Schecter C-1 Elite

I believe my Elite was made in 2007 in Korea. This is factory installed with 1 overall volume and 1 overall tone control with the tone control available for coil splitting when you pull it up. Absolutely beautiful black finish with abalone bindings. Up close or far away its beautiful, but it shows every single fingerprint! Another vol control (as is on the c-1 plus) would have been nice.

The standard HB-102 are decent...They have okay cleans and pretty nice mid distortion, although they can get muddy - of course. The heavey gain on these pups didn't tickle my fancy..although that may have been my 65 watt SS(solid state) Crate RFX. The coil split for the HB-102's sports a significant volume drop, especially when playing at loud volumes; it's very noisey. It's an okay pup, although like most people, I upgraded.

As for the pups that i upgraded to: The Seymour Duncan Hot Rodded Humbucker set (Sh-4 in the bridge and Sh2n for the neck). I noticed a great improvement in clarity and a little more treble from the pups. I do feel compelled to say that the standard 1.925 in pickup does not perfectly fit the bridge pup, although there is no volume loss or any such complication; it just looks scary. Overall I am very happy with the sound. (8.5)

The action and intonnation was absolutely perfect when I recieved my guitar. Nothing more to it. The finish is absolutely stunning. The playability.

This guitar goes through at least 1 show every week, coupled with hours of playing time at home. There have been problems with the pickup selector: When changing the pickup from bridge to neck or any other variation of the 2..the pickup selector pretty much shorts, leaving no sound coming out of the amp, but just toggle it again and it works. Despite the pickup selector problem, I feel confident in playing without a backup, although it would be nice.

We emailed the company about replacing the pickup selector about 5 or 6 months ago...still no reply.

I've been playing for 6 or 7 years now, and I absolutely love this axe. If it were stolen or lost I would at least consider buying this again, maybe a higher end model of Schecter like the blackjack. Overall a great buy, especially if under a budget!

Guitar was made pre 2005. Diamond inlays at 12th Fret.
24 Frets, Solid Top
1 volume, 1 tone pod. 3 way selector.
Stock Pickups (crapola)
It Features poor sound... Not my type of neck, I love the fat gibson's just can't get turned on by this one

It's a guess you could say bluesy, Not much sustain.. but it was cheap so hey I wasn't complaining. running through a dual rec, with genz benz g-flex 2x12
Dull Sounding

Beautiful LOOKING guitar.

it has fell a few times, not big drops, sounds solid.. lol

no need...

i've been playin guitar for about 14-15 years and this guy don't cut it, but hey it's cheap so what can you expect. I DID love it at first though. as i said before, looks nice!

OK, i got kind of spoiled when i found this guitar because it is the glowing review they don't want written. I bought the guitar at a very competent and experienced music store and this guitar is perfect in every way. The guitar finish is flawless; Grover tuners, string-thru body, set neck with flat smooth joint{gloss finish makes action FLY}, 24 frets, dual EMG humbuckers, both knobs and the switch were SOLID along with the input. This is everything i was looking for in a guitar. It was there on a trade in and came with a hard shell case, and like i said this shop was very good, not like buying from guitar center hence my "glowing" review. The shop does free set-ups for a year after purchase so i would recommend finding your local guitar store not guitar center because i heard so many bad reviews about schecter and now i own one, trust the person your buying from.

This guitar is hot because of the pickups, but it gets the job done no matter what I'm playing; i use a digitech rp250 multi processor which is a very good inexpensive addition. My C-1 straight to an amp tho has some pretty amazing tone to it, it ll do just about anything i want, and "just about" only refers to i haven't gotten to it yet... ahahaha. Anyway, this guitar sounds amazing and i really feel like it is because i bought it from a very competent shop.

Again this guitar was perfect the second i took it off the wall. No scratches blemish's the gloss was brilliant and made the action and the feel of the guitar just stand out from every other, it is screaming to be played. Trust who sells you things.

I have been playing guitar for three years and this is my first guitar purchase, it is the one I chose; I chose it because everything was exactly the way i would want it, came with strap lock system, all knobs inputs plates screws switches the nut the bridge the neck the pickups tuners string height was spot on. On that note i went to guitar center first and this one guitar from a good shop just stood out from all the other brand new guitars. With the shop behind the instrument and my affection, this guitar has the potential to last as long as i need it to.

