Schecter C-7 Blackjack

Mine is a 2008 made in Korea like all of them are. Most of the features are already mentioned below I'm sure. They're all great and make this guitar seem like it should be much more expensive than it is. It plays great and feels great to play. The only issue I have with the features is that they could've added some cooler inlays on the neck instead of just boring old dots.

I bought this guitar specifically because it suits my musical style perfectly(and also because most other 7 strings out there are such crap). I play progressive metal and I try to go for as full and clear a tone as possible(I hate scooped out nu-metal tones). The wood and pickup configuration are perfect for this.

I play through a B52 100watt half stack and this guitar can produce a massive and heavy tone. Very clear. I have a BBE Sonic Maximizer in the loop but its really more for the amp than the guitar. The sustain from this guitar is great. I have another guitar with EMG's in it and the Blackjack's sustain is just about equal to it. The Duncan JB is probably the best pickup I've ever used on any guitar too. Besides all the sustain and output it has a great amount of punch in the upper mids that make it great for articulate lead playing and powerful riffs. The '59 in the neck is just sweet. It has really warm lows and enough mid range body and output to cut through the mix of instruments. Both pickups are also very nice in their split mode on this guitar(which is one of the best features in my opinion).

No noise to speak of. Any feedback is perfectly controllable even standing directly facing my amp at high volumes. I suppose there could be different experiences depending on how clean the power is in a particular building. I compared this to my schecter 007 elite which has the same wood, neck joint and bridge pickup and I found the Blackjack to be a bit brighter sounding. The neck on the Blackjack is also an inch longer and noticeably thinner which makes for slightly faster playing. I'd say with the coil tapping and humbucking modes this is an extremely versatile instrument. Great for distorted or clean playing.

Here is where I have to complain about the Blackjack a bit. Mine was not set up very well out of the box. I bought it brand new and when I got it the action was way too low. I had buzzing on the entire neck. I ended up having to loosen the truss rod considerably and although this helped with the buzzing, the action is still slightly lower than I'd like it. This is mostly due to the fact that they bridge can only be raised to a certain height. The problem is mostly fixed but I am a little disappointed. The bridge on my other schecter is much more adjustable. Also the strings that came with the guitar are crap. I guess it's a given that you'll need to change strings on any new guitar but it's kind of annoying that manufacturers won't spring a few extra bucks for decent strings on a brand new guitar. The customer will end up paying for them anyway.

Seems just as reliable as my other two schecters( 007 elite and Damien 7). Schecter makes very good quality guitars. The Blackjack is a professional-level guitar in my opinion; given its construction and all its features.

I've been playing for 14 years and I'm slowly making my way towards buying all good quality gear. All my schecters are great guitars and very reasonably priced. I love how the blackjack plays and since I've been playing schecter 7 strings for the past few years it was an easy choice to go with this one. The only thing it really lacks is cool looking inlays which I mentioned above. The guitar looks so cool anyway but the inlays would've just made it more complete. What I like most about it are the pickups. For some reason all the company's that make 7 string models are making them with active pickups like EMG's or Duncan Blackouts. And while they are good for noise cancellation and sustain, I've come to the conclusion over the years that you can't beat the organic quality of passive pickups if you're trying to play outside the genres of death and thrash metal. The Blackjack is one of the only good quality guitars I could find with high end passive pickups like Duncans. I'm glad I was able to find one and buy it. Very satisfied.

*Made in 2007 or 2008 in South Korea
*24 X-Jumbo Frets
*1 volume, 1 tone (not that good), 5-way slector
*2 Humbuckers passive pickups: Seymour Duncan '59 Neck PU, JB Bridge PU
*Mahogany Body (pretty light even if it's Mahogany), Maple Neck (Set Neck), Rosewood Fingerboard
*Black Gloss Carved top finish
*Standard Body Style (w/easy access to higher frets)
*Tone Pros Tune-O-Matic string-thru body Bridge
*Grover Tuners
*26.5" scale neck (pretty fat neck)
*Price include SCHECTER CASE


PROS:
*Finish
*Construction
*Fingerboard
*Easy access for higher frets
*Tuners
*Pick-ups
*String-thru body bridge
*Mahogany Body
*26.5" neck scale for lower tuning "stability"

CONS:
*I would like to have more finish options and an extra volume pot, for on/off effects.
*Pretty fat neck
*Cheap case

I use my C-7 Blackjack with a Carvin Legacy 100W amp w/4x12" Legacy cab. I also tried it with my Tech 21 Trademark 60.

