schecter c-1 hellraiser VS ltd mh400

[shark]

a couple of months ago I wanted to buy the schecter but then somehow I had to spent my cash on something else. Now I 've finally saved up enough to buy a guitar. I really want the schecter but they are very hard to get here in europe. So I decided to look and see if I could buy one in the US. Skullkrusher wanted to help me but when he checked for the guitar at his local shop, they said it would also take months before they have the guitar back in stock.

Now I 'm wondering if maybe I 'd be better off, just buying an ltd mh 400 instead. It has almost the same specs as the schecter and it's easier to get.... your thoughts on this?:reporter:

 

[Loserchief]

Re: schecter c-1 hellraiser VS ltd mh400

i've played both the hellraiser and the mh-400 and the hellraiser just stomped over the MH so much, it wasn't even funny anymore. To me it felt,played,looked and sounded better. Hellraiser :headbang:

ppc-music is the only dealer i know of in germany, but they'll ship to you if you ask them. They have most schecters in stock AFAIK
http://www.ppc-music.de/

 

[Metalblaze]

Re: schecter c-1 hellraiser VS ltd mh400

I have the MH-400 (locking trem) and I can say it's a very good guitar for the money (at least for me). Never had problems with it.
I can't help you with the schecter as I never played one.

But most situations with guitars is more a matter of taste.

 

[D-EJ915]

Re: schecter c-1 hellraiser VS ltd mh400

The HR comes with an OFR but I like the MH400 better even taking that into consideration.

Why I like the MH: maple neck, headstock, binding, inlays, 2-knobs. The horn shape is also slightly different and the schecters are fatter, I like ESP's design better, just a "feel" thing, you know.

Plus it seems every Schecter I play doesn't sound the greatest while every ESP I've played has sounded awesome, but your experience may be different. I think Schecter goes for flash while ESP goes for subtance, at least IMO, LTDs always seem to have fewer-piece bodies than Schecters do, not really sure what that does to vibrations and such but the aesthetics are uglier.


ESP is (should) be releasing an MH-1000 FR model which will destroy both the Hellraiser and the MH400, it's like the HR stepped up another notch. It'll be a little while before it's available but might be worth taking into consideration, I have no idea on colours or anything, we'll find out this weekend. (NAMM)

Anyway, here are some pics from Carlino Guitars ( who are awesome )

MH-400:
http://carlinoguitars.com/images/Picture_4139.jpg
http://carlinoguitars.com/images/Picture_4138.jpg
http://carlinoguitars.com/images/Picture_4142.jpg

Hellraiser FR:
http://carlinoguitars.com/images/Picture_5352.jpg
http://carlinoguitars.com/images/Picture_5351.jpg
http://carlinoguitars.com/images/Picture_5355.jpg

 

[shark]

Re: schecter c-1 hellraiser VS ltd mh400

hmm that ltd mh1000 fr sounds interesting.... maybe I should wait a little longer and see what NAMM brings :fingersx:

 

[JohnnyGuitar]

Re: schecter c-1 hellraiser VS ltd mh400

I'm not a huge fan of ESP (or LTD) although sometimes you might find good gear coming from them...
I'd go with Schecter...

 

[ozzynotwood]

Re: schecter c-1 hellraiser VS ltd mh400

I think there is one in stock at Haworth Guitars in Australia. I've been going there for 10 years, and they're constantly shipping guitars to other countries. You wont have any probs with these guys. They're family owned, and you dont get any of bull**** that goes with music stores that are part of bigger chains. www.haworthguitars.com.au

 

[Rowan]

Re: schecter c-1 hellraiser VS ltd mh400

Interesting.


Both me and my buddy play guitar for the same band and we ended up getting new axes at the same time. He got a C-1 hellraiser and I got an ESP H-400. The hellraiser has a lower register than the ESP with the mahogany neck, as opposed to the H-400's maple. The neck is very good on the hellraiser but the ESP is a bit slimmer and plays faster. We both play on Line6 stacks and on the same distortion setting, the ESP cuts through the mix better. But that might be cause of the H-400's jb while the Hellraiser has EMGs. And it may just be my friend's hellraiser but the input jack is already messed up only after a week or so out of the factory.

But I assure you, both are quality guitars. It just depends on what features you like.

Hellraiser = mahogany body, set mahogany neck, EMGs

H-400 = mahogany body, set-thru maple neck, Duncans or EMGs


Personally I'd check out the Mh-1000 with duncans. Its got string thru body (I'll never mess with a head-ache inducing floyd again) with jb/59 and a killer qulited maple finish. I vote ESP.

 

[bloodswords]

Re: schecter c-1 hellraiser VS ltd mh400

em... any considerations for an Ibanez SZ instead?

 

[D-EJ915]

Re: schecter c-1 hellraiser VS ltd mh400

Considering that doesn't have a floyd, I think not. The MH-400 and HR are way beyond that thing anyway, imo.

