- Excellent build quality for the money
- Can cover a lot of ground
- High output pickups
- Not so easy to find online
- Craftsmanship might not be consistent as these are bare-bones, entry-level guitars
Hello there, back again with another excellent entry-level electric guitar review. This time we will be looking at an SGR C-1 review. Schecter C-1 is a really solid electric guitar for absolute beginners. If you have never heard of the SGR brand, it actually stands for Schecter Guitar Research as an abbreviation and is aimed at people who are on a low budget.
Table of Contents
About Schecter
Schecter Guitar Research, commonly known as Schecter, is a well-known American guitar manufacturing company. It was founded in 1976 by David Schecter in Van Nuys, California. Initially, the company gained recognition for producing high-quality replacement parts for existing guitars, such as Fender and Gibson. Over the years, Schecter has evolved into a prominent guitar brand, manufacturing a wide range of electric guitars and basses. The company is particularly renowned for its custom and semi-custom instruments, catering to a diverse range of musical styles, including rock, metal, and jazz.
Schecter guitars are often praised for their craftsmanship, attention to detail, and the use of quality materials. The company offers a variety of guitar models, including signature series instruments designed in collaboration with renowned artists.
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Schecter‘s guitars are known for their versatility, making them popular among musicians across different genres. As you may already know, I’m a big fan of Schecter guitars. Hellraiser Hybrid PT-7 is not the first Schecter I tried. While working in the MI business, I had the chance to test, play and record many Schecters daily and was always amazed by their quality. Even their SGR by Schecter line was pretty much one of the best entry-level guitars ever. I also got myself a Solo II Custom in recent years and was really impressed!
Check out my Schecter guitar reviews here
You can think of SGR as Squier by Fender, or Epiphone by Gibson, etc. SGR guitars are great value-for-money instruments and have always been a reasonable option for many people. In the video below, you’ll see an SGR C-1 guitar, but the title says it’s a Sunset Pack. Do not worry, it’s all the same guitar; no difference except Sunset Pack comes with basic accessories and an amp, but the C-1 model is only the guitar. And you will see that the version you are holding is written on the truss rod cover. Let’s hear the guitar first, this time recorded with a Marshall JVM205C valve amp + Shure SM57 microphone. 
Sound Demo (no talking)
SGR C-1 Tech Specs
| Shecter SGR C-1 | Tech Specs |
|---|---|
| Body | Basswood |
| Construction | Bolt-On |
| Neck | Maple |
| Fingerboard | Rosewood |
| Tuners | Schecter |
| Scale | 648mm |
| Frets | 24 Medium |
| Radius | 355mm |
| Nut | 42mm Graphite |
| Bridge | Tune-O-Matic String-Thru |
| Pickups | Schecter Diamond Plus Humbucker Pickups |
| Controls | Volume Tone 3-way Switch |
As you can see, it’s priced quite reasonably and very accessible for many beginners. Its basswood body, double-cut body design, 24 frets and high-output pickups make the SGR by Schecter C-1 electric guitar a great option if you are to start playing the guitar. I would definitely trust the SGR brand, as it’s very easy to understand that they even care about their low-budget options, and they take their business seriously. Without them interfering with the factories in China, this built quality wouldn’t have been possible. 
I would like to feature another video of me playing a solo on this guitar, using the Fender Pro Junior and Boss SD-2 overdrive pedal.
SGR C-1 with Fender Pro Junior & Boss SD-2
During my service in the MI business, while testing and playing guitars, some moments got me thinking about the money and time we would spend on higher-end instruments. Sometimes a guitar would pop up in our store, and it was shockingly good for the price, so good that you would wonder maybe we simply never needed another instrument.
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Mind you, I was always even more shocked by the quality of the higher-segment Schecter guitars, and never got disappointed by them. I had the chance to test a Schecter SLS C-1 Blackjack during my service in the MI business, and later on, I got myself a Schecter Solo II Custom and also a Schecter Hellraiser Hybrid PT-7.
This particular era of SGR C-1 guitars was shockingly good! Extremely affordable, comes in a pack or as an individual instrument, obviously aimed at beginners, yet feels, sounds and plays like a proper instrument! If you are a regular reader of my blog, you would know that I don’t have the same opinion on budget guitars all the time. I rarely play entry-level guitars and immediately start questioning my love for gear and guitar. SGR C-1 got me thinking about why I even considered investing my money and time into gear! 🙂
I’m not here to say that this guitar will beat this brand or that model; what I’m trying to say is that sometimes companies like Schecter really pay attention to their very entry-level instruments and do their best to offer the highest value purchase for beginners. These are pretty much bare-bones, entry-level guitars by Schecter that are reminiscent of the higher-segment, actual Schecter C series, that punch over their weight!
Currently, there are a lot more finish options offered by the company, so you may get one of the electric blue, metallic red, gloss black, satin black or even satin walnut finish versions. Not all retailers stock them all the time, but I’m sure you will be able to find these options via the links I’m providing here. 
Pricing & Availability
These guitars are usually not the easiest to find, and I don’t really know why! Maybe the competition in the entry-level guitar market has got so heated and competitive that these guitars have become kind of invisible.
Weirdly, I haven’t seen these SGR by Schecter guitars on Thomann’s website for a very long time. You may still search for these, and they may pop up one day, but there must be a reason that some of Schecter’s entry-level guitars under SGR never pop up over there.
Check out SGR by Schecter guitars on Thomann here
You may also check out Reverb, but it’s rare that you will find these SGR versions. There are some other SGR guitars, in case you are interested.
Check out SGR by Schecter guitars on Reverb here
Thanks for visiting my blog and supporting me so far! I will hopefully see you in the next review here!
