Hatsubai « Pretty solid 7 string »
Published on 01/27/12 at 23:51The Schecter Hellraiser C7FR is one of the guitars people look at when looking for quality seven strings that don't break the bank. This guitar features a mahogany body, a mahogany neck with a rosewood fretboard, 24 frets with jumbo fire, dot inlays, an original floyd rose 7 string bridge, two humbuckers, one volume, one tone and a three way switch.
UTILIZATION
The guitar's fretwork was decent. The ends weren't quite as nice as the stuff you see on the Prestige line, but it's solid enough to where it's not a huge deal. The neck on this is very beefy, so that's something to keep in mind if you're a big fan of smaller, thinner necks. The fretboard on this was real dirty and needed a good scrub down. The finish on this is also super thick, which I'm not a real big fan of. The rest of the guitar was put together fairly well with no real issues that I could see. It had a nice weight to it, so no issues with it being a back breaker or being as light as a feather.
SOUNDS
The guitar came equipped with EMG 707s. Tonally, these are somewhere between the 85 and the 81, but they have their own little thing going on. I like to refer to that "thing" as having an almost single coil like quality to them. They have this treble grind going on that some people love. Others really hate it. The guitar does all kinds of genres fairly well, but it seems to do best with metal. It's no real surprise considering it has EMGs in it. If you're looking for a flavor other than EMGs, you can install the Duncan Blackouts. They're also very nice, quality pickups with a bit more clarity, low end and grind. Either work fine, but I tend to prefer EMGs in this as it was a bit dark sounding.
OVERALL OPINION
These are good, quality seven strings, but you have to be absolutely sure you like the thicker necks on these things. Also, don't forget that this has a finish on the back of the neck. It's not a standard clear but a thick poly. Not everybody enjoys that, so that's also something to keep in mind. If you want a slightly brighter guitar, check out the Schecter Loomis.
UTILIZATION
The guitar's fretwork was decent. The ends weren't quite as nice as the stuff you see on the Prestige line, but it's solid enough to where it's not a huge deal. The neck on this is very beefy, so that's something to keep in mind if you're a big fan of smaller, thinner necks. The fretboard on this was real dirty and needed a good scrub down. The finish on this is also super thick, which I'm not a real big fan of. The rest of the guitar was put together fairly well with no real issues that I could see. It had a nice weight to it, so no issues with it being a back breaker or being as light as a feather.
SOUNDS
The guitar came equipped with EMG 707s. Tonally, these are somewhere between the 85 and the 81, but they have their own little thing going on. I like to refer to that "thing" as having an almost single coil like quality to them. They have this treble grind going on that some people love. Others really hate it. The guitar does all kinds of genres fairly well, but it seems to do best with metal. It's no real surprise considering it has EMGs in it. If you're looking for a flavor other than EMGs, you can install the Duncan Blackouts. They're also very nice, quality pickups with a bit more clarity, low end and grind. Either work fine, but I tend to prefer EMGs in this as it was a bit dark sounding.
OVERALL OPINION
These are good, quality seven strings, but you have to be absolutely sure you like the thicker necks on these things. Also, don't forget that this has a finish on the back of the neck. It's not a standard clear but a thick poly. Not everybody enjoys that, so that's also something to keep in mind. If you want a slightly brighter guitar, check out the Schecter Loomis.