Schecter Reaper-7 Multiscale Review & Prices

Compare
Schecter Reaper-7 Multiscale Review
FIND IT ON:
Sweetwater logoMusician's Friend logo
Set a price alert
  • From Schecter's 2019 Reaper series
  • Made in Indonesia
  • 7 strings
  • 27" to 25.5"'' scale
  • 20" Fretboard Radius
  • Burl top
  • Swamp Ash body
  • Maple/Walnut Multi-ply w/ Carbon Fiber Reinforcement Rods neck
  • Ebony fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: Schecter Diamond Decimator (Humbucker/Passive)
  • Neck pickup: Schecter Diamond Decimator (Humbucker/Passive)
  • 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
  • 3-way Switch
  • Hipshot Hardtail (.125) w/ String Thru Body bridge
  • Ultra Thin C Set neck
  • 24 XL Jumbo frets
  • Schecter tuners
  • Weight between 7.6lbs (3.4kgs) and 8.3lbs (3.8kgs)
  • Compare Specs >

Our Scores and Tone Evaluation

Playability 78
Sound 67
Build quality 63
Value for money 69
Overall Score 69
Tone Evaluation
  • Heavy Metal
  • Hard Rock
  • Jazz
  • Blues
  • Funk
  • Country
Strengths & Weaknesses
Schecter Reaper-7 Multiscale
  • Expensive Wood
  • Coil Split Pickups
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • Made in Indonesia
  • No High-Quality Nut
  • No Top Brand Pickups
  • No Neck-Through Build
  • No Weight Relief
  • No Luminescent Inlay
  • No Tremolo
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock

Price Overview

Its average competitor's price is $1000, which means that the Schecter Reaper-7 Multiscale is within the average price asked for this kind of guitar. This takes into account all instruments of the same category in our database with 7 strings and Fixed bridge that are made in Indonesia.

SET PRICE ALERT

These are affiliate links. We may earn a fee if you purchase after clicking. These prices are prone to error. Make sure you're buying the right product after clicking on a link from our site. We are not liable if you buy the wrong product after following these links. As an Amazon Associate site we earn from qualifying purchases.

Videos

Schecter Reaper-7 MS | Tim Stewart Demo
Schecter Guiter Reaper-7 Multiscale [ Review ]
The BEST 7-String Multi-Scale Guitar For Under $900 Dollars
"Reaver" | Schecter Reaper 7| Brutal Djent Demo Track
ani kin - test schecter reaper 7 - progressive metal
More Videos

Your feedback

Not all instruments are created equally. That's why it's important to have different opinions. Here's what our users who have played this instrument say. If you've played it before, help others by voting below!

Weight

Vote

Tuning stability

Vote

Neck speed (thickness)

Vote

Neck access to high frets

Vote

Neck profile shape

Vote

Fret edges

Vote

Pickups noise

Vote

Pickups power

Vote
View all user feedback

Explore All From Schecter >

Is it Easy to Play?

The Schecter Reaper-7 Multiscale meets 4 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, which means that it's not bad for beginners, but it could be better. 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 to get used to.

New Player Friendliness

Schecter Reaper-7 Multiscale
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Narrow nut
  • Short scale
  • Locking tuners

Hand Size Comfortability

After taking into account the neck profile, scale size, fretboard radius, and nut width, we can conclude that the Schecter Reaper-7 Multiscale's construction is balanced for most hand sizes.

Nevertheless, this comes down in the end to personal preference. Make sure you test this guitar—or another one with similar characteristics—before buying.

Big Hands
Small Hands

How Lightweight is it?

We found that the Schecter Reaper-7 Multiscale weighs between 7.6lbs (3.4kgs) and 8.3lbs (3.8kgs). This was recorded from some online retailers that publish the weight of the instruments they sell.

Scale Length

Scale length is the distance the strings will span between the bridge and the nut. It can tell you a lot about the overall playability and tone of the instrument. A longer scale length means longer distance between frets, brighter tone and more string tension—which means lower action, but more difficult bending of the strings.

