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Schecter C-1 Hellraiser

Summary
Price New Schecter C-1 Hellraiser @ Musician's Friend
Manufacturer URL http://www.schecterguitars.com/
Features 9.3 (21 responses)
Sound 9.4 (21 responses)
Action, Fit, & Finish 9.1 (20 responses)
Reliability/Durability 9.4 (14 responses)
Customer Support 8.0 (11 responses)
Overall Rating 9.4 (19 responses)
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Product: Schecter C-1 Hellraiser
Price Paid: UNKNOWN
Submitted 07/01/2009 at 03:12am by DAZ

Features : 10
Great pickups, EMG HZ's I think they are the passive version of the 81-85 set up.

Mahogany Body and flame maple cap, Black Cherry Finish the same as the more expensive Hellraisers with the active pickups.

Its got a thick meaty sort of neck profile, not what I expected, it looks modern, metal, but plays very gibson like.

Stop tail, looks like a tone pros bridge.

Maple neck, rosewood fingerboard, and black binding on the neck.

Mother of pearl top binding on the body, looks good.




Sound : 10
Very Beefy sound, for a rock/Metal guitar it's great, for a bright sounding guitar not so much, its thick and meaty chunky sound, thick and chunky like the neck.

I am using it through a Line-6/Bogner Valve combo, on the Insane setting its really fat, sounds better at a high volume,it's not a subtle sound at all.

I really like the meaty feel, makes you just want to drop to D and riff.

The pickups are my favourite thing, not harsh like some actives can me, more natural sort of sound.

Dislikes, I wish the headstock was matching Red Flame like the body.


Action, Fit, & Finish : 10
It was set up really well, I don't know if thats the factory or from the store (I got it Billy Hyde Music in Sydney AUSTRALIA).

No obvious flaws, I love the Black Cherry Flame sort of finish, I can't believe this guitar is made in China.

Reliability/Durability : No Opinion
I think it will do well live, I will be using this as my Second Guitar Live, I wanted a Bolt on neck for more attack, but don't have a huge budget.


Customer Support : 10
I have dealt with the store before, always a great range price etc, I have never owned a schecter before.

It's under warranty, 12 months from the store.

Overall Rating : 9
I have been playing for 6 years, I own a Line 6 Spider/valve bogner 40 watt Combo, and thats lound enough for gigging.

If it was stolen or lost, I would try to get another one of these, but this I think is a Limited Edition, but I would try another Schecter, great value for what ya get.



Product: Schecter C-1 Hellraiser
Price Paid: UNKNOWN
Submitted 03/13/2009 at 04:40pm by Brandon Turner
Email: brandon at turnerworld<dot>com

Features : 9
Features??? It has everything I need.

I have the red one so I suppose I have quilted maple on top of mahogany.

I like the stings behind the bridge as I can play some weird stuff there.

I love the push-pull pots as they let me get some really nice hollow clean sounds similar to a strat. I wish they had a 5 way switch; that is all.

The pickups are amazing both distorted and clean. I can???t go back now. Only thing is mine came with Grover tuners (still very good) rather than the Schecter locking they advertise on website.

The finish is absolutely beautiful though that is not why I bought it.

Sound : 10
This is the second Schecter that I???ve owned (first being C-7 Blackjack). I have noticed that both Schecter???s I???ve owned have a hollow or rather scooped sound. I don???t know how to better describe it. You can hear all strings distinctly even on neck pickup. This is a great guitar.

Pinch harmonics are mean. I play this through a Digitech Bad Monkey, Boss Me-50, Dunlop 535Q Wah, and Digitech Whammy to a B-52 AT-100 with match 4 x 12" cabinet. The sound is huge and mean on distortion. On clean it sounds like the Carvin demo from the Knucklehead 2 tones on Rivera's website. very cool. a little bit of buzz on the low E, I like it.

I play this thing on stage at very very high volumes and it is very quiet; no microphonic sounds. It sounds so mean I can see how envious some people are in the crowd.

With the push-pull pots I can go from ???Leave that thing Alone??? by Rush to our originals in no time flat. I used to play rhythm on a les paul bridge pickup to get some dirty Adam Jonesie style squeals but on this one I can do the same thing on the neck with squeals and it sounds bigger, brighter, and not like everyone else.

By the way, I tried just about every type of guitar at Guitar Center (4 hours) and A/B???d it to this one. Chose this one every time either by sound or by its feel. Money was no object. I needed a better stage guitar. I put this thing up against: Ibanez, Epiphone, Gibson, Fender, Jackson, and yes PRS. This one seemed to call me out and reach to my soul and grab it.

I like this guitar.


Action, Fit, & Finish : 10
How well was the guitar set-up at the factory? (How was the action?) - excellent no adjustment needed.

How well were the pickups adjusted? -perfect

Properly bookmatched top? Properly routed bridge? -two words. persian rug.. Your "flaws" make you who you are.. my guitar is the same. it is perfect to me.

Reliability/Durability : 10
Only thing about active pickups.. keep some spare batteries at ALL times. just in case. maybe change them out every couple weeks if you play a lot like me. and very elementary.. leave it unplugged if you are not playing.

Customer Support : 10
I have not dealt with them, though I have the guitar center extra warranty in case someone pees on it or something. I am alse getting it insured. so in case someone steals it and then pees on it; i get a new one.

Overall Rating : 10
I have been playing for 10 years and am self taught. I totally suck at the guitar and am in no way exceptional. I???ve gone through several stages of ???G.A.S.??? in my life and at once owned 21 guitars.