Trust the people you buy from, they will reward you. no warranty but free set-ups for a years and as long as i take it to them they will take care of whatever it is the needs to be done. Schecter is not something i can comment on but they made one HELL of a guitar regardless of whether or not it came set up like it is.

I've played just about every single set neck 24 fret guitar between 500 and 1000 dollars in western new york in the past month trying to find my perfect guitar; and this is it. New at guitar center, relics at the HOG, None of the other guitars could touch this one, it was take care of by one of the best instrument tech and it will be something that takes my playing where i want it to go. I play thru a Digitech RP250 multi effects processor connected to a marshall combo amp and a peavey combo amp, the processor has stereo output, heheheheheee. If something were to every happen to it i would probably keep switchin' things up and get a guitar from a different company maybe with a floyd rose, but for now this will be just right.

I think what makes this guitar excellent is:
1) Mahogany everywhere, solid mahogany body for sure.
2) Big Jumbo frets
3) Set neck and string through the body bridge, Grover pickups
4) Great humbucking pickups - Duncan designed. With split coil
5) Strat like string length.

Les Paul knew what he was doing when he used mahogany to build his Les Pauls. However, a lot times you see him sitting while playing. The Schecter is light enough to play standing up.

I was worried about the fret markers, but I got used to it.

I play through a BOSS GT-6, and often just plain through my little Crate amp. The guitar sounds great clean, very rich, and great with various level of distortion. I typically use the GT-6 for delay and amp modeling.

This thing has a dark long sustain sound. But, it is a lot easier to beef up the treble with a rich, dark guitar than try to put bass into a thin, tinny sounding guitar.

The best settings are the most overdrive you can handle, and it will sing like a bird. Now, if you want more punk and nu metal, you might consider getting a lighter wood. But that's not for me, and I like it dark and lots of sustain.

You can also play excellent jazz with no distortion at all, with a bit of delay or reverb. Sounds just as good as any hollow body (any? I mean the type that a man of means can afford!). The acoustic plain sound is also very good. Very rich. You can actually play different chords and it sounds in tune!

What about playing with your hippie friends? There, you might get into a bit of trouble. Real single coils seem better at light distortion when playing light folk rock or light blues. This guitar will do it, and do it well, but probably not as nice as hot roded single coil strat (or single coil Schecter). The single coil tap on the C1 will work though, after you stomp on the volume pedal. I don't want it to sound like you *can't* get light rock sounds, but not like single coil strats.

I bought this used, but it was excellent when I got it. A bit of fret ware, but none to speak of.

This thing seems very solidly built. I am sure the electronics are not the greatest, but they seem to be better than most cheaper guitars.

I have been playing for decades. I own a Mexi Strat, and an Ibanez hollow body. The hollow body has not seen the light of day since the Schecter came home. I still play the Mexi Strat a bit, but the strings are getting old and...

I would def buy a Schecter again. Probably get real pickups and fingerboard markers, if I had the cash. But def get the all mahogany wood. I think my ideal guitars would be one of those and another with single coils.

When it comes to features on a guitar, this ax is one of the best deals on the planet. it has grover tuners, string-thru-body bridge, a set neck that has zero heel, beautiful abalone binding around the entire body, neck and headstock, and duncan designed pickups that sound awesome. I also have the c-1 classic, and the only upgrades it has over the elite are real SD humbuckers and a neck-thru as opposed to the set neck and duncan design humbuckers of the elite. effectively, the sustain of the two is virtually identical. the tone, however, is slightly better on the classic, due to the real SD's. the elite also has a push-pull coil tap, which expands the versatility of the guitar exponentially.

the tone of this guitar is incredible for its price. i've heard the c-1 Series referred to as the "poor man's prs" and that's damn near the truth! I play many styles, mostly rock, progressive metal, death/speed metal, blues, jazz and country. the neck is exceptionally fast, yet still substantial enough to get a good feeling out of it. the neck pu can get a little muddy, don't expect tele-tones from this baby, but it can do jazz licks as well as any solid body. For the types of music i play, i've always been able to get a sound i like out of it, whether its out of my line 6 spider 2, or from the b-52 i play regularly.

