Schecter C-7 Plus

7 string (low B added) two duncan designed humbuckers, hardtail, strung through body, tilt-back in-line headstock with a straight pull. One vol, One tone, 3 way switch. abalone and mop vector inlays. Carved flame maple top over two piece mahogany body, mahogony set neck. Body binding (creme), rosewood fretboard, jumbo frets, chrome hardware. Nice input jack that "snaps in". Black cherry colour. Double cutaway in a soloist shape. 24 frets. Knurled metal knobs.
Only miss seperate vol controls like a LP.

The sound is why I bought this. Sounds like a 7 string Les Paul only better. Why better? because even though it has a warm tone that is very paul-ish, the longer scale gives it a tighter low end and better string to string articulation.
The low B gives a strong growl that is very satisfying. The first postion is warm and balanced and the 12th position is as sweet as Santana on the rythm pickup.
These are good pickups by the way. Duncan designed means just that, they are seymour duncan pickups but they are assembled in asia to cut costs. They sound great with no noise problems.

This guitar was built in Korea, probably by Sammick in the late 90's. This is around the time when Korean guitars were becomming respected and the cheaper guitars were being produced in China. The guitar is put together very well with good electronics and good wood.
The good parts: the body is two piece with very tight grain that looks exactly like the grain on my Gibson. The neck is a nice grain and one piece. By contrast, my epi Lp made in korea in about '92 has a body laminated from 5 pieces of wood sporting a loose grain that looks more like oak than mahogany. Also, the top of the schecter is carved with appropriate variations in the flame that leads me to believe it is actually a piece of maple, not a paper thin veneer. Such veneers have impossibly straight and even flame that is typical of a flat top, not a carved top. The poly finish is flat and glossy and the colour is stained in, not painted on. The wieght is medium, feels like 8.5lbs.
The cost savers: The headstock is grafted onto the neck which is typical of asian guitars because they can put different headstocks onto a mass produced neck and they can get a tilt back design with less wood. It doesn't look nice but it is strong and well-done. Also, the inlays are sloppy. They are straight and the synthetic materials look good but the excess routing around the admittedly complex shapes is sloppy and filled in with clear filler. The binding has a bit of color on it near the edges and the colour around the neck joint becomes thick and more opaque in an apparrant effort to hide any construction flaws, it does look good though with no glue mishaps anywhere. That's it.
This guitar is constructed well from good materials. The guitar is constructed for a lower cost in Korea with asian sourced pickups. (probably local asian hardware and electronics as well to save money, why send stuff over from the US to put on a guitar in korea then sail it back over to here?) Then it comes to Schecter USA for final set up and inspection. The guitar shows that there was really attention to detail and a genuine effort to put out a quality imported instrument. The frets came even and highly polished. The only other guitar I bought new that had such nicely detailed frets was my Carvin with SS jumbos. The neck was straight and the action was low. Any guitar can be set up well as long as the construction is sound and the frets are even. This guitar plays very nicely.
The hardware has some ripples in the chrome, but the tuners are Grovers and work well. Overall, the guitar is very good especially for the price but is not as nice as a premium guitar from Schecter's custom shop would be. Anything under $1000 is probably at best a 7. For the price this is an 8. Only because the inlay work should be better.

10 years old, there is a bit of corrosion on one of the upper frets, probably not the highest quality fret wire but us wearing very well...All the electronics have survived and this instrument still sounds as good as new. You can't say that about all imported guitars.
The guitar also has very few dings in it and still shines up to a nice deep gloss. The fret board is nice with no splits or cracks and the neck is still straight and playable with few adjustments over the years. Without the corrosion it would be a 10. (This has been stored in my basement, to be fair)

A great guitar for the price that these things can be had for. Nice LP like tones with a powerful full bottom end and playability that belies its 7 string sized neck. The neck on this thing while bigger than a six string is faster and easier to play than the beefy wide neck that my Carvin HF2 had.
Great guitar, looks great to boot! Fantastic value.

Don't know what year this one is or where it was made. Has a sticker that says it was setup in the USA but I'd assume it is Korean. Don't really care what nationality of the hands that put it together. This guitar is worth 4 times more than I paid for it (just in the sum of the parts and workmanship).

Pretty much everything has been covered in prior reviews, so I won't rehash that. This is a great guitar. I'd would have expected these instruments to hold their values but since you can't "open the gates of hell" with them and they are 7 strings, I suspect they're somewhat of a misfit in the 7 string world.

The ONLY thing I don't like about the guitar is the lacquered neck and the fact that it doesn't have a single coil or coil tap to get that single coil sound. I'll be installing the tap pretty much immediately.

Also, I'll be installing locking tuners even though it is a hardtail. It stays in tune but I do some pretty radical string bending during shows and I'll pull it out of tune fast. It comes with Grover tuners but locking tuners will be required for my style of player or I'd pull it out of tune every song and that would suck

The cutaway is great. I can reach all the frets comfortably.

I want to post a warning to all the metal players considering this guitar. THIS IS NOT A SHREDDER. It will stomp but if you're looking for the DiMarzio Blaze sound you get out of a Universe, you're going to have to install them (which would be a shame for this guitar).

This guitar is a very versitile guitar but sounds basically like a TONE, TONE, TONE for days!
Les Paul or even moreso, a PRS with 7 strings.

If you're doing jazz, r&b, Motown stuff or classic rock stuff this is the guitar for you. However, you'll need to coil tap it to get that single coil 'ching ching' out of it unless you have some sort of EQ stomp that will do it on the fly.

I love this guitar and wouldn't sell it. I give it a 9 on sound because I'll need to tap it.

One word gorgeous. This guitar is very well done. Not a flaw on it.
As I said before, I don't like that they lacquered the neck but I'll live with it.

