Schecter C-5 5-String

I've owned it for 1 week.
I am uncertain of the year it was made.
24 Jumbo Frets
5 Strings
Solid, Configured Maple top
2 Pre-amp tone/bass controls, 1 Volume for each pickup.

Rating this as a 9. The features are good enough but I really think they could have installed a screwless battery door.

I play mostly rock and just learning slap style.

Currently I'm using a Trace Elliot 715 amp (15" with tweeter)

The only effects I'm using at this point are on the bass.

There are so many different options for tone on this bass (much more than my 4 string Alvarez) that it can be a challenge getting things zeroed in.
This is complicated by the EQ on the Trace Elliot. I've been bypassing the EQ and just using the preamp and shape on the amp. Seems to work well.

The highs are very bright the lows can get a bit muddy, but that, in my opinion, is a limitation of my amp. When the gain is turned down, a bit lower, I can thump the B string with no clipping and get a nice solid sound.
The preamp controls are very sensitive, so its easy to overdial a sweetspot.
Just go slow and you'll find it.
For slapping, you may want to turn down the treble a bit. It does work excellent and has a great feel when slapping. The strings seem to be perfectly spaced for me and I'm not accidentally hitting other strings, like I can sometimes, on my Alvarez.
For just playing some Metal or Rock, it plays great as well.
I would give it a solid 10 for playability.

I think this would be perfect for stage or studio.

I'm only giving it an 8 because it can be a bit difficult to dial in your tone to begin with. After you know where everything is, the sound is a solid 9.

I purchased the bass used (but in what I would consider brand new condition) so I'm not sure if the previous owner had to mess with the setup. From what I've read in other reviews of Schecter guitars, most come set up very well and require little, if any adjustment.

The pickups could be lowered a fraction. That, I think is bassed on personal taste though.

No flaws on this bass anywhere. Grade A+
Very high quality craftsmanship.

This is a very solid bass. I would have absolutely no reservations about playing live with it.
Strap buttons are solid but would you really want to play live without something locking?
Finish will last a long time as will any other hardware included on this masterpiece.

I wouldn't play live without a backup. You never know, so take the boyscout mentality and always be prepared.

I contacted them via e-mail and they sent me a pdf for the wiring, adjusting and pickup configuration.
I received an answer withing a day, so I was very pleased.

I have been playing 10 years.
If it were lost or stolen, I would try to find another (they don't make them anymore. I think the Hellraiser series is the closest that you can get to the C-5.
I love the solid feel, the fantastic action while playing, the quality of the craftsmanship.
The only complaint I have is the sensitivity of the preamp. Once you get used to it though, I think you would find it manageable.

Active, (EMG-HZ), etc.

This bass is amazing-it looks as good as any bass out there and it sounds as good as it looks- I just changed strings after 6 months and it sounds amazing-ready for recording on Dec 20th! It has a good rock tone-much like a Warwick...very mmuch like a Warwick. You can hear it on http://www.myspace.com/reddresswhite
The new ep comes out Jan 5th so you can hear it then too- there are a few songs with parts that have only bass parts so it'll be easy to hear.

It was set up amazingly. No flaws.

This has withstood live playing and recording. Its like new pretty much. I always use it without backup.

5 years playing guitar, 1 year playing bass. This bass's closest comparison would be the $1500 Warwicks. Its a great deal!

The bass I purchased was made in Korea in 2005. The finish was antique amber. Those are the only variables in the specifications than that of any other C-5.

I have to admit that I am not a fan of the sound of this bass. The EMG-HZ pickups, while passive, were designed to emulate the tone of active pickups. I prefer a smoother, more natural tone for bass, which this bass is hard pressed to produce. The low end is very growly and the high end is very bright, with very little middle ground. I guess the best comparison would be like a hardcore bassist playing through Les Claypool's rig.
I played this bass through a few different amps to see whether it was indeed the bass itself, or the particular amp I was using that was responsible for the tone. When playing through my cheap Rogue RB-60, it sounded terrible. Through a Gallien-Krueger backline, the tone was passable, but it had a tendency to clip out at higher volumes. Through an Ampeg SVT-6PRO, I was able to get a sound I didn't hate, but again I had to deal with it clipping out.
The tone was also helped with about $800 worth of effects, but I don't think that that should be necessary to get a sound that you like.
Overall, with a lot of help, I was able to get sounds that were okay, but I was never blown away by them.
I'm sure there are people out there that would love the way this bass sounds; I am simply not one of them.

