New San Dimas 1 hum floyd should be $1,000

[tanpsi]

Here's the math:

Cheapest USA Gibson $529
Cheapest USA Fender $748

So:

Average of Cheapest USA Guitars = $639.50
+ $200 for Floyd = $839.50

+ $160.50 for added work of compound radius fingerboard= $1,000

You can't argue with MATH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[danastas]

I like your style of thinking.

The cheapest Lexus is $50k.

The cheapest Toyota is about $12-14k.
The cheapest Honda is about $13-15k.

Average of cheapest Japanese car = $13.5k
+ $255.31 for cool-looking Lexus hood ornament
+ $ 44.69 for velour floor mats = $13,800

By the way: http://www.zzounds.com/item--CHA2821000

[livebiz]

How many cheap US Fenders and Gibsons do you have to wade through to find a good one?

[Mickey_C]

HA HA HA. I laughed really good when I read that! Anyway, is that the "cheapest" charvel?

How much is the cheapest Porsche? Cheapest ferrari?

I build amplifers - and I can tell you I am not interested in making cheap stuff, and even less interested in competitive pricing. If I couldn't get what it's worth for me to build them, I simply wouldn't bother - I sure as hell wouldn't start making crap. What would be the point?

I can respect manufacturers who share that view. The world needs less fretted firewood, not more; plays bloody hell on the wood chipper.



mc

[hippietim]

How many cheap US Fenders and Gibsons do you have to wade through to find a good one?

as a percentage - about the same as a charvel or jackson.

fender and gibson make outstanding guitars.

[skorb]

my Fender and Gibson are both amazing guitars. main players for me, and they are both examples of great workmanship. I play my long-owned Model 2 less now with my band due to our setlist (classic and alt rock covers) and the fact that I can't tune my 2 down or up as needed with many of these songs. so it's the Tele and the V.

[StukaJU87]

How many cheap US Fenders and Gibsons do you have to wade through to find a good one?

as a percentage - about the same as a charvel or jackson.

fender and gibson make outstanding guitars.

Thank you, Tim.

[tanpsi]

Yeah I guess that is more wishfull thinking on my part!!!! I know companies should charge what ever they can get.

[Zerberus]

Thank you, Tim.

I agree, but this comparison is between a USA Charvel and a Highway 1 / Gibson Faded and not a LP Standard / AM Standard.... I´d say the Charvels are more consistent and most importantly have better attention to detail in this case, esp. compared to the current Gibsons.

[tanpsi]

I agree the Charvels I've tried seem better quality, but isn't a 1 hum Charvel simpler, or easier to make, than a Strat or SG????

One thing I don't understand is why the faded SGs are so much cheaper than the plain paint ones, maybe they could put out a "faded" Charvel with no paint on headstock, no inlays, that could cut some of the cost.

But I suspect the price difference is more due to what margins they feel they can set rather than that the Charvel costs so much more to make.

[danastas]

Personally, I wouldn't go near a SG Standard these days. I've played a lot of them recently and I've come across nothing but crappy fretwork and cheesy binding. Bad necks. I love Gibsons, the feel of the necks, the sound. I love the Historic line. I even bought one of the LP Studio Mahoganys and like it a lot. But I'm completely underwhelmed by the standards, both LP and SG. The rosewood on my Vintage LP needed a freakin' lube job it was so dry. The Charvel necks have much higher attention to detail if you ask me. Plus, one SD Custom 5 probably costs as much as two of stock pups in a LP Studio or SG.

Fender Strats are great buys, if you play them ahead of time and get a good one. The lacquered necks bug me a great deal, but if you find one and like it (which isn't the easiest thing to do) it's probably a higher quality than both Charvel and Gibson.

[CharvelRocker]

Heh. I do kinda wish Charvel made some cheaper USA made models. I guess the differnce between Charvels and Fender USA and Gibson USA guitars are the Gibson and Fenders are made on a larger scale, and (correct me if I'm wrong) current Charvel USA guitars tend to be made more like a custom shop guitar, with a lot of time and attention plaid to detail, and are produced at a much slower rate.

As for cheaper US made Gibsons and Fenders, they seem of very high quality. I've played American Strats, a Gibson SG Vintage, a Gibson Flying V vintage, and a USA made Telecaster. They were all well setup, high qualtiy guitars. Of course I'm sure the ones of the floor are set up to be absolutely perfect :P

BTW what is the price of an "entry-level" San Dimas Charvel nowadays?

[danastas]

999-1099 according to zzounds

It's not entry level. That's all there is. If you want a Floyd, it costs more.

There are a few limited editions out there but I'm not sure if they're still making them (Bullseyes).

[hippietim]

I agree, but this comparison is between a USA Charvel and a Highway 1 / Gibson Faded and not a LP Standard / AM Standard.... I´d say the Charvels are more consistent and most importantly have better attention to detail in this case, esp. compared to the current Gibsons.

Sorry but that's a silly comparison IMO.

A USA Charvel starts at $1999 list. Can't quote a dealer here but assuming a nice discount of 40% that's a $1200 guitar.

A Faded Flying V lists for $1058 and sells for $579.

A Highway Strat lists for $999 and sells for $749.

The Faded/Highway series are very good guitars. They are just very basic with dull finishes. Everyone that I've played has been very good.

A better comparison IMO would be to a Studio Les Paul or a Deluxe Strat. Both are under $1200 but are very much equal to a Charvel in terms of fit and finish.

[jacksonaxes]

I dont know on average how many USA Jacksons or Charvels are built in a year, I know it used to average with Jackson about 2000 pieces a year roughly from about 1990 on up until the buyout, that's really not to many compared to gibson or fender, I'd hate to even speculate how many USA fender strats are made each year, or Les Pauls, does anyone know if the production numbers have gone up substantially since FMIC took over.