Schecter C-1 Elite

This guitar is the solid black version, and it was made in 2003. It has 24 frets, tone (coil tap) and volume controls. Abalone inlays surrounding the entire guitar, and they're actually real. Not the cheap 'sticker' inlays some guitars come with. I upgraded to Grover 18:1 locking tuners which has definately helped. May change the nut to bone, but for now its ace. The guitar also has a tone-pros bridge and is string through. Irregardless of the cost (VERY CHEAP), this guitar is amazing. I would have, and I have, payed more for a guitar of this quality. The 350 also included the matching schecter hard shell case (Brand New).

I play a combination of hard rock and blues. Most of my music is saturated with distortion, with the occasional reverb or delay filled breakdown.

Simply put, this guitar is amazing. The crispness in the notes and the sustain have me drooling. It does not matter how much distortion I am using, I can still hear a chord. When the volume on the guitar is adjusted, the amount of distortion actually changes!! I'll put my marshall 100dfx head on full gain, volume cranked, and i can still get a 'clean' sound out of the guitar just by rolling back on the guitar's volume knob. That's pretty impressive to me, considering the sole purpose of my pedal board was to provide different levels of distortion. I now run my guitar into only a 535q dunlop wah and then the amp. I can go from the bassiest "chug a chug", perfectly immulating metallica's four horseman, to a SRV sound just by pulling the coil-tap. The guitar has a 'dark' sound to it when the tone control is in the 2nd and 3rd positions (very bassy), but I fix this by turning my wah on and leaving it all the way down. The 1st position of the selector switch is heaven. It provides the brightness I need during the breakdown parts of my bands songs. A nice full sound, not nasal sounding. The guitar does not lose its bottom end entirely when in the 1st position, like many guitars do.

This is the only problem I had with the guitar. The action was way too high for me. It took almost 2 hours after receiving it to properly adjust the action and bridge position. The fret's were buzzing like choir bells when I pulled it out of the box. It is just about perfect now action wise. The finish is gorgeous, but like anything black it shows its wounds easily. Almost impossible to keep polished as well. Every fingerprint can be seen. I may strip the finish from the neck however because it is not smooth at all. The laquer 'grabs' my thumb when i first start playing, until I get some sweat on the neck. Once its wet though the stickiness goes away and the neck is smooth. The pickups were adjusted properly however, which was a pleasant surprise considering how much effort it took to fix the action. They are amazingly quite as well. The static is considerably less than that produced by the 59/JB combination in my Paul. THIS IS A GOOD THING.

If I dropped it I'd cringe, but only because it's a gorgeous guitar. I'm pretty confident that the guitar would not be damaged by a 6ft fall. I did change the strap buttons to some locking ones, but that was a matter of preference. As i said, I don't want to drop it for aesthetic reasons. I would not gig w/out a backup only because string changes are annoying to the audience, not because I don't trust the guitar. If I ever find another one at this price I'll probably buy a 2nd one to use as my backup. The selector switch and pots seem reasonably well made, and if taken care of they will last.

Never dealt w/them, hope to never deal with them.

My previous guitar was a Les Paul Special with the pickups changed to a 59/JB combination. It is a child's toy compared to the schecter. I've been playing for about 6 years, but its only in the past year that I finally decided what tone i was trying to achieve w/my own music. The schecter perfectly meets my hard rock/blues style of music. As mentioned, the volume knob provides me with this ability. I don't know if I just got lucky, but I've never played a guitar that had the range of the schecter. I would recommend this guitar to anybody; irregardless of their spending capabilities.

Korean made, 24-frets, Mohagany solid body, maple neck, roswood fingerboard. H/H with Duncan Designed pickups and nickel covers. Passive electronics, 3-way switch, volume, tone and coil-tap. Tone-Pros bridge with string thru body. Non-locking grover tuners. Set neck

Gloss black finish with Abalone binding. Single double diamond fret inlay on the 12th.