This guitar arrived at my door ready to go. i didn't have to adjust a thing. the intonation, string height and tension were all perfect. when i first laid my hands on it, they simply glided across the frets. there were no dead frets, or glue spots or anything cosmetically awry.

I played this guitar regularly for 3 years, doing regular gigs, boisterous band practices and plenty of travelling and its held up perfectly. over those three years i never had a problem, even with the input jack! i lent it to a friend and it came back with a large scratch on the face of the guitar, but other than that, the glossy finish hadn't even faded!

N/a

Overall, this is an amazing guitar for the price. This was my work horse for quite a while, until it got stolen a few weeks back. They've discontinued this model and i already have the c-1 classic, so i will not buy it again. but i will buy another schecter. most likely a c-1 Hellraiser, for the similar finish and EMG'S, and original floyd rose. This guitar is worth every penny twice.

idk what year it was made but 24 frets , fretless except 12th fret inlay, set-neck, volume and tone control with coil tap, 3 way switch, duncan designed pickups, chrome hardware, and abalone inlay all around the guitar and on the knobs.
When I got mine, I bought it from guitar center so it was already used and whatnot by people just playing around. The tone knob was bent and there were a few nics but I blame guitar center for that.

I play mostly metal, thrash, and blues. This guitar is pretty good when comes to the pickups, for what quality they are. Keep in mind they are Duncan Designed, NOT Seymour Duncan. I think the guitar has a nice tone with any of the sounds I use. It has a nice bright sound when clean and a pretty chunky sound w/ distortion. Sometimes, with my Line 6 pocket pod, some presets with have an annoying buzz, but i think its more the amplifier I am using that my actual guitar

The thing I really like about this guitar is the feeling of the neck. That is what lead me to but this guitar. It's somewhat fat and rounded, but its smooth and very comfortable for the slot in my hand.
Guitar set-up from the factory was pretty good, I didn't have any problems with it. Once again, only real flaw was the bent knob (thanks to guitar center)

This one is pretty durable. I haven't dropped it or anything but i have slammed into a few walls, and the finish holds up great. Hardware is very reliable. TonePros bridge and Grover tuners. (sorry I forgot that in the description) I can definately rely on it.

I never had to deal with them but from what I'm told, they are a great company.

Overall a 9. There's always room for improvement. If you were to do anything to it, it would probably to put a new pickup in the bridge position for some extra crunch or whatever sound your looking for. It's overall a great guitar.

bought it about a year and half ago , made in korea. it has 24 frets.black laminated top ,realy nice finish. Pearl inlays around the neck and body.theres a 3 way pickup selector.the pickups are duncun desighned.active pickups, necks mahogany. the body is like a super strat shape but a bit more beefy.good stoptail bridge with through body strings.Tuners are ok, could be more firm and they come lose after a while.making a rattle noise from the headstock. nothing seriouse though.

I play metal/hardcore and progressive stuff. It was amazing when i bought it but then the sound and feel gradually decreased.I use a Randall Rx120r which is great with this guitar. One thing thats getting worse it the Bright Crisp sound it used to have , i play at least 3 hours a day changing tunings numerous times which could blame for the neck not feeling the same anymore. When i bought the guitar the sustain was great , i could get huge screams and sqeals out of the bridge . Now the suatain has completly gone almost,clean sounds are good, especially through the randall but i think it could be better, i was gunna get an Emg 81 and 85 to make it more "big" in sound and to get the crisp clear notes im looking for but it would cost ??180 for the pair and ??30 For fitting due to Emg batteries being put in the back. i use high didtortion with high bass and treble giving alot of high and low end sounds , the guitar was perfect when i got it , its slowly becoming annoying but i have probably overused it.

the guitar was set up perfect when i got it , no fret buzz. the pickups were adjusted perfectly.the bridge is perfect fo chuggy riggs due to the nice edge it has giving palm muting a good firm sound.the bridges finish has slowly decayed and where i palm mute the finish has come off making it corrode slighty, not a big deal though. the bottom strap holder has also just come lose and the screw threads insie are noe ruined making me use duck tape to hold my guitar when standing up. pretty annoying but it does inda look cool ha

it was perfect for about a year, the lat 5-6 months have been a pain for me, my guitar sonds good sometimes and others its all flat and toneless. If you use the same strings for more than at least 3 weaks the tone is dead.the hardware ok , it is showing its usage which is fair enough.i could depend on it but i would take a back up incase, cos strings seem to brake alot when playing hard.

never had to do anything

ive been playing 4 years, i own an ibanez af75 and rg, a febder strat( i didnt want , got it as apresent) and a ****** epiphone sg.if it got stoln i wouldnt buy another one , i would buy a slightly more expensive esp version with eMGS. I love the looks and used to love the sound but not anymore.

