Guitar Review - Schecter Omen-8

Schecter Omen-8 (2012 Model)
PRICE: $400

Recently, quite a few 8 string players have been popping up due to the rising popularity of bands like Periphery, Meshuggah, and Animals As Leaders. The problem is that there are very few 8 string guitars to choose from, especially if having a budget is an issue. Luckily, Schecter has brought us one of the absolute best choices in its price range. Schecter are known for making guitars that have a massive bang for your buck, regardless of the price range and this one is no exception.

OVERVIEW & FEATURES

The Omen-8 is an entry level 8-string, so the specifications of the guitar are for the most part what we've all come to expect by now. This guitar sports the tried and true  "Super Strat" contoured body design made of basswood with Schecter Diamond Plus humbucking pickups, black chrome hardware, volume/tone/3-way switch configuration, 26.5'' scale maple neck with a rosewood fingerboard, Schecter 15:1 gear tuners, and the bridge is the Schecter CTM-8 which is comparable to a Hipshot hardtail bridge, designed to carry the strings all the way through the body for increased sustain. In addition to the typical specs, there are a couple new things that have been added to the latest 2012 model. First off, the neck is reinforced with carbon fiber rods on each side of the trussrod for increased neck stability. The pickups, while they are the same as all of the other entry level guitars now are physically styled like active pickups to make it easier for those who may want to switch to something like EMG 808s later on. Next up is a Graphtech Black Tusq self lubricating nut to insure tuning stability and eliminate string binding. Last but not least, two visual upgrades have been added: Cross inlays similar to that of the Hellraiser series, and binding around the entire guitar, which differs depending on the finish.


VISUALS

This guitar comes in 3 finishes. Black, White, and Walnut Satin. The specific one being reviewed here is Walnut Satin, and it's absolutely stunning. For those who like a good natural finish, this is an excellent choice for a few reasons. Every Walnut Satin finish is a little different. They could have a different wood grain pattern, or a different brightness to the color. Either way, I've never seen a bad looking guitar with this finish. It's also a breath of fresh air and fits the overall design perfectly. Nothing sticks out like a sore thumb. The black binding and the cross inlays are a very welcome addition; definitely much nicer than the typical dot inlays and absence of binding on last year's model. The hardware being black chrome is a personal preference. Some prefer the black hardware from 2011, and some prefer the black chrome. However, both fit the guitar nicely. Black goes with just about anything, and even with black chrome on a dark colored guitar fits well due to the frets. There's just the right amount of contrast. The rosewood on the fretboard is also dark enough in contrast with the finish on the body and the headstock that it almost looks like ebony. Overall this guitar has a very unique look to it that you won't really get with any other stock guitar, and it's definitely going to turn heads.

BUILD QUALITY & PLAYABILITY

I have yet to find a poorly made Schecter guitar, and the Omen-8, though entry level is no exception. There are honestly no flaws in terms of craftsmanship with this guitar that I can find. The frets are dressed nicely, bends are smooth, the finish is flawless, the intonation is excellent, and it takes hours of playing as well as drastic temperature changes to knock it out of tune at all. Players who love to bend should feel pretty comfortable doing so. The only thing that would improve tuning stability on this guitar would be to put locking tuners on it. The action is nice and low with very minimal fretbuzz; not the kind of buzz that could be heard from an amp, and it's almost nonexistant. Both newcomers and veterans will be very pleased to know that not only is the neck satin finished, but it's quite thin for an 8 string. The thickness and contour of the neck gives a similar feel to a Jackson or Ibanez guitar, so there shouldn't be any problems transitioning from a 6 or 7 string guitar to this. It's also very balance, so no worries about neckdiving. For anyone plan on drop tuning, be prepared to get at the very least a thicker F# string. In standard tuning, there are no issues at all, but due to the scale length, there will definitely be some tension lost if playing on a tuning lower than standard. Any 8-string guitar including this one would benefit from a scale length of at least 27'' to keep string tension. While made of basswood, it's very dense and weighs even more than some guitars with mahogany bodies. Weight is not that big of an issue, and it's definitely not heavier than a Les Paul. This guitar is by far one of the most comfortable in its pricerange.

