Best Guitar for Metal: 11 reviewed from 6, 7 & even 8 strings

by Joost Nusselder | Updated on:  January 9, 2023

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Will this be your first guitar or are you upgrading your old axe? Either way, you’ll want to grab a guitar that can handle your heavy metal riffing.

I’ve got you covered for any budget and was pleasantly surprised by some of the cheaper models. But the best in its price range is one you might not have heard about: this ESP LTD EC-1000 Les Paul. Great price-quality and quite versatile for other playing styles as well.

Let’s look at different guitars for different playing styles of metal, and what makes them sound and play awesome!

Best guitars for metal reviewed

Of course, there are so many more options out there and I want to cover a few more, even if you’re a pro and what something more expensive, or when even the LTD is out of your budget.

Let’s take a quick look at the best metal guitars, then I’ll dive into each of these models in more detail:

Best overall guitar for metal

ESPLTD EC-1000 (EverTune)

The best electric guitar for metal guitarists who want to keep in tune. A mahogany body with a 24.75 inch scale and 24 frets.

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Best value for money

SolarA2.6

The Solar has a Swamp Ash body which gives it a little more versatility than most others on this list. It allows for a brighter sound.

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Best cheap metal guitar

IbanezGRG170DX Gio

The GRG170DX may not be the cheapest beginner guitar of all, but it offers a wide variety of sounds thanks to the humbucker – single coil – humbucker + 5-way switch RG wiring.

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Best hard rock guitar under 500

SchecterOmen Extreme 6

We are talking about a custom Super Strat design, which combines several great functions. The body itself is crafted from mahogany and topped with an attractive flamed maple top.

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Best metal look

JacksonJS32T Rhoads

The Jackson Rhoads V-style is about as sharp as guitars can get, and Jackson hasn’t compromised on safety with the JS32T: it can still puncture the skin if hit with enough force.

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Best strat for metal

FenderDave Murray Stratocaster

The 2 Hot Rails stacked humbuckers Seymour Duncan provided in the bridge and neck positions give a lot of punch to overdrive your amp or pedal rig.

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Best metal classic

IbanezRG550

The neck feels smooth, your hand glides instead of just moving, while the Edge vibrato is rock solid and the overall craftsmanship is exemplary.

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Best cheap 7-string

JacksonJS22-7

The JS22-7 is one of the biggest seven-string bargains out there. But with the poplar body, Jackson designed humbuckers, flat black finish … there’s nothing special here. Just a solid guitar.

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Best baritone for metal

ChapmanML1 Modern

This low tuned baritone is a very well made, beautifully thought out instrument with great attention to detail.

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Best 8-string guitar for metal

SchecterOmen-8

The Omen-8 is Schecter’s most affordable eight-string, and its maple neck and 24-fret rosewood fingerboard are highly playable, making it ideal for eight-string beginners.

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Best sustain

SchecterHellraiser C-1 FR S BCH

This Hellraiser gives you a mahogany body, a quilted maple top, a thin mahogany neck, and a rosewood fingerboard that deliver solid bass and bright overtones.

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Best multiscale fanned fret guitar for metal

SchecterReaper 7

A multiscale guitar designed to have a lot of gain while remaining very versatile with unbeatable intonation.

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Metal guitar buying guide

How awesome (or “evil”) the headstock looks is just one of many factors you’ll want to consider, and why it might draw your attention the most, the most important features are not that visible.

The thickness of the neck is one of the most important factors for playability and comes down to your personal taste, and the pickups (although some look better than others) are there to get the most punch out of your amp (or DAW).

You definitely need a powerful humbucker for the tight, hand-damped, distorted tones that heavy metal demands.

EMG’s active designs have long been the default choice, but today there are plenty of passive options that can capture that level of weight you need.

Other factors to consider when buying a guitar for metal include the bridge system, which comes down to your own preferences as well.

  • Would the addition of a Floyd Rose locking tremolo help improve your solos?
  • Should you choose a seven- or eight-string or a low-tuned baritone?
  • And of course, there is the aesthetic to consider: which type of metal look do you want to go for?