Here's the Schecter Reaper-7 Multiscale's 27" to 25.5" scale length compared to other common sizes:

Schecter Reaper-7 Multiscale Scale Length Comparison
Schecter Reaper-7 Multiscale's scale length (at the top) compared to other popular sizes

The Schecter Reaper-7 Multiscale features a multi-scale fingerboard, which means that it incorporates two scale lengths at the same time. This is present in some 7+ strings guitars to give a different tension to the lower strings and 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.

More with the same scale length:

Neck Profile

Schecter Reaper-7 Multiscale Neck Profile
Schecter Reaper-7 Multiscale's neck profile

The neck profile tells you the thickness (neck depth) and shape in cross section. Every difference will completely change the feeling and comfortability of the neck. This is a highly subjective thing, but most players indeed prefer certain types of necks (like Cs and Ds) because they feel nice in most hands.

The Schecter Reaper-7 Multiscale's neck thickness is approximately 0.748'' (19mm) at the first fret, and 0.787'' (20mm) at the twelfth.

These measurements were taken either from the official Schecter website, or, in case this information wasn't provided, by researching multiple online marketplaces and forums where owners of this model have posted their measurements.

It has a C type neck. C-shaped necks like this have been the most popular for the last years. The reason is that they feel good in most hands. It's generally a thin neck that doesn't get in your way when playing fast, but that also has enough mass to give your hands a comfortable grip for chords if they aren't too big.

Thin necks like this make it easier to move your hand across the neck and it helps when playing fast solos, especially if you like to leave your thumb free while playing high on the fretboard. However, thinner necks are also weaker and will need adjustment more often than a thicker neck.

More for different hand sizes

Fretboard Radius

When it comes to fingerboard radius, personal preference will dictate which one is better for you. However, most people seem to agree that a more curved (lower) radius will make it easier to play chords while a less curved (higher) radius is better for soloing and bending.

The Schecter Reaper-7 Multiscale has a 20" fingerboard radius.

Here's an image comparing this fretboard radius to other popular choices:

Schecter Reaper-7 Multiscale Fretboard Radius Comparison with Fender Stratocaster and Gibson Les Paul
Schecter Reaper-7 Multiscale's fretboard radius compared to others

This radius makes the fretboard almost completely flat, which means that it's perfect for playing single notes and bends. However, making complex chord shapes will be harder because you might mute the strings accidentally. It's a fretboard made for shredders, and probably for heavy music genres.

Compound radius fingerboards give the best of both worlds. Unfortunately, the Schecter Reaper-7 Multiscale has the same radius across the board.

More with the same fretboard radius:

Playability compared to main competitors

Multiscale Scale Length
C Neck Profile
1.89'' Nut Width
20'' Fretboard Radius
25.5'' Scale Length
C Neck Profile
1.85'' Nut Width
12'' Fretboard Radius
27'' Scale Length
U Neck Profile
1.89'' Nut Width
Compound Fretboard Radius
25.5'' Scale Length
D Neck Profile
1.89'' Nut Width
15.75'' Fretboard Radius
25.5'' Scale Length
C Neck Profile
1.89'' Nut Width
14'' Fretboard Radius

Nut Width

Schecter Reaper-7 Multiscale Nut Width
Schecter Reaper-7 Multiscale Nut Width

The Schecter Reaper-7 Multiscale has a nut width of 48mm (1.89''). This is considered a wide width for a 7-string guitar. It gives your fingers the extra space you need to play without muting accidentally, but this also makes bar chords harder to perform, especially if you have small hands.

Frets

The Schecter Reaper-7 Multiscale has 24 frets. A lot of people mistakenly believe that having more frets will always be better because it gives you a higher octave. This is certainly an advantage, but there's also a disadvantage to this.

Since the fretboard will be longer, the neck pickup will need to be placed closer to the bridge. And as you may know, the further away the neck pickup is from the bridge, the warmer it sounds. This means you'll have a brighter-sounding neck pickup when using a 24-fret guitar, even if you use the same pickup on a 22-fret guitar.

It comes with nickel silver frets, so they won't last as long as stainless steel frets. If you use your instrument a lot, you might need to replace the frets after a few years. But this is unlikely as most people change instruments before this happens.

