NAMM 2024: Guitarists often complain about a lack of new and original body shapes on offer from gear firms, so all credit to Schecter, which has gone all-in on Machine Gun Kelly’s wild new Razorblade signature guitar.
There’s no mistaking the inspiration when it comes to the electric guitar’s solid basswood body, which has been carved into a razor blade shape with a metallic scratchplate covering the entire top.
In fact, such is its novelty value, that Schecter’s initial announcement on Instagram [below] was greeted by a host of commenters comparing it to the mocked-up output of comedy guitar brand Chibson – purveyor of the Hand Pick and the Durst ’Burst.
The lead comment comparing the two – “NGL I thought this was a Chibson post at first” – now has over 3,000 likes and, to give Schecter credit, we’re pretty sure it knew exactly what it was doing in putting together that Instagram graphic.
Either way, Schecter has got people’s attention, so let’s head back to the guitar itself...
Alongside that distinctive basswood body, there’s a bolt-on, three-piece maple neck shaped into a Thin ‘C’ profile, which should make it fairly speedy.
This is topped with an ebony fretboard with 22 ‘X-Jumbo’ frets and an XX inlay on the 12th fret. If you’re an MGK newbie, the XX is a reference to his ‘EST XX’ slogan (standing for Everyone Stand Together).
Other hardware includes a Tusq XL nut and a Hipshot hardtail bridge for rock, which are clearly favored for their tuning stability, given MGK’s propensity for throwing himself about onstage.
Similarly, the electronics nod to the ‘alma mater’ of pop punk signature guitars – Fender’s Tom DeLonge Stratocaster – utilizing a single bridge humbucker with a volume knob.
However, unlike the TD Strat (which commits to the beast-like Seymour Duncan Invader humbucker), the Razorblade offers a little more tonal flexibility in the form of a Schecter Pasadena Plus.
This is an Alnico V pickup that is pitched as a ‘best of both worlds’ option, spanning single coil and humbucker-style tones, with a slight emphasis on the upper mids.
As such, it will pair nicely with overdrives/distortions, but it should still be possible to get a decent clean tone out of it. Though, if you’re in the market for a Razorblade-shaped guitar, this is probably not your top priority.
Finally, amid the other chrome hardware, you might spot a single toggle switch – actually a kill switch, which is handy for instant muting, or Tom Morello-style stutters. Essentially, the spec mirrors that of MGK’s OG Schecter signature PT, which was actually a really good guitar.
It’s all put together in South Korea. Price-wise, the Razorblade comes in at $1,499, which is pretty steep for a single-pickup offshore build.
Obviously, there will be a significant amount of retooling required to produce what is a completely original new body, but it does put it up there with the likes of Epiphone Greeny’s realm of ‘premium imports’.
Meanwhile, Schecter’s ‘tribute’ to Chibson’s unique marketing style has not gone unnoticed. Quick off the mark as ever (an advantage of not actually physically producing most of your products), Chibson has already announced the arrival of its own rival safety-razor inspired design, ‘The Hell Razor’...
For more information on the Machine Gun Kelly Razorblade, head to Schecter.
