Schecter Reaper-7 Elite Multiscale vs Jackson Pro Series Signature Josh Smith Soloist SL7 ET
Reasons to Get
Schecter Reaper-7 Elite Multiscale over Jackson Pro Series Signature Josh Smith Soloist SL7 ET
Reasons to Get
Jackson Pro Series Signature Josh Smith Soloist SL7 ET over Schecter Reaper-7 Elite Multiscale
Other Key Differences
Schecter Reaper-7 Elite Multiscale vs Jackson Pro Series Signature Josh Smith Soloist SL7 ET
Shared Features
Schecter Reaper-7 Elite Multiscale vs Jackson Pro Series Signature Josh Smith Soloist SL7 ET
Common Strengths
- Neck-Through Build
- Locking Tuners
- Luminescent Sidedots
- Top Pickup Brand
- Expensive Wood
Common Weaknesses
- Weight Relief
- From a High-Quality-Standards Country
- 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 Schecter Reaper-7 Elite Multiscale is probably the better product overall with its final score of 81 compared to the Jackson Pro Series Signature Josh Smith Soloist SL7 ET's 75 score, although not by a lot.
The Schecter Reaper-7 Elite Multiscale wins when it comes to playability, build quality, value for the money. On the other hand, the Jackson Pro Series Signature Josh Smith Soloist SL7 ET has the upper hand when it comes to.
If you got small hands, you'll probably feel that the Jackson Pro Series Signature Josh Smith Soloist SL7 ET is easier to play.
Which One is Better for Beginners?
Both meet 5 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness. 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. If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, you can't go wrong with either of them.
New Player Friendliness
Schecter Reaper-7 Elite Multiscale- Comfortable shape
- Easy-to-use bridge
- Locking tuners
- Tall frets
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable fretboard
- Narrow nut
- Short scale
New Player Friendliness
Jackson Pro Series Signature Josh Smith Soloist SL7 ET- Comfortable shape
- Locking tuners
- Comfortable fretboard
- Tall frets
- Comfortable neck
- Narrow nut
- Short scale
- Easy-to-use bridge
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 Reaper-7 Elite Multiscale Overview
- From Schecter's 2023 Reaper Elite series
- Made in South Korea
- 7 strings
- 27" to 25.5"'' scale
- 16" Fretboard Radius
- Quilted Maple Veneer top
- Khaya African Mahogany body
- Wenge neck
- Ebony fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Schecter USA San Andreas 7 Multiscale Bridge (Humbucker/Passive)
- Neck pickup: Schecter USA San Andreas 7 Multiscale Neck (Humbucker/Passive)
- 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
- 3-way Switch
- Hipshot 7-String Multiscale Bridge bridge
- Ultra Thin C Neck-Through neck
- 24 XL Jumbo Stainless Steel frets
- Hipshot Grip-Lock tuners
- Compare Specs >
Jackson Pro Series Signature Josh Smith Soloist SL7 ET Overview
- From Jackson's 2022 Artist Signature series
- Josh Smith Signature
- Made in South Korea
- 7 strings
- 27"'' scale
- 12" to 16" Fretboard Radius
- Alder body
- Caramelized Maple neck
- Ebony fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Bare Knuckle Impulse Humbucker (Humbucker/Passive)
- Neck pickup: Bare Knuckle Impulse Single-Coil (Single Coil/Passive)
- 2 volume and 0 tone Bell knobs
- 3-way Switch
- Evertune F7 Model bridge
- Jackson Standard Neck-Through neck
- 24 Jumbo frets
- Jackson Die-Cast 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
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.
Woods Used in the Schecter Reaper-7 Elite Multiscale
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.
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 Jackson Pro Series Signature Josh Smith Soloist SL7 ET
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.
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 Reaper-7 Elite Multiscale.
Pickup Configuration
The Schecter Reaper-7 Elite Multiscale has an HH configuration while the Jackson Pro Series Signature Josh Smith Soloist SL7 ET has HS 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, An HS configuration gives you a bridge pickup with a lot of output for playing distortion parts, but you'll also have the bright sound of a Tele or Strat neck pickup for your clean tones.
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.
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: Tie.
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.
Only the Schecter Reaper-7 Elite Multiscale comes with some kind of pickup modification: 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: Schecter Reaper-7 Elite Multiscale.
