NEW Schecter Rob Scallon Guitars Review: In 6,7, AND 8 String Configurations!

These new Schecter Rob Scallon guitars were teased during the “Biggest Shred Collab 2021”. Well it looks like they are finally here! Let’s take a look at all 3 of them!

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Schecter Rob Scallon C-1 Guitars: Finally Here!

We are Schecter enthusiasts here at Electrikjam. For one, I am exclusively a Schecter player and hopefully a future endorsee (Wink wink, Schecter). The value that you get with Schecter is absolutely undeniable versus the features you get. But beyond the budget price, these are high quality instruments that are made to last. My oldest is a Hellraiser model, that has been in my stable for years, and I see 20 year old Schecter guitars for sale all the time. They are workhorses at the core, and that’s why we love them!

Rob Scallon is a multi-instrumentalist and one of the “YouTube Guitarist” pioneers, and he has been doing videos for a decade at this point! Rob not only writes his own music, but he also makes videos about guitars themselves. He loves to make videos about guitar history, and he is proficient in just about any genre you can imagine. Rob’s interest and curiosity about guitars, and playing guitars is his main appeal. However, he also has some funny videos like playing Metallica on the banjo.

During Jared Dines’ “Biggest Shred Collab In The World” last December, we saw Rob playing a very familiar headstock shape at the end of the video. He was teasing us for sure, and the keen-eyed people paused the video at the end. That was definitely a Schecter headstock and logo…right? It was, and I have been patiently awaiting the time that I could finally talk about these!

But why isn’t Rob Scallon with Chapman Guitars?

We don’t know the answer to that question, and Rob hasn’t made a public statement. Those privy to the normal internet controversy can probably take a guess as to why he left Chapman Guitars. If you haven’t heard the rumors, then some quick Google Fu will get you all of your answers. I honestly try to avoid internet drama, but the info is out there if you want to know.

The irony of all of this, is the Schecter Rob Scallon lineup is a little like Rob coming home. His first popular video was made with a Schecter Omen 8 String guitar. It feels like this is probably where Rob belongs, since that video definitely made some people go out and buy some Schecter 8 Strings! So welcome home Rob, this is 100% where you belong, my dude.

Ibanez has been the company that supports YouTube guitarists the most lately, and it looks like Schecter is jumping onboard too. All three of the Schecter Rob Scallon Signature models are based on the popular C-1 body style. The 7 and 8 String variants are “fan-fret” or multi-scale, but with a pretty exciting twist. If you have zero experience with multi-scale, then these might be right up your alley.

The new Schecter Rob Scallon lineup comes with just about every upgrade you could want in a guitar. You wont be upgrading the tuners or other hardware because it is all top of the line Hipshot Hardware. The new Schecter ’78 pickups were designed with versatility in mind, and stock Schecter pickups in this price range usually aim to impress. In fact, I am rarely let down with any Korean Schecter model. These are built to be ready for the stage and studio at a pro level.

I only got a few minutes to check these out at our affiliate site, but I had about 50 minutes all together with all three models. The best part, is all Schecter Rob Scallon models come in lefty versions as well. So I might have been in a rush, but I did my best with these guitars. They were all very familiar anyway if you know Schecter guitars, I know Schecter pretty well. I used the trusty BOSS Katana 100 for the quick testing sessions because I also know it very well.

I really wish I had more time with these, but I digress. So, I guess that’s enough blabbing. Let’s take a look at the features of the new Schecter Rob Scallon line, and break down what makes them so special! If you are familiar with his previous signature models, you’re going to see some similarities. But these models are completely next level in features and specs.

Let’s dive in!

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Schecter Rob Scallon Lineup: C-1 6 String

The C-1 body style is the basis for so many of the Schecter models because it is familiar and ergonomic, with a slight arched top. But here we see something a little different with the Schecter Rob Scallon design. He was particularly inspired by the Les Paul “Log” guitar that had removeable wings (Look it up, it is NUTS). Now, of course these wings don’t come off, but the idea is there.

Each Schecter Rob Scallon model has the same design and color scheme, and the fret markers all start at the 12th fret. This is really unique and Rob said that he usually looks down at the side dots until he gets past the 12th fret. I took notice when I was practicing earlier, and I do the same thing! Guess it is probably pretty common for most guitarists?

