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Schecter C-8 Deluxe

Fender Parallel Universe Volume II Strat Jazz Deluxe

VS

Playability

75

Sound

66

Build

52

Value

74

Score

64

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Playability

70

Sound

79

Build

74

Value

64

Score

74

FIND IT ON:

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Schecter C-8 Deluxe vs Fender Parallel Universe Volume II Strat Jazz Deluxe

Price History Comparison

Schecter C-8 Deluxe Prices

• New from $399 >>
• New from $399 >>
• New from $399 >>
• New from $499 >>
• Used from $409.99 >>

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Which One is Better Overall?

After going through our comparison algorithm, the results show that the Fender Parallel Universe Volume II Strat Jazz Deluxe is probably the better product overall with its final score of 74 compared to the Schecter C-8 Deluxe's 64 score, which is a significant difference.

The Fender Parallel Universe Volume II Strat Jazz Deluxe wins when it comes to sound, build quality. On the other hand, the Schecter C-8 Deluxe has the upper hand when it comes to playability, value for the money.

If you got small hands, you'll probably feel more comfortable playing the Fender Parallel Universe Volume II Strat Jazz Deluxe.

Which One is Better for Beginners?

If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, the Fender Parallel Universe Volume II Strat Jazz Deluxe is the better choice.

The Fender Parallel Universe Volume II Strat Jazz Deluxe meets 6 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Schecter C-8 Deluxe meets only 4. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players.

Nevertheless, when it comes to choosing an instrument, you should pick the one more compatible with your personal style. Still, below we'll try you to give you our results as objectively as it's possible to help you decide.

Sound Quality Comparison

The wood used in an electric guitar or bass is not as important to determine the final tone. However, some people prefer specific wood types, so we'll take a look at those first. Then, we'll take a look at the electronics to determine the versatility and sound quality of each instrument.

Woods Used in Both

Rosewood is an almost purple-looking wood that is used mainly for fretboards since it's heavy, rare, and expensive. It's sometimes used on acoustic guitar bodies to create stronger warm tones. Find out more about Rosewood.

Woods Used in the Schecter C-8 Deluxe

Maple is one of the most popular necks for good reasons. It is a strong wood that is relatively cheap to make and looks beautiful. The highest quality maple is the hardest that comes from North America. Find out more about Maple.

Basswood is a lightweight type of wood that isn't as expensive as other popular choices for guitar building. It gives more power to the mid-range frequencies. Its color can vary from pale white to light brown. Find out more about Basswood.

Woods Used in the Fender Parallel Universe Volume II Strat Jazz Deluxe

Alder is the most popular wood that Fender uses in most of their guitars nowadays. Even though they say it's because of its balanced tone with an emphasis in the upper midrange, it probably is because it isn't too expensive, and it's also pretty lightweight—more than Mahogany. Find out more about Alder.

Winner: Tie.

Pickup Configuration

The Schecter C-8 Deluxe has an HH configuration while the Fender Parallel Universe Volume II Strat Jazz Deluxe has SSS pickups.

Double Humbucker (HH) is the choice for people who want a fuller, more round sound with tons of mids and lows. Humbuckers also get rid of the hum noise that plague single-coil pickups. They can work out for almost any genre going from Djent to even Jazz.

On the other hand, SSS is perfect for players who like to play clean. The definition you get between notes and the crispiness is unmatched by most other configurations. You can still use it for distortion, but you won't get the same kind of output and power compared to a humbucker, and the hum they produce also makes them less adequate for high gain.

Pickups Quality

The Fender Parallel Universe Volume II Strat Jazz Deluxe pickups from a more specialized brand than the Schecter C-8 Deluxe. Its pickups should give you a fuller, richer sound, although it all depends on what type of music you're going to play. We recommend these pickups for Funk and similar genres.

We found the same or similar pickups to the Fender Parallel Universe Volume II Strat Jazz Deluxe's online:

Both use Passive pickups. This is what's used for most music genres. They have a regular output and will serve you for both high-gain and clean tones. The alternative (Active pickups) offer a higher output that is mostly used for heavy music.

Winner: Fender Parallel Universe Volume II Strat Jazz Deluxe.

Versatility Comparison

Some instruments offer you more ways to explore your creativity than others. Below you'll find how both compare when it comes to versatility.

