Charvel DX1 String Through Flat Black MIC review

[Rich#6]

when I asked about these when they first came out as sam ash the guy said these do not come from the regular charvel distributor.

[Nightbat]

Umm... It wasn't a Jackson rep who basically begged Guitar Showcase to take 7 Charvels on consignment. It was a Fender rep trying to get rid of his stock. My guitar was manufactured in Dec 2011, so he's probably had them for months. He drove from Corona to San Jose to put guitars on consignment. Please explain what about that situation doesn't scream desperation?

From a coorporation's PoV or from an individual Rep who's ass is on the line if he doesn't sell 'X' guitars a month?
I also never believe a sales rep of a Music store

Look at the prices on the tag. Compare them to what everyone else on ebay is selling them for. My DX1 cost me $435 + tax. Everyone online is selling them for $550+.

What they sell it for to you, still isn't what they buy it for

Even OEM EMGs probably cost $55 each. So that's $110 minimum for the pickups.

For you, but buy in bulk and that price goes down a lot, don't expect EMG to ask top dollar for their pickups when someone is willing to buy 10000 of them
especially in THIS economy

Fender is getting $360 from that sale. So that's a neck-thru guitar that they're netting $250 or less from. So you're saying that it probably cost them $75 to build it with all the hardware? Haha, what drugs are you on, I'd like to try some.

Oh I wouldn't be surprised if it where so low, they didn't evacuate production to China to make less money y'know

Go to your local guitar stores. How many of them have Charvels or Jacksons. How many of them have Fenders? Ask your store why they won't carry them. The answer is pretty simple. Nobody wants them and stores don't want to be forced into purchase requirements to stock the brand.

The incentives Fender offers for selling Fenders is higher than they offer for selling J/C's, that's why you won't see them pushing other brands much

[DonP]

Go to your local guitar stores.

Out of all the musc stores I visit between Cinci and Nashville, only one store in Mufreesboro carries the new Charvel line. This store is closely aligned with Fender. They told me they were expecting the shipment of Charvels to arrive before Christmas 2011 but they didn't get them until Feb or March 2012. They are pretty PO'd about that because they missed the Christmas rush. So now they sit there, and I can visit them every other week LOL!

[xenophobe]

EDIT: Oh, by the way, after not being completely happy with the neck feel after 0000 steel wool, I hit it with 1500 grit and then 2000 grit paper and it's got a buttery satin glassy feel to it, very much like a natural USA neck... and the thing is pretty awesome. As much as I want to hate these new guitars, they play pretty amazing for the price...

From a coorporation's PoV or from an individual Rep who's ass is on the line if he doesn't sell 'X' guitars a month?
I also never believe a sales rep of a Music store

It was the store's general manager who discussed the negotiations he had with the rep with me. Explained what I already knew, about how Charvel and Jacksons minimum purchase requirements were bullshit and how they don't want to be locked into minimum purchase requirements to become a stocking dealer.

What they sell it for to you, still isn't what they buy it for

Nope. I bought mine brand new from a high end retail store for $150 less than most ebay sellers are selling it for.

For you, but buy in bulk and that price goes down a lot, don't expect EMG to ask top dollar for their pickups when someone is willing to buy 10000 of them
especially in THIS economy

Umm... I'm talking about OEM price, not retail. I would think you would know what OEM means. Neither you nor I know what that price actually is. :P

Oh I wouldn't be surprised if it where so low, they didn't evacuate production to China to make less money y'know

Even if FMIC were getting these at $75, they're still losing money on them. I guess you didn't bother to read FMIC's balance sheet posted in the IPO thread. They would need to get these guitars at 10-15% of retail price to make a profit. Their overhead is huge.

The incentives Fender offers for selling Fenders is higher than they offer for selling J/C's, that's why you won't see them pushing other brands much

Not by much. Fender is a brand that sells and many stores are willing to make minimum purchase requirements to be a stocking dealer. Nobody but a handful of nerds on a site like this cares about Jackson or Charvel anymore. Charvel is a brand like Jay Turser, LTD or Epiphone. The only guitars you see in pawn shops or music stores are the crappiest beat up guitars.

Jackson and Charvel aren't really considered a top of the line or premier brand anymore by most people who don't pay attention.

Out of all the musc stores I visit between Cinci and Nashville, only one store in Mufreesboro carries the new Charvel line. This store is closely aligned with Fender. They told me they were expecting the shipment of Charvels to arrive before Christmas 2011 but they didn't get them until Feb or March 2012. They are pretty PO'd about that because they missed the Christmas rush. So now they sit there, and I can visit them every other week LOL!

And that's exactly my point. Most places don't want anything to do with Charvel or Jackson.

[xenophobe]

*bump*

Review added.

[Carcaridon]

I tried one of these out today. Price in the local shop was $599. The guitar was better than I thought it would be, but not really screaming spend $600 on me. I would have wanted the floyd model which was another $100 bump up and that's a bit beyond the worth of these. I like your idea of sanding down the neck. I'd take it a step further and maybe oil it or clear it. It seemed really rough to me and I know 1000-1500 grit will take a great deal of that away, but I guess I'm not used to unfinished necks. I didn't plug it in when I played. Acoustics unplugged were nice for sure. Played pretty well, low action, no buzzing. The finished to unfinished joint was odd. Looked and felt weird to me. It's screaming to be finished. If it was I would be more interested in these, but again, not at $700.

[xenophobe]

That pretty much sums it up. If it were more than the $439 they were asking for mine, I would not have bought it. I certainly wouldn't have paid the $550-$650 these things usually sell for. Overall it's a nice guitar, but if I had the choice again, I probably wouldn't buy it again. It's a decent guitar I can leave in the studio and not worry about it.

[MotoSolo]

Nice work on that neck. I think it'd be a nice to have one around just to goof with the EMGs (I pretty much stick with Seymour Duncans JB/59 setups).
Like you, I can't see paying retail for one, but you made me start looking around for a deal on one of these, so thanks a lot.

I might have missed it, but did you oil after sanding, or just leave the neck bare? You know I'm in the same boat with the neck on my MIJ San Dimas, so I'm fishing for tips, heh. I've read that after 2000+ grit, the wood really smooths and burnishes so much that some folks just leave 'em bare and don't worry about the need to seal the wood. I'm leaning in that direction, but I'd feel sick if the thing warped on me, so I may hit it with a little Watco Danish oil (which I've read that Charvel used to use?).

[xenophobe]

The 2000 grit pretty much polished the wood to a natural sheen. I think the 1500 closed up all the pores, but it was still a little more rough than my '89 unfinished neck, so I hit it with 2000 grit. I'm fairly certain that my '89 was final sanded with 1800 grit. It was just a touch smoother than the 1500 I used, and the 2000 felt smoother. I then went over my '89 with 2000 grit, and it didn't take long to finish it, as opposed to the hour or so that I sat there watching tv with the Charvel and the 2000 grit. I used it dry, so I would take a micro fiber cloth to the paper when it seemed to get clogged up.