The guy I bought mine from on eBay didnt play it at all. The guitar is in almost flawless condition. It took me about 30 minutes to set it up correctly via the adjustable height saddle and it was off to the races.

I give this a 9 because of the neck. Otherwise, FAB!

Just got it. Seems solid.
Don't expect any issues.

Never had to deal with them. Don't think I will.

Gorgeous guitar.. tone for days.
I'd go on a mission to replace it if it were lost or stolen.

Compared to my Universe (which I've also fitted with similar Duncan pickups), it holds its own. Actually, I love the inlays on the neck way more than my Universe and the action is very comparable, but just a little different (not better nor worse).

If you have a chance to own it, don't hesitate to buy it. But, buy it for the right reasons. As I said, this guitar is more of a jazzer / funker and a misfit in the Korn based 7 string world of the 21st centure. It would be a sin to shred it up with high gain shredder pickups because the tone it comes stock with is gorgeous.

Not sure of the year... maybe 1999 like the other reviews... purchased it a week ago (used but almost brand new~!), I think that its too good to be korean but maybe its true. It has 24 jumbo frets, which is very good, mahogany body, maple neck w/rosewood fretboard that has vector inlays. the top is maple with a charcoal burst finish at the entire guitar. I just love the transparent look of the maple. I know that there are better finishes but for $235... hehe. It also has 2 seymour design humbuckers, 1 volume, 1 tone w/3 way selector and fixed bridge. The grover tuners work great, all hardware is chrome finished, 25.5' scale. It came with a gigbag and a standard cable.

my style is mostly In Flames, A Perfect Circle, Killswith Engage, Machine Head... u get the idea. Actually i thought that the sound of mahogany was muddy and too warm for metal, but not. This axe is very versatile and with proper sound effect processor can be bright as a PRS, warm as a Gibson and still have the brightness on the riffs like a Jackson and still having the chunkiness of an Ibanez. The volume and tone knobs are awesome~!!! no clicks and noise at all. Also the pickups aren't that bad at all... I always had that impression that the "duncan designed" weren't that good. But i think that in the future i'll install a EMG81-7 at the bridge and a EMG-707 at the neck. Personally, i can't tell the difference between a neck-thru and a set-neck... The sustain is almost the same so, what the heck...

I bought this at a Sam Ash store... the guy who attended me was very kind and he even calibrated the truss rod, cleaned all the dust. The actions is perfect. Not too low, not too high, just perfect. Currently im with Daddario's .10 top, .56 bottom, although i prefer .60's of .70's because i can have heavier bottom and still shred with light tops... but i could'nt find any custom gauge strings so i'll keep these for a while. At first, the bridge pickup was too low and the neck pickup too high, but this could be easily fixed with a screwdriver... besides that, there's the common rust of the bridge saddles. Maybe i'll throw down some KTS titanium saddles in the future.

The finish lasts for ages. I just love the carved top... it gives the instrument more "expensive" look. The neck feels just like a les paul, but wider. Actually took a bit to get used to these because my fingers are short. The only drawback is that i can't get a good access to the 24 frets completely but i'll get used to them by the ol' fashioned way... PRACTICING~!!!!! Also i bought some dunlop straplocks, and iron-crossed knobs... they're pretty cool actually. I've seen Schecter's only in pics of the internet and they weren't my taste... but when u grab one and play it for a few seconds, u know that this is the guitar that you'll want to play if for the next 9 years~!!!

no comments...

I run this through a Peavey Max 100 processor and a Behringer GX212. It'a a very versatile setup and by far, this is the only setup i'll play for many years... of course, the upgrades would be EMG pickups and some piezo bridge for that acoustic sound. Before this one, i had a Jackson PS-3 performer w/randy rhoads body style... That axe was cool to play live, but for home practice wasn't very comfortable. I used to tune it like a baritone (BEADF#B) But with a 7 string i can have the drop tuning and still have the standard tuning to play in clubs without the need of taking another guitar.

One thing that a few previous reviewers have made a mistake on is the construction of this guitar. It is NOT "neck-thru", it is a "set neck", and a maple neck, not magahony as a few have said. It is a "string-thru" which means the strings mount through the back of the body up thru the bridge.

Just thought I'd clear that up. It is a great guitar, a great value. Schecter is doing great things these days.

This is a 99 model that I bought used from my favorite local guitar shop, and I got a great deal on this very solid axe. It's really a very beautiful guitar, solid construction, has lots of features that I really like and only a few that I don't. Features I really like: carved maple top with tobacco sunburst - the flamed maple isn't 10-top but it has some really nice organic flames, I'm very pleased. The neck-through-body construction is something I've wanted in a guitar but haven't been able to afford until this one. Mahogany body and neck, rosewood fingerboard, great inlays that are both mother of pearl and abalone. Grover tuners, very nice, set as a 5+2 config on the headstock. This axe is heavier than most but I don't count that as a drawback. The tone and sustain that the combination of these woods creates is nice, warm and deep, with lots of hangtime on long notes. The things that I'm not so fond of are the relatively low-output pickups, those are definitely going to be replaced by some real seymour duncans, these stock pickups are a cut corner in the production of this model, I'm just glad they'll be easy to replace. The lower cutaway isn't deep enough to comfortably reach the 24th fret. That's really the only functional feature that I don't like about this axe.

I've always heard, read, assumed that schecters are metalhead guitars. Well most of them might be but this one is definitely not limited to metal. I play mostly southern-flavored rock i.e. Allman Brothers, Govt Mule, Widespread Panic, and some jazz and bluegrass. This axe has upstaged my am standard tele. Its tones are deep and bassy, really warm sound on the low and high ends, very comfortable on the ears. It's quiet as a mouse as far as noise goes, no hum whatsoever coming from the guitar itself. I have not a single complaint in this department, only good things to say.