By the way, not a good idea when you are in the ARMY. I had a lot of stuff stolen. I have owned a 1950???s Yamaha acoustic, a 1960???s Gretsch solid body electric with big fat hum-BUCK-YOU-ers and many others. I have been stationed in Korea and have had a special les paul style guitar hand built just for me.
www.myspace.com/ligumentband
you can contact me if you want more information: Brandon@turnerworld.com


Product: Schecter C-1 Hellraiser
Price Paid: USD 750.00
Submitted 10/21/2008 at 01:02pm by Justin
Email: shockdoctor92 at yahoo<dot>com

Features : 9
I have had this guitar for almost a year and i love everything about it. The solid body construction is excellent except I have had one problem with the top strap screw (closer to the neck and head) coming loose somtimes. I just tighten the screw with a normal philips head screwdriver once every month or so and it is fine.The EMG pickups are amazing. I play mostly metal and metalcore type music and these pickups make the distortion clean and the clean crystal sounding. It has a beautiful sharp sound with great settings. The active pickups make all the difference. This guitar stays in tune very well. I play everyday and i keep it in the case when im not using it and i occasionaly have to fix the G string tuning but other than that it is virtally in tune all the time. The neck is smooth and easy to move on when playing all over the place. it is great.

Sound : 10
The EMG pickups are amazing. I play mostly metal and metalcore type music and these pickups make the distortion clean and the clean crystal sounding. It has a beautiful sharp sound with great settings.

Action, Fit, & Finish : 10
This is made to perfection. The body is a solid construction that i have never had a problem with. There is a smooth mahagony finish that is excellent and comfortable for playing. The action is set just right, i've never had to adjust it once. The pickup selector is silent and it was made at the factory beautifully.

Reliability/Durability : 9
The only problem i have ever had with the durability is the strap peg coming loose but it is an easy fix. I can see myself having this guitar for years.

Customer Support : No Opinion

Overall Rating : 10
This guitar is incredible. I would definitely reccomend this to someone who was looking for a step up from a $300-$400 guitar. I would have to say you cant get anything better for this price range. There is always the step up from this but Schecter is a great company.


Product: Schecter C-1 Hellraiser
Price Paid: UNKNOWN
Submitted 06/05/2008 at 02:25pm by Jonathan

Features : 9
The Hellraiser C-1 was made in South Korea. It came with 24 frets, with a maple cap on the Black Cherry finish. This is the hard-tail version with EMG pickups 81 and 85. Personally, I would have liked passive pickups, but the EMGs get the job done.

Sound : 9
This guitar has as much beefy tone as a Gibson Les Paul, but is slightly brighter. As a response, I needed to boost the bass on the amp to get an even sound. The EMGs are sterile and flat, but they give ZERO hum. With the EMGs, this guitar can pretty much only play high-gain music, but I suspect you could get more versatility with passive pickups and this guitar isn't marketed as anything but a metal guitar.

Action, Fit, & Finish : 9
The action was perfect, the finish was nice. The guitar is pretty heavy, and every pieced seemed to fit well, but the tune-o-matic bridge has become discolored from my palm muting. This hasn't affected the reliability of the bridge, but it might be a little annoying. The intonation has been spot on for a year.

Reliability/Durability : 10
I have had the guitar for a year and it hasn't needed a set-up since the factory one. I would gig with this guitar, but I would have a back-up (of course, even the best guitars act up at gigs.) The finish has lasted beautifully and it has been my main guitar for about 10 months on a daily basis.

Customer Support : 10
I wrote an e-mail about string breakage, and I got a phone call from the company, which is pretty rare these days. They were nice and helped me with my problem.

Overall Rating : No Opinion
If this guitar were stolen, I would buy the same guitar, but the 7 string version.
I've been playing for about 2 years now and it was my main guitar about 10 months. I own (or have owned) an Ibanez Xiphos, Epiphone Flying V, Epiphone Les Paul Silverburst, and a Yamaha cheapo guitar. This is tied with the Ibanez as my favorite guitar I have played. The only thing aside from the EMG pickups are that this guitar has a beefy neck. It feels like it's two times as thick as the Wizard 2 neck on my Ibanez.
I suggest, if you can handle the thick neck and replace the pick ups, you have a great guitar at a great price.


Product: Schecter C-1 Hellraiser
Price Paid: USD 700.00
Submitted 04/04/2008 at 01:51pm by Dalton

Features : 10
Just got yesterday- 2008 Black Schecter C-1 Hellraiser with binding the whole way around body and head.String-thru body Tonepros- Comes with the new EMG81 t/w and EMG89 t/w (Coil-Tap). Grover tuners-hasn't gone out of tune once!!!!. 2 volume/1 tone. SUPER LIGHT! its like a feather. Everything is perfect. Get the rest on Schecter's site.
Only thing i dont like is not getting a case with the purchase- kind of bs in my opinion

Sound : 9
First off I use a Mesa boogie dual rect. 3 channel. Which is amazing, i still have my gibson les paul classic which is pretty gainy itself. The schecter though it absolutely stunning. No matter how much gain i have when ringing chords out/palm muting you can hear EVERY note so well. When playing lead this guitar is soo clear real mid range style but everything cuts through beautifully. With the new pickups it does come with Coil-Tap, didnt think i'd be a fan but damn was i wrong. Sounds actually just like my strat, it makes such a difference being my amp isn't the clean in the first place. And no matter what harmonic u want to hit it comes through perfect. Got this to be my back up for my LP, doubt it. I'll probly have my les paul be my backup now and i paid 2k for it haha

Action, Fit, & Finish : 9
It came right out of the box still in tune just shows how good the grovers are. Action was a tide bit high for me so i had someone lower it. Definitely suggest you lower it alittle it makes all the difference. Pickups came at perfect height too, so i didnt have to dick with that. No buzz at all

Reliability/Durability : 9
Everything seems great, only thing that kind of worries me is the toggle switch, very flimsy soo i dont know if that will break in the future i hope not. other then that its wonderful for only having it one day haha

Customer Support : No Opinion
Didn't deal with them-and it kind of pisses me off no case are included with Schecter guitars.