But rest assured, whatever you choose, one of these brutal monsters is sure to handle the heaviest riffs you can play.

Also read: the best multi-effects for every style of music

What makes a guitar good for metal?

As for typical “metal” guitars, they usually have thin necks and high-output pickups, almost always with a humbucker in the bridge position. It is of course also all in the way you play it. Someone who plays heavy metal will likely choose a good solid body and neck to withstand the rigors of playing the style.

Are Fender Guitars Good For Metal?

The Fender Stratocaster is one of the most popular guitars in the world, and it’s easy to see why. It has zSelf-proven in just about every genre you can name, from blues to jazz to classic rock and, yes, even heavy metal, although you usually want to choose a different kind of guitar, exceptions are for (neo) classic metal or the best “fat strat “for metal this Dave Murray Stratocaster.

Is a Les Paul good for metal?

The Les Paul is an ideal guitar for metal because it gives you a tone that fills a huge sonic space. The thick mahogany body can hold notes for days, while the maple cap adds a touch of snap and articulation, keeping metal guitarists’ solos bright and defined. For a heavier heavy metal sound, you can get models, like the ESP I reviewed, with active EMG pickups.

Best Guitars for Metal Reviewed

Best overall guitar for metal

ESP LTD EC-1000 [EverTune]

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8.9
Tone score
Gain
4.5
Playability
4.6
Build
4.2
Best for
  • Great gain with the EMG pickup set
  • Metal solos will come through with mahogany bodu and set-thru neck
Falls short
  • Not a lot of lows for darker metal

The best electric guitar for metal guitarists who want to keep their tone

The EC-1000 has a Mahogany body with Maple top combined with a 3-piece laminated mahogany neck and ebony fingerboard. It gives you a 24.75 inch scale with 24 frets.

The pickups are either a Seymour Duncan JB humbucker paired with a Seymour Duncan Jazz humbucker, but I would advise you to go for the active EMG 81/60 set if you’re planning on playing metal.

ESP LTD EC 1000 review

You can get it with the EverTune bridge which is one of the greatest invention for guitarist who bend heavily and really like to dig into the strings a lot (also ideal for metal), but you can also get the stoptail bridge.

Both come with excellent Grover locking tuners.

It is available in a left-handed model, although they don’t come with the Evertune set.

The EC-1000ET is an all mahogany single-cut loaded with a set of EMG 81 and 60 active humbuckers, a comfortably modern neck and a high level of build quality.

The binding and MOP inlays are just beautifully done.

I don’t care much for binding and inlays. Most of the time, I think they can make an instrument look tacky, to be honest. But you can’t deny this is some great craftsmanship and elegantly chosen color scheme with the gold hardware:

ESP LTD EC 1000 inlays

The main selling point, however, is the guitar’s superb tonal stability with standard Grover locking tuners and optionally a factory EverTune bridge.

I tested this one without Evertune Bridge and it is certainly one of the most tonal guitars I’ve ever known:

ESP has taken that quality to the extreme by also making a model with the Evertune Bridge to fully claim their steady status.

Unlike other tuning systems, it does not tune your guitar for you or provide modified tunings.

Instead, once tuned and locked in, it will simply stay there thanks to a series of tension calibrated springs and levers.

Best strings for electric guitar
Best strings for electric guitar

You can try anything you can to make it fly out of tune and detune it: huge three step bends, wildly exaggerated strings stretching, you can even put the guitar in a freezer.

It will bounce back in perfect harmony every time.

Plus, a guitar that’s perfectly tuned and voiced up and down the neck seems to play much more musically. I am also not aware of any compromises in the tone.

The EC sounds as full and aggressive as ever, with the softer notes of the neck EMG being pleasantly round, devoid of any metal spring tone.

If it’s important to you never to go out of tune, this is one of the best electric guitars out there.