The action and playability of the instrument tricks me into thinking I'm holding a PRS if I close my eyes. My fingers fly across the fretboard. The setup that had been done at the guitar shop that I bought it from was perfect, which is what I expect from any self-respecting luthier or guitar tech in Nashville. The bookmatching on the top and the finish were very nicely and evenly done. No flaws in the finish or fretboard inlays. The fretboard was beginning to dry out a little, but a couple of treatments with guitar honey fixed it right up.

This axe is built like a tank. I've gone through dozens of guitars in my 17 years of experience and am grateful that I stumbled upon this unheralded gem. I wouldn't ever use any guitar on a gig without a backup, ever, but I'm seriously considering buying another C-7 plus for a backup and using my tele for studio work only.

I've been playing for 17 years and rigwise run a POD through a Gallien-Krueger solidstate combo. If this guitar were stolen I'd search for it's identical twin until I found it. I'm all-around satisfied with this instrument, I've never played another guitar as well constructed for as little hurt on the wallet. Kudos to Schecter for designing a quality instrument that retails for less than a G. I would definitely improve on the pickups though, the "duncan design" knockoffs aren't really my cup of tea and will be replaced with similar but higher-quality pickups. Still, when I play it, I find myself thinking "I can't believe I got this beautiful little lady for so little money".

One thing to note about the Schecter C7+. The body is routed to fit the Duncan Designed pickups which are slightly smaller than the standard 7 string humbucker size. If you plan on replacing them with Dimarzios you will have to mod the pickup slightly by shaving a minor bit off of the side of the base. This does NOT affect playability or tone and does not significantly damage the pickup. If anything it's more of an issue aesthetically with the pickups. Five minutes with a Dremel or wood file is all that is required. It's not a serious mod but it will have to be done. Just consider yourself warned.

This is a 1999 model (known from serial number) purchased second hand off of eBay. The body is mohogany and the color is cherry sunburst. Very nice coloring to it. It's not AAA, but for being a mass produced instrument and not a specialty I was a little taken back by it. It's also a pretty uncommon one and gets alot of second looks. Thru-body construction with 7 standard strat-style saddles. It isn't fancy but it is functional and solid. The pickups are "Duncan Designed" which means Seymour Duncan made the specs and other companies manufacture them. They're not nearly as high-output, high-gain or high-end as Ibanez' stock pickups on the RG7420 but they do actually compliment the guitar very well. I'll get more into that later. The fretboard is rosewood and the body is bound. Really nice inlays that have to be seen to be believed. Headstock has a 5/2 configuration with Gotoh tuners and a graphite nut.

Pickup contorls are typical: one volume and tone knob and a 3 wa selector switch. I would of liked to have seen a push/pull pot for coil splitting but then again this is a mass produced guitar and those extras cost money.

Due to the body being mahogany this guitar is heavier than alot of 7 strings on the market and the sound has alot more low end to it than most of the offerings available. The Seymour Duncan Designed pickups are decent but unless you spend the time to do some serious tweaking you'll probably become quickly iriirtated at them. Dimarzios are typically high-output, high-gain and high-endy pickups. Even the stock Ibanez' pickups are like this. Duncans, even regular ones, tend to go more for a certain tone. I think they really designed this pickup to be for guitarists that normally wouldn't play a 7 string but are curious and don't want something much different than their typical standard Les Paul or Strat. The low B is incorporated but for the most part the sound is fairly standard.

Now don't get me wrong here. They don't sound bad. They just sound typical which is soemthing that folks may have a problem dealing with and working with. A decent amout of tweaking of an amp will get good results, it just may require some time and realizing that this instrument is NOT supposed to sound like Vai or Korn....although it appears as though some folks have had a decent amount of success getting it to sound that way.

I use this instrument with a Line 6 Flextone. It's taking the place of an RG7420 that I just wasn't happy with; not enough low end on it. While the sound is adequate I plan on experimenting with replacement pickups. The extreme amount of bass does need a little shearing and I plan on compensating with a Dimarzio Tone Zone and probably using a Duncan JB7 in the bridge.

The guitar came to me with 9's on it. I put tens on it and it handled the change fine. I have a funny feeling that the truss had never been adjusted since the specs read that the guitar came off of the floor with 10's on it. There were some issues that were mostly from the previous owner: green funk on fretboard, etc. But after an hour of work the guitar was as good as new. Flaws on the instrument were pretty minimal; I haven't really found any. Addiitionally even though I could tell the instrument had been played long and hard the bridge lacked any serious corrosion. I'm hoping this is due to materials and not personal style. I'm a serial killer of Strat bridges due to how I rest my hand.

I waited to review this guitar until after I gigged it out. I'm thoroughly impressed with it and would easily consider it the only weapon in my arsenal if I had to. It's easy and cheap availability makes me want to try and hunt a few others up for backup or experimentation with pickups.

The sucker is solid all in all. I feel the same conifdence hefting this thing about as I do a Telecaster. The thing will take bullet and not flinch or go out of tune; there's something to be said about that.

The hardware looks to last. I could see little things going (pots, jacks) but that happens in every instrument over time.

I haven't deal with customer support.

I've owned alot of gear over the years. I got into 7 strings a few months ago and picked up an Ibanez RG7420. I loved the feel of it but could only deal with the generally high-endy and thin sound for so long. I played a used Schecter at a Guitar Center and was knocked out by how solid it was, the look and features of it and purchased this one a short while later as a project and backup instrument. In the mean time I became dis-enchanted with my RG7420 and found the C7 Plus to have the presence and warmth I was missing. It was literally the right instrument at the right time.

