# Schecter Indo vs Korean Hellraiser Special C8 Photo Comparison



## rekab (Mar 3, 2012)

I ended up with two Schecter Hellraiser Special C8s (long story, so we'll skip how I got 2) just to find they were from different factories and had significant differences..
One is from South Korea and the other Indonesia. Apparently Schecter is making a lot of models in Indo now. I thought at first this might be a bad thing but I was proven wrong. The pictures aren't that hot but they'll show the big differences..

Korea on the left/Indo on the right






Indo(right) has a darker/better looking top and better placement on the knobs





Indo has pointier headstock





This is not an illusion, that Korean(left) neck is noticeably thicker and the headstock is not angled back quite as far





Indo body(right) is a tad bit thinner





Backs are pretty much the same but Indo has better routing around the string ferrules..









Overall the Indo was more comfortable and had a better fretjob so I kept it and sold the Korean built guitar. .Hopefully this will be helpful to anyone who wants to know what has changed and which will be more desirable when purchasing..


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## AwakenNoMore (Mar 3, 2012)

Very informative, thanks so much for posting this.


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## Jason_Clement (Mar 3, 2012)

Very interesting information, thank you so much for posting this


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## stuglue (Mar 3, 2012)

So is the Korean modelthe older guitar? Are the Indonesian ones newer? Any difference in the feel Iof the neck?


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## The Reverend (Mar 3, 2012)

I'm definitely interested in the model year of these.


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## stuglue (Mar 3, 2012)

Yes, it would be interesting to know if ask current builds aye in Indonesia and are they still building them in Korea?


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## AwakenNoMore (Mar 3, 2012)

Yes Schecter is making the move to Indo. So yes quality appears to be going up, which is the opposite of what i've heard about Indonesian guitars. However its good news and solid facts instead of hearsay we have actual side by side pictures of the exact models!


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## vansinn (Mar 3, 2012)

very nice comparison post; not often such are possible, so kudos 

Judging the pics, I'd say the Indo neck profile looks pretty close to my Riot 8 ltd (which is very playable), so who know.. maybe mine was made there too..

I also like the steeper head angle, and the better placement of the low tuner for a more straight string routing. Again, same as with my Riot.

I agree on the knobs placements. If only mine had sorta this, which is my only grief on the Riot.

Congrats on the selection process


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## Osorio (Mar 3, 2012)

I just got a Shcecter Hellraiser C8 (the limited run)... It still has to arrive in my hands, but this has me thinking and a bit apprehensive. I do hope mine comes from an indonesian origin if the difference is that large. I would appreciate a thinner neck after playing a Les Paul for so damn long...


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## rekab (Mar 3, 2012)

stuglue said:


> So is the Korean modelthe older guitar? Are the Indonesian ones newer? Any difference in the feel Iof the neck?


Korea= the older models
The neck feels much more comfortable. I like it alot more than an agile neck but it's not as comfy/thin as an Ibanez


The Reverend said:


> I'm definitely interested in the model year of these.


2011: Korea.
2012: Indo (this one was built in November '11 I believe but it's what was released for 2012)


stuglue said:


> Yes, it would be interesting to know if ask current builds aye in Indonesia and are they still building them in Korea?


No longer are most models being built in Korea (maybe none I'm not 100% sure)


AwakenNoMore said:


> Yes Schecter is making the move to Indo. So yes quality appears to be going up, which is the opposite of what i've heard about Indonesian guitars. However its good news and solid facts instead of hearsay we have actual side by side pictures of the exact models!


Id say the only part that's not as well done as the korean model are the inlays. A few of the Indo inlays are a tiny bit rough around the edges. That's the least of my concerns as the comfort/playability/overall quality of it are fantastic


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## rekab (Mar 3, 2012)

venneer said:


> I just got a Shcecter Hellraiser C8 (the limited run)... It still has to arrive in my hands, but this has me thinking and a bit apprehensive. I do hope mine comes from an indonesian origin if the difference is that large. I would appreciate a thinner neck after playing a Les Paul for so damn long...



It's still not that thin but if you are used to a les paul it won't be bad. The biggest gripe of the korean neck was the very top near the headstock. This around frets 0-4 it was the thickest and actually flattened out nicely right after. This weird thick area of the Korean guitar is visibly thinner on the Indo in the picture I posted. It made the Korean neck give me cramps & discomfort in my hand if riffing around frets 1-4 for much longer than a few seconds..
Funny thing is, the Damien Elite 8 has a nicer neck than the Korean Hellraiser Special. For a cheaper guitar you wouldn't expect that but it's true, I've owned both


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## Brohoodofsteel75 (Mar 3, 2012)

Wow, thanks. I was seriously about to buy one of these, I'd better check what year it is.


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## Zado (Mar 3, 2012)

since the production is moving,there will be some huge differences from one model to another.Let pass som months and the old quality will be back,i guess


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## rekab (Mar 3, 2012)

Zado said:


> since the production is moving,there will be some huge differences from one model to another.Let pass som months and the old quality will be back,i guess



Hope not. The old quality sucked in comparison..


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## Osorio (Mar 3, 2012)

If the Indo run is from late-2011 onward, I have zero chance of getting that. Such a shame. The one I got is not a special model thought, I hope that counts for something as far as neck shape and thinness is concerned. 
Thanks for the shots though, this has been very informative


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## stuglue (Mar 3, 2012)

Picture 4, the neck shot is the biggest one for me. You can clearly see the Indonesian one its thinner


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## Ishan (Mar 3, 2012)

Indo are better! who knew!?! 
You should clean that fretboard with alcohol then oil it a few time with lemon oil.


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## Guitarwiz2k (Mar 3, 2012)

Also looks like the Indo model has a deeper cutaway and longer bevel where the guitar would sit on your body when viewed from behind on this very side by side view. I noticed it while reading this very informative post. 

Thank you very much rekab, a rare but excellent comparision.


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## rekab (Mar 3, 2012)

Guitarwiz2k said:


> Also looks like the Indo model has a deeper cutaway and longer bevel where the guitar would sit on your body when viewed from behind on this very side by side view. I noticed it while reading this very informative post.
> 
> Thank you very much rekab, a rare but excellent comparision.



Yeah the belly cut/bevel is longer. I looked hard at the cutaway and honestly I think it's close to the same but initially had the same thought that it was a slightly different cutaway


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## DropSplash (Mar 3, 2012)

Wow that is a serious difference. I can't believe how different the knob placement is. It's literally on the opposite side of the pickup's center line. +1 for Schecter's new specs. I hope it stays and doesn't get sloughed off.


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## Zado (Mar 4, 2012)

rekab said:


> Hope not. The old quality sucked in comparison..


 I meant the old 08 quality


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## vansinn (Mar 4, 2012)

Before we jump the gun on Indo builds being being better than Korean, methinks it would be fair to consider that Schecter simply may have read user comment here'n'there (like in here), and ordered these changes, maybe while moving production anyways due to costs.
Whatever.. the Indo does have the better finish..


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## m4rK (Mar 4, 2012)

What an awesome comparison you have made! I would love to have an chance to do this. I wonder how consistent they will be and how consistent the Korean ones were? Very cool though, thanks for sharing!


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