Schecter Keith Merrow KM-7 MK-III Artist - Blue Crimson 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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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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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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