New Charvel Imports?

[The Rossness]

With the success of the USA Pro's, would it make sense for Charvel to offer import models again? They could also sell them factory direct in the new internet age to keep cost down.

Specs could go something like-

-Single hum body strat body w/ PG

-same neck shape as the USA Pro's, but MIK

-2 point trem

-Generic Locking Tuners

-Fender Atomic PU or generic high output pup (maybe GFS or Motherbucker)

-Pointy headstock

=Street price of $350

Would something like this be reasonable???

[jacksonaxes]

With a street price that low they would have to be junk, I would want them made in japan, that would shoot the price up quite a bit.

[wanthairspray]

IIRC the prices for imports at the time were pretty high. A model 6 for $1k almost.

[dg]

I agree with the guys above. We used to have threads about bringing back the Model Series all the time, right up until the Pro Mods came out. If you go back & look at bolt-on Model series street prices and adjust for inflation, the Pro Mods are just a little more expensive. As for making something of lesser quality to meet a low price point, most people (including the the recent GW article) agree that low quality imports played a big role in killing the Charvel brand name toward the end. They're just now starting to get recognition for putting out a solid product at a good value, and it would be a big mistake to risk that, imo. I do agree that I'd like to see some pointies introduced some way, somehow, but it doesn't seem to be in the cards right now.

Here's an old post that has Sam Ash prices for some Model Series guitars:

http://www.jcfonline.com/forums/showpost.php?p=75159&postcount=30

Adjusting for inflation, the Sam Ash price on a Model 2 would be about $780 today, Model 3 - $890, Model 4 - $1110.

CNC manufacturing has gotten more efficient, and maybe you could cut a few corners and build something kinda similar in Korea at a lower price, but crappy hardware & electronics would be a huge deal breaker for a lot of people, plus the marketplace now is already full of low-end firewood from other manufacturers.

[Rich#6]

Even the other guitar brands don't have any korea made guitar for that price.
most guitars MIK are made by cort so they would be the same quality as the esp ltd that are almost a grand, schecters that are 550+, and I think the bc rich retro gunslinger that's 600+. I could see them doing them in the same factory in mexico with the fender standards but even the floyded one is 700.

[Jason1212]

I dont see why they dont do a basic line of strat bodied pointys in their Japanese factory. The cost would be probably in line with a dk2m.

[Tekky]

I wonder if this would be better served in the General Jackson Charvel section. I know the discussion is on Imports, but from that arguments could be made for USAs as well.

My .02 on it is that dg has a point. If you look at prices, inflation, and quality, the current production series of USA Charvels are more or less the model series. (just without the variety)

Learning lessons from the Model Series, Charvel could probably do very well if they backed off of the custom colors and went for the model series configurations again.

For example...
SD-1:
Vintage tremolo
Single Humbucker
Maple fretboard

SD-2
Floyd Rose
Single Humbucker
Rosewood fretboard

SD-2M
Floyd Rose
Single Humbucker
Maple Fretboard

SD-3
Floyd Rose
HSS Configuration
Rosewood Fretboard

And so on...

But currently, for those who want the pointy headstock, Charvel should continue the current production line, knock about $100 off the price, and offer pointies. We all know that a certain amount of the production line's price is going to pay FMIC their licensing fee.

[Grandturk]

Isn't the current ProMod imported from Mexico, anyway???




















just kidding

[Grandturk]

On a serious note - I would suspect they would build the imports as MIMs on the Fender-Baja line - same as they build the USA ProMods on the Corona, CA line.

And of course, I would also say "no thank you" to them as well.