I would love for this guitar to have a few things:

-bind the neck. seriously...go the extra mile and make this instrument a classic.

-offer the thru-body stringing but develop a tailpeice. ESPs Stephen Carpenter 7's and 6's are amazing instruments and combine both the thru-body solid feel with the comfort of the bridges that are so cherished on Les Pauls.

-tap those coils!

For the cash these guitars are great deals. Used they're going for a third of what they're going for new. For under 3 bills you can get a solid guitar with aftermarket pickups that will withstand alot.

If stolen I would repalce it. And for the money I may get two!

This is a solid 7 stringer. With the 2 Duncan Designed humbucker this axe is a solid buy. The 24 fret neck thru constrution is awsome. It is a string thru body.

The sound is amazing. Its the best thing about this guitar. t has awsome distortion for sredding solo's and heavy as hell riffs. The clean sounding neck pick up sounds like heaven on earth

The action is nice and tight to the neck like I like it. The finish is beautiful. Its transparent red looks georgeous.

This monster has lasted many live gigs wth me and my band, and we play heavy and fast so its passed the durability test with flying colors. And I've had it for about 1 year without any problems (Knock on Wood)

SamAsh is awsome with costomer support, i always buy stuff their. They are amazingly helpful

A great buy for a great guitar. For all you 7 string guitarist, drop the Ibanez and pick up a Schecter

Features have been very well flushed out by other reviews. I play solo Jazz (yup, JAZZ - like George Van Eps) on this great axe. The antique sunburst body is beautiful, the action adequate. The sound, with flatwound strings is "hip" - in an ED BICKERT kind of way. It was a solution for playing LOUD at solo functions without having to alter my D'Aquiato or Borys seven string axes. Fits well in a Fender Strat case.

Face it, the subtle nuances of an acoustic jazz box is lost in a restaurant or party, so this Schecter makes the grade. It hgas a very nice natural sound in a jazz sense. The treble cut, or as guitar manufacturers say, tone control, is just right. All the way cut it doesn't muffle the response. The rear pickup has a nice amount of bite - not my style, but it's there. There are no dead spots or resonance that really affects the performance. Great Pickups

Great action out of the box - I have had it for two years and never had to adjust the neck - and it travels with me everywhere. Runs well into a POLYTONE mini-brute II amp.

If I didn't know this was a Korean axe, I'd swear it was American - fit, finish and action superb.

Solid axe. I have a C-7 for back up, but never had to be that redundant!

N/A - never contacted Schecter - the axe doesn't need support.

A real alternative to having a custom 7 string solid body jazz axe built. They really use these guitars for metal, huh?

This is a 2000 made Schecter, made in Mexi and sent to the US to be set up. 24 Jumbo frets, black cherry flame top, very nice. One volume, one tone nob, 3 way selector switch. 2 Duncan Design Humbuckers give this beast a mighty roar, this guitar is extremely deep sounding which is not always a bad thing. Strat Style body, string-through body design, grover tuners, very fat neck with vecter inlays which are big V's, I am not a huge fan of them, but they look ok, need long fingers to play this one effectively, came with one crapy cable. Standard features, nothing special but then again, what metal head needs 4 knobs, just plug it in, and crank it

This guitar to my dismay, does not fit me, I play a variety of styles and was unable do very much with this axe, I dont think that people understand how limiting a 7 string can be sometimes if you play more that just metal styles. Now just becuase it doesnt suite me doesnt mean it wouldnt someone else, this is a great sounding metal guitar, very deep, the duncan design humbuckers put out man, that roar, sound a little flat, but for stock humbuckers, Im not complaining, its not noisy at all, but then again, I am running into a boss GT-3 Processor strait to my crate gfx 65 so nothing is noisy, if you are looking for thick bassy tones, and heavey crunchy distortion, this axe is for you, unfortunately, not for me

It came set up pretty well, I had to adjust the bridge b/c of fret buzz, and the Schecter strings are worthless, so I put some new strings on it, much better. Pickups were fine, never needed to do anything with em, The Black Cherry flame top was absolutely beautiful, I plan on buying another schecter, a 006 elite in the same finish, it is absolutely beautiful, The B string buzzes a little bit, but with a few adjustments that was fixed, all and all it was set up pretty nice

This guitar is a rock, I have played live with it a few times with the band and it is a freakin rock, hardware definately will last in my opinion, the finish isnt going anywhere, strap buttons are fine, never had a problem with em, this is a very dependable guitar, but anyone who would play w/o a backup is an idiot

I have never dealt with schecter but I have heard mixed opinions, I will give it an 8 b/c of a good warrenty

I am an intermediate guitar player with begginer gear, unfortuantely I have been playing for 4 years and still have my first yamaha strat copy, this axe was a good look into a new level of guitars for me and from what I have seen so far, I am going to be a schecter customer for a long time, I have played almost every guitar in their lineup, and they are great, have a wide variety of sounds and good prices, unfortunately, this axe is not for me and I will be selling it soon, not becuase it is a bad guitar, it just does not suite my playing styles, but for any metal head looking for a great guitar at a great price, this is for you man, congrats schecter, this is a great value

if your're looking this category u know the drill. mahogony body, 24 frets,2 pickups,wide neck and a variety of finishes. mine is tobbaco or vintage sunburst, moderately flamed top and immaculately done.the finish is smooth and flawless.Iv'e owned it for 16days .Got a good gig bag with it tho not listed in the add.

almost every reveiw has used the term "dark" for describing the sound of this guitar. I think omninus is more appropriate.clean sounds are huge and resonant,well balanced from string to string. distorted /crunch sounds??? im surprised that out here on the "left coast" i didnt have register it and wait 2 weeks to pick it up. unamplified it feels almost acoustic from the vibration of the body. i use this guitar with a LINE 6 ax2 live and record record direct to disk with a J station.it is extremely quiet and very reponsive (controls).i play every thing from Gospel to "killbilly" to metal.

i pulled it out of the box and then out of the next box tuned it up and was ready to play.the action was set up perfectly and the 25 and1/2" scale was like being home again(my other guitar is a fender jimmy vaughn with dimarzios (virtual vintage).)everything fit like a glove(not O.J.'s)

sometimes u just know when its right....this will take alot of abuse ,and dish it out.( if u need to cleaar a stage in a hurry.)

i've had no contact with Schecter but they are out here in CALI. i know where they work.