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 Reaper-7 Elite Multiscale compares to the Jackson Pro Series Signature Josh Smith Soloist SL7 ET.
Country of Origin
The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. Both in this comparison where made in South Korea.
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.
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 Schecter Reaper-7 Elite Multiscale has 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).
On the other hand, the Jackson Pro Series Signature Josh Smith Soloist SL7 ET comes with 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.
Winner: Schecter Reaper-7 Elite Multiscale.
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.
In this comparison, the Schecter Reaper-7 Elite Multiscale is the only one that has stainless steel frets. These frets will basically last for the entire life of the guitar. They will never need polishing nor replacement. And not only that, but some people also notice that bending and vibratos are much easier to perform when they upgrade to stainless steel.
Winner: Schecter Reaper-7 Elite Multiscale.
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 Reaper-7 Elite Multiscale's brige is a 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.
On the other hand, the Jackson Pro Series Signature Josh Smith Soloist SL7 ET's is a Evertune. It will keep your guitar in tune and intonated until the next string swap. If you really like extremely subtle vibratos, this might not be the bridge for you because you won't be able to perform them as well. However, the fact that you won't need to tune your guitar is a huge advantage that many people will gladly pay the extra price for.
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: Jackson Pro Series Signature Josh Smith Soloist SL7 ET.
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.
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:
Schecter Reaper-7 Elite Multiscale
- Stainless Steel Frets
- Locking Tuners
- Expensive Wood
- Black Tusq XL Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Neck-Through Build
- Coil Split Pickups
- Luminescent Inlay
- Made in South Korea
- No Weight Relief
- No Tremolo
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Jackson Pro Series Signature Josh Smith Soloist SL7 ET
- Locking Tuners
- Expensive Wood
- Top Brand Pickups
- Neck-Through Build
- Stays in Tune (Evertune)
- Luminescent Inlay
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- Made in South Korea
- No High-Quality Nut
- No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
- No Weight Relief
- No Tremolo
- 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 Reaper-7 Elite Multiscale has the wider nut with 48mm (1.89'') vs 47.6mm (1.875''). This is a 0.4mm (0.015'') difference
This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Schecter Reaper-7 Elite Multiscale, 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, the Schecter Reaper-7 Elite Multiscale features a multi-scale of 27" to 25.5" while the Jackson Pro Series Signature Josh Smith Soloist SL7 ET has a regular scale of 27".
A multi-scale fingerboard incorporates two scale lengths at the same time. This is present in some instruments with long scale to give a different tension to the lower strings than the higher strings. The thickest strings need more tension to avoid fret buzz (especially when tuned low), so the scale is longer for these strings, while the thinnest strings will need less tension (because they have a lower gauge), so they have a shorter scale to reduce stiffness for bends.
It can feel awkward if you've never played a multi-scale because the frets will have more separation for the higher strings, but a lot of people love their versatility.
On the other hand, the Jackson Pro Series Signature Josh Smith Soloist SL7 ET's 27" regular scale means it has a fixed scale for all the strings.This is a scale used for baritones and guitars with more than 6 strings. Since the scale is so long, the tension of the strings will be higher. This means that bending will require a lot more strength than with a shorter scale. However, it also allows you to use really low tunings without causing fret buzz and without needing to increase your string gauge too much.
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 Schecter Reaper-7 Elite Multiscale has a C type of 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.
The Jackson Pro Series Signature Josh Smith Soloist SL7 ET, on the other hand, has a D neck. This is a thin and flat neck that is made for playing fast. If you prefer a neck that doesn't get in your way when soloing, this is the shape you should use. Guitarists that prefer to have a bit more grip won't like this type of neck.
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 Jackson Pro Series Signature Josh Smith Soloist SL7 ET is the only one with a compound radius. This is a huge win because it will give you the best of both worlds: a more curved radius in the first few frets for chords, and flatter as you come closer to the body for soloing.
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 Reaper-7 Elite Multiscale favors large hands more than the Jackson Pro Series Signature Josh Smith Soloist SL7 ET.
Schecter Reaper-7 Elite Multiscale:
Jackson Pro Series Signature Josh Smith Soloist SL7 ET:
Fret Size
The Schecter Reaper-7 Elite Multiscale has XL Jumbo frets, which should be taller than the Jackson Pro Series Signature Josh Smith Soloist SL7 ET's Jumbo 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.
