Schecter Gryphon 7 review

Okay, I think I’ve been playing on my Schecter Gryphon 7 long enough to write a review about it. I don’t know if anyone is interested or not, but if ya are, then here ya go.

As far as the Gryphon series of Schecter guitars, they seem to be limited and exclusive to Guitar Center/Musician’s Friend. Mine comes from Guitar Center. This is my first guitar review, so let’s see what damage I can do (...by ripping off how other reviews are writen). Rated out of 5.

Features: and a 1/2

Body: Mahogany w/ Flame Maple Top
Neck: Maple
Fretboard: Rosewood
Frets: 24 jumbo
Inlays: Abalone
Scale: 26.5”
Bridge: string through T-O-M
Controls: 1 volume/ 1 tone (coil-tap)/ 3-way toggle
Pickups: Duncan Design
Tuners: Schecter Sealed
Finish: See-Through Black

Made in South Korea.
Cost $329.99

I put some Dunlop Strap-Locks on the thing and replace the tuners with Schaller locking minis (something I suggest doing).

The strings I have on it now are 10-56 Ernie Balls (regular 7 set).

Sound/Tone:

Seeing as how this thing is equipped w/ a coil-tap, tone limitations are of no concern. Whatever ya want, it’ll do it. The mahogany body supplies nice warmth to all the sounds. It’s warmer & fuller than all my other guitars. I usually like a nice heavy distortion sound and an extremely low chorus sound. 15/16ths of the time I plug straight into my Behringer GMX-210 w/ nothing else. Other times I use effects and so on from my Mackie Tracktion 2 program (a very kick ass program).

Lately, I’ve been playing all the 7 string/ B tuned songs I haven’t gotten to play until now (Fear Factory, Scar Symmetry, Type O Negative, etc.). Hell, I’ve even been playin’ Megadeth’s “Gears of War” (which is in E standard) on the thing. The Duncan Design pups are pretty nice, not as nice as an EMG-707 or real SD’s, but still pretty damn cool. They suit me just fine. Pinch and Natural Harmonics ring loud & proud.

All of the notes ring nice and clear w/ minimal fret-buzz. I put some foam behind the nut, but I apparently don’t have enough on the bass side. It doesn’t bother me though; I actually like a little fret-buzz (but just a little).

For fun, I’ve dropped the B string to A a couple times to play some Obsolete/Digimortal era FF & Brujeria. It holds nicely. I even went to F# to try my hand at some Meshuggah riffs (need thicker strings for that).

Feel: and a 1/2

The baritone part didn’t really throw me off that much. I had the chance to play a C-7 Hellraiser during the Holiday season, so I got a good feel for the 26.5” length before touching this thing. The neck thickness is noticeable, but I got used to it pretty quick. I do 2 note power chords w/ my index and pinkie fingers (plus I suppose I have fairly big hands), so it plays very fast for me. Three fingered power chords, along w/ any other chord, are easy to pull off once one gets used to the neck. Higher fret access was a bit difficult at first since the bolt-on joint is bigger than what I’m used to. But, it’s getting easier with practice.

The arch-top felt a bit odd , but after a while I got pretty used to it. It’s also just a bit heavier than any of my other guitars, but that’s not a big deal now (plus, exercise is good to the soul).

Overall Construction Quality: and 3/4

The guitar was not used, but it had a chip near the bottom strap button and some dings on the side of the fretboard. I guess it must have been dropped at one of the factories or the store or something. Either way, the Guitar Center assistant manager dropped $100 off the MSRP (which was $429.99). The chip isn’t in a spot that is seen very often, and the fretboard dings don’t affect playability at all, so these things don’t really bother me. No dings at all would have been nice, but who can argue with getting $100 bucks off!? Everything else is just beautiful. From the beautifully cut arched-top, to the flame, to the gorgeous abalone inlays.

The only thing about the stock material that didn’t appeal to me were the Schecter tuners. But an order through Warmoth’s new E-Store for some Schaller locking minis made this thing a beautiful piece of art work.

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I think that about covers it. If anyone is thinking about getting this guitar, I say go for it. The mahogany body & extended scale together are just superb. The Schecter Gryphon 7 has impressed me so much that I’m going to consider Schecter first for another 7 before any company (new or used).

Here's a pic. I've posted it before (and it's in the photo gallery), but here it is anyway.




Well, there ya go. Later folks.