than using it to balance one against the other.

Basically it's a philosophy: I don't want to use my guitar controls for tweaking tone while I'm playing. I want to have, as it were, presets of tone, and then be able to get to them with a single switch-flick or a single knob movement, quickly, in-between strums.

My ideal would be highly-flexible guitar controls that respond to a wireless MIDI (bluetooth or whatever) command from my pedalboard, so that I can set 'em how I want 'em for THIS section of the song, and set 'em a different way for THAT section, and have them automatically change at the same moment that my amp and effects-settings change, when I hit the appropriate footswitch.
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Totally with you on "presets" for each pickup switch position. That's why I want a tone control for each pickup. Simple!
 
I used this pickguard. $13.59 from Aliexpress. It is of very good quality.

Keep in mind that you will have to adapt the shape at the neck pocket. That is easy to do with a file. Some holes are slightly misaligned, easy to fix enlarging the pickguard holes a little bit with a round file

I think it would look better with black knobs if the pickups were black
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Dave Merrill said:
I'm with you, hate the noise of single coils, it's one of the reasons I edit more on the unit than a computer.

However, this weekend I finally tried two guitars with Fishmans, both Reverends, a Gil Parris and a Greg Koch, didn't like the tones of either one. Funny top end, too extended, fake sounding, to me. The tech is cool, but sounds aren't for me, so far.

Don't like the noiseless Fenders I've tried either, different problems, but still not really like a strat.

Of course that's my $0.00002, ymmv, caveats deluxe, etc.

I'm interested in the Kinmans, and the ZexCoils, and the backplate thing, but I'd have buy em to try em, and I'm not that sold, yet.
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I agree on the Fishmans. They are used by a lot of folks and are now
coming stock in more guitar brands and I think they sound like 🤮
 
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