# Hellraiser C VI BCH! Anyone tried it?



## mgcasella (Sep 10, 2011)

I found this badboy (Hellraiser C VI BCH) whilst looking at guitar-related things online. This looks AWESOME!!!  I would LOVE to try this out plugged into my ISP Vector Active 2x12 1x15 cab! 

Has anyone tried this out yet?

I did a search but was only able to find one thread (and it was closed). Hopefully, someone can put their 2¢ in. The Schecter website video demo is disappointing because you can't really hear the low notes, unfortunately


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## MF_Kitten (Sep 10, 2011)

Never tried it, but i have wanted it since i saw it for the first time.


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## Valennic (Sep 10, 2011)

30" scale seems a bit excessive for a 6 string imo. I could see it for 8s, maybe 7s, but with a 6? Just seems a bit much. Can't argue that you could tune down to drop everything on it though


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## MF_Kitten (Sep 10, 2011)

Valennic said:


> 30" scale seems a bit excessive for a 6 string imo. I could see it for 8s, maybe 7s, but with a 6? Just seems a bit much. Can't argue that you could tune down to drop everything on it though



I have a 6 string with that scale, and i love it to death! The scale length really does magic, man!


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## celticelk (Sep 10, 2011)

Valennic said:


> 30" scale seems a bit excessive for a 6 string imo. I could see it for 8s, maybe 7s, but with a 6? Just seems a bit much. Can't argue that you could tune down to drop everything on it though



It makes much more sense if you think of it as Schecter's version of something like the Fender Bass VI, which was intended to be tuned in E an octave below standard guitar range.


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## MF_Kitten (Sep 10, 2011)

Yeah, it's for sick low tunings like the shit i have been playing lately.


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## mgcasella (Sep 10, 2011)

MF_Kitten said:


> I have a 6 string with that scale, and i love it to death! The scale length really does magic, man!



Are you talking about your OLP? I still haven't had time to finish the overhaul of mine but originally planned to tune it down an octave going E to E  

Do you have any sound clips or pics?

BTW I have never been a fan of Schecter necks (I have small hands) so, even though I want one of these really badly, I wonder if the neck would be even fatter in order to accommodate the .095 low E


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## mgcasella (Sep 10, 2011)

Valennic said:


> 30" scale seems a bit excessive for a 6 string imo. I could see it for 8s, maybe 7s, but with a 6? Just seems a bit much. Can't argue that you could tune down to drop everything on it though




Originally, I would have thought so too. However, after owning a 30' scale 8-string for a while I realized that all I ended up doing was a bunch of heavy low rhythm stuff; thus, the high b and e were never used. 

Then I thought - "Wait a minute, I just need a 30" scale 6-string" AND THEN I WAS NEVER THE SAME!


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## ibanezRG1527 (Sep 10, 2011)

ill have to agree that a 30" is just too much. i just dont tune low enough to need it. lowest ill go with a 6 is drop A#. and with 7's (depending on the scale) its either drop G# or drop G. im usually in drop A though


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## Adari (Sep 10, 2011)

This would be excellent for perfect 5ths tuning (low F to high E), although four-note-per-string scales might be a bit of a stretch. It would be a great guitar to experiment with.


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## MF_Kitten (Sep 10, 2011)

Mine is tuned to drop E (though at the moment it's in drop F, as i'm working on something...), using a .75 bass string for the E. Awesome.

It's an OLP mm5.


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## Lankles (Sep 10, 2011)

This interests me. Did they discontinue the old hellcats?


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## Underworld (Sep 13, 2011)

AWESOME!


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## mgcasella (Sep 13, 2011)

MF_Kitten said:


> Mine is tuned to drop E (though at the moment it's in drop F, as i'm working on something...), using a .75 bass string for the E. Awesome.
> 
> It's an OLP mm5.



That sounds pretty cool - do you have any pics or vids?


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## XEN (Sep 14, 2011)

Yeah, that demo blows chunks.

I'd really love to add one of these to my collection.


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## pink freud (Sep 14, 2011)

Valennic said:


> 30" scale seems a bit excessive for a 6 string imo. I could see it for 8s, maybe 7s, but with a 6? Just seems a bit much. Can't argue that you could tune down to drop everything on it though



It's actually a more popular alternate scale length for six strings than you might think.

Check out the Fender VI.


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## JamesM (Sep 14, 2011)

MF_Kitten said:


> Mine is tuned to drop E (though at the moment it's in drop F, as i'm working on something...), using a .75 bass string for the E. Awesome.
> 
> It's an OLP mm5.



Still trying to find one of these...


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## ixlramp (Sep 14, 2011)

It doesn't have to be tuned low, a baritone scale creates a particular tone that many (such as myself) prefer. Also, for the same tuning, a longer scale means thinner and therefore more flexible strings, creating a clearer, richer and more harmonic tone.


