Seven String Help!

[shredtastical]

Hey guys. I'm new in the market for seven-strings, and I'm having a bit of a dilemma. I've narrowed it down to pretty much either the Loomis sig or the C-7 Hellraiser, and I'm kind of looking for a nudge in either direction. Why would I want one over the other? I've played both of them, and they seem to feel more or less the same to me. The couple of selling points I was looking at were:

The Hellraiser has X-Jumbo frets, where as the Loomis merely has Jumbos

The Hellraiser has a dark wood for a fingerboard. Though I'm not too knowledgeable on woods, I've mostly played dark woods for my entire guitar career, and I'm very partial to my ESP, which has an ebony fretboard. Why would I want the maple over the rosewood?

Pretty ignorant as to body woods as well, hopefully someone can shed some light on those (i.e. ash vs. mahogany)?

I really like the push-pull coil taps on the Hellraiser.

Price isn't an issue at all for me. I just want the best guitar I can get.

Lastly, if anyone has a suggestion outside of these two, I'm completely open to that as well, although I'm not looking to go custom shop. Thanks!

 

[Kenneth R.]

you've basically sold yourself on the hellraiser. is the signature model in the running only a consideration because it's a signature model? if so, don't kid yourself! don't pay extra for something that isn't a legitimate feature.

body wood: wood density is the factor here. a more porous wood like ash is going to have a lighter, more trebly sound than a denser wood like mahogany. i can explain why if you care, but that's the key difference. oh, and mahogany is heavier to shoulder. considering this is a 7 string, you might not want a dense body as it could muddy up your tone.

fretboard wood: okay, in a purist sense, this will affect your tone just like everything else will affect your tone. will you be able to hear a difference? very probably not. it's mostly look and feel - those are the big considerations for fretboard wood. there IS however a big difference between guitars with glued on boards and guitars like a strat where the neck is simply one piece.

 

[Anonymous]

Well, being the owner of a Loomis sig, I'll mention that I've never once regretted buying it. I can't say it's better though, since I haven't tried the C-7. But the C-7 sure does look hella sweet.