Schecter Retro Series Diamond-P Plus Bass Guitar in Dark Vintage Sunburst Finish

The New Redesigned Schecter Diamond-P Plus Bass

For 2015 we took the Diamond-P shape and redesigned it from the ground up to have a Vintage look while having top of the line electronics, versatile tone possibilities, and modern construction.

Starting with the Seymour Duncan Pickups, the Bridge pickup is the MM style ‘SMB-4D’, and the Neck pickup is the Quarter Pound P ‘SPB-3’. The SMB-4D is a hum-canceling pickup offering a balanced, highly musical tone contour with a richly articulated bottom, lots of midrange, and the treble has a great bite. The SPB-3 pickup features quarter-inch diameter pole pieces expanding the magnetic field and extending the frequency ranges for a fat, full, punchy sound with tremendous mid-range presence and maximum output. Though often used for heavy rock tones, this pickup gives amazing tonal versatility to a single pickup instrument making this the most popular Seymour Duncan Bass pickup.

The Master Volume knob features a ‘Series-Parallel’ Push-Pull pot wired for the ‘SMB-4D’ MM Bridge pickup. In ‘Series’ (Down position) the Seymour Duncan MM is wired as a high output Humbucker with Massive Low-end and amazing Midrange Attack. In ‘Parallel’ (Up position) still hum-cancelling the pickup has a wonderful Vintage tone rounding off the Midrange and focusing on a sparkling Treble upper spectrum in tone.

We were looking for the most versatile tone possibilities so we developed this bass with a 4-Way Rotary Pickup Selector Switch. This gives you the option to combine the Bridge and Neck pickup in Series or in Parallel.

• Position 1- Bridge Pickup

• Position 2- Bridge & Neck in 'Parallel'. This is the normal side by side wiring method for two bass pickups. This position retains brilliance and additional clarity on the high end.

• Position 3- Bridge & Neck in 'Series'. This humbucker wiring method adds 30% Output compared to Parallel adding a fuller, and more powerful sound. Taking the SMB-4D and Quarter Pound SPB-3 pickup, both massive on their own, and then selecting the 'Series' position you get a Superbucker with enough torque to kick start a 10,000hp Dragster. Inspiring and groundbreaking in tone.

• Position 4- Neck Pickup

We took these wiring features and then added the Seymour Duncan 2-Band Active EQ with 18v system for even more tone shaping versatility. This enables the player to add or subtract EQ at center frequencies voiced specifically for electric bass. The lows are deep, clear, and tight. There are two treble ‘dip switch’ frequency centers to choose from. The lower setting is perfect for adding growl and bite to traditional P, J, and MM tones. The higher setting provides crystal clear top end to modern-sounding, full-frequency bass tones with punishing clarity without any brittleness.

 After we got the Electronics tricked out we worked on the Construction of the bass.

• The Bolt-on Neck Joint was reshaped and contoured for smoother access to the higher frets.

• The Neck is bolted down with 6 Bolts for a stronger Neck/Body bond.

• Carbon Fiber reinforcement rods are used in the neck to strengthen the neck relief and preventing any neck shifting.

• The Fretboard features a 12” radius adding a Modern roundness to the feel.

• The Wilkinson WBBC bridge was Customized with a ‘String-Thru Body’ design for a Vintage look & sound and Modern String-Thru for added String Resonance & increased Sustain.

• Grover 142 Series ‘Vintage’ Bass tuners. Precision and durability with classic styling make these bass machine heads ideal for a Vintage look and Modern functions. The die cast housing is a sturdy foundation for maintaining center lines of the worm and gear. A fixed bearing surface in the housing creates a smooth tuning surface for easy tuning and 22:1 gear ratio. The safety string post and “elephant ear” button provide utility and a vintage look.