ESP Max Cavalera RPR vs Stef-T7B
Reasons to Get
ESP Max Cavalera RPR over Stef-T7B
Reasons to Get
ESP Stef-T7B over Max Cavalera RPR
Other Key Differences
ESP Max Cavalera RPR vs Stef-T7B
Shared Features
ESP Max Cavalera RPR vs Stef-T7B
Common Strengths
- Neck-Through Build
- From a High-Quality-Standards Country
- Top Pickup Brand
- Expensive Wood
Common Weaknesses
- Weight Relief
- Stays in Tune (Evertune)
- High-Quality Frets
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- Luminescent Sidedots
- Strap Lock
- 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 ESP Stef-T7B is probably the better product overall with its final score of 79 compared to the ESP Max Cavalera RPR's 76 score, although not by a lot.
The ESP Stef-T7B wins when it comes to sound, build quality, value for the money. On the other hand, the ESP Max Cavalera RPR has the upper hand when it comes to playability.
If you got small hands, none of these instruments will make a big difference when it comes to comfortability.
Which One is Better for Beginners?
If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, the ESP Stef-T7B is the better choice.
The ESP Stef-T7B meets 6 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the ESP Max Cavalera RPR meets only 4. 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 Max Cavalera RPR- Easy-to-use bridge
- Tall frets
- Narrow nut
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable shape
- Comfortable fretboard
- Short scale
- Locking tuners
New Player Friendliness
ESP Stef-T7B- 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 Max Cavalera RPR Overview
- From ESP's 2017 Signature series
- Max Cavalera Signature
- Made in Japan
- 6 strings
- 24.75"'' scale
- 12" Fretboard Radius
- Mahogany body
- 3pc Maple neck
- Rosewood fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Seymour Duncan Distortion SH-6 (Humbucker/Passive)
- 1 volume and 0 tone Dome knobs
- Tonepros Locking TOM & Tailpiece bridge
- Thin U Neck-Through neck
- 22 XL Jumbo frets
- Gotoh tuners
- Compare Specs >
ESP Stef-T7B Overview
- From ESP's 2008 Signature series
- Stephen Carpenter Signature
- Made in Japan
- 7 strings
- 27"'' scale
- 12" Fretboard Radius
- Alder body
- 3pc Maple neck
- Ebony fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Fishman Fluence SRC Signature (Humbucker/Active)
- Middle pickup: Fishman Fluence SRC Signature (Humbucker/Active)
- Neck pickup: (/)
- 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
- 3-way Switch
- Tonepros Locking TOM bridge
- Thin U Neck-Through neck
- 24 XL Jumbo 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 Max Cavalera RPR
Rosewood is an almost purple-looking wood that is used mainly for fretboards since it's heavy, rare, and expensive. It's sometimes used on acoustic guitar bodies to create stronger warm tones. Find out more about Rosewood.
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 ESP Stef-T7B
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.
Alder is the most popular wood that Fender uses in most of their guitars nowadays. Even though they say it's because of its balanced tone with an emphasis in the upper midrange, it probably is because it isn't too expensive, and it's also pretty lightweight—more than Mahogany. Find out more about Alder.
Winner: ESP Max Cavalera RPR.
Pickup Configuration
The ESP Max Cavalera RPR has an H configuration while the ESP Stef-T7B has HHX pickups.
A single H pickup gives you the advantage of having a little longer sustain (all other things being equal) because there will be less magnetic fields from other pickups affecting the strings' vibration. However, they also give you the least versatility because you won't have other pickups at different distances from the bridge to create different tones. A single humbucking pickup is used for noiseless high output, which is used mainly for Hard Rock genres.
On the other hand, 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.
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 ESP Max Cavalera RPR has a slight sound quality advantage when taking into account other factors like the type of pickups, magnet, position, etc.
You can purchase similar pickups to the ESP Max Cavalera RPR's and use them on any guitar:
We found the same or similar pickups to the ESP Stef-T7B's online:
The ESP Max Cavalera RPR's pickups are Passive while the ESP Stef-T7B's are Active.
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: ESP Max Cavalera RPR.
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
The ESP Stef-T7B gives you 3 switch options while the ESP Max Cavalera RPR gives you 0. This means that the ESP Stef-T7B gives you more options to find the right pickup combination for the type of sound you want to achieve
Only the ESP Stef-T7B comes with some kind of pickup modification: 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.
The ESP Max Cavalera RPR doesn't come with pickup switching options.
When evaluating versatility, we also take into consideration bridge and neck joint type, number of frets, switch options, amount of pickups and more.
Winner: ESP Stef-T7B.
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 Max Cavalera RPR compares to the ESP Stef-T7B.
Country of Origin
The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. Both in this comparison where made in Japan.
Japan has a long history of high-quality guitar building. Little has changed in terms of their manufacturing and quality control over the years. Many guitars made in this country can be compared—and even beat—others made in the US.
Winner: Tie
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 Max Cavalera RPR has 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.
On the other hand, the ESP Stef-T7B comes with a Graphite nut. It's a self-lubricating material that will allow the strings to slide over the nut without a lot of friction. It's a good type of nut if you want to have better tuning stability than with plastic, although it's not as resistant as Bone or Tusq.
Winner: ESP Max Cavalera RPR.
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
The ESP Stef-T7B has the best tuners of the two because they are 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: ESP Stef-T7B.
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.
Both have 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.
Winner: Tie.
Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:
ESP Max Cavalera RPR
- Made in Japan
- Expensive Wood
- Bone Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Neck-Through Build
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
- No Weight Relief
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Tremolo
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
ESP Stef-T7B
- Locking Tuners
- Made in Japan
- Expensive Wood
- Top Brand Pickups
- Neck-Through Build
- Multi-Voicing Pickups
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No High-Quality Nut
- No Weight Relief
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Tremolo
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
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 Stef-T7B has the wider nut with 47mm (1.85'') vs 42mm (1.654''). This is a 5mm (0.196'') difference
This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the ESP Stef-T7B, 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 Stef-T7B has the longest scale: 27". The ESP Max Cavalera RPR is only 24.75" long. This is a 2.25'' (57.2mm) 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.
Both the ESP Max Cavalera RPR and the ESP Stef-T7B have a U-shaped 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.
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.
Both the ESP Max Cavalera RPR and the ESP Stef-T7B have the same fretboard radius of 12". This is the radius used in most Gibson guitars. It gives you a good balance for playing chords without muting, but also good comfortability for playing single notes and bending.
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.
After taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that both in this comparison favor small hands .
ESP Max Cavalera RPR:
ESP Stef-T7B:
Fret Size
Both have a XL Jumbo fret size. These are really tall frets made like this so you don't meet any resistance when playing techniques like vibrato, bending, tapping, etc. They should make the guitar easier to play, but you have to be careful not to get the notes out of pitch by pressing down too hard, which might happen since the fretboard will be too low to stop your hand.
