Schecter Hellraiser Hybrid PT-7 Review (UV) – A Beast!

Hello there, back again with another real guitar review for you! This time, we will be looking at the newest member of my guitar collection, the Schecter Hellraiser Hybrid PT-7 Ultra Violet! As I always do, I will provide you with many details and a no-talking demo video! So please stick around, and let’s get started!

About Schecter

Schecter Guitar Research, commonly known as Schecter, is a well-known American guitar manufacturing company. It was founded in 1976 by David Schecter in Van Nuys, California. Initially, the company gained recognition for producing high-quality replacement parts for existing guitars, such as Fender and Gibson. Over the years, Schecter has evolved into a prominent guitar brand, manufacturing a wide range of electric guitars and basses. The company is particularly renowned for its custom and semi-custom instruments, catering to a diverse range of musical styles, including rock, metal, and jazz.

Schecter guitars are often praised for their craftsmanship, attention to detail, and the use of quality materials. The company offers a variety of guitar models, including signature series instruments designed in collaboration with renowned artists.

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Schecter‘s guitars are known for their versatility, making them popular among musicians across different genres. As you may already know, I’m a big fan of Schecter guitars. Hellraiser Hybrid PT-7 is not the first Schecter I tried. While working in the MI business, I had the chance to test, play and record many Schecters daily and was always amazed by their quality. Even their SGR by Schecter line was pretty much one of the best entry-level guitars ever. I also got myself a Solo II Custom in recent years and was really impressed!

Check out my Schecter guitar reviews here

Schecter Hellraiser Hybrid PT-7 – Ultra Violet

At the time of writing this article, I had already owned a Fender American Standard Stratocaster (maple fingerboard) and really liked it; however, there’s always something missing on the heavier, darker side of the tonal spectrum, as Strats are not built for it. I strongly believe and advocate that you should at least have a Strat-type and an LP-type guitar for the maximum coverage of guitar tones with a minimum number of guitars around. But it’s the bare minimum, because there’s no such thing as too many guitars! 🙂

Les Paul-type guitar builds are also one of my favourite combinations of electric guitars with a mahogany body and set-neck construction featuring dual humbuckers. My Ibanez AR300 was my all-time favourite guitar for a long time back in the day. To fill this gap, I started researching LP design guitars. I was also considering a 7-string, so I thought, why not? Since I had never owned a 7-string, it might be a very unique experience for me.

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you are probably aware of my being a huge Schecter fan! During my service in the musical instrument industry, I had the chance to play and record around 200 electric guitars, and Schecter was one of the top brands that I always enjoyed right out of the box! With that in mind, I was a bit biased and had already made my decision in terms of the brand. But couldn’t really decide for a while. I was almost going to go for the Shecter Hellraiser C-1 that I really enjoyed during our demo video sessions, but then I discovered another series that is Hellraiser Hybrid!

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According to Schecter, the Hellraiser Hybrid series has been designed with a nice fusion of the Hellraiser and SLS models in mind and features a combination of the most sought-after specs from both series. This series also belongs to the Diamond Series (You will almost always see this name on Schecter headstocks), which features guitars that belong to non-custom-made, mass-produced Schecter guitars with a combination of different specs.

In the Hellraiser Hybrid series, you have basically 2 base designs that are C and PT, with different combinations of various specs. You have standard 6 strings with both body types, tune-o-matic or hard-tail bridges, Floyd Rose tremolos, EMG active pickups or even a Sustainiac and also 7 or 8 strings versions. Hellraiser Hybrid series also features some common specs such as an arched top design, ultra-slim SLS neck with compound radius, ultra-access neck joint, carbon fibre bindings, glow-in-the-dark side dots and EMG 57/66 pickups.

Last but not least, you also have one of the coolest, and in my opinion, the best Ultra Violet finish on the market! Given these specs and my desire for a 7-string guitar, I was able to limit my choices to 2 guitars. I was going to pick up either a Schecter Hellraiser Hybrid C-7 or PT-7 in Ultra Violet finish. Unfortunately, there were almost no videos or demos showing these models, but I was able to find a 6-string version comparison and loved the PT model better. Even though they feature almost the same specs, they sound different. This might be because of electronics and wiring differences (not sure).

