Schecter Solo-II Supreme vs Sun Valley Super Shredder FR S
Reasons to Get
Schecter Solo-II Supreme over Sun Valley Super Shredder FR S
Reasons to Get
Schecter Sun Valley Super Shredder FR S over Solo-II Supreme
Other Key Differences
Schecter Solo-II Supreme vs Sun Valley Super Shredder FR S
Shared Features
Schecter Solo-II Supreme vs Sun Valley Super Shredder FR S
Common Strengths
- High-Quality Nut
- Top Pickup Brand
- Expensive Wood
Common Weaknesses
- Weight Relief
- Stays in Tune (Evertune)
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- From a High-Quality-Standards Country
- Luminescent Sidedots
- Strap Lock
- 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- Active/Passive Preamp
Table of Contents
Price History Comparison
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Which One is Better Overall?
After going through our comparison algorithm, the results show that the Schecter Solo-II Supreme is probably the better product overall with its final score of 77 compared to the Schecter Sun Valley Super Shredder FR S's 75 score, although not by a lot.
The Schecter Solo-II Supreme wins when it comes to playability, build quality. On the other hand, the Schecter Sun Valley Super Shredder FR S has the upper hand when it comes to sound, value for the money.
If you got small hands, you'll probably feel that the Schecter Sun Valley Super Shredder FR S is easier to play.
Which One is Better for Beginners?
If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, the Schecter Solo-II Supreme is the better choice.
The Schecter Solo-II Supreme meets 6 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Schecter Sun Valley Super Shredder FR S 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.
New Player Friendliness
Schecter Solo-II Supreme- Comfortable shape
- Easy-to-use bridge
- Comfortable fretboard
- Tall frets
- Narrow nut
- Comfortable neck
- Short scale
- Locking tuners
New Player Friendliness
Schecter Sun Valley Super Shredder FR S- Comfortable shape
- Tall frets
- Narrow nut
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable fretboard
- Short scale
- Locking tuners
- Easy-to-use bridge
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.
Schecter Solo-II Supreme Overview
- From Schecter's 2022 Solo-II Supreme series
- Made in Indonesia
- 6 strings
- 24.75"'' scale
- 12" to 16" Fretboard Radius
- Flamed Maple top
- Mahogany body
- Mahogany 3-pc neck
- Ebony fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Lundgren Black Heaven (Humbucker/Passive)
- Neck pickup: Lundgren Black Heaven (Humbucker/Passive)
- 2 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
- 3-way Switch
- TonePros T3BT Tune-O-Matic T1Z Tailpiece bridge
- Thick C Set neck
- 22 XL Jumbo Stainless Steel frets
- Graph Tech Ratio tuners
- Weight between 8.4lbs (3.8kgs) and 9.1lbs (4.1kgs)
- Compare Specs >
Schecter Sun Valley Super Shredder FR S Overview
- From Schecter's 2017 Sun Valley Super Shredder series
- Made in Indonesia
- 6 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 14" Fretboard Radius
- Mahogany body
- Maple neck
- Ebony fretboard
- Bridge pickup: EMG Retro Active Hot 70 (Humbucker/Active)
- Neck pickup: Sustainiac (Humbucker/Passive)
- 2 volume and 0 tone Dome knobs
- 3-way Switch
- Floyd Rose Special Hot Rod Locking Tremolo (Schecter Exclusive) bridge
- Thin C Bolt-On neck
- 24 XL Jumbo frets
- Schecter tuners
- Weight between 7.3lbs (3.3kgs) and 7.8lbs (3.5kgs)
- Compare Specs >
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
Mahogany is a fairly rare wood nowadays. It's used mostly for bodies due to its relatively lightweight. Gibson popularized it with their Les Paul guitars during their golden years, so this wood has a lot of good reputation behind it. The most expensive type comes from South America and it's still used by Gibson even today. Find out more about Mahogany.
Ebony is a high-end wood, so it is not cheap. It's only used for fretboards because it's also very heavy. It does an excellent job as a durable material while looking elegant. Find out more about Ebony.
Woods Used in the Schecter Sun Valley Super Shredder FR S
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.
Winner: Tie.
Pickup Configuration
Both pickup configurations are HH. 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.
Pickups Quality
Both come with very good pickups from at least one of the specialized brands in the market. With pickups like these, you probably won't need an upgrade anytime soon.
However, the Schecter Solo-II Supreme has a slight sound quality advantage when taking into account other factors like the type of pickups, magnet, position, etc.
We found the same or similar pickups to the Schecter Sun Valley Super Shredder FR S'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: Schecter Solo-II Supreme.
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
Both are equal when it comes to the pickup switching option.
