Charvel Journeyman any good??

[jgcable]

I have noticed alot of Charvel Journeyman on the "bay" lately like this one Charvel Journeyman
They are usually rising sun's. They have vintage trems and 1 hum. Are they any good? I am tempted to pick up a Rising Sun considering they are usually on a buy know for around $350.00. Whats the scoop with these guitars??

[sully]

Re: Charvel Journeyman any good??

i played one a year ago...a rising sun, actually!

i thought it was nice, the neck felt good (i think it had a satin finish on it, tho). i think what put me off was the 24 frets.

for 350, i don't think it's a bad deal if the config is to your taste.

sully

[straycat]

Re: Charvel Journeyman any good??

You know Sully thats what I thought why didn't they make that one a 22 fret with a floyd it would have sold like crazy. They did make a 22 fret with 2 hums ebony board and a floyd (lic)that is a nice guitar.From the writing on the wall those may just be the last of the jap charvels and could be something grab now and hold on to.They are going cheap right now because the dealers are afraid of getting stuck with them.I know of a rising sun that can be had for 299.00

[sully]

Re: Charvel Journeyman any good??

i don't even mind the vint trem; i don't really use them, and that's what i grew up on. but the 24 frets with the vt was just an odd combo, imo.
however, i thought it was cool to have a rising sun in production... even though it didn't seem to be popular.

sully

[travis bickle]

Re: Charvel Journeyman any good??

im considering buying one of those as well, the specs are perfect for me. i can't stand floyds anymore, and the JB humbucker would be my choice too.

im going to guitar center later today and the wife already warned me against buying anything. if i dig it enough, i just might put down some cash.

[mattsmusiccenter]

Re: Charvel Journeyman any good??

I'll tell you guys one thing. From a retailers point of view, any of the new Charvels are hard as hell to sell. I've got a couple here that have been here for longer than I'd like. They just don't get many looks. It's too bad because they're really nice guitars.

[sully]

Re: Charvel Journeyman any good??

Originally posted by travis bickle:
the wife already warned me against buying anything. if i dig it enough, i just might put down some cash.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">[img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] ehhh, i'm sure she won't mind. tell her it makes her ass look tiny!

sully

[straycat]

Re: Charvel Journeyman any good??

I agree Matt. I love the 22 fret ebony board one. I've been tempted because its got 2 live wires and a birdseye neck as well as a nice rootbeer flame top.Retail was a crazy 1300.00 bucks but it can be had for a little over 500.00.Plus the lic floyd looked to be of a better quality than the ones on the new jacksons a lot better.

[ August 30, 2003, 04:16 PM: Message edited by: Richard ]

[Johnnyryche]

Re: Charvel Journeyman any good??

I've got a Journeyman with the rising sun graphic and I love it. I picked mine up from a fellow JCFer (thanks Swill!). Most, if not all, of the rising suns that you see out there have 6 rays instead of 8 rays. I've heard that the first 300 were made with 8 rays as a limited edition. But I'm still trying to find out more about this.

The only reason I point this out is that I played a couple 6 rays and the quality didn't seem as good as the 8 ray that I found. For example, both have an unfinished neck but the 8 ray neck felt more comfortable that the 6 rays. And the graphic was like night and day. Both of the 6 ray graphics were "sloppy." You could see where the red had bled through tape so the lines were not very crisp (there were previous threads that talked about this). And the japanese writing looked like it was done with a marker. But the 8 ray isn't like that at all, IMHO.

Overall, I'm happy with my Journeyman and would recommend them (if you like the vintage trem and 24 frets combo).

[Riffmeister]

Re: Charvel Journeyman any good??

I totally agree with the slopyness on the graphic thing. The one I saw was terrible! It did play great though but I don't like any guitar without a floyd.

[Black Mariah]

Re: Charvel Journeyman any good??

The prototype Charvel Journeyman had a Floyd and a pointy headstock. Wish I could have snagged it. [img]images/icons/frown.gif[/img]

The Journeyman as it sits is a pretty good guitar. I'm not a big fan of one pickup guitars, but there's a wider variety of tone than you'd think. The necks are awesome (at least to my hands). $350 isn't a bad price at all. I'll take one over a Model 1 any day (accounting for my hatred of Strat bodies, of course [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] ).

[zx12r]

Re: Charvel Journeyman any good??

Originally posted by jsullysix:
i played one a year ago...a rising sun, actually!

i thought it was nice, the neck felt good (i think it had a satin finish on it, tho). i think what put me off was the 24 frets.

for 350, i don't think it's a bad deal if the config is to your taste.

sully

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">what's wrong with 24 frets? i thought everyone is looking for 24 frets.

[straycat]

Re: Charvel Journeyman any good??

Most of the guitar companies seem to think everyone wants 24 frets. I like 22 frets and a floyd best, tunomatics are next on my list 24 fret guitars to me seem too crowded past the 15th fret.I own plenty of 24 fret guitars and play them all.Again not a big deal really.

[sully]

Re: Charvel Journeyman any good??

nothing's wrong with them... 22 is just my personal preference. i do think that 24 frets need something other than a vintage trem, tho.

sully

[jgcable]

Re: Charvel Journeyman any good??

Where are they made? Are the bodies poplar or chesswood or basswood? Usually Alder bodies don't come from Japan, Korea or China.