Schecter C-7 Hellraiser FR

As said before a fairly versatile guitar. I haven't been a big fan of the EMG sound before. I have two other 7-strings with various SD pickups, so I was somewhat hesitant to get one with active electronics, but after four months of playing at practice, in studio and live, I have to say the new EMG's work really well. The "coil-split" option for a single coil sound is really useful. The Floyd bridge is really stable as one can expect. Battery changes are a breeze with the compartment in the back. Just one tone knob though and I could use two, so no 10, but still very good.

As a something of a downside there is space for only one 9V battery, and getting this to eat two would require some major adjustments.

I play everything from blues to punk and electronica to death metal and need a axes that allow me to do this live with as little hassle as possible. This guitar is perfect for many styles, although it came with pretty light strings (heavy metal oriented) and a changed those for a set .10 strings for versatility. I've played it through a number of tube amps but use a PodXT regularly as well. Not too many effects, as I try and keep the signal chain clean.

This guitar brings a noiseless, clear and well focused sound. Not a very colorful sound but overall a useful one. The low end is tight and defined, not too strong or boomy. The mid range isn't very lively as is typical on EMG's so this will necessitate some minor adjustments on the amp (my old main guitar has a SD Invader on the bridge and the other one has a SD Distortion). However pick squeels and harmonics are very strong and ringing and the sound smooths out nicely with the tone knob. Also, of course, the tracking is quite good while using the whammy for extreme bob dives.

For all kinds of metal this is a really good axe. For rock it works very nivcely as well. The single coils also make this a good tool for lighter music. The fixed neck gives a fairly good sustain as well

The action was spot on from the box. With .009 strings, and after some heavy shredding and slayerish whammy action, I didn't have to tune half as often as with my old Ibanez RG7620, so a thoughtfully put-together guitar.

The finish was spot on. Especially on the neck, which is really nice all the way through to the 24th fret. A very slight buzz on the D-string though after a string change, but otherwise no problems on the action.

So far (4 months) everything aside from one thing described below everything has been peachy. The floyd is always the weakest link, but my style of playing can be really heavy handed and abusive to the axe at times, and the guitar has so far passed with flying colors.

The guitar is quite heavy and the neck and body feel quite substantial, joints well made, so I see no real problems here. The strap buttons do need some tightening, but then I move around a lot. I'll probably change them to locking-straps sometime soon anyway.

A minor thing happened just recently on a gig. The Volume pot for the bridge pickup popped off when pulling the pot during a song. The pots are heavy duty, and can do this, so they need to be checked regularly and tightened, so that this doesn't happen.

No experience, haven't needed it.

I've been playing for 17 years. Owned quite a few guitars, modded some of them (routing, electronics, neck adjustments) and am generally interested in the technology of the guitar.

This guitar has fast become my main on the road axe and a solid addition to studio work as well. Not the most "rock" sounding guitar by a long shot, but definitely one of the better mass manufactured 7-strings out there.

What's most important this really is a splendid value for my money. Brings all great parts in a beautiful and well crafted whole to make a solid work horse guitar. Definitely a keeper.

If lost, I'd looking in to a similar replacement from Schecter. Although competition from Ibanez is stiff, the DiMarzio pickups are for me a real downer.

2008 model, built in S Korea, double cut solid, archtop, set neck with mahogany body, EMG 707TW's that are actually two pickups in each casing, original Floyd. Not on the Schecter website at the time of writing. White with abalone binding, and smoked chrome hardware. Fab (gothic cross) inlays in abalone too. Sounds tacky, but it somehow isn't ... ?

Don't let the 26.5" scale put you off. I have real small (girly) hands and I can handle it fine. Big jump if you're used to 24.75", but a jump well worth making. Wizard neck addicts will struggle to get used to a real neck that doesn't make your hand ache after half an hour. But then we all know about them, don't we?

XJ frets. What else?

This combination of EMG and mahogany has to be one of the best ever. And as the 707TW can give you either humbucker or single coil (one of each in the casing) so you have a huge tonal palette at your fingertips. It's over fifteen years since I played an EMG guitar and I wasn't sure about them back then. But these have changed my mind. I will not play any other pickup from now. Period. The day of the hype of all those PAF and P90 and Texas Specials are over. These are powerful (!), quiet, versatile, and warm as you like. The mahogany gives some depth which kind of tempers the slightly brittle edge you get from a floyd trem.

I play in my own style that has elements of Zappa, Deftones, Hendrix, Jon Schofield, etc. My Hellraiser covers all the bases - and then some.

It's as at home with my Matchless as it is with the JCM800.

I got this as a blem, but it is better than many a Gibson or other passing off as a first. The action was low and clean, and I dropped it further and further and it took it! The strings are barely above the frets, and it doesn't buzz.

Everything fits well and works as you'd expect. The Floyd is original, not a 'licensed by', and there really IS a difference.

I have no complaints about any of these aspects.

The hardware is EMG and Floyd, so that's as good as you get. The neck is set in the body. It feels real solid like it would break the floor rather than fall apart if you dropped it.

'Would I gig it?' is a dumb question!

Only had pre-sales contact and that was fast, informative, helpful and friendly. Old school service.

I've played for over 30 years (with a gap in the middle) and have owned just about all the classics. And you know what? I would no longer thank you for any of them. I'd take this over a 59 LP or a 60's Strat anytime. I don't dislike the other stuff, but up against this Hellraiser they all seem kind of one-trick items. They are all based on 50 year old originals - and it shows. My Hellraiser is a modern guitar, built in a modern way, with hich-tec pups and a trem you can use - and it has the correct number of strings.

I wanted a guitar that would let me play whatever I had in my head. And I'd never found it until now. You could not improve it.

Would I buy another if it got stolen? I have another on order right now anyway! And I would have even at 2x the price.

It's difficult to put into words exactly how good this guitar is. Let me try it this way:

THERE IS NO POINT IN ANY OTHER SOLID BODIED GUITAR.