It really is a beautiful guitar. For the money it is really really nice.+

It has a dark sound to it, but I am also using pure nickel strings. It is very full and versatile. This is my main guitar and I have had for about 2 years. I do death metal, jazz, funk, rock, classic rock, and blues on this guitar with no problem. With the coil tap and responsive tone and volume knobs, this thing can really sing. Even with the Korean pickups.

I was told by my Tech (who is also a Schecter dealer) that if you get "real" Duncans in there, that it really rips.

When I got it, it was re-setup by the store. Which was nice and I had it adjusted a bit to take hybrid 9-46 strings. This is actually my second one, the first one the neck twisted on my and I got a new one in a month or so. Bad luck with guitars. I recently had a Petrucci signature series Ernie Ball do the same.

All looks great with no flaws that I can see. It plays great, sounds great, it is a great instrument.

I do agree with the frets being a bit high, so if you press to hard you will go sharp. But that is true with all jumbo frets. Just play a bit lighter and you will have no troubles.

This guitar is pretty tough, it is my main gigging guitar. Holds up nicely. I have never had any problems. I use it without a back-up a lot for longer gigs. For the metal 45-min ones, I bring a back-up in case I break a string.

I have never dealt with Schecter directly. But I know the stores I shop at do, they seem to be ok with them. They haven't had too much trouble. Sometimes ordering stuff can take a long while.

It is a killer guitar. I think it looks beautiful, then on top of that it sounds and plays great. A killer deal especially for sub $500. I love it. Sounds great for all styles of music. I use it with a Fender HR Deluxe, Behringer V-Ampire, Sovtek Mig 100, Mesa MKIII... great with them all.

2003 C1 Elite, Made in Korea, 24 frets, black funish w/ abalone trim around the body and neck, 2 Duncan designed Hums, mahogany body maple neck, rosewood fingerboard, neck thru body, no pick guard

Through a 20 watt Crate GFX-20 it needs more treble. This may be due to my amp. I have the 3 way EQ in the amp turned so the bass is nearly off, mid 1/2 and treble all the way on. The bridge pickup sounds great. The neck pickup is rather muffled or muddy sounding. Changing from the stock GHS strings to D Adarios improved the brightness. To me it sound pretty much like most other humbucking Gibsons and Epiphones. If you pull out the tone knob it makes the pickups single coil. This make is sound slightly more trebly but definitely not like a Strat. It does not have fret dots or markers on the fingerboard so I added them in using a drill press and abalone dots I got.

The action was pretty good for a factory setup. The intonation was right on. I do have a complaint about the frets. They are like speed bumps! They are very high. They are so high that if you press on the string hard enough the note will go sharp. It's hard on the fingers and makes it harder to play IMO. I am having them shaved down lower.
The fit and finish is superb. With the abalone trim aound the neck and body it is subtle but very classy looking. It looks like a quality instument from far away and up close.

IT seems very well built so I assume that it will be durable.

This company seems to have a rebellious biker mentality. They don't answer e mail inquiries most of the time. They don't include or even have a manual. To e mail them you must fill out a long and tiresome form every time. Their web site has a juvenile grunge type feel to it that might appeal to 20 year olds. Under FAQ, one of the answers is "F*ck no". Classy, very classy. One of their guitar models has that naked girl silloette that we frequently see on the mudflaps of redneck picktrucks. Bah! If these guys want to play with the big boys they need to clean up their act and grow up. I personally don't appreciate their low life vibe.

I have been playing in a band and as a hobby for 20 years, mostly classic rock. I think I made a good purchase but I might have considered a Carvin DC135. I like this axe better then any of the Gibsons, Fenders and Epis in the store. I love the looks, hate the frets and would like a brighter neck pickup. In its price range you have the option of several Ibanez models, The Highway 1 American Strat, the "Faded SG" and several Epiphones. I would give this one a serious look before buying anything else.

it's a made in korea guitar, ...24 frets. The finish is a heavy coated shiny black laquer finish, ....chrome grover tuners. ...On the 12th fret you will see engravings in the form of a double diamon. ....The pickup configuration is 2 humbuckers made by seymour (but they wired it to where you can use the humbuckers as single coils) and then it has 2 rotary knobs on the bottom, ..one of the rotary knobs is like an eq and humbucker to single coil pickup selector combined, ...treble-bass, ..the other rotary knob is for volume ..nice setup ...also it has a 3 way switch on the guitar which changes the sound of the guitar from bright and trebly to bassy and ideal for rythm guitar, ... I am not sure of what wood it is made of. ....I didn't get any accessories with this guitar.

the bridge style is string through body

all in all, ...i like the features this guitar has on it. It's a very classy sort of guitar, ..not too flashy, ..but it has the goods.