SOUND

This guitar resonates extremely well with excellent sustain. The Schecter Diamond Plus pickups are what one would expect on such a low priced guitar; decent to get started, and evenly voiced, but they won't win any awards. They can be pretty muddy especially on the low end, and they're not very high output at all. Anyone with a big enough pocket will definitely want to look into swapping them as soon as possible. Despite the pickups being somewhat mediocre, there is still an evenly balanced and deep tone. Most people purchase an 8-string for the intent of playing Metal, but the sound extremely versatile, and the added freedom with the extra octaves can work great for other genres such as Jazz.

FINAL VERDICT

Those who may be looking for their first 8-string guitar, or veterans that need a nice backup, look no further. You really can't go wrong with this one. The craftsmanship is excellent, the tone is deep and nicely balanced, it's comfortable, and it looks absolutely killer. For $400, the Omen-8 is alot of guitar for the money and can easily outperform higher priced competitors. Many players are extremely particular about how an instrument is crafted and what materials are used, including myself, and this guitar delivers a surprising level of quality. The only thing that I would change would be the scale length, but even then, it's nothing that thicker strings won't fix.

PROS:
-Amazing craftsmanship
-Looks killer, comes in three finishes
-Carbon fiber reinforced neck
-Great tuning stability thanks to well built 15:1 gear tuners & the Graphtech Black Tusq nut
-Extremely comfortable & easy to play despite being an 8-string guitar.
-New visual upgrades for the 2012 model: Cross inlays, Binding, 3 available finishes

CONS:
-Muddy stock pickups.
-26.5 scale length. This is a personal preference. Standard tuning is nice and tight, but anything lower might require thicker strings.

RATING: 5/5



Additional Note: I just wanted to fill you guys in on something. I bought this guitar from Drum City Guitarland. Don't do what I did. Look elsewhere. They advertise that when you buy a guitar, it comes with all this free stuff, and then they charge you $20 for it. Not only that, but they're incredibly rude to their customers. When I received the guitar, it was unplayable. It was in DESPERATE need of a setup. The neck had too much of a bow which gave it fretbuzz literally every fret all the way down the neck. They claim they give a free setup. When I mentioned this, all they did was argue back and forth with me, not coming up with any solution whatsoever, and I eventually had to spend an additional $25 to get a professional setup. Once I did, the tech confirmed that it was indeed just a case of a terrible setup. The intonation was off, the neck needed adjusting, and the action was set way too low. Thanks to Harrold at Highland Music, my guitar plays exactly like it should now.

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Benefits Of A Better Mic

This is mostly just a comparison between an entry level mic and a more expensive one. I've been using the Nady SP-5 dynamic mic to record vocals pretty much ever since I started making music. It's a $30 mic that can be found at Guitar Center and pretty much any music store. While it is a fairly rugged and lightweight mic, and works pretty well for live performance, I recently discovered with my latest song that this mic leaves something to be desired in the studio. So, it was decided that it's finally time to upgrade to a little more serious of a mic, and what better way is there to do that than to go with the tried and true industry standard, the legendary Shure SM58? Below are the pros and cons, comparing the performance of both mics.

NADY SP-5
Pros
1. Only $30
2. Built fairly well, lightweight.
3. Big bang for the buck in terms of overall performance. For $30 and under, it's hard to beat.

Cons
1. The black paint will wear off pretty easily
2. Drop this mic, be prepared to buy another windscreen
3. Lacks clarity in a studio recording. If the input gain is low, it's far too quiet, which will require alot of post production and sounds muffled. If the input gain is turned up, the output will be louder, but it will be muddy, and still sound slightly muffled without adding an equalizer. The worst part is (especially for Metal vocals,) it's very hard for this mic to capture the true sound and dynamics of said vocalist. As any producer also knows, on a vocal recording, if garbage goes in, garbage will come out. It's just alot harder to produce with this mic than it should be.
4. Clips very easily unless the input gain is down, which then will require the producer to use alot of compression and equalization. Even post production, it's still difficult to get a track to sit well in the mix with this mic.
5. Will pick up the pops from one's breath very easily.
6. Volume spikes. If the vocalist changes the volume in their voice at all, there will be very big volume spikes when loud, and if the vocalist gets quieter, the mic will go to a level that's so quiet that it makes the whole track uneven with itself, until heavy compression is added. This can also make the vocal track tedious to edit.
7. No on/off switch

Overall
It's a pretty big bang for your buck and will serve its purpose fairly well in live performances especially if run through a compressor, but the drawbacks make it very annoying to work with in a studio recording.