Best value for money

Solar A2.6

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8.5
Tone score
Gain
4.5
Playability
4.3
Build
3.9
Best for
  • Quality Grover tuners keeps it in tune
  • Seymour Duncan designed Solar pickups have lots of gain
Falls short
  • Swamp Ash body isn’t for the heaviest of metal

Ola Englund’s axe of choice

The Solar has a Swamp Ash body which gives it a little more versatility than most others on this list. It allows for a brighter sound and accommodates the five wat pickup selector switch to get the most growl or twang out of all of the settings.

It has a maple neck with a 25.5 inch scale length and 24 frets.

The pickups are two seymour duncan designed Solar exclusives to perfectly match the woods of body and neck with Ebony fingerboard.

It has a hardtail bridge and this gives the Grover tuners absolutely no reason to go out of tune, no matter what you throw at it.

Ola Englund is the guitarist for The Haunted and Six Feet Under so you know his signature guitar will give you a lot of power to work with.

Plus, this is the type of headstock that immediately gives it its metal look, and with its sharp cutouts and ergonomic contours, the A2.6 looks the part.

There are no clumsy parts; the heel, as it is, has been rounded off to oblivion. Likewise, the neck has been reduced to a profile reminiscent of Ibanez’s thinnest Wizard necks.

Customers give it a 4.9 out of 5, which is excellent for a guitar in this price range. For example, a customer who bought the A2.6 matt black said:

I am very happy with the sound and playability of the guitar. The guitar came out of the box perfectly, easy to play, not too high or too low as I like it.

The hardtail bridge is as unobtrusive and stable as you can get them, and it’s good to see a set of 18: 1 Grover tuners.

A pair of Duncan Solar humbuckers are in the neck and bridge positions, with a five-way selector switch to switch between them.

In positions two and four the signals from the bucker are split. This, coupled with a tonal variety, gives the A2.6 a wide variety of tones.

Best cheap metal guitar

Ibanez GRG170DX GIO

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7.7
Tone score
Gain
3.8
Playability
4.4
Build
3.4
Best for
  • Great value for money
  • Sharkfin inlays look the part
  • HSH setup gives it a lot of versatility
Falls short
  • Pickups are muddy
  • Tremolo is pretty bad

A budget friendly option that can last you a long time

Best cheap metal guitar Ibanez GRG170DX

Is has a GRG Maple Neck, which is very fast and thin and doesn’t play any less fast than a pricier Ibanez would.

It has a basswood body, which gives it its cheaper price range, and the fretboard is made of bound rosewood.

The Bridge is a FAT-10 Tremolo Bridge, its pickups are Infinity pups. and this just is a great value for money electric guitar that could last you for many years to come.

As you know, Ibanez has been known for decades for their edgy, modern and super-strat-esque electric guitars.

For most people, the Ibanez brand equates to RG model electric guitars, which are very unique in the world of guitarists.

Of course they make many more types of guitars, but the RGs are the favorite of many shred-style finger-fingered guitarists.

The GRG170DX may not be the cheapest beginner guitar of all, but it offers a wide variety of sounds thanks to the humbucker – single coil – humbucker + 5-way switch RG wiring.

Metal Guitar for beginners Ibanez GRG170DX

Ibanez’s RG model was reportedly released in 1987 and it is one of the best-selling super-strat guitars in the world.

It is molded in a classic RG body shape, comes with HSH pickup combination. It also has a basswood body with a maple GRG style neck, bound rosewood fingerboard with bindings.

If you like hard rock, metal and shred music and want to start playing straight away, I would definitely recommend the Ibanez GRG170DX Electric Guitar.

I would only advise you not to use the standard tremolo as if it were a Floyd Rose bridge with locking tuners as dives will definitely detune the guitar.

The guitar has a lot of ratings and as one states it:

A top guitar for the beginner, but a pity that if you want to play drop D, the guitar gets very out of tune.

Tremolo bars on most entry-level mid-budget electric guitars are not that useful and will cause tuning issues in my opinion.

But you can always use a light tremelo during your songs, or you can of course take a dive at the end of your performance when the guitar is allowed to detune itself.

All in all a very flexible beginner guitar that is really suitablet is for metal, but only for metal.

