Ibanez v Schecter at the lower end

mrleon83

ok so I got a little bit of cash in the PayPal account and I'm looking to get a fixed bridge seven string .. I've narrowed it down to ibanez and schecters .. does anyone have any insight as to which is likely to be better?

I dont usually change pickups or hardware so I'm looking for the best stock quality ...

bazzabalboa

Ibanez would be the best option. Schecter fretwork is awful (my opinion, ive owned 4, all needed fret work done)

I have a low end Jackson JS32-7Q, and cannot reccommend it enough. Great neck and the bridge has the same template as a hipshot, so it is just a drop in replacement

grungebob

To add some balance, never had a schecter that needed fretwork but had two Ibanez that did. 

Go go play some 

Jack_

Both have a 7th string, so that should help with the lower-end.

HTH. 

skunkwerx

I've actually been really tempted all month by 2 guitars at the same price. Both £399 at Andertons, ones a Jackson slatmgx (or summink) and ones an Ibanez.. jacksons a thru neck, both have emg actives... 

Only ever played an Ibanez gio, never played a jackson or a schecter either but all appeal. 

ennspek

Of those two I would pick the Jackson personally. I do like a through neck.
I have ever owned and played a couple of low end Schecters and never had an issue with the fretwork or indeed anything else.
I've never owned an Ibby so can't comment.

bluechargeboy

I have never played  Schecter but I believe they have thicker necks than Ibanezezez, which is particularly noticeable on a 7 string.

MattBanshee

Probably Ibanez.

Also, 7 strings go for absolutely nothing second-hand because kiddies buy them to form djent bands with their mates, then go through puberty and sell them to buy a six-string for their university landfill-indie bands, so there is an absolute flood of them available at any time. You can have your pick of whatever you like and you'll probably only have to pay a ton or two.

Motorhate

I've got a Schecter Blackjack 7 String and can't praise it highly enough. The finish, the fretwork and playibility is fantastic. Stock grover tuners, tune-o-matic bridge, Seymour Duncan Blackouts pickups. I'd urge you to try and get hold of one if you can. I've seen sell for around £400 (I was lucky and got mine for £300).

jeztone2

I'd say Ibanez or even an ESP LTD. My nephew has this weird LTD pointy job & the build quality is right up there IMHO.

MattBanshee

jeztone2 said:

I'd say Ibanez or even an ESP LTD. My nephew has this weird LTD pointy job & the build quality is right up there IMHO.

I am astounded by how good my ESP LTD Viper 100 is. The body, neck and fretwork quality is very high, and it's only really let down by the pickups, which is easily fixed.

skunkwerx

Thats true. Esp Ltds. Ive had 3 and my go to guitar is still one of them. Love them.

mrleon83

Cool I'll check esp out , would I be wrong in thinking they are all made in the same factory? 

skunkwerx

I believe ltd and schecter are from the same factory as prs se stuff.. then again my 2015 se tremonti (hard tail) is indonesian the same as my esp ex-360, with my other two lower end ltd models being chinese made.. 

skunkwerx

Me ibanez gio was also Indonesian made. 

olafgarten

I think it depends on what you want.

Ibanez have the thinnest necks and are probably the best suited to faster more technical stuff.

Schecter also have thin necks but not quite as thin as the Ibanez, they are also usually Carved top vs the Ibanez's which are usually flat.

ESP tend to have the fattest necks out of the 3, it is a marginal difference but the neck is more of a U shape than a C and is a bit deeper. I wouldn't get an ESP 7 String. 

All this experience is from helping my Friend pick out a 7 string.

Motorhate

skunkwerx said:

I believe ltd and schecter are from the same factory as prs se stuff.. then again my 2015 se tremonti (hard tail) is indonesian the same as my esp ex-360, with my other two lower end ltd models being chinese made.. 

Ibanez and LTD are made in the same factory in Korea. Not sure about the stuff in China and Indonesia.

LewisW

You may want to look into the Sterling JP70, its not hardtail but could be fixed down etc.

Marshall_stax

Having had both, I'd say Ibby all day long. Admittedly the Schecter was only a six string but I have to add my two pennies worth to the "shonky fretwork" camp I'm afraid. 
The Ibby was the most basic of entry level guitars (bought to see if 7's were my thing) but it competed well with some of my higher end guitars. 

When in doubt - Ibanez.