Schecter Omen Extreme-6 Guitar Review

Are you looking for a shred machine on a budget?

With cut-price guitars, things get a little tricky. There’s plenty of underperforming guitars in the entry-level price range.

So let’s introduce you to the Schecter Omen Extreme-6.

The Omen Extreme-6 has a heavy sound and aims to please wild guitarists. For fast-playing, this Schecter meets all your shredding needs.

So is it for you?

In this review, you’ll learn about build quality, tonewoods, hardware, sound, and more. By picking it apart, by the end of this review, you’ll know whether the Extreme 6 is the guitar for you.

So let’s dive in with the Schecter Omen Extreme-6 review.

About Schecter Guitars 

Schecter Guitar Research, or Schecter for short, was founded in 1976 by David Schecter. Based in California, they would produce replacement guitar parts.

Schecter didn’t manufacture their first full guitar until 1979. Early guitars were limited run available in only twenty vendors in the US.

A group of Texas investors purchased Schecter in 1983 and later Japanese entrepreneur, Hisatake Shibuya acquired the company in 1987.

Today, the Schecter catalog caters to diverse musical tastes. Famous Schecter players include Disturbed, Papa Roach, and The Cure.

Check out my full guide on the Best Schecter Guitars

Schecter Omen Extreme-6 Highlights: 

There’s a lot to like about the Schecter Omen Extreme-6. It looks like a much more expensive guitar with its sleek curves and classy binding.

But there are always areas to scrutinize. So, this is what’s to like and what’s not to like.

What We Liked

• Killer distorted tone. The hot pickups produce a prime distorted tone.
• Value for money. This guitar looks and feels like a more expensive instrument.
• Aesthetics. This is a cool-looking guitar. From the inlay design to the binding to the body shape. It’s pleasing to the eye.

What We Didn’t Like  

• Clean tones sound a little boxy.
• Out-of-the-box strings need breaking in.
• Lack of versatility. With push and pull dials you can dial in an array of tones. But there’s only one domain that the Schecter Omen Extreme 6 excels. In some genres, it won’t sound at home. But, at this price, you can’t expect it all.

Schecter Omen Extreme-6 Review: Features & Specifications

• The cream binding is an elegant and artistic touch.
• Double cut body design for comfortable access to all 24 frets.
• Contoured body with the 3D gloss that sparkles under stage lights.
• Push-Pull Diamond pickups deliver high output humbucker throaty grit.
• Thin C profile maple bolt-on neck for increased playability and speed playing.

Schecter Omen Extreme-6 Review: Our Insights

The Schecter Omen Extreme-6 is a top performer. But let’s get into the finer details to see if it’s really for you.

Build Quality

Built-in Indonesia, the build quality of the Schecter Omen Extreme-6 has many positives. In fact, this guitar shows Asian imports deserve respect. Let’s look at finer details.

The body has a carved top veneer. With delicate contouring and a smooth finish, the body appears to be the product of skilled luthiers.

There are sturdy connections throughout. Using a scarf joint, the headstock feels solid. 

So what’s a scarf joint on the guitar?

A scarf joint is a type of joint that attaches the headstock to the neck, interlocking them together. The major benefit is the added strength.

The bolt-on neck offers a well-manufactured connection between neck and body. A tasteful black plate hides the bolts.

In the hand, the Schecter Omen Extreme-6 feels robust and worthy of a more expensive price tag. Although sturdy, it feels lightweight and easy on the shoulder.

Tone Woods

The Schecter Omen Extreme 6 has premium looks and the tonewoods play a huge role in this. Here are some highlights:

• A body of mahogany topped with a maple veneer is proven to deliver tonal grace and durability.
• The gloss finish protects the woods showcasing the grain character under the lights.
• The neck woods contribute to the playing experience. Smooth and speedy, the satin maple neck is pleasant on the hand. While the rosewood fingerboard is light on the fingertips.
• Flowing throughout the periphery, the cream binding flows from the headstock to the body, it’s a pleasant visual.

Overall, the tonewoods are of prime stock. There are no signs of cost-cutting in this department.

Hardware and Electronics

The hardware on the Schecter Omen Extreme-6 looks classy. But it also serves a purpose.

The tune-o-matic bridge feels resilient and helps fine-tune strings for precise intonation.

Strings travel from the bridge into a through body design. It’s a tidy feature and pleasing to the eye. But also, the string through the body increases sustain. So, if you want notes to ring out, this guitar meets all resonance needs.

Black chrome Schecter tuners are firm to turn but not stiff. These tuners do their job. There is no doubt locking tuners would improve stability. You should explore this upgrade if you plan to do some heavy gigging.