One thing to definitely note, is the lack of branding on this guitar. The only thing that makes this a “Schecter Rob Scallon” is a small version of his signature on the back of the headstock, with an anchor silhouette. I can really appreciate that, and I know plenty of people that hate over-branding on a signature guitar. But there is a lot to talk about here so…The specs:

• Satin Dark Roast Color
• Swamp Ash Body
• Mahogany Neck
• Ebony Board
• Neck Thru Construction
• Neck: Mahogany 3-pc w/ Carbon Fiber Reinforcement Rods
• Pearloid Reverse Dots
• Familiar C Shape Neck
• Hipshot Grip Lock Tuners
• Hipshot Bridge
• 14” Radius
• 24 Jumbo frets
• Graph Tech XL Black TUSQ Nut
• Schecter ’78 Pickups
• Coil Tap On Tone Knob
• 25.5 Scale

This is your typical Schecter C-1 guitar, with a few little surprises. The Hipshot hardware is totally top of the line when it comes to durability and function. If you have never used Hipshot locking tuners, they are some of the best and have a sensitive ratio. The Schecter ’78 pickups are meant to be as versatile as possible, from chiming cleans to all out heavy distortion.

The neck through construction is something that I don’t think I can live without anymore, and almost all of my Schecter guitars have it. You have full access to the upper frets without any sort of neck heel in your way. My Hellraiser and Damien models both have it, as well as my E1 Koa.

Testing:

The neck feels like your standard C shape that is on all of the Hellraiser models, as well as the CR6 Pro models. We all know this neck pretty well, and it is exactly what you expect (If you have never played a Schecter, it is identical to an ESP/LTD Eclipse). The Schecter Rob Scallon 6 string was however, much lighter than my C style guitars at home due to the swamp ash body. Otherwise this feels exactly like a higher end, South Korean Schecter.

The Jumbo frets feel about the same as my Hellraiser, and the Ebony board is beautiful. As far as the inlay dots starting at the 12th fret, I really dig this change. I really only look at the side dots when playing chords. The satin finish is also a nice touch, and you can see the pores in the wood. I tried this one with a strap, and with the lighter body I expected a little bit of neck dive. To my surprise, there was zero neck dive, and it was well balanced weighing in at about 7.4lbs.

The Schecter Rob Scallon ’78 Pickups were a total surprise. These are not anywhere near as hot as I thought they would be, more like a PAF. These seem to have a lot of boosted midrange, which is great for chugging. The clean tones however were also kind of chime-y. This was even more apparent with the coil split, which gets you close to that single coil sound…but not quite all the way there for me. Definitely try these pickups out before you go and immediately replace them!

The 6 string is a nice take on your usual C-1 style guitar, with your normal 25.5 scale length. This is typical Schecter for most of us, just with upgrades. But the Schecter Rob Scallon line gets much more interesting with the extended range models. These may seem like your usual multi-scale guitars upon first glance, but Rob threw in some features that I think we can all appreciate.

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Schecter Rob Scallon Lineup: 7 String

This is where things get really interesting for fans of multi-scale instruments. The Schecter Rob Scallon line does something a little different with both of the extended range models. If you have always wanted to get into fan fret guitars, and the idea seemed a little too “extreme” for you, then this may be the answer. Let’s go over the specs:

• Satin Dark Roast Color
• Swamp Ash Body
• Mahogany Neck
• Ebony Board
• Neck Thru Construction
• Neck: Mahogany 3-pc w/ Carbon Fiber Reinforcement Rods
• Pearloid Reverse Dots
• Familiar C Shape Neck
• Hipshot Grip Lock Tuners
• Hipshot Bridge
• 16” Radius
• 24 Jumbo frets
• Graph Tech XL Black TUSQ Nut
• Schecter ’78 Pickups
• Coil Tap On Tone Knob
• 25.5- 26.5 Scale Length

Having a multi-scale guitar has all kinds of advantages for people that like to tune down, and the Schecter Rob Scallon is no exception. But the fan fret design on this guitar is much less extreme than what we usually see. The “Zero fret” is the 7th fret in this case, meaning that is the fret that is straight (also called the Neutral Fret). But what does this mean for the player?

This means that the fanned frets at the lower end of the guitar neck are not as extreme, making it easy to play/form big chords. The same can be said for the higher up frets, and you will have no problems shredding or doing two hand tapping lines. But having a multi-scale also means that tuning down to A or G will be a breeze, and there will be more equal tension across the board.

Some people prefer a more traditional fan fret with more extreme fanning, but for the person who is brand new to the idea of multi-scale this C-7 will not take long to get used to. This may be the first time that I really enjoyed a fan fret guitar, and its all because of the design. Rob really though about everything when he designed these guitars with Schecter.

