Customize my 7!!!!

[schecter77]

Hey guys I have a Schecter c-7 Hellraiser Special FR. Its got EMG 707s. I love this guitar and its been with me through so much so i cant get rid of it but i want it to sound and play better then it does.. its in really good condition, but I bet there's something i can do to max out its play-ability. any suggestions?? also i know of one thing that i need to fix and id like to find the cheapest way how. my floyd rose works ok but its really wiggly and i hate that i cant get a solid bend out of it.. ive replaced the actual bar itself and no luck so what are my options? Thanks for the help guys!

 

[Rayaus]

For the bar being loose, your best best would be to try a couple of different ones in a store. I had a loose trem bar once and my tech traded me mine for one of the stack he had that fit snuggly.

 

[Sam MJ]

When you mean wiggly do you mean the bar doesn't stay still when you let go of it? if so just put some plumbers tape on it

As for upgrades you could install a brass trem block on your trem and/or a tremol-no.

Personally im not a huge fan of EMG's so I would change out the pickups to blackouts/deathbars but thats personal preference really.

But I think really the best thing you could do is have it setup by a pro tech. If you have any sharp fret ends have them look at that and get them to setup your floyd properly.

 

[Nonservium]

Can you clarify what you mean by "really loose?"

Could be a number of things wrong here.

 

[schecter77]

Well with the loose thing its not that it doesnt tighten enough, its that even when its fully tightened i can wiggle the bar back and forth a bit without actually moving the bridge itself. leaving me with an inaccurate dive/bend.. like when i try and do a "flutter" technique, it doesnt work cause the bar wiggles and not the bridge. and ive tried a couple different bars and they're all the same but i think ill try out that plumbers tape

 

[Nile]

Could it be stripped?

 

[schecter77]

I thought it might be but it still gets pretty damn tight when i tighten it all the way so idk if its that

 

[silverctr]

1. proper fret dressing
2. sand the neck down and tung oil that biyotch
3. pickup change (preferably Dimarzios)

 

[GXPO]

I would shield the cavities and get a plec job done. I've never had one myself but I've heard nothing but good things.. brass block, ss frets (if you consider that an upgrade), there's so much you could do. How much were you looking to spend?

 

[schecter77]

I'm not too familiar with anything dealing in luthiery, so can you guys let me know what the stuff entails? lol like shield the cavities and a plec job or a brass block, ss frets etc.. and i dont want to spend too, too much because im saving up for a EBMM John Petrucci BFR 7. but i also dont want my Schecter to be so far down the quality scale that i never use it cause of the JP7

 

[purpledc]

If it were my guitar these are the things I would do.

1. replace arm and collet assembly with a push in style bar. Or modify the existing unit to have a set screw to prevent the wiggle.

2. Sand down the back of the neck with either 1500 sandpaper or 0000 grade steel wool to take the shine off the neck. This will improve speed yet retain the benefit of the poly finish.

3. I would swap the 707 in the bridge for a 81-7 or even better passives of either dimarzio or many prefer BKP.

 

[bob123]

Upgrade path I'd suggest for you.

1) your guitar comes with an original floyd, it shouldnt be sloppy. But since it is, I'd suggest getting a new trem arm holder.

2) plec'ing is becoming more and more affordable. This is a machine that puts your guitar strung and unstrung and measures height differences. It then does a bunch of calculations and cuts your frets perfectly. This can have a very very drastic effect on playability (in a good way!)

3) get some noiseless springs. Obvious is obvious

4) over sized block. Kinda snake oil for me, but some swear by it.

5) you dont need better tuners, so if anyone suggests that, ignore them.

6) I think EMG's sound like dog shit, so I'd swap those out, but thats totally your call man.

 

[schecter77]

Ok. I decided! Im going to do the following:
-Switch the arm holder out with the one that the Ibanez edge has
-Get that brass big block along with some noiseless springs
-Shield the cavities
-Sand down the back of the neck
-and get some BKP Aftermaths
I like the way my fret boad feels for the most part so i dont think ill do anything like pleking it unless its cheap and changes it in a big way.

So what do you think? Anything im missing guys??

 

[rgaRyan]

Uh, aren't 707s active and aftermaths passive?

 

[Wrecklyss]

Uh, aren't 707s active and aftermaths passive?

That's a good point. You'll have to switch out the pots for 500K for passive pickups. Then your battery box becomes a handy place to store an allen wrench for the lock nut when you break a string. (although i believe most Schecters keep the battery in the control cavity)

 

[schecter77]

Ahh shit i didnt think of that.. well how much do you think it would be to switch out the pots? and I would probably get good ones that actually turns the volume up and down not just switch when it gets to a certain point lol and yeah i have a battery slot so i will definitely utilize that as a storage unit of some sort haha

 

[Wrecklyss]

New pots run about $3-10 a piece, just make sure you buy audio taper and not linear. Also, having never owned a guitar with active pickups, i don't know what value capacitor is on the tone knob. For humbuckers, anything between .47uf -
.65uf works well. the closer you get to 1uf, the more low end you will get.

 

[grunge782]

Honestly, besides electronics you might have to spend a bit on tools if you have some major issues. I'd probably just take it to a good tech to at least get inspected and get a basic setup so you can at least figure out if anything is wrong with it.

 

[grunge782]

Upgrade path I'd suggest for you.

1) your guitar comes with an original floyd, it shouldnt be sloppy. But since it is, I'd suggest getting a new trem arm holder.

2) plec'ing is becoming more and more affordable. This is a machine that puts your guitar strung and unstrung and measures height differences. It then does a bunch of calculations and cuts your frets perfectly. This can have a very very drastic effect on playability (in a good way!)

3) get some noiseless springs. Obvious is obvious

4) over sized block. Kinda snake oil for me, but some swear by it.

5) you dont need better tuners, so if anyone suggests that, ignore them.

6) I think EMG's sound like dog shit, so I'd swap those out, but thats totally your call man.

2. Pleking is great, however it must be kept in mind if its not SS frets, the frets will eventually wear down over time. It's not like a one time deal thing if you plan on keeping the guitar for a while.

5. Agreed on this guitar. Just check to make sure the tuners are tightened up to spec. Locking tuners can be a nice upgrade though for other guitars to make string changes easier.

6. Even more agreed lol

 

[schecter77]

Honestly, besides electronics you might have to spend a bit on tools if you have some major issues. I'd probably just take it to a good tech to at least get inspected and get a basic setup so you can at least figure out if anything is wrong with it.

Well, nothing in particular is 'wrong' with the guitar except for the arm holder on the floyd. as far as set up goes im pretty good at doing that, if there was anything wrong with the guitar i'd know it. I just wanted to know what i could do to make this good guitar sound great.