Schecter KM-7 (Keith Merrow) Signature Thread

[Mathemagician]

Is the main difference between the budget KM3 and the neckthrough (mid) KM3 just that it’s neckthrough? Haven’t been following much but the specs are attractive.

 

[Alexlopez]

Is the main difference between the budget KM3 and the neckthrough (mid) KM3 just that it’s neckthrough? Haven’t been following much but the specs are attractive.

Pickups
Hardware
9 piece Neck
Neck thru
Those are the main Differences between a standard and an artist model.
The hybrid actually appeals to me more of the import models.
A lot of folks we’re getting some artist models that had finish chipping, in personally got one that had that issue, sanded it down and oiled it. Looked and felt much better

 

[Mathemagician]

So the cheaper one doesn’t have active fluence pickups? Does it still have SS frets?

I’m assuming that by hardware you mean it’s not actually Hipshot but schecter’s own house brand stuff?

 

[kamello]

Ive had 3 MKiii at this point and I’ve never had an issue with the switches. I did on my MKi which i was expecting lol

good to know! mine were both Mk1 (a white one and a sustainiac model) same shit happened in my first 7, an Omen Extreme, but I thought that was understandable considering it is a budget model.
On paper, the KM's are perfect IMO, but my bad experience still sours the brand for me, although with all the praise the mkIII gets maaaaaaaaaaybe I could try one

 

[Alexlopez]

good to know! mine were both Mk1 (a white one and a sustainiac model) same shit happened in my first 7, an Omen Extreme, but I thought that was understandable considering it is a budget model.
On paper, the KM's are perfect IMO, but my bad experience still sours the brand for me, although with all the praise the mkIII gets maaaaaaaaaaybe I could try one

They’re great guitars man. For me, when getting cheaper guitars, I never hold it against them for the electronics.
My main focus is always how it’s built. Fretwork, Fit and finish etc etc.
Electronics I always tend to upgrade if it’s an import anyway so it’s fine, it’s cool when they work right out of the box too tho lol

 

[Mayhew]

I have no problem swapping out electronics. Most of us around here probably swap pickups anyway. On the other hand though quality pots, switches and jacks cost very little so why can't they just put those in in the first place?

 

[Vyn]

I have no problem swapping out electronics. Most of us around here probably swap pickups anyway. On the other hand though quality pots, switches and jacks cost very little so why can't they just put those in in the first place?

Because even though quality components cost very little, the components they use are still 2-3 orders of magnitude cheaper. If you're able to bulk buy 500K pots at $0.05 each, you're not going to use $5.00 pots.

 

[Mayhew]

Yes but it's the absolute worst place to try and save a dollar though. We'll gladly pay the up charge for branded pickups that come stock and still end up swapping them out before even plugging it in. It's not a deal breaker for me but I would've paid Shecter a couple extra dollars to bring home a brand new guitar and have it actually work when I plug it in. Great news guys! We managed to save you $20 but you have to hold the jack in place by hand, flick the toggle switch back and forth ten times and the volume knob is now really more of an off switch.

 

[Vyn]

Yes but it's the absolute worst place to try and save a dollar though. We'll gladly pay the up charge for branded pickups that come stock and still end up swapping them out before even plugging it in. It's not a deal breaker for me but I would've paid Shecter a couple extra dollars to bring home a brand new guitar and have it actually work when I plug it in. Great news guys! We managed to save you $20 but you have to hold the jack in place by hand, flick the toggle switch back and forth ten times and the volume knob is now really more of an off switch.

The think is, the branded pickups are more likely to guarantee the sale than whatever electronics are in the guitar, as the general consensus is that "If they are shit, they are cheap enough to replace anyway, it's only a couple of bucks." Where as if a consumer wants to swap stock pickups, they are out x amount of hundreds of dollars in which case they may not buy the product in the first place.

 

[Mayhew]

I definitely wasn't impressed to find out that when I brought home my new KM7 MKI with Seymour Duncans and went to plug it in that Schecter had in fact sold me an acoustic guitar though lol.