Out of the box, the action was a hair higher than I would have liked, but that was easily fixed. The pickups were a little too high, but that was easily adjusted as well.
There were only a couple flaws that were a bit more consequential. The first was that the nut was not shaped very cleanly; I could see little burrs of material poking out of the B string slot and the nut itself wasn't sitting correctly in the slot.
The other problem was a rough spot on the back of the neck between the fourth and eighth frets, as if someone had forgotten to finish sanding it before oiling it.
I did have a couple of problems with it that some people might like. The finish is very thick, which is good for durability's sake, but terrible for your tone. As strange as it may sound, the finish is a polyester blend. Sound like an article of clothing? I thought so too, but polyester is cheaper and dries quicker and harder than older nitrocellulose finishes. Perfect for mass production, bad for elitist tone-snobs such as myself.
Also, this bass is fairly heavy. I realize that many "classic" guitars (I'm looking at you, Les Pauls) were also heavy and people will try to justify the weight by pointing out that it increased sustain and that a real man should be able to handle a little extra weight. To be completely honest, I hate the sound of Les Pauls, so that arguement doesn't fly with me, and redwood has the same tonal properties as mahogany with half the weight. It can be done.

I will give this bass this-it is very sturdy. But so is a brick wall, and I wouldn't play one of those unless it came with a case.

I ordered this bass from Guitar Center. The warehouse didn't have any in stock, so they had to have one shipped from California. As I found out later from the Schecter company, there weren't any of them in the entire state of California, or the rest of the country for that matter and they were going to have to have one special made in Korea. Sounded fishy to me too. Four months later, after being lied to repeatedly by Guitar Center and Schecter, my bass came in. The customer service reps were very polite, just godless liars.

I have been playing bass for approximately five years, but I had already been playing guitar for several years, so my total experience is a bit more like eight to ten years.
I will refrain from mentioning my other basses due to other's proclivity for writing flame reviews of instruments they've never played to promote other instruments that they like (that they have probably never played).
Ultimately, I sold the bass. It was very pretty, but in all other respects, very average.
On the plus side, the gentleman who purchased my bass is absolutely in love with it, so it is a personal taste thing.
That being said, if it were lost or stolen, it would not be my concern. I would not buy another one, however.

The Schecter C-5, the frankenstein's monster of the bass. The name means 'Custom 5 String', with the body of an Oman bass, the neck of no other Schecter I know (though similar to extreame basses), and of course, the bolts in the neck (not kidding).

Ok, I would like to start with saying that I am, a professional designer which gives me a slight edge over allot of other reviewers. Althought I am new to basses, I have been playing and modifiying guitars for year. This review should be seen as a 'technical guide to the C5 bass'. I know it may seem very long to read through, but reading my analygies may teach you a few things, and help you chose the instrument you really want, not just the one you think you want (and yes, there is a difference). With that said, on with the review.

The C5 has a bolted down S-Tec bridge, which is theoretically more capable of increasing sustain than the traditional 'Fender Style' bridge. The reason being that the hard tail and saddle holder is one moulded piece of metal, firmly bolted down to the bass body. My only slight reservation of this is that a through body design (see Fender Telecaster anchering) would convert the minute resolence of the ball ends to the body, and vice versa, slightly better, theoretically. That said, I can see nothing in the slightest wrong with this system. I would like to know the material and manufacturing composition of the saddles, as this is crucial, but the sound quality is very good, so I have very little to grumble about there.

The pickups are EMG-HZ PASSIVE pickups. NOT ACTIVE! This means that yes they are humbuckers, but they are only your standard wire and magnet configurations. This is not necesseraly a bad thing for 3 reasons. 1) Fender basses, some of the best in the world, are almost all passive, so that is nothing to worry about, 2) EMG's are some of the best pickups in the world, so that is a very good quality manufacturer behind the pickups, and 3) The is active circtuatery. Active circuits act as a small, simple pre-amp in the guitar itself. The signal from the pickups is boosted slightly, and allowing you to alter the bass and trebel of the sound. This offers you a good amount of easy tone shaping, and great sound. HOWEVER, do not be fooled by the allure of active pickups. You will find that a non active guitar through a good pre-amp peddle will give you exactly (if not better) results. However, The pickups and electrics give you a very good configuration, tone, and versitility that can not be faulted.