Here's my settings for my Carvin:

Reverb at 5-6

Clean Channel
Treble 7.5
Mid 7
Bass 7.5
Presence knob ON

Distortion Channel
Presence 4
Treble 7
Mid 7.5
Bass 7
Drive 8-9.5

Here's my main pedalboard (as in chain):
Boss TU-2 > Morley Bad Horsie Wah > Boss NS-2 (Send to Chorus Ensemble-Returm from Phase 90) > MXR Supercomp > Electro Harmonix Big Muff Pi (USA) > B.K. Butler Tube Driver (OD) > B.K. Butler Tube Driver (w/Extra Bias Knob) (Mild OD or Clean boost) > Xotic AC Plus > Xotic RC Booster > MXR Phase 90 EVH > Boss CE-5 > Boss PS-5 > T-Rex Tremster > Boss FV-300L > Boss DD-3


The clean sound is very "massive". It sounds more like a Gibson, with the mahogany body you have a really bassy massive sound. Very versatile. This guitar fills the gap between my Fender Fat-Strat USA (w/Fender noiseless singlecoils & Seymour Duncan JB Bridge PU) and my Jackson King-V USA (Seymour Duncan '59 Neck PU & JB Bridge PU).

The distorted sound is great, but I think it lacks a bit of "heavyness" when I compare it with my Jackson(with same PU). It seems like it doesn't "take" the distortion sound as much as my 6-string Jackson... but I also compare it to a 2000$ guitar... so it's not that bad ! But for the rest it's really great. It doesn't sound muddy at all, real crispy and tight high ends with great mids and lows (but that's also the work of my Carvin amp... but it has the same great qualities with my Tech 21). I also have to say that this guitar has a "grainy" sound, you really hear the wood resoning and that's really great... I think that the string-thru body bridge really helps on that ! ;op

I also tried it with a metal distortion pedal and it sounds really great and really heavy.

and I tried it with my other overdrives and distortions and it responds really well !!! (BK Tube Drivers, Xotic AC Plus and EH Big Muff).

My main goal when I purchased this guitar was to play Dream Theater, Nervermore, Mercenary and Steve Vai songs. But it will also help me when I'll compose new songs. I really like the low and mid frequencies (in general) and the Extra low "B" string is perfect for me ! I'm pretty sure that this guitar could be really versatile (Blues, Rock, Jazz, progressive and Metal). It really suits my style.


I think that for the price YOU CAN'T HAVE A BETTER 7-STRING GUITAR !!! This guitar can easily be compared with any 700$-1600$ guitars from Well-know brands. It's really well made for a guitar in this price range (500$-700$). My only "dislikes" are about the fat-neck (it's not too fat, but it's bigger than my Jackson's neck) and the lack of "distortion" when the distortion channel is ON(but that's maybe my amp or the pick-ups).

PROS:
*see "Features"
*Versatility
*Massive sound


CONS:
*see "features"
*Lack of "distortion" with a distorted sound (at least with my amp)

* All was A1 when purchased

but I have a doubt about the body wood... because my guitar is really light for a "MAHOGANY BODY"... I hope this really is Mahogany !

I just bought it... so I cannot say but it seems well-made.

I play the guitar since 1995. I studied in jazz music but I play mostly rock, blues, progressive and metal music.

I own a Fender Fat-Strat USA, a Jackson King-V USA, a Simon&Patrick Mahogany Pro acoustic guitar and a Jasmine Classical guitar. My main amp is a Carvin Legacy 100W with a 4x12" Carvin Legacy CAB. I also own a lot of guitars pedals (see pedalboard in "Sound").

and this is my first 7-string guitar... but I was "shopping" since 2006... and I think this is the best 7-string guitar you can get for that price ! and another customer (in the Harmony-central reviews) also said that this guitar is better than his Carvin DC727... wich was the other guitar I was looking for ! But I didn't have the money for it because I wanted some customizations... and it would have cost me around 1700$ !!! and this guitar cost me 700$ so the choice was easy !