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But there was a problem! These guitars were both very difficult to find online! To get information on availability and price, I contacted Schecter on their Instagram account, and they gave me a contact from Musik Meyer GmbH. With their support, I was able to custom-order my Schecter via Thomann and a couple of months later received it! 🙂 In this process, I also contacted other resellers in the EU and wanted to create very unique content for you separately. In this article, you will understand why Thomann is the best music store ever!

Check out my “Why Thomann is the best music store? Excellent CX in the musical instruments industry!” article here.

Tech Specs

Before we start looking into each part and reviewing it, I would like to share a video that I have made. In this video, I wanted to show you the tonal possibilities that Schecter Hellraiser Hybrid PT-7 offers. In this video, I’m using my ENGL E570 all-tube preamp, ENGL Cabloader, directly into the RME Babyface PRO audio interface. Also added a touch of Lexicon reverb (VST). For the video, I had to restring my Schecter Hellraiser PT-7 with a Pyramid 7-string set. I have only played random riffs from some of the songs I like, some random licks and riffage with overdrive and distortion only.

Mind you that during 2021, I was still getting back to guitars and gears after a long break. So, I felt like I couldn’t really perform well with my electric guitar playing, as you can see in the video.

Sound Demo (no talking)

Review

As I mentioned in the article, I have played dozens of Schecters during my service in the MI industry and also had the chance to record them in our unbiased video series back in the day. Based on my experience, I must say Schecter’s quality control is pretty consistent. I usually spot many identical positive and negative aspects with regard to the quality assurance on most Schecter guitars.

For instance, once we opened up a Schecter SLS C-1 Blackjack model, one of the plastic pickup rings turned out to be cracked. I also came across minor quality and setup issues with my Schecter Hellraiser Hybrid PT-7 with the truss rod cover, wrongly set pickup heights and pickup selector switch that had some issues out of the box. These findings have been pretty much similar to the Schecter Solo II Custom as well! Anyway, we will look into each part of the guitar here. Let’s start!

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Headstock

Hellraiser Hybrid models come with a Diamond Series headstock, as shown in the photos. All the strings go straight into the tuners thanks to its design, eliminating the tuning issues that may occur due to break angles.

Truss Rod Cover Issue

As I mentioned briefly above, the only problem I identified was the truss rod cover. It wasn’t properly cut, so it couldn’t really fit tightly. I believe you can see this issue in the photo below. Some people might think that I’m a bit too picky about these details, but take it as an occupational disease. I have to look for and find all the deviations from what they are supposed to be. And take these extremely minor issues as signs of how fast the quality assurance is done at the factory.

Tuners

Hellraiser Hybrid PT-7 comes with Schecter’s own locking tuners in black chrome finish. These tuners are lovely and make the string changing a breeze. Contrary to popular belief, locking tuners won’t make tuning problems go away. I can confidently say that this guitar never has any tuning problems.

Nut

As usual, Schecter doesn’t hesitate to utilise industry-standard components for their high-end guitars. The nut used here is a Graph Tech XL Black Tusq. It’s perfectly cut and has given me no issues.

Neck

Hybrid PT-7 features a maple neck with 3 pieces featuring carbon fibre reinforcement rods, which makes the guitar extra stable. Although this guitar is a 26.5″ 7-string instrument, which would normally make it more difficult to play. However, the ultra-thin C-profile neck is so easy to play and control the guitar across the range. As this is a single-cut design, it’s absolutely not so easy to access higher registers with the same comfort, but the comfort cutaway definitely helps.

Also, as you can notice from the photo, the neck is sanded at the factory, and the stickiness is removed completely. This guitar not only features a really lovely, dark ebony fingerboard, but also comes with 24 XJ stainless steel frets! These days, stainless steel frets are a thing for me, almost like a must-have spec. Somehow, it has settled in our minds that if a guitar has stainless steel frets, it has to be all flawless, no exception.

