I got ordered this through a local music store and it arrived on my birthday. I play it through a Gallien Kreuger 700RB AND a Peavey 5150 II simultaneously, it's soooo fun!! It really can pass as a bass through a bass amp, and with a guitar amp you can do all sorts of chords and other guitar sounding things... VERY versatile. It took a lot of patience to get the truss rod adjusted and slight intonation adjust too, but almost all new git's need a set-up. All electronics, tuning machines and components are brand name and very satisfactory. The pickups being mounted to the pick-guard make it feel chinsy, but also make it very easy to adjust their height. I took a full point for quality because of how the neck responded to the truss rod adjustment, it seems suspect. However, if they charged an extra $400 dollars and put a top-of-the-line neck on, it wouldn't have been affordable to me and a lot of other people, I bet. Finally, the sun-burst finish is amazing, it's such a beautiful instrument. When we first pulled it out of the box the "WOW" factor swept the whole store, first with the employees and eventually all the customers had to come take a peek and say, "What the heck is that?"

It's my favorite instrument.

The three pickups (with 5-way switch) plus coil tap gives you many distinct usable tones...helps especially if you have songs where you might want to use this more like a bass, or more like a guitar, depending on your music's needs. Playing chords can be muddy if you play with certain pickup settings, as expected, but with the right setting (coil tap sometimes helps) you can make it work well. It absolutely nails a Robert Smith tone if that is what you are after too...though it does so much more. I play it as a lead guitar (like Robert Smith), as a bass, and as a baritone guitar (with distortion for uncanny low-end...we played a song to other recording engineers, and they asked how we recorded the guitar to get so much bottom!). Strings are hard to get however, all I have tried are the Fender VI set, and that is what I would recommend at least to start. I have been especially impressed with this guitar with my EH Metal Muff, BYOC Mouse (ProCO Rat clone), and Fender Bassman 59 RI. Works really great with chorus and delay pedals also. For those wondering, this will sound more like a deep guitar through a guitar amp (which to me is why you would buy this!), or a bass guitar with two higher strings through a modern bass amp (not what I wanted it for). If you are not used to playing guitar with heavy strings (or chords on bass..), you may find this a difficult instrument to play at first, but I find that it is everything I have been wanting out of a guitar because I always strung them heavy or would play melodies on bass.. Full chords are sometimes tricky, but certainly much easier than playing them on a bass. I only rated it a 4 because I wish it had the jag switches like a real VI, and because it wasn't electrically shielded properly when I got it. Some also might miss the wang bar that a real VI has, but at this price you can't complain.

I have had the hellcat 6 for about 2 years. I love the guitar, it sounds great. Very mellow, but can achieve tight sounds too. This is not a guitar and isn't a bass either, but something inbetween. The pickups are the best, but are not half bad either. Not muddy, though and for the price guitar. If you want the sound of the Cure's Robert Smith's 6 string bass used in "Pictures of You" or many other songs, this is the guitar to get.

The Schecter Hellcat IV fits the bill for those who are looking for that Fender Bass VI sound, but can't afford one. It's tuned just like a guitar (EADGBe) just one octave lower. Coolest feature is the coil tap which allows for a wide range of tones. Keep in mind this is not a guitar. You can definitely get those 'Cure-esque' Robert Smith-style sounds with the Hellcat VI. Also ideal if you want that signature New Order-Peter Hook sound. You can get some pretty deep bass sounds, but traditional finger-style bassists might be put off by the close spacing of the strings. The action and overall fit/finish of the Hellcat VI is extremely good. I also own a Schecter Ultra and have been equally pleased with it. Highly recommended.