ESP LTD m-1007ms fm VS schecter reaper elite-7ms; opinions / help me decide

[Krillak]

hey folks I'd love to gather some input and / or suggestions between the two guitars here.
i'll put a small spec list to save anyone unfamiliar having to go digging around the web to much.

The LTD in question here features bolt on construction, a 5 piece maple and purple heart neck with no reinforcement rods, macassar ebony fretboard, mahogany body with a solid flamed maple drop top, trans black satin finish, satin neck, hipshot bridge, LTD locking tuners, a genuine bone nut, seymour duncan sentient / nazgul pickups, stainless steel frets, and no luminlay side dots, has push/pull coil split, full body and neck black binding, 14" radius board. made in indonesia.

The Schecter feature neck through construction, a laminated wenge neck with carbon fiber reinforcement rods, ebony fretboard (no indication of species), african mahogany body wings, a nice quilted maple veneer, high gloss body finich, with satin neck, hipshot bridge, hipshot locking tuners, graphtech black tusq XL nut, schecter san andreas pickups, stainless steel frets, features luminlay side dots, has push/pull coil split, full body and neck black binding, 16" radius board. made in korea.

for what it's worth, the LTD (here in Canada) is 200$ more than the Schecter,
to note on paper it seems like the schecter has several feature above the LTD,
neck reinforcements, luminlay, (better tuners?), neck through VS bolt on, korea VS indonesia, Black TUSQ XL VS bone, at a lower price.

thoughts? quality control, etc, etc.

 

[Zado]

If you dig the finish on the Reaper, go for it, it's a great guitar spec wise.

 

[Krillak]

I do wonder; as on paper the schecter has higher specs (assuming tusq XL is better than bone, neck through is better than bolt on, reinforcement rods are better than no rods, hipshot tuners are better than LTD tuners, San Andreas pickups are comparable to sentient / nazgul, and Korean made tends to be better than Indonesian), in theory the schecter should cost more, but is hundreds($) less than the LTD; I have to wonder if the difference here is paying for brand name... or if it's quality VS quantity of features? (E.G. quality control, fret work, nut cutting, fit and finish)

 

[AkiraSpectrum]

Both are going to be great guitars (assuming you don't get a lemon or something). Get whichever one really speaks to you.

That said, if I were choosing, I'd go with the Schecter. I've played the 6-string variants of both those models and the Schecter 'felt' nicer (at least to me). Again, both are going to be great and will be of similar quality overall. Lately, I have found Schecter's guitars impress me more than the LTD Deluxe's that I've played.

 

[AkiraSpectrum]

I do wonder; as on paper the schecter has higher specs (assuming tusq XL is better than bone, neck through is better than bolt on, reinforcement rods are better than no rods, hipshot tuners are better than LTD tuners, San Andreas pickups are comparable to sentient / nazgul, and Korean made tends to be better than Indonesian), in theory the schecter should cost more, but is hundreds($) less than the LTD; I have to wonder if the difference here is paying for brand name... or if it's quality VS quantity of features? (E.G. quality control, fret work, nut cutting, fit and finish)

I wouldn't say ___ is 'better' than _____ per se, especially for things such as 'neck-through vs. bolt-on', which are just two different ways to connect a neck to a body. Yes, neck-through is more 'expensive' but its not 'inherently better' in any way, its just a more expensive process. Each has pros/cons and everyone has their preferences.

There are a lot of factors when it comes to $$$: parts, build type, style, work-hours, QC, amount of guitars, current/future/past business deals, etc. If I'm not mistaken, I believe the LTD has a 'full top' and not a maple top with a maple veneer over-top like the majority of LTD's and Schecter's in this price range so that's going to 'up' the cost as well. Either way, I wouldn't worry too much about that, both are going to be roughly 'in the same ballpark' in terms of quality; however, I will note that Schecter would probably still have a slight edge.

 

[Krillak]

Both are going to be great guitars (assuming you don't get a lemon or something). Get whichever one really speaks to you.

That said, if I were choosing, I'd go with the Schecter. I've played the 6-string variants of both those models and the Schecter 'felt' nicer (at least to me). Again, both are going to be great and will be of similar quality overall. Lately, I have found Schecter's guitars impress me more than the LTD Deluxe's that I've played

End of the day I'm curious your thoughts specifically on neck/fretboard comfort

 

[Krillak]

I wouldn't say ___ is 'better' than _____ per se, especially for things such as 'neck-through vs. bolt-on', which are just two different ways to connect a neck to a body. Yes, neck-through is more 'expensive' but its not 'inherently better' in any way, its just a more expensive process. Each has pros/cons and everyone has their preferences.

