“Without reservation, this is the finest instrument I have ever played”: Schecter unveils zesty signature model for Tori Ruffin – the Freak Juice guitarist who has played with Prince, Michael Jackson, Mick Jagger and more
The Morris Day and the Time guitarist joins Schecter’s list of signature artists with a guitar spec'd out for his genre-bending exploits
(Image credit: Schecter Guitars)
Schecter has been busy adding to its signature guitar lineup in recent months, but its latest offering is perhaps the loudest of the bunch.
Designed for Freak Juice, and Morris Day and the Time guitarist Tori Ruffin, the aptly named 'Freak Juice Traditional' is an eye-catching Strat-style build that follows signature Schecters for Avenged Sevenfold duo Synyster Gates and Zacky Vengeance, as well as Sullivan King and thatMachine Gun Kelly guitar.
Ruffin, who has played with Prince, Michael Jackson, and Lenny Kravitz, has previously described his playing as “Deftones meets Miles Davis with some funk and hip-hop”. As such, he's sought a versatile guitar to accommodate his broad stylistic palette.
It pairs an alder body with a vintage C-profile roasted hard rock maple bolt-on neck and 22 X-Jumbo fret fingerboard, with the body sporting a hella vibrant Juice Burst finish.
The citrus theme runs through to the 'board, which features yellow and orange dot inlays and a lemon emblem on the 12th fret. Elsewhere, it boasts a whammy-loaded Wilkinson two-point tremolo and Schecter locking tuners.
Ruffin has opted for an HSH pickup setup. There's a Schecter USA Pasadena Plus humbucker in the bridge and a Pasadena Classic in the neck, with Nick Johnston's signature Atomic single-coil in the middle. All come with yellow bobbins to maintain the guitar's juicy aesthetic.
(Image credit: Schecter Guitars)
Drawing from the classic Stratocaster design, there's a five-way pickup switch and control knobs for master volume and tone, with a push/pull for coil splitting its humbuckers.
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“I am truly humbled and honored to join the elite ranks of Schecter Artists,” says Ruffin via Instagram. “The Tori Ruffin Freak Juice Traditional is a dream come true! The craftsmanship is without peer. Every single aspect of the guitar, from the neck, the body, the pickups, and the hardware, is exceptional.
(Image credit: Schecter Guitars)
“I have been playing a prototype on tour with my band, Freak Juice, and as the lead guitarist with Morris Day and the Time, and I can say without reservation that this is the finest instrument that I have ever played and owned.”
The Freak Juice traditional is available in left and right-handed configurations.
A freelance writer with a penchant for music that gets weird, Phil is a regular contributor to Prog, Guitar World, and Total Guitar magazines and is especially keen on shining a light on unknown artists. Outside of the journalism realm, you can find him writing angular riffs in progressive metal band, Prognosis, in which he slings an 8-string Strandberg Boden Original, churning that low string through a variety of tunings. He's also a published author and is currently penning his debut novel which chucks fantasy, mythology and humanity into a great big melting pot.