Overall Rating : No Opinion
Overall- Get this guitar for 700 bucks, its great. Within a couple years you will see the prices of schecter sky rocket- Not one thing wrong with this guitar. any questions hit me up email dlm5051@psu.edu or check my band out to hear us/it. www.myspace.com/slackertheorymusic


Product: Schecter C-1 Hellraiser
Price Paid: USD 640
Submitted 02/22/2008 at 12:18pm by Oldmanshredder

Features : 9
Tone pros, emg's, grovers, Solid

Sound : 8
It may be designed for hard rock, metal etc., but it works fine for other music too. Very clean in my opinion, it actually is a really good jazz guitar. As for blues, blues is in the hands not in the pickup. The output is not nearly as hairy or high output as a lot of hot rod guitars with seymoures or dimarzio's in them. It makes a great recording guitar, low noise, all strings ring the same, very even and balanced tone, the mahogany helps with this too, not a bright sounding guitar, it is more midrange to dark sound. Too me these pickups sing more than scream, My jeff becks and dimarzio's scream. Biggest gripe is lack of harmonics, overall great tone though. But if your all about wailing leads, check out the c1 classic with the real seymoure duncans.

Action, Fit, & Finish : 9
Good set up. A little high for my taste at first, but instead of adjusting the height I just played a little while and came to like it a little higher. Pretty guitar really, I have the cherry, not the greatest quilt top in history, but really nice for a guitar of this price. Nice neck, I am used to thin wide 80's shredder necks. But this one just felt right the first time I played it at guitar center. It does not seem like it would be a super fast neck, but one can really fly around on it.

Reliability/Durability : No Opinion
I have waited almost a year before doing this. I like the honeymoon phase to be over with before I am really sure. I have tried to replace my 85 charvel for years as my number 1 guitar. I have owned les pauls, explorers, strats, Ibanez, most all end up on the auction block or locked away and I go back to the charvel after a while. The hellraiser seems to have made the cut, and for a third of the price I have paid for other guitars. I do not know if it is my favorite yet, but it has joined the family and will not be sold, and will get plenty of play. Seems built to last, I will update in 20 years.

Customer Support : No Opinion

Overall Rating : 9
I have been playing since 1985. I have owned and still own some really nice high end guitars. As far as playability and sound the hellraiser holds its own. Nothing in its price range really compares. I went to the store to check out a les paul and walked out with the hellraiser, sadly the workmanship was of higher quality on the korean built guitar than the U.S.A built guitar from the mighty Gibson. I never thought I would play a korean guitar, I am somewhat of a gear snob and really prefer to buy made in the U.S. stuff. But my next purchase will probably be the schecter c-1 classic. Schecter makes great guitars for a wonderfull price.


Product: Schecter C-1 Hellraiser
Price Paid: UNKNOWN
Submitted 02/15/2008 at 12:30pm by Bryan Jones

Features : 9
The Schecter C-1 Hellraiser (No FR) has 81 and 85 Emg Pickups that sound amazing. They give a huge massive grunge sound and work well with drop D tunning. The hellraiser's 2 volume and 1 tone work good. The set neck feels great with easy EASY EASY! access to the 24 fret.
I own a black cherry version although at the moment they are ridiculously hard to find. I'm pretty sure that Schecter is making a new version of the Hellraiser with an 81 and 89 EMG that splits the coil. Even though mine may not have that, it is still one hell of a guitar.

Sound : 9
This guitar is a 'one trick pony'. Meaning that it does one sound really well. The hard rock, grunge sound, sounds perfect. Amazing.
Everything else though, falls short. The clean is muffled. But the distortion sounds awesome. And for only $650 just that one sound is worth it. I give it a 9 because I wish mine had a split coil feature but yours could have one.

Action, Fit, & Finish : 9
The finish is done very well. It looks great. As good as a PRS finish. The black version though does not look very good at all.
It has a curved body that looks nice. The diamond binding is good looking. Everything is sturdy. A well set up guitar.

Reliability/Durability : 9
I think this guitar is well dependable. It's put together well,
everything is sturdy. It may be a cheaper brand than PRS or Gibson,
but it's still dependable.

Customer Support : 6
Not the best. It took me a Long time to find a schecter C-1 Hellraiser in Black cherry and schecter did not help much on that. I finally found a very good shape used one at pro music. No help from Schecter.

Overall Rating : 9
I've been playing for about 7 years now and I must say that if you are a big time Hard rock player, this is worth a buy. It feels great, plays great ( I would use 10 guage strings on it ) looks great, sounds great and is really worth the $650.


Product: Schecter C-1 Hellraiser
Price Paid: USD 649
Submitted 06/23/2007 at 10:36am by Barry

Features : 10
Mahogany body with quilted maple top
Black Cherry Finish
Set, 3-piece mahogany neck with rosewood fretboard
24 X-jumbo frets
25-1/2" scale
Ultra-access cutaway
EMG active 81/85 pickups
Volume/volume/tone controls
3-way pickup switch
Grover tuners
Abalone binding and gothic cross fretboard inlays
TonePros tune-o-matic bridge with thru-body design

Sound : 10
I play mostly metal and classic rock and this guitar is so perfect for these styles. This thing can scream for solos. You can also get a thick rythym sound as well. Currently I am using a Boss GT-8 through a Peavy amp and I also record direct to a digial multitrack recorder.

Action, Fit, & Finish : 9
I have NEVER had a guitar setup so wonderfully right out of the box. It was even perfectly in tune. I will give this a 9 since the action was a little high but other than that it was perfect.

Reliability/Durability : 10
This baby is built to last and that is only typical of Schecter.

Customer Support : No Opinion
Haven't had to used CS.

Overall Rating : 10
I have been playing on and off for several years and I have had my share of guitars. This one is the best I have ever owned and for the price its truly a steal. I love the feel of the guitar. The neck is so easily playable. I have never owned a guitar that I felt so confortable soloing on. It just seems to fly. Since it does not have a FR I will likely purchase a whammy pedal for that effect.


