Schecter C-1 Elite

This is a new model, 2003. Mine has the black cherry finish. features an arched Mahogany body with a highly figured maple top, with abalone binding.

Has Set-In 24 3/4" scale neck constructed from 3-piece Mahogany with abalone binding and has a rosewood fingerboard with 'gothic cross' inlay design.

The dual Duncan Design H-102 Humbuckers can be 'tapped' via a push/pull control on the Tone control

Includes a TonePros tune-matic bridge, which locks to the bridge posts. Strings 'thru-body' tail design, . Grover tuning machines are standard. Hardware is black chrome.

I like the Schecter stock pickups. You see people trashing them on the net, but when you read about their equipment list you find its some kid using a distortion pedal and a ton of effects with a high gain amp. I don't believe they actually know what their pickups really sound like.

These pick ups are not microphonic, do not feed back, have lots of definition and very high out put.

This particular guitar is quite heavy. Has fantastic sustain and a big ballsy sound.

I play mostly blues and hard rock. I have several Modeling devices I use for direct recording, this sounds great through all of them.

I have a Marshall half stack for live gigs again this guitar sounds killer.

The neck is very slim with what appears to be a 16" fretboard radius.

Has large frets that are well polished, no high frets.

the finish is great, no flaws!

I have almost a dozen Schecters now, I love them, they are by far the best buy. No body makes a better guitar for the money, period.

I have never had a problem with one. this thing is built like a tank.

who knows

The best guitars made period. I love this guitar. I love the sound of this guitar, the feel, the look, etc.

This is a new 2003 model, similar features to the previous model but new finish.
25 1/2" scaler length jumbo frets. Set mahogany neck. Body has a carved quilted maple top on mahogany. Double diamond inlays on the 12th fret.

Body, neck and head stock have Abalone binding. Guitar has gold hardware with single volume and tone control. Push pull tone control for coil split, either pickup.

Has a Tone pros bridge and grover tuners. Very cool

Like every Schechter I own this thing sounds great. It does have the off shore made Duncan Designed pickups. You read a lot of people trashing these pick ups on the net. It is total bullshit. These pickups are not noisy, not microphonic and sound exactly like a gibson T500. Don't belive the crap you read. these are really good pickups and very hot- out put is 17k ohms!

The overall sound is hot, lots of sustain and well defined. very versitile. I play a combination of hard rock and blues. Have been playing guitar for over 35 years and have MANY instruments. I love Schecters!

I am using this with a GNX1 for direct recording, and have a Marshall tube half stack for live gigs.

This is the best part. No fret buzz, action was just right though I did change to a lighter gauge of strings. There are no flaws anywhere on this guitar. The action is fairly low with even string spacing. The inlays and binding is perfect.

The finish is really gorgeaous on this thing.

This thing is built like a tank. Nothing fragile here. It will easily stand up to any normal giging. Strap buttons are solid no problems anywhere.

I always gig with a back up but it is not because I have doubts about this guitar. Things happen.

Who knows, I now have 8 Schecters. I love everyone of them . I bought this from Guitar Center, they are great to deal with, never had an issue they did not quickly deal with.

No Body, and I mean No body makes a guitar that offers more for the money than Schecter. I have Parkers, Gibson Les Pauls, PRS etc. This guitar is as good as any PRS I have ever played or heard. It looks better, plays as well or better, and didn't cost nearly as much. The action fit and finish is as good as you will find.

Made in Korea, but it rivals any US made axe. 24 frets, 2 diamond inlays at the 12th. 25 1/2" scale length. Neck is thin, but without feeling weak and flimsy. Mahogany body with maple top and maple neck. Set neck construction. Gloss black finish with abalone binding around the body, neck, and headstock. Strat style body, but better looking. 2 Duncan Designed humbuckers, one volume control, one tone control(with coil split). Tune-o-matic bridge, string thru body, grover tuners.

I play all kinds of rock music...everything from bluesy rock like ZZ Top to the down-tuned angry music of today, and this thing can handle it all.
My live rig looks like this. Guitar>Morley volume>Morley "Bad Horsie" Wah>Mesa Boogie Dual Recto "Road King". In the effects loop there is also a EH Small Clone chorus, EH Holy Grail reverb, and a Boss DD5 digital delay.
This guitar smokes when I run it thru my rig. Even with the stock pickups which, amazingly, aren't REALLY all that bad. Still, they will be replaced with a SD Distortion in the brige and a SD Pearly Gates in the neck, but due to the stock pickups, it's not something I have to rush to get done.
This guitar has sustain from hell...strike a note and go order a pizza, when the delivery guy shows up...it's still ringing out strong.
My only REAL beef with the sound is the coil split. When using it with the tone turned up too high, it hums SIGNIFICANTLY. Kinda tough to use on the fly.

