Schecter revved their Bass-VI again in 2017: major changes

[Mark Schmieder]

http://www.schecterguitars.com/guitars/hellcat-vi-1-detail

 

Spot the differences (practically everything, this time around!)

 

https://www.schecterguitars.com/vault/hellcat-vi-detail

 

After thorough comparison, and finding two videos, I am sold on the new version, having never quite felt ready to take the chance on the previous rev, the Ultra-VI, or especially the first edition.

 

Gone are the Seymour Duncan Jaguar pickups. In their place are Schecter coil-split, and this is now the function of the three switches, with actual pickup combinations now more intuitively controlled by a Strat-style 5-way toggle.

 

Alder gave way to Swamp Ash, and the frets are now jumbo size. Strat-style volume and tone replace the previous "loose-style" indented metal knobs.

 

Fingerboard is Pau Ferro vs. Rosewood as the latter is now being phased out everywhere due to the CITES treaty. I like Pau Ferro better anyway as it is denser and thus closer to ebony -- especially good for lower-pitched instruments.

 

Based on the specs, the look, and the sound, I feel this is the best VI currently available. The Fender model is too weird, and the Squier model is more true-to-form but has major quality control issues with neck intonation and the like.

 

I may grab one of these the next time there's a sale.

[Mark Schmieder]

Bought it today, but it's at the warehouse in the Central Valley and should arrive by early next week. Took advantage of Veteran's Day sale.

[Mark Schmieder]

It arrived quickly from the Central Valley warehouse, in spite of the fires, but I can't pick it up until either Friday or Saturday.

 

There's a good chance I'll string these up with flatwounds, but it may depend on how hot the Schecter custom pickups are. They are humbuckers, but have coil-tap as I recall.

 

I ordered the tone-burst as I thought the white model looked "wrong" with the headstock choices they made -- otherwise I might have preferred it over the "Fender Bass VI" look.

[Mark Schmieder]

I just finished putting my new Schecter Hellcat-VI through its paces, and am extremely impressed by the workmanship, design, sound, and every detail of thought that went into this third generation of an elusive instrument that I am now thankful took me so long to get ahold of (the new rev only came out a few months ago and is a HUGE improvement).

 

Of course, I had to launch right into "Come Together", which Lennon played on the original Fender Bass-VI, but I find this instrument equally adept at bass lines and "Ultra-low Baritone Guitar" rhythm/chord roles. String spacing makes it hard for finger-style, but it sounds great with a plectrum and I think I'll stick with rounds vs. switching to flats.

 

Even the string gauge is perfect, and I rarely like what stuff ships with -- much less Ernie Balls, which usually feel sticky to me (these don't). Well done.

 

The grain is much deeper than you would know from the on-line pictures. It's almost like mini-canyons along the surface of the instrument. :-) The body is quite heavy, and not well balanced in the lap without a strap, but I only sit when trying out new instruments and fiddling a lot with amp settings anyway.

 

The three Jaguar on-off switches are single-coil tap functions on this new version of the Hellcat-VI, which is the perfect feature for the switches. The overall switching for the pickups is Strat-style 5-way, with the same expected combinations for each setting.

 

So as you step through the pickup selector and/or from humbucking to coil-tap per pickup, you go from more guitar-like to more bass-like tone. With two or more pickups on, and all in humbucking mode, the instrument can be a little bit boomy, but playing with a modern plastic plectrum mitigates that, as does technique.

 

I have only tried it so far on my 4x10 1959 Fender Bassman LTD reissue. It will be interesting to hear it tomorrow (it's now past curfew) on my Mesa Prodigy bass amp, as well as my Mesa Royal Atlantic guitar amp.

 

Felt picks get a little too boomy on this instrument, and it benefits from a sharper attack as one gets from a modern plastic pick anyway. It's very easy to play fast lines, it is very articulate, and the neck is fast and a good compromise between vintage and modern. All frets are very clean and even.