24 frets, made in south korea. It has 2 humbuckers, which are duncan designed, with grover tuners. Passive electronics. Honestly, if you want all the details about the guitar, just go to Schecter's website and do a little research yourself. Oh and it has a coil tap

I play this through a Fender MH-500 Metalhead, along with a T.C. Electronics G-major and BBE Sonic Maximizer in the effects loop and a Behringer TO-800 to push it on the floor. I get a good warm sound out of this guitar. It still has the scream, but it's subtle, this guitar has a very full sound.

The guitar was set up alright, but I own two schecters including this one, and they both had fret buzz from the factory that I had to fix. Plus I play in D-standard, so that has an effect on the action. The finish is nice on this thing, it's white.

The only problems I've had are the tuners coming a bit loose, and burrs on the bridge. I've been breaking a crapload of strings lately and I'm not a hard player. Everything else is good about this thing though.

n/a

I like this guitar, it's playable, it sounds good, and it's not too heavy. I don't like floyd roses and all the problems that come with them, so I bought this guitar

I bought my Schecter C-1 Elite new in 2005.
The body is solid, and the frets are a little high, but very playable. The neck was one of my main concerns with this guitar. It is not quite as sturdy as the rest of the instrument. Awesome Tune-O-Matic bridge, and the Grover tuners are excellent, (as Grovers usually are.)
Overall, for the price, this is a well built guitar. The hardware is what makes this instrument what it is, not the craftsmanship.

As a player of many styles, I found this guitar to be extremely versatile. It can sound like a Strat, or it can sound like a Les Paul. I ran this guitar through several amps. Marshalls, H & K, Fender, and a Mesa.
The two nickel-plated 'Duncan Designed' humbuckers were good but obviously not true Duncans. Very good range from the neck to the bridge, and very little noise, but not the amount of clarity that I expected.
The coil tap feature was awesome, and perfect for Strat sounding lead playing. The balance between the humbucker and single coil is not the greatest however. The coil tap sounds great when used, but the differance in volume when disengaged is brutally noticeable. Perhaps they could have balanced the two out a little better in my opinion.

This axe is capable of alot of sustain, especially when the gain is tweaked on your amp. However, when it does finally run out, it cuts off completely. Best to keep the volume knob wide open to avoid this.
Harmonics are decent. It has a distinct 'wood tone', that is not like most of it's heavy metal tailored counterparts, which sets it apart from the rest. An overall great sounding axe.

The guitar played good right off of the shelf. Action was set not too high, not too low. That's my preferance. Virtually no fret buzz when tuned to standard tuning, but if you tune it down much, you'd better go with a thicker gauged string.
Pickups were set at a good depth, and the tuning keys, and bridge were tight.
After looking at it for a couple years I have grown accustomed to it's mishapen contour. A few bad spots in the wood itself, (maybe sanded a little too roughly on the production line.) Great paint job though. Mine was white, with abalone inlay, which looks excellent on the trim parts. The volume knob and tone (tap) knobs also have inlay, but beware with these knobs, they are cheap, and the inlay actually fell out of the volume knob on mine...

I've used my C-1 on the road since the day I got it. The hardware is nearly indestructable, (knobs excluded).
I've accidentally dropped it a time or two, and was relieved each time to find that the gazillion coats of white paint have hidden those injuries well. Cosmettically, this guitar will probably last you forever, if properly taken care of.

Ok, here is my biggest problem, (AND IT HAS PISSED ME OFF TO NO END!!!).

Just a couple months after purchasing this guitar , the tone knob (coil tap) fell completely out of the pot. Literally, fell out on stage. I didn't even know it was missing until someone picked it up and asked if it was mine. So now, if I want tone I have to pop in the knob, and put it in my pocket so it doesn't fall out and get lost. And the coil tap option is gone for good.
To beat all, the cost to 'fix' the pot, is more than buying a new one and installing it myself. I'm very dissatisfied with that.
The C-1 Elite is an overall great guitar, but those knobs/pots are garbage!!!

