Schecter Blackjack Sls C-1 Fr S Review
Schecter is a brand that has demonstrated that the employees behind the name know a thing or two about building a guitar. Being the owner of a Schecter, myself, I’ve watched their production over the years and even have them on my list of brands to test out in my search for a seven string guitar. Today, however regretful this fact may be, is not the day that I put one of their seven stringers to the test. Instead I’ve returned to my sanctuary for solidarity from the entropic environment of the real world only to be greeted with pictures and a matching press release for Schecter’s Blackjack SLS C-1.
Schecter Pt Blackjack
Now I’ve read my fair share of releases on guitars, if you can believe that. Of all the guitars, few models, nice as they may have been, have had me willing to reconsider what plan to do with all the lunch money I’ve been saving up. Of the top of my head the SLS C-1 is in the top three. Possibly even the title-holder of the coveted number 1 spot in that debate, though that’s a whole different discussion.
He following content is related to the December 2012 issue of Guitar World. For the full range of interviews, features, tabs and more, pick up the new issue. Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Schecter Blackjack Slim Line Series C-1 FR Sustainiac 6-String Electric Guitar, Satin Black at Amazon.com. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users.
The SLS C-1 Under the Microscope
The Wood and Hardware
Schecter’s new Blackjack is easily primed with the heavy metal guitarist in mind. It uses a lot of choice details that have become staples for years within the genre. A mahogany body sets the foundation with a maple neck and an ebony fretboard. While it’s not exactly a revolutionary combination of woods, it has been tested by many guitarists and has proven to be quite reliable in getting a deeper sound.
The full model name is the Blackjack SLS C-1 FR-S. The FR part stands for Floyd Rose – one of the standard features on the guitar. However it’s not the only alternative for the bridge. Apart from a Floyd Rose 1000 Series tremolo a TonePros TOM bridge is also available.
The SLS C-1 is available in Crimson Red Burst and Satin Black with an MSRP of $1,499.
The Pickups and Electronics
Schecter Blackjack Sls C-1 Fr S Review Car And Driver
Speaking of combinations to aid in that heavier sound. The SLS C-1 takes a set of Seymour Duncan humbuckers around for a spin. The role of the bridge pickup is fulfilled by an SH-10. The SH-10 is described as being apt at delivering treble as well as lows. More than likely it’s designed to handle vast quantities of distortion with lots of highs and lows, and scooped mids. A proper design for the modern riff master.
The neck pickup, on the other hand, is the Sustainiac. With a name like the Sustainiac I feel like its strength is already divulged, making my literary build-up a big waste of time. The Sustainiac is a switch-activated humbucker that in one mode deliver tones much like other humbuckers. However when you flip on one of the switches by the bridge the Sustainiac kicks on electromagnetic feedback that will sustain your notes until kingdom come. In short the guitar comes with the powers of an E-Bow built right into it.
This is a feature that is probably even more valuable these days than it’s ever been before. Back in the day guitarists had to build a relationship with their amp, so to speak. They had to learn how to use the feedback for the sustain they were after. The E-Bow initially offered an alternative to that, but I don’t know that sustain was as much a concern as it is now. As of this writing I’ve spent more recent time with headphones on and plugged into my POD. Endless sustain just doesn’t come that way. The Sustainiac is a solution to that concern.
Schecter Blackjack Sls Fr S
The other switch, lest we leave that one out, will toggle harmonic modes within the Sustainiac that will blend various harmonics in with your signal.
You can find out more information at Schecter’s web site.
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Although Schecter was initially known for slightly more traditional guitars, they’ve really hit their stride in the past decade-plus as purveyors of fine high-performance axes aimed at the metal market. They still cater to the traditionalists – especially with the new USA Production Series unveiled at NAMM in January), but the SLS Blackjack C-1 FR-S is a great example of how Schecter unifies a whole stack of shred-friendly features that are unashamedly pitched at those who dwell on the dark side.
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The SLS has a mahogany body with your choice of Crimson Red Burst or Satin Black finish. The latter is the model on review here: the finish seems particularly well applie, and nicely offset by multi-ply binding. The neck is made of three-piece maple for enhanced stability, and there are 24 Jumbo frets on the ebony fretboard. The headstock is a bound three-tuner-per-side variant featuring Grover Rotomatic tuners with an 18:1 gear ratio for smoother tuning and a higher degree of backlash elimination. The only inlay on the fretboard face of the Satin Black version is a ‘Hell’s Gate Skull’ which looks pretty bitchen’, and definitely positions this as a metal guitar. Personally I think it’d do fine without it, as on the Crimson Red Burst model which has offset dots instead, but it’s not a deal breaker. The set neck is carved into Schecter’s Ultra Access shape, which mimics a neck-thru instrument, and the profile is the Ultra Thin spec, which is 19mm at the first fret and 20mm at the 12th.
The ‘FR-S’ in the model designation refers to the Floyd Rose tremolo bridge (a Floyd Rose 1000 Series, although a version is also available with a TonePros TOM bridge with through-body stringing) and the Sustainiac driver, an ingenious device which provides infinite sustain and the option of various overtones as well. The Floyd is floating with a back rout, and perfectly set up right out of the box. The bridge pickup is a Seymour Duncan Full Shred, a model which was originally developed with Buddy Blaze and Vivian Campbell for the Kramer Nightswan. Electronics include a master volume, a master tone and a three-way pickup selector toggle switch, as well as on/off and three-way mode switches for the Sustainiac. These modes are Normal – infinite sustain of the original note; Mix Mode, where some frets will yield fundamental notes while others will quickly transition to harmonics; and Harmonic Mode, where sustained notes will morph into a high fifth or seventh harmonic vibration. Let’s stress that this is a physical, rather than artificially generated harmonic, and you can hear it happening even if you turn your amp off. The Sustainer driver actually manipulates the vibration of the string itself to bring about the sustain or harmonic overtone.
The Full Shred is a fat-sounding pickup with rich overtones in the midrange, great for transitioning from thick chording to expressive solo work. Harmonics jump right off the fretboard, and there are some really nice shifting transients when you apply techniques like bending and slides. It’s great for progressive rock or more aggressive metal styles.
When the Sustainiac is used as a pickup instead of a driver, it’s a bit muffled and not necessarily a good match for the Full Shred – it could use a little more clarity and definition – but it becomes a superstar when it’s used in sustain mode (where it keeps itself busy vibrating the string while the bridge pickup handles the sound). The sustain function is addictive whether you leave it in normal mode or explore the various harmonic options, and it makes the guitar feel literally alive – you can feel the whole damn thing vibrating differently with each note you play, and it opens up a world of expressive possibilities whether you’re using a clean or dirty tone, and whether you’re playing single notes or chords. If everyone spent three hours a day playing a guitar with a Sustainiac, there’d be no more wars or sadness. It’s that much fun.
Schecter Blackjack Sls C 7
The evil skull inlay might put a few prospective buyers off, but don’t let yourself be one of them – you can always go for the Crimson Red version if you like the specs but not the skull. This is an addictively playable guitar that gears itself toward helping you to play your best, express your innermost feelings and perhaps sear off a few faces. It’d be a crushing axe even without the Sustainiac (and you can indeed buy it with a Seymour Duncan Jazz hum bucker in the neck position instead), but the Sustainiac really kicks it up a notch.
Schecter Blackjack Sls Solo 6
LINK: Schecter