The piezo system sounds good, yet is fairly typical of piezo pickup
sounds. As I mentioned, it’s difficult to jack straight into the board and
expect to get a shimmery and full acoustic sound, but with some
manipulating I was able to get a convincing acoustic tone that would
work in a pinch if there was no acoustic amp on hand. Mixing the signals together opened up a larger tonal palate, and over time I found
myself blending a little piezo in to get some additional definition and
clarity when using the neck pickup.
Tones out of the magnetic pickups ranged quite widely from deep and
clear to jabby and woody. There were times when the SCHS required
more fiddling with the tone controls on my amps due to the fact that
my typical settings were not meant for this type of guitar. It was pretty
cool to stray from the regular vibe of a solidbody guitar and play a
fully hollowbody instrument, though. By nature, it’s so different that
it can’t be compared to the typical or familiar. It’s not a jazz box per
se, nor is it a semi-hollowbody or an acoustic guitar, yet it would work
well in just about any situation outside of the heaviest of styles. This is
not a guitar that loves super high gain amps, but it does have its way
with small tube combos. Playing through an early-fifties Supro Comet
(similar to Page’s amp on the first two Zeppelin records) with just an 8”
speaker and volume control, I was able to generate a really wide variety
of usable and inspiring sounds. It’s hard to put a finger on the sound
unless you hear it, but that’s what makes it a nice departure from
the familiar. I’d say it sits nicely in the somewhat mellower side of
the tonal spectrum but it still has plenty of clarity. I spent a lot of
time revisiting acoustic songs I’d written
as well as new songs
inspired by the sound
of a wound G-string,
which the SHCS comes
setup with ( 11-52).
Buy If...
you’re looking for a high quality and
unique sound that doesn’t come from
a solidbody or semihollowbody guitar.
The SCH In Action
The SCHS is an adventurous instrument created for adventurous
guitarists looking for
new sounds. During
the time I had it
there were many new
places that I found
good use for it. From
subtle additions to
completed songs that
needed a new texture,
to entirely new music
created simply by the
inspiration of a sound
that didn’t borrow
from anything, I thoroughly enjoyed it. This
is a special guitar that
has a voice that should
be heard; in the melting pot of modern
music, the SCHS is a
welcome addition to
our tonal palate and
one I hope to hear a
lot more of.
Skip If...
rockin’ is your only business… and
business is good.
Rating... 4.0
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