Schecter C-1 Elite

I purchased this guitar for about $650. It's a black finish, with abalone inlays bordering all around the edge of the guitar as well as the edge of both sides of the neck. It's got a strat style body, the wood is mahogany (standard I think on all Schecter C1 Elites). The only thing that I don't like about the finish are that scratches on the guitar are high visible in the light, even faint ones. It's also a Korean guitar. It's got 24 frets. It's got a volume control and also a tone control that's got push/pull coil splitter feature. Both pickups were stock cheap Duncan pickups but I replaced them with DiMarzio X2N high gain passive pickups and the guitar screams. It sounds really bad on a clean channel though, I'm not gonna lie.

On the downside when I bought this guitar, right about the bridge were these scratches that form a very visible thick line under light scrutiny. The same scratches are also on the 22nd fret and I was pretty pissed about it.

It sounds like crap on a clean channel. Crank up the distortion though and this axe is killer. Usually I play through a Fender FM212R but when my dad isn't around I plug into his Bogner head & cab. Now that the new pickups are in this guitar is really only suited for metal and hard rock. Now that I got a PRS though, sadly it doesn't get much playing time in the house. I odn't like to take the PRS out a lot so this is really my travel guitar now.

Action was poor, I had to get it set up a day after I got the guitar. The pickups were alright, but like I stated before in the earlier section, there were these cosmetic scratches above the bridge and on the fretboard that were really unappealing.

It's been faithful, I can say that without any doubt on my mind. The hardware's lasted and I haven't had to get any repairs on the guitar ever. The cosmetic scratches on the finish are something I wanna fix though. If I were to take guitar to a gig I'd definitely take a backup.

Nope.

If this guitar were stolen I think that instead of shelling out the cash to buy another one of these I'd go towards a higher Epiphone, but I would definitely not get this guitar again. Not because it's bad but it's not a very versatile guitar (which is entirely my fault). It's still a beauty though, and it sounds great for when I play hard riffs which is a majority of what I play. I just wish that it came stock with a Floyd Rose.

White Finish, Abalone inlays around whole guitar, 24 frets, rosewood fingerboard, Duncan Designed humbuckers (H/H), 1 vol + 1 tone w/ coil tap, Tone Pros bridge, Grover machine heads, etc.

I will use this guitar for various kinds of music, and play it through a Mesa Triple Rectifier on the clean channel only. The stock pickups are really not suited for fast heavy metal soloing compared to the Schecter XXX model (which I also own), so I can't give it a perfect 10. However, the clean sound is really nice and very balanced...not quite as boomy as a Les Paul, and not as thin as a Strat -- just right, if you ask me. The weight is slightly more than the XXX, but nowhere near a Les Paul. This no doubt adds to the quality of the clean tone, and it beats the XXX in this area.

I had to order this through stupid Guitar Center since they only had a Black one in stock (I specifically wanted a white one). After about 2-1/2 weeks, I went to pick it up and they opened it right in front me, shipped fresh from the factory. For a guitar made in Korea, this is really well put together and setup nicely. There were no visible flaws that I could see, though later I found out the tone knob was a bit loose (call me picky, but the XXX was perfect when I bought it). Action, sustain, and tuning stability are damn good though. The Grover machine heads are fantastic.

Will not use it live, home studio use only, but I imagine that with a little care it would hold up well. My XXX is 3+ years old and I only had to have the neck and bridge adjusted once, if that tells you anything...

Lifetime warranty, but never had to use it to date. Never dealt with the company, but I wish they would sell direct like Carvin does -- dealing with Guitar Center totally sucks and I hate them.

I have been playing for 22 years, and have owned many guitars (Les Pauls, Strats, Teles, Ibanez, Gretsch, etc) and by far this is the smoothest playing guitar I have ever owned. It perfectly complements the XXX and I sincerely doubt I will be getting rid of it anytime soon. For the price, you really can't go wrong.

Black finish with abalone binding. Just gorgeous. Mine came with real SD pickups.

Sounds great due to the real SD pickups. I think it's a worthwhile upgrade.

The guitar is several years old. Cannot rate.

Seems very durable.

NA

Beautiful guitar that looks great, feels great, and sounds great. What more can you ask for? Once I change the knobs (black/abalone) and nut (graph tech), and stain those white streaks out of the fretboard this thing will be my new love. If you're reading this and don't have one yet....go get one!!!!!