Product: Schecter C-1 Hellraiser
Price Paid: USD 850 USED
Submitted 05/09/2007 at 08:25am by Mark Simmons

Features : 8
First of all most of the people don't know the difference between the "Schecter C-1 FR model" and "Schecter C-1 Hellraiser FR" models. Although they look same from a distance, there are big differences between these guitars.

"C-1 FR" has Duncan Designed active pickups (quite poor!), maple 24 frets neck (bolt-on), dot inlays and tremolo is licenced (see a picture at http://www.schecterguitars.com/hr.asp?id=178). RRP is 649$

"C-1 Hellraiser FR" (please see a picture at http://www.schecterguitars.com/hr.asp?id=141) has 24 frets w/ cross inlays, mahogany body and set mahogany neck, beautiful abalone binding on the body, an original Floyd Rose tremolo (not licensed) and 2 EMG 81/60 active humbuckers. RRP is 1149$

My C-1 Hellraiser FR came in black (there is also black cherry version available). Made in South Korea (2006), but do not let this fool you, this is not one of the usual crappy import guitars you see everywhere (especially not like Chinese Dean guitars!). This guitar is built with an exceptional workmanship. I bought this by pure chance (saw in a shop, fell in love and bought it), it was one of my best decisions ever. Frets are probably Dunlop (or very similar in quality), they are jumbo. Neck is straight as an arrow and the action is low without any rattles. This is an excellent neck if you are into lead guitar, I can easily say it is one of the best necks that I've ever seen.

I give 8/10 because of a personal dislike, I really don't fancy cross inlays. Maybe if they were all white that would be cool but I think they look ugly like this. Playability of the neck is 100%, I just don't like the look of the inlays.

Sound : 10
Guitar has two properly fitted and adjusted active EMG pickups. How does it sound? It sounds great as it should be. These are the hottest heavy metal pickups (after Seymour Duncan Dimebuckers). They are very silent and very strong at the same time. Full bright tones on bridge and the typical sharp tele sound on neck. Excellent shred tones.

Action, Fit, & Finish : 9
Top of the guitar is gorgeous. Abalone bindings are high quality and fitted very carefully. I am looking at it right now and I cannot see even one flaw on the guitar. Everything fitted and finished properly.

Reliability/Durability : No Opinion
Guitar looks stable, but it would not be fair if I write here something because this will be bedroom guitar for at least another 2 months. But it looks very solid.

There is no tuning problem as it has original Floyd and top locking nuts.

Customer Support : No Opinion
never dealt with them

Overall Rating : 8
I mainly use an Dean USA Razorback but since I am not 18 years old anymore, I cannot carry the fucking Razorback, it is heavy as hell. That was the reason; I was looking for an "usual" guitar, alder or mahogany, lightweight but good sound. I found this Schecter by pure chance, while passing a guitar shop in LA. I never had a Schecter before, because I was always after reverse headstocked Ibanez guitars, V Dean's or explorer ESP guitars. I play guitar since 1992 and this is my first "real" super strat. I had 2 Korean Ibanez super strats before but this Schecter is really something else.

I am really impressed by the overall quality of this monster. It has an incredible sustain, sounds extraordinarily good, all components are very high quality and great workmanship. If there was an ESP name on the headstock, that guitar would easily sell for 2500$.

Go find one and shred.


Product: Schecter C-1 Hellraiser
Price Paid: USD 899
Submitted 04/30/2007 at 07:41am by Samael's Ash

Features : 9
Mine came in black satin finish. Body is mahogany without any maple topping (red ones have maple top), there is black pearloid binding on the body. Guitar is set 3pc mahogany/rosewood neck, 24 frets, black plastic binding, cross inlays, good quality jumbo frets. Headstock has block Grover tuners, plus a string retainer bar and top locking nuts.

Guitar has very well fitted EMG 81 (bridge) and EMG 85 (neck) active humbuckers, 2 volume knobs and a tone knob. Selector is 3 way. The tremolo unit is an all original Floyd Rose (not a licensed one) and works great.

All hardware is black. To me, guitar looks really cool.


Sound : 10
Out of this world. Guitar is definitely made for heavy style music, it handles nearly everything that a metal-head like me could ever wanted. I really don't see a point making comments for these pickups, everybody knows how EMG 81/85 brotherhood can create totally destructive sound and these pickups are really fitted well on the guitar, so they work great. No background garbage at all, very silent and response you get from the pickups is amazing.

Absolutely fantastic sound, supported by very long-live sustain, thanks to set neck construction.

If you like 70's rock or blues or that kinda shit where you will need some moderate pickups, look elsewhere. This guitar is made for heavy metal.

Action, Fit, & Finish : 7
Action was perfect when it came. 12th fret action is still 1.3mm for treble and 1.8mm for bass, I did not change anything because it plays very good. I am really happy with the fast low action on this one. It is not as good as my Jackson soloist but it is OK. Low enough.

Only 2 flaws that I can see and they are both on the neck. 24th fret has a little extra glue and one of the cross inlays is little out of it's place. But honestly they are not big flaws and they don't effect the playability anyway.

Finish is flawless. I am looking at the guitar right now and I cannot see even one flaw on the body.

Reliability/Durability : No Opinion
This is brand new, according to the serial, it is made in 03/07. So, we will see. But overall, it looks like a tank and finish looks good too. Also it has original Floyd Rose so it stays in tune 24/7.

Customer Support : 10
I bought this from Strings And Things. They were very friendly and guitar is under warranty for 1 year...

Overall Rating : 9
I am playing since 1991 and honestly, I have never seen an import guitar like this, I am really impressed by the quality and the playability of this Schecter. Workmanship is great.

Sound/sustain is exceptional. Finish is totally flawless. Playability is %99 with very smooth low action. If this guitar had a 'made in USA' stamped, it would easily sell for 2000$.

I give 9/10 because I really did not like the cross inlays, I really don't know why they put thse nasty inlays ona beautiful guitar like this. Plus body binding material could be something else, white/black pearloid is such a bad idea on a black guitar like this.

