Question to those who own both Custom Shop SD's and Pro Mod SD's

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

I totally WOULD do it, but I don't know what the "oil finish" is that they have used, or how easy it would be to get lacquer to stick... Because a Mahogany Charvel Strat or Dinky with an H/S setup is pretty much ideal for me, with the exception that it needs to be painted.

[sully]

I've noticed a difference in the neck backshape between my cs Charv and the SoCals. My cs has a thinner neck with a bit of a flat spot whereas the SoCals had a bit more of a rounded backshape.

[dg]

+1 on both counts, plus the rolling of the edges seems quite a bit different to me. The production guitars seem like the rolling & the fret ends may both be done as a single step, if that makes sense. On the CS guitars, you can see how they worked around each fret end, and the roll is a little less drastic on my CS. Both feel really good, just different and maybe a little less refined on the promods, which is totally understandable considering the difference in price and the amount of time they can devote to each guitar.

[plexipwrd]

+1 on both counts, plus the rolling of the edges seems quite a bit different to me. The production guitars seem like the rolling & the fret ends may both be done as a single step, if that makes sense. On the CS guitars, you can see how they worked around each fret end, and the roll is a little less drastic on my CS. Both feel really good, just different and maybe a little less refined on the promods, which is totally understandable considering the difference in price and the amount of time they can devote to each guitar.

I'm still going back and forth about the Pro Mod vs Custom shop purchase.

I'm now caught between buying a natural series Swamp Ash body San Dimas from the Music Zoo and having it shot with custom color / graphic or buying the Pro Mod and doing the same.

Another question....

Anybody know if the Pro Mods are 2 or 3 piece bodies?

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

The solid colors are 3-piece, the trans finishes are two-piece.

[LegendaryTones]

Looking for some input ....


I could just save the $900 towards a CS in the future. I am sure that some part of my lust for the CS stuff is purely... "it's hand made, it costs more, so it must be better".

Thanks

You could also wait it out until the end of the quarter here and see what Charvel has in store as apparently they're going to do something new/different from the Production series as the 8th batch now shipping is the last... Since you've already got a killer guitar to play, no harm in waiting it out a little longer perhaps

That said, I had a TMZ natural (great guitar) and a pro mod SoCal (the one I wrote about and played/demo'd at my Legendarytones.com site through the Mesa Roadster rig). The SoCal is what I actually use now and prefer - the neck is perfect. The TMZ was a little bit too thin IMO.

[Grandturk]

2 piece bodies are way better because they cost more.

[dg]

It's a documented fact that glue sucks the mojo molecules right out of the tonewood. The only exception is if you use hide glue boiled from the fresh carcass of a Triple Crown winner sacrificed in his prime on the first new moon after the Spring Equinox, but that shit ain't cheap.

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

2 piece bodies are way better because they cost more.

Nah, they are inferior because there is a crack right down the middle of them. One piece is the way to go!

It's a documented fact that glue sucks the mojo molecules right out of the tonewood. The only exception is if you use hide glue boiled from the fresh carcass of a Triple Crown winner sacrificed in his prime on the first new moon after the Spring Equinox, but that shit ain't cheap.

In all seriousness... IMO the body is not nearly as important as most people think as far as tone. The neck has way more influence on the tone than the body. Especially 2-piece vs. three piece bodies. Outside of seeing the seams through the paint or looking ugly under a trans finish, it's just not that big of a deal.

[Grandturk]

I tend to agree with this. I've had necks carry their basic fundamental sound from body to body.

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

Yeah, I would not go so far as to say the body makes no difference or anything, but it's not the huge factor some people make it out to be, meaning, to the extent that they ignore anything beyond a maple bolt-on neck.

[legend71]

I am new to this forum but I have owned both and for the $$ I will say I would rather have the ProMod. Its true the CS models are better but not 2-3x the price better. I have 2 ProMods right now and I love them. I just wish they would make a hardtail model. I would like that option but all they currently make are Floyd Models....just my opion thanks....

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

I don't like the TOM/string-through hardtails that Charvel has done but I do like this one:

[Grandturk]

I thought of you when I saw that one Jazzy. That's at your shop, right?

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

It's at the one close to me, yeah. I have not seen that one in person, but Scott told me about it a while back. It's funny, he will tell me about a guitar they are getting "soon" and like... 8 months later, it shows up.