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Schecter Ultra III - Vintage Red

Solidbody Electric Guitar with Mahogany Body, 3-pc Mahogany Neck, Rosewood Fingerboard, and 3 Archtop-style Humbucking Pickup with Coil-tapping - Vintage Red
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Schecter Ultra III - Vintage Red
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A Classy 6-string with a Vintage Vibe!

Half retro, half modern the Schecter Ultra III solidbody electric guitar gives you a unique combination of vintage vibe and killer tone. It looks like it could have jumped right off of the page of an early '60s guitar catalog, yet once you get your hands on an Ultra III, you'll discover the smooth feel, fast action, and massive tonal range nothing short of a cutting-edge guitar can deliver. At the same time, its Bigsby Licensed tailpiece and archtop-style Duncan Designed humbucking pickups make the Ultra III perfect for rockabilly and roots rock styles.

Schecter Ultra III Solidbody Electric Guitar at a Glance:
  • Classic vibe takes you back to the roots of modern rock music
  • Bigsby licensed B50 vibrato tailpiece lets you play slow subtle bends
  • Duncan Designed FG-101 pickups give you big, slightly rude rockabilly sound
Classic vibe takes you back to the roots of modern rock music

Before you pick it up, before you plug it in, just step back a second and take a good long look at this beauty. Schecter may be best known for their more aggressive style of guitars, but their Ultra III is nothing if not classy in a unique retro chic kind of way... without being an obvious throwback or blatant re-creation of some long-defunct '50s/'60s-era guitar model. If you've been looking for a cool vibe to add character to your stage presence, or an anachronistic-style guitar to inspire your creativity, then you're going to be delighted with the Schecter Ultra III.

Bigsby licensed B50 vibrato tailpiece lets you play slow subtle bends

Speaking of vintage vibe, nothing beats the look, feel, and sound of a classic Bigsby vibrato tailpiece. With the Bigsby Licensed B50 tailpiece (a model nearly identical to the original Bigsby B5) on the Schecter Ultra III electric guitar, you've got the ability to pull off the long, slow, smooth, and subtle bends made famous by rockabilly and surf guitarists, which is seeing a major revival among up-and-coming rockers. Whether you want to ride the retro wave or see what this cool tailpiece can do for your style of music, you'll totally dig the Ultra III's Bigsby B50.

Duncan Designed FG-101 pickups give you big, slightly rude rockabilly sound

Closely modeled after some of the most popular boutique humbucker out there, the Duncan Designed FG-101 pickups loaded on the Ultra III give you a hot, snarling tone that you'd more typically expect to get from an old-school archtop. With fully adjustable pole pieces and the Ultra III's cool 3-position switches for each pickup (off, humbucker, coil-tap), you've got absolute control over your tone.

Schecter Ultra III Solidbody Electric Guitar Features:
  • Cool and classy electric guitar that's perfect for traditional roots and rockabilly styles, as well as modern rock, blues, and country
  • Three Duncan Designed FG-101 archtop-style humbuckers give you brash and snarly tone
  • 3-position pickup switches let you configure each pickup as either off, humbucking, or coil-tapped for bright single-coil sound
  • Bigsby Licensed B50 vibrato tailpiece lets you pull off long, slow, and subtle bends
  • Grover tuners and a roller bridge give you smooth action and freakishly stable tuning
Get a cool vibe and massive tonal range from the Schecter Ultra III solidbody electric guitar!

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Tech Specs

  • General
  • Number of Strings 6
  • Left-/Right-handed Right-handed
  • Body
  • Body Type Solidbody
  • Body Shape Ultra
  • Body Material Mahogany
  • Body Finish Polyurethane
  • Color Vintage Red
  • Neck
  • Neck Material 3-piece Mahogany, Set
  • Neck Shape Schecter
  • Neck Joint Set Neck
  • Radius 14"
  • Fingerboard Material Rosewood
  • Fingerboard Inlay Pearl Blocks
  • Number of Frets 22, Extra Jumbo
  • Scale Length 25.5"
  • Nut Width 1.653"
  • Nut Material Graph Tech XL Black Tusq
  • Hardware
  • Bridge/Tailpiece Roller Tune-O-Matic Bridge with Bigsby Flat Top B50 Vibrato
  • Tuners Grover
  • Electronics
  • Neck Pickup Duncan Designed FG-101humbucker
  • Middle Pickup Duncan Designed FG-101humbucker
  • Bridge Pickup Duncan Designed FG-101humbucker
  • Controls 1 x master volume, 1 x master tone
  • Switching 3 x 3-way pickup sliders (off/humbucker/coil-tap/single-coil)
  • Miscellaneous
  • Strings Ernie Ball Regular Slinky, .010-.046
  • Case/Gig Bag Sold Separately
  • Manufacturer Part Number: 3154

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Customer Reviews

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Rated 5/5

What a Great Guitar!