Although I have been playing guitars for a while now, I am only starting the process of seriously learning. Which is why I bought this guitar. I play mostly in the Christian praise and worship styled genre and it works great. I think it would also be beutiful for jazz or rock or any other traditional style, ...i don't know if this would be the best metal guitar though.

This guitar has potential for alot of different sounds, ..the type of amp you use could make a big difference as well. Right now i'm just using a little peavey practice amp. I personally like the sound of this guitar very much. It is very balanced, ...in general, the sound is something in between a strat and a les paul. Balance is the key here for the sound. You won't get the really extreme beefy creamy sound of the les paul through this (gets close though), ..and it's not going to give you the shrill twangy sound of the strat either (can get close though), ...it's something in the middle. I like it very much, ..which is why i bought it.

The pickups are very quiet

and it has a lot of variation in terms of control over the sound. Other than the volume knob, ..you have another knob which can be used to switch between the humbucker sound and single coil sound....the single coil sound is not totally a strat sound, ..but it's a nice change, ..i like it. There's also a 3 way selector which you can select between bassy to trebbly to something in between ,...alot of room for experimentation.


oh ya, ...and this thing can sing forever, ...great great sustain, ..and it plays like butter

Great set up, ....the action on this guitar is so low, ....it plays like butter.

There were no flaws i could see as far as setup goes, ..

one thing i observed about this guitar in relation to how it plays is that it is very sensitive to the touch on the fretboard. You have to hold the notes and chords with just a light touch, ..if u press it harder than that, the notes will go up....as if though you were intentionally trying to make the notes sing up a half step, .....it takes a little getting used to.

Oh, ...i forgot, ...this thing is so LIGHT, ..incredible, ....that's one thing i love about this.

i can't realy say about it's reliability or durability because i've only owned it for a month, ....but it looks as solid as any other guitar, if not more.

i don't know about this one, ..hopefully i will never have to know

I have been playing guitar for probably about 7 years. I really haven't seen too many electric guitars that impressed me. This is one of those rare gems that I will keep. I got a great deal on it for $499. For the money I paid, i think i got a steal. I am very very very happy with this guitar and i don't think i'll ever even think about selling this one.

I'm giving it a 10 overall because i don't think u can get much better than this guitar for the money. 99% of the guitars I've seen in this price range are always less than satisfactory for my standards, ...but this guitar is incredible, ....the sound, the way it plays, ..the way it looks (very classy and simple). I love it.

-This was made in Korea
-24 frets
-Solid maple cap
-Three way switch, one volume, one tone...tone is a boost, I believe
but I don't use it.
-Two Duncan Designed humbuckers
-Mahagony body, maple neck and cap, rosewood fretboard with only
double diamonds at the 12th.
-The finish is gloss black only with chrome TonePros bridge, string
through body, chrome...Grovers, I think
-The scale is 25" with a pretty thin neck. Frets are jumbo.

I play everything from Texas Blues to thrash metal and everything in between and this baby handles it ALL. I run through a Marshall JCM2000 DSL100 head with a Boss SD-1 and Dunlop Hendrix Wah. It's not noisy at all and always delivers a rich, beautiful tone. There's nothing I dislike about the sound of this guitar, EVEN WITH the lower-grade pickups.

The action was fantastic, the bridge pickup was adjusted too high, but that's a personal preference. The only flaw this guitar had was a groove in the 19th fret. A dressing and polish took care of that, though. Everything else was tip-top.

