Schecter Model T Session

[mcnach]

6 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Wow - that is seriously high praise!

Must admit I'm more than a little tempted by the 5 string version of this (as I'm guessing you might be having discovered that "5-string basses suddenly make a lot of sense" 😊). In my case I've got very comfortable with both the 35" scale and the effectiveness of a 2 band EQ, which feature on the Schecter 5 string, from playing my Spector Euro 5LX. That's pleasantly surprised me me because, like you, I've always been a fan of having explicit control over the mids. But that's obviously something that can be dealt with pretty easily on the amp instead, which tends to have a more sophisticated preamp and EQ anyway. I'm therefore left me somewhat exposed to the PJ format and design charms of the Schecter Model T 5er!

I came across this little clip and it sounded full and warm i.e. the opposite of anaemic and sterile that I've come across elsewhere (decent headphones recommended).

Remind me - did you swap out the EMG preamp on yours?

 

Can't listen to it right now but I'll check it out.

Definitely no anemic, that's for sure. But I didn't get anywhere until I replaced the strings, I hated the ones it came with.

EMG preamp... it's still on a 'to do' list. I'm not in love with it but 3-4 times I set time to do it and something happened, or I wanted to use the bass for a gig and didn't want to be in a rush... and it's not done yet. It bothers me less and less. I just with the treble control acted more like a passive tone, but after I got the SFX LPF filter that became a non-issue and I might just leave it as it is, at this rate.

I love that neck, it's wide and shallow which I find very comfy. I never tried the 5-string but with the silly prices of new Stingrays and my liking the Harley Benton MB-5 more than enough, the Schecter is a strong contender if I decide later on that I want a better 5er.

I got the Sandberg VM4 because I prefer a fatter humbucker at the bridge and it was supposed to be a 'better version' of the Schecter for my purposes... but as nice as it is I use the Schecter more. Both get a lot of use, but I do prefer the Schecter a bit more.

[Al Krow]

Interesting on the Sandberg VM4. A non-Delano VM5 would be on my list of contenders for a P/MM 5er. 

But the fact that you're finding your Schecter is going toe to toe and at half (or even one-third) the price of the Berg, also says a lot for it. 

[mcnach]

One thing to consider, maybe, is weight.

My Model T is not superlight but I'd say it's a light bass (I measured it at 8.5 lbs), however ther are reviews from others saying theirs was heavy. A 5er will be even more so. Sandberg are generally pretty light even without specifying their SuperLight range. It's a shame these basses don't seem to be stocked in the usual high street stores.

[Al Krow]

1 hour ago, mcnach said:

One thing to consider, maybe, is weight.

My Model T is not superlight but I'd say it's a light bass (I measured it at 8.5 lbs), however ther are reviews from others saying theirs was heavy. A 5er will be even more so. Sandberg are generally pretty light even without specifying their SuperLight range. It's a shame these basses don't seem to be stocked in the usual high street stores.

Yeah definitely. But having recently discovered Minotaur straps, off the back off a personal recommendation from Mark at Talking Bass (who is such an excellent online tutor!) 10 lbs seems to be perfectly fine for me and has given my much loved Spector Euro 5LX a new lease of life! So If the Model T is coming in at or below that, it shouldn't be a deal breaker.

Edited March 4, 2021 by Al Krow

[mcnach]

On 04/03/2021 at 10:52, Al Krow said:

Yeah definitely. But having recently discovered Minotaur straps, off the back off a personal recommendation from Mark at Talking Bass (who is such an excellent online tutor!) 10 lbs seems to be perfectly fine for me and has given my much loved Spector Euro 5LX a new lease of life! So If the Model T is coming in at or below that, it shouldn't be a deal breaker.

 

Those straps do look good, yup. Weight is not a deal breaker for me, I played a boat anchor USA EBMM SUB for years because it sounded oh-so-good, but light is nice. 

If you end up finding/getting a 5er Model T please share  your thoughts. This chat is giving me GAS (burp) - sorry  

 

[Al Krow]

2 minutes ago, mcnach said:

Those straps do look good, yup. Weight is not a deal breaker for me, I played a boat anchor USA EBMM SUB for years because it sounded oh-so-good, but light is nice. 

If you end up finding/getting a 5er Model T please share  your thoughts. This chat is giving me GAS (burp) - sorry  

Absolutely, it's pretty close to the top of my wish list currently.

Did the clip I posted match up to what you are hearing on yours?

On 03/03/2021 at 10:50, mcnach said:

I love that neck, it's wide and shallow which I find very comfy. I never tried the 5-string but with the silly prices of new Stingrays and my liking the Harley Benton MB-5 more than enough, the Schecter is a strong contender if I decide later on that I want a better 5er.