Overall though, I love it.

This guitar shines...literally. The glossiest finish I've seen. Then add the abalone binding around the whole thing, the chrome hardware...The guitar is beautiful, like a work of art. (Paul Reed who???)
The guitar came setup with 9's, but quickly changed to DR 10's. So far not one problem...No string buzz or dead spots.
Only knock here is the input jack was VERY loose, but a little bit of wrench action fixed that up easily.

This guitar is SOLID. Big solid strap buttons increase playing confidence, but they will be swapped out with strap-locks...Can't chance a guitar like this hitting the floor. Finish seems good, I haven't seen so much as a scratch yet. Hardware seems solid...I might pop for some locking tuners, but that's about it.
Although I NEVER gig without a backup...If my backup happened to fall out of my car on the way to a gig, I would play a stress free gig knowing that this guitar was going to go the distance.

Haven't dealt with Schecter...and I don't anticipate having to...This thing is rock solid.

I've been playing for 10 years and have owned many different guitars. Fender, Ibanez, PRS, Gibson, Jackson, and I've had experience with EVERY major guitar manufacturer out there...and let me say this. EVERYONE owes it to themselves to at least give Schecter a try. For the price...Schecter smokes them all, hands down. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the others don't have good products, they have great products, but they also have huge pricetags. Just one example to illustrate. A PRS custom 24, with the same features as the C-1 Elite will cost you roughly $2500...The original price of the C-1 Elite was $599.99. That's $1900 difference folks...and what are you paying that extra $1900 for...The PRS logo on the headstock and some bird inlays...That's it...The quality and features are the same. Both are GREAT guitars, one just happens to cost $1900 less...I know my choice...What's yours?

Not sure what year it was made in. Made in Korea, has 24 frets with 2 diamond inlays at the 12th fret. Solid top, 2 Duncan Designed Humbuckers (not the best, but decent), guitar is mahogany with a maple top. Gloss Black finish with abalone binding all around the WHOLE THING! string thru body, grover tuners. One volume, on tone(includes a coil splitter) and a 3 way toggle switch.

I love this guitar. The Duncan Designed's arent the best, but they sound pretty good through my Line 6 Spider 112 Combo. I owned a Japanese Strat before this and this makes almost no sound compared to the Strat. The coil splitter is a big plus, allows for more strat-type tones. Wish it have another volume and tone knob, though...

The guitar's action was suprisingly great from the factory. Everything was set up great, although the input jack and toggle switch became a little loose.

This guitar could easily play live and withstand it for a while. The toggle switch may have to be replaced, but thats about it. The finish seems like it will stay, strap buttons are solid, I can defineitly depend on this bad boy and would use it without a backup.

Never dealt with them yet.

I've been playing for 3 years and own a Takamine EG-334C Acoustic-Electric, and a Line 6 Spider 112. I love this guitar and if it were lost and stolen, I would cry, then get a job so I could buy another one. I played Fenders Strats and Gibsons beofre getting this, and I just didnt like the strat-sound, and the Fat Strat didnt do it for me, and the Gibsons are so friggin heavy. This one just felt right. If you are ever gonna buy a guitar, just pick up guitars and play them unplugged and get the one that feels the best to you. It worked for me.

This is a 2001 Schecter C-1 Elite, Korean made, 24 frets, solid top.
It has a 3-way toggle switch, one volume knob, and one tone knob that can be pulled up for coil tapping. It has 2 Duncan Designed humbuckers, chrome plated Grover machine heads and tuners, mahogany body, maple neck, and a rosewood fretboard which has 2 diamond abalone inlays on the 12th fret. It's a strat-style body with a vintage arched top and a very high gloss black finish. It also has a Tune-O-Matic bridge and a set neck.

I use this guitar through a Dual Rectifier, Marshall cab, Boss and Danelectro effects. The guitar sustains forever, but tapping the coils on the humbuckers is a little noisy. Expect tons of midrange in your sound with this guitar, and a LOT of balls. It actually sounds something like a Les Paul, and that probably has a lot to do with the mahogany body. The cleans are really good, but reaching down to pull up the tone know can be a bit cumbersome at times.