I got my new Schecter C-1 Elite a few days ago. Its amazing. 24 fret ultra-access neck, etc, etc, im sure you know the spec so I wont type it out.

When I got it it came with Duncan JB SH-2 Pickups. I cant say i'm a huge fan of them, especially after playing with a Gibson Les Paul with EMG 81's in for a year. However they are ok and will do the job until I get the opportunity to put in some EMG's or Invaders!

The Coil tap is amazing. Proper Strat tones in a second then back to humbucker distortion just as quick.

This is the most perfect action on a guitar ever. Inevitable on such a low, slinky action a tiny bit of fret buzz is evident but none to stress about, its definatley with it for that action. This guitar DOES make you play better! its so easy and effortless pressing the strings, a lot better than the LP I have or my PRS.

Only had it a few days! But its still alive now I guess! The finish seems good, pretty solid. Everything else seems good too. Will be replacing strap buttons with locking straps soon, but the default ones are great. Wouldnt use it without a backup (I like to be safe) but I would 100% expect it to last whenever I needed it too!

Dont know. No UK Customer support. Sure theyre great tho.

Overall its a great guitar. I have been playing 5 years and have been in a few touring bands and so far this is the nicest playing guitar I have experienced. Since I tried one last year whilst touring america in a guitar shop I wanted one but unfortunately theyre hard to get in the UK, with the only dealer (www.soundcontrol.co.uk) having a very limited range, where they are normally all out of stock anyway. If it were stolen I would definatley buy another! Might get the new Hellraiser Avenger tho, thats just out of image, not sound. This is a perfect guitar! New pickups and it will be great.

Made in Korea (South). 24 Frets, Strat Style, One Volume, One Tone, Twin Duncan Designed Humbuckers. Coil Split via the Tone Knob. Passive electronics, set neck, String thru body, Grover Tuners, Jumbo Frets, Rosewood Fretboard.

Pretty average in terms of features, but way above average in terms of playability - Read on!

I play everything from John Denver to Metallica. I play through a GNX4 Workstation so I can get some amazing effects. The guitar sounds crisp through anything. No mushy (is that a word?) sounds at all. All notes ring true. I've read other reviews on the Duncan Designed pickups but I think they sound great. I've got a les paul classic with a 500T in the bridge and these pickups sound better. An additional feature of the split coil really helps you dial in your tone, depending on what you're looking for.

Here is where the C-1 Shines!! I bought this guitar sight unseen off ebay. I had played it at guitar center but decided I didn't want to spend full retail so I started looking for a new one off ebay. The guy I bought it from said it was opened but played no more than an hour. When I received it, the tags were still hanging from the tuners. Like anything bought sight-unseen, I was a little nervous. When it arrived I found that the setup was PERFECT. Intonation was dead on, no fret buzz, action was low and super fast. On close inspection, the fretboard is absolutely perfect. If I didn't look at the headstock I'd swear the fretboard was off a guitar that cost 5 times as much. I'm VERY impressed at the quality of workmanship.

I don't play live but the guitar is very solid. No problems.

Haven't dealt with 'em.

I've been playing for about 22 years. I've got a Les Paul Classic, Yamaha 12 string acoustic, Yamaha 6 String Acoustic, Silvertone Hollowbody, Silvertone Strat, Kramer Focus, and now the C-1. If this were lost or stolen, I'd buy it again in an instant. I compared this guitar to about 20 different models at Guitar Center, from Fender American Strats, Tele's, Les Pauls, PRS's, Ibanez's and Jacksons. This guitar felt better and, in my opinion, played better than all of them. GO BUY THIS GUITAR. YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.

Made in 2004 I think, in Korea. Tweny four frets, one tone control with coil tap, one volume control, three way pickup switch. Dual 'Duncan Design" humbuckers, mahogany body and three piece neck with rosewood fretboard. Strat-style body, Tonepros bridge with thru-body stringing. Grover tuners, set neck with ultra access and 25.5" scale. Came with a hard case. I gave it an eight because it could use another tone knob, but nothing major there.

