Schecter C-1 FR S SLS Elite

first play
27
december 2018 Guitarist
SCHECTER C-6 PRO & C-1 FR S SLS ELITESCHECTER C-6 PRO & C-1 FR S SLS ELITE
SCHECTER C-6 PRO
PRICE: £599
ORIGIN: Indonesia
TYPE: Offset double-cutaway
electric
BODY: Mahogany w/ burl top
NECK: 3-piece maple, bolt-on with
carbon fibre reinforcement rods
SCALE LENGTH: 648mm (25.5”)
NUT/WIDTH: Graph Tech XL Black
Tusq/42mm
FINGERBOARD: Wenge, 355mm
(14”) radius
FRETS: 24, extra-jumbo
HARDWARE: Black Schecter hardtail
bridge with through-body stringing,
and die-cast tuners
STRING SPACING, BRIDGE: 53mm
ELECTRICS: 2x Schecter Diamond
Decimator humbuckers, master
volume with push/pull coil-split,
master tone and 3-way pickup
selector blade switch
WEIGHT (KG/LB): 3.5/7.7
RANGE OPTIONS: C-6 Pro FR with
black Floyd Rose Special Hot Rod
double-locking vibrato and top nut in
Aurora Burst, Charcoal Burst and
Aqua Burst finish options (£649)
LEFT-HANDERS: No
FINISHES: Charcoal Burst
(as reviewed), Aurora Burst and
Aqua Burst
Westside Distribution
0844 326 2000
www.schecterguitars.com
SCHECTER C-1 FR S
SLS ELITE
PRICE: £1,399
ORIGIN: South Korea
TYPE: Offset double-cutaway electric
BODY: Swamp ash with flame
maple top
NECK: Maple, walnut and padauk
multi-ply, through-body with carbon
fibre reinforcement rods
SCALE LENGTH: 648mm (25.5”)
NUT/WIDTH: Locking Floyd Rose
1500 Series/41.3mm
FINGERBOARD: Ebony, compound
305-406mm (12”-16”) radius
FRETS: 24, extra jumbo
HARDWARE: Black Floyd Rose 1500
Series double-locking vibrato and top
nut, Grover Rotomatic 18:1 tuners
STRING SPACING, BRIDGE: 53mm
ELECTRICS: 1x Fishman Fluence
Modern humbucker (bridge),
1x Sustainiac pickup (neck), master
volume, master tone, 3-way pickup
selector toggle switch, Sustainiac
on/off and 3-way mode switch
(harmonic/mix/fundamental)
WEIGHT (KG/LB): 3.6/7.9
RANGE OPTIONS: With 2x Fishman
Fluence Modern humbuckers and
Black Fade Burst and Antique Fade
Burst finish options, there’s the
C-1 FR SLS Elite with Floyd Rose
(£1,315) and the C-1 SLS Elite with
Hipshot hardtail bridge (£1,229).
Plenty of 7-string action, too!
LEFT-HANDERS: Yes, but not at the
time of writing in the UK
FINISHES: Black Fade Burst
(as reviewed), Antique Fade Burst
PROS Build quality, compound
radius, neck stability, versatile bridge
’bucker, unconventional tone wood
choices, Sustainiac…
CONS Seriously, where’s the case?
We’re spending well over a grand here!
PROS Thoughtful design offers
effortless playability and upper-fret
access; sounds that run from bright
and spanky to full-on aggression
CONS The burl/burr finish is an
acquired taste – that’s it
8
9
Verdict
There’s probably more chance of POTUS
Donald Trump getting his face chiselled
into the side of Mount Rushmore than the
C-1 and C-6 making the scene at a country
gig. That’s not to say that these things
wouldn’t cut the mustard in such a scenario,
but, let’s be honest, they have been typecast
by their looks. Then there’s the feel. If you
design guitars with skinny necks, fat frets
and flatter than vintage fingerboard radii,
it’s obvious you’re not trying to entice Joe
Bonamassa away from his ’59 Les Pauls.
We don’t doubt that these guitars will
find the usual punters, but we think it’d
be a shame if the rest of you judged them
purely on their looks. There are no skulls or
other daft graphics. The flame maple and
burl tops add a touch of class to the wolf
in sheep’s clothing vibe. You can get either
model with a hardtail or Floyd, and the
pickups are versatile enough to cover most
styles. Anyway, the quest for a slim-necked
guitar isn’t exclusive to the metal and
shredder crowd.
Thanks to its Sustainiac and complex
construction, the C-1 FR S SLS Elite is the
pick of the litter here. That said, both guitars
offer a level of performance, tone and build
quality that you’ll find hard to beat at their
respective price points. This is one of those
occasions you’d be wise to listen – and play
– without prejudice.
6. You might assume
that the C-6 Pro has a
rosewood fi ngerboard.
Well, you’d be wrong.
Schecter has spec’d a
slab of wenge for this
guitar’s ’board. A rich-
looking timber, wenge
is tough, which adds to
the C-6 Pro’s snappy
clean tone
6
GIT440.rev_schecterx2.indd 27 01/11/2018 11:53