What corners were cut on the production models

[shreddermon]

I guess since a "production guitar" like this is a concept that hasn't previously been applied to the USA side of the Chavel brand, some folks have a tough time accepting it. Previously, all USA Charvels were custom orders or at least produced in the custom shop.

Some folks are just too locked in the past and tradition to consider anything at all that might allow the Charvel brand to move forward. Heck, some guys would prefer that it had remained dead all long. IMHO, that's just lame.

But, concept and production-wise, these are just like USA Fender Strats. Very good, reasonably-priced, moderately high-quality guitars. Is an American Standard Fender Strat just as good as a custom shop Strat? Nope - no way. But - "bang for the buck"-wise - it is a better value than the custom shop Strat? Arguably, yes. ...Same thing with these USA Production Charvels. It's that simple. That's not "cutting corners". That's a different product approach and marketing altogether.

[Flatpicker]

Everybody is CNC machining rough shapes so that's not it.
Fender employees? Not that has been announced. Charvel production line in the Fender factory? Yeah.
Multiple piece bodies? MIM strats are 3 piece nowadays not 7, but I don't think that's it.
Lower grade alder and maple? nah. Woulden't make sense to source wood from 2 suppliers like that.
Cheaper electronics? Dimarzio and Duncans are the same. Possibly get them cheaper by buying in bulk.
Same with the paint. Makes sense to buy 1000's of gallons of 3 colors instead of 100's of gallons of 20 colors.

Could be they are using an introductory pricing scheme and will raise prices by a %age for a few years once they hit the wall on new sales.

[Grandturk]

Cutting corners is such a dirty phrase. These are really awesome guitars for the price, end of story. If you have custom shop envy, buy a custom shop.


Oh, and I like the Socal pickguard and would hate to see them switch to a strat style 3-ply gloss.

[Newc]

I know the obvious ... Grover tuners, Korean Floyd, built on a line, etc. But what else???

CNC machining?
Made by Fender employees?
Multiple-piece bodies (like the 7 or more piece Mexistrats)?
Lower grade alder and maple?
Cheaper electronics?
Inexpensive paint?

Would any of these be a problem? :think:

[thetruthguy]

3 piece isn't bad at all. USA strats are 3 piece, so I'm cool with that. Does that mean custom shops are 1 or 2 piece?

[neilli]

From the guitars I tried, one cut corner would seem to be in setup. They feel mass produced, rather than 'cared for'.
Oh, and I seem to recall reading that the bodies were 3 piece as well.

[skorb]

the most obvious one is the cheap crappy pickguard on the SoCal, which simply does not belong on such a nice guitar.

[thetruthguy]

I know the obvious ... Grover tuners, Korean Floyd, built on a line, etc. But what else???

CNC machining?
Made by Fender employees?
Multiple-piece bodies (like the 7 or more piece Mexistrats)?
Lower grade alder and maple?
Cheaper electronics?
Inexpensive paint?

I'm in love with mine, but just wondering how comparable these are to USA custom shop Charvels or even USA Fender stratocasters. I've never played custom Charvels but have played USA Jacksons and USA standard strats, and my Charvels feel similarly if not better comparatively. So what corners were really cut?