The Headstock could be heavier to increase sustain, as could the whole body. Bassically, the denser the body the better the resonence, the better the tone. Why else is a Les Paul guitar sounding so good, whilst being so heavy. This principal is truer the lower the frequency, so the heavier the bass, the better the theoretical tone. Once again, this is a rough rule of thumb, and guitar does sound great.

The nut I suspect to be a basic, common plastic (polysyrine composite?). If this is true then a graphite composite, or even better, carved bone would provide a better tone shaping. However, this is materials speculation and I will hold until I see the bill of materials. But as I have said before, very good tone all round.

The bolt on kneck (as Fender basses remember) is more prone to provide brighter, more brittle tone, which is good for the 'brittle' sound of metal and funk, but not as much for the smooth, rounded sound of country, but then, its all give and take.

Finaly, the 5th string. This does give you better access to the lower strings, but 90% of you out there will never 'need' it. basically, unless your a Slipknot fanatic, you only really need 4, and the 5th may get in your way, so be sure this is what you want. I personally love my 5th string as I like the versitility, but im also a Metaller!

In short, very clear and well formed, well pronounced, and is very 'album worthy'. The whole thing feels like it was built 'properly', unlike those cheap and chearful Epiphones that fall appart in 5 mins. This thing is solid.

The active pickup controls allow for a good range of tone at your fingers, which although falls short of a good pre-amp, is still very nice.

There is no buzzing or crackeling that I can find, so I cant fault its electrical make up.

I would say that this guitar is well suited to metal, jazz, pop, and funk especially. I leave out country and Hip-hop because the bolt on neck makes the sound a little brighter than you may want. However, music is all about personal choice, so play it for yourself and see what you think.

As far as value for money, this bass offers unrivaled sound quality. I tried Epiphone, Specter, Yamaha, and a load other, and this one made my playing sound the best.

I am only giving this bass an 8 for sound purely because it is not the multi-genre instument. However, if your a metal head, then this is a fully blown 10 for sound!

There is only one way to put this.... WOW!

I got the black cherry C5, and the quilted maple top and dark hardware just looks beutiful, better than a ??2000 Les Paul in my books! Personally I dont like the antique finish also available, but that is personal choice.

The actual joint quality, colour tone merge, and finish is to such a high standard that it is amazing that Schecter provide this quality at such a low price.

Ok, a basic principal of manufacturing. The more strick the regulations of qulity control are, the more likely you are to receive a high quality product. I brought a factory second C5, and here is how strick their quality control is. A tiny, almost unoticable knick in the headstock was made during manufacturing, so it failed quality control and sold off for 'manufacturing cost'. This was purely costmetic, and I wouldnt have noticed it in the shop. So you can be assured that the guiatr you buy from your Schecter dealer will be beutiful and unflawed!

The set up in the factory is also, pretty good. You should always set it up yourself to suit your playing style, but out of the box it feels comfortable and without fret buzz, so I cant grumble. However, speak to your local guitar tech (or email me) and learn how to set it up to maximise your style.

I have again given this an 8 for this section because this guitar looks STUNNING new, but I think I smell a rat. The metal components may not have been designed for exessive friction, which means I suspect that over the years, the 'black' (or maybe gold in the other design) finish of the bridge, pots, and machine heads, will probably ware off. This would leave a less than desirable, cheep look. This is speculation, but it is my oppion as a designer that this has been done to reduce costs. HOWEVER (as always) this is common design practive, and I have seen much worse finishes on more expensive gear. Whats more, is that any undesirable ware would be easy and cheap to repair, in years of use that is.

Well, Its new, so I have had no problems with it at all so far.

The construction seems very solid to me, and I am confident in this instruments design for longevity for the following reason.

Bolt on necks, unlike glued in necks, can be 'shimmied' to alter the fine action, if the action can not be made correct by the raising/ lowering of the saddles. This allowes a good oppertuntiy for correcting neck changes over the years.

The EMG electronics come with a very very good quality name behind them, so I am confident in their longevity.

The only reservations I have about the guitars durabiltity is the quaility of steal in the frets, the material used in the nut, and the material of the saddles. These aspects are critical to the longevity of the bass. Although easy to put right, this can be expensive and annoyig.

I have never used them, so I wouldnt know.

Bare this in mind though. Unlike Fender who provide expert guides to setting up and maintaining your instument via their website, the Schecter website provides nothing like this.

If your have a problem, run to your guitar tech or the Fender website, dont crawl to Schecter for advice. This may be an oversight.

Am I glad I brought this bass? Yes, I am increadably happy with this instument.

