Schecter C-6 Pro
A modern shredder with the curl of the burl
Shred guitars come in all shapes and sizes, but a recent trend has seen the rise of the burl top – yep, that’s that freaky cosmic finish you see on Schecter’s latest Indonesian speed machine. The term actually refers to deformed wood, hence the wide variety of grains all over the top – underneath is a more conventional mahogany body. But while the look is highly likely to divide traditionalists, Schecter has loaded this electric with enough to unite players of all stripes.
Although it’s available with a double-locking Floyd Rose for an extra £50, the standard C-6 Pro features a hardtail bridge with through-body stringing – the configuration of choice for many contemporary metal players. The burl top also plays host to a pair of Schecter’s own Diamond Decimator humbuckers, wired up to a three-way pickup selector lever switch, tone and volume, the latter of which also splits the coils of both pickups. What grabs you first, however, is Schecter’s Ultra Thin C neck profile, which, when combined with the flat 355mm (14") fretboard radius makes for effortless playability. Rather than the rosewood you might expect, the fingerboard is actually kitted out with a slab of Cites-approved wenge. It possesses a similar appearance, although it’s a slightly firmer feel under the fingers. We’d like to give a shout out, too, to the Graph Tech XL Black Tusq, which is impossibly slippery for improved tuning stability, and a very welcome addition at this price.
While they may be own-brand jobs, discount Schecter’s Diamond Decimators at your peril; they actually remind us of the company’s higher-end Superrock humbuckers. There’s plenty of high-output welly on hand, but they clean up rather nicely, too. We’re particularly taken with the gutsy bridge unit in both full humbucker and split modes, while the neck pickup is well-suited to blues licks, particularly with lashings of overdrive. The tough wenge fingerboard contributes to the snappy treble response from the split tones, too.
We’re not expecting this guitar to appeal to the kinds of players who
the look is highly likely to divide traditionalists...
only lust after ’59 Les Pauls, but don’t let the looks put you off. The C-6 Pro’s performance is above and beyond what we’d expect at this price, with pickups that – while not as refined as branded offerings – are versatile enough to cover just about any style. And lest we forget that slim-necked guitars aren’t exclusive to metal and shred players; the ease of playability here could just as easily entice an open-minded blueser.
We’d advise you to listen and play without prejudice.
Ed Mitchell
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