Testing:

I do not usually play multi-scale, and unfortunately I only had a short time to test these guys out. But the Schecter Rob Scallon 7 string really impressed me, because it only took a literal minute to get used to it. This is because the fan is very slight up and down the neck. The first thing I did, was tune it down to drop A to check the tension…and it was perfect. The 7 string is a little heavier at 8.1lbs, but still no neck dive while standing up.

Again, this neck is very familiar. The Schecter Rob Scallon 7 string neck is very much like my Demon 7, but it is much skinnier. This reminds me of the KM7 Hybrid with how skinny the neck is, but there is a little more wood that forms the C shape on the back. This is more comfortable to me than say, an Ibanez Wizard neck. It is skinny, but not too skinny if that makes sense. I always have a hard time describing the neck, but for me it sits in that “goldilocks” zone like the KM7 Hybrid does.

Tuned down to A, the ’78 Pickups really impressed me again. They are still very midrange-focused, but the bass seems to be cut a little compared to the 6 string models. This is great, because you can hear every note in a complex chord. The coil split is much more prominent with the 7 string model, especially on the lower strings. If you are going for that “Djent” tone then you can get it pretty easy with a pull of the tone knob.

But I find that the Schecter Rob Scallon 7 string is capable of more than just heavy chugging tones. I did some chordal tapping, and every note really jumps out at you with the coils split. This sounds beautiful clean, or with a little dirt on it. The upper harmonics all ring out, and the jumbo frets feel great while tapping and bending. Playing lead is easy all the way up the neck, and it barely feels fanned.

Both the 6 string and the 7 string Schecter Rob Scallon models have a great neck pickup. If you like to solo on the neck pickup with the tone turned down a little, then the ’78 Pickups are going to be perfect for you. The neck humbucker does that smooth/creamy tone that I usually associate with Les Paul guitars, and it sounds even better when you pull the coil tap. The bridge pickup is also versatile, and it can really chug under high gain. The bridge is midrange boosted as well, so those lower strings have definition.

This is a rare case for me, since I almost always play heavier music with my 7 strings. But here, I feel like the clean tones on the Schecter Rob Scallon 7 string are really amazing. I also want to point out how slight the fanning is with the frets. It is hard to tell in pictures, but you barely notice it when playing. I was able to play solos, as well as big chords with no issues at all.

If you have always wanted to try out multi-scale, but the fan frets put you off the whole idea…the Schecter Rob Scallon 7 string might be a good “in between” option. Most fan fret guitars have the “zero fret” at the 12th fret, making the lower notes more of a stretch. That works great for playing single notes on the bottom strings, but for playing chords it can be a chore. This is the perfect compromise in my opinion.

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Schecter Rob Scallon Lineup: 8 String

It seems like it was only a few years ago that everyone wanted to play an 8 string. I have owned a couple, but I always just go back to my 7 string guitars because I have never found an 8 string neck that I vibe with. I sold my last 8 string in 2014, and never looked back. I guess that has changed as of yesterday, because the Schecter Rob Scallon 8 String is now on my “buy list”. A lot of factors contribute to this decision on my part, and I will explain it the best I can. But first, the specs:

• Satin Dark Roast Color
• Swamp Ash Body
• Mahogany Neck
• Ebony Board
• Neck Thru Construction
• Neck: Mahogany 3-pc w/ Carbon Fiber Reinforcement Rods
• Pearloid Reverse Dots
• Familiar C Shape Neck
• Hipshot Grip Lock Tuners
• Hipshot Bridge
• 20” Radius
• Graph Tech XL Black TUSQ Nut
• Schecter ’78 Pickups
• Coil Tap On Tone Knob
• 27”-25.5 Scale Length

If we go back to almost a decade ago, we can find Rob Scallon in his laundry room playing a Schecter 8 String on YouTube. This video was absolutely pivotal when it came to his popularity. The song was called “Anchor”, and it was the first time that I had seen someone play the 8 string guitar like that. I was used to Meshuggah for most 8 string examples, and here Rob was playing some gorgeous cleans.

So like I said earlier, the new Schecter Rob Scallon C-8 model is like Rob coming back home. Schecter is where he started his journey, and he has had years of testing and experimentation to decipher what he needs in an 8 string. Over the years, he has played quite a few 8 strings from cheap to super high end to quell that need. Fortunately, I have also had quite a few years to figure out what I need as well!

Testing:

The very first thing I noticed about the Schecter Rob Scallon C-8 was the weight and balance. This guitar balances really well, whether you are sitting down or standing up. It does weigh 8.9lbs, but this is an 8 string, so I expect it to weigh a little more than a typical guitar. Still, I have held heavier Gibson guitars in my life so the swamp ash wings really make a difference.

