In this video I put two Schecter S-types on the table and basically ask the question out loud: why are these hitting harder than a lot of the “big name” stuff right now? First up is the Schecter Sun Valley Super Shredder HT Exotic—yeah, that whole name is a lot—and the “Exotic” part is that black limba body. It’s bolt-on, has killer upper fret access, a wenge neck with luminlay side dots, carbon fiber reinforcement, locking tuners, a TUSQ nut, and a Hipshot Ibby high-mass brass bridge that’s bright, punchy, and super articulate in the low end. Pickup-wise it’s Sunset Strip in the neck and Pasadena Plus in the bridge, and they’re straight up chef’s kiss. Then I jump to the Nick Johnston HSS and I’ll be real: I like it a little more. It doesn’t feel pigeonholed—it’s that perfect bridge between vintage S-type vibes and modern specs. Alder body, ebony board, thin C neck, locking tuners, TUSQ nut, Diamond Vintage trem, and a really usable pickup set with the Schecter 78 for classic PAF territory plus the Nick Johnston singles for bright, stratty tones. Both guitars showed up with QC so consistent I just tuned to pitch and hit record, and both land at four out of five on my teapot scale—mainly because no hard case in the box.