About Schecter Guitars
In 1976, David Schecter founded Schecter Guitar Research in the United States. Originally, Schecter only manufactured replacement guitar parts, but the company later began producing its own brand of guitars, basses and steel-string guitars. Today, Schecter guitars are manufactured both in South Korea and in the United States. The Schecter is a popular guitar, especially among hard rock and metal musicians.
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Origins
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David Schecter opened the Schecter Guitar Research in Van Nuys, California, in 1976. Schecter produced replacement guitar parts for companies such as Gibson and Fender, but by 1979 Schecter had begun designing and manufacturing his own guitars. Perhaps because of the work he had done with the company, Schecter based his first designs on the Fender guitar. These first guitars were expensive because of the high-quality parts used and because they were not mass-produced. In fact, few were initially made available. This changed, however, in the 1980s.
Schecter in the 1980s
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By 1983, David Schecter was running out of resources and financially struggling to keep up with the demand for the guitar. He sold the company to investors from Texas who planned on cashing in on the highly respected Schecter name and moving the entire operation to Dallas. Unfortunately, most of the Schecter employees refused to move. Consequently, the new Texas-based company was forced to hire new staff that made poor design decisions and produced lower-quality work. The guitars were also now being mass-produced and the Schecter name was becoming tarnished. In 1987, the company was sold to a Japanese businessman named Hisatake Shibuya who moved Schecter back to California and began to rebuild the once-proud Schecter name. Once again, Schecter began to make high-quality guitars in small numbers, which were available to only a handful of dealers.
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Schecter in the 1990s
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Shibuya hired Michael Ciravolo as president of Schecter in 1996. A musician himself, Ciravolo disliked the Fender designs and developed the Hellcat, Avenger and Tempest models. In addition, he wanted to produce a more affordable Schecter guitar and opened a factory in Inchon, South Korea, to achieve this. Ciravolo had learned from the mistakes of the past and made sure that these guitars, although mass-produced, would be high-quality instruments. These guitars became known as the Diamond Series. In 1997, Schecter introduced the 7-string Avenger to the Diamond Series, as well as the C-1, which can be seen in the Papa Roach video for "Last Resort."
Schecter Today
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Today, Schecter is a thriving guitar manufacturer, producing both affordable, mass-produced instruments, as well as handmade custom models. In addition, the Schecter is increasingly popular with hard rock and metal guitarists, due to their heavy rich tone. The Diamond Series has expanded to include 20 guitar models, as well as10 bass models.
Notable Schecter Players
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Schecter has attracted many famous names over the years who exclusively endorse the Schecter product, including Pete Townshend and Mark Knopfler. The Schecter seems to have truly found a niche in hard rock and metal, as the guitar is played by shredders such as Zacky Vengeance and Synister Gates of Avenged Sevenfold, Sean Yseult of White Zombie, Jerry Horton of Papa Roach and Yngwie Malmsteen.
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