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## MF_Kitten (Sep 14, 2011)

mgcasella said:


> That sounds pretty cool - do you have any pics or vids?



http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3782113/dry.mp3

this is all for now. and you can just google the guitar, it's not very exciting visually 

it's glossy black, chrome hardware, rosewood fretboard, small dot inlays, 4X2 headstock, two humbuckers.

edit: also, clean clip: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3782113/Not Even Close.mp3


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## mgcasella (Sep 14, 2011)

The Armada said:


> Still trying to find one of these...




I was able to find one on eBay after only a few months after saving the search terms. Don't worry, one's bound to pop up if you keep a vigilant watch


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## mgcasella (Sep 14, 2011)

MF_Kitten said:


> http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3782113/dry.mp3
> 
> this is all for now. and you can just google the guitar, it's not very exciting visually
> 
> ...




I really like the clips you posted! The distorted track has a nice heavy groove to it and the clean sounds has a cool "atmospheric" vibe to it - have you ever thought of putting those two tracks together somehow in order to get an "explosive" effect for parts of the song?

BTW I know what the guitar looks like since I own one - I was asking for pics because I thought you had modified yours  Did you at least change the pickups? If so, to what? I'm going to put a pair of custom Wolfetones in mine as soon as I get around to refinishing the body


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## MF_Kitten (Sep 15, 2011)

The only mod on mine is that i put a new bridge pickup in there. It's a pickup hand made by Kent Armstrong, and designed/commissioned by the guy who makes .......... guitars. The model is called Corrosion, and is insane in the face!

Other than that, it's stock.


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## thedarkoceans (Sep 15, 2011)

MF_Kitten said:


> It's a pickup hand made by Kent Armstrong, and designed/commissioned by the guy who makes .......... guitars.



........... stays for H-U-F-S-C-H-M-I-D.


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## MF_Kitten (Sep 15, 2011)

actually, i wrote "b-l-a-c-k-d-r-o-i-d", because i thought it wasn't cencored, but there ya go. that's the guy. the Huf-meister!


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## mgcasella (Sep 15, 2011)

I don't understand - why would that be censored?

I've been on this forum a while now but I still don't know a lot of the ins and outs


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## Setnakt (Sep 16, 2011)

Huf$chmid requested to be banned and that his name be censored. I don't think it's ever been publicly explained why.


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## mgcasella (Sep 16, 2011)

Interesting about you-know-who... I guess I'll drop it since it appears to be a sensitive topic 

Anyway... I can't wait until I'm done with my OLP MM5. Although I really want the Hellraiser, it's expensive and I'm not a fan of TOM bridges (and the MM5 has a the regular flat-mount bridge) 

I'm also putting on Graphtech Stringsaver saddles and non-locking Schaller tuners. I also want the nut upgraded to an Earvana Compensated Nut (I have a feeling it might make the low E tuning a bit easier to intonate).

I also want to flatten the back of the neck a bit to give it more like a Wizard feel.

I just need to make time to get over to the workshop and sand the body...


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## signalgrey (Sep 16, 2011)

its been explained many times. Any of the "old timers" could tell you...including me. 

basically had an issue with his privileges on the site. so he took his ball and played elsewhere.


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## MF_Kitten (Sep 16, 2011)

i wish there was a production guitar more like the mm5, but with higher quality. I am tempted to do a hardware swap, and just put hipshot stuff on it...


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## elrrek (Sep 16, 2011)

I have an OLP MM5 as well and it'S pretty damn cool. I the pickup routing's are out of alignment, the bridge is junk and the pickups could be somewhat better BUT, it's awesomely comfortable body and nice sleek neck make up for all that 

The Schecter looks nice, but I already have 28 inch Ibanez MMM1, so the only the Schecter has over that is 2 frets ...


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## Nag (Sep 16, 2011)

This guitar most likely is for people who don't want to play bass ON A BASS 

I guess you can just tune it one octave below standard guitar EADGBE and have a bass with a guitar tone, which I must say seems to be a very cool idea !


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## vansinn (Sep 16, 2011)

Valennic said:


> 30" scale seems a bit excessive for a 6 string imo. I could see it for 8s, maybe 7s, but with a 6? Just seems a bit much. Can't argue that you could tune down to drop everything on it though



I find myself increasingly playing baritone guitar on my 35" 7-string bass 
I generally have it tuned B...E, but resently started tuning it B...F for having a full fourth, which enables more spread-out upper chords 
Yes, it's a Bit of a long reach when playing close to the head, but is fairly managable from a few frets up.
Yes, shredding is notoriously difficult at that scale


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## GuitaristOfHell (Sep 16, 2011)

Not digging the tail piece. Seems interesting though.