Good points:
- Good set neck construction and seamless body/neck joint
- Playability of the neck
- High quality frets
- EMG 81/85 active pickups
- Original Floyd Rose tremolo
- Easy access to higher frets

Bad points:
- Body binding material (although binding is flawless, pearloid doesn't look good)
- Cross inlays


Product: Schecter C-1 Hellraiser
Price Paid: UNKNOWN
Submitted 02/23/2007 at 11:10pm by 23

Features : 8
Features are already laid out in detail by others. I bought the guitar because I wanted to be able to quickly swap in and out various types of emg pickups using the quick connectors.

Right now I have an HA (alnico single coil) in the neck with the 85 in the bridge. This for me is a much better combination than the 85/81. I couldn't get much of a feel for the 81 but then I am not into metal. HA is GREAT for cleans on this guitar.

I am thinking about setting it up with two single coils H abd HA.

Sound : 8
I can get a range of different sounds by using different emg's. The original sound was too heavy metal for me but I knew that going in. As I said my purpose in buying this was to be able to change to a wide variety of emg's.

Action, Fit, & Finish : 7
Good frets and finish. The action was a tad bit high for my tastes but that easily remedied.

Reliability/Durability : 8
Seems pretty solid though the finish scratches easily.

Customer Support : No Opinion
Don't know.

Overall Rating : 8
I have been playing for more than 20 years. I play alt-rock, post punk type stuff.

I wish this came with the spc and exg options that give emg pickups a greater range of tones.

This is a really solid well-built guitar for the money and I like the emg's with the quick change connector. It is great to be able to set this up with such a wide range of sounds.

I have to admit to not being crazy about the abalone binding. I bought this on the internet and that was more pronounced than I expected....of course you buy the guitar for sound and quality not primarily for looks.

I would certainly buy this again.


Product: Schecter C-1 Hellraiser
Price Paid: UNKNOWN
Submitted 12/28/2006 at 09:44am by Arachnophobia

Features : 8
Double cutaway, arched mahogany body finished in gloss black with black fittings and black pearl edge binding (very nice). Bridge is of the tunomatic type with through body stringing, pickups being active EMG81/85 combination. Neck is mahogany with a 24 fret rosewood fretboard and is sculptured to look like a through neck (I don't think it is though), 25 1/2 inch scale and machineheads are Grover. It has 2 volume and 1 tone control. This is a heavy guitar and may not suit some people. There is no bag or case supplied, which I would expect (the shop I bought it from supplied a gig bag free - good on them)

Sound : 8
Being fitted with EMG active pickups it is most suitable for metal and does that very well. Clean sounds are achievable but you have to roll the volume controls right off on the guitar to avoid distortion from the preamps and up the volume on the amp, a bit of a pain if you're playing a song that includes both as it difficult to maintain the same volume. The bass is very tight and punchy with no hint of booming but I found cut through on the treble a bit lacking (unusual for EMGs). It loses 2 marks for not being very adaptable - it's a metal guitar and that's it!

Action, Fit, & Finish : 7
This is where the guitar was let down the most. The bottom E string rattles like hell and it is impossible to get rid of by changing the set up (unless you go for a 4mm string height!). The frets are dressed and have a very flat crown profile, which might contribute to this. (My guess is the nut is too low. I had the same problem with an Ibanez and once I shimmed the nut I could get a really low action without buzz or rattle). Other than that the set up wasn't bad - the battery was half flat, which made the pickups lose a bit clarity. The high gloss black finish looks awesome when new but easily scratches and being black it's easy to see.

Reliability/Durability : 8
As I've said the finish is delicate and would look rough if gigged regularly but that's just cosmetics. It has quality fittings (bar the nut) and pickups so I don't see why it shouldn't be reliable for gigging (don't forget a spare battery though).

Customer Support : 2
This was bought in the UK and are difficult to get here. I'm not sure Schecter honor their US lifetime guarantee here, neither did the UK distributors. I had no tools with mine and e-mailed Schecter to see if there was an online manual for setup info. I got no reply ......

The only customer support I got was from the shop I bought it from and that was exceptional (10/10).

Overall Rating : 7
I've been playing about 3 years and have had Epiphones and Ibanez as my main guitars. My Ibanez RG370 costs around 225 pounds and bar the EMGs I can't see why the Schecter costs twice as much - the neck and fretwork on the Ibanez is much better. I like the tightness of the EMGs but that's the pickups not the guitar. I wouldn't buy another one. I've just bought a PRS SE singlecut at the same price as the Schecter and that leaves the C1 for dead. If you just play metal maybe this is the guitar for you but otherwise there is better guitars in my opinion


Product: Schecter C-1 Hellraiser
Price Paid: UNKNOWN
Submitted 11/24/2006 at 05:54pm by Bruce A
Email: crzyguy1234<at>sbcglobal dot net

Features : 10
CONSTRUCTION/SCALE: Set-Neck w/ Ultra Access /25.5???
BODY: Mahogany, Quilted Maple Top
NECK/FINGERBOARD: 3-pc. Mahogany/Rosewood
FRETS: 24 X-Jumbo
INLAYS: Abalone ???Gothic Cross???
PICKUPS: EMG active 81 / 85
ELECTRONICS: Vol/Vol/Tone/3-Way
BRIDGE: TonePros TOM w/ thru-body
BINDING: Abalone
TUNERS: Grover
HARDWARE: Black Chrome
COLOR: Black or Cherry (BCH)

Sound : 10
Beautiful sound. Perfect for heavey metal and blazing leads like joe satriani and john petrucci. You can also shred hard with this guitar a la Marty Friedman and Jason Becker and Freasecco Ferrari. Also has nice highs and lows. The active pickups are a big plus, no hum and brilliant sound. I use this guitar with a Boss ME50 or with my peavey Transtube 212 with a Marshall 2x12 cab. On clean, this guitar is sparkly. I wouldnt recommed this guitar for blues tho, haha. Its to metal. I love everything about this guitar beucase I play 100% metal. \m/

Action, Fit, & Finish : 9
The action was to high for my liking so I sent it to a Pro Shop to get it lowered, after that it was the best! I raised the pickups a bit only because I like a hot sound. The wood is so smooth and it looks brilliant. The only problem I had was that there was a ttttiiiny mark on the headstock on the corner. It's unnotible though so it's all good. The trussrod is also dual action (which schecter doesnt mention), which is great. The inlays also look real nice.