I play from acoustic/classical to thrash, mostly metal, and this guitar handles EVERYTHING. I'm playing it through a Fender Frontman 212-R combo, and it slays. The pickups are just stock pickups, but I've played through active EMGs, and those are only slightly better. The sound is sort of dark and bassy on clean, with lots of sustain thanks to the set neck. I use the 'coil tap' (which turns the humbuckers into single coils) feature in combination with the neck pickup for a nice clean tone. The bridge pickup can produce some harsh, crunchy distorted sounds. This thing is its own guitar: if you want the 'Strat sound' or the 'Les Paul sound', go buy a damn Strat or Les Paul. That said, you can get plenty of sounds out of this guitar by fiddling with the controls, everything from a nasally picked sound to snarling metal power chords. Like I said, it could use another tone dial, but that doesn't matter much. I guess you could replace the neck pickup with a 'real' Seymour Duncan for warmth and the bridge pickup with an EMG for a more metal sound, but that's neither here nor there.

The action on this guitar has a little fret buzz in some places if you don't press hard enough, but it works out pretty well. The pickups seem pretty perfect, and the quality on the guitar was stellar. Pretty good setup, although the action might need some adjustment.

Haven't played live, this guitar seems fairly solid; I think you could jump around a lot and it would stay intact. The hardware might tarnish eventually, but that always happens; the black finish on this mofo seems to be super thick. The strap buttons are good as well -- getting the strap onto the guitar takes a few minutes, but once it's on, it's on. Not as solid as a locking strap, but you can't have everything. I wouldn't ever gig with ANY guitar without a backup, but if I lacked a backup guitar and could only take one, I think I might use this one.

Never dealt with Schecter. However, I've heard bad things about their customer service. Check the other reviews.

This is my third guitar. I only own the three of them, but I've played my good share of guitars, and this thing is great. Been playing about a year and a half, but I play a LOT and this thing works out well for me. If this thing was stolen, I'd crucify whoever took it. I compared this to two other approximately equal priced Jacksons. One of those guitars had a faster neck, the other had great pickups; this guitar beat them both out.

24 frets, 3 way toggle, two knobs(1 tone 1 volume)...etc. I gave it a 9 becasue it has everything needed but 1 more tone knob would be nice.

AMAZING!!! I got the Amber one for $350 INCLUDING EMG 81/85 used!!! This combo sounds amazing... My other guitar is a Gibson SG, and I'll prob not play that for a while now...

The finish on the Amber one is just simply beautiful, The silver/white outline is incredible.. Easily the best looking guitar I've ever seen. The action when I got it was a bit low, so I had to adjust it a little, but after taht it was perfect. Again... BEAUTIFUL~ the pictures online make it look so cheapy.

Schecters in general are just built hard as a rock. I bought my 5+ year old C-1 Elite guitar used 3rd hand, and it is still flawless...

Nope.

HOT HOT HOT! I've been playing guitar for 7 years, and own a fender strat, Gibson SG, and this beauty. Maybe its the EMGs, but this guitar ROARS with super crisp sounds. LOVE IT!

White model with abalone binding (Stunning, classy looking guitar!!)
Korean made
24 frets
2 Volume/Tone knobs (pull for coil tap)
Duncan Design Pickups
String Thru TonePros Bridge
Grover non-locking tuners
jumbo frets, rosewood fretboard
no extras

I give this an 8 due to non-locking tuners, and Duncan Design HB's, otherwise, this has a lot of tonal capabilities. You will NOT get a Les Paul tone, but you can mimic the Strat sound pretty well.

As mentioned above, you cannot get a Les Paul sound...at least thru a tube amp, which my Epi LP standard Goldtop (8yrs old)has made me grow accustom to.

I use a Fender Hot Rod Deville 2x12 Tube amp, Boss SD-1, Boss TU-2, Jimi Hendrix Experience Signature Pedal, and sometimes a Danelectro Flanger. This combo, with my LP, gives me the tone I want (for my budget), but the C-1 Elite could not quite match it.

It is noisy when turned up with the coil tap pulled.

Bright, crisp, sharp sound, Fendery....

Lots of variety in the sound, one knob is mainly volume, and the other is mostly tone, but it really covers a good range and can get about 3 or 4 very distinguishable tones from 1-10 on the knob. Combine that with a 3-way and a coil tap, and you have a lot of tonal options.

I give this an 8...maybe it would be better with a pickup upgrade? I need that LP thick, creamy sound.

Action was allright, but the low E string buzzed. I had the tech at the store adjust it before I bought it, but now the action is a little high towards the bridge side. I would get it adjusted, but I am taking this back to the store while I still can. It outplayed everything in the store in it's price range, but paled in tone comparison to my Epi. LP.

