It’s easy to think that there are only a few types of different guitar instruments available to use, such as a six string guitar; but, how about a 7-string? The Schecter C7 Hellraiser is one of those instruments that only come along once in most people’s lifetime. With its above average output, killer good looks and state of the art engineering and hardware, The Schecter Hellraiser C7 will satisfy those metal heads whose musical style incorporates a 7th string into the mix.
The Makeup Of The Schecter C7 Hellraiser
Schecter Guitars are well known for visually appealing and high quality guitars and has been since the late 70s. The C7 is one Schecter Hellraiser model out of many that has gained extreme notoriety amongst the newer style of metal being played these days.
A solid, strat-style body, constructed of very high grade dense mahogany is where it all starts. From there, you have a choice of adding a quilted cut of maple wood for the cap, which comes in a black cherry finish of glimmering beauty.
If you love EMG pickups then you will be thrilled with the specially designed, 7-string electronics that come standard on all C7 Hellraiser guitars. Full height adjustability and are coil tapped by use of the push/pull pot of the volume dial.
For obvious reasons, a 7-string neck is not going to be quite as fast as a 6-string, but the C7 is pretty damn close. Schecter puts in the extra effort in the design category to come up with a flat, slim neck that is strong and still accommodates those of you with smaller hands.
Tremolo bridges have been going through design innovations for decades and the whammy on the Schecter C7 Hellraiser Fr model is by far at the top of that innovative curve. Floyd Rose makes the tremolo on the Schecter Hellraiser C7 FR and has done a bang-up job of making a bridge that stays in tune even under the heaviest of usage and abuse. It should be noted that the non-tremolo models of the C7 are hardtails with string-through bodies and have sustain that seems to last forever.
How Great Do They Sound?
Four different amps, with each having a clean and distorted channel, were used for the testing. Each amp's distortion qualities ranged from medium output to ultra-high. The clear articulation of the pickups when played cleanly on each amp was quite evident. This is definitely not a one-trick pony.
When played distorted is where the Schecter C7 Hellraiser really comes alive and nearly melts the amps. The balance of the pickups with the wood choice of the body is perfect. Transitioning from chord to chord and note to note was very clear with no muddiness. A muddy tone is something you can expect from a lot of other guitars that claim to be able to handle high output pickups well but don’t.
Wrapping It All Together
At around the $850 range, it really seems like Schecter is giving the C7 Hellraiser away. There are a few other brands of guitar out there that are more than twice that amount of money yet are under delivering by a long shot. The Schecter C7 Hellraiser is a true 7-string guitarists dream come true and will prove that day in and day out.