Synyster Gates and Schecter have teamed up once again for a new signature guitar that extends the Avenged Sevenfold guitarist’s range to seven-strings and removes the head for those on-trend Strandberg vibes.
Schecter is offering the Synyster Gates Custom-7 TR Headless in right and left-handed versions, each in Oak Green Metallic finish with gold hardware, frets, inlays and pickup coverings. And if you are really taken by that gold, there is also a chrome gold version available direct from Gates himself that will set you back $7,499.
Let’s look at that, first, because it’s not everyday that you see an all-gold headless seven-string guitar. This, says Gates, is his second guitar created on blockchain, so buyer’s will get this 21st-century digital certificate of authenticity along with a gnarly guitar that’s limited to just 25 units worldwide.
You might even have seen Gates with one, and that would be unusual. Since when did he play the seven-string? Well, the all-gold ‘Nobody’ headless seven-string is the clue. It’s a pinch-hitter for that yowling, droning riff on Nobody.
Gates says he loves taking this one out on the road and if it gets a ding, well, that’s all part of its story. Though he understands entirely if you want to keep it a display piece.
This is a super small batch collectible art piece and I love taking mine on the road and pushing its boundaries
“The chrome paint on these guitars is a touch less scratch resistant than usual and will vary just slightly in texture due to the application process inherent to the metallic nature,” he writes. “This is a super small batch collectible art piece and I love taking mine on the road and pushing its boundaries. Some may prefer displaying their piece better preserving its original condition.”
Those who do choose to play it will be handling a guitar with mahogany wings, a maple centre, and a 4mm maple cap. It has similar inlays to the regular model, and of course that includes the gold frets.
At least, this is how it is described on Gates’ website. Presumably it shares the build of the regular Diamond Series Synyster Gates Custom-7 TR, which is described as having a chambered mahogany build with a maple centre – this, allied to the absence of a headstock, could potentially relieve some of the weight.
But then so could that shape. There is a huge cutaway below the Hipshot 7-string tremolo unit. The upper and lower horns call to mind his regular signature model – y’know, the one with the headstock like a stag beetle’s antlers?
Other essential details include a pair of Schecter USA Synyster Gates humbuckers, and the capability to coil-split them. The 26.5” scale length gives that low B (or A, etc) string a bit more tension for chugging metal guitar riffs. The “Ultra Thin” C profile neck and 16” fingerboard should accommodate all the shred techniques, including Gates’ signature sweeps.
The Synyster Gates Custom-7 TR Headless is priced $2,299, and is as radical a signature model we have seen in a while – or since Schecter teamed up with Machine Gun Kelly for the “Razor Blade”, which we described as “the wildest looking signature guitar you’ll see this year”.
Eleven months later, we would like to admit that “wildest” was a polite euphemism. It was kind of silly. But that's part of the fun, right? For more details on the Synyster Gates Custom-7 TR Headless, head over to Schecter.
