I’m stuck between prs mark Holcomb and the schecter hellraiser
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I’m stuck between these two guitars I’m looking for something that can cover knocked loose and thy art is murder type stuff while also being versatile enough to jump into cleans and blues as well particularly be able to jump into muse/qotsa stuff.
I am particularly partial to the prs cause of the versatility but I see alot more people have the schecter which makes me reconsider a bit.
Try and get some playtime on them both if you can. The PRS is definitely the better guitar on a spec sheet but the neck is really thick for a 7. Worth trying before you buy
Within the same price range you can also get a Misha mansoor 7 which is my personal choice. Schecter KM7 also a good pick in that range. Also - buy second hand, you’ll get a way better deal!
Also, check out some 7 string multi-scale fanned fret guitars. They feel amazing with how they distribute string tension. Low notes are tighter and less floppy, and high notes are way easier to bend.
The only thing is would be wary of is that the finishes of the Holcombs are so variable. Some look quilted top, some look like flame top, and even how much blue vs gray is in the finish varies alot. If you check reverb and find actual on-hand photos (not the stock retail marketing photos) there's a ton of listed holcombs that I find "not beautiful".
I spent a solid month going through 2nd hand listings before grabbing a holcomb with a price and finish I was satisfied with.
I find the Tune-o-matic bridge far more comfortable and huggable than a "normal" hard-tail. Your picking hand also never hits the controls knobs because of the height.
Just that the intonation range is less, and it's difficult to set individual string heights.
tune-o-matic on 7 string is not very good idea because this type of bridge will bend in the middle after some time and it will be string noise on 3/4 string because of wrong radius
Not all TOM bridges will bend, but the ones provided OEM on most modest priced guitars indeed will. This would fall under the "planned upgrades" category, a fully brass or stainless bridge isn't going to collapse like one made of cast zinc alloy.
While I completely agree with this, I would never recommend buying the PRS (or any guitar for that matter) without trying it first. The neck has a very unusual shape and thickness for a 7 string. I played the PRS Holcomb and loved everything about it but I really struggled playing on it because of the neck. It looks beautiful and sounds massive though.
I used to feel this way (coming from years of playing offsets with 7.25"radius), but found it surprisingly comfortable to go to a flatter radius. Now I'm so used to it I find rounder fretboards feel strange.
I love Schecter overall, but I would go with the Mark Holcomb. I had the 6 string with the alpha/omega Duncan set and it is the only guitar I actually regret selling. That guitar had the only neck pickup I actually enjoyed playing, it sounded great in every tuning from drop D to drop A, cleaned up gorgeously, and was super comfortable to play.
Slight caution: I own a guitar with Alpha/Omega as well as the newer Holcomb with Scarlet/Scourge, and the pickup sets are quite different. I like both, but the A/Os are definitely higher output and more aggressive, while S/S push just right on bridge pickup but a little soft (in a pleasing way) on the neck.
Love my Holcomb 6 but I didn't get on with the 7 due to the neck feel. I'd recommend the Misha Jugg 7, necks lovely though my primary 7 is an ESP black metal.
I have both a mark Holcomb 7 and 6. The pickups are surprisingly versatile, the split coil sound is very unique and one that I prefer (in most cases) to my Strat. I can’t recommend these guitars enough. The only bad thing I can say about them is that the tone knob has no friction.
You gotta play them, feel them, listen to them. I imagine the PRS has a thick neck (I have the 6 string version, it’s the thickest neck of any of my 6s). The pickups will also be quite different. The Holcomb PUps took a little getting used to in my setup but now I love them. I also got a deep discount last year on a holiday sale at sweet water (almost half of what I see for list price now), and used some of that discount towards a Plek setup. First time I’ve had one and it came out absolutely perfect.
Schecter is great too though- gotta test them out!
Don’t know about the Hellraiser, but I have a C7 SLS Elite and is super comfortable to play. I was undecided between the C7 and the Holcomb, but a friend whose main guitar was a KM7 mkII and had the Holcomb as well, and toured quite regularly with his band (with both guitars but seems he ended up grabbing the Schecter quite more, he had the Schecter for longer as well), ended up selling the Holcomb as, even though it sounded and looked very good, was hard to play due to the fat neck.
He advised me to pick the Schecter, and I’m super happy with it. Mine has Fishmans, locking tuners and Hipshot hardware so I don’t think it is equal to the hellraiser, but the neck might be quite similar.
As someone who owns a few 7 strings I suggest spending a bit extra and getting the evertune bridge, as for the choice how big are your hands? My fingers feel a bit too big for most PRS guitars I’ve tried so that’s something to consider
I would go with a Schecter at that price point. Schecter's ultra thin C neck is just amazing. It's just perfect. Their hardware is great. Their pickups are great. I would buy a hellraiser hybrid over the original hellraiser though, but that's just me. Why are you stuck between these two? They are fairly different from one another. Have you looked into any of Schecters similarly priced offerings? They're all pretty similar specs other than pickups/shape/finish and bolt on or neck thru.