SHURE SM58
Pros
1. While it sells brand new for $100 a used one can be found for around $60 or less
2. Rock solid build quality and design.
3. Legendary, industry standard status.
4. Excellent sound clarity, and will sit in a mix well with very little post production. Captures the dynamics of the vocalist.
5. While some may prefer to have a pop filter on their mic anyway, it's not a complete must as long as the vocalist is careful. This mic blocks popping extremely well.
6. When changing the volume in your voice, the mic still does a good job at capturing the sound with no huge changes in output volume. Going from a moderate volume to loud, back to moderate or even slightly quieter is not nearly as much of a problem, and will make a pretty even vocal track overall without the need for a bunch of compression.
7. Does not clip even with the input gain 75% boosted.

Cons
1. No on/off switch (and also, no big deal)
2. Some input gain will need to be added in recordings for the vocalist to be heard without post production, but it still retains good sound quality.

Overall
This mic is excellent. It's got great sound quality, it's built to last, sits well in a mix, captures the dynamics of the vocalist, and simply lacks the drawbacks that the Nady SP-5 has.

FINAL VERDICT
I realize that both mics are in totally different leagues, but I just wanted to showcase the idea of "you get what you pay for". If one puchases the Shure SM58 used, only $20-30 more will get something that is light years ahead of the Nady SP-5 in terms of performances and quality. The  SP-5 is really not a bad mic especially for the price, and it will do the job in studio, but alot more work is involved and the end result is still not as good as what the SM58 will offer. Much less post production is needed with the SM58 and it just plain sounds better. It's got a legendary status for a reason. I now know that future songs will now sound much better and be much less of a hassle to record. If you're looking for a great quality mic at a price that won't break the bank, the SM58, new or used depending on your budget is definitely the way to go. Also, Shure makes a similar mic that is tailored more for instruments called the SM57 which costs the same, so keep that one in mind as well.

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Thinking about selling on eBay? Think again

I've been an eBay user for quite some time. A while back I had 60+ transactions, but eventually I got ticked off to the point where I just closed my eBay and Paypal. That's another story. About a year ago, I decided to start selling on eBay again. However, you may want to think about using an alternative to eBay when it comes to selling. People are currently employed and/or financially well off don't have much to worry about, but in today's economy, there are many people who are trying to spend the least amount of money they can, while keeping a steady job, including myself and those are the people who should watch out. Here's why.

Sellers on eBay have to pay a Final Value Fee every time an item is sold. This fee is based on how much the item sells for. The more money you make, the more money they take. Let's say you sell something for $100. with $10 shipping. They will take 9% of the $100 and 9% of the $100 separately, so the seller will actually only see $90.90. This doesn't seem like that much, but the more items that are sold, the more it will add up. Especially if high dollar items are sold. If one sells an item for $1,000, that's $90 that you're losing. Don't believe it? Here is the page on eBay explaining how the Final Value Fee is priced.

So that's one hefty fee sellers must face. Once the payment is received, and sent to the seller's Paypal account, Paypal takes it upon themselves to charge a percentage for every transaction as well. Unless the money is sent as a gift (which it usually isn't) the person on the receiving end will be charged another 2.9%. Here is my source.  Let's assume that an item is sold for $100 with $10 shipping again, so $90.90 is sent to the seller's Paypal account. Subtract another 2.9% of that total and that's another $2.64 lost. So in total, just from selling a $100 item, the seller has given eBay and Paypal $11.64. Take that and consider that most people do not sell just one item. The Final Value Fee however isn't charged to the seller right away. They take each fee, and make it one big charge at the end of the month which often can sneak up on you. Before you know it, you will be paying $30 or more depending on how much is sold by the end of the month. Here's the kicker with both the Final Value Fee with eBay and the transfer fee with Paypal. You're not paying two different companies for their service, you're paying one company twice. Paypal and eBay are the same company, and this has been confirmed by a Paypal employee on the phone as well. Sounds fishy doesn't it?

