NGD: Schecter MV-6 | Genius pickup configuration, plays nicely enough but it's going back!

[Sparky8691]

I decided to get an MV-6 as I didn't have a 6 string with a trem in my collection, which is quite a useful thing to have! I haven't enjoyed the hassle of Floyds before so was looking for something with a vintage-style trem.



Anyone that's seen my posts in the Pickup forum may have also seen that I am very interested in trying some of Schecter's USA pickups, the 'Dark Side' single coils. They seem to be some of the nicest sounded singles I've ever heard in demos, but of course I need a guitar to put them in. The classic SSS Strat thing isn't usually my kind of jam though.

Enter the MV-6. It has what I'd describe as a genius pickup configuration; 3 true single coils, but arranged with 2 next to the bridge right next to each other like a humbucker. Position 1 on the 5-way switch does indeed make this work like a humbucker using series connection. You also get the typical Strat positions of middle, middle & neck and neck pickups, plus another unique option which is all pickups in parallel for some Tele-esque tones. So this configuration gives you a Super Strat humbucker sound, traditional Strat single coil sounds and a Tele sound. The other benefit is having 24 frets without a middle pickup getting in the way.



The MV-6 comes with import pickups not Schecter USA models. So my plan was: buy the MV-6, check I'm happy with how it plays then buy the single coil set I want to try and swap them in.
I got it from Peach Guitars as they are one of the few UK dealers that can get Schecter USA pickups (I have already ordered a Colossus humbucker for my Reaper-6). Peach have been very friendly & helpful even though this wasn't exactly a big money deal for them as they handle a lot of premium stuff, they put a lot of effort into working out how to get the Schecter USA pickups as they'd never had them requested before. And they even agreed to price match the MV-6 to another UK retailer. So their service has been great.

Unfortunately the guitar does not feel right for me. I noticed the 2 lowest strings were not covering the poles on the neck pickup at all. Tried working out what was causing this and it appears the bridge has been mounted a bit crooked (confirmed by checking with a ruler). That has also caused the high e string to be closer to the edge of the fretboard than it should which I noticed when playing. Having a look at some other MV-6s for sale, some do have the strings aligned correctly with the pickups. But a number of others had the same issue as mine, but to a lesser degree though - strings maybe at the edge of the poles rather than missing them completely. Still, a bit disappointing as it suggests manufacturing tolerances are not so tight with this model. This is mine:



Here is one I saw on Reverb without this issue:



I could've perhaps just lived with this if it was the only thing I didn't like but I also found the fingerboard edges to feel sharper than any of my other guitars. I was wondering if I'd like the neck width as it's Schecter's normal 'thin C' whereas I seem to like ultra-thin necks. But the width wasn't a problem, it felt comfortable to hold and the 14" radius is great. It was surprising to find the edges not smoothed though as the most comfortable guitar I've ever played is my Schecter Reaper-6 which is a cheaper model, even made in the same Indonesian factory, but seems to have smoother fingerboard edges. No idea if it's a deliberate choice on the MV-6 due it being a more 'Retro' model or whether cost saving in the factory.

I did find the pickup configuration really cool, bridge humbucker mode sounded just like it should. I wasn't particularly impressed with the neck and neck & middle tones though...definitely not bad but they didn't really seem to have any personality. The Dark Side singles I want to try are really hot so they should sound great when I find the right guitar to put them in. The fretwork did seem great on the MV-6, very well polished and smooth for nickel frets. Aside from that though it didn't feel that premium unfortunately

Anyways for both of these reasons it's going back. Peach Guitars have been understanding although I have to cover return shipping unlike some retailers.

Would love any advice as to what to replace the MV-6 with. I'm considering between 2 models atm -

The Vola OZ ROA V3 MC:


More of a traditional vibe with this one; 12" radius, 22 frets, nickel frets, top mounted trem. To be fair the MV-6 had the latter two.
But I do think I will find the neck comfortable as it's their newer 'modern C' shape which is 20 - 21mm. Plus the fingerboard edges are definitely rounded on Volas, you can tell from the pictures and Rabea Massad mentioned it in one of his demos.
The rainbow burst finish on this model is awesome, that's one of my dream finishes. Mahogany body is a nice for acoustic tone.
You can choose normal or reverse headstock, reverse is £200 cheaper which is my preference anyway.
With the 5% discount code I have from Vola this would work out only £50 more than the MV-6 for a MIJ guitar.
I could pop in the Schecter Dark Side middle & neck singles I want to try, or I could try and mod the OZ to have the same setup as the MV-6...it already has a pickguard so would just need to get a custom one to cover up the routing.