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## broj15 (Sep 16, 2011)

i know ibanez at one point in time made a 7 string bass (like this but with a low b on the bottom). Does anyone thing it would be possible to put a heaver set of strings on this thing to achieve a tuning of AEADGB? it would be cool for me (a guitarist turned bassist who loves to do taps and play melodic bass lines) Also, this looks like the metal alternative to the Fenderr VI


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## mgcasella (Sep 16, 2011)

GuitaristOfHell said:


> Not digging the tail piece. Seems interesting though.




I definitely agree - I'm not a fan of TOM-style bridges 

Those Schecter locking tuners look awesome though! Especially since they can handle the low E, which is a .095


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## NeglectedField (Sep 16, 2011)

Obviously it must be their take on the Fender bass VI. can't imagine it at any other tuning.


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## MF_Kitten (Sep 17, 2011)

i can imagine it in every tuning


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## ixlramp (Sep 17, 2011)

broj15 said:


> Does anyone thing it would be possible to put a heaver set of strings on this thing to achieve a tuning of AEADGB?


I do. Check out the .120-.124 string for 30" scale here: Round Wound Strings


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## ixlramp (Sep 17, 2011)

vansinn said:


> I find myself increasingly playing baritone guitar on my 35" 7-string bass


I plan to have a .060 as the lowest string on my 35" 6 string bass soon. Currently the lowest is a .045, the clarity and richness is amazing.


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## Drumzilla (Sep 17, 2011)

I'd love to pick one up, but I'd also vastly prefer string through body and a black finish. Schecter has been doing trans red really well, but I just don't dig red guitars.


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## TemjinStrife (Sep 17, 2011)

Drumzilla said:


> I'd love to pick one up, but I'd also vastly prefer string through body and a black finish. Schecter has been doing trans red really well, but I just don't dig red guitars.



String thru body would be a major pain in the ass with these strings. Some brands already have string length problems with normal flatmount string-thru bridges.

Also, Schecter has an advantage in that LaBella makes three kinds of BassVI strings designed specifically for its VI instruments (Hellcat VI, Ultra VI, C VI Hellraiser) which have tune-o-matics and stopbars.

You can get them in flats, stainless roundwounds, and nickel roundwounds, and they're very affordable compared to normal Bass VI strings. So, that's probably another big reason why Schecter made that design choice.

If you want a black 30" scale VI, there's always the Ultra VI:







It doesn't have full-sized humbuckers though.


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## Drumzilla (Sep 17, 2011)

The silverburst looks great as well. The only reason I don't already own a Ultra IV is the pickups and the lack of options replacing them without reconstructive surgery. I'm not a huge fan of actives, but I'm planning on using a 30' for metal and metal alone and the 89's will be easy to swap for something a little bit more dynamically pleasing. Then I'll also have a secret stash port in my guitar where the 9 volt used to go.
Is it that much different going string through with that scale/gauge? Schecter makes good stuff so I figured there was a reason they went with the TOM.


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## ROAR (Sep 17, 2011)

This would be awesome in Open E!
Bob Dylan covers ftw!


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## Jarabowa (Sep 18, 2011)

MF_Kitten said:


> http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3782113/dry.mp3
> 
> this is all for now. and you can just google the guitar, it's not very exciting visually
> 
> ...




You a fan of Jesu?


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## MF_Kitten (Sep 18, 2011)

Jarabowa said:


> You a fan of Jesu?



never heard them. i have heard the name though.


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## TemjinStrife (Sep 19, 2011)

Drumzilla said:


> The silverburst looks great as well. The only reason I don't already own a Ultra IV is the pickups and the lack of options replacing them without reconstructive surgery. I'm not a huge fan of actives, but I'm planning on using a 30' for metal and metal alone and the 89's will be easy to swap for something a little bit more dynamically pleasing. Then I'll also have a secret stash port in my guitar where the 9 volt used to go.
> Is it that much different going string through with that scale/gauge? Schecter makes good stuff so I figured there was a reason they went with the TOM.



Another possibility requiring less invasive surgery would be the Hellcat VI, which has a pickguard so any routing would be pretty much covered up. However, the C-VI is probably your best bet, like you mentioned; might just have to suck it up and deal with the trans red, or hope they release a black version.

The issue with going string-thru with these ultra-long-scale instruments is that it's tough to find Bass VI strings that are long enough to run from headstock over a 30" scale to a TOM thru the body, yet short enough that the windings taper enough to fit through the tuners. As it is, LaBella makes 25-95 sets to the exact length needed for the Schecters that are reasonably affordable. Most other Bass VI-oriented strings are much longer (and thus don't fit through the tuners as nicely) since they're designed for the Jazzmaster-style tremolos or Bigsby trems you find on most Bass VI instruments that require a lot more string length.


