"Some people have been suggesting that RS is not playing a six-string bass on this tour. However, the light-colored Schecter he is playing is a baritone guitar as evidenced by its thick strings—much thicker than a normal guitar. We’re just not seeing the Fender VI he played from Faith thru Bloodflowers. He is either on the Schecter payroll in some way or, as Perry suggested when he designed his own Bass VI, the Fender VI possesses a lot of limitations… or both."
(Thanks Jeff)
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You can see evidence of this on the Boston set list scans showing rs V1 bass next to songs that use this like POY. It seems to have the same body as the Ultra but different pick-ups (3 actually) and electronics.
ReplyDeleteIt is a Schecter Bass VI (or whatever it is called). Baritone guitars have a longer scale than a regular guitar and do use thicker strings, but not as thick as the instrument Robert's been playing.
ReplyDeleteAs obstacle2 pointed out, it has a different pickup and switches configuration (very much like a Fender Bass VI).
What kinds of limitations does the Fender VI have? He's used it for so many years, you'd think he was happy with it!
ReplyDeleteBut yeah he's clearly a big Schecter endorser. They're great guitars though, so I won't complain.
The gun metal gray guitar he is playing is the bass VI it has 3 pickups and if you look you'll see 3 on/off sliders for the pickups. I think they have Filterton style pickups on the one he is using in the Boston pics. The problem with the old Fender ones is the vibrato bridge design is not real stable, and the low strings really lack tension. That is why you see the Schecter with a stop bar style bridge cause it fixes those issues.The bass vi is tuned down an octave to E as opposed to a baritone down to B. Typically RS has four guitars he uses on stage, a standard tuned electric, another electric tuned to some variant of a G chord for Open and Shake Dog Shake, an acoustic/electric and the bass VI. This has been the case since the Wish tour. It is a shame that in my opinion the RS models are just hideous looking, that body shape is just ridiculous. It is also ridiculous that I know this much about his gear.
ReplyDeleteDo any of you know all the guitars Porl plays on this tour (other than the Corsair Bigsby)? I was at the Boston show and I think he played the new PT Fastback (not sure since I was on the opposite side) but there was one more that had a small body and a key hole, almost white color.
ReplyDeletePorl IS using a new PT Fastback that he desinged the art for. Other than several of his Signature Corsairs, he has
ReplyDelete1)Sig Corsair w/o Bigsby trem
2) Signature Corsair 12-string
3) Ultra-12 Prototype
4) 2004 Schecter TSH-1 in Silver Sparkle (which I think he is using on the 'pop' encore set)
5) he also has a White Stargazer prototyple which I think is used as a back-up to the above mentioned TSH-1
As for Robert, besides several various tuned UltraCure models, we have made him 2 or 3 UltraCure VI models, with several pickup combos. I think he is using both the dual-humbucker and the one with the 3 Duncan Mini Hums w/ 3 slider switches.
These guitars are 30" scale (same as fender bass vi)
We made Robert a White ULTRA guitar with a 26.5" scale which he used to use for SHAKE DOG SHAKE, but I am not sure if he is on this tour.
As for being on 'schecter's payroll'... both Robert and Porl donate their 'artist royalities' to a charity of their choice.. whcih Schecter also matches. THEY PLAY OUR GUITARS BECAUSE THEY LIKE THEM. THEY HOLD UP ON STAGE, THEY WORK FOR THE ENTIRE CURE CATALOG and THEY GET TO DESIGN THE GUITARS THE WAY THEY WANT WITH A COMPANY THAT ARE FANS OF THE BAND!
I hope this answers all of the questions.
Michael / President/ Schecter Guitar
that was intense
ReplyDeleteok.. I just watched THE ONLY ONR video on youtube.. so here ya' go. The guitar Porl is using is a standard Schecter black Corsair model that our in-house artist (Bryan Wickmann) hand painted the design based on Porl's art!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=og_VoeTFzyY
Michael / Schecter Guitars
Michael - Thank you for posting that info!
ReplyDeleteMichael, thanks for the guitar info and also for making great instruments. I own the Ultracure and Porl's Corsair Bigsby and I love them both.
ReplyDeleteI play a Schecter myself!
ReplyDeletethanks all... just wanted to set the record straight with the talk about them playing Schecters for moeny! Does anyone really think at this stage of their career they need to do anything just for the sake of money???
ReplyDeleteIt has been truly a pleasure working with the Cure for the past several years,,, being a fan since longer than I care to share! It is not always that you get to meet people you respect and they turn out to be great people and still play music for the love of music and guitars.