There's been too many posts in this thread from people who were turned off the KM7 and Schecters in general because of those crappy electronics to show it was a crappy business decision that has damaged the brand. We're now on to the MKIII with Fishmans and people still want to know if the guitar will work when they plug it in. Schecter shouldn't have to rely on Sevenstring members like us to convince people not to overlook such an awesome guitar for what in the end is a minor fix. Most people on here are fairly informed customers and they still don't want to deal with the hassle. Super happy I did though. Had I attempted to try it in the store before I bought though it would've turned me off completely I'm sure.

 

[Jonathan20022]

I definitely wasn't impressed to find out that when I brought home my new KM7 MKI with Seymour Duncans and went to plug it in that Schecter had in fact sold me an acoustic guitar though lol.

There's been too many posts in this thread from people who were turned off the KM7 and Schecters in general because of those crappy electronics to show it was a crappy business decision that has damaged the brand. We're now on to the MKIII with Fishmans and people still want to know if the guitar will work when they plug it in. Schecter shouldn't have to rely on Sevenstring members like us to convince people not to overlook such an awesome guitar for what in the end is a minor fix. Most people on here are fairly informed customers and they still don't want to deal with the hassle. Super happy I did though. Had I attempted to try it in the store before I bought though it would've turned me off completely I'm sure.

The model(s) is/are massively successful, so even if we were to spin up the total number of people who received a guitar with a faulty pot it probably wouldn't even be a feasible number against total sales. And Vyn is right the name brand bridges/pickups attract customers, not name brand potentiometers and capacitors.

Got one of the KM7 Hybrids on the way, definitely curious how it feels and how it's built. I've been wanting a solid hardtail 7 string to mess with tunings more than my main 7.

 

[Mayhew]

Don't forget to throw in the batch of faulty microphonic pickups too . You're probably right though. We're definitely a strange sort of microcosm of the guitar community here that doesn't represent the community as a whole for sure but I wouldn't have it any other way you guys. Even if our hyper focus tends to distort reality some. Right after joining I bought a used RG1527 Prestige thanks to this site and I love that thing.

Keep us posted on how you like the hybrid model. I'm looking at the white 6 string model but there's no real world info on the hybrid series yet. I've narrowed it down to the KM6 or the new Rabea ML3... or an ESP EII, or an Ibanez RGR, or an Aristides...

 

[I play music]

Don't forget to throw in the batch of faulty microphonic pickups too . You're probably right though. We're definitely a strange sort of microcosm of the guitar community here that doesn't represent the community as a whole for sure but I wouldn't have it any other way you guys. Even if our hyper focus tends to distort reality some. Right after joining I bought a used RG1527 Prestige thanks to this site and I love that thing.

Keep us posted on how you like the hybrid model. I'm looking at the white 6 string model but there's no real world info on the hybrid series yet. I've narrowed it down to the KM6 or the new Rabea ML3... or an ESP EII, or an Ibanez RGR, or an Aristides...

RGR5221

 

[H.Alimov]

I just got a KM-7. It's fundamentally flawed, but an otherwise great guitar.If I had the opportunity I would like to go and buy a new one
i love it but electronic issues make me sad. Crooked bindings, fucked up routings, off coming bindings...
I live in Istanbul. The economy has worsened because of the politicians and it is difficult for me to buy these guitars now.A wonderfully built and set-up axe. But after a few days I noticed a crackling when I was turning the one-and-only volume knob. I'm very happy playing it. But when I think about it, it all makes me feel bad.

 

[mlp187]

I just got a KM-7. It's fundamentally flawed, but an otherwise great guitar.If I had the opportunity I would like to go and buy a new one
i love it but electronic issues make me sad. Crooked bindings, fucked up routings, off coming bindings...
I live in Istanbul. The economy has worsened because of the politicians and it is difficult for me to buy these guitars now.A wonderfully built and set-up axe. But after a few days I noticed a crackling when I was turning the one-and-only volume knob. I'm very happy playing it. But when I think about it, it all makes me feel bad.

Shit. Sorry to hear about that. At least it plays well. Hopefully replacement pots aren’t too expensive over there. Did you get an MK-i?