It’s the best metal guitar for beginners in my list of the best guitars for beginners in a variety of styles.

Best hard rock guitar under 500

Schecter Omen Extreme 6

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7.7
Tone score
Gain
3.4
Playability
3.9
Build
4.2
Best for
  • Most beautiful guitar I’ve seen in this price range
  • Very versatile with coil-split to boot
Falls short
  • Pickups are a bit lacking in gain

Schecter’s success over the past decade has been nothing than expected. After all, they’ve been giving metalheads a great range of guitar options for decades.

The Schecter Omen Extreme 6 is a slight deviation from this tradition seeing as it has slightly lower output and plays more like a rock guitar to me.

Best hard rock guitar under 500 euro: Schecter Omen Extreme 6

But, it’s very versatile, especially for a guitar under 500, and it really is a beautiful sight.

Body and neck

When they first started building guitars on their own, Schecter stuck to a fairly simple body shape.

We are talking about a custom Super Strat design, which combines several great functions. The body itself is crafted from mahogany and topped with an attractive flamed maple top.

The neck is solid maple with a profile suited for speed and accuracy. The top, as well as the neck, are bound with white abalone, while the rosewood fingerboard features Pearloid Vector inlays.

If you look at the whole picture, Schecter Omen Extreme 6 looks simply beautiful.

Beautiful Schecter Omen Extreme top

Electronics

In the field of electronics, you get a set of passive humbuckers from Schecter Diamond Plus. While they may seem a bit gross at first, once you find out what they can deliver, you’ll start to like them.

Pickups are wired with a set of two volume knobs, a push-pull-activated tone knob and a three-way pickup selector switch.

I must honestly say that you have to get a lot out of your effects or amp side with these pickups to really get enough crunch from your guitar.

Although it is a good metal guitar, with these pickups I think it is more of a choice for some heavy rock, especially with the coil tap that gives you a bit more flexibility in sound.

Hardware

One of the things that people noticed and liked about Schecter guitars is their Tune-o-Matic bridges. And this Omen 6 delivers with a string thru body for extra sustain.

Sound

If you need something that is able to handle heavy gain distortion and still sounds decent, then Schecter Omen Extreme 6 is the type of guitar you’re looking for.

Due to the split function, the guitar itself also has more to offer than just metal and choosing different distorted and pure tones that suit your guitar is quite easy.

This is how one of over 40 reviewers describes it:

The guitar has alnico pickups, and the great thing is that you can coil-split them, so you can really get a lot of different types of sounds from this guitar.

Normally with two humbuckers and the selector switch in the middle position, you can get a bit of a twangy sound, but split the coils and you get a great sound that really cuts through, and that from a hard rock, mahogany guitar.

He gets an average of 4.6 so that’s not bad for such a rock beast. A downside might be that you get a good guitar for the price, as the same customer also said:

If I had to say anything bad about this guitar I would have to compare it to a Les Paul Studio which costs A LOT more money. You should note the hefty weight of it, because it’s not a chambered guitar like those studios and the pickups are a bit muddy.

Other than that it is very stable and if drop D or deeper is something you are interested in then this guitar might be the perfect answer for you.

While many will say that Schecter Omen Extreme 6 is an entry-level model and criticize the passive pickups, the fact is that this guitar packs a punch that few expect to see.

In many ways, Schecter Omen Extreme 6 is a tool for working musicians, and one of the best for under $ 500, that you can grow with you no matter what your expectations are.

Also read: These are the best strings for your guitar, from metal to blues

Best metal look

Jackson JS32T Rhoads

Product image
7.7
Tone score
Gain
3.9
Playability
4.1
Build
3.6
Best for
  • Looks the part
  • Tune-o-matic bridge delivers great sustain
Falls short
  • Pickups and basswood body sound a bit muddy

This affordable Randy Rhoads V is a total hole in one

It has a Basswood body (again, a cheaper wood option that makes it affordable) and Maple neck.

It has a 25.5 inch scale on a rosewood fingerboard with 24 frets.