I've been playin too long.this guitar will share an equal place with my J.V.signature strat and a couple of strat style guitars i built myself.overall this guitar makes me happier than an Everglades gator at a valu-jet smorgasboard!!!!!

This is an update on my previous review (where I said the guitar was good but had no tone to it). Well, after this experience I decided to try an ESP LTD model and let me tell you the Schecter is at least 10 times better in terms of playability and tone! It even had more sustain despite the neck-thru design of the ESP. The Schecter has more tone, but still, where's the output? The ESP LTD (with passive pickups too) was at least 2 times hotter, and so is my Godin. But I love the guitar enough that, it's the 7 string guitar I will get, but I will quickly replace the pickups with high end SDs (probably a Custom for bridge and Jazz at the neck), can't live with such lack of hotput. As for the tone, well it ain't my LGX, but it's way better than the ESP POS!

Play pretty good out of the box

Features are awesome for a guitar under $1000 I would have expected to pay a lot more I am extremely happy the mahogany body,carved maple Flaaaame top set maple neck produces sustain to die for. "Vector" inlays absolutely beautiful sets this guitar off and the cream binding is just the icing on the cake

Sounds "thick,fat and juicy" through my Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier head & 4x 12 cab as I mentioned earlier sustain for a month pickups are good but I think I may customize with a EMG 707 in the bridge this guitar can produce a wide variety of sounds I tried almost every 7 string on the market in this is where I ended up I play wide variety of music and styles to many to mention let's just say mostly modern rock the C-7 Plus sure best betyou're buying a guitar that can produce a wide variety of sounds

Action was set perfect ready to shred perfectly book matched AAA+ top

very well constructed this guitar was made for the road and that's what I will be using it for

I have been playing guitar about 17 years semi professional the last 10 I own 3 PRS's 4 Gibson Les Paul's and a Fender Strat money is never in issue money comes to equipment I use on the road this is my first 7 string guitar believe me I didn't about six months research before buying the C-7 Plus I tried every other 7 string on the market this guitar that the best reviews and now I know why I would strongly suggest purchasing a C-7 Plus if you're looking for a 7 string that will last a lifetime good luck.

Mahogany body, flame maple top, duncan-designed humbuckers, fixed neck, etc. Basically, looking at the specs, it should sound incredible right?

I was convinced this was the guitar I needed, but they never had the + in stock. But yesterday they had one, black cherry finish, exactly like I wanted. And the price was incredible (899$ Canadian). Looked at it to make sure this was the real thing, and yes it was. The fixed neck and everything. So I took it and tried it into the same amp I'm used to (Line6 Flextone, I know I know... I'm getting a Boogie in a few weeks). To put you in perspective, my main axe is a Godin LGX, with optional Seymour Duncan pickups (real SD, no SD designed) which has a mahogany body, flame maple top, mahogany neck, but a bolted neck design. So I first tried it with the Rectifier sound on the Flextone, and something was missing. The most obvious was the fact that the pickup were not as hot as the SDs on my Godin, but more than that, something was missing. It didn't sound alive, it lacked the fullness and tone of my Godin. It sounded dead. I tried it with clean and brown sounds (the Godin sounds incredible through a Fender with the neck pickup) and I couldn't find any particular sound at which the guitar was competent. It didn't sounded "bad", it just lacked something... I tried it into a tube amp (5150, that's all they had behind Marshalls) and it sounded ok with high gain sounds, but a bit on the thin side, and still dead. The clean sounds were simply horrible in the 5150, but I'm sure the problem here is mostly the amp. Anyway. I basically need a 7-string right now, and I don't want a Ibanez (they have the same problem most of the time, dead tone), or a cheap Dean or Dearmond 7-string. If Godin made a 7-string LG, I'd be in paradise, but it ain't the case. Perhaps I should try some of Schecter's USA models...

This Guitar was made in korea as far as I can tell, in 1999, but set up in the U.S.A. (Schecter is in L.A.). It's got 7 (6 + Low B) strings,24 Frets. There are 2 "Duncan Design" humbuckers (Passive) in it w/3-way switching, master volume & tone. Set neck is maple w/rosewood Fingerboard, Body is Ash W/Carved, flamed maple top. The Finish is "Charcoal burst", which ranges from jet black, to a very dark, see-thru grey, which allows the woodgrain to subtly show through. Strat-ish type body shape, but looks more like an ESP body than a fender. Bridge: Hardtail. Tuners: NICE grovers 5+2 format. Very large frets & Low action. It came with a very nice Ernie Ball strap, Picks, Strings, T-Shirt, and a crappy cable. I make my own cables That never die, so I haven't even taken the cable out of the bag. It'll be good to have as a backup I guess. What did I miss? The "Vector" inlays are perhaps the nicest design I have ever seen, using 2 materials, 1 white in color, the other Abalone. However, there is a flaw in the seventh Fret inlay, not in workmanship, buat in the material itself. The neck takes a little getting used to (we're talking 15 minutes tops) if you're not used to 7 Strings, but it doesn't take much as it is not excessively wide or thick. My other Guitar is a strat (squier), so I am used to a neck that is very easy to play. The controls are simple, but I find that they do the job well anyway, while being easy to use. I will give this category a ten, because I have no reason to put anything else.