But that's not all! Let's say you're a new seller. If you have less than 25 transactions, you are obligated to either purchase eBay's shipping label and/or additional tracking info, or else the money that you made will be on hold for about 3 weeks by Paypal, and there is nothing you can do about it other than wait. Paypal has written in their policy that if the item has been marked as shipped and the seller has confirmed their satisfaction of the item they received by leaving positive feedback, the hold will be lifted. A few months ago, all I had to do was simply call Paypal up and point out that I have positive feedback to get the hold lifted. Not anymore! Apparently, they have yet to officially update their policy because despite what they have officially written, Paypal can more or less give you every excuse in the world to refuse lifting the hold on your funds. I was told on the phone by two people that I should have paid to get delivery confirmation, because a piece of paper is more important than the buyer's word, in their official positive feedback left on eBay. So not only do you have to pay both eBay and Paypal a certain percentage of the money you make, but they have several different criteria to insure that funds will be held no matter who it is that is selling. If you're new to eBay with less than 25 transactions despite having 100% positive feedback, or you don't sell a certain amount of items in 6 months, they expect you to pay a third time by either purchasing eBay's shipping label or getting delivery confirmation. This is just the tip of the iceberg. It seems like they have continuously updated this policy to have more requirements over the past year.

Paypal and eBay both boast their buyer protection, but they really couldn't care less about their sellers. Not only are sellers required to pay the same company twice, but they are also expected and obligated to pay a third time for additional delivery confirmation and/or eBay's shipping label. Here's another  problem that could arise. Some schmuck buyer may decide to have a charge back issued on their bank account, meaning there is the possibility that they not only can get your item, but they get all of your money as well. The way they can do this is simple. Lying to their bank or Paypal about the item despite it being accurate to the seller's description. This is not paranoia talking, because one guy tried it with me. Luckily the case was decided in my favor.

The moral of this story is simply be careful, and look for alternatives. Personally, I've had enough. I'm taking my business to Amazon.

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Making Mii's!

I got a little too entertained by the Nintendo Wii's function to create a "Mii" which is basically a little mascot character. So, I made some Mii's of some of my family, friends, and some just random.

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Things I've Learned From 'The Room'

So, I've just finished watching what is considered to be one of the worst movies of all time. Tommy Wiseau's 'The Room'. Just a quick summary for those who don't know exactly what The Room is. It's an independent film considered to be a Black Comedy, though it was only called that after it became widely infamous for being so bad that it's funny. The plot is about as basic as you can get. Man's future wife is having a love affair with his best friend..That's about it really. But they hilariously managed to put it all into an hour and thirty minutes.

"How is this movie educational" you ask? Well, here's what I've learned!

1. If you spot someone standing on a rooftop, they're just thinking.
2. Nobody can recognize you if you wear sunglasses.
3. If your girlfriend is wearing a sexy dress, drags you to your bedroom, and pins you down on the bed, you are most definitely about to have a pillow fight! There will also be a chance that a random creepy kid will run up and jump in the bed as well.
4. If one blows their brains out, and they lie motionless, they're apparently just sleeping despite the blood everywhere.
5. Tossing a football around in a dark alley with 4 other guys is better than sex! Who knew?
6. The appropriate response to someone trying to give advice is to push them off the edge of a building.
7. If someone holds a gun to your head, you are a terrible person.
8. Stupid comments come from your pocket.

Anybody else out there have any more to add to the list? Leave a comment below.

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STOP THE SOPA BILL

Seriously, if this is not stopped, say goodbye to free speech on the internet AND the sites you love such as YouTube, Facebook, etc.