The neck is the standout feature on the Rob Scallon C-8 by a mile, and we will get to that in a second. The 8 string comes with Ernie Ball 8 EX #2624 (.009 – .080) strings, and I think this makes a world of a difference. The string tension is more balanced on this 8 string than any other production extended range guitar that I have tried out over the last two years. The “zero fret” is still the 7th fret as well, and this feature has made me change my mind about multi-scale guitars.

The neck is one of the thinnest 8 string necks I have ever played, and in fact, it feels closer to my Schecter Demon 7 than an 8 string to me. I was able to make chords just fine at the lower end of the neck, and solos were also a breeze. The string set has a lot to do with this, though. Having a .009 for the high E string felt so natural when bending. The same can be said on the opposite end of the spectrum with the .080 string for the low F#. I tuned it down to E, and the tension was perfect.

Even Ibanez 8 string necks have always been too wide for my taste, especially as you get higher up towards the 12th-15th frets. But I had no problems at all with the Schecter Rob Scallon, and that is exactly why I am buying this model. I think I finally get the appeal of 8 string guitars, since I finally found one that has amazing playability. No hand cramps here, and it honestly feels closer to a 7 string neck when it comes to size.

The Schecter ’78 Pickups are again perfect for extended range, and the midrange is still boosted with a bass frequency cut. These are like a slightly hot PAF in my opinion, and they really work with that bottom string. The bass cut was genius, because it takes the “boom” out of the lower strings without making the higher strings sound “screechy”. The sound is pretty even across the whole fretboard, which is another issue I have always had with 8 strings. They were never balanced tonally.

Using high gain settings, this thing chugs on the bridge pickup. The string separation is very noticeable, and every note rings out. For the first time, I was able to chug a power chord on the lower register of an 8 string, and still have clarity. If you split the coil on the bridge, you get even more clarity and I can see myself playing along to the DOOM soundtrack with this setting.

Clean tones sound great with both pickups engaged in the middle position, and you get an almost acoustic quality with the tone. The neck pickup has a lot of bass dialed out of it, but you can still get a creamy lead tone by turning down the tone knob. But the split coil neck tones is what sold me the most, with a clean tone. Add a little reverb and delay, and this thing is perfect for chordal tapping and using the low string for a moving bass note. Think “Neon” by John Mayer.

The Schecter Rob Scallon C-8 is the antithesis of every “normal” scale 8 string I have owned. I have tried higher end multi-scale 8 strings before, and just didn’t jive with them. Out of all 3 of the models, this was the one I was least excited about! But it turns out that I really fell in love with it. I wish I would’ve had about 30 more minutes with it, but I got just enough time to realize how outstanding it is. I think I finally get the idea of 8 strings.

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Schecter Rob Scallon Lineup: Wrapping Up

The video above has some sound samples, and Rob is clearly enthusiastic about his new models. I went into this review feeling a little unenthusiastic about the new lineup. I thought these were going to be closer to his Chapman guitars due to the aesthetics. But I was super wrong, and I walked away totally surprised.

Not only has this changed my mind about multi-scale guitars, but it has also changed my whole view on 8 string fan fret guitars as well. You can tell that a lot of love went into the Schecter Rob Scallon lineup, and a metric ton of thought went into these as well. Having such a slight fan on the necks is a game changer for people that are new to fan fret instruments. It is so much less intimidating with these Schecter Rob Scallon extended range guitars.

The Schecter ’78 Pickups are also something that was a huge surprise. In the video, Rob explains that he wanted the pickups to work for everyone, and multiple genres of music. They not only do that, but the frequencies are dialed in perfectly for each model. The 7 and 8 string models don’t have that awful “bass boom” on the lower strings, which is a problem that many extended range guitars have with stock pickups.

The Schecter Rob Scallon guitars are a great addition to the 2022 Schecter lineup, and these add a classy option for people that want a 7 or 8 string that doesn’t look “Metal”. Which is really ironic for Schecter, since they are usually known for having a “Metal” aesthetic. Guitarists often overlook the Schecter models that are a little less tame with the abalone and “Evil” aesthetics, but they are out there!

If you are looking to get into 7 or 8 string multi-scale, but have always been a little intimidated by the idea, the Schecter Rob Scallon lineup is a “safe” gateway to the possibilities the instruments offer. All in all, I am super impressed with all three models. Schecter is set to release a few more models this year, and if this is any indication of where they are going, I am excited.