Schecter Hellraiser C-1 FR S vs Nick Johnston USA Signature
Reasons to Get
Schecter Hellraiser C-1 FR S over Nick Johnston USA Signature
Reasons to Get
Schecter Nick Johnston USA Signature over Hellraiser C-1 FR S
Other Key Differences
Schecter Hellraiser C-1 FR S vs Nick Johnston USA Signature
Shared Features
Schecter Hellraiser C-1 FR S vs Nick Johnston USA Signature
Common Strengths
- High-Quality Nut
- 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 both instruments scored 76 out of 100, which makes them similar in terms of quality.
The Schecter Nick Johnston USA Signature wins when it comes to build quality. On the other hand, the Schecter Hellraiser C-1 FR S has the upper hand when it comes to sound, playability, value for the money.
If you got small hands, you'll probably feel that the Schecter Hellraiser C-1 FR S is easier to play.
Which One is Better for Beginners?
If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, the Schecter Nick Johnston USA Signature is the better choice.
The Schecter Nick Johnston USA Signature meets 6 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Schecter Hellraiser C-1 FR S 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
Schecter Hellraiser C-1 FR S- Comfortable shape
- Tall frets
- Narrow nut
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable fretboard
- Short scale
- Locking tuners
- Easy-to-use bridge
New Player Friendliness
Schecter Nick Johnston USA Signature- 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.
Schecter Hellraiser C-1 FR S Overview
- From Schecter's 2006 Hellraiser series
- Made in South Korea
- 6 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 14" Fretboard Radius
- Quilted Maple top
- Mahogany body
- Mahogany 3-pc neck
- Rosewood fretboard
- Bridge pickup: EMG 81 (Humbucker/Active)
- Neck pickup: Sustainiac (Humbucker/Passive)
- 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
- 3-way Switch
- Floyd Rose 1000 Series bridge
- Thin C Set neck
- 24 XL Jumbo frets
- Grover tuners
- Weight between 7.6lbs (3.4kgs) and 8.1lbs (3.7kgs)
- Compare Specs >
Schecter Nick Johnston USA Signature Overview
- From Schecter's 2017 Artist series
- Nick Johnston Signature
- Made in United States
- 6 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 14" Fretboard Radius
- Alder body
- Contoured 4-Bolt Wenge neck
- Macassar Ebony fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Schecter USA Nick Johnston Signature Atomic Set (Single Coil/Passive)
- Middle pickup: Schecter USA Nick Johnston Signature Atomic Set (Single Coil/Passive)
- Neck pickup: Schecter USA Nick Johnston Signature Atomic Set (Single Coil/Passive)
- 1 volume and 1 tone Bell knobs
- 5-way Switch
- Schecter Vintage 2-Point Tremolo bridge
- Nick Johnston Custom C Bolt-On neck
- 22 XL Jumbo frets
- Schecter/Hipshot Staggered Locking Tuners 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 the Schecter Hellraiser C-1 FR S
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.
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.
Woods Used in the Schecter Nick Johnston USA Signature
Wenge is a stiff wood that comes with straight and tight grains. Its color is dark brown and the tonality emphasizes the low and mid-ends (warm) frequencies, similar to Rosewood.
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: Schecter Hellraiser C-1 FR S.
Pickup Configuration
The Schecter Hellraiser C-1 FR S has an HH configuration while the Schecter Nick Johnston USA Signature has SSS pickups.
Double Humbucker (HH) is the choice for people who want a fuller, more round sound with tons of mids and lows. Humbuckers also get rid of the hum noise that plague single-coil pickups. They can work out for almost any genre going from Djent to even Jazz.
On the other hand, SSS is perfect for players who like to play clean. The definition you get between notes and the crispiness is unmatched by most other configurations. You can still use it for distortion, but you won't get the same kind of output and power compared to a humbucker, and the hum they produce also makes them less adequate for high gain.
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 Schecter Nick Johnston USA Signature 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 Schecter Hellraiser C-1 FR S's and use them on any guitar:
Both use Passive pickups. This is what's used for most music genres. They have a regular output and will serve you for both high-gain and clean tones. The alternative (Active pickups) offer a higher output that is mostly used for heavy music.
Winner: Schecter Nick Johnston USA Signature.
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 Schecter Nick Johnston USA Signature gives you 5 switch options while the Schecter Hellraiser C-1 FR S gives you 3. This means that the Schecter Nick Johnston USA Signature gives you more options to find the right pickup combination for the type of sound you want to achieve
Only the Schecter Hellraiser C-1 FR S comes with some kind of pickup modification: Sustainer.
