2013 Schecter Hellraiser C-8 8 string guitar in Black clear Cherry with EMG 808 pickups

So, the craze sweeping the extreme metal world at the moment is "The more strings the better" and I want to see what all the noise is about, so I got my hands on one of Schecters latest offerings, the Hellraiser C-8. This guitar comes with a spec sheet that will make most metal guitarists go weak at the knees, EMG Pickups, High quality finish, top notch hardware, string thru body, its all there. Does the guitar add up to be a sure fire hit? Lets take a look!

Usual routine of testing here, run through the stack at gig volume and then tested on a smaller amp to see if it still cuts it.

General info;

Manufacturer: Schecter guitar research
Price: £849
Country manufactured: Korea
Finish options: Black, Black clear cherry, White
Body: 3 Piece Mahogany
Neck: Thru neck Mahogany with 2 Carbon Fibre stability rods
Fretboard: Rosewood
Machine heads: Schecter
Pickups: EMG 808
Bridge: Schecter hipshot thru string

Gear used;

Line 6 Spider II 150 Head
Hayden amps 4x12 Cab
Behringer rack mount 2300 compressor
Fender cables
Marshall MG15 Combo-amplifier (for tonal variety)

Looks and finish;

First thing you notice about this guitar is the size of the neck!! I opened the box and thought "Oh Bother, I seem to have bought a Chapman stick with a pretty paint job!" The second thing you notice is the attention to detail. The inlays on the neck are a nice touch, giving this guitar a dark feel. The black clear cherry finish is sublime, it really catches the eye. Schecters finishes have always been eye catching and high quality and this guitar follows the same line. No blemishes or marks at all. Quality control is something that is obviously important to Schecter! This is great for us guitar buyers! The black hardware on this axe compliment the overall design perfectly, giving it that "metal" edge. The fretboard looks perfectly machined and the binding around the body and fretboard are flawless.The design of the guitar is perhaps a little generic, some people I know would say "Oh look another strat-style metal guitar, how original!" and I would agree, but if it aint broke, dont fix it, and I think this looks good!

The sound;

So as usual, first on the stack.

As usual, I have a dabble with the clean tone of the guitar first. No FX or anything to colour the pure tone of the axe. On the bridge position, the tone is really tinny and clinical, this is EMG bridge position 101 unfortunately. I find EMG's to be a tad sterile on clean and this guitar is the same. This improves somewhat on switching to the middle position or to the neck, but I can't help wondering if a nice set of passives in there would improve the overall tone of this guitar. The strings all ring out nice enough, the bottom F# string was a concern of mine before playing, I thought it would be dead sounding and lost in chords, but this isn't the case. The bottom 2 strings ring through lovely and really add depth to chords utilising them. I can see what Tosin Abasi means now about 8 string! It really does add an extra angle. There is some fret buzz on the lowest string, but this is to be expected, perhaps a slightly longer scale length would have changed this, but it is what it is, and the strings ring out fine.

Time to turn the gain dial all the way up and see if it likes the distortion!

My goodness, EMG sure know how to make a guitar sound good under gain! Any shortcomings with clean tone are dealt with when you crank up the gain. Those pickups are pushing out a strong signal, and amps eat it up. Theres bottom end that wasn't there when the guitar had no gain, its very unusual and most welcome. The bridge pickup is the obvious choice for riffing and it sounds the part. It handles anything you can throw at it, ranging from a bit of Judas Priest right up to a bit of Nile. Bit of advice regarding amp settings, make sure you use a quite transparent distortion sound, any slight muddiness on your amp will really cloud that bottom string. A proper mid scoop sound seems to be necessary to get the best out of the extra notes. A good eq pedal or rackmount will provide this. http://www.gak.co.uk/en/mxr-m109-6-band-eq/4752 MXR do a good option on that, and GAK have it at quite a naughty price at the moment.

On to the Marshall to see how it sounds with a little less punch behind it.

The clean still sounds tinny, even more so without the bottom end of the stack. The neck pickup makes it sound a little less chain like but its still not great. As I said, passive pickups are a must I think for a good clean sound.

Crank on the old distortion and hit the magic FDD button and the guitar comes alive again. This thing eats riffs for fun, and with those extra strings it opens a whole new world of sub sonic terror to be unleashed on your audiences! Top notch!

Playability;

Here we go, the money shot, and the thing I was most worried about with an 8 string. Phew, I can actually reach the frets, its not the Chapman stick I thought it was. Its a big neck, don't get me wrong, but the slim profile of the curve makes the neck accessible and very fast! I'm no shredder by any means but I found scale runs on this to be a good experience and my speed wasn't suffering despite the thickness of the neck. Weight wise Id put this axe up there in Les Paul territory. Its not a back breaker thankfully. I rocked out on this for a good few hours and I suffered no pain. Balance was another worry for me, but again, no swan diving and with my strap locks on it felt secure in my hands. The cutaway makes the higher frets very easy to reach, and considering this is a 24 fretter thats good news! This guitar I feel is built for the gain hungry metal players looking for the down tuned sound ala Korn or Machine head, and the feel of it makes it ideal for this. The body contours make it a very comfortable experience both standing and sitting down. Overall, pleasantly surprised and impressed!

Verdict;

So, to sum up my first 8 string experience, here we go! The guitar is a sure fire looker, the finish and quality feel of this instrument make a good first impression. Sound wise, on gain or a heavy distortion its exceptional! As a metal player, EMG do me proud every time. Some say the tone is clinical and lacking feel, and on clean I have to agree, but on the "other" channel of amps they sound the mutts. Nothing comes close. Perhaps I would go for the 808X for the coil tap facility to help the clean tone if I ever chose to change the pickups, but to be honest I doubt I will. The playability of this axe is its key seller. The neck feels a lot smaller in the hand than your eyes would have you believe, and that was a massive relief for me. The price, considering the quality of workmanship and the hardware on this guitar is great! I really would like to test the Floyd Rose version of this guitar, might have to have a word with Mr. Schecter on that score. Overall, a surprisingly playable guitar. I would say at this price, and with the voicing of the pickups and overall sound, its mainly aimed at the gigging musician playing in a hard rock or metal band. If your just after an 8 string, great choice, get to the shop now, if your not sure, play one first, don't make the jump without trying this axe, its one of the best 8 strings out there!

Score;

4.9/5

Pros;

Top notch build, hardware and finish
Amazing "metal" tones
Incredibly playable

Cons;

A bit tinny on clean