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## Tom Drinkwater (Sep 19, 2011)

I want one of these. I have played a reissue Danelectro 30" 6 string for around 11 years but I always wanted a better version of it. That is one of the things that made me want to build guitars. I never really wanted a Fender Bass VI but I love the 30" scale thing for both E and A tunings. 

Side note...Garry Goodman started playing a Fender Bass VI back in the 60's and that led to the creation of the first 7 string bass from Tobias, which is essentially a 7 string Bass VI. I absolutely love his .104 for the 30" scale length tuned to E1. Badass!!


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## Jarabowa (Sep 20, 2011)

MF_Kitten said:


> never heard them. i have heard the name though.



You should check them out, I think you'd really like them. The second song you posted (which is quite amazing, might I add) reminds me a lot of some of their stuff. The lead singer played with Napalm Death for their first album, started Godflesh, then moved on to Jesu to do some more Pelican-ish, heavily down-tuned, ambient "pretty" music? I'm butchering this, so I'll stop. But yes, I highly recommend them.


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## MF_Kitten (Sep 20, 2011)

thanks for the recommendation


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## JaredTheBassMan (Jan 4, 2012)

I got one for christmas and it is sweet. I'm a bassplayer who was looking for something to play chords and some classical guitar stuff on. I love the 30' scale because regular guitars are just too tiny for my taste. I run it through my beringer bass amp and I get nice haunting tones and I can get a fat bassy tone out of it too.
I got it from a place called drum-city guitar-land and got great service from them


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## warforgeqt (Dec 21, 2013)

mgcasella said:


> Originally, I would have thought so too. However, after owning a 30' scale 8-string for a while I realized that all I ended up doing was a bunch of heavy low rhythm stuff; thus, the high b and e were never used.
> 
> Then I thought - "Wait a minute, I just need a 30" scale 6-string" AND THEN I WAS NEVER THE SAME!



iam goin through the same thoughts a week before buying my 8 stirng


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## Wings of Obsidian (Dec 21, 2013)

mgcasella said:


> Originally, I would have thought so too. However, after owning a 30' scale 8-string for a while I realized that all I ended up doing was a bunch of heavy low rhythm stuff; thus, the high b and e were never used.
> 
> Then I thought - "Wait a minute, I just need a 30" scale 6-string" AND THEN I WAS NEVER THE SAME!



It does make sense because if you have a 30" scale 8-string....the high strings will probably snap easier or are far harder to bend (more tension). So anyway, you'd probably be doing tight rhythm stuff on the lower strings anyway as opposed to "shredding" with further finger stretches and risks of snapping your strings easier. Schecter eliminated the two "weak spot" strings. This makes sense.


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## RV350ALSCYTHE (Dec 21, 2013)

I'll never enjoy that schecter bodyshape and headstock, 100% fugly. Ugliest looking one of the 30" 6 strings I've seen
More options for 30" 6 string is still a good thing regardless.

in 2005 I had the 30" 6 string Bich. I played it tuned B standard (it actually came at that tuning with the EB baritone string set, massive tension).
It had a nice tone for the low notes compared to a 25.5".
The higher strings were difficult to bend due to the amount of tension. I never really tried tuning it much lower than A as I had no reason to try.
Since playing 8 strings and tuning as low as E I now regret never trying lower tunings on it.
Spose I'll be looking into a new 30" 6 string 

Those saying "no" have obviously never given it much if any trial time.

I eventually got rid of it only because I couldn't find strings long enough back then.
I now regret that decision as it is extremely easy to order proper strings today.

- the two highest strings on an 8 will not snap due to tension/bends if you buy the right gauging. I think people choosing 6 over 8 has to do with not needing the extra strings, not because they break easily


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## Tonedeaf (Feb 17, 2014)

Sudden resurrection! 

Because I had so much trouble finding decent samples of the C-VI before I bought mine, I thought I'd upload some samples of it in action doing some proggish metal business:

https://soundcloud.com/#tony-hardwick/robertcop

I couldn't be happier with how this thing plays and sounds. Though, I'm a bassist and the shorter fret distances and string spacing are exciting and exotic to me.


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## Yo_Wattup (Mar 9, 2014)

Tonedeaf said:


> Sudden resurrection!
> 
> Because I had so much trouble finding decent samples of the C-VI before I bought mine, I thought I'd upload some samples of it in action doing some proggish metal business:
> 
> ...



 FTFY


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## moeligerent (Mar 10, 2014)

I recently purchase this guitar, all I can say is its awesome. I don't tune it E-E, but in Ab/Bb it's an absolute monster! The lighter strings that can be used due to the longer scale make a huge difference in playability, for me anyway. I had to do some mods to the nut to accommodate the thinner strings (10-50), but it ....ing wails and plays like a dream. The neck isn't anywhere near as 'fat' as some other Schecters and the pickups with coil tapping offer a wide range of tone.


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