I do not like to label my music, but It consists of a melting pot of Metal, Jazz, Blues, Classic Rock, Progressive Rock, Modern rock, whatever other kinds of Rock you can think of, Etc. I like to experiment a lot. Techniques/Sounds I often Use are: Palm Muting, Bending/vibrato, Harmonics, Slides, Hammer-ons, pull-offs. I play this guitar dirty Through a Small Fender Frontman Amp, sometimes also splitting it clean into a small PA system. My amp doesn't handle the low frequencies that well, but aside from that the sound comes through intact. It pretty much suits my style. I would describe it as Thick & chunky, but dark. However, depending on where you set the controls, it can sound somewhat bright. With the tone on 10, you get a nice edge without that annoying "scream" I used to get from my strat. My one complaint is that there isn't a monstous variety of tones available like there is with a strat, although there are plenty. If played clean, this thing retains its basic qualities, but is also capable of Sounding like a bass. Harmonics come through very srongly with this guitar. I found at least 4 that I hadn't known about before. I give it an 8 because some people may not be satisfied with it's variety of tones, even though I am.

No complaints on Factory set up. For strings, I will change from the 9's it came with, to 11's or 12's, but that's just personal taste. No Flaws that I can see, Except the seventh fret inlay thing, which isn't a big deal. I have no real complaints, And honestly, between th cool headstock, the inlays, and the nice finish, this thing looks AWESOME. The color has the coolness of black, without being boring.

To be Fair, I have only had this for a week, but I have played it very long and hard during that week. I broke 4 strings, but I do'nt fault the guitar, as the strings are 9's, and I usually play 2-6 hours at a time, and quite hard. The strap buttons are pretty nice. They're real big, so the strap won't fall off. I do not plan to ever gig without a backup, cuz that's just dumb, but if faced with an Impromptu opportunity to perporm, at a time when no backup was available, I would do it without thinking twice. The whole thing is built very solidly, and I have no reason to lack confidence in it.

When I didn't want to pay $629 for it, and couldn't find a better price, I called Schecter. This was on 12-30-99, so most of the company was on vacation, but one guy who was on duty was very helpful. Instead of returning my call 2 minutes later (so I wouldn't have to pay the long distance charges) like he said he would, he did better. A minute later I got a call from the President of Schecter, who helped me find a more suitable price at Drumcity Guitarland in Denver. He offered to drop-ship it if they were out of it in denver. That wasn't necessary, and I got It for $585. It was shipped From Denver to Masachussetts (Where I Live) Promptly.

I have Been Playing the guitar for 3 and 1/2 years (self-taught). Despite that small number, I have had lot's of Experience (Building a guitar, Roadie-ing, Playing in a band, Taking jazz in school, building Effects, Recording, Working On numerous recording and live projects). I am very stingy with money, so before I bought this guitar, I did extensive Research to find out where I should put it. I am Happy to say that I put my money In the Right Place. This guitar blew me away. As soon as I unpacked it, I played for 4 hours because I couldn't hold myself back. During these 4 hours, It had been a catalyst for new material. When I was done, I realized that I would never buy another guitar with only 6 strings. I was an instant convert. I can say without any hesitation, that this guitar embodies quality, versatility, and ass-whomping tone.

See below...
Mine did NOT include a gig bag, tools, cord, etc... What up wit dat?

As some of the other reviews have stated, this sucker sounds dark and bassy. You have to look twice at your amp settings to make sure the treble isn't rolled off. So far I've used it with a Marshall JCM2000, Mesa Boogie Dual Recto, Fender HotRod Deluxe and Line 6 POD and it seems "woofy" on all of them. Once you get used to the tone you can tweak and get acceptable results. I'm going to try a solid state amp, a Duncan JB 7 or maybe even A-B it with an Ibanez just to see what's going on. It's pretty much a "one sound" guitar, but that one sound is very usable especially if you're into the whole Korn thing. I got it more for the Dream Theater stuff I've been writing.

The guitar set up was LOW. It is most similar to a Carvin set neck or PRS in the way it feels and plays. I had to raise the action significantly to avoid playing 80' "hair" licks. For the money this guitar has a great fit and finish. The flame maple cap is muted but very nice. The vector inlays are beautiful.

Super sturdy, almost heavy in construction.

Replied quickly, very helpful.

I give this guitar 9 out of 10. I've owned 30+ guitars and this is easily in the top 10%. Fantastic value for the bucks (especially for a 7 string), decent sound and great construction. My only reservation is that "the" sound is not instantly there, you need to futz with the amp, strings and maybe even pickups to get the major mojo going. Definitely worth the effort. Nice job Schecter!

Purchased new in 1999. The guitar is apparently made in Korea. There are 24 "extra jumbo" frets (that term is very accurate - they are definitely bigger than Gibson-type frets). The guitar (and neck, I believe) are mahogany. Neck is set-in (a.k.a. glued). There is one volume and one tone control with a 3 position selector switch (ala Les Paul, BC Rich, etc). There are 2 humbucking pickups that are "Duncan Designed" (apparently designed by Semour Duncan in the U.S. & made in Korea to those specs). The finish is vintage sunburst over a flamed maple top. The flamed maple top is arched, but is thin - perhaps 1/8". I don't know if it really affects the tone that much. It is probably only there for appearance purposes but I think it does look nice. It is certainly not a "10 Top" but I've seen some Les Pauls with similar flame (perhaps A Grade) for 3-4 times the price. The body is strat-style with a hardtail bride with strings going through the body. The bridge looks like a 7 string strat bridge without the block going through the body. The tuners are Grovers with a 5+2 configuration. The neck is, in my opinion, thicker than an Ibanez - it feels more like a Les Paul or BC Rich. The fretboard is rosewood with "vector" inlays. Scale length is 25.5". The guitar came with a pretty nice gig back and low end cable.