This has been my main guitar for two years and that is a LOT of shows and three times as many rehearsals. The hardware will last as long as I need it to. The finish has, unfortunately, been beat to hell because I'm rough on her but she's still gorgeous. The strap pins I always replace day one with the matching color Schaller Strap Locks. Not only can I depend on this guitar, I RELY on it to make my money. Never will I play without a backup, but this thing rarely needs to be backed up.

I've never had to deal with it...the guitar is that good.

I've been playing pro and semi-pro for over ten years. I own way too much stuff to list. If this were lost or stolen, I would simply FREAK OUT. I'd have to buy another but this one is special to me. I played almost every guitar in it's class and had to have that one from the first chord fretted.

BUY THIS GUITAR!

Korean made, 24 frets, solid top, 1 volume and 1 tone, 3 way selector, H/H, Duncan Design pickups, passive electronics?, quilt top, strat style body, string thru body, locking Grover tuners, Jumbo Frets on a rosewood fretboard. Came with 2 allum keys and a cable. I wish they would add a tremolo and/or a second volume and tone.

I play mostly jazz, rock, and blues and it fits those styles great. It has semi tight bass and great highs, I really can't find a muddy sound on this guitar. The volume pot when I got it was kinda scratchy but that has fixed itself. The only thing that I dislike about it are the poor tuners everything else is fine with me.

The action is not bad stock it is a little high for my liking but it not unplayable, even if you do shred it wasn't very bad. I havn't found any flaws yet but that doesnt mean they are not there.

So far this guitar has been very reliable and I have had no trouble with it as of yet. The Print on the humbucker cover is wearing off but that doesnt bother me. I would you it without a backup only if I had to not saying this guitar is bad but that is just stupid.

????

I have a 1967 Gibson Flying V, Gibson Sonex, Ibanez RG-470, and this one and I just seem to like the feel of this one the best. I play through a Fender Princeton Chorus and it has great sound through it. I would recommend this guitar to any one.

I got the black version.
-Gloss black finish
-grover tuners
-tonepros brdge
-thru body design
-chrome hardware
-2 duncan design humbuckers
-volume and tone control
-string through body
-gloss neck
-abalone binding
-nice trim

This guitar looks awesome. If u dont like it online go to the store and check it out. Similar to a PRs but 1/3 the price.

I like the bridge humbucker the best. Nice bright sound that is very awesome on my crate xt120r. The humbucker in the neck position is very warm and has good tone. SOunds like a mix of a strat and les paul. Its sound is up there with gibson and even some more expensive guitars. ONe tip of advice though, get rid of the 9's that are on it and put 1's on. Itll get rid of any bzz that you may have and the sound is fuller. Take good care of the strings by wiping them down after you play. Sounds awesome muted too. No dead spots.

This guitar looks just as amazing as it sounds. oNe problem, it picks up fingerprints easily, but thats just a minor thing. Just keep it clean and your fine. The factory set-up was perfect. Action is low, which is good. Easy to bend. The pickups were in good position and sound perfect. Watch out for the volume control tho. Is a bit scratchy, but that doesnt make a difference cause u can only hear it while u play and i dont know anyone who adjusts volume on the guitar while they play. Use an effects pedal for that. Very easy to play. Good scale on the neck. 24 frets.

It seems pretty solid to me. Id gig with it once i get my band together. The chrome hardware will hold up and the finish wont scratch too much if u take care of it. Just dont knock it into anything or let anything that could scratch it get by it. The strap buttons are okay, i wouldnt know tho cause i put locks on it the second i got home from the store. Good idea. Buy locks for this guitar. Its worth the 15 bucks. Very durable and dependable guitar.

Wouldnt know

Amazing guitar. I recommend it to anyone. Theres no comparison with this guitar. It won compare to an ibanez or epiphone. Its up there with the gibsons and fenders. Im proud to be playing this thing, even though not too many people use schecters, just cause they stick to the major brands like gibson and fender. Its close to a prs in looks and just like a strat/les paul in sound. Awesome overall guitar. Go out and buy one. BTw, ive been playing for 2 1/2 years now. I upgraded from a squier strat, but did a lot of research on this guitar. Best choice. This is a peice of equipment i will be glad to pick up in 8 years and play.

