LTD SC-607 Baritone vs Fender Brent Mason Telecaster
Reasons to Get
LTD SC-607 Baritone over Fender Brent Mason Telecaster
Reasons to Get
Fender Brent Mason Telecaster over ESP LTD SC-607 Baritone
Other Key Differences
LTD SC-607 Baritone vs Fender Brent Mason Telecaster
Shared Features
LTD SC-607 Baritone vs Fender Brent Mason Telecaster
Common Strengths
- Locking Tuners
- Top Pickup Brand
- Expensive Wood
Common Weaknesses
- Weight Relief
- Stays in Tune (Evertune)
- High-Quality Frets
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- Luminescent Sidedots
- 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- Active/Passive Preamp
Table of Contents
Price History Comparison
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Which One is Better Overall?
After going through our comparison algorithm, the results show that the Fender Brent Mason Telecaster is probably the better product overall with its final score of 75 compared to the ESP LTD SC-607 Baritone's 73 score, although not by a lot.
The Fender Brent Mason Telecaster wins when it comes to sound, build quality. On the other hand, the ESP LTD SC-607 Baritone has the upper hand when it comes to playability, value for the money.
If you got small hands, you'll probably feel more comfortable playing the Fender Brent Mason Telecaster.
Which One is Better for Beginners?
If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, the Fender Brent Mason Telecaster is the better choice.
The Fender Brent Mason Telecaster meets 6 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the ESP LTD SC-607 Baritone meets only 5. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players.
New Player Friendliness
ESP LTD SC-607 Baritone- Comfortable shape
- Easy-to-use bridge
- Locking tuners
- Tall frets
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable fretboard
- Narrow nut
- Short scale
New Player Friendliness
Fender Brent Mason Telecaster- Comfortable shape
- Easy-to-use bridge
- Locking tuners
- Tall frets
- Narrow nut
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable fretboard
- Short scale
Nevertheless, when it comes to choosing an instrument, you should pick the one more compatible with your personal style. Still, below we'll try you to give you our results as objectively as it's possible to help you decide.
ESP LTD SC-607 Baritone Overview
- From ESP LTD's 2020 Signature series
- Stephen Carpenter Signature
- Made in Indonesia
- 7 strings
- 27"'' scale
- 13.78" Fretboard Radius
- Mahogany body
- 3pc Maple neck
- Macassar Ebony fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Fishman SRC Fluence (Humbucker/Active)
- Middle pickup: Fishman SRC Fluence (Humbucker/Active)
- Neck pickup: (/)
- 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
- 3-way Switch
- Tonepros Locking TOM w/ String Thru bridge
- Thin U Neck-Through neck
- 24 XL Jumbo frets
- LTD Locking tuners
- Compare Specs >
Fender Brent Mason Telecaster Overview
- From Fender's 2020 Artist series
- Brent Mason Signature
- Made in United States
- 6 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 7.25" Fretboard Radius
- Ash body
- Maple neck
- Maple fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Seymour Duncan Vintage Stack Tele STK-T3B (Single Coil/Passive)
- Middle pickup: Seymour Duncan Hot Stack Strat STK-S2 (Single Coil/Passive)
- Neck pickup: Seymour Duncan Vintage Mini HB (Humbucker/Passive)
- 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
- 3-way Switch
- 6-Saddle Telecaster Bridge with Glaser Bender System bridge
- Late 60s C Bolt-On neck
- 21 Vintage Tall frets
- Sperzel Locking tuners
- Compare Specs >
Sound Quality Comparison
The wood used in an electric guitar or bass is not as important to determine the final tone. However, some people prefer specific wood types, so we'll take a look at those first. Then, we'll take a look at the electronics to determine the versatility and sound quality of each instrument.
Woods Used in Both
Maple is one of the most popular necks for good reasons. It is a strong wood that is relatively cheap to make and looks beautiful. The highest quality maple is the hardest that comes from North America. Find out more about Maple.
