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Home > Bass > Electric Bass Reviews > Schecter > C-4

Schecter C-4

Summary
Price New Schecter C-4 @ Musician's Friend
Manufacturer URL http://www.schecterguitars.com/
Features 8.1 (16 responses)
Sound 7.9 (15 responses)
Action, Fit, & Finish 6.9 (15 responses)
Reliability/Durability 7.8 (13 responses)
Customer Support 6.6 (7 responses)
Overall Rating 8.1 (14 responses)
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Product: Schecter C-4
Price Paid: US $499.00
Submitted 07/06/2005 at 09:41pm by 1960 Pbass

Features : 8
I have the C4xxx. I won't list the specs as everybody else already has. Bass has nice features. Body is Mahogany, neck is stated as Maple. Finish on mine is the all black with white binding on the body front, neck and headstock. A very nice looking bass.

Sound : 8
Has a great metal or hard rock sound. If you pull off the control plate and change the switches on the small PC board inside (find the info on EMG's website) you can get the bass to kick ass pretty good. I already own two Fenders so I wanted something else soundwise. If you are used to the low down groove of a P bass, you won't like this bass as it's just not the Fender type sound. It is however nice and punchy and very quiet through my setup. I'm currently using a Peavey Firebass 700 driving a Hartke Pro 1800 and a GEM sound 350 bridged to mono running a Hartke VX410. Crossed over at 100HZ. With the active electronics it shouls record pretty clean. Overall I'm happy with the sound of the bass.

Action, Fit, & Finish : 5
Truss rod in the neck was totally loose but the action was still fairly low. I took out all the relief and am running the neck dead flat. The action is really low with only minor buzzing typical of a new guitar. It should clean up nicely with a little use. The many adjustment screws for height and intonation on the bridge were loose and needed to be snugged up. There is a sticker on the bass that states the basses are set up by Schecter in the USA. They must have missed this one as the truss rod and screws were messed up. There are 16 small screws in all on the bridge and it's a pain in the butt to set the string height and a REAL pain to set the intonation as there is NO adjustment screw for string length, you have to move it manually. The bridge is listed as made by S-Tek. I can see a problem if the single small screw that holds the bridge saddle tight gets loose and you break a string and the saddle falls out and gets lost. This pretty much renders the bass useless. A major fault as far as I'm concerned, and I won't gig with this bass without a backup. In fact this reason alone is enough to make me consider returning the bass even though I LOVE the way this thing plays and sounds. I have to rate this category low due to the POS bridge design. Maybe a better bridge could be stuck on, but should you really have to do that on any guitar let alone one that sells for $500.00?

The finish is flawless and the neck/body joint is nice and tight. The inlays are all tight and look good with no flaws. The bass really does play great. The neck width is just right for the guitar size and is very fast.

Reliability/Durability : 7
The bass is well put together and all the hardware (even the poorly designed bridge) is good quality. It feels like a rock when you play it. You can probably thrash it around all night without problems. I'll rate it slightly above average. Just remember this is a $500.00 giutar and you get what you pay for. It's better than most basses I tried in this price range and shows that the asian guitar makers are getting better.

Customer Support : 2
Here is another beef. I've tried to contact Schecter via the contact form on their website on and off for three days now and the form has crashed everytime. I've also called them and left messages and as yet have received no return calls. I wanted to see about getting a set of bridge saddles for backup (due to the above mentioned POS bridge). They state their warranty as "lifetime" to the original purchaser. What good is that if you can't get through to anybody? Again I have to rate low in this category. VERY SAD!!

Overall Rating : 5
Been playing over 30 years. Have 2 Fender P basses. A 1960 and a 2004 Highway One series. Bi-amp setup Peavey, Hartke, GEM sound, SKB, KORG tuner, ZOOM 16 track recorder and a bunch of other stuff.

