Desolation Revealed

[toejam]

These Desolation guitars were designed in the Custom Shop here in Corona CA... and they are made in China.

Have the Made in China comments been confirmed? If so, does FMIC own the plant in China or is it a cookie cutter plant that produces for several different manufactures?

Bionic works at Jackson/Charvel.

[Jason1212]

Bionic works for FMIC so that is a pretty solid confirmation. They probably lease a building and own the equipment or they may farm it all out. My question is how much cheaper is it to build a guitar there as apposed to Korea or Japan.

[TKEblue]

I don't get the hair metal references. I wouldn't call jake e lee or warren demartini hair metal players. And i'm only 23, but id buy a wildcard or pro mod over these new ones, even over a shecter and especially over an esp and im not even that into 80s music. I think they're good looking guitars, not as good as the other models tho, and for the price id never buy one.

[RacerX]

Yes, I would love to hear the details on the China factory - and the reasons behind the decision. I'm sure market research was done, but...I wonder about if FMIC had asked us our opinion first heh heh.

We came up with the sales-leading DK2M, ya know...

[thetruthguy]

I, for one, like China ... one of the oldest civilizations, richest cultures ... not their fault they're communist. The fact that they're one of the fastest growing "capitalist" countries in the world could be promising for the world economy. Or it could be detrimental. If all this manufacturing helps China and its people, I'm all for it. JC is spreading the wealth, producing guitars in USA, Japan, China, etc., as are most other companies. The day when EVERYTHING is made in China is the day to worry, but I don't think, economically, that would ever happen ... whether due to national pride or whatever.

As for the new Charvels, I like them but really don't think they're for me. I like the DBZ guitars too but not sure if I'd ever play one. I like the San Dimas. I don't consider them old-school Charvels because they were based on Fender strats, which are truly timeless. No one would consider a Fender strat an 80s guitar, so I don't see Charvels as 80s guitars ... just guitars ... good quality guitars.

[The Rossness]

Why aren't there any desolation models with a maple fingerboard?

Are there going to be desolation wild cards?

When is the next pro mod wild card going to be introduced?

[Jason1212]

Spreading the wealth is debatable. They are taking advantage of cheap labor.

[Chubtone]

We didn't do away with anything that was Charvel... we simply added more shapes and expanded the line. Keep that in mind!

I think that this post by Bionic is what helped me breathe a large sigh of relief.

I am a TOTAL OLD SCHOOL Charvel guy. And so my initial reaction is that if it isn't purple or pink with a bullseye or some sort of lightning somewhere, I think Charvel has lost their way. Surprisingly, my personal reaction is that I really like the looks of these new guitars.

The smart ass in me wanted to pipe in, "Hey, 2006 called and they want their Schecters and LTD's back". I have seen a marked decrease in the desirability of guitars that are very ornate. Fortunately these aren't as overboard as I feared, I think Charvel MAY have just added a new demographic to their list of users. The prices don't look too bad either when you consider they are MSRP.

[dg]

Yes, I would love to hear the details on the China factory - and the reasons behind the decision. I'm sure market research was done, but...I wonder about if FMIC had asked us our opinion first heh heh.

We came up with the sales-leading DK2M, ya know...

I agree, but I'm guessing (going by neckthrough Pro Series prices) that the high end Desolation models with carved figured tops & abalone would be at least $1500-ish MSRP if they were MIJ. That would actually be less than an inflation-adjusted 750XL, but in today's market it'd be a very hard sell.

Based on the prices, I thought they were going to end up being MIK, so I'm surprised too. I have no doubt that Chinese workers can be trained to produce great guitars if the materials are good. This same argument goes all the way back to Japan, then Korea. The problem I have is that China isn't a free country, they use unfair trade and currency practices, do nothing to protect their environment from industrial waste, and they have a booming counterfeit merch industry that learns secrets from and feeds off of the legit enterprises. I don't like contributing to or rewarding any of that to save a little money on a guitar.

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

ESP sells a lot of that LTD junk. This will probably be pretty successful for Charvel. If it keeps the brand around and making money for Fender, what's the harm?

You ask most guys about Charvel and they think of either the cheaper Import stuff or they think of pink spandex and hair spray, hell you show them a beautiful quilt-top Charvel and they go "wow, I had no idea..."

So what I'm saying is, for the vast majority of guitar players, it's not like Charvel has a good name to ruin, sorry. :dunno:

[Wild Wally]

I love the single cut with a Floyd Rose! Very cool!

[charvel750]

I think a Chinese plant can do great work. Everyone used to think the same about Japan, now look at them. When Grover went over there in '86 to start the overseas Charvel "Model" line, he made certain the plant operated his way. I would believe that Charvel would do the same today and make sure things go right.

[charvel750]

By the way, are these available yet? None on eBay, haven't heard from the Sponsors on here...

[markD]

i have a couple of chinese guitars and the quality is very near the korean ibanez quality. in fact, 2 of my chinese guitars - a squier telecaster FSR and a EBMM/sterling silo 30 - are near the top of my regular players. granted, both needed a few upgrades, but A LOT fewer upgrades than earlier korean made guitars....

[chrisolson]

Very disappointing. I'm not sure who ever asked for anything like these. Not to beat a dead horse, but FENDER does a few things well that ALWAYS sell. So does Gibson. WTF Charvel?

Think about it...

Glad I have the guitars I already wanted.