First off, this guitar is absolutely beautiful. The high gloss finish and abalone inlays just make this guitar's appearance. The action on it is quite low...it came stock with 9s, but those are too thin for my tastes, so I strung it up with a set of GHS Boomers 10s. The guitar plays and sounds much, much better now. The pickups and everything were set up wonderfully. This guitar plays and sounds just as good as most USA model guitars that I've ever picked up.

Everything seems extremely solid. I would gig without a backup any day of the week.

I've been playing for 15 years, and have played or owned Fender, Ibanez, Jackson, Gibson, etc....this guitar is as good if not better than all of them. If it were stolen I honestly think that I would cry. I got an amazing deal on it, and I don't think I could find one like that again. The only thing about it that I don't like is that the coil tap is difficult to execute on the spot, or right in the middle of a song when you needed to change your toggle two seconds ago. Other than that, this guitar is absolutely amazing. The sound is thick and ballsy, it's built very solid, the neck is incredibly fast, and it's very reasonably priced. If you're looking for the best possible guitar under $1000, I would definitely recommend the Schecter C-1 Elite. It has blown me away.

I just want everyone who reads reviews on this fantastic guitar, that very few times is it mentioned that there is a coil-split (commonly referred to as a coil "tap", though they are not the same). Pull the tone knob up a little bit, and you are acitvely splitting the humbuckers to single coils. Great for clean sounds.

N/A

Most of this information has been covered very well by other reviewers below and I'd only copy someone else's so see below for these details.

I like to play a variety of musical styles. I play through a Crate GX-40C amplifier and am able to get both an excellent clean and distored sound with this setup. I was very impressed by this guitar when I played it at a local music store. I felt that it's tonal qualities were very balanced overall, especially compared to some of the other top name instruments I played. Some reviewers seem to dislike the pickups to some degree, but I think they sound great just as they are. I would love to hear the same guitar with EMG's installed just for a comparison, I might change my mind at that point, but for now they seem to produce the exact tones that my ear wants to hear. I noticed on a lot of the guitars that I played at the store(which was almost all of them - near 100), many seemed practically worthless when changing the pickup selector. They had all of these options for different pickup combinations, but only really sounded good in one particular setting...that was frustrating. The Schecter guitars stood out immediately to me as they all seemed to sound desirable no matter how I changed the pickup combination. That really impressed me. I found myself playing for 30 minutes or more on this model where models from other makers seemed to bore me. Most of them sounded heavily muffled and muddy, even on the supposedly "brite - lead" settings.

The guitar was purchased off Ebay from someone that gets merchandise from places that are going bankrupt, so I'm not sure if anyone ever took the time to really set up the guitar. When I got it, I think it was strung with .09's and I noticed that guitar buzzed a lot. If I played with heavy distortion, you really couldn't hear the buzzing, but if I wanted to play clean, the buzzing became really annoying. I raised the bridge but the action was so high that the guitar was very difficult to play on the upper frets...and it still buzzed. I was very depressed for awhile, but then decided to do some research. I discovered that if I wanted a lower action and less string buzzing, increasing the string gauge could make a drastic difference. I bought some Ernie Ball Power Slinky's which are .11's and noticed an ENORMOUS difference! Some players may not like the thicker gauge, but I am used to playing acoustic for years which are even thicker than the .11's...so to me it feels just like home. I then proceeded to teach myself about setting the intonation on the guitar. There are tons of sights on the internet concerning how to do it. The guitar literally sings now...I absolutely love it. The pickup screws are all fully screwed down and I haven't experimented with them yet. I probably will sometime soon to see what kind of difference that makes, but I'm happy with the sound I get out of them now. Someone mentioned below that the strings don't go directly over the screws in the pickups...mine does that too, however I'm not sure how negatively that affects my sound, just because I don't know any different. After taking the strings off that the guitar arrived with, I cleaned it very thoroughly. It appears to have the word "USED" on the back of the headstock, which has been half covered in paint so you can only lightly see the tops of the letters. This was obviously done at the factory before the final finishing application. There is also some paint missing where the fretboard meets the neck on the top side of the neck (the side facing you as you look down toward the frets). Everything else seems to be very well manufactured, finished and put together.