If I were stolen I would probably buy another one or buy the Hellraiser model. You simply can't buy this high quality 7string guitar below 1000$-1500$ with other brands !

My only BIG disappointment was the case... it's really cheap... the inside is really good-looking and neat, but the "whole case" is really cheap.

Made in Korea, 24 frets, 5-selector to pups, Seymour Duncan JB on the bridge, 59 on the neck. Mahogany body, maple/rosewood neck, all painted black except the white lining on the body, black chrome hardware, string-thru body bridge, 26,5" scale.

The guitar is very resonant and loud (even unplugged), very good sustain. I can play nicely jazz to grindcore with this axe. I'm running this through a Framus Cobra head and a Cobra cab. With them it sounds just huge and warm. The tone pot was a nice surprice, you can get with the neck pickup from very nice jazz tones to a little fuzzy sounding nightclub tones. So overall it's a very versatile guitar.

Very good set-up, I even could change the tuning to GCGCFAd without any additional adjusting. There seems to be some kind of problem with the pickup selector though. Sometimes when I switch from the neck back to bridge the sound goes away. Repeat this and it comes back. Somekind of faulty wiring I guess.

Very solidly built, except for the wiring for the pup-selector.

Never dealt with them.

I've been playing for about 10 years now, and this guitar is a major improvement to my last 7-string which was a Jackson DR-7T. If it was stolen, I would propably buy a new one. (There aren't so many good 7-strings around, especially in this price range). The neck is pretty thick, but nothing I can't manage. I chose the guitar based on the price/quality, and I would say I really got my money's worth.

Wow, what a pleasant surprise this guitar was! This C7 Blackjack is tremendous and loaded with great features. Here is the rundown

?Neck-Thru Body Construction
?7-String
?Mahogany woods
?Seymour Duncan USA Pickups (JB in the bridge, '59 in the neck)
?5-way selector for diverse tones
?Rosewood board
?26.5" scale (plays like a dream)
?24 frets
?String-Thru Body bridge

The guitar looks great. Beautiful glossy black finish with classy body binding. Schecter also did'nt skimp out with their components, the electronics, tuners, etc are all excellent. This is a class instrument all around.

I don't know what else you really could want feature wise. For this price you certainly couldn't have found any better.

I run my C7 Blackjack through the following setups:

1) Mesa/Boogie Rectifier Pre-Amp
Mesa/Boogie 50/50 Stereo Power-Amp

2) Peavey Ultra Plus 120w Tube Head

3) Line 6 Pod Pro

All using Mesa Recto Cabinetry.

Through any setup this guitar sounds phemoninal. The guitar is resonant, warm and full of tone. The quality construction, components and woods really help matters.

The Seymour Duncan pickups are excellent as well. I usually use Invaders, Distortions, Customs (or Dimarzio/EMG), but the JB pickup in the bridge sounds tremendous. It's extremely clear and bright, but also warm and heavy as well. It has a great mid-range bite and growl to it as well. I love the sound this thing produces!

As for the neck Duncan '59, it sounds very good as well but frankly I'm very bored with this pickup. This has come in the neck of a number of various USA made guitars I've owned over the years and I'm just sort of bored with it. Regardless, it does have a nice creamy thick lead tone and excellent cleans. The 5-way selector really can achieve some great clean sounds, especially in the 2 and 4 positions.

This guitar sounds thick, juicy, vibrant and cutting...while maintaing a unique sonic signature. Perfect for the different styles of rock, metal, etc I play in my various projects. I love it.

Perfect. This guitar came with the best setup job I've ever seen. The finish is the nicest gloss black I've seen. Very beautiful. Everything was set and adjusted perfectly - the neck especially. I was able to tune it down from standard to Bb (or even A) to mess around and it gave me no problems.

Most importantly, this is one of the best playing guitars I've ever played. It's very inspiring to sit down with this thing, a great creation or peformance tool.

Nothing more needs to be said, an easy 10 here.

Everything seems great here, but you don't play shows without a backup. No guitar deserves a 10 here.