Woods Used in the ESP LTD SC-607 Baritone
Ebony is a high-end wood, so it is not cheap. It's only used for fretboards because it's also very heavy. It does an excellent job as a durable material while looking elegant. Find out more about Ebony.
Mahogany is a fairly rare wood nowadays. It's used mostly for bodies due to its relatively lightweight. Gibson popularized it with their Les Paul guitars during their golden years, so this wood has a lot of good reputation behind it. The most expensive type comes from South America and it's still used by Gibson even today. Find out more about Mahogany.
Woods Used in the Fender Brent Mason Telecaster
Ash is a type of wood that Fender used almost exclusively in the 50s, and it's still used by many brands. It's a dense wood with a light color that works well for a transparent, natural finish because of its beautiful patterns. In terms of sound, it's known for emphasizing the mid and high frequencies, but with strong low end. Find out more about Ash.
Winner: ESP LTD SC-607 Baritone.
Pickup Configuration
The ESP LTD SC-607 Baritone has an HHX configuration while the Fender Brent Mason Telecaster has SSH pickups.
HHX means there's no pickup in the neck position. It's a rare pickup combination. It gives you high output with a warm tone for hard rock with a bit more versatility than single-pickup guitars. You'll have to be careful not to set the middle pickup too high if you want to avoid hitting it with your pick.
On the other hand, SSH is a two single-coils and one humbucker combination that's great for players who like bright, clean tones, but that also like to use warmer jazzy tones. It's recommended mainly for playing clean, but the neck humbucker can also deliver fuller tones that work great with overdrive.
Pickups Quality
Both come with very good pickups from at least one of the specialized brands in the market. With pickups like these, you probably won't need an upgrade anytime soon.
However, the Fender Brent Mason Telecaster has a slight sound quality advantage when taking into account other factors like the type of pickups, magnet, position, etc.
We found the same or similar pickups to the Fender Brent Mason Telecaster's online:
The ESP LTD SC-607 Baritone's pickups are Active while the Fender Brent Mason Telecaster's are Passive.
Passive pickups are what most guitars use. These have a normal output that works well for most genres. However, Active pickups are the preferred choice of heavy metal players because they offer extra output thanks to their 9v battery, which results in a heavier, more distorted sound. Bear in mind that achieving a completely clean tone with them won't be easy. So if you want to also use clean tones, you might want to avoid Active pickups.
Winner: Fender Brent Mason Telecaster.
Versatility Comparison
Some instruments offer you more ways to explore your creativity than others. Below you'll find how both compare when it comes to versatility.
Switch Options
Both are equal when it comes to the pickup switching option.
Both give you different pickup mod options.
The ESP LTD SC-607 Baritone offers Multi-Voicing.
Multi-Voicing means the pickups come with multiple ''voices'', which means they can change the tone and gain by a simple switch or knob. Piezo, Fishman and similar are considered multi-voicing pickups.
On the other hand, the Fender Brent Mason Telecaster comes with the following: Coil Split.
Coil Split lets you disconnect one of the pickup coils. When used with humbuckers, it turns them into single-coil with lower output and cleaner tone.
When evaluating versatility, we also take into consideration bridge and neck joint type, number of frets, switch options, amount of pickups and more.
Winner: Fender Brent Mason Telecaster.
Final Sound Quality Scores
Build Quality Comparison
When it comes to build quality, we like to take into account everything used to build the instrument. This includes materials, hardware and the quality control expected depending on the country where it was built. Let's see how the ESP LTD SC-607 Baritone compares to the Fender Brent Mason Telecaster.
Country of Origin
The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The ESP LTD SC-607 Baritone is built in Indonesia while the Fender Brent Mason Telecaster is made in United States.
Indonesia is becoming the most popular country for guitar building because they can make good instruments for a low price. Some people think that they're 'the new China' when it comes to build quality. But the truth is that Indonesian guitars are more consistent, although Chinese quality has improved a lot in the last few years.