Find out more at http://americancensorship.org


No, this is not spam. If you don't believe me, Google it.

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Gamestop Sucks

This is a blog geared towards musical discussions, but I've decided to do something a little different today. Mainly because I'm pissed off and people should know why.


INTRODUCTION
I wouldn't consider myself a current gen gamer. Infact, I'm almost exclusively a retro fanatic aside from a few select PC games like Fallout 3. However, recently I decided to pick up a Gamecube because I wanted to enjoy all the titles that I didn't get to when the PS2, GC, and Xbox were all current systems. Back when those systems were current, I not only bought from the store, but very often ordered from their website as well. Yes, there are alternatives, but there is no denying that Gamestop does have quite a few good prices on preowned titles, especially now that they're obsolete. I have never had any trouble with them and the experience has always been pleasant..until of course, this generation came along. Here's why.

THE LIES START HERE
So like I said, I just wanted to enjoy some Gamecube games that I never got the chance to. After shopping around online, pricing things, I was surprised that Gamestop happened to have some of the best deals on preowned games, even over places like Amazon, Ebay, and a couple of gaming community forums where people buy, sell and trade. Naturally, I placed an order for 3 games on the Gamestop website, since the store didn't have any of them. So I get my order in the mail on Saturday, I'm fairly excited because I've been focusing on making music for so long that I haven't really had much time to entertain myself and take a break. First, I just tested to see if each game worked. First up was Metroid Prime. It worked fine, but they sent me a completely busted case with it. It wouldn't even close. Not that big of a deal though as long as the game works. Second up was Wave Race: Blue Storm. Worked fine. Third was SSX Tricky, didn't even boot. So, right after I found this out, I gave Gamestop's customer service a call, which had me on hold for about 30 minutes before I actually got to someone, and told them the problem. They said that they'll be sending me a replacement with next day shipping, free of charge, and that the game would get to me on Tuesday at the latest. So, I thought "Cool, that was easy". I thought wrong.

I wait until Tuesday to call. What'd I get? Nothing; just a busy signal. I tried calling at about 5 different times in different parts of the day just to see if I'd get an answer. No answer on Tuesday. Waited until Wednesday morning, and finally got someone on the phone after being on hold again for about 30 minutes. Told them the issue, saying "I was told my order would be here by Tuesday at the latest, and now it's Wednesday and I've got no confirmation email or notification whatsoever, and of course no package". This person supposedly looked up my order and said "Oh no worries, your package is scheduled to be at your door later today". Again, I thought "Alright, cool. All is well". Well, in between the time of me having to deal with getting a replacement copy of SSX Tricky, I eventually found out that in random parts of Wave Race, I would get disc read errors, so I also told the same guy about Wave Race and said that I needed a replacement for that too. So, he put in an order for the replacement.

LIES EXTENDED!
I wait until about 6 PM for the UPS to leave my package at my door, and once again, no confirmation email, no package. I call again. First, I got a busy signal. Redialed, and got the automated machine basically saying "We have a high call volume, so we're not answering you". Dialed one more time and finally got past the automated stuff, and waited 45 minutes on hold. When the agent answered, I told them the story yet again, and this time asked for a tracking number. So the agent looks up my order and tells me that they haven't even shipped SSX Tricky. I thought "...Excuse me, WHAT did you just say?". Apparently, SSX Tricky is on back order. So, I was told by two different people that I would have SSX Tricky at my door by Tuesday, then by Wednesday, when in reality they actually didn't even have the game in stock in the first place. So I was lied to by two people, and at this point I was quite simply put: pissed off. This person was talking as if she was shocked at the previous agents' poor behavior. She then told me that the best she could do for me was either offer a refund or swap out the game for something different. I asked how much the refund would take, and she said 3 business days. I'm not about to wait 3 business days just to get my money back, when all I want is just to get what I paid for, so I told her to swap the replacement for Star Wars: Rogue Leader. I also had her make sure that Wave Race was actually on order for replacement, and she said it was, and then said my games would be at my door within 48 hours. Awesome! Everything is resolved