The ONLY thing I would consider about getting a different bass would be getting a 4 string, and not a 5 string. Having said that, if I got a 4 string, it would be a Schecter C4 Black Cherry!

The value, construction, and general overall make up of the C5 is supurb, and I would not have any problems recomending this guitar to anyone, as this bass is wicked.

The final score is only 9 and not 10 because it is not as versitile as some, but it still rocks like a bitch on fire!

2005 Schecter C-5 Antique Amber. Made in Korea, set up in USA. 2 volume controls (1 for each pickup), 1 treble control, 1 bass control.

Nice clean sound. When the treble control is dimed, I get a noticeable hiss, regardless of pickup volume. When the treble control is at zero, still get the hiss, but at a lower level. I suspect a shielding problem, but I haven't really dug into it too far.

The bass was set up well when I received it. Nice low action, very easy to play. The bass feels fantastic, like you can't help but play good when it's in your hands.

Had the bass for a few months. I haven't had to make any adjustments so far. It's a very solid feeling bass.

I've contacted them via email several times regarding the hiss issue. They've usually responded within a day. They apparently have ran out of ideas regarding the hiss problem, but overall, they seem to be very cooperative. Their web site is useless, as it contains no manuals or tips for troubleshooting.

Very nice instrument. A bit disappointed with the hiss, but the bass has an excellent feel to it. This bass feels better than a lot of $1000 basses I've played.

Bass was made in Korea but the wiring setup are done in Calif. The neck is 35" with 24 jumbo frets 5-string. It has 4 controls 2 volume for each of the EMG humbucker Pickups and 2 tone boost/cut for each pickup. Active electronics /9volt preamp. The knob configuration is very interesting but it gives you a ton of tonal possiblities since you can cut and boast the highs and lows on each pickup individually.
Has a S-Tek bridge Deluxe Tuners all in the gold chrome color (not the bright chrome but the dull chrome. It looks great. Vector Inlays and cream binding. Antique Amber Finish. Maple Walnut Neck with rosewood fb & mohogany body with quilted mapel top. Fantastic looking. Separate batter compartment. Slightly offset strap knobs which makes the bass sit very balanced. P-Style Bass Body. Came with Elixir stings Nanoweb lights. Go to www.schecterguitars.com for more.

My style is rock & blues. With the separate volume and tone cut/boost for each pickup the tonal possibilities are vast. I'm playing through a carvin R600 Cyclops amd with 1 15" 2 10" and horn.
I use a Boss GT-6B effects unit. Very slient bass even without the noise gate. Found the bass tonal range to be very heavy to very bright perfect for my style of music. Makes a good rock blues bass, it might be a bit too heavy for traditional jazz music but it would work great for progressive jazz. Great to play this bass live. The only thing I wish it had was a master volume for cut off. You have to turn both knobs off for no sound. I just started using my volume pedal to avoid this. The volume knobs on the bass are more for tonal control then volume.

The setup was perfect. Low and fast with no buzz at all. With the jumbo frets it has a very light touch. Plays extremely fast easier to play than my 4 string yamaha. The action and feel of the bass is what sold me on this bass. The frets are jumbo and smooth and filed perfect. Intonation was perfect. I was able to get harmonics even on the 3rd & 4th frets which I never did on any bass without having it professionally setup. I have played alot of basses but this is the best feeling bass I have ever played. The neck finsh on the back had some minor "pin type" rough spots but after a good polish they were gone. Each scheter at the store was setup the same. Schecter takes pride on their setups.

Bass is built like a tank. It holds up well. Finish is thick. Tuners are tight a solid along with the knobs. The knobs themselves are very heavy I would not to have one tossed at me, it would leave a mark. Never have had to adjust this bass. Stays in perfect tune and action from humid summer to dry and very cold winters.

I orginally ordered an omen 5 bass from the schecter dealer in the town I live in. The bass never came because of back log. Schecter offered me the higher end C5 and cut me a deal I could not refuse.
Great customer service and very prompt response to emails. They even called me at my home to keep me up-to-date on the order. Great company.

I played the bass for 25 years. I also teach bass at a music store and in my home "firmlybassed". I reseached this bass for 2 months before placing the order. I also played one in a store with a finish I did not like but the feel was the same as mine. To be honest, I love everything about this bass except it does not have a master volume knob but a volume pedal takes care of that. The playablity of this bass is why I bought it. Smooth and fast and great action. If it was lost or stolen I would cry and then go buy another one.