Switch Options

The Fender Parallel Universe Volume II Strat Jazz Deluxe gives you 5 switch options while the Schecter C-8 Deluxe gives you 3. This means that the Fender Parallel Universe Volume II Strat Jazz Deluxe gives you more options to find the right pickup combination for the type of sound you want to achieve

Only the Fender Parallel Universe Volume II Strat Jazz Deluxe comes with some kind of pickup modification: S-1 Switch.

An S-1 switch can do a lot of different pickup combinations. It can split them, connect them in series, parallel, add more pickups to each position, and more. Check out the diagram to know how it affects this model.

When evaluating versatility, we also take into consideration bridge and neck joint type, number of frets, switch options, amount of pickups and more.

Winner: Fender Parallel Universe Volume II Strat Jazz Deluxe.

Final Sound Quality Scores

Build Quality Comparison

When it comes to build quality, we like to take into account everything used to build the instrument. This includes materials, hardware and the quality control expected depending on the country where it was built. Let's see how the Schecter C-8 Deluxe compares to the Fender Parallel Universe Volume II Strat Jazz Deluxe.

Country of Origin

The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The Schecter C-8 Deluxe is built in Indonesia while the Fender Parallel Universe Volume II Strat Jazz Deluxe is made in United States.

Indonesia is becoming the most popular country for guitar building because they can make good instruments for a low price. Some people think that they're 'the new China' when it comes to build quality. But the truth is that Indonesian guitars are more consistent, although Chinese quality has improved a lot in the last few years.

The United States is considered one of the best electric guitar manufacturers in the world. A guitar made in this country is supposed to have world-class quality control. Nowadays, guitars made in other countries can beat some of the ones made in the US, but most of the time, this country offers the best you can get. Of course, that comes at a price.

Winner: Fender Parallel Universe Volume II Strat Jazz Deluxe

Nut Material

If you want your guitar to stay in tune and sound good, you need a well cut nut. Nut quality can be inconsistent even when comparing two copies of the same model. The best way to make sure you're nut will be well done is by getting a nut made by an expert company like TUSQ or Micarta.

The Schecter C-8 Deluxe has a Graphite nut. It's a self-lubricating material that will allow the strings to slide over the nut without a lot of friction. It's a good type of nut if you want to have better tuning stability than with plastic, although it's not as resistant as Bone or Tusq.

On the other hand, the Fender Parallel Universe Volume II Strat Jazz Deluxe comes with a Bone nut. It's a type of nut found in high-quality instruments. They sound similar to Ivory since they give a lot of sustain and a bright sound (at least when striking open strings). The only problem they can run into is that you may get a bone piece that simply doesn't sound as well as others because that's just how natural materials are.

Winner: Fender Parallel Universe Volume II Strat Jazz Deluxe.

Fret Material

Most fret wire is made of nickel silver. This material eventually wears down after a lot of use and most instruments end up needing a complete fret replacement. However, some expensive models come with stainless steel frets. This is what you should aim for if you can afford it.

Unfortunately, none of them come with stainless steel frets.

Winner: Tie.

Bridge

The perfect bridge for you will depend on your playstyle because they all have advantages and disadvantages. However, some bridges are more expensive—like Floyd Roses and Evertunes—and thus add more value to a guitar.

The Schecter C-8 Deluxe's brige is a Fixed. It's a simple bridge that is very beginner-friendly since it doesn't require any set-up. You can swap strings easily. It might also give more sustain since it doesn't have complex moving parts that make the strings lose vibration. However, it doesn't have the same versatility as a tremolo bridge.

On the other hand, the Fender Parallel Universe Volume II Strat Jazz Deluxe's is a Tremolo. Tremolo bridges give you more versatility than fixed bridges. They let you perform the intense vibrato effects that would be impossible with a fixed bridge. However, since the bridge floats and there's less contact with the body, the strings lose sustain slightly faster. They can also be a bit harder to restring and set up correctly than fixed bridges.

Since we need to be objective, the most expensive type of bridge will be the winner of this section. In the end, this doesn't matter if you're not going to use the bridge for its original purpose, so choose the bridge that fits your playing style better.

Winner: Tie.

Tuners

Both come with regular tuners. The Schecter C-8 Deluxe's are Schecter while the Fender Parallel Universe Volume II Strat Jazz Deluxe's are Fender ClassicGear

Winner: Tie.

Neck Joint

Contrary to popular belief, the difference in sustain and tone that some neck joints give to a guitar is simply unperceivable—if they're all well built. However, some of them do have advantages over the others.

