I think the most of the Schecter's are pretty solid for the dough. Stick with the non-trem, string thru variety for the best tone and sustain, no matter what style you're playing. Nice necks but a little light in the body for my tastes. Go 24 frets.

Shop. Shop patiently. You will find varying degrees of quality among the same manufacturer and model. Good things come to those who wait. As (I think) Pony said, "You get what you pay for." That should be true but it is your responsibility to ensure you do.

My 2.16 cents on pickups (prices went up 8%): Active pickups are noisy, augment pick attack (along with every other noise), require a battery, and are a pain in the *&^%. Ask yourself, why does this guitar need pickups with more output to sound good? Why do I? If you shove a Hemi in a Volkswagon, it will be really fast but handle like crap. I have a LP that sounds great with PAF's cranked. My Robin sounds excellent with Duncan Black Backs. So does my Epi LP. Want metal? Want punk? Want clean (with some spunk)? It's not in the PU's. Just be sure they are good ones. Eddie VH says, "Let the amp do the work."

Is it the AMP?????????? Sticking with what you got or planning a change? Don't expect a great guitar to make a bad amp sound good, or visa versa. Beginners can pick up a Peavey Bandit 112 (on a limited budget) and move forward. This has been many a guitarist's vehicle to improvement. It takes away the "blaming your sound on your amp" and allows you to concentrate on technique and connecting with your guitar. True, no tubes, but for most teeth cutters, this is all you need (I still have mine from 1982ish). Become one with the axe, stackhopper.