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

[shreddermon]

I want a BMW for the price of a Pontiac! BMW should do that. Waaaa!

[Snoogans]

I have heard it said that some of the cheaper "USA" Gibsons are not as "American" as they'd like you to believe....

(Butt-covering bit) I am not suggesting that Gibsons are anything other than fine upstanding American craftsman-built instruments. I am merely quoting an opinion expressed by a knowledgeable acquaintance. (Butt-covering bit)

[neilli]

I've heard the same thing about Gibson as well...

[hippietim]

oh brother.

[~K~]

Well I'm not going to touch on quality etc because people read into things too deeply when I post them and I tend to get beat up. It is very safe to assume in a comparison that yearly quantity (output)plays an enormous role in a price point.

The other things that will make a difference are materials as Fender buys stuff in larger quantity than Jackson. You have to remember that even though they are both FMIC they are run as different companies IE yearly budgets etc.

When I used to walk into Daddy's Junky Music around 84/85 Charvel Strats avg'd between $1100 and $1400 while Les Pauls were a bit cheaper.. I could have bought a used 3 pu Black Beauty for $550 in 84 .. I bought a new Rhoads Student for $799 instead as they had dropped prices to clear inventory for a price increase ..

[danastas]

Of course, those were probably the Norlin era LPs, and Norlin killed their reputation. I still have friends who swear by the Norlin LPs but try to sell a late 70s LP on EBAY and you'll getkilled. The early 90s models have a much better rep.

I wonder why I bought an Ibanez Roadstar for $300+ when for $200 more I could have had an LP Black Beauty. Maybe because I had no clue?

[~K~]

I wonder why I bought an Ibanez Roadstar for $300+ when for $200 more I could have had an LP Black Beauty. Maybe because I had no clue?

Keyword was "used" Les Paul .. and back then they weren't as cool

[Rupe]

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

Probably about the same ratio as expensive Charvels...lots of documented issues for a supposedly "premium" guitar.

[jcmktgguy]

[QUOTE=.....current Charvel USA guitars tend to be made more like a custom shop guitar, with a lot of time and attention plaid to detail....[QUOTE]

B I N G O !

[stevieb91]

I have heard it said that some of the cheaper "USA" Gibsons are not as "American" as they'd like you to believe....

(Butt-covering bit) I am not suggesting that Gibsons are anything other than fine upstanding American craftsman-built instruments. I am merely quoting an opinion expressed by a knowledgeable acquaintance. (Butt-covering bit)

Legally,only 10% of assembly needs to occur in the US for a product to be labeled "Made In The USA".

Welcome to the free enterprise system.

[JACKSONFREAK]

With the comparison of the Highway ones to the charvels. The highway ones are mass produced in Mexico with a USA bodies and necks. Then painted with Nitro and assembled in Mexico. Not that this is a bad thing the Mexican plant does an awsome job and is on calibur with the USA stuff. The Charvel is hand made (not completely but more hands on then the fenders) And are finished with Polyeurathane a more durable but cheaper means of finishing with out the EPA regs etc.. So i do see you rpoint as to why charvels shold cost more. But theres alot more sweat poured into a charvel and Jackson then theere is a machine cut highway one. A better comparison would be a Fender Masterbuilt to the Charvel. The which is cheaper?.. Umm the Charvel is by about 1500 bucks. In a perfect world to me charvels would be cheaper but then everybody would have one just like a strat. lol
Gil

[hippietim]

sorry dude, but i've had a number of gibson and fender guitars that were not master built or custom shop or any of that other stuff and they were every bit as well made as any charvel i've owned

i think you guys are kidding yourselves thinking that a jackson/charvel guitar is in some way objectively better. they can certainly be subjectively better - there are many great guitars that i don't like - i get that aspect of it.

so if you think a jackson/charvel has the characteristics that make the guitar worth the price then by all means - go for it. i've done it - in the last couple years i've bought a number of US made jackson/charvel guitars and have one of the limited on order.

but i'm not kidding myself into believing my $2000 EVH is in some way a superior guitar to the $1200 Yngiwe Fender I used to own. I also am not kidding myself into believing that my historic gibson les pauls are superior guitars to the EVH despite costing even more.

btw jacksonfreak, i think you are seriously mistaken if you think a typical production charvel/jackson is on par with a masterbuilt fender. i have never seen a masterbuilt fender that wasn't perfect in every way. almost all of my charvel/jacksons have had flaws of some sort.

[hippietim]

also, you make a point of dinging the highway series guitar - you are comparing it to a guitar that costs substantially more money. and you make a point about the highway one being machine cut. how do you think the charvel is made?

[hippietim]

Well I'm not going to touch on quality etc because people read into things too deeply when I post them and I tend to get beat up. It is very safe to assume in a comparison that yearly quantity (output)plays an enormous role in a price point.

The other things that will make a difference are materials as Fender buys stuff in larger quantity than Jackson. You have to remember that even though they are both FMIC they are run as different companies IE yearly budgets etc.

When I used to walk into Daddy's Junky Music around 84/85 Charvel Strats avg'd between $1100 and $1400 while Les Pauls were a bit cheaper.. I could have bought a used 3 pu Black Beauty for $550 in 84 .. I bought a new Rhoads Student for $799 instead as they had dropped prices to clear inventory for a price increase ..

wow, i'm glad i didn't have to shop at daddy's. charvel strats at veneman music in those days were $650-950 just like the kramers. My Rhoads Custom w/rising sun and kahler was $1183 out the door in 83/84.

[hippietim]

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).

those prices don't look right. they must be getting out of selling charvels because those prices look very low to me compared to what other dealers are advertising. i just checked a couple of the well known discounting dealers that always advertise the MAP price and they have the 1-hum vtrem charvel strats at $1590.