More with the same amount of frets:

Fret Size

Schecter Reaper-7 Multiscale Fret Size Comparison
Schecter Reaper-7 Multiscale's fret size (in orange) compared to other popular sizes

Finally, let's talk about fret size. Some people prefer tall frets because it's easier to press the strings and perform bends since there's less friction against the fretboard. On the other hand, some people like shorter frets because they like to touch the fretboard when playing, or because they got heavy hands and tend to press too much on the string and alter the of the note pitch accidently.

The Schecter Reaper-7 Multiscale's frets are XL Jumbo size. These are extra-large frets, which are perfect for people who truly want the least resistance for techniques like vibrato, bending, tapping, and just playing fast in general. You won't be able to feel the fretboard with these frets, so if you press too hard you'll get the notes out of pitch. It might take a while to get used to them because of this.

More with the same type of frets:

Playability Score

Bending & Vibrato Ease 90
Chord Playability 55
Solo Playability 90
Playability 78

Tone Analysis

Wood will have little influence in the final tone of an electric guitar or bass. Instead, the hardware, especially the pickups, will be the most important thing to look at. Bur first, let's see the quality of the wood.

Wood

Ash wood pattern used for guitar building
Ash Body
Maple wood pattern used for guitar building
Maple Neck
Ebony wood pattern used for guitar building
Ebony Fretboard

Ash Body: The most popular Ash wood for guitars is swamp Ash. It has a really light color with beautiful patterns, which makes it perfect for a natural-looking finish. It's not as lightweight as Alder, but also not as heavy as Mahogany. It's known for producing a bright tone with solid mids and lows.

Maple Neck: This is one of the most popular types of wood used in all kinds of guitars. It's heavy, strong and compact, which makes it great for necks. However, it's also used for fretboards, bodies and tops due to its light color, resistance and beautiful patterns. When it comes to tone, it highlights the mid and high frequencies.

Ebony Fretboard: This is one of the most expensive woods there is, which is why it's mostly used for fretboards. It is dense, heavy, highly resistant and comes in a really dark color that gives any guitar a classy touch. Tone wise, it helps the high side of the spectrum and provides good sustain.

Pickups

Unfortunately, it doesn't come with pickups from one of the top brands. This doesn't mean you will get bad pickups, but you might want to consider a pickup upgrade after some time.

These are passive pickups, so you can expect a rounder sound and a moderade level of output.

The Schecter Reaper-7 Multiscale's configuration is HH. With this pickup combination, you'll get warmer tones and more output than using single coils. Humbucker pickups cancel the noise that single-coil suffer from, which also results in a warmer tone. This pickup combination isn't only for high-gain music like Hard Rock or Heavy Metal. Their warmness is also popular for Jazz, Indie, R&B, Blues and more.

More with the same pickups

24 Frets
Fixed Bridge
Schecter Diamond Decimator Bridge Pickup
Schecter Diamond Decimator Neck Pickup
24 Frets
Floyd Rose Bridge
Schecter Diamond Decimator Bridge Pickup
Sustainiac Neck Pickup
24 Frets
Floyd Rose Bridge
Schecter Diamond Decimator Bridge Pickup
Schecter Diamond Decimator Neck Pickup
24 Frets
Floyd Rose Bridge
Schecter Diamond Decimator Bridge Pickup
Schecter Diamond Decimator Neck Pickup
24 Frets
Fixed Bridge
Schecter Diamond Decimator Bridge Pickup
Schecter Diamond Decimator Neck Pickup

Versatility

It comes with the popular 3-way switch that is present in most guitars. For more versatility, players tend to prefer a 5-way switch, although it all depends on what you want to use your guitar for.

It has a Coil Split option. It allows you to 'split' or turn off pickup coils to get even more tones in combination with the pickup selector. When used with humbucker pickups, it'll reduce the output and increase their clarity, turning them essentially into single-coil pickups.

Diagram

Schecter Reaper-7 Multiscale pickups switch and push knobs diagram
Schecter Reaper-7 Multiscale's switch options

What music genre is it good for?

As a 7 strings, Solid Body guitar with HH configuration and Passive pickups, we'd recommend it for genres like Heavy Metal or similar. However, you can use almost any guitar for any genre. This is just the typical type of music for this particular one.