Reliability/Durability : 10
Deffinately a show-stopper guitar. I immediately put on locking strap buttons because of safety. I havent had a problem with this guitar since I bought it a year ago. I've emailed customer support a couple times and they responded!!! It was great.

Customer Support : 10
I emailed Schecter once about adjusting my trussrod and they helped me through the whole way. There good people who care (sounds really lame but there good guys).

Overall Rating : 10
I've been playing for 3 yrs and I have many other guitars. This is one of the best I have. If it was stolen I'd buy it again. The best part is the low action you can get and the active pickups, NOTHING bets active pickups. I was deciding between this guitar and an Ibanez JEM. I tried the schecter and lovd it from the start. The JEM didn't have enough rythym to it I felt.


Product: Schecter C-1 Hellraiser
Price Paid: US $650
Submitted 06/22/2006 at 10:22am by edwin
Email: edwingarciarios<at>gmail dot com

Features : 10
-2006 - korea
-24 X Jumbo Frets (dont feel much different from the ibanez Jumbo)
-Black with Beautiful abalone binding which you can only see on the side.
-one tone two volume black metal knobs
-EMG 81 and 85, 9V batery powered
-Solid Mahogany, unlike the red cherry model which uses a Maple top I think, so this one sounds a tad darker, not really very noticeable.
-tones pro bridge, string through (makes it a lot bassier than the Floyd Rose model)
-Set Neck, not too thin not too thick, comparable with a Wizard II or prestihe ibanez neck with tighter string spacing, extremly confortable and fast. higher frets are very accesible since it has virtually no heel joint.
-No case included, came with the regular tools and a cheap cable (very stupid since you are buying a high end guitar and they send you a 99 cent cable.
-Grover tunners which are not locking but Very acurate on the turning ratio.

Sound : 10
Perfect for Prograssive a la Dream Theater and killer for that metallica tone. The EMGs are very responsive on the Bass frequencies like 600hz and lower and also on the high frequencies 4Mhz and higher so they give you a natural scooped sound, very articulate for soloing and sounds very chunky for riffing, but i would not recomend them for Bluesy stuff, Dimarzio Breeds are much better for that, EMGs can pull it off with EQing but there are better pickups for that. Also sounds great for jazz. The mahogany gives it a nice dark sound...sounds almost the same as a Gibson LP standard with a lot more gain. The tone control affects the tone lightly unlike fender gitars that when you tun the knob half way it kills the sound.

a very very nice sounding guitar. Obviously meant to rival Gibsons, specifically the Zack Wylde model. They sound almost the same but the hellraiser giver you a faster eck and a bunch of money to spare.

Action, Fit, & Finish : No Opinion
Although made in Korea, all of them are setup in the USA. Setup is preference driven, but it came with a staight neck, well tuned bridged and relatively low action...very usable....I loaded it with .008's re aranged the neck and tuned the bridge to precision in only one hour and 20 mins...try to do that with a floating tremolo.

The pickups were very well adjusted, no flaws on the paint, BEAUTIFUL abalone binding on the side which you cannot see in pictures. This is a beautiful guitar indeed.

Reliability/Durability : No Opinion
the set neckmakes it suceptible to heat so NEVERleave it in the car in the sun, the black hardware seems very sturdy, the finish is glossy black so youll get fingerprints all over it all of the time. Never gig w/out a back up, but if i had to, i would gig with this one and not my RG prestige just because it doesnt has a tremolo.

Customer Support : No Opinion

Overall Rating : 10
Playing for 10 years, Play the guitar through a Marshall 25 anniversary, also own other ibanez's, Jackson's, Epiphone's....etc. you will NEVER find a better sounding or features loaded non-trem guitar up to 1500's than this one. if your are on a budget buy this guitar, if you have lots of money, buy this guitar. People are afraid because schecter is not such a big name... you should take advantage of that, in a couple of years, all of their guitars will be $1000 or more, youll see.


Product: Schecter C-1 Hellraiser
Price Paid: 799 (EUROS)
Submitted 03/12/2006 at 08:41pm by Sam
Email: VulpesDomination at web<dot>de

Features : 10
24 extra jumbo frets
Black finish
Mahogany body
Mahogany neck
Vol, Vol, Tone-controls
EMG pickups (81 &8 5)
Tune-O-Matic bridge
Grover Tuners
Neck scale 25.5"

Got the recommendation to go for this brand from a friend from the states.

Sound : 10
I mostly play the tech-deathmetal-thing(necrophagist,origin etc.)
...stuff where you need enough gain but transparency though.
I'm using a Randall RH100-g2 with an old Hughes&Kettner 4x12 Ax-cabinet.
Nothing particular concerning the effects.
I don't play so much clean-stuff but i like the sound that i get.
I love the highgain sound..fits my style perfectly.This guitar is perfect for lead playing.

but don't exspect too much if you dislike active-PU-sound...


Action, Fit, & Finish : 10

Schecter guitars are perfect if you tune down low.
the factory setup is way above good,but if you(or someone else) adjust the neck etc.you can go from
drop tuning to...somewhere else :)- definately low as f*ck.
(I got those fat Zakk Wylde 11-70. strings & use Drop-B tuning)
and there're no flaws.everythings allright.