One minor fault in the abalone binding in a pretty much unnoticeable spot, sloppy at that point, but otherwise pristine.

The guy at the store told me it was set up with 9's, but they feel like 11's. The G string and B string won't stay in tune....it may be that the factory GHS Booomers suck...but the G sring kind of sounds "clangy"....

Even with these faults, discovered after a very thorough home-playing, (I missed it at the store even though I played it a lot)I still think it played great, especially compared to others in it's price range.

Have some adjustments made, get the strings you like and this 6 could easily go up to a 9

n/a (not road tested...I returned it) It seemed heavy duty for the most part.

Never gig without a backup unless you can't afford one.

Refer to Schecter website for warranty info.

Their website is a little off-putting and childish. They actually answer "F*CK NO" when asked if they are affiliated with ESP!!

Playing for 12 years
I am returning it and getting something that sounds more like a LP, or possible a Roland-ready Godin xtSA. Check into these guitars, they have increadible features for the price.

I wish this guitar had the neck features of a LP.....22 frets,
24 3/4 scale, and better pick-ups.

This is a great guitar if you are not addicted to the LP sound.

Feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions.

i have had my C1 Elite for two years now and have giged with it for the last year and a half. It is completely stock,sharing the same features as what is posted on the schecter website. This guitar is a steal without a doubt. No one in the business is producing guitars with the build quality and features as Schecter. When i bought the guitar i was sure i needed to replace the DD pickups but there still in the guitar. I have owned the same Duncan JB model that has gone into virtually every guitar i have played for the last 22 years. I did have to replace the volume pot earlier than expected but hey it's just a volume pot and you cant judge a guitar on a pot.

the guitar has it's own voicing as a i am concerned, the dd pickups are made well and Seymour should be proud,they are exactly what is posted @ about 99% of the SD pickups. I gig with either a line6 Flextone III or a Line 6 Duoverb, using an orig. TS9 with a brown mod. and a quadraverb. No noise NO Hum it just rocks.

The guitar was set up perfectly for me, i now use it as a reference for my other guitars which include a C1-E/A a les paul studio my trusty charvel that i just look at now and a brian moore 1.8T model.
i am no virtuoso,but when i am at GC for example a guitar must catch my eye first and then i put it to the test, all i do is wrap my fret hand around the neck and if it feels good i pick it up. My C1 was awesome from the start the finish cant be beat just awesome.

the guitar will with stand anything you throw at it. with the exception of losing some gold finish on the bridge pickup from the ACID and OIL in my skin it's perfect. i will never play a gig without a backup ever. but i can depend on it 100%

i have delt with Schecter and they were very helpful, they sent me some replacment parts for my C1-E/A at no charge and i even bought the guitar used at GC, they honor their lifetime warranty. Well due to my poor solder job i was able to walk in to Schecter and leave my guitar with them, they took care of it and delivered it when promised. very cool...

I have played for the last 26 years....if i lost the guitar i without a doubt would buy another. The C1's are my secret, if you dont like them then more for me. i still look at other guitars and still try to play my les paul, sure it sounds great but i keep going back to my schecter's. Cant say anymore than that

i think this topic has already been covered, the only thing i would change is the pickups, for real seymour duncans. love the low action and fast neck! the through- body stringing makes it a little more difficult when replacing strings, but it cosmetically adds a nice touch. 3- way tap, volume/ tone controls, rosewood neck.

very powerful sound, it suits my style well, which is mostly hard rock and punk, i play it through a 15 watt vox pathfinder 15r (which is all I need since i'm not in a band... yet) and there is no hum, even when you turn it up pretty loud. don't notice much of a difference when you pull the coil tap, i've tested it on every playing style i know from reggea to metal, and it plays it all.

let's just start out by saying the thing has STUNNING looks! it really grabbed my attention, which is how i found it. i have the black version, and the inlay that goes around the perimeter of the body is awsome! very low action, which i love, the pickups like i said before are not the best, and i changed them out for real duncans.

The only problem with mine was that the strap buttons were a little loose, but i superglued them, and they're fine now. I don't have much use for a strap anyway. I think it could definately withstand live (hard) playing.No chips on the finish, the chrome hardware i think will last for a few years.

i have been playing for about a year, and this thing really rocks! If it got lost/ stolen etc. i would replace it without a second thought! I compared it with a PRS and i personally think the elite sounded better! It puts up a good fight against 1,000 dollar gibsons, and its looks outpass anything!