Both have a Bolt-On neck joint. This neck is joined to the body by 4 bolts that you can simply unscrew. This allows you to replace the neck or take it off for travel. It's the most common and cheapest way to build a guitar.

Winner: Tie.

Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:

Final Build Quality Scores

Playability Comparison

Let's now compare their playability. Bear in mind that the instrument will feel different depending on your hand size and play style. That's why you should always test before buying. But if you can't or want a second opinion on it, we can still take a look at each of the important measurements of the instrument for you. This way, we can predict how easy a guitar might be to play, or how different it will feel compared to the other.

Remember that, even though the difference might seem small, every inch counts when it comes to feeling of the instrument in your hands. Any variation can completely change how comfortable a guitar feels in your hands.

Nut Width

The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the Schecter C-8 Deluxe has the wider nut with 54mm (2.126'') vs 42.8mm (1.685''). This is a 11.2mm (0.441'') difference

This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Schecter C-8 Deluxe, especially closer to the nut. However, it's also easier to play without muting strings accidently. This favors people with big hands.

Scale Length

The scale length is one of the things that influences playability the most. This is the distance between the nut and the bridge and will affect everything from low action allowance, difficulty to perform bends, fret separation, and even tone.

The Schecter C-8 Deluxe has the longest scale: 28". The Fender Parallel Universe Volume II Strat Jazz Deluxe is only 25.5" long. This is a 2.5'' (63.5mm) scale length difference.

This longer scale means that the strings need more tension to get in tune. This is good if you want to avoid fret buzz, which can happen when the strings are too loose and touch the frets while vibrating. This is especially important when playing in lower tunings. This will also let you reduce the gap between fretboard and strings (low action) to make them easier to press down. However, this higher tension will also make it harder to perform bends and vibratos as the strings will feel stiffer.

This also means that the frets have a longer separation between each other, so this will make it harder for people with smaller hands when playing some chord positions.

Another characteristic of a longer scale is that it makes the guitar sound 'snappier' or brighter. This is due to the extra separation between harmonics and overtones produced by the tension. This influences tone more than any other factor (except the pickups).

Lastly, remember that you can also affect the tension of the strings by changing your string gauge. You can use a thicker gauge for more tension and a lighter one for less tension.

Neck Profile

No single neck shape is better than others. However, most people tend to prefer a thinner necks because it doesn't get in their way when playing fast and most hand sizes can adapt to it pretty well. However, some people still prefer thicker necks for a better grip, especially if they have big hands.

Both the Schecter C-8 Deluxe and the Fender Parallel Universe Volume II Strat Jazz Deluxe have a C-shaped neck. This is what you'll find in most modern guitars. Most people feel like the thickness of a C neck is simply the less intrusive one for playing fast, while at the same time allowing you to grab the neck easily for resting if you want to.

Fretboard Radius

Most guitar fretboards are not flat; they usually have a curve or arc across their width. A curved fretboard will make it easier to perform chords without muting strings, while a flatter one will make it easier to play single notes, which is good for bending and soloing in general. The best fretboards have a compound radius that varies across the fingerboard, but they're not common since they take a lot more work to build.

In this case, the Fender Parallel Universe Volume II Strat Jazz Deluxe's fingerboard radius is smaller, which means it's more curved than the Schecter C-8 Deluxe's. This extra arc will make playing chords easier in this model. You won't be as likely to mute the strings, especially if you have big hands. However, playing single notes and bending will be easier on the Schecter C-8 Deluxe.

Hand Size Comfortability

Everyone has a different hand size, and that's why it's recommended to try a guitar before buying, even if others tell you that it's comfortable to play. However, we can know whether a guitar favors small or large hands just by knowing its exact measurements.

And after taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that the Schecter C-8 Deluxe favors large hands more than the Fender Parallel Universe Volume II Strat Jazz Deluxe.

Schecter C-8 Deluxe:

Fender Parallel Universe Volume II Strat Jazz Deluxe:

Fret Size

The Schecter C-8 Deluxe has XL Jumbo frets, which should be taller than the Fender Parallel Universe Volume II Strat Jazz Deluxe's Narrow Tall frets.

Some people prefer taller frets because they result in more sustain since the strings get pressed cleanly without interference from the fretboard. However, if they're too tall—like Jumbo frets—, you might change the pitch of the strings accidentally if you press too hard because you won't be touching the fretboard with your fingers. This is also why some guitarists with a heavy grip prefer smaller frets. They like to feel the fingerboard to avoid pressing down too hard and getting out of pitch.

Final Playability Scores