I bought this solely based on its looks. I had no idea how it would sound. I did read some reviews saying it was heavy and the pickups did not have a lot of output. When I received it, I was pleasantly surprised.

First, the fit and finish is exceptional. I have owned a lot of guitars (Gibson, Fender, Epiphone, Squier, etc.) and I believe the quality of this is the best of all. It needed no setup (thanks in part to Sweetwater)! The neck was straight, the action and intonation as good as it gets, and the Bigsby Vibrato works as it should. The fretwork is nicely done.
The overall appearance is stunning - by far the most beautiful guitar I have ever owned (but that is always a matter of personal taste).

This is a heavy guitar - mine is close to 9 lbs. For comparison, a Gibson Les Paul weighs about that much. That weight is a good thing because there is a lot of sustain not found in some of my other guitars that weigh less. I find this easy to play. Whether seated or standing it fits well against the body, and the action is very fast and smooth. It is also well balanced, with no neck dive as is common on some other guitars.

As others have noted, the output of the pickups is not as high as on other guitars. I find this ironic since Schecter guitars are often associated with heavy metal, but their lineup is diverse, and many models are not designed for heavy metal. The lower output is not a problem since this can be compensated for by amp settings or a stomp box. The 3 pickups can be run either as single coils or as humbuckers. There is a 3 way switch for each pickup that lets you use the pickup as humbucker, single coil, or turned off. This provides a rich combination of tones accessible by changing the position of each switch. It should be noted that the output of a pickup in single coil mode is significantly lower than in humbucker mode.

Other nice features include Grover tuners which, along with a Graph Tech Nut and roller bridge keep this guitar in tune all the time! I also appreciate the linear taper of the volume control.

Dislikes? Access to the 22nd fret could be a bit easier. Hotter pickups would be nice, but to be fair, this retro style guitar tries to imitate the retro sound of some 1950's electrics. The size of this guitar makes it difficult to find a hard case it will fit in. I ended up ordering the expensive Schecter case made specifically for this model.

Overall I love this guitar and give it 5 stars.
Rated 4.5/5

Crazy fun, surprisingly great

If you out this guitar in traditional neck Bridge Humbucker mode- it a beautiful sounding Schecter solid body. It has a great neck and super comfortable body shape. But when you start mixing in the middle pickups, the split coil options for all the the versatility of really GREAT SOUNDING times is remarkable. I'm not a fan of the sound of all three pick ups, engaged together, however. It also seems to lose volume when all three are engaged. Seems like a fair price and the red body carve is CRAAZY
Music background: Bedroom platter with occasional acoustic outings
Rated 5/5

Coolest

This guitar is just plain cool. It's unique, has a versatile range of tones, and always turns heads. It's got a certain kind of bright metalic tone that cuts through a band mix nicely without ever being spikey or harsh. Having independent control of the three pickups and their coil tapping capability gives you tons of tones. It's also very comfortable to play with great ergonomics. This guitar should be more popular due to it's quality, tone and looks. Although one of the great things about this guitar is the fact that it's unique and nobody else has one.

Strats, Teles, and Les Pauls are all great guitars and standards for a reason, but if you want something that looks and sounds a little more unique, grab this.

This is now my go to guitar for playing shows. It's got the range to do anything well, feels good to play, and it looks so cool that people will inevitably come up to you and ask about your guitar. I have "higher end" expensive guitars, but this one gets the most love and attention, from me and the audience. In a nutshell, coolest guitar I have ever owned.
Rated 5/5

Ultra Awesome!!!

This guitar is awesome!! If you"re looking for something different you can"t beat this. This guitar could be three times the cost for the quality of it.
Rated 5/5

Awesome guitar great deal.

I bought mine a year ago can't be more pleased.
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