Schecter Jeff Loomis-6 FR Guitar

[blackjack]

Have any of you played this guitar? What did you think of it? The body is made of ash. I don't think I've ever played a guitar with a body made of ash before so I'm interested in what kind of a tone this guitar gets and also how the neck is shaped, any any other things you might want to comment on regarding the Jeff Loomis 6 string Schecter FR.

[Blue]

I haven't played the Loomis guitars but I have played many Schecters which his guitars are based on and the necks on them are on the thicker side. Not as thick as a Les Paul but considerably thicker than Ibanez, nowhere near a Wizard shape. I don't know about the upper fret access but it sure looks clumsy on the pictures I've seen and I don't like it on any Schecter I've tried which Loomis guitars are based on.

The kind of sound this guitar will give is a very bright sound, which is what Jeff wants on his guitars I guess, his leads are really cutting, I bet the guitar sounds great. Ash with maple neck will make it really aggressive, tight bass response, fast response in the whole spectrum I would say, screaming leads and cutting riffs with other words.

[S-H]

I've played his 7-string superstrat shaped geet with hardtail as well as a number of 6-string schecters.

As Emil says, the clincher is really the necks. I don't really mind them though going from a thin neck (like on my RG1550) to a Schecter is a jump so be prepared if you're used to a wizard or the like.

As for the tone, it's really good in the treble (high mids and highs) range as you'd expect given the materials and although the 707 isn't as tight as the 81-7, it's tight enough and also delivers some much needed low-end in the guitar which the 81-7 wouldn't/doesn't.

Access to the upper frets is tricky but it's also tricky on an RG and many other guitars.

Overall, it's a good guitar for both lead & rhythm so if you like the neck, it's worth considering given Schecter's excellent value for money.

[Blue]

Another thing I forgot to mention is the scale length, it has 673 mm (26.5") which is longer than the most common scale length 648 mm (25.5"). This will add a little bit more "snap" to the sound and improve tuning stability as well. It's not a big difference for the fretting hand but you'll feel it.

[Erikrt123]

I had the 7 that thing played and felt like butter. The neck was super comfy even going from the super wizard in fact I think I preferred it.

[Blue]

Personally I prefer medium thickness on the necks for allround playing. If I'm playing slow blues or something simple like that it doesn't matter.

Best neck I've felt was the Carvin 727, perfect thickness and shape for me. Schecter's are okay also, I don't really like the wizard necks, they're too thin for me, I get tired in the thumb/hand when playing chords for a long time.

The fretboard radius is an important factor also, if you take a Carvin Fatboy as example. It has a huge fat neck, like an old 50's LP, which I don't like, but it has a very flat radius 20 inches which makes it very comfortable anyway. It's a totally "shreddable" guitar even for people like me who can't stand that thick necks normally, the flat radius sorts that out for me. Well in fact it's not only "shreddable" it's a shred machine actually ;D

Erikrt123, how is the upper fret access on the Loomis-sig really? It looks really difficult on the pictures I've seen. Carvin D727 is like a dream in that area since it has a neck through construction.

[S-H]

The 6-string Loomis is only 25.5", the 7-string is 26.5" and I've just noticed the 6-string version has an EMG 81 in the bridge, not an 85 which is strange since Jeff is an 85/707 man.

@ Erik- I'm not surprised you like it, some people just prefer thicker necks with a 12-13" radius rather than a thin neck with a flat radius which is considered a "shred" profile. It's why it's really important to try the guitar for yourself before splashing the cash unless you already have/have played a guitar with the same dimensions.

[Blue]

I didn't even realize he talked about the 6-string, totally missed that, when I see "Jeff Loomis" I automatically associate to 7-string guitars, thats about how blind I am ;D

[S-H]

Jeff will be 7-string, half-step down tuning, to the day he dies so don't lose sleep over it.

[Erikrt123]

Blue- I found it very easy. No trouble at all.