Sound Score

Pickups 55
Sustain 80
Versatility 64
Tuning Stability 70
Sound 67

Build Quality Analysis

Country of Origin

Knowing where the instrument is produced is a good way to know how well it's built. Some manufacturing countries are known for having higher quality standards. For example, most expensive instruments are made in the US or Japan, but there are some exceptionally great countries—like South Korea—that are building a good reputation.

The Schecter Reaper-7 Multiscale is made in Indonesia. Many people prefer the quality of an Indonesian guitar over a Chinese. Respectable brands like Epiphone, Ibanez and Schecter are building in this country because of the great quality and lower price. Some people like to compare them to the ones built in Japan during the 80s, when Japanese guitar makers made a name for themselves.

Still, remember that we're taking about Schecter here, which is a brand with good renown. They know how to use cheap labor in this country without sacrificing too much quality. So you shouldn't end up receiving a useless or ugly instrument.

Bridge

Hipshot Hardtail (.125) w/ String Thru Body: The advantage of fixed bridges is that they don't require any kind of set-up. This makes it extremely easy when changing strings because you don't need to adjust anything besides tuning the guitar. Also, the fact that the bridge is directly attached to the body will help to increase sustain. The disadvantage is the lack of versatility since you can't create the same vibrato effects as with tremolo bridges.

More with the same type of bridge:

Nut Material

Another important thing to analyze is the nut material, as it's one of the most important aspects that can affect the sound and playability of your guitar. A well-cut nut will make sure it stays in tune and will make it more comfortable to play.

In this case, the Schecter Reaper-7 Multiscale has a Graphite nut. This material is self-lubricating, which allows the strings to slide over the nut without too much friction. This helps to keep the guitar in tune when bending and using the tremolo. It's not as resistant and it doesn't sound as good as bone, but it is much better than a plastic nut.

More with the same nut material:

Neck Joint

The neck joint is the part where the neck of the guitar meets the body. There are three main techniques to attach both parts together: Set-In, Bolt-On and Neck-Through. The latter two provide different advantages, although neck-throughs are the most expensive.

This guitar has a Set neck joint. This type of neck joint consists of using different pieces of wood for the neck and the body of the guitar. Both pieces are then glued together. This is more expensive to make than a bolt-on neck, but it's cheaper than a neck-through guitar. Some people believe that this gives more sustain than a bolt-on neck due to both pieces having a 'better connection' than with bolts. Still, it's something difficult to prove.

However, this type of neck joint does have the disadvantage of not allowing you to easily swap the neck for another. This makes this type of neck joint less mod-friendly.

More with the same build:

Build Quality Score

Quality of materials 55
Features 60
Quality Control 75
Build Quality 63

All Specs

Schecter Reaper-7 Multiscale
General
Brand: Schecter
Year: 2019
Configuration: HH
Strings: 7
Made in: Indonesia
Series: Reaper
Colors: Black Burst, Blue Burst, Orange Burst
Left-Handed Version: Yes
Body
Top: Burl
Type: Solid Body
Body Material: Swamp Ash
Bridge: Hipshot Hardtail (.125) w/ String Thru Body
Neck
Neck Joint: Set
Tuners: Schecter
Fretboard: Ebony
Neck Material: Maple/Walnut Multi-ply w/ Carbon Fiber Reinforcement Rods
Decoration: Pearloid Offset/Reverse Dots
Scale Size: 27" to 25.5"
Shape: Ultra Thin C
Thickness: 1st Fret: 0.748'' (19mm) - 12th Fret: 0.787'' (20mm)
Frets: 24 XL Jumbo
Fretboard Radius: 20"
Nut: Graphite
Nut Width: 48mm (1.89'')
Electronics
Switch: 3 Way
Knobs: Dome
Pickup Mods: Coil Split
Volume Controls: 1
Tone Controls: 1
Bridge Pickup: Schecter Diamond Decimator (Humbucker / Passive)
Neck Pickup: Schecter Diamond Decimator (Humbucker / Passive)

More Comparisons

User Reviews

Help others by sharing your opinion about this guitar. Note: to avoid spam, your review will be submitted for approval before appearing here.

You're reviewing as anonymous. to comment with your account.
Your Rating: