Charvel quality? Thinking of buying...

[Scream And Fly]

I'm looking at buying a new Charvel San Dimas and I was wondering what the consensus is on their quality. Any issues or cheap hardware? I know it comes with a Korean Floyd but at least a German OFR is a direct fit, so no worries. I'm also looking for a guitar that has a thick, dark sound - would the San Dimas do this?

[85 San Dimas]

Well, everyones ears are different but I would say as a rule "no". These wood combinations are brighter and that's what the 80's sound that these guitars gun for was like.

HOWEVER, we don't use the same kinds of amps anymore. Those days we used Marshall JMP's, some 800's, or Early Boogies. Also, pickup technology has come a long, long, long way, and if detuned....you can make some serious headway, but it's not going to sound like a Gibson.

I'd say go play one if you can and see what you think. Dial up your favorite amp and let it rip. As for build quality they do a good job. The same guys that build American Standard Strats build these so you don't have to worry too much about it. Go play some (if you can) and pick out the one that speaks to you. Occasionally you'll find some loose fitting neck pockets, etc....par for the course for any mass-produced bolt-on even when built in limited runs. The Floyd is ok, but for the last 30 years the story on Floyd's has always been that it's performance is only as good as the set-up and there are several guys on here with tons of experience setting Floyd's up. They can help you work any kinks out if you haven't done it before. Hopefully you can locate a dealer in your area-these are nice guitars.

Good luck man.

[ekalb09]

If you want a darker tone head with the san dimas, the dimarzios in the so cal make the guitar even more bright I think (but not in a bad way). Don't worry about the korean floyd I think it handles nicely and I don't have tuning stability issues at all... for the price it's a great guitar and in the ones I have played at my local shop and mine these are well built with very solid neck pockets.

[jacksonpc1]

We have sold several & everyone who has bought a Charvel has been very pleased. I own 2 & I did a few changes. I put a big brass block & a D-tuna plus setup work. Mine play & sound great! We do a complete setup & throw in SKB hardshell case with ours. If you would like to look, I have the Charvels posted on our JCFonline forum. Willoughby Music

I'm looking at buying a new Charvel San Dimas and I was wondering what the consensus is on their quality. Any issues or cheap hardware? I know it comes with a Korean Floyd but at least a German OFR is a direct fit, so no worries. I'm also looking for a guitar that has a thick, dark sound - would the San Dimas do this?

[Rich#6]

These are great guitars, the socal is the one to get because the dimarzio pickups are geared toward the base side.

[Grandturk]

Great guitars. I have two. No problems with either. The MIK Floyd works very well and seems pretty durable. I will say that replacing the bar and collar assembly is recommended - $14 upgrade you will feel.

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

There are no more quality issues with these than anything else, but, there are some quality issues.

I think they're a great guitar. Not "dark" sounding, though. They're actually pretty bright fundamentally.

[jeff5]

I like mine a lot. (San Dimas style 2) It's an all white guitar, and I did notice one minor black spec in the paint just below the strings.

Two other small things are that I can feel the edges of the racing stripe on the back of the neck and I can feel where the fret edges are if I roll my finger over them on the top of the fret board. But I think that these things are more to do with the unifinished nature of the neck than to any flaw in production.

As for staying in tune I've had no problems over several hours of playing since I got it on Wednesday. Now I don't do a huge amount of whammy work, but still it seems to stay in tune very well. And overall is a very nice playing guitar, especially for the price.

[T@rgetDrone]

+1 for the SoCal. I absolutely love mine. I generally prefer a bit darker tone too but was quite pleased with the SoCal as shipped. Recently I pulled the TZ in the bridge in favor of an older Super Dist - personal preference mostly. I drilled an extra hole and installed a tone knob with a large Sprague orange drop capacitor. All I needed for the various darker tones was the tone knob. While that is not for everyone, it works well for me.

As for quality, the one and only issue I can pull out my ass on the Pro Mods is the possibility of a faulty 3-way switch. Seems some of us have had a dodgy switch. I still have the original parked on mine as it seems to be fine of late. But I did pick up a replacement for it just in case. I really like my SoCal A LOT! They scream at ear piercing levels "MOD ME!"

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

As far as I can tell the electronics in the Pro Mods are the exact same stuff they use in the USA Jacksons and Custom Shop Charvels.

However, I had a crap switch in my DK1... The little pin that goes through the toggle portion of the switch wasn't peened over on the end, so it slid halfway out. Pretty easy fix.

[Rockinloud]

I have two & love 'em. Got the white one when it came out last spring. Put a brass big block on the trem & a D-tuna. Just got a slime green a few weeks ago & put a big block on it as well. I changed out the volume knob on both. Just don't care for the feel of the one they are using. I've had no problems with either one & play the heck out of 'em. Not what I would call a dark tone by any means but as mentioned this could vary depending on your rig. Just love the feel of these guitars. I have three USA soloists & find myself playing the San Dimas models more than the Jacksons. Not saying they're better, just really dig the vibe from them.

[The Rossness]

Quality is top notch. Occasionally you'll find one thing to nitpick about, but I've had great experience with my pro mods. I've had the import floyd on my Charvel's and BCR gunslinger and can't find issue with it.

As far dark,...Maybe you should look at a Carvin Bolt + and get a mahogany body paired with a C22SD.

[Scream And Fly]

Thanks everyone. The only thing that bothers me is I understand that the neck needs to be removed to be adjusted?

[ekalb09]

Thanks everyone. The only thing that bothers me is I understand that the neck needs to be removed to be adjusted?

The thought of it bugged me but it doesn't need to be adjusted much so it's barely a concern.

[Grandturk]

The only thing that bothers me is I understand that the neck needs to be removed to be adjusted?

Just the way Leo intented!