Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO Review & Prices

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Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO Review
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  • From Schecter's 2020 Artist series
  • Keith Merrow Signature
  • Made in United States
  • 7 strings
  • 26.5"'' scale
  • 12" to 16" Fretboard Radius
  • Flame Maple top
  • Swamp Ash body
  • Wenge 3-piece with purple heart and maple laminates neck
  • Macassar Ebony fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: Keith Merrow Custom Fishman Fluence (Humbucker/Active)
  • Neck pickup: Keith Merrow Custom Fishman Fluence (Humbucker/Active)
  • 1 volume and 0 tone Dome knobs
  • 3-way Switch
  • Hipshot Low Profile contoured 7 string fixed bridge bridge
  • Thin fast C Bolt-On neck
  • 24 XL Jumbo Stainless Steel frets
  • Hipshot open gear locking with Knurled Barrel adjustment tuners
  • Compare Specs >

Our Scores and Tone Evaluation

Playability 75
Sound 78
Build quality 87
Value for money 65
Overall Score 80
Tone Evaluation
  • Heavy Metal
  • Hard Rock
  • Jazz
  • Blues
  • Funk
  • Country
Strengths & Weaknesses
Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO
  • Stainless Steel Frets
  • Locking Tuners
  • Made in United States
  • Expensive Wood
  • Compensated Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Multi-Voicing Pickups
  • Luminescent Inlay
  • Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No Neck-Through Build
  • No Weight Relief
  • No Tremolo
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock

Price Overview

Its average competitor's price is $4000, which means that the Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO is around 8% cheaper than the competition. This takes into account all instruments of the same category in our database with 7 strings and Fixed bridge that are made in United States.

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Your feedback

Not all instruments are created equally. That's why it's important to have different opinions. Here's what our users who have played this instrument say. If you've played it before, help others by voting below!

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Is it Easy to Play?

The Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO meets 6 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, which means that it's a good guitar to start with as a complete beginner. 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 to get used to.

New Player Friendliness

Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Locking tuners
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Tall frets
  • Comfortable neck
  • Narrow nut
  • Short scale

Hand Size Comfortability

After taking into account the neck profile, scale size, fretboard radius, and nut width, we can conclude that the Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO's construction is balanced for most hand sizes.

Nevertheless, this comes down in the end to personal preference. Make sure you test this guitar—or another one with similar characteristics—before buying.

Big Hands
Small Hands

Scale Length

Scale length is the distance the strings will span between the bridge and the nut. It can tell you a lot about the overall playability and tone of the instrument. A longer scale length means longer distance between frets, brighter tone and more string tension—which means lower action, but more difficult bending of the strings.

Here's the Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO's 26.5" scale length compared to other common sizes:

Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO Scale Length Comparison
Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO's scale length (at the top) compared to other popular sizes

This scale is close to the popular 25.50" length, but adding an additional inch allows you to tune your strings lower while keeping the action low without causing fret buzz. This is useful for lower tunings, 7-string, or even classical guitars.

You want to avoid such a long scale if you don't plan to play in low tunings since the longer scale also means the frets are more separated, making it harder to play fast, especially for small hands.

More with the same scale length:

Neck Profile

Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO Neck Profile
Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO's neck profile

The neck profile tells you the thickness (neck depth) and shape in cross section. Every difference will completely change the feeling and comfortability of the neck. This is a highly subjective thing, but most players indeed prefer certain types of necks (like Cs and Ds) because they feel nice in most hands.

The Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO's neck thickness is approximately 0.765'' (19.4mm) at the first fret, and 0.825'' (21mm) at the twelfth.

These measurements were taken either from the official Schecter website, or, in case this information wasn't provided, by researching multiple online marketplaces and forums where owners of this model have posted their measurements.

It has a C type neck. C-shaped necks like this have been the most popular for the last years. The reason is that they feel good in most hands. It's generally a thin neck that doesn't get in your way when playing fast, but that also has enough mass to give your hands a comfortable grip for chords if they aren't too big.

Thin necks like this make it easier to move your hand across the neck and it helps when playing fast solos, especially if you like to leave your thumb free while playing high on the fretboard. However, thinner necks are also weaker and will need adjustment more often than a thicker neck.

More for different hand sizes

Fretboard Radius

When it comes to fingerboard radius, personal preference will dictate which one is better for you. However, most people seem to agree that a more curved (lower) radius will make it easier to play chords while a less curved (higher) radius is better for soloing and bending.

Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO Fretboard Compound Radius
Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO's Compound Fretboard Radius

The Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO has a compound fingerboard radius of 12" to 16".

