So you’re a fan of hard rock and heavy metal? If you want to be a guitarist for that type of music, then you should check out the Schecter brand.
The best Schecter guitars are quite excellent, there’s no doubt about that. No proper list of excellent electric guitars would be complete without it.
The Schecter brand is among the most respected in the industry, and it offers a no-nonsense approach that’s very appealing to most rock fans.
Part of its allure is that you can enjoy its excellent quality without having to put a major dent in your bank account. You can even enjoy the best Schecter guitar under $1000. You get high quality without the high prices.
Contents
- 1 Top 5 Schecter Guitars: Comparison Chart
- 2 Best Picks of Schecter Guitars
- 2.1 #1: C-1 SGR by Schecter Beginner Electric Guitar – Electric Blue (Amazon Exclusive)
- 2.2 #2: C-1 SGR by Schecter Beginner Electric Guitar – Midnight Satin Black (Amazon Exclusive)
- 2.3 #3: Schecter OMEN-6 6-String Electric Guitar, Black
- 2.4 #4: Schecter Omen Extreme-6 Electric Guitar (Black Cherry)
- 2.5 #5: Schecter Hellraiser C-1 Electric Guitar (Gloss White)
- 3 The History of the Schecter Guitar Brand
- 4 Where Are Schecter Guitars Made?
- 5 What Makes the Best Schecter Guitar for Metal?
- 6 Final Verdict
Top 5 Schecter Guitars: Comparison Chart
Last update on 2023-11-18 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Best Picks of Schecter Guitars
#1: C-1 SGR by Schecter Beginner Electric Guitar – Electric Blue (Amazon Exclusive)
This is available as a bundle, and for beginners who want to have everything right away it’s a fantastic offer. Here you get the SG-1 SGR Beginner Electric Guitar, and it comes with a classy walnut satin finish.
This also has the light D’Addario NYXL1046 Nickel Plated Electric Guitar Strings, which offer great strength due to its use of high carbon steel alloy.
- Arch Top Carved Body Electric Guitar (incudes gig bag)
- Maple Neck with Rosewood Fretboard
- Pearloid Dots with 12th fret Custom Inlay
- Black Chrome Hardware
Last update on 2023-11-18 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
It’s easier to tune, and it stays in tune longer. It offers quite a crunch, and its packaging is even corrosion-resistant and eco-friendly.
Then you have 265 picks to choose from, made from high quality celluloid for a warm tone and natural feel. It’s designed for articulate picking and strumming, and its shape is comfy to play.
You even get a black polypropylene guitar strap that’s adjustable for various lengths. It’s very secure at both ends and you feel comfortable using it when you’re playing while standing.
Of course, there’s the guitar too. It also comes with a gig bag, but even without it the guitar itself is great. You have a maple neck with a rosewood fretboard, along with black chrome hardware.
- It offers lots of accessories that you’ll need to really learn to play the guitar.
- The guitar itself is fantastic, as it looks and plays like a more expensive model.
- It’s especially designed to be easy to play by beginners.
- The strap offers comfy playing when you’re standing.
- The picks are ample and in various colors, and they’re easy to use effectively.
#2: C-1 SGR by Schecter Beginner Electric Guitar – Midnight Satin Black (Amazon Exclusive)
This is just the guitar instead of the beginner’s bundle, though you do get the gig bag too. It’s a different look as well, as the midnight satin black isn’t really all that common.
Its features include an arched top that’s smoothly shaped for comfort. Its design allows you to play the guitar comfortably whether you’re sitting or standing. The way it is shaped allows you to navigate the fretboard and controls with ease.
- Arch Top Carved Body Electric Guitar (incudes gig bag)
- Maple Neck with Rosewood Fretboard
- Pearloid Dots with 12th fret Custom Inlay
- Black Chrome Hardware
Last update on 2023-11-18 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
The SGR pickups are also made to really help guide newbie players into its versatility. Right away you’ll notice its balanced and clean sound, but you can color it with ease and adapt its sound with various effects.