Maintenance is expensive, and the warranty is VERY limited. Take care of this guitar, because any repairs being done willmore than likely be done by you, or a local guitar tech.

I'd recommend this guitar to anyone on a budget of $400-500. I'm satisfied, but Jackson or Dean could do you much better in this price range. Best to get a C-1 used if you can...

The finish on this guitar is absolutely beatiful, mine is black with the pearl around the binding, I love it! i did find one touch up though on it, nothing big, cant see if not trying hard. 24 frets, really easy access. Not sure what pickups it has but im pretty certain they are the duncan designed HB 102.

I play church music all the way up to metal, this baby can pump out the creaming distorion and then i can pull it out to a nice single coil clean that just sings, hasn't failed me yet.
The sound is really full, pull out the single coil and it sings just as slear as a strat. me and my mate went to a big shop, tried ut all different brands of guitars, going up to 7 grand mark, and the schecter just flogged them all, it blew the gibson LP custom, standard and special right out of the water! i thought at first that the schecter c-1 elite was 4 grand, but i was really suprised when he told me it was only 1!!!! Must buy! makes everyone jelous

this action is incredible, so close to that of a PRS modern eagle! love it! Pickups aren't in the way.

not sure yet, only had it for 2 weeks.

12 mnths warranty i think, not sure.

this guitar is crisp, does everything, i will probably fitt it with some better pickups in the future but for now it suits me just fine.

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!

2001 Model
24 frets
mahogany/maple body, set neck
diamond inlays (12th fret)
H/H with coil tap
Tune o Matic Bridge, Grover Tuners
(look at other descriptions for more)

The sound is... very good. I haven't had any problem with the sound so far. I've had this guitar for about 3 1/2 years, and I have been loving the tone. I play through a Mesa Boogie Dual Rec solo head, a cab loaded with celestion rocket 50's, and my sonic maximizer. The bridge pickup astonishes me. Distortion sounds amazing on this, and the cleans are sparkling. The neck pickup is also pretty good- its a little bit muddy at times... but still carrys a very "wet" sound. I mostly play punk/hardcore/modern rock, and this guitar wails. The duncan designs are actually pretty nice. I was a little bit hesitant when I actually saw them stock on some squier guitars, but these pickups really arent that bad. I sometimes wish they had a bit more clarity, so I'll probably install some real duncans (JB/Jazz) or some PRS (HSF) pickups. All in all, the tone is pretty freaking amazing.

Right when I got this guitar, the action was the first thing I noticed. The factory set mine up extremely well. The action I must say was very close to "perfect". The pickups were adjusted fine...I did have a problem with the bridge. The bridge wasn't made very well.. It had a few sharp pieces of metal sticking out everywhere, and required some filing...but now its all good. I couldn't really find any flaws the way this guitar is built. Its built in Korea, and that makes me a little bit hesitant, but this plays and sounds a whole heck of a lot better then any of the gibsons and fenders I have played. I actually spent an entire day at guitar center (edina MN) going back and forth between les paul standards, fender american strats, and the schecter c1-elite. So far, the schecter is far superior... but then I tried a PRS custom 24... then it wasn't so superior, but hey, for the cash, this is pretty amazing.

Its been about 4 years with this guitar, and nothing has gone wrong. I've been gigging with it at least once every 2 weeks, and it has held up very very good. The finish is still very clean, the strap buttons are fine.. You can definitely depend on this guitar to deliver.. I would and have been using this guitar with no back up.

Never Dealt with them

I definitely give this guitar a 10. I've been playing 15 years non-stop. I've owned epiphone les paul standards, dot, sgs, PRS tremonti SE, Fender American Deluxe Strat HSS, and a Gibson Sg special. This one definitly outdid each one of these guitars. I've never had a problem with this guitar, it plays and sounds amazing, and the looks could kill! The only thing I would ever change about this guitar would possibly be the pickups, but thats just an opinion of sound.