I should be posting something new we are doing for Robert to debut at the LA show soon.
and just a tad more guitar bits...
Robert is playing the only maple fingerboard UltraCure (with black moons and stars) in the new video and is now using his RS1000 acoustics on stage. Really just stock models that we added a simple Fishman pickup and EQ to, and a Dean Markley sound-hole feedback 'buster'.
awesome post michael... thanks.... will the ultra vi be available to the public?
ReplyDeleteEven though i know shit about all this, it's a nice read.Thanks
ReplyDeleteI work for a company here in Australia that used to distribute Schecter and i can say they are awesome guitars. I own 2 Robert Smith Schecter's one used live the other signed hanging on the wall. Im hoping we get the acoustic and new 6 string bass here one day soon? Michael? Its also great being at NAMM going on to the Schecter stand hearing Cure songs and watching Cure dvd's. Thanks Michael
ReplyDeleteI have a Fender VI and i love it, i would be most curious to play one from schecter. I hope they make the Ultra VI available for purchase.
ReplyDeletethis is for Michael. I kind of want an ultracure but i don't want to have an "artist" guitar and I don't want one without trying it out first. Why aren't they available at guitar center?
ReplyDeletei have the ultracure and the hellcat VI, both excellent... and i have to say that the hellcat VI blows the fender bass VI out of the water... so much so that i sold the fender... it has a better/sturdier feel to it, and the pickup/switch combination dials in a variety of more useful tones. as well the hellcat has a "hotter" sound and seems more intense than the fender... FWIW...
ReplyDeleteI do plan to speak with Robert about offering a limited edition UltraCure VI .. and if so, what version he wants to do.
ReplyDeletewe do now offer a Hellcat VI (which is what Perry opten played) go to www.schecterguitars.com to see
Robert has 2 of these, but wanted the bigger body on his.
As far as Guitar Center, to do sell lots of UltraCUREs, but it is only on special order. Musican's Friemd stocks the UltraCure and does offer a 48hour return policy!
I'm so glad Michael posted that info! It's amazing the BS people will think up and then post regarding Robert and the band. Always so much negativity.
ReplyDeleteSchecter is a class act.
Wow. I just first want to say THANKS to Michael! That's awesome info. I have an UltraCure, and I love it. It's got such an incredible sound and the body resonates. Everyone who has played my guitar loves it too. And I think it looks REALLY cool.
ReplyDeleteFor that post that was asking about playing one before buying it? I don't know where you're at, but the GC in Hollywood has had the UltraCures in every now and then (I saw a used one a couple of months ago with a big ding in it). Also, I believe that you can order it from GC and if you don't like it you have a couple of days to bring it back (ask the GC guys about that, but I'm pretty sure you can do it).
Also, once I bought this guitar and played it, I said "I'll never need to buy another guitar" and my wife was happy about that, but if there's a baritone or bass version, I may have to revise that statement...
yeah michael great job with schecter... next up... tell simon that nikki sixx wants his thunderbird back and make him a bass worthy of the band.
ReplyDeletehahahahaha... nikki sixx... it's kind of embarrassing to know who you're talking about, but really funny!
ReplyDeleteWe have sent Simon several basses (he is playing one of our Traditional J-Basses in the new video!) He also used a Semi-Hollow bass we did for him on the
ReplyDelete3-pc AOL Sessions.
We used to make a very T-bird 'influenced' bass called the ULTRA BASS, which we have sent him a pair. Though he uses several Schecter basses in the studio, he seems to favor his T-birds live. He has such a great bass sound, it his really hard for me to attempt to f*ck with it unless we can better it! We just sent him another black Ultra bass that was even more t-bird like, but I have not heard if he has got on with it yet!
I am trying to get pics of as many of the CUre guitars we have photographed, and if it is cool with the guys, I am going to send it over for COF to post.
Seriously, I find it pretty awesome that the head of a company cares enough to spend time at a FAN SITE and give out so much info. Much appreciated.
ReplyDeletemichael, the photo archive sounds incredible! i'm sure that craig will find room for it, and i for one will enjoy it! keep working on simon! i was suprised to hear that the J-bass was a schecter, i thought he swiped that from geddy lee at first! :) seems so ordinary that one... but its the sound that matters i suppose.
ReplyDeletei see simon playing some kind of semi-hollow body es-335/music man inspired hybrid... without giving it a les paul look... maybe even something like an old national only in a bass...