Schecter C-1 hellraiser - honorable mention

[sydsbluesky]

Been hectic... Sorry about the absence.

This is the third time I've had the pleasure of setting up my friend's Hellraiser. Once when brand new, again at first string change and this, the third time, after a week with no strings and an apparent attempt to dislodge the truss rod by some pentatonic rolling, sack of... uhh... I'll be nice...

The setup took three days and three full revolutions (counter clockwise) of a truss rod to complete... Could be a topic in it's own right. (Google search: Hot Mess)

Oh, yes. As I said, this is the third time I've given this particular guitar the once over (though the most recent time felt like one time the thrice over,) and I just feel compelled to mention - to a group of people whom I feel to be very underexposed to some of those brands out there that aren't... what are those two, again? Finder and Gabson? Fender and Gibson? Something like that - That this is probably one of the most enjoyable guitars I've ever picked up and played.

25.5 in scale
(made in South Korea... sshhhh!)
A pair of coil-splitting EMG actives.
Annddd it looks something like this


Actually, that picture in black isn't correct. It has white binding in a style similar to the other two colors... silly MF.


The action soundly beats that of any guitar I own (far and away better than the Gibson LP deluxe) except my trash-to-treasure ESP LTD, the fit and finish are second to none, it is perfectly weighted and balanced for low-slinging rocking and the hardware is all top-of-the-line stuff. Oh, and it sounds amazing. That usually helps.

It's nothing special to look at in black. I'll take it in white, thank you much.

But most importantly, everything comes together perfectly. It has what they call the Mojo, I believe.


Last time I got my hands on this much Mojo... well... Austin Powers wouldn't stop winking at me for a week.


To make a short story long, I probably wouldn't buy one, so I can't say it wins a spot on the wall, but, without a doubt, this guitar deserves an honorable mention.

(edited by newey to fix link and make picture appear, although picture is of the "black cherry" finish)

[sydsbluesky]

(EDITed by sumgai - removed link to bogus malware site. See post immediately following.)

Okay, that one works... *shrug*

[sumgai]

syd,

I took out your link, because ProBoards thought they'd be "helpful", and re-wrote it so that it took the viewer to a malware site. Where exactly, I dunno, but my filters caught it before I could actually land there and load anything. I relied on the log telling me what was about to happen, and took it at face value. And the address bar was something I'd never seen before, just chock full of obviously "escaped" coding. (Well, perhaps outside of eBay, which now adds at least 150 useless characters to their addresses for individual auctions.)

I hope what you were intending to show was what newey actually made work for us, that nice image of a Schecter.

And FWIW, yes, they are well-made guitars. The sound is probably good too, if one likes the inability to get crystal-clear highs, something that humbuckers seem to be unable to do. Even my Strat single-coils are really humbuckers in disguise, and I can tell that they aren't really the same as the original units, as designed by Leo and built by Abigal Ybarra. But outside of that, yes, it's a very good value for the average or better working musician.

Oh, and nice write up, I was forced to +1 ya for the effort. Hope that doesn't upset ya! ;D




sumgai

[sydsbluesky]

Yeah, I dunno... it was a copy paste job from MF.

And yes, those buckers in coil split don't sound very good if you ask me. They sound amazing for buckers, though. Ohhhh well!


P.S. - Is there a time limit on when you can add post script?

P.P.S. - I almost forgot to mention the bridge! Gibson could learn a thing or two from Schecter about how a tune-o-matic is supposed to work. Mine tears up strings like a hungry tiger. Not so with the Schecter. Flattened off top makes for excellent string life. And the addition of a flat head screw driver option to raise and lower the action instead of that useless dial system that requires a 99% reduction in string tension to be safely manipulated... But if you REALLY like the dial it's still there!

I wonder if the peg distance is the same...

[RandomHero]

Good call! For being foreign made guitars, Schecters have always been on the top of my list. My only gripe with them is that their seven-string neck geometry is not -nearly- as good as Ibanez's. Think baseball bat.

But the fit and finish on their guitars is always spot-on, even their base models don't skimp on quality hardware, and the playability and tone of them is great!

[sydsbluesky]

Very true, but let's be honest... Does any company out there make necks that can consistently beat Ibanez?

I haven't played a 7 yet, but I know that the neck on the C-1 has a wonderful thickness. Feels a bit like my LP, actually.

For anyone who likes thinner necks, it's probably going to be Ibanez all the way. Unless you wanna play a Jackson, but... seriously... Who wants to do that?

New ESP necks are probably the worst I've seen. Ever. WAY too thin, and totally flat on back. They warp like the Enterprise, and they use fret wire the size of curb stops with the malleability of lead.

OLD ESP necks are great, though. Think Ibanez.