Schecter Keith Merrow KM-7 MK-III Artist Review

Outstanding With Minor Nitpicks

It goes without saying this is one of the most insanely spec'ed guitars you can buy in its price range. Getting ot the point. PROS: - Guitar is very well balanced, and feels extremely premium all around. - Even for someone with baby hands like me the neck is ridiculously comfy to play. And I love that open pore finish. - Pickups sound fantastic for what they are but I wish they… read more were just a touch hotter. So this is a pro and a con. - Tuning stability is ridiculously solid. Most stable guitar I've ever played probably - You can get your string action SILLY low on this thing without any fret buzz to speak of. Now the nitpicks: - LTD gives you a hardcase with their guitars that are in a lower price range so why can't Schecter? - There are a couple hairline spots on the binding that look like someone knicked it with a knife. I put a light on it and got way up close and can confirm it's not separating or anything drastic, so that's ok. - I wish the pickup cavities had a wee bit more space so I could try out other Fishman pickups in this guitar. - This is just aesthetic but there is a small gap on the right side of the bridge where the body was routed for the bridge. Does not affect playability and I didn't know it was there until way later. - Wish the High E and high B saddles had shorter height screws. They stick out a little bit and can poke you. OVERALL: It's an import of course so there are a couple *very* minor quirks, but this guitar is a beast and playability is out of this world. I have zero regrets. Rest assured this will not be the last KM model that I buy.

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Keith Merrow RULEZ

This is the 4th KM guitar in my collection (KM7 MK1, KM7 MKIII hybrid, KM6 MKIII hybrid). I seriously can't get enough of these and am eagerly awaiting the newest generation. Buy with confidence!

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Nothing but Impeccable

This has to be one of the very best guitars I've had the pleasure to own. It's the very first signature guitar, but that is not what makes this one great. First - the quality of build. Absolutely stunning. The craftsmanship in the neck is top of the line. Fret board is true in detail, smooth as silk. The neck is thin, yet incredibly solid. The body overall is thin profile,… read more making this beast fairly light weight. Second - the pickups and the sound. Anyone who follows Keith knows about his intense search and standard for tone. These Fluence pack it. Absolute quality all the way. This is my number 1 guitar, no doubt.

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One of the Best Guitars out there for me - maybe for you!

Forget that it's a signature model and the fact Keith Merrow does know what he loves in tone - this guitar has the tone! Before going into that - the very first thing you will notice with this guitar is the subtle difference in the C shape of other Schecter models, its very clean and lightweight. The super thin neck plays incredibly smooth. The differences in color and wood grains… read more makes you realize you are getting something that is unique. The tone is outstanding. With the custom KM Fluence, you are getting that tone that just might work right out of the box! Although active, they really do respond like hot passive, you can really pick up the articulation in the style you play. Multi-selectable voices (3) act as that starting tone. 3 position selector for pickups is standard, and a well placed volume knob. Value for price? You bet. Sure, you can find other guitars (even Schecter) at lower price points. They are all good guitars. But, for what you are getting in this model, I think is right on target.

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Love it

I've never had a 7 string guitar before, but have been eager to learn. This guitar is my favorite by far and getting way more play time than any of my six strings. The tone is amazing, the guitar is beautiful, and it's so playable. I was really worried about getting used to a 7 string neck, but this one is one makes it easy. I'd recommend this guitar to anyone.

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KM7

The guitar is beautiful. Period. The pickups are amazing, the entire guitar resonates when you pick a string. The sustain is simply incredible. The set up out of the box was just awful. Pickups were set way to low, the low E string was so much lower than the other strings that it looked counter-sunk among the others. The treble strings were set so low that if you bent a note,… read more you literally couldn't get your finger to the side of the adjacent string...just went under it with the one you're bending. Of course, the fun in getting a new guitar is getting to know it. I adjusted the pickups height, adjusted the string height a bit, adjusted my amp and pedals to accommodate the new guitar and....BOOM! Good God this thing plays and sounds like a dream. Legato runs flow like water across the neck. The pick attack is heard on every stroke of every string. I always loved the sound of a distorted lead being played on the neck pickup of any guitar, but this one requires something new to me. The middle position on the selector gives it that open, hot sound. The neck pickup alone seems to roll off a lot of highs that are present with the bridge. Mixing them together just works wonderfully. If you're looking to buy a 7, I'm going to have to say that this is the one, but expect to have to massage it a bit to get it there. Something you should do to any guitar anyway.

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Flawless.

Schecter normally has great quality imports and this one is no exception. The fretwork is perfect and theres no internal or external flaws that I've found. The finish looks much more vibrant in person.

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Had it for about a year, felt like it needed a review on all pluses and minuses.

