Head to head
Good looks? No buzz? Bright tone? T-styles on test...
The Schecter is the most comprehensive of the bunch in terms of electrics – and the heaviest, coming in a touch under 8.5lbs even with a large cavity under the scratchplate and upper body arm. The bridge pickup here can deliver teeth-rattling high end tone but the P-90 is one of the brightest neck pickups we’ve encountered – very useful for heavier rock tones. The parallel switch giving you nice throaty single-coil neck tone.
Next to that the 8lb Cort’s tones feel somewhat streamlined, but they come at £180 less. While we find it disconcerting that there’s some buzz on the Schecter’s low setup, there’s little to be found here on the TC’s medium low setup, with a clean and tidy build too – the finish sparkle offering a little pizzaz to our group. The bridge pickup has a steely twang without being thin – bright and punchy as promised, and then some. But the neck pickup doesn’t quite bring as much to the table, lacking the personality and percussive low-end poke of its own. And that makes the mid position quite a change from the bridge brightness at least.
Fender’s stealthy-looking Noir may look like a break from the norm but the modern Tele tone is here alright. In a group of smooth attractive satin necks it’s also a favourite, though the fact that this guitar has the most digit-friendly setup helps. Low and no buzz. The sound is a healthy balance of bright twang on the bridge and throaty girth on the neck position, with a nice strummy mellower territory on the middle, the volume and tone tweaking you between.
Our Ibanez lets things down with an action so loose and buzzy, we wonder if it’s escaped the factory too soon. Buzzing on every open string? Elsewhere this has a lot going for it. The neck looks utilitarian, but proves very compact and comfortable. And the tones are much more towards a bright Strat spank. Yes, it can funk.
the Cort’s tidy build and finish sparkle offers a litt le pizzaz to our group