I generally play hard rock (some still dare call it metal) with a progressive edge. I did NOT get this to play Korn, Fear Factory, Limp Bizkit and their ilk. The guitar is definitely well-suited to my style, although I wish the frets were a bit smaller. I use the guitar with 2 totally different set-ups - a rack (yes, rack) through a 4 -12 cabinet and also a Boogie combo. The guitar sounds great through both setups and doesn't favor one over the other - this hasn't always been the case with some of my guitars. The rack setup has solid-state distortion and the Boogie is obviously tube. There is very little noise with this guitar - I was expecting to have to replace these pickups with DiMarzio Blaze model but that doesn't appear to be required! I would characterize the sound as "full" and somewhat suggestive of a Gibson. The sound is definitely not bright, but I wouldn't call it "dark" either. The guitar can be used for things other than heavy crunch. It does clean up pretty well and has useable tones all along the gain spectrum. I was quite pleased with the sustain this guitar has! I suppose it is due to the set neck, through body strings and direct-to- body pickup mounting. I really have NO complaints or quibbles about the sound

The set up on this guitar was fantastic. Intonation was dead-on and the action was extremely low. You would definitely need to raise the action to play slide! I also have no complaints about the pickup adjustment - I haven't changed them at all. The top was finished well with no flaws. I read the other reviews of this guitar on the database and I did not have the same experience. There were no blemishes or drips, etc. Bookmatching on the top is somewhat irrelevant as the figure is not that high - perhaps A or a low AA. That being said, however, I like the top. It is subtle and understated. Some of the flamed and quilted tops are a bit gaudy. I also like the fact that a more traditional finish was available. It was a nice alternative to the "any color as long as it's black" approach of Ibanez. I have no complaints about the fit and finish. I have not found any flaws. It is on a par with much more expensive guitars.

I don't play live, but only in the studio. However, I have no reason to believe that the guitar would fail in a live situation. The hardware seems solid - certainly Grover tuners are proven. The finish is quite thick and looks like it will last indefinitely. The strap buttons are better than the standard issue on most guitars. I've already replaced them with Schallers just to be safe. I would never rely on non-locking strap buttons. As I said before, I don't play live. However, I don't think it would ever be wise to play a gig without a backup if you have a choice.

I've never dealt with Schecter, but their website is informative. The guitar comes with a limited lifetime warranty, but I doubt I'll ever have to use it.

I've been playing for 16 years and I have 6 other electric guitars - 3 BC Riches, a Peavey, a Casio synth guitar (made by Ibanez, I understand) and (cringe) a Hondo. This guitar is on par with the handmade BC Riches and the limited edition Peavey neck through. If the guitar were stolen I would definitely replace it. I considered the Ibanez RG 7 string and the new BC Rich neck through 7 strings. I played the Ibanez and feel that the Schecter C-7+ is superior in almost every way. I have to admit that the cutaway on the Schecter does not allow access to all frets but I only play that high less than 1% of the time so I'm not too concerned. The BC Rich 7 strings are appealing (although I haven't played one) but the cost is about twice of the Schecter.
I think it's great the Munky and Head probably wouldn't be caught dead playing this guitar. I wouldn't be caught dead playing a guitar with duct tape on it!

C-7 Plus 7 string. Charcoal Burst. This is by far the best looking tuitar I've ever seen. This things pretty killa. It has a see through maple top with a mahogany body, set neck and rosewood fretboard with vector inlays. The guitar has a carved top with creme binding, fixed bridge, grover tuners, 2 Duncan Design humbuckers with a 3 way switch, 1 volume and 1 tone control. The neck is finished and is very wide. It also cam with a pretty nice gig bag. The only other thing I'd ask for is separate volume controls, but you cant have everything.

This guitar has a pretty sweet sound. It's somewhat like a 7 string Les Paul would be, but heavier. The guitar produces a very full, bassy tone. I detune about a step or so and the sound can get sludgy, but thats what I'm looking for. This things got killer sustain. The pickups are very very high output and have nice harmonics. You can get a much wider area of sounds from this than the Rg 7's.
I play very heavy stuff, Metal/Hardcore and my gear includes a crate gfx 212 100w amp and a zoom 3000s effects unit. Let me tell you, I get one sick ass sound with this combination. This is also the first guitar I've owned which I could effectively use its tone control without cutting from the sound.

The action on this guitar is extremely LOW and very FAST. It's very similar to a PRS. This is perfect for me.
But the finish is where I was very DISSAPOINTED. Like I said this thing is beautiful, but the finish has some major blemishes on it. There is about a 4 inch line of dripped paint accross the see through part and there is a large part of discolorment below the bridge. There is also a little spot of discolormet right next to the bridge. Unfortunatley I ordered this through the mail, otherwise I may have not bought it. Im not sure whether to try to send it back or not. I know these are on backorder and I need it for an upcomming show.
If it wasnt for the blemishes on this guitars finish I would easily give this category a 20. Easily.

This thing is solid. I'm pretty agressive and I move/jump around a real lot. I might be a little hesitant to use it live because its non-locking, but as of now I would. So far the Grover tuners have gained my confidence and there much easier to deal with when drop tuning the 7th string.

The warranty is limited lifetime. I've heard good things about Schecter. I may inquire if the blemishes fall under warranty but I'm not sure yet.