The black chrome hardware also offers an upgraded look compared to the more common chrome version. Then finally there’s the gig bag where you can store your guitar or transport it with you for your performances.
- It’s absolutely gorgeous, with a matte black finish that makes it look as impressive as much more expensive guitars.
- The maple neck is also outstanding, and surprisingly so given the rather low price for this guitar.
- It’s very fun to play.
- Taken altogether, others may think that you paid 5 times what this will actually cost you.
#3: Schecter OMEN-6 6-String Electric Guitar, Black
This is an awesome guitar suitably designed for metal. It’s made for playing for many hours, and the appointments come with class premium quality.
The basswood body offers very warm tones, and it complements the brightness brought by the maple in the neck. The maple tone is very reflective, so it focuses more of the energy towards the basswood body.
The fretboard is made of rosewood, and this is a better choice than maple for any guitar part that has lots of human contact because it’s naturally oily. It offers a great sound as its oily pores absorb any stray overtones.
- Pearloid Semi Goth Inlays
- Basswood Body
- Rosewood Fretboard. Neck Material:Maple
- Black Chrome Hardware
- Schecter Diamond Plus Pickups
Last update on 2023-11-18 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
This also features an aggressive Schecter Diamond Plus pickup made for high output. It’ll easily cut through the mix. It’s designed for drop tunings, scorching leads, and crisp rhythms.
The tuners also come with a 10mm diameter peg hole, threaded hex peghead bushing, and removable knobs. The gear ratio is at 15:1 so the tuning is precise and smooth. The sealed lubricated housing also protects the gears for many years of low-maintenance playability.
The Tune-O-Matic Bridge also come with a string-thru body tail, so you get greater clarity, more sustain, and added string tension.
- The neck is absolutely fun, with a smooth feeling as you run down your hand through its length.
- The whole look is fantastic.
- The various knobs offer easy controls.
- The strings really boost the sustain.
- The pickups sound great with the right amp.
#4: Schecter Omen Extreme-6 Electric Guitar (Black Cherry)
For many, this is the top choice among the Schecter mid-range models. In fact, it’s become quite a common sight among many bands that still play metal today. It sure offers a lot more than what its price suggests.
The look is particularly marvelous, but there are good audio reasons as well for its chosen materials. While the quilted maple top is primarily for aesthetics, the mahogany body does do its job in providing the tonal properties you want.
- Solidbody Electric Guitar with Mahogany Body
- 2 Humbucking Pickups - Black Cherry
- Rosewood Fingerboard
- Maple Neck
- Maple
Last update on 2023-11-18 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
For the electronics, you also get the Schecter Diamond passive humbuckers. These puppies pack quite a bit of heat for metal playing. Plug any sort of amplifier and distortion box on this and you’ll get very responsive tone. It’s versatile enough for any musical genre, but you have to admit that for metal this guitar really rocks.
- It looks fantastic especially on stage.
- The warm tones sound wonderful.
- The tones are very responsive.
- It can be used for many types of music, though for heavy metal it sounds as if expressly made for that genre.
#5: Schecter Hellraiser C-1 Electric Guitar (Gloss White)
Among the many Schecter guitars, many fans rate this as arguably among the best for the money. It comes with a unique baritone scale, with 2 reinforcement rods inside the 30-inch neck.
The body is made from mahogany, and the design is the reliable and standard Schecter Super Strat. You also get a set of fantastic EMG humbuckers that will give you the output you want.
- Set-Neck w/ Ultra Access
- Quilted Maple Top
- EMG Active 81TW/89 pickups
- Mahogany Body
- Limited Lifetime Guarantee
Last update on 2023-11-18 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Plug this into your amp and you’ll raise hairs when you go for heavy distortions that are filled with plenty of gain.
Yet it doesn’t have to be a monster all the time. Dial it back a bit on the volume, and tone down the overdrive, and your sound will be gentle and suitable enough for playing the blues.
