N8D! Schecter Hellraiser Special

[Razzy]

Hey guys. After waiting a week and a half for this thing, it FINALLY showed up yesterday. I special ordered it through GC, and they had some problem with the shipping department, so it was delayed, and didn't actually ship out until Monday.

First things first, here's some pics.

The neck feels very thin, and is veeery comfortable, and the frets are as smooth as glass. A little bit of buzz on the low B and F#, but it doesn't get amplified, and I've never cared about that anyway.

Now, the scale length on these is 26.5" and I had a few people tell me that would be terrible, and I'd have to use super thick strings for the F#, blah blah blah.

The scale length is fine.

The stock .074 is fucking snappy at F#. I dropped it to E, and it was perfectly playable, though I would like a little more tension at that tuning. Something like a .076, just a LITTLE thicker, would be perfect for me.

So if you've been looking at one of these, but weren't sure of the scale length, don't worry about it, and less you plan on dropping it really low. For F# and E, this thing works perfectly.

 

[celticelk]

Awesome! I'm planning to pick up a C-8 as my first 8-string in a few weeks, and I may want to experiment with the drop-E tuning, so it's good to hear that the Schecter scale length can handle it. (I have a 27" Les Paul bari, and I really don't want to move up in scale length from there.) Enjoy!

 

[JamesM]

I'm sure you see now how funny the "ZOMG YOU SCLAE LENGTHS ARE 2 SMALL 4 F#, GET 30" AND BASS STRINGS" arguments are.

Sweet dude.

 

[Razzy]

Awesome! I'm planning to pick up a C-8 as my first 8-string in a few weeks, and I may want to experiment with the drop-E tuning, so it's good to hear that the Schecter scale length can handle it. (I have a 27" Les Paul bari, and I really don't want to move up in scale length from there.) Enjoy!

You won't be disappointed man. This thing is SOLID. It just feels great to hold.

 

[s_k_mullins]

Awesome guitar! And these go for such a great price

 

[JeffFromMtl]

I'm sure you see now how funny the "ZOMG YOU SCLAE LENGTHS ARE 2 SMALL 4 F#, GET 30" AND BASS STRINGS" arguments are.

HNGD man, it's a beaut!

 

[Razzy]

I'm sure you see now how funny the "ZOMG YOU SCLAE LENGTHS ARE 2 SMALL 4 F#, GET 30" AND BASS STRINGS" arguments are.

Sweet dude.

Yeah dude. It makes me wonder how many people that say that have even played an 8 string before.

 

[Exist]

Amazing looking guitar man!

I can't decide between this bad boy or the Agile Septor Elite 827

 

[Razzy]

Amazing looking guitar man!

I can't decide between this bad boy or the Agile Septor Elite 827

The main differences are that the Septor Elite has an ebony fretboard, and blackouts.

I was tempted too, but I'm seeing more Agile NGD's with problems lately, and it kind of scared me off. Every Schecter I've picked up has been solidly built, with no QC issues, so for me, it was an easy choice.

 

[beneharris]

really gorgeous! how do you like the 808's?

 

[Rev2010]

Thanks for the comment on the neck. I was wondering how they would be. My early model Schecter BlackJack C7 has a pretty thick neck and I sometimes get hand fatigue playing for a while. I had been wondering if Schecter ever adjusted the neck profiles of their instruments as it seemed to be the #1 complaint.


Rev.

 

[Razzy]

Thanks for the comment on the neck. I was wondering how they would be. My early model Schecter BlackJack C7 has a pretty thick neck and I sometimes get hand fatigue playing for a while. I had been wondering if Schecter ever adjusted the neck profiles of their instruments as it seemed to be the #1 complaint.


Rev.

It actually feels considerably thinner than my Hellraiser C-7's neck was, though that could also be attributed to the flatness of it as well. Over all though, it's very comfortable. My guitar salesman picked it up, and he plays nothing but 6-strings, and even he thought it was super comfortable, and ended up putting a Damien Elite 8 on layaway.

 

[Razzy]

really gorgeous! how do you like the 808's?

From what little I got to play with it yesterday at the store, they sounded very smooth, but chording with the low string got a little muddy, but I was playing through a Line 6 Spider, so that could very easily be the culprit, so I'll have to see how they perform on my stuff.

I'll let you know!

 

[celticelk]

The main differences are that the Septor Elite has an ebony fretboard, and blackouts.

I was tempted too, but I'm seeing more Agile NGD's with problems lately, and it kind of scared me off. Every Schecter I've picked up has been solidly built, with no QC issues, so for me, it was an easy choice.

I was considering a Septor as well; the other thing that put me off it was reading that it's sometimes difficult to find strings that will reach across that 8-in-line headstock, at least on the bass side.

 

[Razzy]

I was considering a Septor as well; the other thing that put me off it was reading that it's sometimes difficult to find strings that will reach across that 8-in-line headstock, at least on the bass side.

Oh yeah! That was something else I noticed, but totally forgot about when I was typing my reply.

I HATE inline headstocks on anything over than 6-strings. They just look ridiculous to me.

 

[Rev2010]

I HATE inline headstocks on anything over than 6-strings. They just look ridiculous to me.

Agreed. I don't like them for a number of reasons. There's the string length issue, the appearance of some of them when they start getting really long, and the biggest issue I have is pulling the strings off to the side. I've had strings pop out of the nut.

However, they can be done nicely like Bernie Rico's headstocks.


Rev.

 

[Razzy]

Agreed. I don't like them for a number of reasons. There's the string length issue, the appearance of some of them when they start getting really long, and the biggest issue I have is pulling the strings off to the side. I've had strings pop out of the nut.

However, they can be done nicely like Bernie Rico's headstocks.


Rev.

Yeah, I'll give you that. The BRJ ones do look nice.

 

[rekab]

Congrats man! I've got the damien elite 8 and have been thinking about one of these as well. Can we get a shot of the heel area? I've been wondering how these look/feel compared to the neck thru. I imagine it's got to be about the same..

 

[Razzy]

Congrats man! I've got the damien elite 8 and have been thinking about one of these as well. Can we get a shot of the heel area? I've been wondering how these look/feel compared to the neck thru. I imagine it's got to be about the same..

Yeah dude, for sure. I'll take a couple pics when I get off work.

I can tell you though that the upper fret access is MUCH better on this neck joint than the Damien. I played a Damien Elite 8 before I ordered my 8, and the heel on it is the main reason I went with this one.

 

[Exist]

I was considering a Septor as well; the other thing that put me off it was reading that it's sometimes difficult to find strings that will reach across that 8-in-line headstock, at least on the bass side.

Oh true! I totally didn't think of that. I mean IMO I think it looks pretty badass but the length issue would be frustrating. I still have time to decide so we shall see!

Other than that, I'm super jealous of your new axe

EDIT: Exactly how difficult would it be to find long enough strings for the lower bass side strings? Would only certain companies make them long enough?