This is by far the best guitar I own. It has a beautiful sound and it is an absolutely gorgous guitar. My playing style is very heavy similar to Candiria, VOD and Korn, this guitar is perfect for me. This guitar is far better than the Ibanez RG 7's and its price cannot be beat. If you can afford a UV7BK get that otherwise this is the 7 string to get. Also I would recommend buying this guitar in the Charcoal Burst finish. I'm most likely going to buy another one pretty soon as long as I can make sure the finish has no major blemishes.

Schecter C-7 Plus 7 String, made in Korea, Vintage sunburst finish, H/H Duncan Design passive pickup configuration, two piece Mahogony with a carved 'Flamed' (I use the term loosely) Maple top and 'natural'(or Cream) bound body, 25 1/2" scale set maple (I think. The headstock is maple anyway.)neck/Rosewood fingerboard (24 Extra Jumbo frets. All of my other instrument have scalloped fretboards and the C-7 feels 'almost scalloped. Easy bending etc...) with Vector inlays of Mother of Pearl with Abalone embellishments, 'Scooped'and tilted Schecter 5+2 headstock with Grover machines, string through body fixed strat type bridge, one volume/one tone with LP style three position toggle placed in a similar as that of a strat. Guitar came with a Scecter Diamond Series Gig Bag, a cheapo 6' cable and Alan Wrenches for truss rod and bridge saddle adjustment.

How does it sound? Well... It sounds fantastic! How do I describe it? It's 'tight' Les Paul. It's got all of the warmth of a Paul with the 'tightness' of the 25 1/2" scale. My musical style varies from Blues to Metal to Funk to Country (just a little) to Classical. I Run this guitar through a Line 6 Flextone HD 300 Watt head and one or two closed back Carvin 2x12 cabs with noe expernal effects other than what's on the Flex HD. Te tones this guitar produces are warm, rich and full(Think...'Paul'). Before I purchased this guitar I contacted Kellie at SD to find out what the p/up voicings were as aftermarket 7 string p/up selection is rather limited. Kellie informed me the voicings were similar to JB Bridge and Jazz Neck respectively. Upon ariving home with the instrument I plugged it into my amp, tuned up and went for it. The guitar was a little 'boomy'. Changed the strings from what I think were 9.5(1st) to 54(7th) to EB 9(1st) to 52(7th). The 'boom' was gone and I got a crispness. Great deal. I can get all of my pinch/artificial harmonics and squeals with ease. The p/ups are quiet in high gain settings. This guitar is very well suited for Jazz, Metal or Blues. Country would be great on a 7 built similar to a strat. Sure would be easy to do those Drop C tunings on the 7th string. For metal and rock formats... I give the intrument a 9.

Action? I had to RAISE it! And NOT due to buzz. The action was just too low. Don't worry... That's a good thing. :) And easily rectified (even comes with the proper alan wrench). The intonation was right on. The bridge p/up was adjusted a little too low all the way around and the Neck p/up a hair to high on the bass side. As an interesting side note... The pickups, at first inspection appear to be mis-aligned by about half a screws width in relation to the string spacing. But upon closer inspection... The bridge pickup has narrower pole spacing than the neck p/up. Once again it's only about a half a screw's width off and is un-noticable with regard to tone. Next 'hit' on the inspection... the 'flamed maple top' is NOT VERY flamed. But I expected as much. I wasn't counting on a AAA grade top. Wadda ya want for $600? Next hit...There are a couple of ifinitessimally small scratches beneath the finish between the pick ups. None the less the guitar is in great shape. Couldn't ask for anything more in this price range. The wiring and soldering are top notch, Very neat and clean solder joints. The fretwork is excellent. There is nothing hanging beyond the edge of the fretboard to cause any kind of injury or hamper any kind large position shifting you maight do. BUT... In the upper register of the fretboard... there is a little marring leftover from the excellent fret work. Now then... The neck Joint... It most assuredly is NOT an 'all access' neck joint! It's basically a Gibson set neck joint. I have HUGE hands and even I have difficulty with the 23rd and 24th frets. The necks profile is rather large as well. Kinda like a 7 string wide Les Paul. If you have tiny hands and want to do a lot of upper register shredding... Get an Ibanez. They have excellent 'reachability'with their 'all access' neck joint.

Tuning is stable. It feels great. The finish seems durable. The pots and switch are clean and quiet. I'm not involved with a band at present. But I wouldn't hesitate to use it in a live situation. But... Unlike some people who submit to this database... I would never play ANY gig without a Backup!

Didn't need the support. But When I requested some info via e-mail from Schecter guitars they responded by close of business the same day I requested the information. I don't anticipate any problems. I'v heard wonderful things about the company.

Well... I've been playing for nearly 20 years. I've been in a zillion bands playing everything from R&B, Metal, Blues, Punk. I own 8 other guitars and this one is a fantastic addition to my meager collection. Every one of my instruments stands out by having very different tonal cahracteristsics. The C-7 is no exception. It sounds great and has already inspired new avenues for my creativity. Finger-picked Blues in B Minor. Oh My!
My other choice for an affordable 7 string was the Ibanez RG7-621 and 620. I like the intruments. However, they sounded a thin to me when I played them. I love the way they feel. but the 'sound' just wasn't happenin' for me. Besides... the Schecter was around the same price. Another factor in my decision to make the Schecter purchase was the finish. A friend laughed when I told him I was getting a 7 string with a Vintage Sunburst Finish. He said, "Could you see Korn playing Sunbursts?"
Well, I've tried to be objective and mention the positives as well as the negatives. If you make a purchase I'm very interested in hearing what you think. if you have nay questions, comments, or constructive criticisms... Feel free to 'e' me.