I really wished I'd looked closer at the bridge design before getting the bass. It's a good thing Guitar Center has a liberal return policy just in case I decide to take it back. I took it for granted that the bridge was easily adjustable like 99.9 percent of the other basses out there. I really do love the way this bass plays and sounds and the looks are great. If it got lost/stolen though, I would not get another one. The bridge is truly a poor design and ruins what otherwise is a great bass.

In case you can't tell, I still don't know whether to keep the bass or not. I have another bass so I still can gig with the thing. I can check the bridge screws and keep em tight. The intonation thing is a pain but once set it's OK. My concern is the lack of being able to contact Schecter. If I need parts down the road it would sure be nice to be able to actually talk or email somebody. If I can obtain a set of bridge saddles for backup, I will keep the bass. If not, it goes back.

Overall rating will reflect the fact the so far Schecter customer support is nill.


Product: Schecter C-4
Price Paid: US $419
Submitted 04/16/2005 at 06:56pm by Mike

Features : 10

Sound : 9
booming bottom, not much in the highs or high mids, eternal sustain.

I play this bass through a GK 1001RB210.

Great working players stage rig. Would probably stay with my American Jazz on studio or short gigs.

Action, Fit, & Finish : No Opinion
set up was fine out of the box, no problems so far

Reliability/Durability : 9
I've only had this bass for a few weeks and play it almost daily in a working band. I always have a backup, even when I was using my American Jazz Deluxe

Customer Support : 9
company website says manuals are available online, but gives no links.

Overall Rating : 9
I've been playing bass for 20 years. When I started giging full time, the fenders were just too darn heavy for 5 hour nights, 5 or 6 nights a week. I saw another bassist with this bass and was astounded at how light it was. I was happily surprised to find that it sounds fantastic. The sustain on this thing is crazy, to the point that I have to purposefully mute it sometimes. For me, it was all about the weight. It's so light that back pain dissappears on those long nights.


Product: Schecter C-4
Price Paid: US $450
Submitted 02/25/2005 at 08:25pm by Riv.D

Features : 7
Look Around

Sound : 8
I have 2 of these, the Flame Maple top and the Antique Amber.
The Maple Top is brighter than the Amber,the neck also plays a tad faster. I feel that the EMG's these basses come with are pretty good,you get a punchy mid bass sound; but after playing them a while you still feel like your missing something(like that Fender Jazz sound).

Action, Fit, & Finish : 8
Factory set up o.k., but I do my own set-ups. I don't like the S-Tek bridge, you can't get proper intonation because the saddles don't move like(for example) a BADASS. You're confined to a limmited adjustment.
Comes with those crapy over priced Elixer strings with that suran-wrap plastic coating.(Garbage!)
I use GHS Boomers.
But visually overall, a very beautiful instument.

Reliability/Durability : 8
Overall I feel the bass is built pretty well, slightly dinky but enough wood to feel like an instrument, it always stays in tune. I would not gig this bass without a back up.

Customer Support : No Opinion

Overall Rating : 8
I've been playing Bass for over 17 years, I always played a Fender but I needed a change. Something a little faster, different sound ,and (least important) look.
But if it were stolen I'd go back to a fender, guess old habits die hard.


Product: Schecter C-4
Price Paid: US $350 used
Submitted 02/25/2005 at 04:16pm by W G Van Dyck

Features : 9
? 2-EMG-HZ passive pick-ups
? 2-Volume controls (one for each pick-up)
? Active EQ tone controls (separate bass and treble controls)
? Separate routing with screw-on cover for 9v EQ battery
? 6-bolt neck attachment
? Mahogany body with figured maple top
? Multi-laminate maple/walnut neck
? Rosewood fingerboard
? 24 jumbo frets
? 34" scale
? Vector inlays
? S-Tek bridge
? Body and neck binding
? Deluxe tuners
? Satin Gold plated hardware

Sound : 9
Well, here?s a subjective subject. My tastes tend to be somewhat traditional and I am only running it through a Behringer Bass V-Amp in my home studio.