Reliability/Durability : 10
Anything on this axe looks/feels so good.Lets see how it looks in 3 years(after intensive shows/touring).
anyway..those guys know what they craft...and the fact that they give you a lifetime-warranty is a good argument that your axe will last!

so 10-points for that!



Customer Support : No Opinion
haven't dealt with the guys from schecter yet.
But they provide lifetime-warranty.
Ok it would be a bit exspensive/risky for me to send it back
from germany to the schecter-research-center.

Overall Rating : 10
I played alot of guitars during the last years (from cheap nonames to ESP customs)and if you get the chance to play this one,
you would agree that it feels and sounds(and looks) like a guitar that could cost much more than the real price.

so get one and "raise"some"hell" before its too late :)


Product: Schecter C-1 Hellraiser
Price Paid: US $599
Submitted 02/02/2006 at 01:37pm by John
Email: ratboy422 at yahoo<dot>com

Features : 9
year: 2005
24 extra jumbo frets
Black: Soild Mahogany body. Quilt top: Maple top, Mahogany body.
Controls: Vol, Vol, Tone
Pickups: EMG 81 Bridge, 85 Neck
Neck: Mahogany neck with a rosewood fretboard. "Gothis cross" inlays
Finishes: Black Cheary quilt top, Black
Bridge: Tune-O-Matic
Tuners: Grover
Neck scale: 25.5"

Sound : 8
I have the Black finish which is all mahogany so that could give a little darker of a sound. For the most part guitars with 81/85 sets have the same tone. One thing i found out is that is dosent sound to good with a B52 AT100 or AT212.

Action, Fit, & Finish : 10
I work for a shop so i tech all my guitars so that they play right with 11s in Drop C tunning. Schecter for the most part have great setups. I like a lower action and a flater neck the the factory setup, But still good. One this i did like was the intoition (sorry i suck at spelling). It was dead on. Ive played over 100 schecters and found two that had a setup or electronic problem.

Reliability/Durability : 9
Ask me in 2 years. Ive seen a few older schecter and they hold up well.

Customer Support : 10
I deal with Schecter all the time. They has some of the best customer support ive ever had to deal with. If you ever have a problem call them and they will take care of you.

Overall Rating : 10
Like i said i work for a shop and the only gibson dealer in Idaho. I get to play on a lot of gear. My other guitars are a Gibson Les Paul Voodoo and a Schecter Gryphon. My Hellraiser is by far the one i play the most.
I think schecter is probley the best bet if you want a good guitar and dont want to pay some fat, overpayed american to make you an over priced guitar. Now im not saying dont buy a gibson or a PRS if you have the money, but if you dont get a Schecter over an Epiphone or Mexi Fender anyday.


Product: Schecter C-1 Hellraiser
Price Paid: $1300 (AUS)
Submitted 01/23/2006 at 01:26am by PORKI

Features : 9
All the features are listed at the Schecter website. Beautiful Black Cherry finish which under lights absolutely glows!EMG pickups sound excellent, great for fat metal riffs. The neck is probably a bit fat for my liking (used to have an ibanez Jem, although the transition from neck to body is smooth as. NEVER goes out of tune. NEVER.
Also scratches really easily

Sound : 10
Upgrading to a Line 6 Spider 212, and this guitar blows everything else away!
I tried the amp in the shop and people left because they couldn't handle it!
Huge variety of sounds from an Eric Johnson strat tone to fat, death metal distortion. No buzz whatsoever.
Not so great clean though....

Action, Fit, & Finish : 8
The action was way too high when I purchased it, not a hard thing to fix.Only problem was a small crack in the abalone finish on the topside of the neck near the 22nd fret, doesnt do anything to sound quality. Came set up with a new battery, which i didnt expect.

Reliability/Durability : 10
had it for 9 months and the only thing that went wrong is the volume knob came loose

Customer Support : No Opinion
Havent dealt with schecter

Overall Rating : 9
benn playing for 3 years and this guitar is the best i've owned. I practise at least 10 hours a day and this guitar keeps me going.
I love the finish!


Product: Schecter C-1 Hellraiser
Price Paid: US $600.00
Submitted 01/22/2006 at 10:50pm by mike

Features : 9
I got the black finish with the the all mahogany body. I wanted the maple top model but was told it would be a couple month wait. I play in a cover band on weekends and needed something for the heavier drop tuned songs. My main guitars are a 2004 Les Paul Standard and a 2005 American Standard Tele (with Graphtech Ghost piezo saddles installed) through a Mesa Dual Rectifier with the 2x12 cab. I was getting sick of tuning up and down in the middle of the set. I didn't want to spend another 1000-2000 dollars for a guitar I only needed for 5 or 6 songs. The Les Paul is still my favorite out the bunch but when I detune say for something like Kashmir (D-A-D-G-A-D) all the other strings go sharp so I end up having to tune all 6 strings even if only 2 or 3 need to be detuned. The tuners on the Schecter are solid as a rock. I still tune all 3 guitars between each set but my Fender American Series Tele and Schecter are completely solid tuning-wise. I plan to replace the LP tuning pegs.

Sound : 9
The Hellraiser has the EMG active 81/85s. I got the guitar specifically for the drop tuned heavier stuff on our setlist. The cleans aren't that great but the bridge pickup had a bit jazzier feel than I expected. People are right about the cleans IMO but I'm not thrilled with my Mesa's clean channel either and figure that's part of the problem. I have a small 40 watt Fender Blues Deluxe that's way better clean but don't feel like dragging both amps to gigs. The pickups are perfect for what I needed so I rate them high even if there's not as much tonal variety as some of my other guitars.

Action, Fit, & Finish : 10
Set neck but it feels better and has better access to the upper frets than either of my neck-throughs. I've had this guitar for a year now and can't find one single flaw in the craftsmanship. I looked at everything when deciding on my Les Paul a few years ago. (I debated on going with 3 Schecters instead) I decided on the LP but the Schecters really stuck out to me as a lot of guitar for the money when I was hunting for a new one.
Plain black finish. Nice Binding that can only be seen from the top.
I wanted to stay away from batteries but I only changed them once after about 8 months and they didn't even need it. Hasn't been any trouble. Setup was great right out of the box.

