I had spent the better part of a year waiting and searching for a decent 8 string I could afford, and after at least one mistake and having looked at this one several times, I finally just bought it. I had some excellent history with Schecter guitars so I figured it would at least be a solid workhorse even if it wasn't anything special. And I was correct. This thing is extremely solid for the price you pay, and I would argue you get more than the price calls for. In comparing it to my old Omen 8, the differences are few, and I have concluded that the C-8 is the same guitar as the Omen with less focus on aesthetics and more focus on functionality. The 28" scale is excellent and is exactly what an 8 string needs in terms of low end and the fact I did not have to pay an arm and a leg to get a decent scale length has me tickled pink. The build quality is excellent on the body too, and while I find that this guitar is kinda neck heavy due to the body being basswood, it redeems itself through a flawless satin finish and a contoured heel, which I find to be a godsend. That bit is amazing to have. Overall, it really is just what the price might reflect. A guitar with 8 strings. And since it's Schecter, it came with appointments more geared toward more expensive instruments, the scale length being chief among them. The hardware is surprisingly solid, with the tuning machines and nut being able to hold up to my heavy hand and keep things in very good tune even with the extremely old strings… read more that came on it. It holds tuning like a freaking champ! This a fantastic workhorse to grab and mod out if you're like me and love 8 strings but don't find yourself using them often enough to buy a really expensive one. I absolutely recommend this thing to anyone, even a pro, who needed a solid 8 but didn't wanna get spendy.

Sound
With even just the stock pickups, I am getting really tight progressive metal and "djent" tones through my setup, though most of the tightness of my to be comes from my Boss DS-1X, and the rest of it comes from this thing's scale length, pickups and tone pots. The C-8 really is built with awesome stock electronics, I can easily cop a good Meshuggah tone with this monster. It does get kinda muddy at times though, my usually fast riffing on the low two (in my case, low F and A#) tends to have things wash out kind of easy. Single notes, chords, and palm mutes voice great if used in a percussive manner though, and chords actually stay very clear even if you bash powerchords with that low F. It stays in tune magnificently for me too, even with hard bends most of the time. It's cleans aren't all that good honestly, with the scale length the highs are really bright and cutting on the bridge PU, with the neck PU being too muddy for me. In the end, definitely change the PUs to your taste as always, but for stock, this thing honestly sounds awesome!

Features
28 inch scale length babyyyyy. That is so nice especially for this price! Makes for amazing tightness on the low end, I adore it so much. The neck carve and playability are great too, even with it being longer than I find comfortable typically, it is sooooo playable. The hardware is a big plus at this price, it is wayyyy more solid than you might expect and don't necessarily need to be changed outright though I eventually will be getting some Hipshot stuff. The contoured heel is a godsend again, makes reaching the high frets a breeze and when you like to do that often, that contour is your best friend. I cannot stress how nice that is. That plus the scale length is incredible.

Ease of Use
This thing makes it easy to nail good 8 string tone even out of the box. That was a massive surprise. It does take some getting used to the big scale length, but for me it wasn't too much issue as I am predominantly a bassist. It even makes itself super playable even in light of that long scale, awesome fretwork and again, that contoured heel make this thing play really well.

Quality
I was extremely surprised at how well-made and playable this guitar feels in the hands. I still feel, after having it for a couple months now, that it deserves a higher price tag for what it is worth and the features included. It is honestly built like a tank too, I dropped mine on accident and it didn't hardly even go out of tune, not a mark on it.

Value
The C-8 is one of the most ambitious guitars in this price range. Easily worth another 100 dollars, it was as if Schecter built a really solid, higher tier guitar and then used a set of average but solid hardware and a minimalistic aesthetic to market it as the next "affordable 8 string" contender, knowing full well it would destroy the guitars in it's price range on most all fronts. It makes a mockery of the Ibanez RG8 I played at my local shop at the very least.

Manufacturer Support
I didn't need to contact Schecter at all.

The Wow Factor
Features, features, features! It just feels like a more expensive instrument, and sounds like it too. I am extremely impressed. You could be an entry level 8 string player looking for a decent guitar or a seasoned player looking for a good nodded for use as an alternate tuning or backup instrument and I don't see either kind of person being disappointed.

Musical Background:
Been playing for 5 years now, and play both bass and guitar and just record my own music. No bands for me.

Musical Style:
I play heavy music as well as softer, ambient atmosphere, both of which include low tunings and big electronic influences. read less