The pickups are two Jackson Jackson designed humbuckers, which you can control with the volume and tone knobs, and 3-way selector switch.

The Jackson Rhoads V-style is about as sharp as guitars can get, and Jackson hasn’t compromised on safety with the JS32T: it can still puncture the skin if hit with enough force.

The Rhoads is also a sharp player. The tune-o-matic style bridge makes low-end action a breeze, and the almost waxy feel of the satin neck finish is a dream to accelerate up and down.

The proprietary high-output humbuckers offer plenty of snap and presence, providing the definition to handle distorted playing of all styles.

Pick a Marshall-y distortion and whip out Crazy Train and I dare you to stop grinning: the JS32T just mimics that sound.

It’s also cheaper than competing Vs, plays like a dream, delivers classic tones, and even functions as an off-stage weapon. A winner.

Best strat for metal

Fender Dave Murray Stratocaster

Product image
8.6
Tone score
Gain
4.1
Playability
4.4
Build
4.4
Best for
  • Hot rails pickups really growl
  • Floyd Rose is solid
Falls short
  • Alder body gives it more shine than heavy metal attack

This hot-rodded classic for the Iron Maiden guitarist is arguably the archetypal SuperStrat

I think it’s the only one on my list with an Alder Body, but again, it ís a Strat mind you. The maple neck gives it a slightly darker sound you would find on a typical stratocaster and it gives you a 25.5 inch scale with 21 frets on a rosewood fingerboard.

It has two Seymour Duncan pickups and the growl comes from the Hot Rails for Strat SHR-1B at the bridge and  neck positions with a JB Jr SJBJ-1N in the middle.

This strat has a Floyd Rose Double Locking Tremolo which gives you a lot of options for solos.

Murray’s Strat has an air of sophistication; a sober, stylish aesthetic to complement a nuanced, classic rock tone.

But with the 2 Hot Rails stacked humbuckers Seymour Duncan provided in the bridge and neck positions, you can get a lot of punch to overdrive your amp or pedal rig.

Since Maiden’s increasingly progressive sound places all kinds of demands on Murray’s equipment, we’re not surprised at the harmonically rich tone of the bridge’s bucker through an all-valve head, which brings fiery heat and stingy sound to solos.

That said, it also has some unexpected sweet spots when the signal is just pushed to breakpoint.

One of the few strat models that you can use well for metal and as a reviewer said:

A lot of output, for people who want to play metal and want a strat this is really great. For the Maiden songs it is of course perfect. The floyd rose is superb. the machine heads are nice and vintage looking. And then that price … really great. This guitar is highly recommended.

Ultimately, the Dave Murray Stratocaster is one of the best options at this price point for metal, with plenty of crunch and scream and a top quality vibrato, perhaps surpassing Murray’s US-built signature model (by mrather than double the price) in terms of functionality and versatility, if not outright quality.

Best metal classic

Ibanez RG550

Product image
8.8
Tone score
Gain
4.5
Playability
4.6
Build
4.1
Best for
  • Great classic heavy-metal sound
  • Pickups cut through the band perfectly
Falls short
  • Basswood body leaves a lot to be desired

One of the best shred guitars of all time returns

This classic sports a Basswood body with 5-Piece Maple and Walnut neck.

It has a 25.5 inch scale with maple fingerboard and has 24 frets.

The pickups are Ibanez designed (V8 humbucker at the bridge and V7 at the neck with an S1 single coil  in the middle).

It has the Edge locking tremolo bridge which works very fluently.

Introduced in 1987 and discontinued in 1994, the Ibanez RGG550 remains the childhood sweetheart of many players.

Designed as a mass-attractive version of Steve Vai’s famous JEM777 model and with a little less of the flowers, but available in a lot of wacky color options!

The 2018 Japan-made vintage is essentially a masterclass in all things good about shred and metal guitars.

The neck feels smooth, your hand glides instead of just moving, while the Edge vibrato is rock solid and the overall craftsmanship is exemplary.

Dramatically, the RG550 covers a lot of bases. It always did, despite its pointed appearance, which means you can wander comfortably into all kinds of genres without too much fuss.