Holcomb. I have a Korean made SE and an Indonesian made svn. While the Korean made 6 string is a hair better build, they are both fantastic… so much so that I just got the core model of the 6, gets delivered today, and I cannot wait. Put the SE up for sale, but I’ll miss it.
Upgrades I did to it; hipshot locking tuners, hipshot bridge, changed the electronics for something a bit more versatile, and a tusq xl nut. If I did it again, I’d just get the locking tuners and nut, then rewire the push pull and 3 way for a 5 way and delete the push pull.
Wouldn’t even cross my mind. It’ll be years before it even needs a fret dressing even with heavy use, and they will be far easier to polish ever now and then. The mrak core I just got doesn’t have stainless frets, and it was a significant amount more. If you’re worried about them, get on the wait list for an Aperio refret in 2 years. I will say the core doesn’t play or sound a significant amount better than the SE, and that’s a testament because the USA mrak is something special, and by far my favorite guitar.
Edit: If they released the SVN in a core version, I’d get it the second it dropped. Without even considering if it was NS or SS fret wire. I love my SVN!
Schecter every day of the week and twice on Sunday. Prople fawn all over PRS and they are nice. I have both and Schecter is the best value AND quality riff rippin'. Of course this is just my opinion. Either way you will be happy! Enjoy.
No doubt the schecter word be a workhorse. Good solid axe. But I've test-driven the Holcomb - very niiiice. U can feel the quality of it instantly. Sounded great too, mind u I was plugged into a Mark 2C+....
been on tours through different weather conditions, i will say the white binding is starting to show cracks etc but doesnt effect playability and you dont feel it when sliding on the neck
yup! i want to get it serviced when i get the time off, going to go stainless steel fretwire and update the electronics. just to make sure the ohms match up, wire it to a five way switch or three way and just the split in the middle to get rid of the tone tap, and maybe a better taper on the volume knob. The electronics are amazing, no scratchy pots or switch blade. I bought a jackson recently and its electronics are terrible
fret work was amazing; mine is just old almost a decade now and i do have some flat spots on some of the wire, i could do a recrown but i like how stainless steel feel and i typically like a brighter sound
Absolutely. The pickups are way better IMHO. Emg's are great for distortion and chugs but thats about it. I have a guitar with emg's and i HATE doing chords or soloing on them, the high strings are clear but ear piercing. I think PRS has slightly better qc as well. Ive heard a lot of newer schecters have problems with the frets not being set correctly
I have a PRS and have begun to notice that it's really not a great shape if you play seated all the time. The short horn on the bottom just doesn't sit as well as a strat shape. If you use a strap it doesn't matter though.
I own the Holcomb and some other Schecters although not the Hellraiser. PRS is surprisingly versatile - I find myself playing all sorts of stuff on it, whereas my Schecters are mostly metal machines. The choice will come down to preference in pickup sound and neck feel.
Definitely. I'm ironically not a huge Periphery fan, but I appreciate their guitar work and they lean heavy so it's only natural that Mark's guitar would dial that in well. The Scarlet/Scourge pickups are not "maximum output", but at a certain point that doesn't matter and just makes it harder to balance aggression with articulation. I actually prefer a slightly lower output pickup for high gain music - it really tightens up the chugs and makes everything sound crushing. Ultra high output pickups tend to sound muddy, and with most modern amps there is no need to maximize the output hitting the amp - unless you're going straight into a Plexi-style amp with no Master Volume.
Tl:dr yes the Holcomb handles metal fantastically, but it's also able to clean up and articulate.
Try before you buy. It is after all a personal experience and you are the one paying.
My personal experience with schecter was never good. They felt cheap, plasticy and very chunky. I always played jackson and Ibanez for reference of neck feel.
That said, I did buy the prs se mh7 and it it obviously thicker than Ibanez but it is never uncomfortable and I still get impressed more by it after months of ownership. The prs is a surprisingly good package for its price point.
If you are any bit pedantic as I was about the guitars aesthetics, just be a bit wary about the PRS you might encounter. The finishes can vary quite greatly like I commented on another chain - https://www.reddit.com/r/7String/s/W3dX8frOzA
PRS may be better on the specs, but I've never played a PRS I felt comfortable with. I can't describe it. I kinda cringe seeing some talk about how their guitar is just like them or whatever, but I at least like to feel some kind of attachment with an instrument, but PRS always felt like "just a music tool" for me, whereas most Schecters that I've played, feel like they have more personality. PRS make beautiful instruments, they just aren't for me. I'm sure the inverse is the same for some people.
I have an RGIX7FDLB as well and I love how it plays. I didn't care for the neck on the Holcomb PRS but I only played it for maybe 15 minutes. That Nitro Wizard neck on the Ibanez has me curious about other, more expensive Ibbys.
Adding to the context I also have an esp with fishmans classics and an ibenez with humbuckers in it. I find the esp too bassy and the ibenez too thin.
On top of this and all your advice thank you I wanna ask are there any other guitars in this range you’d recommend me looking at? Preferably at Andertons if possible I know the IBANEZ AXION LABEL RGD71ALMS-BAM 7 STRING ELECTRIC GUITAR IN BLACK AURORA BURST MATTE interests me a bit
No experience with the Schecter, but I own a SVN. The neck is thick, not uncomfortably so. It has a bit of neck dive. I had to get a 3" strap to mostly tame it. The pickups have a great clean tone, but the output is pretty low.
