Is Fender destroying the Charvel brand?

[xenophobe]

Yeah, I'm gonna have to say that the best Charvels come out of Corona. This is hands down the best USA Charvel I have ever played or owned:

[shreddermon]

The best Charvels were made by Wayne himself (He & Michael still build them too) everything else is really kinda a fake anyway, lol

Wayne built what now? LOL

[xenophobe]

Wayne built what now? LOL

He built the name Charvel to mean awesome replacement parts, but how much of that work did he really do himself? Questionable.

[Grandturk]

Nothing questionable about it

[Dave1968]

Back in 88 I bought my Charvel model 2 MIJ. You couldn't get USA models where I lived and then all I wanted was a Jackson Soloist USA model. I settled for the Charvel. That beat the Fenders back then I played but was a different animal with one pickup. My Charvel gained respect when the Charvettes turned up. They were sneered upon like my MIJ Charvel was.
I remember in Guitar World that year Gibson referred their new generation after Norlin era guitars to I've bin had (Ibanez), Blender (Fender). On the back page was Orville by Gibson. Over here Orville was a ventriloquist duck which made a joke of Orville guitar. I own one now and many MIJ guitars had in between. The 80s known as the golden era for MIJ is true, Burny / Fernandes, Greco, Tokai and the emergence of ESP established themselves as master manufacturing. The Japanese employed young workers as apprentice luthiers working to master craftsmen finishing products by hand.
In my experience of 37 years playing I consider Japan in the top two of guitar makers with USA.
A brand is a a brand and if it sells long after the Leos, Wayne's and Grovers of their signature models left a template for the masses to share. I'm okay with that. Thank God the Les Paul came back in 68.
I've played better Mexican Fenders than USA, I've played better Tokai Strats than both of them.

As long as models are made years after we're all gone, the legacy lives on. Cheaper models have cheaper or less exotic materials, you still pay for the best, that's business.

I'm yet to own my USA Jackson Soloist 38 years later. I've GAS :-)

Is Fender destroying Charvel, I don't think so. Its keeping up with the Jones bringing us the products. I've no issue with Mexican. That said I'm on the fence for EVH China and Jackson Indonesia.... I like USA and Japanese. Chinese are getting better and better though... Hmmmm

[pianoguyy]

I wonder....
If guitars cost $2k and up because they were all made in the USA with no cheap imports allowed...
Would bands still be willing to play for 'pizza and beer'?

Think about it. At $50 a night. You can afford to buy a new junk guitar every month or two (assuming you gig once a week).
But if they cost $2k, you would have to work for almost a year.
So, now, work the math: how do you afford a $2k guitar every month if you gig once a week? $500!

[Nightbat]

I wonder....
If guitars cost $2k and up because they were all made in the USA with no cheap imports allowed...
Would bands still be willing to play for 'pizza and beer'?

Think about it. At $50 a night. You can afford to buy a new junk guitar every month or two (assuming you gig once a week).
But if they cost $2k, you would have to work for almost a year.
So, now, work the math: how do you afford a $2k guitar every month if you gig once a week? $500!

No, you can still play cheap Desolations, (single and double cutaways, surfcasters) as long as you keep your unworthy moneyless fingers off the coveted strathead So Cals and San Dimas'

....Woah, rewind,....Charvels now come with stratheads? How DARE Fender destroy the legendary Char,....

...Waitaminnit?

[straycat]

I didn't mean to insult anyone, but you really expect me to believe a Jackson Soloist for $600 is as nice as a $2000 Soloist? Or that a Mexican made San Dimas in on par with a Japanese model? Maybe I am an elitist, but I only see consistent quality in Japanese and American guitars.

I have an 85 SanDimas soloist custom and a made in China one hum soloist both are great guitars does one play better than the other? No, they feel the same as far as playability.Is the SD a better guitar? yes it is but the MIC one is no slouch either it is very well made.
Don't be such a snob.
They build what sells because its a business and they have to make money.
The jap stuff is as good as the USA stuff we all know that.
I have a USA Pro mod and have played one from Mexico and I can tell a quality difference but the Mexican ones are damn fine guitars.
I would rather have a nice Mexican strat than an over priced USA one that was built by the same Mexicans on a different shift.
I do have a MIJ strat that is far better than any USA strat I have ever had.

[MountainDog]

Yeah, I'm gonna have to say that the best Charvels come out of Corona. This is hands down the best USA Charvel I have ever played or owned:

I agree!

[xenophobe]

I agree!

You too huh?

I love pretty much everything about mine, the angled heel, the recess cut on the lower horn. The pickup selection is freaking awesome. I never thought I'd dig a Seymour Duncan as much as I like the SH-5.

Beautiful guitar... love the yellow. The white looks great too. One of the best store standard spec'd CS guitars I've ever seen.

[lefty]

My Mexican pro-mod is a good guitar. It cost half of what my US RR1 cost and it's more than half the guitar. Yes, the US built one is superior in every way but the Mexican one is a good serviceable instrument. My US built Fender Strat is also quite a nice guitar.

I hear ya. Is my MiM Deluxe Player's Strat as nice as my US Jeff Beck? No, but
it's awfully close considering the difference in $. Is my MiJ DK2M as nice as my
SL1? No, but it's pretty close, again for low $. I'm as big a snob as anyone, but
there ARE good imports out there...

[AndyK]

I have a strange craving for ketchup and mustard for some reason!

[Matt_B]

Is my MiM Deluxe Player's Strat as nice as my US Jeff Beck? No, but it's awfully close...

What do you feel are the differences that make it close? I'm asking because I want to get to the specifics that people feel make custom shops better than imports.

[algeriet]

What do you feel are the differences that make it close? I'm asking because I want to get to the specifics that people feel make custom shops better than imports.

Its weird because I can't, quickly anyhow, put a word on it. The difference in feel between the Mexico and Japanese Pro Mods... They just feel better! Like more time was spent on perfecting them. There's just that X factor that goes amiss.

[pagemalicious]

I have a mexican San Dimas and it's one of the best guitars I've owned (and I say that being an owner of a Custom Shop Jackson too). It's the same quality as the Japanese models and I know because I've compared the two. The only difference I found was that the fret ends on the Japanese model were ever so slightly more rolled which to me didn't make it any better. Fender are doing just fine with the brand. I'd happily buy another Mexican Charvel, if a guitar is good then it is good regardless of where it's made.