The V7’s are actually designed in the USA and having it here in the bridge position can get you those nice clear but growling riffing sounds.

The V8 at the neck position gives you a little more compression and is the perfect companion to switch to when soloing higher up the neck.

Best cheap 7-string

Jackson JS22-7

Product image
7.5
Tone score
Gain
3.8
Playability
3.9
Build
3.6
Best for
  • Great sutain
  • Good definition for the money
Falls short
  • Jackson pickups don’t have that much output
  • Poplar body sounds a bit muddy

One of the most affordable 7-string guitars on the market

This one has a poplar body as well combined with a Maple neck, giving you a 25.5 inch scale on a rosewood fingerboard with 24 frets.

It has two Jackson humbuckers to give it quite a bit of punch with volume, tone, and a 3-way pickup selector switch

It has an ajustable hardtail bridge with string-thru design.

The JS22-7 is one of the biggest seven-string bargains out there. Of course, on paper, the specification won’t surprise anyone: poplar body, Jackson designed humbuckers, flat black finish … there’s nothing special here.

The string through the body is a nice addition too. It increases sustain and resonance, which is especially satisfying when you’re letting that low B string sound.

Speaking of which, the JS22-7 comes in standard seven string tuning (B E A D G B E), which, in combination with its six-string standard 648 mm (25.5 in) scale length, makes the transition easier for newcomers.

String definition isn’t as crisp as Jackson’s bigger brothers, and you’ll have to crank up your amp’s gain to really get a good palm mute going.

But what do you want a guitar for professionals, the JS22-7 is not, but it certainly does not cost as much.

Best baritone for metal

Chapman ML1 Modern

Product image
8.3
Tone score
Gain
4.2
Playability
3.9
Build
4.4
Best for
  • Great depth of sound from the alder body
  • Chapman designed humbuckers sounds great
Falls short
  • A bit too dark for most styles except metal

One of the best baritone guitars for metal

The body looks ash but this is because it’s a type of veneer on an Alder body. Quite a nice look without losing the darker sound qualities of the alder.

The maple neck has a 28 inch scale, which is perfect for baritones and it has an Ebony fingerboard with 24 frets.

The pickups are two Chapman designed humbuckers (Sonorous Zero Baritone humbuckers), which you can control through the volume, tone (with push / pull coil split feature), and 3-way pickup selector switch.

It has a hardtail bridge with Graph Technical nut.

This low tuned baritone is a very well made, beautifully thought out instrument with great attention to detail.

Little things like the binding on the body, the rounded heel joint and locking tuners all make up a guitar that’s better than what you’d expect for that spending level.

As a customer describes it:

The price for this guitar is simply ridiculous. The overall quality is astonishing. Appearance is beautiful. Pickups might be a bit muddy, but you can always use some EQ or fine tweak amp settings.

Obviously, djent-style riffers will benefit from the powerful humbuckers, and the guitar has an overall weight thanks to the alder body and ash top.

But it is much more versatile than it first appears, thanks in large part to the coil-splittable pickups, which provide an extra tonally dimension.

Best 8-string guitar for metal

Schecter Omen-8

Product image
7.3
Tone score
Gain
3.5
Playability
3.7
Build
3.7
Best for
  • Great value for money
  • Still pretty lightweight for an 8-string
Falls short
  • Diamond humbuckers lack in gain

An affordable eight-string that delivers

A Basswood with Maple neck and 26.5 inch scale that makes it ideal for 8-strings, although you might have an issue on the higher strings if you’re used to 6-strings.

The fingerboard is made of rosewood and has 24 frets.

It has two Schecter Diamond Plus ceramic humbuckers designed for 8-string guitars with volume, tone, and a 3-way switch.

The Omen-8 is Schecter’s most affordable eight-string, and its maple neck and 24-fret rosewood fingerboard are highly playable, making it ideal for eight-string beginners.

With a scale length of 26.5 inches, an inch longer than a Stratocaster, you will find that the guitar has increased string tension and should therefore increase the tuning stability of the strings.