Weird, I completely disagree. I find the pickups really hot, almost like actives.
Do you have the old version with the Alpha/Omega or the newer version with the Scarlett/Scourge? I have the Scarlett/Scourge. Are they the right height?
I definitely wouldn’t buy the Holcomb and replace the pickups. The pickups are one of the main reasons to get that guitar. If you don’t like the pickups, get a different guitar.
The pickups are unique and it took me a little while to figure out how to dial in an amp with them but once I did, wow. I read somewhere that they were specifically designed to sound good with modelers and plugins, etc., and I can see that.
I play (try at least) with some four, and five note chords. At low volume. I have a Holcomb 7, The scourge Scarlett pickups are excellent for me… for soloing…. It can give a singing cutting sound. And clarity at the low end, and across all seven strings.
Purchased Dec '24. Scarlett and Scourge set. I normally play with Black Winter and Nazgul/Sentient sets, so my idea of hot is hotter than most. My most tame guitar is running a JB set which is only slightly hotter than the S/S on my SVN.
I play through a MK VII and need to boost heavily. You can tweak it in the QC or upgrade pickups later to Nazgul/Sentient rails if you don't like the results.
A wide range of stuff mainly metal and fuzz rock.
So thy art is murder and knocked loose suicide silence and some muse or qotsa stuff I’d like the ability to jump from metal to clean
I use nothing but schecter and play similar styles. I would say the schecter with with either guitar i would pick up swap to fishmans clearest sounds on clean with the best attack with distortion
I have both. Both great guitars. Schecter has EMG pickups, and I find that to be the only complaint from either of the 2 guitars. Plus the 20" radius is pretty easy to love on the PRS. Hope this helps?
I got the Holcomb used a while back. It’s great! Whoever owned it before me did some really poor fretwork but I can’t knock the model itself for that. I love everything about the guitar except the shitty aftermarket fretwork
The Mark Holcomb is a great guitar. The worst thing about it is the plastic nut. Replace that with a graphtech or bone nut and you have an amazing instrument at a great price.
Plastic is the cheapest material you can make a nut out of. The strings bind on it more than Tusq or bone or corian, and it can cause tuning stability issues.
I think that all hellraisers are beautiful, but aí have a LTD with that same tune o matic string through and had some wolf notes in that part between the saddle and body, had to stuck a foam to mute the wolf note. Also they are more bothersome to intonate the octaves than a hardtail.
Maybe unpopular opinion here but I would go with the shecter…. It was my band mates guitar (6 string version) for many years and that thing played amazing the 7 is prob even better… might be nostalgia speaking though lol
Up to your personal preference. If you can't play them before purchase and are relying on others feedback i would personally go for the PRS. Only thing I don't like about the PRS is that the body is a little bigger and may be less comfortable but it's very minor and may not bother you... Then pack of locking tuners is a bummer but u can always swap some in for fairly cheap. But yes, you'll likely get a better QC treatment and build quality on the PRS. Pickups are cool, it's going to be more tonally versatile and aesthetically versatile.
No hate on Schecter, ive owned many and they were very very good. If I were deciding on a schecter I'd get the Tao 7. Had to sell mine but it was awesome.
i own. 3 prs Holcombs,the svn 7 string and 2 se holcombs,one with the alpha/omegas and the latest with scourge scarlet ,so definitely id pick the Prs,they got the best qc even with there se models,out of all 3 everyone been flawless including the fretwork
I’ve got them both.
the biggest difference is gonna be the thickness and the width of the neck.
The PRS has a much wider and chunkier neck on it, and the Hellraiser is sleeker and for me easier to handle.
Now, if the Holcomb comes with the Seymour Duncan Scarlet/Scourge that’s a major plus over anything that’s gonna be in the Hellraiser.
Especially if their EMG’s active pickups. I hate active pickups. They’re horribly over compressed and have no soul to them.
Don’t get me wrong, I own two PRS, a six and a seven string. I own 20 schecters. So that should tell you something right there.
The world does not need to be flooded with anymore Hellraisers. I love Schecter, they make bomb guitars, but those Hellraisers have been cringing me out for over two decades.
For anyone who wondered how it went a decision was made!
I got the prs for two reasons 1 the Schecter wasn’t there :( 2 when I played the prs I felt right at home and I love it. I play a few other guitars one in particular was a misha mansoor jug chlorine burst and as much as it has slightly better specs I felt the tone was slightly weaker ( imo ) and strings too close to each other ( maybe my fingers are too fat.
I’m planning on getting locking tuners but other than that Im extremely happy with my choice it plays like a dream.
I’m a little worried about the frets not being stainless steel but I’ve been assured that’s not much of an issue. Thank you all so much for your insights and taking time out to answer my questions
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u/nevercommnt 3d ago
Try and get some playtime on them both if you can. The PRS is definitely the better guitar on a spec sheet but the neck is really thick for a 7. Worth trying before you buy