The finish is a high gloss black with abalone inlay all around the perimiter of the guitar. It looks absolutely stunning and expensive. The only drawback to a high gloss black finish is that it needs to be cleaned after each playing to remove all the visible fingerprints etc...which really isn't that big of a deal, it's just something to keep in mind. The guitar seems very rugged to me. The tuners seem very well built and don't show the slightest sign of slipping. The knobs are excellent. They feel very durable, unlike a lot of the cheaper plastic ones you see on guitars. I noticed at the guitar store that a lot of the knobs and switches on guitars from other makers seemed to be half-falling off and showing a lot of wear. It could be that maybe those models are just played more, but it could also mean that they aren't manufactured as well. Everything seems rock solid so far.

Never dealt with Schecter so can't really say. I did email them asking for a catalog, but haven't received anything yet.

I've been playing for over 15 years. I own a Takamine EF-349C electric/acoustic, a Les Paul knock off electric and a beater Fender Gemini II (my first guitar purchased over 15 years ago). I had a nice acoustic and decided I wanted to get a nice electric. Something that sounded really good and would inspire me to learn rock guitar and move on from the acoustic playing world I've lived in for so long. I played over 100 guitars and the Schecter models stood out immediately. Everyone was playing guitars through the huge cabinets, but I decided to pick a mid-range Crate amplifier instead. My logic was that pretty much any guitar can sound decent playing at a loud volume through a huge cabinet, but only an exceptional guitar would sound really good playing through both higher and lower priced amps. I know there are some flaws to the logic, but overall I think it has some merit. I played PRS, Les Pauls, Ibanez...tons of very very expensive and top of the line guitars and seemed to get more and more depressed as I went. I found a few that I liked as I went, but most were $3,000 - $5,000 and I still wasn't completely satisfied with them. They all seemed muddy and sloppy sounding, no matter what pickup combination I used. I also noticed that when I hit a power-chord, most of them held the note for a little bit but then everything turned to mush. That seemed unacceptable for a $3,000 - $5,000 guitar. I just didn't get it. Then I picked up the model I bought. I hit a power-chord and the thing just sang. It cut like a hot razor through everything I'd played so far and seemed to never freakin' stop! I thought it was just a fluke and that maybe the particular guitar was just special. Until I continued picking up Schecter's and they ALL DID IT! I continued to play other makes, but after I'd experienced Schecter's, everything else just left me depressed. Guitar purchasing is an individual thing, and obviously all the makers I mentioned above must make excellent instruments, otherwise they wouldn't be in business and couldn't command such a high price for their instruments. But trust me, you owe it to yourself to give Schecter a chance. Play, listen, and decide for yourself. I saved at least $1,000 off the price of the Les Paul I was interested in and was considering purchasing...and I think I'm happier. I plan on picking up a few more Schecter's now as I go along...especially the C1-Classic which just released...it's absolutely stunning to behold! In the end, I can't say that I'd change anything at all about the guitar (except maybe the word "USED" on the back of the headstock...but you can't really see it anyhow).
I know that my review was a little more lengthy than some, but hopefully the information and details of my journey might help someone in the process.

Same as every other c-1 elite (read overall comments)

I never really got a chance to mess with the duncans, and replaced them immediatley with two EMG's (81,85) because they fit my style better than any other pickup. The set neck construction, and the string through body gives this guitar what seem's to be infinite sustain.

The guitar set up from the factory was a little high for my tastes, but can be lowered substantially and can compete easily with the prs's of the world. Everything else on this guitar is flawless, and absolutley beautiful.

Ive only had this guitar for a couple months and everything seem's to be solid, Ive have no problems whatsoever with it.

N.C.

To sumarize this guitar properly I think it would be fair to compare it with what is known as one of the best guitars on earth, the PRS. We'll start from the top, The PRS's headstock is pointy and have had problems with the normal bumping and chipping of the points. The C-1's headstock is the same concept but is rounded to prevent from attacks from wall's and amps (round 1, schecter). As for the binding Prs puts plastic binding on most of their guitars, and flame maple on the (sell a kidney) guitars. The C-1 has a beautiful abalone binding on the headstock, neck, and body.(round 2, schecter) Prs custom and standard guitars ($1,200 and up) come with a set neck, but all made after 1995 have this giant heel that takes access away from the higher frets. Schecter has cleverly taken the heel away and reaching the high frets take no effort. (Round 3, again Schecter) Prs stubbornly only uses their own pickups, which sound decent, but you are paying and extra $300 for the Dragon or HFS pickups. Schecter put duncan designed pickups in their guitars, which also are decent, but for $200 can be switched out to emg's which are far better than dragons.(round 4 close, but schecter still gets my vote because of the price.) As for the top's Prs uses maple tops, and sometime's 10 tops can be up to $2000 extra. Schecter also uses maple top's on the elite. (round 5 Schecter because of price, or PRS if you prefer paying $2000 extra for a couple of lines in wood, your call) And finally price A set neck prs w/ junky dragon pickups will cost you $3,500 ($3,000 for the name $500 for the guitar) A schecter C-1 elite w/ 2 emg's ran me $750, yes $2,750 less for a better looking,playing, and sounding guitar!!!!WOW thats Genius!!! I think that schecter is the clear winner.