A compound radius is the best you can get because you'll get the best of both worlds. It starts curved at the nut, but it flattens as you get closer to the body. This means that you'll get great comfortability for chords on the first few frets, but also a flatter fretboard for playing solos without problems on the higher frets.

More with the same fretboard radius:

Playability compared to main competitors

26.5'' Scale Length
C Neck Profile
1.89'' Nut Width
Compound Fretboard Radius
25.5'' Scale Length
D Neck Profile
1.875'' Nut Width
12'' Fretboard Radius
26.5'' Scale Length
D Neck Profile
1.75'' Nut Width
20'' Fretboard Radius
26.5'' Scale Length
D Neck Profile
1.75'' Nut Width
20'' Fretboard Radius
25.5'' Scale Length
D Neck Profile
1.875'' Nut Width
12'' Fretboard Radius

Nut Width

Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO Nut Width
Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO Nut Width

The Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO has a nut width of 48mm (1.89''). This is considered a wide width for a 7-string guitar. It gives your fingers the extra space you need to play without muting accidentally, but this also makes bar chords harder to perform, especially if you have small hands.

Frets

The Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO has 24 frets. A lot of people mistakenly believe that having more frets will always be better because it gives you a higher octave. This is certainly an advantage, but there's also a disadvantage to this.

Since the fretboard will be longer, the neck pickup will need to be placed closer to the bridge. And as you may know, the further away the neck pickup is from the bridge, the warmer it sounds. This means you'll have a brighter-sounding neck pickup when using a 24-fret guitar, even if you use the same pickup on a 22-fret guitar.

Finally, these are stainless steel frets. They're the best fretwire available. This means you won't need to change your frets since they should last as long as your guitar. Some people also feel easier bendings after swapping to stainless steel.

More with stainless steel frets:

Fret Size

Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO Fret Size Comparison
Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO's fret size (in orange) compared to other popular sizes

Finally, let's talk about fret size. Some people prefer tall frets because it's easier to press the strings and perform bends since there's less friction against the fretboard. On the other hand, some people like shorter frets because they like to touch the fretboard when playing, or because they got heavy hands and tend to press too much on the string and alter the of the note pitch accidently.

The Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO's frets are XL Jumbo size. These are extra-large frets, which are perfect for people who truly want the least resistance for techniques like vibrato, bending, tapping, and just playing fast in general. You won't be able to feel the fretboard with these frets, so if you press too hard you'll get the notes out of pitch. It might take a while to get used to them because of this.

More with the same type of frets:

Playability Score

Bending & Vibrato Ease 75
Chord Playability 60
Solo Playability 90
Playability 75

Tone Analysis

Wood will have little influence in the final tone of an electric guitar or bass. Instead, the hardware, especially the pickups, will be the most important thing to look at. Bur first, let's see the quality of the wood.

Wood

Ash wood pattern used for guitar building
Ash Body
Maple wood pattern used for guitar building
Maple Neck
Ebony wood pattern used for guitar building
Ebony Fretboard

Ash Body: The most popular Ash wood for guitars is swamp Ash. It has a really light color with beautiful patterns, which makes it perfect for a natural-looking finish. It's not as lightweight as Alder, but also not as heavy as Mahogany. It's known for producing a bright tone with solid mids and lows.

Maple Neck: This is one of the most popular types of wood used in all kinds of guitars. It's heavy, strong and compact, which makes it great for necks. However, it's also used for fretboards, bodies and tops due to its light color, resistance and beautiful patterns. When it comes to tone, it highlights the mid and high frequencies.

Ebony Fretboard: This is one of the most expensive woods there is, which is why it's mostly used for fretboards. It is dense, heavy, highly resistant and comes in a really dark color that gives any guitar a classy touch. Tone wise, it helps the high side of the spectrum and provides good sustain.

Pickups

This guitar comes with pickups from one of the top brands: Fishman. So you can expect well built pickups with great sound that shouldn't need an upgrade anytime soon.

These are active pickups, so you can expect a lot of output with a highly compressed signal that will give your tones more distortion while retaining a clear, defined sound, which is what many Heavy Metal players need. However, they have the disadvantage of sometimes lacking a fully clean sound when playing without distortion.

The Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO's configuration is HH. With this pickup combination, you'll get warmer tones and more output than using single coils. Humbucker pickups cancel the noise that single-coil suffer from, which also results in a warmer tone. This pickup combination isn't only for high-gain music like Hard Rock or Heavy Metal. Their warmness is also popular for Jazz, Indie, R&B, Blues and more.