The United States is considered one of the best electric guitar manufacturers in the world. A guitar made in this country is supposed to have world-class quality control. Nowadays, guitars made in other countries can beat some of the ones made in the US, but most of the time, this country offers the best you can get. Of course, that comes at a price.
Winner: Fender Brent Mason Telecaster
Nut Material
If you want your guitar to stay in tune and sound good, you need a well cut nut. Nut quality can be inconsistent even when comparing two copies of the same model. The best way to make sure you're nut will be well done is by getting a nut made by an expert company like TUSQ or Micarta.
The ESP LTD SC-607 Baritone has a Plastic nut. This is a low-quality nut that you might want to consider upgrading soon. Bone and TUSQ nuts are the best for guitars with a fixed or simple tremolo bridge.
On the other hand, the Fender Brent Mason Telecaster comes with a Bone nut. It's a type of nut found in high-quality instruments. They sound similar to Ivory since they give a lot of sustain and a bright sound (at least when striking open strings). The only problem they can run into is that you may get a bone piece that simply doesn't sound as well as others because that's just how natural materials are.
Winner: Fender Brent Mason Telecaster.
Fret Material
Most fret wire is made of nickel silver. This material eventually wears down after a lot of use and most instruments end up needing a complete fret replacement. However, some expensive models come with stainless steel frets. This is what you should aim for if you can afford it.
Unfortunately, none of them come with stainless steel frets.
Winner: Tie.
Bridge
The perfect bridge for you will depend on your playstyle because they all have advantages and disadvantages. However, some bridges are more expensive—like Floyd Roses and Evertunes—and thus add more value to a guitar.
Both come with a similar bridge: Fixed. It's a simple bridge that is very beginner-friendly since it doesn't require any set-up. You can swap strings easily. It might also give more sustain since it doesn't have complex moving parts that make the strings lose vibration. However, it doesn't have the same versatility as a tremolo bridge.
Since we need to be objective, the most expensive type of bridge will be the winner of this section. In the end, this doesn't matter if you're not going to use the bridge for its original purpose, so choose the bridge that fits your playing style better.
Winner: Tie.
Tuners
They both have locking tuners. They'll help to keep your guitar in tune because they allow you to tune it without wrapping the strings around the posts. This avoids variations in the tuning due to the strings changing position at the post after a bend. They come at the disadvantage of being slightly heavier than regular tuners. Also, it makes it a lot easier to restring.
Winner: Tie.
Neck Joint
Contrary to popular belief, the difference in sustain and tone that some neck joints give to a guitar is simply unperceivable—if they're all well built. However, some of them do have advantages over the others.
The ESP LTD SC-607 Baritone has a Neck-Through neck joint. This neck is a lot more resistant and lets builders give the neck joint a more comfortable shape for soloing at the upper frets. The disadvantage is that they're more expensive and that if you damage your neck, you can't simply replace it like with bolt-on necks.
On the other hand, the Fender Brent Mason Telecaster comes with Bolt-On neck joint. This neck is joined to the body by 4 bolts that you can simply unscrew. This allows you to replace the neck or take it off for travel. It's the most common and cheapest way to build a guitar.
Winner: ESP LTD SC-607 Baritone.
Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:
ESP LTD SC-607 Baritone
- Locking Tuners
- Expensive Wood
- Top Brand Pickups
- Neck-Through Build
- Multi-Voicing Pickups
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- Made in Indonesia
- No High-Quality Nut
- No Weight Relief
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Tremolo
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Fender Brent Mason Telecaster
- Locking Tuners
- Made in United States
- Expensive Wood
- Bone Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Coil Split Pickups
- Strap Lock
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Weight Relief
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Tremolo
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
Final Build Quality Scores
Playability Comparison
Let's now compare their playability. Bear in mind that the instrument will feel different depending on your hand size and play style. That's why you should always test before buying. But if you can't or want a second opinion on it, we can still take a look at each of the important measurements of the instrument for you. This way, we can predict how easy a guitar might be to play, or how different it will feel compared to the other.
