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Schecter Guitar Research | Behind the Build
Although Schecter Guitar Research is now one of the biggest “little” guitar manufacturers in the
United States, when the company was founded in 1976 by David Schecter, it didn’t make anything except
parts. Eight years passed before Schecter started producing complete guitars in 1984, and that was
only after the company namesake had sold the business to a group of Texas investors the previous year.
The Schecter we know today started percolating when Japanese entrepreneur Shibuya Hisatake (1937–2024)
bought the company in 1987, and discovered Michael Ciravolo, who eventually rose to his current
position as CEO and president. Ciravolo moved Schecter away from making guitars based on existing
models to focusing on original designs, and his leadership and passion for music helped the company
build a formidable artist roster of influential players, including Jerry Horton (Papa Roach), Synyster
Gates (Avenged Sevenfold) and Robert Smith (The Cure). In addition to its own designs, Schecter also
manufactures Black Label Society and former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Zakk Wylde’s Wylde Audio guitars.