My gitter (as an old blues man would call it) sure is nice. It has two seymour duncan pickups, one volume knob, a tone, and a toggle switch. It has a tune-o-matic, floyd rose bridges suck balls, they are the biggest pain in the ass ever. It has jumbo frets, which is good because i have jumbo fingers, and a jumbo penis.

It sounds pretty good, but i think i will put an emg-81 in the the bridge position. But,it sounds much better that than my old ESP. I run my guitar straight to the amp, not much buzzing but a lot of feed back, but it goes away if you stay away from the amp

It is sure is perty (as a hillbilly would say). On saturday, my first show using the guitar, my friend over heard someone say my guitar is "dope". The action is perfecto.

I hit someone in the face with my guitar and there wasn't even a scratch.

The got me the guitar fast...very fast.

I've been playing for 4 years. If the guitar were stolen i would hunt the guy down, cut off his balls, stretch out his scrotum, and strangle him with his own scrotum.

2001 Lefty C-1 Elite black w/chrome trim.
String-through body, set neck, fixed bridge.
H/H pickups w/coil tap. duncan-design pickups.
Purchased through Musician's Friend.

I got this guitar because it was a very well-rounded package. Stock pickups or not, you could get many different tones. As others have noted, it's a good balance between a Gibson and a Fender-for the money. I play agressive metal, and play alot. For this guitar to have a fixed bridge alone sold me. Lefties, you know where I'm coming from..

The guitar is well balanced from body to neck, and feels like you can trust it. Due to the body's edges, it's a bitch to get used to the stress on the picking-side forearm if you're used to slope-bodied Ibanez guitars. Nevertheless, the overall package is a great value. The binding looks a bid sloppy in some places, but I'll forgive them.
The pickups are impressive for stock. Anyone who's gotten a shredder's guitar usually installs pickups 1st, and I wasn't so ready to with this one. I did install a JB on the bridge and a Pearly Gates on the neck, and the combonation is great. More on pickups later..

The guitar is tough. My friends tell me I beat the guitar up with the way I pick, but I wouldn't play my ass off if I didn't trust the guitar. A good investment on this axe would be to install DiMarzio locking straps. My playing confidence increased greatly.. :) If you use heavy strings(I use 13-56's tuned to D drop C), make sure a pro sets your guitar up and works on the bridge/nut. The bridge needed it after a week(the top string ate the bridge piece up a bit). Anyways, the guitar is friendly to droptuners, the frets are solid, and it can take a beating.

Well, since I was 1st in line, I had to wait not one, not two, but SEVEN months for mine to arrive. They only built one a month, said the Rep(who I got to know since I called so much). It was worth the wait, but I suffered greatly with my Ibanez playing 6-10 gigs a month with old saddles.. I haven't called Schecter since. Just remember, if you do anything to the guitar, the warranty's gone.

I've been playing for 4 years. I've played about 100 gigs in 3 years, recorded 2 albums, and have played enough guitars to know what works for my style. I play through a rack setup(Mesa 50/50, Rocktron Prophesy, BBE 442, Furman conditioner, etc.) The guitar is great for metal. If you're an EMG kind of guy, it'll compliment the guitar's feel tremendously. I have used an 81 and 85, and since I'm going to more versatile stuff with this guitar, I'm going back to the JB/Pearly Gates setup. All in all, the guitar could be a bit more comfortable, could have a tad wider string spacing, and the finish could get a bit more attention since I waited forever for it. BUT, for the money, it's a damn good guitar, and I look forward to playing it everytime I pick it up, unlike my old RG Ibanez. So if you're a lefty, and the guitar is available, buy it. It's the old-faithful in my collection by far.