I have an MK-i and at first, I thought the routing was a bit shoddy on the bridge pickup (only noticeable up close, thankfully) but it was actually the cavity paint having been over-applied. The carbon fiber binding was just not a great design choice, IMO. Sure, it looks cool, but there are several areas where it either soaked all of the finish in or just wouldn’t bond with it at all. But, overall, the guitar looks pretty damn good. Most importantly, it plays like a fucking champ.

I hope yours holds up well, and you are able to fall in love with it despite the flaws. It’s totally understandable if you can’t, and I hope you find something fantastic.

I was able to overlook the flaws on mine because I got mine for dirt cheap.

 

[H.Alimov]

Shit. Sorry to hear about that. At least it plays well. Hopefully replacement pots aren’t too expensive over there. Did you get an MK-i?

I have an MK-i and at first, I thought the routing was a bit shoddy on the bridge pickup (only noticeable up close, thankfully) but it was actually the cavity paint having been over-applied. The carbon fiber binding was just not a great design choice, IMO. Sure, it looks cool, but there are several areas where it either soaked all of the finish in or just wouldn’t bond with it at all. But, overall, the guitar looks pretty damn good. Most importantly, it plays like a fucking champ.

I hope yours holds up well, and you are able to fall in love with it despite the flaws. It’s totally understandable if you can’t, and I hope you find something fantastic.

I was able to overlook the flaws on mine because I got mine for dirt cheap.

MK-I Lambo. I decided to get the original one because I prefer the look and the price. in my opinion Just a stellar sounding guitar with amazing playability.
The most expensive guitar I can buy. it actually is a great guitar, and easily the best 7 string on the market in its price range

So the electronics are shot and should not cost too much to replace but what pisses me off most are the issue with the bridge pickup mounts that have developed too.
A few days there was no problem and pull pot started to get noisy. and I sense a few problems with the hipshot bridge.I hope we love each other over time ...

 

[Hoss632]

Heavily considering one of the KM-6 MKIII models as my next guitar. It's between the Hybrid, artist and a banshee mach 6 atm. The hybrid in white aesthetically is the nicest looking to me and is the cheapest of the 3. But I already have a guitar with a mahogany body and maple neck. My reservation with the Artist model is that I won't like how wenge feels in my hand. I've never played a guitar with a wenge neck and have yet to find one at a local store to try out. I'm hoping I can find one soon to try out so I know which way I want to go. The banshee I know I'll like because roasted maple just feels great in hand.

 

[Vegetta]

Heavily considering one of the KM-6 MKIII models as my next guitar. It's between the Hybrid, artist and a banshee mach 6 atm. The hybrid in white aesthetically is the nicest looking to me and is the cheapest of the 3. But I already have a guitar with a mahogany body and maple neck. My reservation with the Artist model is that I won't like how wenge feels in my hand. I've never played a guitar with a wenge neck and have yet to find one at a local store to try out. I'm hoping I can find one soon to try out so I know which way I want to go. The banshee I know I'll like because roasted maple just feels great in hand.

I was a die hard maple fan but i love the wenge neck on my km7 mk3. Its super smooth not sticky at all and really feels nice in the hand. I was abit apprehensive myself as i bought mine without trying it first but I could not have been happier with the guitar.

 

[landmvrks]

I'm considering a KM-7 MK-III Signature Artist atm. Can pick it up for $1000. Also looking at a C-7 SLS Elite 7 or an Ibanez RGR752AHBF for around the same price. Not sure what to do... any thoughts? Going to be used mainly for metalcore/djent style music.

 

[Hoss632]

I'm considering a KM-7 MK-III Signature Artist atm. Can pick it up for $1000. Also looking at a C-7 SLS Elite 7 or an Ibanez RGR752AHBF for around the same price. Not sure what to do... any thoughts? Going to be used mainly for metalcore/djent style music.

The 2 schecters definitely blow the ibanez out of the water IMO. I'm not a fan of the fusion edge pick ups at all. Probably the worst sounding dimarzio's to me. Between the other 2 models I'd say if you are able to get your hands on a km7 artist for 1000 that's the way to go. The Merrow fishman pick ups to me at least are a much more versatile set than the moderns found in the sls.