Will I be happy with a charvel?

[sandmannn69]

Hey csoios,
Thanks for the reply! Unfortunately, I'm in Hawaii and shipping would back and forth would be a killer...and I can only afford a used one...How would you describe the thickness of the neck, like an Ibanez wizard? Les Paul 60s, etc? To me, the shape holds me back more than the finishing(then again, I can't shred like crazy).

Any problems doing whammy stuff? In terms of staying in tune? My guitars are currently all hardtail as I didn't like the muss and fuss of the tremelo...but I messed with it a long time ago...

Thanks again!

I have 2 USA Charvels, 1 Japanese Charvel, and 3 Gibson LPs with 60s necks. Both Charvel and the Gibson 60s necks are the thin C profile with no shoulders like a Jackson (D profile). The Charvel necks feel/play faster due to the unfinished/oiled back compared to the nitro finish on the Les Pauls. Also, the jumbo fretwire on the Charvels is more suited to faster playing than the vintage frets on the LPs.

The Charvel profile is a tad bit thicker front to back than the Gibsons, but not noticeable due to the lack of finish. If you like a Gibson 60s neck profile(like the early '90s LP Studio Lites or LP Traditional 1960 models), you will love the production models Charvels. The Gibsons are a little easier for bends with the shorter scale. BTW, the LP Traditionals at Guitar Center that are labeled 60s necks are not as thin a profile as a Studio Lite or 1960 Traditional, which is a Sam Ash exclusive I think.

Soundwise, the San Dimas 1 or 2 styles without the top rout are thicker sounding than a humbucker strat, especially if you block the Floyd Rose bridge. The So Cal sounds more strat-like due to the top rout with the pickguard, but never used with single-coils (I don't think they fit without additional routing).
But none of the Charvels sound or play like a Les Paul (no fixed bridge, different tonewoods, shorter scale, etc.) The strat/tele shape is much more comfortable for playing, either sitting or standing.

The Korean floyds on the Charvels are decent, and stay in tune fine if you set them up properly. Nothing beats an original floyd with the genuine OFR springs. The springs on the Korean floyds are crap.

Still, the San Dimas 1 is my all-time favorite, and it's all about the neck-plays like butter.

[alphadog808]

Thanks for the great comparison! I'm beginning to think I'll have to sacrifice (LP)tone but gain a great playing neck. That being said, is there any songs that have a "charvel" tone? I know it's hard to pin down as you have amps/pickups/models of charvel to take into account...I think I heard someone say Ozzy's "bark at the moon" is a good example of charvel(or maybe it was jb) tone..?

[jackhamer]

Alex Masi - Vertical Invader. He played Charvels. Not sure what he recorded with.

[Wild Wally]

Listen to anything by Ratt for a great definitive 80's metal "Charvel tone"!
You could start a whole thread listing examples of recorded Charvel's. Actually i'm sure there are some past threads, but I'm too lazy to search.

[sandmannn69]

Thanks for the great comparison! I'm beginning to think I'll have to sacrifice (LP)tone but gain a great playing neck. That being said, is there any songs that have a "charvel" tone? I know it's hard to pin down as you have amps/pickups/models of charvel to take into account...I think I heard someone say Ozzy's "bark at the moon" is a good example of charvel(or maybe it was jb) tone..?

It depends a lot on what pickups you put in a Charvel, but it's always going to sound brighter and thinner than an LP due to the most common Charvel features (floyd rose bridge, alder body, maple board, etc.). That's why I like having both.
LPs for blues/classic rock, Charvels for 80s stuff.

[alphadog808]

Hey guys,
Just an update, I was able to try some pointy guitars today.. I tried:
-Jackson DX10MF(I think)
-ESP LTD 103FM
-Charvel Model 4(?) one, had 3 pickups and 3 toggles, one had one pickup
-Fender Blacktop
-Charvel So Cal

I kinda liked them all except the model 4s. I swear the neck was kinda too chunky and kinda sticky. Something about them I wasn't digging. Strangely, the ESP and Jackson wasn't half bad and the so cal(Japan one) was ok. I know what you mean by the neck now. It's nothing like the model 4s, more like a skinny, smooth Strat neck. As for tone, you guys are right, it has it's own sound, but it wasn't bad by any means. I think I could live it with it.. I really dig the way all the guitars are fast and so easy to bend/etc. The notes kinda jump off your fingers in comparison.

It's been a while working with the trem, tuning it was a bit of a hassle, but I figure I just have to get used to it.

While I like the ESP and Jackson(not to mention they are cheaper) I kind of wonder how good their trem systems are and how well they'll hold their tune after some abuse.

I'm hoping to try a few more guitars soon, thanks again for all the help.

Jon

[alphadog808]

I forgot to ask, does the wildcard line have the same neck as the so cal line?

[sandmannn69]

Yes.

BTW, the Model 4 neck is a little thicker than the Socal/San Dimas necks and it has a light varnish which can make it feel sticky. I have an '87 in electric blue, nice guitar for $300.

[VitaminG]

I used a kitchen scour pad on my Model 4 neck. That reduced the stickiness and made it smoother to play. The back of the neck has a semi-satin finish now.

[Chief_CrazyTalk]

Wow, I'm confused...all of the model series necks I've played have been the farthest thing from chunky or sticky.

[ginsambo]

I don't know about all the model series, but I have a model 1A. That neck sticks like shite to a blanket. Way too much laquer and it has a wider fretboard than say a Pro mod I've measured with the calipers, hardly anything in it but enough to make it feel more like a Jackson...ie flatter, broader and thus feeling squarer and harder to get your hand around, despite having extensively bevelled/rolled fretboard edges. I have also found the Japanese ebony necks to feel broader, and I measured those too and they are, but not as much as a model series. Maybe some people don't notice it, but that is one of the reasons I don't like Jacksons, especially older '90's Japanese ones, they have a broader fretboard, of course they don't have rolled edges either, but it the small decrepencies in fretboard width that really make them feel different for me.

I've just made love to my Slime green USA pro mod. The necks on all the pro mods get real slippery and shiny with a little time and rough bricklayers hands. The laquer on the body slides off your forearm easy as well with a polish. The whole thing is a superslick, super slippery experience ands the stuff they bring out of me amazes me.

As for fat tones and loads of mids. What I tryed doing recently is just ditching the treble and the bass and they all become fat. Granted I have a duncan distortion in one and that is hard to bear (As the peaking mids make you deaf) with those settings but it brings the best IMO out of the JB and Tone Zones as, although they are very clean sounding, they are not naturally particularly fat sounding guitars without just a little help but you can very easily get a very fat sound out of them with the advantages of more clarity than a shorter scale length guitar.

I would buy another pro mod all day long and I already have three USA's and two Jap ones.

[DonP]

Wow, I'm confused...all of the model series necks I've played have been the farthest thing from chunky or sticky.

I only have a 1986 Model 4, but I agree. This neck is thin and fast. An I only go for thin necks.

[VitaminG]

Wow, I'm confused...all of the model series necks I've played have been the farthest thing from chunky or sticky.

I wouldn't describe any of my Models as chunky. They aren't as thin as my Fusions, but not thick by any stretch either.

As for the stickiness - it really wasn't a problem with my Model 4 but that guitar was already pretty beat up & folks on the JCF were talking about roughing up the gloss finishes on their necks. The Model 4 seemed the best candidate. It actually did make it nicer to play, felt smoother once the gloss has been knocked down to a semi-satin.