Remember that, even though the difference might seem small, every inch counts when it comes to feeling of the instrument in your hands. Any variation can completely change how comfortable a guitar feels in your hands.
Nut Width
The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the ESP LTD SC-607 Baritone has the wider nut with 48mm (1.89'') vs 41.3mm (1.625''). This is a 6.7mm (0.265'') difference
This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the ESP LTD SC-607 Baritone, especially closer to the nut. However, it's also easier to play without muting strings accidently. This favors people with big hands.
Scale Length
The scale length is one of the things that influences playability the most. This is the distance between the nut and the bridge and will affect everything from low action allowance, difficulty to perform bends, fret separation, and even tone.
The ESP LTD SC-607 Baritone has the longest scale: 27". The Fender Brent Mason Telecaster is only 25.5" long. This is a 1.5'' (38.1mm) scale length difference.
This longer scale means that the strings need more tension to get in tune. This is good if you want to avoid fret buzz, which can happen when the strings are too loose and touch the frets while vibrating. This is especially important when playing in lower tunings. This will also let you reduce the gap between fretboard and strings (low action) to make them easier to press down. However, this higher tension will also make it harder to perform bends and vibratos as the strings will feel stiffer.
This also means that the frets have a longer separation between each other, so this will make it harder for people with smaller hands when playing some chord positions.
Another characteristic of a longer scale is that it makes the guitar sound 'snappier' or brighter. This is due to the extra separation between harmonics and overtones produced by the tension. This influences tone more than any other factor (except the pickups).
Lastly, remember that you can also affect the tension of the strings by changing your string gauge. You can use a thicker gauge for more tension and a lighter one for less tension.
Neck Profile
No single neck shape is better than others. However, most people tend to prefer a thinner necks because it doesn't get in their way when playing fast and most hand sizes can adapt to it pretty well. However, some people still prefer thicker necks for a better grip, especially if they have big hands.
In this case, both have different neck shapes:
The ESP LTD SC-607 Baritone has a U type of neck. This is also referred to as ''baseball neck'' because of its shape. It's usually thick, which is why some people with big hands like it. However, they can also be thin, similar to a C shape, but with more shoulders for a better grip.
The Fender Brent Mason Telecaster, on the other hand, has a C neck. This is what you'll find in most modern guitars. Most people feel like the thickness of a C neck is simply the less intrusive one for playing fast, while at the same time allowing you to grab the neck easily for resting if you want to.
Fretboard Radius
Most guitar fretboards are not flat; they usually have a curve or arc across their width. A curved fretboard will make it easier to perform chords without muting strings, while a flatter one will make it easier to play single notes, which is good for bending and soloing in general. The best fretboards have a compound radius that varies across the fingerboard, but they're not common since they take a lot more work to build.
In this case, the Fender Brent Mason Telecaster's fingerboard radius is smaller, which means it's more curved than the ESP LTD SC-607 Baritone's. This extra arc will make playing chords easier in this model. You won't be as likely to mute the strings, especially if you have big hands. However, playing single notes and bending will be easier on the ESP LTD SC-607 Baritone.
Hand Size Comfortability
Everyone has a different hand size, and that's why it's recommended to try a guitar before buying, even if others tell you that it's comfortable to play. However, we can know whether a guitar favors small or large hands just by knowing its exact measurements.
And after taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that the ESP LTD SC-607 Baritone favors large hands more than the Fender Brent Mason Telecaster.
ESP LTD SC-607 Baritone:
Fender Brent Mason Telecaster:
Fret Size
The ESP LTD SC-607 Baritone has XL Jumbo frets, which should be taller than the Fender Brent Mason Telecaster's Vintage Tall frets.
Some people prefer taller frets because they result in more sustain since the strings get pressed cleanly without interference from the fretboard. However, if they're too tall—like Jumbo frets—, you might change the pitch of the strings accidentally if you press too hard because you won't be touching the fretboard with your fingers. This is also why some guitarists with a heavy grip prefer smaller frets. They like to feel the fingerboard to avoid pressing down too hard and getting out of pitch.
