Schecter Guitar Research Ultra III Electric Guitar Vintage Red
A retro-modern mashup featuring three Duncan Designed Filter'Tron-style pickups, Bigsby vibrato, and a curves-for-days body. Schecter's answer to vintage vibes with enough output for hard rock when needed.
Critics
Pros & Cons
Pros
- +Exceptional unplugged resonance and sustain, indicating excellent tonewoods and construction
- +Three Duncan Designed FG-101 pickups deliver unique triple mini Filter'Tron tones covering jazz, blues, and hard rock
- +High-quality wood and electronics with meticulous build quality that's set up and ready to play out of the box
- +Versatile enough to handle jazz and blues clean tones while still capable of hard rock aggression
- +Guitars For Idiots reviewer called it better than Chapman and Jetstar models, a personal favorite
Cons
- −Bigsby vibrato on some units reported as stiff and not articulate compared to other Bigsby-equipped guitars
- −Pickups are vintage-voiced and could be hotter for players seeking aggressive modern tones
- −Retro body size makes finding a proper hard case difficult, requiring expensive Schecter-specific case
- −Tone pot reported as weak on some units with minimal audible difference across its sweep
The Verdict
That 100 EJ Score comes from a single 5-star Sweetwater review, so take it with appropriate skepticism, but the independent Guitars For Idiots review backs up the enthusiasm. This is a risky guitar on paper—retro body, vintage pickups, Bigsby—but Schecter nailed the execution. The triple Filter’Tron setup is genuinely unique in this price range, and build quality appears exceptional. QC on the Bigsby seems inconsistent, so play before you buy. At $1,099, it’s a compelling choice for players wanting vintage aesthetics with enough modern refinement to actually gig it.