The Omen-8 comes with a .010 string on the top, which goes to a full .069, and is intended to be tuned from low to high on: F #, B, E, A, D, G, B, E.

It gets a 4.5 out of more than 30 reviews and while it’s all about what you get for the low price, it’s a beautiful instrument:

I really enjoy the feel of the guitar, and the aesthetics of it are just phenomenal. I recommend this guitar for anyone looking for their first 8-string string and anyone looking for a great 8-string on a really modest budget.

Played acoustically, it displays a strong, defined tone with plenty of sustain. The longer neck isn’t really noticeable and it’s not as thick as you might fear. In fact, it is a pleasure to play.

When it comes to electronics, the massive passive humbuckers sound heavy, but both are prone to noise / interference, so a set of EMGs or Seymour Duncans would certainly be a great upgrade.

With the distortion cranked up, the naturally thick tone comes through despite the less refined pickups.

However, the Omen-8 has punching power where it counts, with great playability and a solid build.

Best sustain

Schecter Hellraiser C-1 FR S BCH

Product image
8.5
Tone score
Gain
4.7
Playability
3.8
Build
4.3
Best for
  • Build quality gives a lot of sustain
  • One of the few guitars with built-in sustaniac
Falls short
  • Floyd Rose gets in the way of palm muting
  • Not the most versatile guitar

Let those notes reverberate forever!

Best sustain in a guitar Schecter hellraiser C-1 FR S BCH

Add a real metal guitar to your collection with the Schecter Hellraiser C-1 FR-S solid body electric guitar!

This Hellraiser gives you a mahogany body, a quilted maple top, a thin mahogany neck, and a rosewood fingerboard that deliver solid bass and bright overtones.

You have a regular variant with active EMG 81/89 pickups, that’s the one I played here, but for an extra-long sustain, Schecter is one of the few guitar brands to also include an ultra-cool Sustainiac neck pickup in their FR S models.

With the EMG 81 humbucker at the bridge and the sustainiac at the neck, plus a Floyd Rose tremolo you have a solid metal machine.

When you pick up a Schecter Hellraiser C-1 guitar you will be amazed at all the details and finishing touches that make this a truly remarkable instrument.

The beautiful quilted maple top seems to pop off the surface, and the intricate inlays in the bound fingerboard add a special touch of class.

Moreover, these details are not only cosmetic. The Hellraiser C-1 FR-S has a fixed neck with an Ultra Access heel cut, giving you easy access to those higher, hard-to-reach frets on its 24 fret neck.

Schecter Hellraiser without the sustainiac

But I personally don’t like the size of the Floyd Rose tremolo. I must say I’m not really that big of a tremolo guy, but I find all of the tuning bits get kinda in the way of all of the palm muting I like to do.

When I use a tremolo, I like a floating bridge, or maybe even the Ibanez Edge ones for a heavier dive.

You just can’t beat the sheer sustain and tone stability you get from the double locking Floyd Rose though, so I know for a lot of you this is ideal.

Schecter Hellraiser C 1 FR Floyd Rose Demo

The sustaniac could be a nice addition and worth the extra money. That’s because this unique pickup design has a special sustain circuit designed to hold notes as long as your wilt to sound.

Start the sustain circuit by turning on the switch and play a note or chord on the guitar and let the electromagnetic feedback your sound for as long as you want.

I haven’t reviewed this guitar with the sustainiac but I liked it on another guitar from Fernandes I tried a while back. You can get some unique soundscapes with this.

Schecter knows that serious shredders like you demand absolute performance from their guitars. That’s why they supplied the Hellraiser with a genuine Floyd Rose 1000 Series tremolo bridge.

A remake of the original Floyd Rose blade tremolo, this incredible bridge will have you bending, rocking, and never worrying about ruining your action or tone when it comes back up.

A reliable guitar with quality materials and string locks for someone who likes hard riffs.

Also read: Schecter Hellraiser C-1 vs ESP LTD EC-1000 | Which comes out on top?