- It looks and plays much more expensive than it actually costs. Quite a few people would be willing to pay $4,000 since that’s the price tag of other guitars that are similar to the Hellraiser.
- The neck allows for comfortably fast playing, with terrific access to the 24 frets.
- It’s very lightweight so it’s easy and comfy to have on your lap or on a strap.
- The intonation sounds pretty nice, especially with locking tuners.
- The EMG has a noise-cancelling scheme that actually works to minimize the humming.
- With the string attachment through the body, the sustain is significantly improved.
- The tone is great for a wider variety of music genres.
The History of the Schecter Guitar Brand
The Schecter brand is more formally known as Schecter Guitar Research, and it’s an American guitar manufacture that started out in 1976.
It began by making replacement parts for popular guitar brands like Gibson and Fender. In just a few years they had up to 400 different parts to offer.
By 1979, they were ready to offer their own assembled guitars. Their designs resembled Fenders, and they didn’t make too many. Due to the rarity and the comparatively high quality of the guitars, these Schecters were rather expensive.
The relative rarity of Schecter guitars changed in 1998 with the release of the non-custom, mass produced Diamond series. The release of this series allowed more people to afford the brand.
In addition, Schecter also offered various configurations of their many different guitar parts, so it was still possible for enthusiasts to find a particular model that fit their specific requirements.
Now let’s see where these guitars were made through the years in the next section.
Where Are Schecter Guitars Made?
Originally, these guitars were made in California, and then in Texas when the ownership transferred to Texan investors. These investors then sold to the famous Hisatake Shibuya, who also owned ESP Guitars and Musicians Institute in Hollywood.
Today, some of the more affordable models are built in South Korea or China, though its designs always start in the US. However, some of the more expensive models are built back in California.
Regardless of where they’re made, Schecter guitars are great for metal. Find out why in the next section.
What Makes the Best Schecter Guitar for Metal?
Schecter guitars are especially suitable for Metal music for several reasons:
- Its look just rocks. A typical Schecter guitar is quit versatile, but it sure doesn’t look like it’s best for country music. The best Schecter guitar for metal sure looks it.
- The tonewood for the more affordable models is made of basswood, which offers a powerful and punch sound while it remains nicely balanced. In the higher end models, you have mahogany which is rich, resonant, and deep.
- The humbuckers offer beefy and thick sound with nice articulation.
- The necks are nicely thin and slim for easy playability. There are a lot of hand and finger movements in rock music, and that’s especially true of metal. You don’t want thick necks that are cumbersome to grasp.
- The electronics offer nice control options. You’re not shortchanged by the technology despite the comparatively low prices of Schecter guitars.
- You can get extended range with Schecter, as it’s one of the best for 7-string options.
Final Verdict
These Schecter guitar reviews show that there’s a wide range of options when for affordable yet high quality guitars. These are comparable to terrific Gibsons and Fenders, but at a much lower price range.
The Schecter vs. LTD debate is still ongoing, as the Diamond series and other mass-produced models from Schecter offer comparable worth and performance as their LTD counterparts from ESP. That’s not exactly surprising, considering that both companies are owned by the same person.
Still, these top Schecter guitars offer a lot of value for what you’ll spend with them.The C-1 models offer compelling options if you’re looking for a Schecter guitar for beginners, while the 2 Omen models offer more oomph for more money.
However, on this list the best Schecter guitar for the money is the exceptional Hellraiser C-1. It performs as well as guitars that cost more than $2,000 yet its own price stays firmly set in the 3 digits.
With its limited lifetime guarantee, you’ll have a guitar that can you play as loud as you can for the rest of your life. Rock will never die, and apparently the same is true for high quality Schecter guitars.
I ❤️ My hellraiser c-1 fr!! Black cherry 2017 model. Owned for 3 months.
Where is the schecter demon 6 with Duncan design active pickup? Is this guitar bad ? How does it compare with the omen 6 extreme?