Schecter Hellcat VI Electric Guitar (Gloss Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)Got this a few months ago but wanted to wait until after the "honeymoon" period to write a review.....
First off, totally ignore what Amazon states here in the description. IT IS NOT an "Extended Scale Baritone Guitar." It is a short-scale, 6-string bass!
It is tuned like a standard guitar E to E except one octave below that of a regular guitar. For the record, baritones are usually tuned A-A and have scales of 28" or so as opposed to the 30" scale of the Hellcat VI. A bit of history...Short-scale, bass six stringers (primarily the classic Fender VI made in the '60s) were used and still used by a number of artists. Some examples...Robert Smith of The Cure on many recordings (check out the "Disintegration" album) as well as The Beatles (Harrison and Lennon) on some of their later albums. Peter Hook in Joy Division/New Order. Joe Perry played one on "Back in the Saddle." Jack Bruce recorded the first Cream album with one. The Schecter - unlike some other short-scale bass 6 stringers - is set-up for gauges .095 to .025 which I think bring out the best in this type of instrument as well as provide maximum versatility.
If you are looking for a Fender VI-type instrument and either can't afford the thousands of dollars a vintage one costs or can't locate one - this is your instrument! Personally, I love the sound of it and enjoy both its bass guitar and regular guitar characteristics. BUT.. it really is neither. Nor is it a baritone guitar. It's its own animal. It can function very well as a bass. But, it also shines playing melodic leads in the mid and upper-register. Chording is also possible in the mid and upper ranges as well.
Excellent build quality. Fine fit and finish. Lots of possible adjustments and sound combination are possible with its three tap pick-ups. Great tone. Fast neck. Well-balanced and highly playable. It's got it all. And at a very reasonable price. No, its not a vintage 60's Fender Bass VI. But, it is not that far off. In fact, reading through the forums it was apparent that a number of players preferred the Hellcat VI vs. the much more expensive Fender Bass VI reissues.
Best played (IMHO) though a bass amp to do it justice and accentuate the lower frequencies. Effects sound really great with it. Especially modulation such as delay, chorus, reverb, phaser, vibrato and/or tremolo. The very versatile and highly customizable VT Bass pedal made by Tech 21 also helps brings out and fine tune the excellent sound characteristics of the Hellcat VI as well as giving you the ability to add some overdrive on demand if desired. It is a very worthwhile investment for $[...] or so even if you're not really into pedals and effects. It can give even an inexpensive solid-state amp a warm, "tubey "sound. In addition, it can function as a DI or pre-amp. For me personally, it is an "always-on" pedal.
Another positive is LaBella now manufactures hi-quality strings - in both roundwound and flatwound - specifically for it.
While it is great out of the box some players are doing some great mods/replacements of the pick-ups to make it even better. Check out the Short Scale Six String forum on [...] as well as the Schecter Hellcat VI Players and Bass VI Players groups on Facebook.
This instrument isn't for everybody. But, if its for you it is a fine choice. The only limitation is your own creativity and imagination. YMMV.
I wanted the black finish and at the time I could only find it at Amazon. Arrived less than a week later. Impressive packing job. With their no questions asked 30-day refund guarantee I felt there was no risk.

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Schecter Hellcat VI Electric Guitar (3-Tone Sunburst) Review

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(More customer reviews)This instrument is not a standard guitar, nor is it a baritone-range instrument. It is a six-string short-scale bass in the same tradition as the Fender Bass VI. It's designed to be tuned E to e, like a 'normal' guitar, but one octave lower. In other words the bottom four strings (EADG) are the same as on a normal four-string bass. What makes this instrument different are the addition of high b and high e strings that extend the range of the bass considerably higher. This was conceived as an instrument that guitarists would take to quite naturally; same number of strings, same tuning, scale length is only about 6" longer than most guitars, and you can still play full chords on it, all one octave deeper.
The Schecter Hellcat itself has a good deal of old-school mojo. The three mini-humbuckers really offer a ton of sound options, and you can easily nail the surf-rock sound and launch right into Some Jack Bruce rifffage with the flick of a switch. It's very solidly built, as with nearly every Schecter instrument I've ever handled. Fit and finish are consistent, if not better, than you'd expect at this price. Playability was excellent out of the box, and only required a few very minor tweaks to suit my own peculiar playing style. I'd guess it could easily become an heirloom piece, and I wouldn't be surprised if these are being sold as 'vintage' instruments in thirty years.
An interesting side note: there is exactly one set of flatwound strings being produced for this instrument; if that's what you want, Google "LaBella flatwound short scale six string bass." They run about $45; any set of strings for a bass as uncommon as this one are going to be pricey, so you won't be changing 'em every week.
If you've already done some research on Bass VI-style instruments, and you're looking to get your first, this is really you're only affordable option. They're rare, and don't often pop up used; when they do, it won't be a favorable price for those beginning on this instrument. On the plus side, this means if you don't care for it, resale value is quite high; you won't lose much on the deal. Usually, this instrument comes with a custom-sized hardshell case, which takes some of the sting out of the price tag.
The short version: If you're looking at this kind of instrument for the first time, then this is the one you want. Get it now!

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