I love thi thing, plays and feels tighter than my friends PRS. I got the guitar this year in 2005, and it seems to be the best made instrument ive ever bought for under a grand. With the pick up upgrade my total cost was still under a grand for a gutar that feels better and looks better than most in that price range! As far as features its got everything you need. 3 way sitch, volume, tone and the pull switch to go into single coil (which i don't use).

The sound was great stock, but not the sound i wanted. I play out of a Peavy 5150 2x12 combo and even though my amp is hotter than satan himself i felt that the guitar needed a boost. I threw in some dimarzios a x2n in the bridge and a evolution in the neck. Now this makes my friends prs with an emg 81 sound like my jackson with hz's, meaning it has more bite, rscream and precisness. I'm throwing a simillar pickup combo on my jackson!

The damn thing played nearly perfect outa the box, hell i still have had to have it set up and it been switched from a c# tunning back to n e tunning with no adjustments just a change of strings. Plays heavenly!

Seem like other than cosmetics this bad ride is gina last me long enough to let my kids kids play on it. I bought the pearl white finish so i know that its gona need some touching up withing the years to come.

Have not had a problem with this guitar so as of now the company gets a 10 from me!

Simply the best 600 dollars ive ever spent. Adding the DiMarzios which was and extra $130 pluss 50 dollar installation fee made this guitar close to 800 dollars, and yet i still feel like i have a gem. Ply this guitar guys you'll see what i'm talking about. Its so classy sassy and jazzy!

look at the other descriptions for this.

sound is pretty good overall. not exac exactly what i am looking for. i will probabaly change to real duncans. this guitar is pretty versitle. it has the coil tap. can go from clean semi strat tones to heavy semi les paul tones. the tone could be a little purer

set up pretty darn well. lite buzz if strummed hard. not enough to really bother me. nice strings. pickups were adjusted fine. small scratch but floor model.

i think it would withstand live playing. grover tuners are nice. the gold plated stuff is tarnishing alittle to be expected i guess,i wish it were chrome. nice strap buttons. it seems pretty dependable. the tone switch makes some weird noises sometims like a scratching.overall this is a pretty reliable piece of wood.

don't know

playing 1 year. doesn't sound like much but i play all the damn time. i have owned or still own a squier strat sold. ibanez gax70,broke it, my fault. yamaha acoustic. the schecter is my best instrument. i would replace it with a epiphone les paul or better yet save up for a few years and get an ALEMBIC SKYLARK. go for the best. i love the feel of the schecter. the 24 frets the playability. i don't like the Orange finish that much. i compared it to the epi les paul and i still don't know which i like better toss up. pretty good guitar for the money.

2004 Korean made, finished in California. Tone-pros bridge, string thru body. 24 frets, volume, tone (w/pull tap), 3-way selector, H-H duncan designed. Mahogony body w/quilt maple top and 3pc maple neck, BEAUTIFUL amber/gold finish. Very nice guitar for the price.

AWESOME!! This guitar is amazing. i play mostly blues and rock, but i dabble in heavy metal. this guitar can do it all. i run it through a danelectro phaser or a Rockdtron Silver Dragon dual distortion, into the effects return of a Kustom dual 35RC, bypassing the Kustom's pre-amp. the guitar has a very full sound on any setting. with PU selector in the first position, it has a brighter sound, but without loosing the bass, perfect for adding metal or blues distortion. the other two settings are both deep and heavy, for a nice mellow sound, you can even get it to sound like a bass if you slap the strings a little. it does it all.

set up decent from the factory, i had my guy do it right as soon as i got home. finish is BEAUTIFUL. real abalone binding as well as abalone caps on the gold knobs, wonderful amber finish.wonderful grain on the rosewood fretboard. gold finish on pup covers rubbing off a little but what else is new? my only gripe is the tone pot, which sux. it may be a unique flaw but one that still shouldnt have slipped past quality control. would be a 10 except for that tone pot

i've had this guitar for 4 months and no problems so far and nothing has broken so far. first thing i did was replace the strap buttons w/ lockers, but i do that to every guitar, as should you. tone pot sux, but it was like that originally and is not a mechenical problem. im gonna replace it anyway. NEVER EVER GIG W/OUT A BACKUP!! durable or not, strings still break regardless, and accidents happen.