So I've had it for about a year, my first 7 string. It came with its 'getting used to' period for sure. First thing was just getting used to a 7 string. Second was the pickups. At first I was kind of taken back at how low output these are for a death metal guy like KM. They really are not super hot, in comparison to my ibanez AZ, these feel a bit more hot, but just slightly,… read more and definitely not as bassey as the Hyperions. Perfect for any high gain amp. What is also shocking is voice 3 in middle position split coils, that clean sound stands right there with my az and american strat, total posistion 2/4 ona strat vibes. The best values about this guitar are the fret work and just overall feel and playability for me. Stainless frets on a fishman loaded 7 string with a swamp ash body, it is good to go, and will last forever! I hate refrets, i hate even slightly worn down frets, stainless is the only way to go for people who play every day. My top is pretty active, it has a lot of figuring so I got lucky. I love the feel of a wenge neck. Negatives- didn't come with a case... kind of nitpick, but they could have thrown in anything, like a cheap one. One down side is the semi-gloss finish they use on the neck, it feels great to play, but I've already have places where it is chipping off a bit giving it a relic'd look, I don't mind but some people might be mad about that. This only happened on the neck, the body is pretty durable. Beware of putting this in guitar holders/racks, the semi-gloss finish isn't super durable.. its an import. Volume knob came off, which was my fault i was rolling it really hard, no biggy and a simple replacement. Doesn't come with charging for the fishman... probably the biggest downside.. i have to charge batteries I got onlline.. i wish it had the fishman charging port. I am now converted to 26.5 scale legnth for 7 strings... I tried a 25.5 ernie ball, and was so much happier when i got back on my km7.

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Well Worth It

I am amazed at the quality of work that went into this. From the feel, to the smooth fret edges, to the neck-thru design and the pickup selection, the compensated nut...I mean, this thing is packed with more features (and made BEAUTIFULLY), more so than guitars twice its price by other brands. I have to say, I was a little skeptical as it is the import version of his USA Schecter… read more guitars...but....it impressed me IMMEDIATELY. The feel of the neck is just outstanding. The tuners are smooth and amazing and the strings stay in tune. The frets are the perfect height for shredding, yet feel wonderful while chording and playing riffs/runs. The compound radius is perfect. I brought to band rehearsal right out of the box, and I will say, you should dial into the pickup tones you like before you do that - the pickup selection is tricky. When I got it home, I couldn't stop playing it. I was up till 2am, thanks to Schecter and I'm dead tired today but heck - it was well worth it. For this price point, this guitar simply cannot be beat. As a matter of fact, I called Cristian at Sweetwater and ordered the 6-string version, as well. I mean it - this can be your #1 fixed bridge guitar. The pickups cleans are jaw dropping - the distorted tones - you'll find them. It just takes some 'knobbing' around. I dialed in a sick metallica tone last night through my katana. Now...I feel like I have a well-oiled, great-playing, super comfy metal machine to help me grow my chops. I couldn't be more impressed - my band mates were, too. I can't wait for the six-string and only hope it lives up to the 7-string! It set the bar awfully high!

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Mark 3: Mark of a Beast

The pickup voicing takes a bit of getting used to. And the tech who 'set up' the guitar actually didn't and I had to ship it back, which was a lot like having a hot girlfriend you can't finger. I paid the extra $200 to have it Pleked, and got the worst 'set up' I've ever seen in my life, literally. All that aside, it's an amazing guitar. The weight, finish and attention to detail… read more is exceptional for an import. I own 22 guitars w/ half of them being high end ESP, Ibanez, Gibson and a few Jackson guitars. This guitar crushes all of them. ALL of them. If my Ibanez RGEW521ZC were a neck-thru build, we'd have a close shoot out given the amazing quality of it's D'Marzio Tone Zone and Air Norton Pickups, which sound much better for lead tones in my opinion. The Fishman pickups are excellent but are voiced for a boosted mid-range djent style chug attack. I don't djent, I play my guitar and the voicing is a bit awkward for lead work. For rhythm and palm muting, they're beastly, but a bit too mid-focused for what I like. But I'm just one dude. Most people will love the Fishman custom pickups, and they deserve praise. The only thing I don't like about the guitar, which is actually a really smart idea, is the output jack location. it's not down on the corner like most strat body styles, it's directly beneath the strap peg. Meaning, if you sit down to play it, you'll need a cable w/ a 90 degree end on it as a standard cable will poke you in your leg. The volume knob has rubber rings around it to give your fingers traction...another killer idea. I bought it for one reason: the volume knob is out of the way. I've always hated volume knob placement and have custom modded all my guitars to get it out of the way. The locking tuners are ridiculously dope. Why guitarists haven't seen this style of innovative tuner before is a Scooby-Doo Mystery; they're effin AWESOME !! This guitar is easily a 5/5 and well worth the money. Buy it, you'll absolutely love it.

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