Best overall fanned fret guitar

Schecter Reaper 7

Product image
8.6
Tone score
Gain
4.3
Playability
4.5
Build
4.1
Best for
  • Great value for money in terms of playability and sound
  • Swamp ash sounds amazing with the coil split
Falls short
  • Very barebones design

Perhaps the first thing you notice about the Reaper is its beautiful poplar burl top that’s available in a few color options ranging from reddish to blue.

After that you might see the fanned frets of this multiscale 7-string.

Why would I want a multiscale guitar?

You can’t beat the intonation a multiscale provides you on every part of the fretboard, and you get the benefits of a shorter scale length on the high strings while still having the deep bass of the lows.

The scale length is 27 inches on the 7th string and tapered accordingly so that it reaches a more conventional 25.5 inches on the high one.

It also helps maintain tension in the neck.

With 7 strings you often have to choose between easy playability of a 25.5 inch scale on the high strings with a dull low B, and certainly not the possibility to downtune, or the reverse with a 27 inch scale which makes the high E string difficult. to play and sometimes loses its clarity.

Plus, the Coil tap on the Reaper 7 humbuckers is awesome and exactly what I’m looking for in a humbucker guitar for my hybrid picking playing style.

Coil tap on the Schecter Reaper 7 Multiscale guitar humbuckers

How is the neck?

The neck plays like a dream for me in a shredder-friendly C shape, and is made from walnut and maple with a rod made of carbon fiber to reinforce it, the Reaper-7 is built to withstand all kinds of abuse.

The 20 “radius offers it a similar profile to the Mansoor Juggernaut and is just not as thin as the Ibanez Wizard necks.

Frequently asked questions about metal guitars

Can you play metal on any kind of guitar?

There are no set rules for choosing a guitar to play heavy metal music. In fact you can technically play heavy metal songs on any guitar so if you already have an electric guitar it’s more about the distortion and you can try a multi effects pedal for the right sound. However, there are many things to consider when choosing a heavy metal guitar such as pickups, wood tone, electronics, scale length, bridge, and tuning to really get the most out of it.

Are Ibanez Guitars Good For Metal?

The Ibanez RG series is a major reason why Ibanez has ruled the metal world for decades. Wherever you go in the metal scene, you will likely find an Ibanez. It’s a guitar that holds up for extreme metal, but is also a great choice for shred, hard rock, thrash and old-school metal.

Are Ibanez guitars only suitable for metal?

Traditionally, Ibanez is the guitar for metal and hard rock, but you can play everything from jazz to death metal. For jazz and blues you might want to check out a Les Paul (Epi or Gibson), but it is certainly possible. The Ibanez guitars are made for speed so outside of metal you might see them fastest in Rock Fusion.

Are Jackson Guitars Good For Metal?

Jackson is a metal brand par excellence and all of their guitars are actually made for the music style. The brand is best known for their iconic Jackson Randy Roads models with pointed guitar bodies and Jackson guitars can always handle the heaviest forms of metal.

Are Humbuckers Good For Metal?

Most metal players prefer humbuckers. They have a stronger, warmer tone that feels crunchy quickly. The dual coil construction provides clear highs and more nuanced lows, more contrast, more saturation and often greater volume. Plus less noise from lamps that single coils sometimes pick up.

Can you play metal with single coils?

The short answer is yes, you can! The question is whether you really want it, because with humbucking pickups it is easier to get a suitable metal sound. The current amps or (modellearning) effects deliver insane amounts of gain, so gain is not an issue even with (lower output) single coil pickups.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are a lot of different possibilities, even within the metal genre, and although there are a lot of very expensive super guitars for sale, I have chosen a fairly affordable version for every style of metal guitar in this list.

I hope you can make your choice for your next beast!

I'm Joost Nusselder, the founder of Neaera and a content marketer, dad, and love trying out new equipment with guitar at the heart of my passion, and together with my team, I've been creating in-depth blog articles since 2020 to help loyal readers with recording and guitar tips.

Check me out on Youtube where I try out all of this gear:

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