Even the dome head dials feel firm. The two-volume and master tone is adjustable by metal controls. A screw keeps them secure and won’t budge after frequent use.

The 3-way toggle switch that shifts through pickups has a vintage “clunk” upon changing pickup selections.

Schecter Omen Extreme-6 houses top hardware. On hardware, alone you wouldn’t suspect the cheap price tag.

Sound

The Extreme-6 thrives with distortion because of the hot Diamond Plus humbucking pickups. This guitar needs the right amp and pedal, and when you hit the sweet spot it sounds huge!

For the ultimate metal and hard rock tone, consider a Laney Black Country with a REVVG3 distortion pedal. This is a tone belonging to a Black Sabbath recording and proves with some premium gear you can get a pro sound from the Extreme 6.

With the string-through-body design supplying sustain, all that’s needed is some snap. The maple bolt-on neck adds snappy harmonics to a quintessential rock tone.

At home with distortion, but how does it hold up clean? With coil-splitting capabilities, the Omen Extreme-6 has you covered for clean and crunch.

With a 3-way selector, there are six pickup combinations for you to explore. The clean tones work great for breaks in songs. If you want to go wild to mild mid-song, the Extreme-6 is ideal.

This guitar is at home with rock intensity. While the clean tones work for breaks in songs, there are better options if this is your dominant sound.

The cleans may sound a little boxy but this guitar is in its natural habitat with distortion. From progressive, blues, rock, and metal this guitar has the ingredients to be the backbone of a heavy sound.

Playability

The Schecter Omen Extreme-6 is for fast playing. To achieve the ease of flying along the fretboard it needs a few attributes. Let’s look:

• Strings. Out-of-the-box the guitar comes with Ernie Ball Slinky, .010-.046 gauge strings. The thinner strings are superb for playing a series of notes in speedy succession.
• Action. The low action makes fretting easy and fast.
• C-Shape Neck. With its thin “C” maple neck, traveling along the neck is smooth on the hand.
• Flat-radius fingerboard. The flat rosewood fretboard has lead playing in mind. More rounded fingerboards make it easier to shape chords whereas flatter dimensions suit lead runs.
• Tall frets. Nice and roomy frets allow for big bends and fast runs.
• 24 frets. You can attack all the frets thanks to the deep cutaway body.

Perhaps the biggest issue with playability comes from settling in the strings. This is a very minor issue. So what’s this mean? Upon arrival, you may need to stretch the strings. Just give them a little tug, then tune and repeat.

Also, there could be an issue down the line with the nut. Considering that this guitar has hard playing in mind. It might wear so an upgrade might improve tuning stability and action.

Value

For under $500, the quality of the Schecter Omen Extreme-6 deserves respect.

There’s serious competition in this price, but this Schecter is a guitar fit for a heavy rocking purpose. If you want a guitar to tap and shred, this guitar feels like a custom shop created for your every need.

This makes it priceless for many players. Combined with the build quality and high-octane rock sound it offers serious bang for the buck.

Schecter Omen Extreme-6 Review: Buying Experience

Before buying an instrument, ask about the return policy and warranty. These policies vary from store to store so do your research. Let’s talk about the buying experience from Sweetwater.

Shipping

Sweetwater ship for free. This is one less cost to worry about.

Costing around $500, the Schecter Omen Extreme-6 qualifies for the 55-point inspection. Reassuring as the guitar will have a test drive and a once over by trained staff.

For added protection, order a hardshell case from Sweetwater. They’ll put your new Schecter inside before shipping. If not, they’ll ship in cardboard. On the whole, there are few issues, but it’s advisable to have a case in the long run.

Warranty

Upon inspection of the Schecter Omen Extreme-6, the build quality is a highlight. But, it’s best to be safe, and a warranty covers the product.

Sweetwater offers a free 2-year warranty and a lifetime warranty is available from Schecter.

The Sweetwater warranty comes “in the box” whereas you’ll have to register for the Schecter warranty. There’s plenty of fine print. But to summarize, if you’re the original owner and any defects aren’t your fault—you’ll have cover.

Return Policy

While confident you’ll love the Schecter Omen Extreme-6, it isn’t for everyone. So what if you don’t like it?!

The Sweetwater “no-hassle” return policy makes things simple. You have 30-days to take your guitar for a test drive. If you find it’s not for you—send it back.

As long as it’s in the same new condition you can return it regardless of the reason for return.

Should You Buy the Schecter Omen Extreme-6?

You should consider the Schecter Omen Extreme-6 in the following circumstances:

• You want a new super strat guitar on a limited budget.
• You want a guitar to make speed techniques like tapping easier.

• You’re a metalhead looking for an intense rocking distorted tone.
• You’re a guitarist looking to expand their tonal palette.