 

[bloodswords]

Re: schecter c-1 hellraiser VS ltd mh400

if that's your inclination, dunno if it's within your means to check out the Edwards MH:

 

[stangme01]

Re: schecter c-1 hellraiser VS ltd mh400

I've owned a few LTD's and none of them stayed with me. They include a viper 400, ec-400, ec-1000, and an h-1000. The schecter hellraiser was with me the whole time, schecter is of better quality than any of them and sounds much better, its been my main axe since i bought it. The LTD h-1000 was harsh, even with duncans after i took the EMGs out, with EMGs they are REALLY harsh. I assume this is because of the maple neck. The schecter sounds very complex and clear at the same time and i absolutely love the playability. Every ltd i owned had a bunch of flaws too and the bodies were made of like 4-5 pieces of wood! you could see the lines where each piece of wood met! The only ESP i even compare with the hellraiser is the ESP Mirage neck through (80s one i think). I will be buying this soon. No other ESP (not ltd ESP) seemed as good or better. ALthough i really like ESPs. I really like LTD's too. I don't like many other schecters than the hellraiser, i had a bunch of the c-1s and s-1s and didn't like them all that much. The only other schecter that impressed me was the c-1 classic but that inlay is nasty.

 

[stangme01]

Re: schecter c-1 hellraiser VS ltd mh400

em... any considerations for an Ibanez SZ instead?

terrible, i had an sz720 that was thin, harsh, and felt like a low rent guitar to play. I have no idea how they ever got a following. I bought one off the internet without playing it first. Dumb mistake, changed pickups and everything ugh.

 

[stangme01]

Re: schecter c-1 hellraiser VS ltd mh400

if that's your inclination, dunno if it's within your means to check out the Edwards MH:

Those edwards look really nice

 

[Rowan]

Re: schecter c-1 hellraiser VS ltd mh400

oh I forgot to mention that schecter and ESP are the same company :smack:

ESP bought schecter in the 90's, but they operate as two seperate entities. My friend and I were amazed at how similar our guitars were in build and quality (minus input problem).

 

[Metalblaze]

Re: schecter c-1 hellraiser VS ltd mh400

I can 100% assure you that my MH-400 has 1 piece mahogany body (the wood texture is always clearly continual) and as usual 2-piece maple top. It never had any flaws just some stains on the binding that went away with the first cleaning.

The MH-1000 is so fine but I don't like that thick binding. It reminds me of bouzouki, a traditional instrument here.

 

[shark]

Re: schecter c-1 hellraiser VS ltd mh400

if that's your inclination, dunno if it's within your means to check out the Edwards MH:

WOW, that 's a fine looking guitar :wow:

 

[CGord]

Re: schecter c-1 hellraiser VS ltd mh400

I have a HellRaiser, so I voted for it. Never owned an ESP, but two LTD's are on my GAS list, the Stephen Carpenter 7 string baritone, & a white Viper 400.

This is also on my list, you might consider it:

 

[D-EJ915]

Re: schecter c-1 hellraiser VS ltd mh400

MH-1000FR is out

Set-Thru / 25.5”
Mahogany w/ Quilted Maple Top
3-Pc. Maple / Rosewood
FR Locking / 42mm
Thin U
Offset Abalone Blocks
24 XJ
White w/ Abalone purfling (B/N/H)
Black
Grover
Floyd Rose
EMG 81 (B) / 85 (N) Active
Vol / 3-way Switch / Tone

 

[KeeperOS]

Re: schecter c-1 hellraiser VS ltd mh400

I hope I'm not that late in asking but are you certain you meant the C-1 HellRaiser and not the Hellraiser C-1 FR?

I'm asking because it seems strange to me to compare a string thru body guitar with a Floyd Rose one, unless of course you want a hardtail in which case why not the LTD MH-400NT, from where I'm standing it's the MH-400 with a string-thru body...

In short, I'm confused...

As a shameless cut, I've also been considering a Schecter, a recent friend of mine (less) recently became the local Schecter dealer here in Greece, first time I visited his shop he let me play an Ibanez, then a Jackson and then, a Schecter Omen-6 FR Extreme and I was amazed at how easily my hands moved on the fret and how amazingly its' stock pus sounded (that push/pull also helped immensely) but not as amazed as when I heard that it cost HALF what those Ibanez and Jackson cost...
Now, with that in mind, how much more kick butt the Hellraiser C-1 FR is (since he's still new he hasn't brought all the models here yet)...

I'm thinking I should be ogling its' way (although I somewhat dislike active pus like the EMGs, I find them, well, quite lifeless...)
BTW I'm definitely going for the headache known as Floyd Rose so...

Ok, back to you, If the HR is half of the bad-ass I imagine it to be then Schecter all the way man (not to mention that it should be considerably cheaper too)!
After a quick look I found that the closest to you is Germany (like one other mentioned), however, that's not your only choice if you decide to mail-order.

Best of luck man!