Legator OS6:


This seems to be quite a rare model with limited information about it. It has actually been discontinued. I'm considering it as I got Legator Opus OT7T recently (gonna do a new NGD thread for that one) and I was actually incredibly impressed by it. The OT7T is a Tele-style 7 string with a Gotoh 510 trem. The OS6 is in the same 'Opus' range, just a Strat shape with HSS pickups instead of a Tele shape with HH. They all have some common features; ultra-thin roasted maple neck, stainless steel frets, flat radius (for some reason 14" on the Tele shape, 16" on the Strat), recessed Gotoh 510. So this one would be much more of a modern shredder vibe.
Difficult to decide between this and the Vola actually. The Legator would be more of a known quantity as I love how the OT7T feels...in fact I find the neck on that more comfortable than my KM-7 which seems to have one of the best regarded 7 string necks. The fingerboard edges do feel smooth on my OT7T.
Downside on the OS6 is that the 2 single coils are quite close together...not a dealbreaker but would nice if they were further apart. Vola have a 7 string 24 fret HSS that seems to manage the single coils being a nice width apart (actually considering that one for my collection in the future when it's back in stock).

So with the OS6 I would be more tempted to mod it to have the MV-6 pickup configuration whereas I may be happy enough with the HSS on the Vola to just keep it that way.
But the OS6 is clearly a more modern, sleek shredder which I like.
But the finish on the Vola looks so cool, and it may be nice to have something with a more classic vibe (but still with the comfy modern neck). Difficult decision!

I can only find the OS6 in stock on one French retailer and thanks to our lovely government here in the UK leaving the EU, ordering from European stores is a lot harder. Many companies don't want to bother with all the red tape so simply won't ship to the UK anymore. The French retailer in question have been helpful so far and whilst they don't ship to the UK directly they have recommended a reshipping service. Downside is I pay 20% French VAT, then 20% UK customs tax, and have to hope that I am successful claiming back the French VAT. I'm sure everyone knows how motivated tax authorities are at actually giving money back to people rather than taking it!
As such, the OS6 is about £150 more than the Vola if I am successful claiming back the VAT, or about £370 more expensive if not.

What are everyone's thoughts....?

 

[nightsprinter]

Misplaced bridges are a scourge in the industry and extremely common. I've sent back many instruments due to this over the years. Bummer.

 

[The Monster With .]

Sometimes this issue is caused by the neck shifting in the pocket during shipping, and can be remedied by loosening the neck screws a tiny bit and bumping it over. That being said, the alignment does look pretty off, so it could very well be the bridge is misaligned.

That's a bummer man! Otherwise it's a cool guitar.

I've always liked the look of the Legator OT7 and was thinking about buying a used one, but sort of randomly spent my money on a new home theater projector of all things instead.

 

[AkiraSpectrum]

Regarding the string/neck alignment. This is actually quite common for bolt-on guitars. A big jolt and they shift in the neck pocket. All you need to do is slightly loosen the neck plate screws and shift the neck and it will line up perfectly again and then you just re-tighten the screws.

I've actually done this on one of my guitars and trust me, its very easy, and takes all of 60 seconds.

This is not a sign of poor build or anything, it just happens to bolt-ons from time to time. This even happens with Custom Shop Fenders and Suhr guitars--I've seen it many times. Thing is, most people don't notice.

 

[nightsprinter]

There's plenty of truth to the neck reset deal. I wind up having to do it to plenty of BO's I get in, but I'm not sure in this particular case that it will pull the strings into alignment over the bridge pup poles. I'd love to see if it would, though.

*funny this comes up because I had to do it on the guitar you and I were just talking about in another thread, Akira

 

[Sparky8691]

I definitely think the bridge is misaligned on this MV-6, not by a huge amount but you can see in this picture the bridge is tight to the pickguard on one side but angled away from it on the other side.



I will keep that neck reset manoeuvre in mind though if I get any future guitars that have strings misaligned over pickup poles. To be fair I have seen pictures of other guitars that exhibit this, even pricey stuff.

The other MV-6s on the Peach Guitars site all seem to have the same thing with the 2 lowest strings not aligning as well as they could with the neck coil poles although none of those have the string completely miss the pole like mine, they are just closer to the edge. So perhaps with those other models, maybe there isn't a misaligned bridge and it's the neck that needs some adjustment.
I wonder if the angled pickups on the MV-6 give less tolerance for strings lining up...

The not-so-smooth fingerboard edges on the MV-6 are more of a dealbreaker TBH.

How much difference the misalignment thing makes to pickup sound I don't know. I do have a Cort KX507 multiscale with Fishman Fluence Moderns, these pickups use blades; the inner blade on the bridge pickup doesn't cover the high e string enough. In coil split mode you can hardly hear the high e at all. But then the target market of this guitar (djentlemen...on a budget) isn't really going to be using coil split on the high e much. Although I'm still gonna be selling that guitar anyway as I prefer straight scale. But it does show how even with a powerful active pickup, the string not going over the pickup correctly can make a difference. I believe many multiscales using Fluence pickups go for the size up now i.e. 8 string version for 7 string guitar.