Schecter Hellraiser C1 – Versatile Metal Hammer

Body And Neck:
Electronics:
Hardware:
Sound:
Value:

• Check Price on Amazon
• Check Price on Guitar Center
• Check Price on Musician's Friend

Schecter's guitars have become a standard of sorts in metal music. Their Hellraiser C1 have metalheads around the world a perfect tool to express their emotions. It wasn't long before it became known as one of the best metal guitars you can get for less than a grand.

Body and Neck

While the shape of the C1 falls within a modified Super Strat category, that's about the only ‘ordinary' thing about it. A closer look reveals a very subtle arched top with fine binding all around it. Schecter chose mahogany for this model, which came as no surprise. After all, mahogany has all the properties necessary to give you good sustain, and handle that distortion with ease. The core of the guitar is wrapped in a sweet looking quilted maple. The neck is set, and sports a somewhat standard rosewood fretboard with rather interesting inlays. Overall, the guitar is balanced almost perfectly. Mahogany is not light, but you don't really feel it with the Hellraiser C1.

Electronics

One of the main selling points of this guitar are the humbuckers that come with it. Schecter is no stranger to using EMG products on their guitars, especially the higher end models. In this particular case, we have an EMG 81TX at the bridge and a very lively EMG 89 at the neck. This is by no means a new configuration, but a rather standard one. The only difference is that the new EMG 81TX series features a single coil construction, giving you a lot more versatility with the same tone properties we loved so much in the original pup. These are wired to two volume knobs with tap feature included, a tone knob and a three-way pickup select switch.

Hardware

Schecter wanted to keep things simple. That much is apparent right away. This guitar is not something you'd want to get if divebombs and similar effects are your thing. Instead, it sports a standard Tune-o-Matic bridge with a string-thru-body element included. The bridge brings all the benefits of its design – great intonation retention and loads of sustain. On the other end of the business, we have a set of Schecter locking tuners. Now, some might expect to see a set of Grovers, however this Schecter set is every bit as good. You don't have to worry about adjusting the tuning given that you play the guitar within limits of reason.

Sound

Plugging the Hellraiser C1 into a solid amp, or passing it through a decent distortion pedal will show you just how impressive this guitar is. We've mentioned it's a metal guitar and that is absolutely true. You can squeeze out a very refined and saturated tone out of this thing using only your distortion pedal or dirty channel. Whether you're
into more modern, heavier stuff or just classic metal, it gets the job done. On the other hand, Hellraiser C1 offers much more than that. Dialing in a dirty, bluesy overdrive is not only possible, but incredibly authentic. This impressive range is largely thanks to that EMG 81TX, which has a bit more girth and flexibility than its counterpart. This guitar is truly a capable performer.

Conclusion

Schecter Hellraiser C1 is the type of guitar that does one thing exceptionally well, but is capable of keeping up with just about anything you throw at it. If you are looking for a bit harder ax, but also have those days when you need to dial things down a bit, this is the guitar to go for.

For more info about the Schecter Hellraiser C1, click here.
For more electric guitars under 1000$, click here.