worthless

ok, i saw this guitar online, read some reviews (best bang for buck out there), and decided to try one out. when i went into my local guitar center, they only had the floor model left, but it sounded good and they cut me a really good deal, so i decided to take it home and fix it up. the trus rod cover was missing, the gold on the pup covers had completely rubbed off, the pots were horribly scratchy, and the tone pot didnt seem to do anything at all.

the guys at the guitar center agreed to get all the new parts for me for free as part of our deal. however, they repeatedly tried to contact schecter (the only place to get the stock trus rod cover) and either got the runaround, or didnt get through at all. i tried to contact them, but the only contact listed on their "website" is the custom shop. after about a month of frustration at guitar center and the impossibly scratchy pots, the tech at GC gave up and ordered a BRAND NEW '04 TO SWAP FOR MY P.O.S. (much better).

however, when i got it home, i was dissapointed with the tone pot. as you roll back on it it doesnt seem to do anything at all, untill a certain point when it cuts all of the treble immediately. i took it to my local tech, and he said there was nothing broken or wrong with it, it was just a shitty pot. there was no marks on the pot to indicate what kind it was or what to replace it with, and he too could not contact schecter to find out about it.

i've since ordered a Torres Engineering 1 meg pot for it (obviously NOT stock, but why not?). i will try and report back how that goes.

dont get me wrong, the guitar sounds AMAZING and schecter can really make a guitar, best bang for the buck ever (even GC guys said so). but they probably are able to make them so inexpensive by skimping on customer service. thanks to GC for helping me out, and replacing the guitar when schecter didnt help, you guys rock.

bottom line: if something goes wrong, fix it yourself, schecter probably doesnt care.

i've only been playing for two years now, though i played piano for 12, and i know what sounds good and musical. i wish i had been able to play a new model before i bought it so i could have been aware of the tone pot problem, although i still would have bought it, and it still sounds good without being able to adjust it. if it was stolen or lost, i would order another one the next day, but i'd also order that new tone pot. i compared it to a few other guitars in that price range, including the c-l classic w/ real duncans, and a few ibanez's and a jackson, and this one sounded better than the classic, the next model up. this is an incredible guitar for this price range.

This is a 24 fret, 25 1/2" scale neck, solid top PRS look-alike made in South Korea and finished in Schecter's California facility. It has passive controls - volume, tone and pickup switch. Two "Seymour Duncan designed" four wire humbuckers which can easily be rewired to split them. It comes with a TonePros bridge with string through body and Grover tuners. The set-in neck is pretty thin and has no heal (unlike the post 1995 PRS "heel from hell"). The upper fret access is amazing. The binding is mother of pearl around the body and neck. The finish is flawless.

I can't hear any hum. I have a Peavey 212 Special amp. The C1 sounds good clean or with whatever distortion you dial in. I play mostly easy rock (Santana,etc.) and it's perfect for that. The variety of sounds is not what you get from a strat, I suppose because of the three way switch, but you could easily rewire with a five way.

I bought this guitar used so I need to tweak it bit. The low E string has a little buzz which is easily fixed via the Tone Pros bridge, although I think it might need a little more neck relief. As above, the finish is perfect. I have the amber/mahogany model. If there is any criticism at all, I guess it would be that the gold plate is rubbing off a little on the pickups.

I don't do regular gigs on the road so am able to baby my guitars somewhat. I think the finish and body, etc. would hold up well. I don't carry a backup which may be dumb, but I would definately trust this without one. The hardware is really good quality. Not too sure about the pickups. They are made to Seymour Ducan specifications by some Korean company.

It has a lifetime warranty. Haven't had to use customer support.

I've been playing probably 25 years although you wouldn't know it by the quality. If this were lost, etc., I would buy exactly the same guiter either used or new. It seems like everyone (those of us Fender non lovers, anyway)wants a PRS. I think this guitar is every bit as good as a PRS. At $600 new versus $3800 for a PRS, it's just no contest unless PRS prestige is important to you. I don't think any machine made electric is worth $3800. The later PRS's, in fact, have the huge neck heel which I think is crummy. If you go up one step, with Schecter, you get a neck through and maybe a little more sustain?
I realize this probably a glowing review, but I've not seen this kind of quality at this price, ever. I'm sure a really good player could find flaws and he should spend the big money, I guess.