At first, this guitar performed flawlessly for a couple of years. But later on, I must confess that a couple of the frets in higher registers started to lift. It was an easy fix even for a hobbyist like me, but it was still annoying. The lesson that should be learned here is that stainless steel frets don’t guarantee perfect fretwork. I think the most important thing is that at least a near-perfect fretwork and long-term stability of the guitar. Otherwise, you will be spending more money on the same guitar with luthiers.

Pickups and Electronics

This guitar comes with one of the best active pickup sets out there. Although I’m not a big fan of active pickups, I was really impressed by the organic tones coming out of these pickups.  The pickups are the 7-string version of the EMG 57/66 set. EMG EMG 57-7H and EMG 66-7H really surprised me as I was expecting more compressed sounds, but these sound extremely open and responsive. I think they really complement the acoustic characteristics of this instrument.

Check out my EMG 57/66 review here

The electronics cavity looked OK to me. However, I have come across an issue with the pickup selector switch. I believe due to waiting times in warehouses (mine was made in 2018), it got a bit corroded. I sometimes had issues switching to the neck pickup. I quickly solved this with a contact spray. Now it’s gone for sure! I wanted to add this as a side note and keep everything honest and real with you! 🙂

Wrong Pickup Height Adjustment!

As with my other experiences with Schecter guitars so far, Schecter Hellraiser Hybrid PT-7 was no different. The build quality is excellent. As I always mention, while I was working for an online music store, I had the chance to play and record hundreds of electric guitars as well as to test thousands of them in a very well-structured approach. This has really helped me to know where to look and inspect instruments.

The first one, which was really obvious, was the pickup heights. Unfortunately, someone was having a laid-back day at work and adjusted the pickup height in a reverse fashion. 🙂 This next image clearly shows that issue. Fortunately, this is something wrong with the setup and can be adjusted.

As I mentioned, an identical problem with my Schecter Solo II Custom, perhaps we should conclude that someone at the factory really doesn’t give two shits about these issues. Again, you may say I’m being too picky about these problems. But we have to be careful about these details, as these may indicate other problems with the guitars. In this case, the neck pickup was set even higher than the bridge pickup. Naturally, one would go ahead and adjust it, right? But when I attempted, I noticed the pickup height screws were pretty rounded already, so I couldn’t really adjust them freely. Instead, I had to buy some replacement screws and adjust the pickup heights with the new Göldo humbucker screws. Hopefully, why these details matter is crystal clear! 🙂

Check out my Göldo humbucker screw review here

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Body

The body here is a nice, chunky mahogany body, with possibly the sexiest guitar finish I have ever seen! 🙂 Since it’s a 7-string guitar, the body is compensated for this and slightly larger. This increases the height of the location of the strings that your right hand points to; therefore, it’s really easy to play this guitar seated.

But, I have to be honest with you: The guitar was pretty heavy, possibly the heaviest guitar I have ever played (probably after Chapmal ML1). Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any leftover information regarding my measurements of the guitar. But I think it was a little over 4kg.

As you can see from the various photos, the ultraviolet finish is so fricking sexy! And it’s not just a single finish colour, but many, depending on the angle of the light. On the back of the guitar, you can keep watching this beautiful finish! 🙂 The only thing here are the string ferules.

Bridge

As for the bridge, Schecter uses one of the best modern hardtail bridges here, a Hipshot Hardtail string-through body version. These bridges are top-notch! Perfectly designed for maximum comfort and durability. As you can see from the pictures, there is no sign of use on these bridges, even though I played this guitar for a couple of years straight.

Glow in the Dark Side Dots

Last but not least, here’s a shot from the side of the dots in a pitch-black room. As you can see, these glow-in-the-dark side dots really glow, and it’s not a gimmick. Really helps the player locate the frets even in pitch black. Although I don’t play live and just play in my living room, I like this feature a lot, really cool!

