String-through vs Stop tail piece

[DropD]

I'm trying to decide between two guitars, the Schecter Diamond Series C1-Plus and the ESP LTD H300 (ok I admit it, it's actually the C7+ and the H307, I want a 7-strings ).

What they have in common:
mahogany body, maple top with see-through finish, H-H configuration, non-trem bridge, similar price, all made in Korea

The differences:
The Schecter: Set-neck, duncan designed pickups, maple neck, string through bridge (hardtail)

The ESP LTD: Neck-thru, EMG HZ pickups, mahogany neck, tune-o-matic bridge with stop tailpiece (like a Les Paul).

From what I understand, the stop tailpiece bridge means the string do not pass through the body right?

Assuming it is the case and only the Schecter has a string-through-body bridge. Does that really matters? From what I understand string through body makes the body vibrate more thus giving more of that natural mahogany tone. However the LTD has a neck-through-body design which on the other hand gives incredible sustain.

What should I do? They both look incredible but I prefer the look of the ESP (the Schecter comes with chrome hardware which doesn't suits the guitar really well)

 

[Tom Hicks]

I'll take a crack at it

I don't have specific tone info on the guitars you listed but I can speak to the construction types.Neck through gives the best sustain and wood tone.Thru-body stringing is next in terms of how much mass gets vibrating.Stop-bar tail piece next followed by trem-type bridges.STAY AWAY from any Floyd Rose or Kahler locking trem types for if you break a string on stage you are screwed till break time.
Solid wood is better than laminates.U.S. hardware is generally superior (pickups,tuners,etc.)to the import stuff.
Demo the ESP against the others in the same amp,if possible and let your ears pick for you.
regards
Tom

 

[enemyofthesun]

that 7 string thing is really overrated and the ESP is a better guitar. Just get the LTD/ESP and have it set up at the store to take a 52 or 54 gauge b string and you are set. It wil lbe eaiser to play and sound the same. The 7 string is too trendy and for the most part a gimmick. Put some good pickups in that thing too.