Reliability/Durability : 10
I've used this on the road for almost a year and it seems very solid and durable. I replaced the strap buttons with straplocks and can't say enough good about it. For the cash it is the nicest stuff I've seen if you are in the 500-600 dollar price range

Customer Support : No Opinion

Overall Rating : 10


Product: Schecter C-1 Hellraiser
Price Paid: US $500
Submitted 09/20/2005 at 04:27am by Ben

Features : 10
This guitars features kick ass it was a bass model in 2004. This guitar is korean made to higher standards then any us guitar I have ever played. It has 24 full frets that are so comfortable with a falmaed top and a 3 piece set neck. emg active pick ups so sweet tone can get nearly any guitar tone with it. I love the tone pros bridge stays in tune like no tomorrow. and only 500 or so are suppose to be made throughout the world.

Sound : 10
Thing is the best. Really any player can love this guitar even die hard fender fans and they dont even know what they want!!!! So quite on high gain amps and is real responsive. rich full and bright sound you can change it whereevere however. no dislikes and alot of likes!!!!!

Action, Fit, & Finish : 10
The intonation is untouchable and the feel is great. The action is nearly perfect for any player and its just awsome!!!! NO flaws at all!

Reliability/Durability : 10
I have showed/toured with it it has been thrown tossed(never hit the ground) It can take the abuse quite well. I reccomend going to strap locks on any guitar though. Especially if you play metal and rock out!!!!

Customer Support : 8
They kept pushing the ship date forward like the other guy said. Just dont expect to get it for like a month and a half. But it is well worth the wait!!! warranty is nice ansd schecter stands behind there guitars.

Overall Rating : 10
I have been playing 13 years now and can rock out with the best of them. This is a very versatile guitar. I own a mesa triple rect the old two channel and a new 3 channel(the two channel sounds better) I also have a genz benz eldiablo head with the matching genz cabs and 3 mesa 4x12 recto cabs and on the side have a line 6 pod xt live pedal and a boss gt-8 with a fender mh head and cab. I also have another marshal cab with vintage greenbacks. I know my tone!!!!! I would buy three more of these guitars if it ever got stolen. I wish it had an orginal floyd rose but in 2006 there going to have them so yeah im buying another!@!!!!!!


Product: Schecter C-1 Hellraiser
Price Paid: US $599
Submitted 09/10/2005 at 12:47am by Anonymous
Email: ratboy422 at yahoo<dot>com

Features : 10
The features are the same as listed below but I would like to point out that the black one is all mahogany and quilt top has well a quilted maple top. I havent played the quilt top to see if its any brighter. The coolest feature is by far the binding. You can only see it from the side and not the top.

Sound : 10
I play bad metal and this is a metal guitar. The ZW pick ups are mean. Im running a Crate XT120R and a Metal Zone pedal. I dont konw if im an active pick up fan. Lot of string noise, but damn thats hot output.

Action, Fit, & Finish : 10
Schecters are made in Korea, the same country that brought us the Hundai and korea-pop. But I will give those 12 year old Korean boys and girls one thing, they make one kick ass guitar. The one thing that sets Schecter and Daisy Rock (owned by the wife of the dude that owns Schecter) apart is that they all go through a 40 min set up. I have never played one that wasent "set up" (that a personal pref.) good. And after flating the neck and lowering the bridge she play nice with 11s.

Reliability/Durability : No Opinion
I havent owned it long enuf to know how it will last. The only bitch i have is that the finish scratches easy.

Customer Support : 10
Now I work for a shop and they hook me up so I might not be the best one to ask. One thing that i can add, J.P. the VP, is the guy who answers the phones for us and he is cool as hell. Every guitar ive had to order comes 2-3 weeks early, thats cool.

Overall Rating : 10
I cant stress it enuf, Schecters are the best guitar for the money. I doubt im going to keep the ZW set in there, instead im going with a passive pick up, just my thing. But yeah, buy this guitar it rules.


Product: Schecter C-1 Hellraiser
Price Paid: US $650
Submitted 04/24/2005 at 02:05pm by Anonymous
Email: bottles_23 at yahoo<dot>com

Features : 10
CONSTRUCTION/SCALE: Set-Neck w/ Ultra Access /25.5?
BODY: Mahogany, Quilted Maple Top
NECK/FINGERBOARD: 3-pc. Mahogany/Rosewood
FRETS: 24 X-Jumbo
INLAYS: Abalone ?Gothic Cross?
PICKUPS: EMG active 81 / 85
ELECTRONICS: Vol/Vol/Tone/3-Way
BRIDGE: TonePros TOM w/ thru-body
BINDING: Abalone
TUNERS: Grover
HARDWARE: Black Chrome
COLOR: Black Cherry (BCH)

Sound : 10
This is a metal guitar! I love the Zak Wylde pick up combination. I heard that the EMG active pickups were not that good for cleans. But after tweaking my amp settings, I was able to get a very good clean sound. Also the distortion from these pick ups is very smooth! I love it.

Action, Fit, & Finish : 10
Everything is perfect! This is a bueatiful guitar! It feels and looks like money. I thought the Abalone border would look a little cheesy based on the pics I saw online before I ordered this. However none of the pics did this guitar justice. It looked better then I expected and the Abalone border added a bit of classiness to the guitar.

Reliability/Durability : No Opinion
Ive only had this guitar for a few days. Too early to comment.

Customer Support : 2
Schecter sucks. They kept pushing the ship date of this guitar. Whenever I called them, it never seemed like they really wanted to talk to me. I almost chose to buy a diff guitar. Luckily they finally shipped and Im glad I waited.

Overall Rating : 10
I love tis guitar! It is bueatiful and it plays awsome. Highly reccomend it!

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