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Jul 27, 2023

Schecter’s new Sunset Extreme series classes up the double

Available in Scarlet Burst and Grey Ghost finishes, with a choice of six or seven-stringed versions, and left-handers available too, these are pro-quality electrics for under a grand Schecter has

Available in Scarlet Burst and Grey Ghost finishes, with a choice of six or seven-stringed versions, and left-handers available too, these are pro-quality electrics for under a grand

Schecter has unveiled the Sunset Extreme series, a new range of electric guitars based on the Californian brand’s Sunset body shape – a doublecut that’s so pointy they’ve stuck the strap button on the back of the lower horn.

But this is not from the blood-and-skull graphic school of high-performance rock and metal guitars. Dressed in a more demure Scarlet Burst and Grey Ghost, bringing out all the details in that flamed maple top, these have a more classic aesthetic, and a more than respectable spec for the price.

Whether six or seven-string version, or left-handed, these all come in under a grand, street, and are equipped with dual-humbuckers from Schecter USA, extra-jumbo stainless steel frets, with their five-piece maple-rosewood necks reinforced with carbon fibre rods. In other words they are credible shredibles for jobbing pros and serious amateurs.

The bodies are solid nyatoh, topped with figured maple. Fingerboards are fashioned from ebony and inlaid with offset metal rings. That 16” fingerboard radius, allied to an Ultra Thin C profile neck that measures just 19mm deep at the 1st fret and 20mm at the 12th, is going to give this a speedy feel.

When you consider the slinkiness of extra-jumbo stainless steel frets, the very generous contouring around the heel, it all adds up to a guitar designed and built for showing off. The top is flat but there’s an ergonomically forgiving forearm cut on the top.

The scale length is 25.5” for the six-string models, 26.5” for the seven-string guitars. There is good news for southpaws here because both versions are available left-handed, though sadly that Ghost Grey option is not. At least, Scarlet Burst is the only left-hander listed on the Schecter site.

Where the Sunset Triad pairs Shecter’s Tripocalypse triple-coil – that’s right, triple-coil – with a single-coil pickup at the neck, the Sunset Extreme presents us with a more classic pairing, seating a Schecter USA Sunset Strip humbucker at the bridge and a Pasadena at the neck.

Controls-wise, there is no tone pot because who adjusts the tone in the middle of a metal set? Instead there’s master volume and a five-way blade-style pickup selector switch that promises a lot more versatility than meets the eye.

Schecter has made some no nonsense choices for the hardware, with a six-saddle Diamond hard-tail bridge, a Graph Tech XL Tusq nut, and Schecter-branded locking tuners. A spoke wheel is mounted at the top of the fingerboard for making quick adjustments to the truss rod – a feature that is fast becoming a non-negotiable industry standard for high-performance electrics like this.

The Schecter Sunset Extreme series is available now. See Schecter for more details.

In other Schecter news, the brand recently teamed up with Simon Gallup of The Cure once again for another signature bass guitar collaboration, offering his Ultra Spitfire in a pair of graphic red finishes, and kitting out a semi-hollow Corsair with a set of active EMG pickups.

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Jonathan Horsley has been writing about guitars and guitar culture since 2005, playing them since 1990, and regularly contributes to MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitar World. He uses Jazz III nylon picks, 10s during the week, 9s at the weekend, and shamefully still struggles with rhythm figure one of Van Halen’s Panama.

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