The pickups with Sustainer are able to recreate the 'feedback' you get when you hold your guitar near a speaker without muting the strings. This allows them to produce infinite sustain that you can use for as long as you want to create interest sounds and harmonics.
When evaluating versatility, we also take into consideration bridge and neck joint type, number of frets, switch options, amount of pickups and more.
Winner: Schecter Nick Johnston USA Signature.
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 Schecter Hellraiser C-1 FR S compares to the Schecter Nick Johnston USA Signature.
Country of Origin
The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The Schecter Hellraiser C-1 FR S is built in South Korea while the Schecter Nick Johnston USA Signature is made in United States.
South Korea was for many years the number one choice for mass-producing semi-premium guitars. They can build excellent guitars for a cheap price. Now, it's less common to find Korean guitars because Indonesia has proved capable of building guitars just as well, but likely for cheaper.
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: Schecter Nick Johnston USA Signature
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 Schecter Hellraiser C-1 FR S has a Locking nut. Instead of a regular nut, this guitar has a locking system that will lock down the strings at the nut, preventing it from getting out of tune. It removes one of the disadvantages of tremolo bridges, tune stability.
On the other hand, the Schecter Nick Johnston USA Signature comes with a Black Tusq XL nut. TUSQ nuts are usually the highest quality you can get. Black TUSQs are made from a special slippery material that helps the strings get back to its original position (one of the keys to tune stability).
Winner: Tie.
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.
The Schecter Hellraiser C-1 FR S's brige is a Floyd Rose. This is a double-locking bridge system that allows you to perform techniques like dive bombs and pinch harmonics. The locking nut allows your guitar to stay in tune even after the most intense tremolo usage. The disadvantage is that it takes more work to change the strings and set up everything correctly.
On the other hand, the Schecter Nick Johnston USA Signature's is a Tremolo. Tremolo bridges give you more versatility than fixed bridges. They let you perform the intense vibrato effects that would be impossible with a fixed bridge. However, since the bridge floats and there's less contact with the body, the strings lose sustain slightly faster. They can also be a bit harder to restring and set up correctly than fixed bridges.
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: Schecter Hellraiser C-1 FR S.
Tuners
The Schecter Nick Johnston USA Signature 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.
Nevertheless, the Schecter Hellraiser C-1 FR S has a locking nut, so it should have even better tune stability and doesn't need locking tuners.
Winner: Schecter Nick Johnston USA Signature.
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 Schecter Hellraiser C-1 FR S has a Set neck joint. This neck is tightly glued to the body. They give you the least versatility because you can't swap them for a neck that fits your hand better if you want to, unlike bolt-on necks. Some people think this gives more resonance and sustain, but there's no real difference if the bolt-on joint is well built.
On the other hand, the Schecter Nick Johnston USA Signature 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: Schecter Nick Johnston USA Signature.
Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:
Schecter Hellraiser C-1 FR S
- Expensive Wood
- Locking Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Sustainer Pickups
- Tremolo
- Retainer Bar
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- Made in South Korea
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Weight Relief
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Schecter Nick Johnston USA Signature
- Locking Tuners
- Made in United States
- Expensive Wood
- Black Tusq XL Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Tremolo
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
- No Weight Relief
- No Luminescent Inlay
- 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 Schecter Nick Johnston USA Signature has the wider nut with 42.4mm (1.67'') vs 41.3mm (1.625''). This is a 1.1mm (0.045'') difference
This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Schecter Nick Johnston USA Signature, 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.
In this case, both have a scale length of 25.5".
This is the scale used in most Stratocasters. It's slightly longer than the typical 24.75'' size found in Les Pauls, and it's one of the main reasons why Stratocasters have such a bright sound in general. A longer scale also means that the strings will have higher tension. This will help you get lower action without suffering fret buzz, which will also be helpful when playing in lower tunings without having to increase your string gauge.
However, this also means that there will be more separation between frets, which can make it more difficult to play. Also, bending the strings will require more strengths due to the increased tension, but remember that a tremolo guitar will offset this difficulty.
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 Schecter Hellraiser C-1 FR S and the Schecter Nick Johnston USA Signature have a C-shaped 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.
Both the Schecter Hellraiser C-1 FR S and the Schecter Nick Johnston USA Signature have the same fretboard radius of 14". This radius y closer to the 12'' that most Les Paul guitars have, but a bit flatter. It'll make it easier to play single notes than chords, but it's still comfortable for playing chords without muting strings.
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 Schecter Nick Johnston USA Signature favors large hands more than the Schecter Hellraiser C-1 FR S. But it's still more comfortable for people with small hands, as you can see in the score meter below.
Schecter Hellraiser C-1 FR S:
Schecter Nick Johnston USA Signature:
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.