I got the Sandberg VM4 because I prefer a fatter humbucker at the bridge and it was supposed to be a 'better version' of the Schecter for my purposes... but as nice as it is I use the Schecter more. Both get a lot of use, but I do prefer the Schecter a bit more.

Oooh...just spotted you have a Harley Benton MB-5, which you're liking. It's MP-5EB sibling is actually the other one currently on my bucket list also as an alternative the Berg VM5 (and which seems from your comment the Schecter would hold its own with).

Edited March 5, 2021 by Al Krow

[mcnach]

23 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Absolutely, it's pretty close to the top of my wish list currently.

Did the clip I posted match up to what you are hearing on yours?

 

Pretty much, although I go for a bit less low end generally. Dump the strings it comes with, 'though. I very nearly returned mine as I didn't think a string change could transform it enough... but DR Sunbeams have worked really well on this bass. Once they lost the initial new string brightness (which didn't take long) they settled into this mellow tone that I love, and it's probably a couple of years or more and I like them even better now, which is why I dragged my feet about the preamp replacement: it's fine as it is now. It has a beautiful slap tone when you use both pickups on and moving the blend control slightly one way or another covers a very good range to get it just right in the mix. I used it a lot with a short-lived project (damn covid!!!) that was a sweet combination of funk and reggae and essentially just use the blend control to change the sound I wanted for each type. 

One thing that I noticed on that video is just how nice the B string sounded. Often it sounds noticeably 'bigger' than the rest of the bass, if you know what I mean, but that sounded nicely balanced, although I have no idea if he was using compression or anything, but it sounded very nice. 

The Precision tone on the Model T is very good. It's not exactly a traditional P, but it gets the vibe well enough that I would happily have that as my only Precision too. If rather than a J, it had a double J at the bridge, I wouldn't even have bothered with the Sandberg. I had a P/JJ Maruszczyk but the Schecter just blew it away despite its thin J pickup. I sometimes wonder: did I get particularly lucky with this bass? Because I never had a chance to try others, but reviews are generally good, I don't know. I really like mine

 

[Al Krow]

A little something for the weekend for our resident King's X & Tech 21 DP-3X fan, showing off your bass mcnach.

 

[mcnach]

54 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

A little something for the weekend for our resident King's X & Tech 21 DP-3X fan, showing off your bass mcnach.

 

 

Nice, I like a bit of King's X

But just to clarify: not the same bass: different pickups/electronics, no idea about neck dimensions etc. I wouldn't conclude anything about the Model T Session based on this one, and viceversa.

[Al Krow]

20 minutes ago, mcnach said:

Nice, I like a bit of King's X

But just to clarify: not the same bass: different pickups/electronics, no idea about neck dimensions etc. I wouldn't conclude anything about the Model T Session based on this one, and viceversa.

Ah ok - that subtlety had completely eluded me,  so I'm very glad you've pointed that out!

So how does the Schecter Model T in that clip differ from yours which is the "Session" version?

Google searches seem to all point to Schecter Model T Session if you put in Schecter Model T, which doesn't help clarify! 

Edited March 5, 2021 by Al Krow

[mcnach]

1 hour ago, Al Krow said:

Ah ok - that subtlety had completely eluded me,  so I'm very glad you've pointed that out!

So how does the Schecter Model T in that clip differ from yours which is the "Session" version?

Google searches seem to all point to Schecter Model T Session if you put in Schecter Model T, which doesn't help clarify! 

 

The Model T Session only comes in natural/maple with the black blocks on the fingerboards and black hardware, hard to miss... once you realise that. 

Session: EMG pickups and preamp. Diamond series is passive, not sure what pickups. 

How different can they sound? I don't know. I'm pretty sure you can get a similar enough tone to the King's X with the right strings/dirt box. It's not the kind of sound I go for, 'though. In terms of build quality the 'Session' is supposed to be better but I have zero experience with those others so I can't say, I'm afraid.

Edited March 5, 2021 by mcnach

[AndyTravis]

16 minutes ago, mcnach said:

 

The Model T Session only comes in natural/maple with the black blocks on the fingerboards and black hardware, hard to miss... once you realise that. 

Session: EMG pickups and preamp. Diamond series is passive, not sure what pickups. 

How different can they sound? I don't know. I'm pretty sure you can get a similar enough tone to the King's X with the right strings/dirt box. It's not the kind of sound I go for, 'though. In terms of build quality the 'Session' is supposed to be better but I have zero experience with those others so I can't say, I'm afraid.

Duncan designed...it was a long time ago, but I remember that