There are a lot of factors when it comes to $$$: parts, build type, style, work-hours, QC, amount of guitars, current/future/past business deals, etc. If I'm not mistaken, I believe the LTD has a 'full top' and not a maple top with a maple veneer over-top like the majority of LTD's and Schecter's in this price range so that's going to 'up' the cost as well. Either way, I wouldn't worry too much about that, both are going to be roughly 'in the same ballpark' in terms of quality; however, I will note that Schecter would probably still have a slight edge.

This is true; and my wording here was for sure suboptimal, My intent was to highlight that the schecter reads off as the pricier instrument, but somehow is cheaper.

 

[Baelzebeard]

For some reason the Schecter headstock is a turnoff to me, otherwise it would be a toss-up.

I have the LTD, and it is really nice. The pickups sound crazy good.

 

[Krillak]

For some reason the Schecter headstock is a turnoff to me, otherwise it would be a toss-up.

I have the LTD, and it is really nice. The pickups sound crazy good.

Could I ask how you find the neck compared to something like an ibby wizard neck? I do love nice thick necks.

 

[AkiraSpectrum]

End of the day I'm curious your thoughts specifically on neck/fretboard comfort

Haven't played the 7-string variants of these guitars, just the 6-strings, but I find I tend to prefer Schecter neck carves a little more than LTD's, although both are great. Schecter's often have a more 'rounded' C shape to them which I prefer over the more U shape of the LTD's.

The neck wood may impact the feeling as well. Wenge is more dense than Maple so it will likely differ in the vibration you get when playing.
I have guitars with Wenge necks and Maple (dominant) necks and both are just fine, they just have a different 'feedback' on your left hand. I'm sure most people wouldn't even notice though, and maybe what I perceive as a difference isn't really there, lol.

 

[CanserDYI]

I do wonder; as on paper the schecter has higher specs (assuming tusq XL is better than bone, neck through is better than bolt on, reinforcement rods are better than no rods, hipshot tuners are better than LTD tuners, San Andreas pickups are comparable to sentient / nazgul, and Korean made tends to be better than Indonesian), in theory the schecter should cost more, but is hundreds($) less than the LTD; I have to wonder if the difference here is paying for brand name... or if it's quality VS quantity of features? (E.G. quality control, fret work, nut cutting, fit and finish)

"X are better than Y" is kind of a foolish way to approach the gear world, frankly.

 

[Baelzebeard]

Could I ask how you find the neck compared to something like an ibby wizard neck? I do love nice thick necks.

The LTD is a little thicker through the middle than my thinnest Ibby neck,(Iron Label RGA) but nicely rounded on the edges.
I prefer necks that aren't paper thin, and the m1007 neck is very comfortable to me. I have a straight scale Schecter, and it's neck shape is very different. Flatter on the back , bulkier edges. Still comfortable, but different.

It would be good if you could try them in person, but I realize it might be hard to find them in a physical inventory nearby.

 

[Krillak]

The LTD is a little thicker through the middle than my thinnest Ibby neck,(Iron Label RGA) but nicely rounded on the edges.
I prefer necks that aren't paper thin, and the m1007 neck is very comfortable to me. I have a straight scale Schecter, and it's neck shape is very different. Flatter on the back , bulkier edges. Still comfortable, but different.

It would be good if you could try them in person, but I realize it might be hard to find them in a physical inventory nearby.

Ya; no chance to try them, I've played LTD ec-1000s before, I wager it's a similar neck, I have never played a schecter though.

 

[Gtan7]

When i got my (MIK) m1007 MS, it was after waiting to get any model of 7 string MS Schecters used. After waiting a few months, i just got the LTD and i'm pretty happy with it, after needing a full fret level/crown, here it is!

NGD: Something a little different, but not by much.

My Jackson has the same body specs and similar neck I’m pretty sure , I really like that tone I get . Really warm and deep mid - lows without being muddy . I’m sure the SD’s help as well . My LTD has been great as well so I can tell you’ll have fun with this thing

www.sevenstring.org