Both give you different pickup mod options.
The Schecter Solo-II Supreme offers Coil Split.
Coil Split lets you disconnect one of the pickup coils. When used with humbuckers, it turns them into single-coil with lower output and cleaner tone.
On the other hand, the Schecter Sun Valley Super Shredder FR S comes with the following: Sustainer.
The pickups with Sustainer are able to recreate the 'feedback' you get when you hold your guitar near a speaker without muting the strings. This allows them to produce infinite sustain that you can use for as long as you want to create interest sounds and harmonics.
When evaluating versatility, we also take into consideration bridge and neck joint type, number of frets, switch options, amount of pickups and more.
Winner: Schecter Sun Valley Super Shredder FR S.
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 Solo-II Supreme compares to the Schecter Sun Valley Super Shredder FR S.
Country of Origin
The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. Both in this comparison where made in Indonesia.
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.
Winner: Tie
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 Solo-II Supreme has a Ivory Tusq nut. Ivory used to be considered the best material for guitar nuts due to its beauty, durability, and the rich harmonics and sustain you could get from a guitar with it. However, the way to obtain it is simply unethical. Enter TUSQ ivory nuts, which are made synthetically to imitate ivory. Technically, it's better than ivory because it is consistent piece-to-piece, while natural materials can vary a lot, even if they're made from the same.
On the other hand, the Schecter Sun Valley Super Shredder FR S comes with a Locking nut. Instead of a regular nut, this guitar has a locking system that will lock down the strings at the nut, preventing it from getting out of tune. It removes one of the disadvantages of tremolo bridges, tune stability.
Winner: Tie.
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.
In this comparison, the Schecter Solo-II Supreme is the only one that has stainless steel frets. These frets will basically last for the entire life of the guitar. They will never need polishing nor replacement. And not only that, but some people also notice that bending and vibratos are much easier to perform when they upgrade to stainless steel.
Winner: Schecter Solo-II Supreme.
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 Solo-II Supreme'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 Schecter Sun Valley Super Shredder FR S's is a Floyd Rose. This is a double-locking bridge system that allows you to perform techniques like dive bombs and pinch harmonics. The locking nut allows your guitar to stay in tune even after the most intense tremolo usage. The disadvantage is that it takes more work to change the strings and set up everything correctly.
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: Schecter Sun Valley Super Shredder FR S.
Tuners
Both come with regular tuners. The Schecter Solo-II Supreme's are Graph Tech Ratio while the Schecter Sun Valley Super Shredder FR S's are Schecter
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.
The Schecter Solo-II Supreme has a Set neck joint. This neck is tightly glued to the body. They give you the least versatility because you can't swap them for a neck that fits your hand better if you want to, unlike bolt-on necks. Some people think this gives more resonance and sustain, but there's no real difference if the bolt-on joint is well built.
On the other hand, the Schecter Sun Valley Super Shredder FR S comes with 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: Schecter Sun Valley Super Shredder FR S.
Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:
Schecter Solo-II Supreme
- Stainless Steel Frets
- Expensive Wood
- Ivory Tusq Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Coil Split Pickups
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- No Locking Tuners
- Made in Indonesia
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Weight Relief
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Tremolo
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Schecter Sun Valley Super Shredder FR S
- Expensive Wood
- Locking Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Sustainer Pickups
- Tremolo
- Retainer Bar
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- Made in Indonesia
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Weight Relief
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
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 Solo-II Supreme has the wider nut with 41.7mm (1.643'') vs 41.3mm (1.625''). This is a 0.40000000000001mm (0.018'') difference
This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Schecter Solo-II Supreme, 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 Sun Valley Super Shredder FR S has the longest scale: 25.5". The Schecter Solo-II Supreme is only 24.75" long. This is a 0.75'' (19.1mm) 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 Solo-II Supreme and the Schecter Sun Valley Super Shredder FR S 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 Schecter Solo-II Supreme is the only one with a compound radius. This is a huge win because it will give you the best of both worlds: a more curved radius in the first few frets for chords, and flatter as you come closer to the body for soloing.
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 Solo-II Supreme favors large hands more than the Schecter Sun Valley Super Shredder FR S. But it's still more comfortable for people with small hands, as you can see in the score meter below.
Schecter Solo-II Supreme:
Schecter Sun Valley Super Shredder FR S:
Fret Size
Both have a XL Jumbo fret size. These are really tall frets made like this so you don't meet any resistance when playing techniques like vibrato, bending, tapping, etc. They should make the guitar easier to play, but you have to be careful not to get the notes out of pitch by pressing down too hard, which might happen since the fretboard will be too low to stop your hand.