The C-4 is one of the best sounding basses I have owned. Frankly, though, I was a little disappointed when I first got it; there just didn?t seem to be much mid tonal range. Then, I discovered that the Active EQ is essentially an EMG-BTS system with two dip switches that allows you to select a treble control center frequency of 2.1 kHz, 3.5 kHz, 4.5 kHz, or 7.0 kHz (see the EMG website?s BTS product info pdf). I changed it from 4.5 kHz (I assume the factory setting) to 2.1 kHz, and added a second 9v battery as recommended by EMG. Wow! It came to life! It now runs from thick, heavy lows to bell ring highs.

Action, Fit, & Finish : 9
The action on the C-4 is very good. The neck isn?t quit as fast as an old Gibson EBO/EB-3, but I like it a lot more than either Fender offering. While I like the S-Tek bridge system it?s string height adjustment is too limited.

All the parts of this bass fit together very well. Just like someone intended to build them into one guitar (did you hear that Fender?).

The days of the ? inch thick clear coat are gone forever, I guess. Even though, the finish on the C-4 is quite good by today?s standard.

Overall, this is a very well made instrument. Better than almost anything currently made by Fender.

Reliability/Durability : 10
In decades of playing bass for fun and profit I have never had one break. I don?t see why the C-4 should change that.

Customer Support : 6
It could be better. Granted, I bought this bass used and didn?t receive the factory manuals and literature, but Schecter could give you more information on their website. Why should I have to go to another website to discover the details of the Active EQ system they use? Is the concept of a textual description gone the way of the EB-2D? Or, do manufacturers just question our ability to comprehend the written word?

Overall Rating : 10
I started playing bass in 1965 and dropped out over the past 20 to pursue a career outside music. My returning interest in music has created a sense of shock and amazement. Shocked that some of the Gibsons and Fenders I have owned over the years are now selling for thousands of dollars on eBay. And, amazed at the incredible technology available today.

In this review I am comparing the Schecter C-4 to EBOs, EB-3s, EB-2Ds, Precisions, and Jazz Basses that I have owned. Back when Gibson was making basses that reflected true craftsmanship the C-4 would have been only a mediocre instrument. But, by the sad level of current craftsmanship, the C-4 is outstanding. And, the tonality of the C-4 is excellent, compared to a solid-body from any era.

Is it the universal bass? No. There are tones that any bass can produce that others can?t duplicate. And, the same is true for the C-4. If you want an SUV don?t buy an MR-2. And if you do, don?t complain about the MR-2?s lack of 4WD. The C-4 is an excellent instrument if you like what it does. And, it does a lot. But if you want the sound of a Fender Jazz, go buy a Fender Jazz. And, don?t knock the C-4 for not sounding exactly like the Fender. It sounds like a Schecter C-4 and that isn?t bad.

And, yes, if it were stolen I would replace it with another C-4 ? or maybe a Stiletto Elite-4. Yeah!!


Product: Schecter C-4
Price Paid: US $400.00
Submitted 02/02/2005 at 10:29am by Doc

Features : 3
I bought this bass in 2004 new, made overseas, nice body, neck not bad, but not great ether, active EMG pickups

Sound : 2
This bass is garbage. Although with the EMGs, it is punchy, but it has no soul. I play out of Fender100 watt amp with a 1x15 for small gigs, for bigger gigs ,I use a Peavey 700 Firebass head with a 2x15 peavey cab with BW speakers. The bass didn't have the sound I like in a bass. My USA and Jap Fenders work much better for me

Action, Fit, & Finish : 2
The body looks great , the pickups are ok, the knobs , tuning pegs look cheap, the nut is junk, and the neck is just ok, not great.

Reliability/Durability : 1
This bass will probley hold up to live playing, but for how long? I had too have the nut replaced twice, finally I replaced it with a brass nut. I wouldn't use it without a backup

Customer Support : 4
There ok to deal with , It's just not a solidly built bass.