The Schecter Omen Extreme-6 is a master of distortion. For heavy rock, this guitar will meet your demands.

Considering the price point, this is a solid starting point for any heavy rock rig. And, it has the playability to help you progress your skill set.

Schecter Omen Extreme-6 Alternatives

It’s important to explore all your options when buying a guitar. You want to make sure you have the best one to suit your needs. So let’s look at some like-priced alternatives.

Schecter Omen Extreme-6 Vs ESP LTD EC-256

For two guitars that look so different, they actually have a lot in common.

Same top build quality. A comparable raucous rock tone and let’s not forget both retail at a similar price point.

So why would you opt for the ESP LTD Eclipse EC-256?

There are simple reasons and some more complex.

Let’s start with the basics. The ESP LTD Eclipse EC-256 has a Les Paul-like body. A direct competitor to Epiphone, if super-strat isn’t your thing, the EC-256 will suit you more.

So what about the finer details?

The drawback of the Les Paul-like body is the weight. Considering the stable build quality it isn’t too heavy, but it is heavier than the Schecter. So if mobility is on your agenda. The Schecter will offer more freedom.

The ESP LTD Eclipse EC-256 has a set-in neck. You could argue this guitar offers a faster attack on the Schecter.

But, in terms of quality and sound, it’s fine margins. The ESP LTD Eclipse EC-256 offers a darker variation of a rock tone. Ultimately, the body shape will be the biggest determining factor on whether the ESP is the right choice for you.

Schecter Omen Extreme-6 Vs Ibanez JEMJR

When Steve Vai puts his name to a guitar, you know what to expect.

The JEMJR and Schecter Omen Extreme-6 a similar price. Putting these guitars against each other is like a drag race. They’re both designed for speed playing.

While both fantastic guitars, you can decide a winner in this shred-off.

It’ll all be down to your musical taste. If you’re more Slayer than Whitesnake. The Schecter Omen Extreme-6 has hot pickups for pure noise.

The JEMJR is a great-sounding guitar. It takes to light distortion and clean tones sparkle. With humbuckers and a single-coil, the JEMJR has an abundance of tonal nuances.

Both guitars excel in playability with their comfy necks. But the contrasting tones can sway your decision.

The JEMJR is a modernized guitar whereas the Extreme-6 is a tidier stripped-back appearance. Needless to say, if you’re a Steve Vai enthusiast, there’s only one choice.

Check out my guide on the Best Ibanez Electric Guitars

Schecter Omen Extreme-6 Vs PRS SE Standard 24

The PRS SE Standard 24 is a crossover between a Fender and a Strat. For a guitarist who wants affordable versatility, the SE Standard 24 is a frontrunner.

But let’s have a look at a few more standout differences:

• Price. The PRS is over $150 more expensive than the Schecter. The price hike might rule out the PRS for anyone on a budget.
• Vibrato. The SE Standard 24 has a tremolo bridge.
• Neck radius. The Schecter has a 14″ radius whereas the PRS has a 10″.
• PRS SE Standard 24 has a set neck Vs Omen Extreme 6 bolt-on neck.

PRS has a huge reputation for build and sound quality. The SE Standard 24 is an affordable version of the Custom 24. While it may not compete with the Custom, the Standard isn’t far off, it’s an amazing guitar.

A more famous brand, the kudos that comes with owning a PRS could be a big enough reason to go for the SE Standard 24.

If you’re exploring sounds, the SE Standard 24 is a guitar with few boundaries. But let’s not forget, if you’re metal all the way, the Schecter Omen Extreme-6 does big throaty tones like no other at this price.

Check out my full guide on the Best PRS Guitars

The Bottom Line

Costing the cheaper side of $500, the Schecter Omen Extreme-6 is a cost-effective top performer. Here where it’s great:

• Robust build quality.
• A gritty premium distorted tone.
• Speedy playability for techniques like shredding.

If you haven’t got a huge budget, this guitar could be the answer. If you’re a rhythm guitar looking for a sparkling clean tone, there’ll be better options.

But, whatever skill level, there’s reason to love this guitar.

• Beginners. With its entry-level price and peak playability. This guitar will help you learn lead techniques.
• Intermediates. Exploring different amp and pedal options with the Omen Extreme-6  is fun. You’ll be able to forge a big rock and metal tone.
• Professionals. This guitar offers something different from the norm. As a studio accessory, it’s on hand when you need to lay down heavy lead parts.

With a larger budget, there are guitars more suited to the pro. But at this price range, you’re getting value.

This guitar is a metal machine with its big tone and pleasing aesthetics. So if you get the opportunity, crank your amp up to 10, and take it for a spin.