Poll: Used GMW Strathead or New Charvel?

[shelby22]

Re: Poll: Used GMW Strathead or New Charvel?

It's hard to argue with something like this....

http://cgi.ebay.com/GMW-Guitarworks-Cust...1QQcmdZViewItem

I haven't seen a new Charvel that looks this nice.

[Chrisb]

Re: Poll: Used GMW Strathead or New Charvel?

Check out the guitar of the month...

[sully]

Re: Poll: Used GMW Strathead or New Charvel?

heh. here's one:



that gmw is nice and all, but imo, it's a charvel copy. a fantastically made charvel copy, but anyway, that's my opinion only.

[Chrisb]

Re: Poll: Used GMW Strathead or New Charvel?

Match that headstock to the body and you would have one killer guitar (I know I know I said that already, but its driving me crazy!). Love the drop top binding.

Every guitar is a copy of another guitar, I just don't even use the word "copy" anymore cause thats what the guitar industry is.

I'm gonna make a real effort to find and play one of those new charvels so I can weigh in on this topic with more certainity. Regardless its such a close call.

[sully]

Re: Poll: Used GMW Strathead or New Charvel?

i don't think it's a drop top, i believe it's flat all the way around. not 100% sure, though.

[khabibissell]

Re: Poll: Used GMW Strathead or New Charvel?

Get a new Charvel. I have two of them and they are great. Both needed to be set up (they had unnecessary shims under the nut on both for some reason, and the neck was shimmed for no apparent reason on another). Once I did that (ten minutes of work), they both play and sound as good as I could possibly imagine them to.

They both have this unexplainable mojo thing going on too. Once I pick one up, it's hard to put down.

[Chrisb]

Re: Poll: Used GMW Strathead or New Charvel?

Yea sully I think it is (from what I can tell in the picture). I refer to those as drop tops (by definition maybe thats wrong) and if its contoured I refer to it as a bent top (ie bent to follow the contour). Either way it looks very cool with a flat top to have binding, it really accents the body.

[sully]

Re: Poll: Used GMW Strathead or New Charvel?

y;know, i was always confusing drop and bent tops. if they're not the same, why the hell would one call a flat topped and bound body "dropped?" [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[Shawn Lutz]

Re: Poll: Used GMW Strathead or New Charvel?

That GMW is a flat-top...

For me both are great guitars and my ONLY reason for goin for a used GMW is the headstock, I want the strat headstocks. Resale means nothing, honestly the newer charvels aren't holding value. Look at the prices of the bullseyes and 25th anis have been pullin in used. Hell you cant give that lightning bolt retro away, no one wants it. GMW's seem to be pretty stable. I don't buy guitar an investment, I buy them to play the shit out of [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] If Charvel/Jackson wants any of my money for a new guitar on the go forward they they need to let them build with the strat headstock [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] If not I'll just continue buying other products, NOS parts and used GMW's.....

[Chuckracer]

Re: Poll: Used GMW Strathead or New Charvel?

Yeah...I have to admit that's pretty much my headspace as well.
It's a practical concern: The only headstocks I've broken in my life were a Les Paul and a couple of Charvel/Jackson pointy heads. Strat heads are tough as nails.
Also, appearing onstage with a pointy headstock guitar instantly pigeon-holes one into a stylistic catagory, and I need people to be open-minded as possible. I don't want them to have any pre-concieved notions of what our music is about and nothing screams "Retro" like a pointy headed guitar.

I would love to throw my support behind Charvel, I'm psyched that they're back! But...until they offer strat headstock guitars as regular production instruments...sorry. Can't do it.

[Chrisb]

Re: Poll: Used GMW Strathead or New Charvel?

[ QUOTE ]
why the hell would one call a flat topped and bound body "dropped?"

[/ QUOTE ]
Heh! Dent top? [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

All kidding aside though I always called flat tops with a 1/8" or greater top "drop tops" because it looks like the top was just dropped right onto the body, where if it has a contour it has to be "bent" to follow the contour. Correct or not that was always my logic. Along the same lines I prefer to call archtops, carved tops. All of those definitions are probably utterly wrong, but it helps me keep them straight in my head anyways [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[shreddermon]

Re: Poll: Used GMW Strathead or New Charvel?

[ QUOTE ]
Yeah...I have to admit that's pretty much my headspace as well.
It's a practical concern: The only headstocks I've broken in my life were a Les Paul and a couple of Charvel/Jackson pointy heads. Strat heads are tough as nails.
Also, appearing onstage with a pointy headstock guitar instantly pigeon-holes one into a stylistic catagory, and I need people to be open-minded as possible. I don't want them to have any pre-concieved notions of what our music is about and nothing screams "Retro" like a pointy headed guitar.

I would love to throw my support behind Charvel, I'm psyched that they're back! But...until they offer strat headstock guitars as regular production instruments...sorry. Can't do it.

[/ QUOTE ]

Chuck these are really good, valid points. You should start a thread in the USA Charvels area for discussion along these lines.

Although I'll proudly play a pointyhead, I agree that this is a big factor for many players. The "stigma" is real. And because of that, it is holding the brand back.

Part of my desire for custom stratheads is to have the option to pull a strathead out of the personal stable and avoid that [img]/images/graemlins/bs.gif[/img] when I care to. ...And maybe someone who matters in making these types of decisions will read it there.

[MBreinin]

Re: Poll: Used GMW Strathead or New Charvel?

Quite simple. One is a Charvel, one is a copy. No contest.

Mike

[Chrisb]

Re: Poll: Used GMW Strathead or New Charvel?

[ QUOTE ]
Quite simple. One is a Charvel, one is a copy. No contest.

[/ QUOTE ]
So because of the name its automatically better? [img]/images/graemlins/scratchhead.gif[/img]
This copy stuff is all [img]/images/graemlins/bs.gif[/img] to me, very little is original these days. Charvels were copies of strats.

I'm not saying Charvels are or aren't better than GMW's. I haven't played a recent USA charvel so I can't say for certain. I just don't buy into that argument (doesn't mean its right or wrong). If you have played a GMW (which I can't tell from your post) why not judge them on how they actually play? [img]/images/graemlins/scratchhead.gif[/img]

[MBreinin]

Re: Poll: Used GMW Strathead or New Charvel?

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Quite simple. One is a Charvel, one is a copy. No contest.

[/ QUOTE ]
So because of the name its automatically better? [img]/images/graemlins/scratchhead.gif[/img]
This copy stuff is all [img]/images/graemlins/bs.gif[/img] to me, very little is original these days. Charvels were copies of strats.

I'm not saying Charvels are or aren't better than GMW's. I haven't played a recent USA charvel so I can't say for certain. I just don't buy into that argument (doesn't mean its right or wrong). If you have played a GMW (which I can't tell from your post) why not judge them on how they actually play? [img]/images/graemlins/scratchhead.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

Oh, I know the GMWs are great. However, I would rather have a new Charvel than a used or a new GMW. And yes, just because of the name. Now, I don't know where I am going to find a new Charvel in the $1000-$1200 range...so at that price I would be in for a GMW. Either way, it is all academic as I am not buying either at the moment.

But, I was not putting down GMWs in any way, shapre or form. Just saying that now that Charvies are back, the draw of the GMW copies is less.

Mike