Schecter Hellraiser C-1 Definitive Review

Schecter makes many guitars for different types of players. The Hellraiser C-1 is a very versatile guitar at an awesome price.

After playing it for a while now, I couldn’t help but recommend it to beginners. Even experienced players for the ease of playing and versatility it offers. Let’s take a deeper look into this electric guitar and see what it has to offer, and why it made our list!

Features

Let’s take a look at some of the key features of the Schecter Hellraiser C-1 guitar.

• Mahogany body with quilted maple top.
• Polyester finish.
• Thin C neck shape.
• Rosewood finger board.
• 25.5 inch scale with 24 frets.
• EMG humbucker pick-ups.
• Loaded with hardware options.

Who Is This Guitar For?

Even though this guitar looks aggressive, its versatility allows for jazz, rock, and more. This guitar has been designed for hard rock and metal players.

Either beginners, students, or even well-seasoned players! The sounds are awesome, the build is quality and the experience is top-shelf! This is because Schecter makes some great guitars!

Benefits

The Hellraiser C-1 is well-known among metal and hard rock players. Here are some benefits it offers:

1. Versatile Sound: The guitar features a pair of active EMG pickups. They deliver a powerful and aggressive sound for many heavy music styles.
2. Solid Construction: The guitar’s body and neck are made of mahogany. It provides a solid and resonant tone.
3. Playability: The guitar’s thin “C” shape neck, 24 jumbo frets, and smooth ebony fingerboard make it easy to use. Especially fast and intricate solos.
4. Value for Money: The Hellraiser C-1 offers high-end features and construction at a relatively affordable price point. This makes it an excellent option for intermediate and advanced players.

Sound Performance

Schecter is known for their custom parts, the Hellraiser is loaded with them! The pick-ups sound wonderful on this guitar. They really do high gain and clean well, like EMG pick-ups are expected to perform.

I found the clean tones to be quite pristine. They have a good balance in the tone, so it never seemed harsh. The fullness and output from the pickups provided a perfect high-gain tone. Paired with the right amplifier or distortion pedal, this thing chugs!

It’s a perfect guitar for beginners and experienced players. Especially if you want to play around with heavier music. And with a killer-looking guitar. The video below offers some great sounds from his guitar. This way you can hear it for yourself!

Construction

The mahogany body with the quilted maple top just looks nice with its arched top! The guitar comes in a few different colors, and they all look simply incredible. The body features a double cutaway design and has a beautiful abalone binding.

The solid mahogany helps get long sustain from the guitar. Especially when you really need it, and it does not disappoint. The body is quite light and comfortable either on the lap or hanging from your shoulder.

The strings are also mounted to the guitar with a through-body design. They are easy to access from the backside.

Neck Design

The Schecter Hellraiser guitar neck is a 3 piece of mahogany. It’s a neck that is set into the body and not bolted.

This gives the guitar an amazing sustain and resonance that becomes part of your playing. The fingerboard is made from Rosewood and has a 25.5-inch scale and 24 frets. The neck is a thin “C” profile that is very comfortable and ultra-easy to play.

It has a 1.65-inch nut width and a plastic truss rod cover on the headstock. Abalone gothic cross inlays are found on the fingerboard to give the neck a modern look. I also love the look of the headstock on this guitar, fits it super well.

Hardware

The Hellraiser comes with EMG humbucker pick-ups that sound awesome! These pick-ups have a fat and punchy tone but have incredible clarity!

So it will take you to a roaring hard rock or metal tone, but have pristine clean capabilities as well. The EMG pick-ups are a well-balanced output, with an 81TW at the bridge and an 89 at the neck.

The guitar also features 2 volume and 1 tone control with knurled metal knobs and a selector switch. Schecter locking machine heads hold tuning on this guitar well and are very reliable.

The Hellraiser also has more rock-solid hardware. This includes a Tune-o-Matic bridge and Tusq nut by Graph Tech. Stock strings are Ernie Ball Regular Slinky and are a through-body mount.

Playability

But how does the Schecter Hellraiser C-1 feel? The neck is comfortable! It’s thin, and the width is perfect for fast licks. The 24 jumbo frets are also helpful for accuracy and fast playing.

The action was set nicely, making the guitar a lot of fun in terms of feel and playability. The guitar resonates well. The sustain was alive and well and lasted for days thanks to the set neck and aggressive EMG pick-ups.

Schecter made a really nice high-gain guitar here, and I enjoyed my time with it! It was hard to put down, and in the end, I kept coming back to play it.

Final Thoughts

There are many great electrics under the $1000 price range. Most of them play and sound wonderful. The Schecter Hellraiser C-1 is well worth the money!

The build quality, solid materials, electronics, and sound just to name a few. Everything is top-shelf and has amazing Schecter quality. This guitar is a good value.

I recommend this guitar for beginners and seasoned players! It’s a perfect addition to any guitar collection, and you will play it often!

Schecter has an incredible history of building some quality guitars. The Hellraiser C-1 guitar is made in South Korea. You will still get an excellent guitar made by some talented luthiers!

The experience of starting with a versatile guitar will bring you great joy in sound and feel! And this guitar will also allow you to stay inspired with its options and fantastic sound.

FAQs

What strings come on the guitar?

Schecter uses Ernie ball guitar strings on their instruments. And right from the factory. This is because they provide great quality no matter the price point!

Where is this guitar made?

The Schecter Hellraiser C-1, like a lot of entry-level guitars, is made in South Korea. They are then shipped to the USA, where a full setup is done on them.

What are some good alternatives?

If the C-1 isn’t quite the guitar for you, I might also suggest that you look at other brands. Ibanez, Jackson, ESP, and even PRS are good choices. These brands make some amazing guitars at roughly the same price point.