Overall Rating : 1
I've been playing for ten years. I own three Fenders, 75 jazz, an 03 Aerodine jazz , and an 04 USA P bass, after I got rid of that C4


Product: Schecter C-4
Price Paid: US $400
Submitted 10/23/2004 at 01:43pm by Colin
Email: Robotdogrecording<at>yahoo dot com

Features : 10
Active Electronics
24 frets
Grover Tuners

Sound : 10
This is a great bass for my style which jumps between a lead sound (primus and toolish) and a totaly ominous backround thump.

I am playing through a Gallien Kruuger 800rb and they work together really well.

This bass has the ability to emulate any kind of bass style. From really mellow to really stingy and a bunch of places in between. There is thump and hi end clairity at the same time.

Action, Fit, & Finish : 10
Very easy to play. The action is so nice that it threw me off at first. I had a Yamaha rbx bass before I got this one and I dont have to work as hard to get a great sound now.

Reliability/Durability : 10
I have only had it for 2 weeks but so far it has held up. Ive been rehearsing 3 times a week and playing on my off days and I have had no problems. It has stayed in tune the whole time.

Customer Support : 10
Lifetime Warranty. Cant beat that.

Overall Rating : 10
Ive been playing bass for 7 years and guitar for 10. This is definately the best instrument I have owned. Sound quality and action are great.


Product: Schecter C-4
Price Paid: US $400
Submitted 09/26/2004 at 12:57pm by Dan
Email: Homerun7dh at aol<dot>com

Features : 10
CONSTRUCTION:
6 Bolt-On

BODY:
Mahogany w/ Figured Maple

NECK:
Multi-Laminate Maple / Walnut

FINGERBOARD:
Rosewood

FRETS:
24 Jumbo

SCALE:
34" (C-4). 35" (C-5)

INLAYS:
Vector

BRIDGE:
S-Tek

BINDING:
None

TUNERS:
Grover

HARDWARE:
*see finishes

PICKUPS:
EMG Hz

ELECTRONICS:
2-Vol w/ EMG, Active 2-Band EQ

FINISHES:
Antique Amber (ANTQ) w/ Satin Gold Hardware, Black Cherry (BCH) w/ Black Chrome Hardware

Sound : 10
I play hardcore punk/emotional rock and this bass is perfect. I really like a kind of metal sound. These active EMG's pump out AMAZINGLY. I used to play active fenders like the Marcus Miller. Then I switched to Spector. Finally I found this, and it's better than the others I've played. The Marcus Miller Jazz Bass was too clean, the Spector was uncomofortable to my picking style, not to mention ugly. But this Schecter c-4 is beyond badd ass.

Action, Fit, & Finish : 10
Amazing action, came with Elixer Strings! Can't beat that! Bridge is monstrous and great quality! Controls are great quality! Finish is GORGEOUS!!! Transparent Red on the maple top is eye catching. The binding compliments the finish and gold hardware perfectly. Fret Inlays are awesome, and 100% unique. NO other guitars come with those triangular inlays, they're definitely sweet. The strap buttons are better than most, I haven't put strap locks onto this bass yet just because I haven't had a problem with my strap coming off.

Reliability/Durability : 10
Great durability. Being in an emo band we move around alot and throw our guitars, this bass has withstood the abuse.

Customer Support : No Opinion
Haven't delt with them and doubt I ever will!

Overall Rating : 10
I've been playing 4 years. I own a Marcus Miller Jazz and a Spector. I also own a Fender Aerodyne, A Standard P-Bass, and a Carvin Ac50. This Scechter is better than all of them, AND it was less exspensive than all of them too! I play it through an Ampeg SVT-4 Head and a Mesa Power House 1000 Road Ready Cab and it SINGS! If it was stolen, I would immediately buy another one, same finish and all. There are no regrets to this bass, I'm convinced I'll be playing schecters for as long as I live... laugh if you want, but as soon as you buy this bass, you'll shut up and agree I promise...

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