Verdict

Hellraiser Hybrid PT-7 just feels like a true mahogany body. It’s heavy and bulky, but at the same time, really comfortable to play with. When in a seated playing position, it’s very comfortable on your lap. Since it’s a bigger body than a regular 6-string version, the height from your knees is naturally higher, so it’s easier to play. However, it’s still heavy, and if you consider playing this in a more traditional pose or standing up, I highly recommend you invest in a good strap.

I have picked up a Marleaux Bass Comfort Strap, see my dedicated review of this strap!

The 3-piece maple neck is a satin finish one! This is something I consider an upgrade. I also converted my Ibanez AR300‘s neck with sandpaper to have this upgrade. Fortunately, I don’t have to do it on my own with this guitar! The ebony fingerboard was a great choice for this guitar. I think the ebony they used is not dyed wood that you can find in entry-level guitars. This is really beautiful, Ebony! It looked a bit dry when it arrived, so I immediately conditioned it with Sandberg Natural Fingerboard Oil.

See my Sandberg Fingerboard Oil Review here!

“Easy Access” set-neck construction is really comfortable. However, if you also heavily rely on your first 2 fingers on your fretting hand and don’t use your pinky too often, this may feel weird at first. When you really aim for the highest frets and bend/vibrato with your current habits, the outside of your right hand may touch the horn underneath.

This is not a big deal for me, as I don’t remember having played any guitar that offered the same comfort with the upper register. It’s always a different feeling and a struggle to play the upper register anyway. Hellraiser Hybrid PT-7 ships with a set of Ernie Ball strings. I researched this set of strings but couldn’t find an exact match. I believe these are Ernie Ball 2222 Hybrid Slinkies with an added single 62 gauge 7th string.

The strings arrived without an issue, but I didn’t really enjoy the overall tone, as my guitar was made in 2018. So these were already 3 years old when they arrived. I restrung my guitar with a set of D’Addario NYXL09564SB.

I think these strings are excellent, but a bit expensive. I’m still testing it and have also bought many other 7-string sets to try in the future. Since the scale length is 26.5″, I feel like the low E string should be a bit thicker than 46 gauge. Unfortunately, many 7-string sets always feature a 46. To test this, I have picked up a La Bella HRS-73 set and also made a 7-string set with Elixirs.

Already have tested La Bella HRS-73 and Pyramid 7 String sets, check my separate articles and listen to sound samples!

As you can see in the tech specs table above, this guitar, as well as other Schecters, features an excellent set of components and specs that you can find in only high-quality instruments. You don’t need to buy this guitar and start planning to upgrade components such as nuts, bridges, tuners or electronics. It’s an excellent, flawless axe out of the box. Unfortunately, this guitar doesn’t ship with a gig bag. I think, at this price tag and quality, they could at least offer a simple gig bag. Hardcases are not really necessary if you are not a touring musician, but a gig bag is a must, and you have to buy it separately.

Here’s a cover video in which I used my Schecter back in the day.

Overall, Schecter Hellraiser Hybrid PT-7 is a beast! I strongly recommend this series to anyone who seeks a solid instrument at all levels. I think this particular model offers huge value/money when you consider the components and build quality combined.

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Pricing & Availability

Although I can confidently recommend this guitar, unfortunately, it’s no longer available. At least we know that it doesn’t exist on Schecter’s website anymore. Weirdly, all PT variants of the Hybrid series are gone. But the Hellraiser Hybrid series is still alive! You can still purchase many variations of the series, but under the C version. If I could go back in time and purchase this guitar, I’d probably go for the C-7 variant.

Check out the Schecter Hellraiser Hybrid series on Thomann here

You may also want to check out Reverb, as there might be used ones, but I can guarantee that it’s a rare guitar and won’t be available often.

Check out the Schecter Hellraiser Hybrid series on Reverb here

For all the other Schecter series, you may also want to check out Amazon stores. Depending on your location, there may be unique Schecter models popping up for you over there.

Check out the Schecter guitars on Amazon here

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