More with the same pickups

24 Frets
Fixed Bridge
Keith Merrow Custom Fishman Fluence Bridge Pickup
Keith Merrow Custom Fishman Fluence Neck Pickup
24 Frets
Fixed Bridge
Keith Merrow Custom Fishman Fluence Bridge Pickup
Keith Merrow Custom Fishman Fluence Neck Pickup
24 Frets
Fixed Bridge
Keith Merrow Custom Fishman Fluence Bridge Pickup
Keith Merrow Custom Fishman Fluence Neck Pickup

Versatility

It comes with the popular 3-way switch that is present in most guitars. For more versatility, players tend to prefer a 5-way switch, although it all depends on what you want to use your guitar for.

It has a Multi-Voicing option. This means the pickups can change their output, tone, or sound. Piezo, Fishman and similar are considered multi-voicing pickups.

Diagram

Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO pickups switch and push knobs diagram
Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO's switch options

What music genre is it good for?

As a 7 strings, Solid Body guitar with HH configuration and Active pickups, we'd recommend it for genres like Heavy Metal or similar. However, you can use almost any guitar for any genre. This is just the typical type of music for this particular one.

Sound Score

Pickups 85
Sustain 85
Versatility 62
Tuning Stability 80
Sound 78

Build Quality Analysis

Country of Origin

Knowing where the instrument is produced is a good way to know how well it's built. Some manufacturing countries are known for having higher quality standards. For example, most expensive instruments are made in the US or Japan, but there are some exceptionally great countries—like South Korea—that are building a good reputation.

The Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO is made in United States. Guitars made in the USA have the reputation of being the best instruments you can get. This statement isn't as accurate as a few years ago, but you should still expect top-quality from a guitar made in this country.

Bridge

Hipshot Low Profile contoured 7 string fixed bridge: The advantage of fixed bridges is that they don't require any kind of set-up. This makes it extremely easy when changing strings because you don't need to adjust anything besides tuning the guitar. Also, the fact that the bridge is directly attached to the body will help to increase sustain. The disadvantage is the lack of versatility since you can't create the same vibrato effects as with tremolo bridges.

More with the same type of bridge:

Tuners

The Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO comes with locking tuners, which helps with tuning stability and makes changing strings a lot faster and easier. As long as they're high quality, these are the best tuning machines you can have. The only disadvantage is that they are a bit heavier than normal tuners.

Nut Material

Another important thing to analyze is the nut material, as it's one of the most important aspects that can affect the sound and playability of your guitar. A well-cut nut will make sure it stays in tune and will make it more comfortable to play.

In this case, the Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO has a Compensated nut. It's cut in a way that makes each string have the correct length for perfect intonation across the fretboard. It provides excellent tuning stability.

More with the same nut material:

Neck Joint

The neck joint is the part where the neck of the guitar meets the body. There are three main techniques to attach both parts together: Set-In, Bolt-On and Neck-Through. The latter two provide different advantages, although neck-throughs are the most expensive.

This guitar has a Bolt-On neck joint. Even though this type of neck was looked down upon for a long time, nowadays bolt-on necks are well built and provide just as much sustain as any other join method. First of all, it's cheap to make because it consists of simply 4 bolts that attach the neck to the body. And you can travel with the guitar more easily, swap out the neck if you damage it, or upgrade to a more comfortable neck later on.

More with the same build:

Build Quality Score

Quality of materials 80
Features 80
Quality Control 100
Build Quality 87

All Specs

Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO
General
Brand: Schecter
Year: 2020
Configuration: HH
Strings: 7
Made in: United States
Series: Artist
Colors: Black Patterns, Blue Patterns
Left-Handed Version: No
Body
Top: Flame Maple
Type: Solid Body
Body Material: Swamp Ash
Bridge: Hipshot Low Profile contoured 7 string fixed bridge
Neck
Neck Joint: Bolt-On
Tuners: Hipshot open gear locking with Knurled Barrel adjustment
Fretboard: Macassar Ebony
Neck Material: Wenge 3-piece with purple heart and maple laminates
Decoration: Custom offset silver metal rings
Scale Size: 26.5"
Shape: Thin fast C
Thickness: 1st Fret: 0.765'' (19.4mm) - 12th Fret: 0.825'' (21mm)
Frets: 24 XL Jumbo Stainless Steel
Fretboard Radius: 12" to 16"
Nut: Compensated
Nut Width: 48mm (1.89'')
Electronics
Switch: 3 Way
Knobs: Dome
Pickup Mods: Multi-Voicing
Volume Controls: 1
Tone Controls: 0
Bridge Pickup: Keith Merrow Custom Fishman Fluence (Humbucker / Active)
Neck Pickup: Keith Merrow Custom Fishman Fluence (Humbucker / Active)

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