..NO IT ISN'T. THIS IS GETTING RIDICULOUS
It's now Friday. I got Wave Race: Blue Storm, and it works fine. No Star Wars though! So, again I call back. First, I got the automated guy again saying that they're not answering, then I got the busy signal, then I got another busy signal, then I got the automated guy saying they're not answering again, then another busy signal, and finally it got me through and put me on hold for about 40 minutes again. Once someone answered, I asked for a status update on the order. The agent I talked to this time looked into it and said that Star Wars wasn't even on my order. So that means I was lied to a third time in a row. By this point, I'm just about ready to say screw it. The guy I was talking to said he just now put in an order for it and it should process over the weekend. I told him that if I don't get at least a confirmation email if not the game itself by Tuesday, I'm going to supervisors and I'm demanding my money back for the entire order. Let's see how that unfolds.

3 GAMECUBE GAMES, WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL?
This is what the big deal is. I paid for them, it's been almost 2 weeks, and I still have not gotten what I paid for, and have been lied to 3 times so far, all the while having to spend a total of around 4 hours on the phone due to the extensive hold times, and the incompetent customer service agents taking forever to check just one simple document. Sure, I'm not paying for alot, but when I pay for something I expect to get it. Times are tough, and I am also unemployed. I've applied to more jobs than I can count now with no luck at all. So although I'm not spending hundreds of dollars a month on Gamestop's crap, what I do spend is hard earned money, because I have to work alot harder to get alot less than someone who has a minimum wage job.

MORE REASONS WHY IT'S BAD BUSINESS
As I said in the beginning of this post, I used to very frequently order and buy from Gamestop. Although I'm not really into the current generation, what's stopping me from going and buying a 3DS? It looks cool, and I indeed want one. Though I didn't spend money this time, based on a good experience, one simple order could have escalated into me buying several more things from them, giving them more of my hard earned cash on both new and preowned titles. But no. They seem to want to do everything in their power to screw someone who isn't a mama's boy wasting his life away with Call Of Duty and throwing money at them. This blog post might make little difference, since they are the biggest corporate juggernaut in the gaming market, but if it makes enough of an impact to warn future customers and save them some trouble, I've reached my goal.

MORE KEY POINTS
It should seriously not be this difficult to receive something that you paid for. Going into an actual Gamestop store isn't much better either because the clerks will often harass you, ignore you, or be rude. By harass I just mean something like walking in, looking for a new game, and then having them try to convince you to pay more money for a strategy guide, Edge card or whatever. Also, they sell a game and label it as "NEW" when they actually break the seal, open it, take the game out for their game drawers, and then put their stupid stickers on it. Yeah..doesn't sound so new to me. To anyone who may dismiss this article, I'm not the only one, and only a few of their problems have been mentioned in this article. Seriously, type in "Gamestop sucks" on Google and look at the slew of angry customers they have created. Another thing is that even if I do get my replacement game, there is no guarantee I'll get a working copy of the said game. Why? Because they themselves said that the only testing they do on preowned games is just making sure it will boot up. What about games that will boot up past the system logo and THEN crash? If this happens, then once again the customer (or myself in this case) is in limbo and having to deal with the same lying bullcrap all over again. Even if someone is buying a game that is brand new, it has been documented that the customer has not had a good experience. Once again, Google it and you'll see what I mean.

ALTERNATIVES TO GAMESTOP
Spend a couple extra dollars if you have to and shop elsewhere. At least you'll GET your item that way. Look around at flea markets, pawn shops, gaming community sites such as Racketboy or Pete's Game Room's buy/sell/trade sections. If you're too lazy to do that, then try Craigslist, Amazon, Ebay, Game Gavel, Game Crazy, Game Over if there's one near you, just simply ANY game store. If you're one of those people who will buy a new current generation game at retail price ($60) then just go to Walmart, Best Buy, or somewhere similar. Sure they're not game stores but at least you have a higher chance at getting better customer service.

CONCLUSION
I'll keep this section short. I am NEVER buying from them again. If I don't get my issue resolved by Tuesday, I'll update this post and tell about what else happens.

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