-shrug-

I've owned dozens of other guitars over the years. I'd estimate around 50. Most of those were USA or high-end guitars. I was skeptical about an import such as this Schecter C7 Blackjack, but I am convinced that the work the South Koreans are doing over there at the Schecter factory is finally approaching the level of USA/Japanese craftsmanship. It feels crazy to say such a thing, but this is a class instrument all-around. It plays amazing, sounds amazing, looks great and is a joy to play.

I use this with a variety of metal/hard rock projects, everything from death-metal to rock. This guitar can honestly excel with ANY style of music. Jazz, blues, metal, rock, anything really. The diverse gorgeous tones this guitar produces and the extremely comfortable easy-to-play neck would befriend any would-be owner.

Schecter has impressed me yet again.

Set neck, extended scale 24 fret, 7-string, All mohagany body w/rock maple neck and rosewood fingerboard. All black chrome hardware. String through body bridge. Duncan JB and '59 pickups. All black high gloss, grover tuners. Came with extra string set, strap, free tshirt, and more

Suits all my music styles real well, thrash to mellow. Use it with a JCM2000 DSL100 with Keeley electronics compresser, modded SD-1 and clean boost. Very quiet, even with high gain settings. Huge sound, great tone and sustain for days. I can't find one darn thing that I don't love about this guitar.

Factory set-up is phenomenal. Better than any other guitar I've ever bought. Every thing from action to intonation to truss was set very well. Overall playability and finish far exceeded the money spent

The mohagany body is super light but the guitar reeks of solidness and toughness. I don't know exactly what it is about it, but it feels balanced and sturdy as h e double hockey sticks. It's solid contruction inspires confidence. I feel like I can count on it.

Answer emails fast. Schecter dealer I bought from was very accomodating and cool.

I've been playing for 15 years, and own a Parker Classic and a PRS CE-24 bolt on. I was looking for a guitar with a huge, terrifying sound, but also capable of sounding smooth and mellow too...this is it. Your jaw will drop to the floor when you hear the tone and sustain that this guitar has. I attribute this in part to the extended scale and string thru body bridge. I truly wasn't expecting a guitar of this quality for under 600 smackaroos. It's could sell for much more. I must say I was skeptical about ordering a guitar on line without having played it first, Korean made none the les. It must have been a truly well-though out guitar design, because it kicks any guitar's ass that I have ever played. I have fallen deeply in love with it and it has made me want to play guitar every day, not sure if that is a good thing or bad :)

This guitar was made in Korea. It has 24 jumbo frets, mahogany body, 26 1/2" maple neck (set neck), rosewood fretboard, gloss black finish, 1 volume, 1 tone, 5-way selector, real Seymour Duncan pickups, Tone Pros string-thru body bridge, non-locking Grover tuners.

I bought this guitar as a second axe (next to my Ibanez Universe). I play metal and was looking for an extended scale neck to drop as much as a whole step. (A, D, G, C, F, A, D). The set neck with the string-thru bridge gives the guitar great sustain. The stock (real) Seymour Duncans are very crisp which is critical when tuning so low. This guitar is a killer rythm axe, and sounds great for leads too. The clean tones are suprisingly rich and full with the neck pickup. I'm putting this guitar through a Peavy Bandit and a Crate Blue Voodoo, sounds great through both.

The guitar was made in Korea but set-up (very well) in the U.S. The action was a little low (easy to raise with the TonePros bridge). That was the only adjustment I needed to make with this guitar. The only finish flaw was a black mark in the creme binding but is hardly noticable. The guitar does play awesome. I'm really into shred, and I was able to get around pretty well on the neck; a little fat though. I love this guitar as a rythm guitar, and I feel comfortable soloing on it. Rythms on this guitar are very clear and almost growl unlike my Ibanez Universe which is somewhat muddy (stock pickups). However, I would take the Universe over this guitar for lead playing (thinner neck, scooped tone).

I am using this guitar in the studio for all rhythm tracks I record, and am using it in a band for both rhythm and lead. Everything is solid.

I have been playing for 7 years. My other main shred guitar is an Ibanez Universe. In looking for a Baritone 7-string, I found an affordable guitar that plays very well and sounds awesome. It is just a solid axe. The only thing I would change is the neck width. It is fat compared to the Universe neck. I was able to play the Schecter neck fine, but I still prefer the thinner Universe neck for leads. For rhythm, the Schecter sounds a lot better and will be used instead of the Universe.