New USA Charvels Suck ! ........

[jharpersj]

I have played at least 4 of the new USA Fender made charvels (USA models, pointy headstocks non custom shop) and they were very uncool. I have owned (and sold) a bunch of San Dimas USA Charvels including 3 strat heads and several pointies and they were so much better. So for like $2K you now get a really really heavy alder body (painfully heavy), bad fretwork (every guitar had sharp fret ends, which is probably due to not drying the wood long enough) and a bright lame tone with no sustain.

Anyone else feel the same way ? I had my eye on a few custom shop guitars but cant see pulling the trigger after ck'ing out the USA models. For the price of a Suhr or Anderson I cant see how these USA Charvels will ever compete with anything in that price range. Just a rant .......

[Downfall]

I have played at least 4 of the new USA Fender made charvels (USA models, pointy headstocks non custom shop) and they were very uncool. I have owned (and sold) a bunch of San Dimas USA Charvels including 3 strat heads and several pointies and they were so much better. So for like $2K you now get a really really heavy alder body (painfully heavy), bad fretwork (every guitar had sharp fret ends, which is probably due to not drying the wood long enough) and a bright lame tone with no sustain.

Anyone else feel the same way ? I had my eye on a few custom shop guitars but cant see pulling the trigger after ck'ing out the USA models. For the price of a Suhr or Anderson I cant see how these USA Charvels will ever compete with anything in that price range. Just a rant .......

Don't make sudden judgements on guitars in shops, because alot of shops I've been to do the laziest setups on those guitars to make them feel like a crock of shit when they are not, set them up properly and you may have the holy grail of guitars.
You said you owned or own some Sam Dimas Charvels, now I Would be much more intrested in hearing about them or possibly seeing pictures of them than reading your complaint to alot of peoples (on this forum) Favourite guitar company.

[shreddermon]

"USA Fender made charvels"??? There's no such animal.

And all of my new Charvels are great, so bite me.

[hippietim]

"USA Fender made charvels"??? There's no such animal.

And all of my new Charvels are great, so bite me.

I am quite happy with my new Charvels as well. But let's be clear, he expressed an opinion based on his experiences about some guitars. He didn't make it personal. He didn't say bite me. You did.

[neilli]

Way to make a blanket statement newbie, and in the thread title none the less

No the new Charvels do not suck. Some might, but certainly not all of them. You might not like them, but that's a reflection of your tastes or some unfortunate store examples.

I've had 2 and played more, and not a single one has fallen into the realms of anything other than good, if not great. My current 'new' Charvel is absolutely flawless, and trust me, I went over it looking for any possible issue (I had some other issues with the CS at the time). The fretwork was absolutely perfect and the fit and finish was beyond reproach.

[hippietim]

Don't make sudden judgements on guitars in shops, because alot of shops I've been to do the laziest setups on those guitars to make them feel like a crock of shit when they are not, set them up properly and you may have the holy grail of guitars.

Unfortunately that is the reality of it. Most stores just pull the guitars out of the box and hang them on the wall.

[shreddermon]

I am quite happy with my new Charvels as well. But let's be clear, he expressed an opinion based on his experiences about some guitars. He didn't make it personal. He didn't say bite me. You did.

You can bite me, too, Tim. j/k :ROTF:

Seriously, with all due respect, how is he not trying to stir the s**tcan with a post title like "New USA Charvels Suck!" Would it be better if I instead stated that I think his opinion sucks? Geez. Everyone's got their panties in a twist lately.

[hippietim]

Everyone's got their panties in a twist lately.

[CharvelRocker]

Don't make sudden judgements on guitars in shops, because alot of shops I've been to do the laziest setups on those guitars to make them feel like a crock of shit when they are not, set them up properly and you may have the holy grail of guitars.
You said you owned or own some Sam Dimas Charvels, now I Would be much more intrested in hearing about them or possibly seeing pictures of them than reading your complaint to alot of peoples (on this forum) Favourite guitar company.

Not noly that but nine times out of ten a guitar plays and sounds much better once you get the stock strings off it.

Anyone else feel the same way ? I had my eye on a few custom shop guitars but cant see pulling the trigger after ck'ing out the USA models. For the price of a Suhr or Anderson I cant see how these USA Charvels will ever compete with anything in that price range.

Aren't Suhrs and Andersons a helluva lot more though?

[danastas]

I could swear I read this same exact thread about a month or so ago. Is it deja vu or do I have a bit of clairvoyance?

Shit, if it's the latter, I have to remember all the other things that I thought happened a few months ago, but will actually happen in the next few days.

[tanpsi]

I've tried 3 US Charvels and didn't see the problems you mentioned, maybe Guitar Center demands only the good ones haha!!!

[dg]

I'm no expert, and have only played a couple of old ones and a few new ones. I own one of each, have one more new one coming, and want more of both. Going point by point, here is what my limited experience has been:

In terms of weight, my old one & my new one are about identical. around 8 1/2 lbs or so. I have other bolt-ons that are lighter, and one or 2 that are heavier. No complaints.

Fretwork on my old one is perfect, but I'm pretty sure it has seen a good level, dress & polish or 2 prior to me owning it. Other old ones were all nice, but I never was lucky enough to play one back when they were new. My new Charvel has good, but not stellar fret ends. A couple of stock standards I tried did have some sharp fret ends. The B/Y EVH was perfect. Most of the guys who've gotten their new stratheads have been saying that the fretwork is top-notch so far. I'm hoping for the same.

Sustain: My new one has noticeably more sustain than my old one, a little more bright with a more crisp attack. The old one has a warmer tone & more low end growl. Both have a Custom in the bridge. I think the difference is mostly the Kahler vs. Floyd, but the wood very well may have something to do with it too. I love both of them, they're just different & they shine in different ways.

If there is one thing that I keep noticing about new pointies that is disappointing, it is the problem of the clearcoat on the headstock. Many of them have lifting clear along the bottom edge, below the logo.

[hippietim]

Aren't Suhrs and Andersons a helluva lot more though?

Suhrs start at around 1500-1600. Andersons are more and will probably get higher now that he's going back to a one man operation.

[jharpersj]

All these were at various Guitar Centers "blowing them out" at like $1800. Set up aside (set up on all were horrible like every guitar center guitar) sharp fret ends and super heavy bodies (hmm didnt a bunch of you complain about the weight of new charvels and also the lightweight upcharge ??? why is it that no other custom builder has a lightweight upcharge ???) and very thin tone (I wont even start on the lame ass space between the neck and neck pocket) are usually due to poor wood selection. At least in my opinion Fender is pretty much just trying to take advantage of a nostalgic market and for way less you can get a new Suhr Pro Series ($1540) which is way lighter, way nicer, has a plek job ect, locking tuners, feiten ect ect.

I wasnt actually trying to piss anyone off but I was extrmely bummed when I checked them out.

Even on the newer strat head custom shops they stick to some of what I consider limitations of the originals, me I would lose the floyd and go to a vintage style bridge, add a tone control, feiten tuning, and who knows maybe a hum sin sin would be nice, add locking tuners, use a plek machine, and for god sake make it so you can adjust the neck without taking it off the guitar, it is 2007 after all.

[jackson1]

dg, you're a pleasure to read. Had to get that off my chest.