I shelled out $599.00 for it, free shipping to boot. Here are the specs from Schecter’s website:
•
CONSTRUCTION/SCALE: Set-Neck w/ Ultra Access / 25.5”
•BODY:Mahogany w/ Quilted Maple
•NECK/FINGERBOARD: 3-pc. Mahogany / Rosewood
•INLAYS: 12th Fret Diamond
•PICKUPS: Duncan Designed HB-102
•ELECTRONICS: Vol/Tone (tap)/3-Way
•BRIDGE: TonePros TOM w/ thru-body
•SUGGESTED RETAIL $ 899.00
Schecter is not bullshitting you when they say “Ultra Access” on the neck spec. I can fret the low E string using my index finger on the 24th fret without moving my fret hand out of its normal playing position. It's so fucking great to see that some companies actually cater to the player with some of their set neck designs – it’s just like playing a neck-through-body. Let's see you do that on any clumsy ass Gibson – and, besides, most Gibson designs are only 22 frets long anyway, since they’re shorter scale guitars. The Schecter’s 25.5" scale is accurate and intonates correctly throughout the fret board, providing a meaty tension even for skimpier strings.
The mahogany body has no visible flaws (transparent finishes rule) and the quilted maple top is very very nice looking. Mine isn't quilted as much as the one shown above, but almost looks tiger striped instead. Kind of a cross between quilted and flamed. It is also book matched. The neck has very fast action, both in terms of shape and finish, and has a profile right in between a Gibson and a Jackson neck; not too wide and not too narrow. It’s definitely not like a regular welfare Fender neck that might just as well be a fucking baseball bat bolted on to a guitar body. Have I ever told you how much I hate Fenders? No? OK, listen up: I fucking hate Fender guitars! Shit fucking necks. Shit fucking pick ups. There. Fuck off, Fender snobs.
The frets are true jumbo sized, 6105 knock-offs probably, and they enhance the playing experience so that it’s almost like playing a scalloped neck. Like with a scalloped guitar, you have to be careful when applying pressure on chords and individual notes so you don’t bend out of tune. The reward? A heavier, meatier sound and more room for attack and speed. The crowning is very uniform and polished, and the string action is low with no fret buzzing - thanks to the very straight neck. Frets are so much more important than people realize. Just polishing of the tops of the frets on an old guitar will vastly improve the way you feel the tone of the guitar. Most guitars in the stores these days have very rough frets that need a little work. The inlay on this one is a solitary abalone diamond at the 12th fret, set in very nicely with no rough edges. (Hey Gibson, the last two guitars of yours that I played had inlays that sucked ass with edges I could feel, fuckheads. Go to your local store and check out the rosewood glue-padding Gibson have to put around their inlays sometimes, because they don’t pay attention to detail while making the guitars in the factory. Craftsmanship, motherfuckers - a dying art form.)
The Duncan Designed HB-102 pickup is a very accurate reproduction of the Seymour Duncan SH-1 '59 pickups. Very versatile and can go from the sweetest of cleans to the rudest of distortions. I do like a hotter pickup in my guitars so I think a set of Seymour Duncan SH-8 Invaders will be finding a home in this one soon. The two pots are very smooth and noise free. No static scratching. The coil tap is on the tone pot and works as advertised, so if you like that "Fender sound" (retches), pull up on the tone pot and you are in single coil heaven (hell). The three-way switch works noise free also and seems sturdy enough to do some Ace Frehley inspired switch flicking. The knobs have abalone inlayed on top of them that I could have done without. The Tone-Pros bridge is a kick ass piece of gadgetry, making nearly all other Tune-O-Matic style bridges obsolete. Once you have the intonation and bridge height set you can lock that fucker down and it will not move. This is the first guitar I have owned with a string-through-body design - all my others were either with the stop bar tail piece or with a trem of some kind. I prefer Kahlers if I have a trem and I really dislike the stop bar tail piece design in general. This works like a motherfucker.
The abalone binding covers the entire perimeter of the guitar. Very flashy, and it is done very well. Not like some guitars where the bindings look like they were made from plastic shavings and just slopped on with a spatula and some Krazy Glue. Ummm, not much else to say about that so on to the tuners.
The Grover machine head is a locking design and it works as intended. Once you’ve got a new set of strings stretched out properly the guitar stays in fucking tune. The fake gold plating, also found elsewhere on the guitar, is done to perfection and cleans up easily. Although, they could have left the pickup covers off. I prefer to be able to see the coils of my pickups (thus I have removed my covers). Don't ask me why, motherfucker, I just do. Bite my ass.
The amber finish is just drop dead fucking gorgeous. No flaws anywhere in it. Did I mention that already? Sue me. Let me tell you… after a sweaty playing session I get it all wiped down and, shit, that thing shines like a crazy diamond in a goat’s ass.
Now for the bombshell for those of you that don't know. The Schecter Diamond Series, which the C-1 Elite is part of, is made in South motherfucking Korea. That’s right, an imported guitar, in my eyes, fucking decimates Gibson and Fender right now in all aspects. Build quality rivals that of your run-of-the-mill custom shop guitars. Gibsons are so spotty QC wise these days that only 1 in 50 Les Pauls are really worth keeping. Especially when you consider the thousands of dollars you have to pony up to get one. Fenders have the worst goddamn necks and pick ups ever built. Fuck Gibson and fuck Fender. Your shit isn't worth the price you are asking. Epiphones are a much better bang for your buck if you must have a "Gibson design". Even after swapping out the inferior grade tuners and pick ups, and re-fretting to a quality Dunlop, you won't lay out as much cash as a fucking Gibson will set you back. As far as Fender goes, there are a plethora of companies that do Strat- and Telecaster bodied guitars better - ESP for instance (not LTD – I said ESP) - so save your money and buy one of those.
In closing. I am so fucking happy with this guitar I could cry. Since I am not a fag I will just grin like an idiot instead, and warmly recommend this instrument to anybody who is still with me.
I bought another toy at the same time, so look out for my amp review in a couple of days!