Here's my update on the C-1 Elite. I finally got sick of the fret buzz on the lower three strings, in the first seven frets. A guitar tech examined it and, after much work, found that the factory didn't set it up even enough, and he could not cure the buzz. GC gave me a brand new C-1 Elite to take home and try (its finish is even better than the first, making it even more of a keeper!), but it only took a few minutes to find all the fret buzz in those lower three strings. What is UP?! I think I'm going for the S-1 Elite now....

2003 model, 24 fret, laminated to, volume, tone, 3 way selctor. Semor Duncan picups. Strat style, String-thru bady, fat neck, Case included, picks, stuff taht your guitar store might give ya.

Awesome sound. I play metal. I use a mesa boogie triple rectifier and a Crate GFX 212t amps. Its a great guitar. Awesome tone, great pickups, comfortable. The only thing I wish this guitar had is a tune-omatic bridge.

Excellent, nothing wrong at all.

Strap Buttons come lose alot!! Just get some locking strap buttons...no big deal...i can always depend on this guitar, wheteher soloing or playing rythm.

Never had to contact Schecter......90 day warranty.

I've been playing for 7 years. Great guitar, would buy again. Wish it had a little bit thinner neck. Check out this great new metal band, VIRE at www.geocities.com/vireband

The other reviewers have already posted these, and if that's not good enough, visit www.schecterguitars.com and www.musiciansfriend.com (which also has product ratings).

This baby is light, comfortable, fast-necked, and has terrific tone! My style is rock and metal, and I'm working toward Joe Satriani and Steve Vai's level. I tried it out through a Marshall stack at Guitar Center, then took it home to my Peavey combo amp. I think the coil-splitter sounds terrific, regardless of what other reviewers here said about it. I get great U2 sound with it on the bridge, and a really good acoustic-electric tone with it on the neck. The Duncan Designed humbuckers are decent enough, but I do believe I'll get either a real JB and Jazz to replace them or some DiMarzios. The gain knob has good gain; the tone knob could provide a little more tonal range up in the highs. This might just be because of the pickups.

Schecter really attracted me with their C-1 Classic and S-1 Elite, but I wanted a USA-made guitar, not a Korean one. I must say that after reading the reviews, the fact that Schecter was started by a PRS guy helped me reconsider my stubbornness. Then finding out they set the instruments up here in the USA contributed. So I tried the Classic and found it to be too heavy and thick for my style. Then I tried the S feel, and I think I'll pick one up in the future. But this guitar...
First of all, I love the guitar's action. Perfect for my style! The amber quilt look with abalone all over the place is simply beautiful! The only problem was that it had fret buzz from being set up too straight, so I had to get the truss rod adjusted; and I'll probably have to replace the Grovers with Sperzels, seeing enough people comment on how they'd keep the guitar in tune better.

Guitar would withstand live playing, though I'd still use a backup. (I'd use a backup even if this were a Paul Reed Smith or an Ibanez JEM!) The hardware seems like it will last, though, like I said, I'd get new tuners. The finish looks like it will last. The strap bottons are solid. Better tuners will make the pitch more reliable, but I think everything else is reliable as is...well, actually, now I'm wondering how long the three-way switch will last, but I might just be imagining that.

I've been playing for nine years. I've owned a Peavey T-60 electric guitar and an Ibanez RG7420 electric guitar. I sold both of them, but this guitar is a keeper. I'm still interested in other guitars (2 Fender strats, the Gibson SG Supreme, the PRS Dragon II, the Carvin DC135, and the Ibanez UV777), but this Schecter will hold me content. If it were lost or stolen, I'd consider getting it again, though I'd probably just save up to get a great guitar and not just a good one. If I could add features to it, I'd add a center single coil and some dot inlays in the standard locations, but that's personal preference. For $600 this is a terrific pre-professional instrument. Novices, go for a quick-buy like a Squire until you've grown tired of its faults, then graduate and move on to Schecter level!