Charvel Journeyman Review

[KYJoe]

Some of you asked for a review, so here it is ala Harmony Central style:

Charvel Journeyman

Specs9)Alder dinky style body, quartersawed maple neck (unfinished), rosewood fingerboard, 24 jumbo frets, bone nut, vintage style tremolo, standard tuners, Seymour Duncan TB4-JB humbucker with coil splitter, 1 volume and one tone knob.

Sound9)Excellent overall sound and more versatile than one would think. 2 settings: full humbucker and split humbucker, the trick is to use your tone and volume knob to dial in the desired sound. The guitar is a bit high on the treble side but that's easily fixed by the tone knob or your amp settings. Very quiet on the full setting and the usual 60 cycle hum with the coils split (ala Fender standard strat), just turn away from your amp and it goes away. The JB humbucker sounds good so I'm keeping it.

Action/Playability: (9.5) I can say enough about how well this guitar stays in tune, better than my other guitar even with the locking nut. Action can be set almost directly on the frets without buzz, but I like mine a bit higher than that. Effortless playability, but it takes getting used to - you hardly have to press down at all to get a sound from it

Finish/Workmanship: (9.5)Mine is a Faded Tobacco Sunburst, much darker than the online photos display it. A very classy looking guitar and the finish is without any flaws and the wood grain showing though just adds to the beauty of this guitar. Very well put together, the only thing I can see is the frets could have been dressed better on the ends but this doesn't affect the playability at all. A very durable guitar and I have no doubt it will stand the test of time. Never gig without a backup.

Manufacturer8)I haven't dealt with them and I probably won't have to. I'd be dealing with Fender anyway and besides the long wait for a response their customer service is a good as anyone else.

Buy it again?10) I would definitely buy this guitar again if something happened to mine. They go for $300 and it's like I'm stealing it for that little money. The price doesn't do the J-man justice, it sounds and plays better than guitars that cost three times as much. I've been playing almost 20 years, I've owned guitars from Fender, Gibson, Hamer, Ibanez, and several others. I've never got such a great instrument at this price and have payed more for worse ones. Do yourself a favor and check these out before Fender discontinues them or they realize how great the Journeyman is and raise the price.

There you have it, I'll post a pic as soon as I find somewhere to upload one. Honestly these guitars are a steal at $300.

Joe

[Shawn]

Re: Charvel Journeyman Review

Thanks Joe, Good review. I have been going back and forth as to which model I want,any reason you picked this over the others?

I am going to go ahead and pull the trigger. I just dont understand the lack of interest in these, particularly around here..???


Thanks again.


Shawn

[Jonzkij]

Re: Charvel Journeyman Review

Thank´s for the review!
When i come to think about it, i haven´t found anything to read about the newer Charvels anywhere. (might have missed a thread or two in this forum though).
Strange how little interest there seems to be around theese guitars.
I´ve got a Model 6, and it absolutely rocks!
It´s my guitar #20, and probably the best of them all. I would not hesitate to try a newer Charvel out when it´s time for another guitar.

//Jonzkij

[KYJoe]

Re: Charvel Journeyman Review

No problem, I love this guitar [img]graemlins/headbang.gif[/img]

Shawn, I chose the Jman because I loved the simplicity of it, no POS nut locks killing the natural sustain, no POS Floyd Rose trem that needed constant attention just to stay in tune, etc. I was spending more time fiddling with my other guitar than playing it. I only use a trem bar once in a while so a vintage can do the job, and like I said in the review the Jman stays in tune longer than any guitar I've ever owned. Another thing I forgot to add in the review is that the Jman has TONE like the old USA Charvels I remember back in the day. It's truly a poor mans San Dimas.

The Jman had everything I wanted/needed in a guitar and nothing I didn't need. I could've bought ANY of the other Charvels or a used one, but the Jman suits me perfectly.

P.S. The FTSB finish is a thing of beauty, the closest pic I've seen is at guitarxpress.com. Everyone who's seen mine all say the same thing..."Wow, that's BEAUTIFUL"

Joe

[SteveK]

Re: Charvel Journeyman Review

When I bought my Journeyman I really badly wanted the Standard the store had, but the Journayman sounded so much better. I didn't understand it, but my wife could hear it, as could the sales guy. Like the man says, you can cover a lot more ground with this guitar than you'd think.

[little0x]

Re: Charvel Journeyman Review

Sounds like a great guitar!


Ox

[2Loud2Old]

Re: Charvel Journeyman Review

I think the lack of interest stems mostly from a price-performance standpoint.

I've played a number of them on a semi-regular basis, a store I frequent has a few.. I use them to try out the amps.

They are all nice players no doubt.

But they are pretty expensive, quite a bit more than current import Jacksons.

While they are indeed nice guitars, they are certainly no better than my DK2 or DXMG.. at least.. I can't find anything better about them.

My Model 2 has more of the "old school" vibe than these Journeyman guitars. My Model 6 is most decidedly superior.

Looks is another area I think it falls short.. If it was a Strat-head it would look fantastic, or even a pointy head.

This Strat-esq head shape personaly turns me off.

In short.. the guitar seems to miss it's mark.

It's rather expensive for an import, with nothing that I find of real advantage over Jackson's considerably cheaper imports.

For the same money I can get a superior Model series guitar, or even a US made Jackson bolt on for not much more.

It's a nice guitar, just not nice enough to justify it's price.

My opinion only.

[Shawn]

Re: Charvel Journeyman Review

You can get a J-man, or a Standard, with a REAL Seymour Duncan Jb, or JB and Jazz(standard) for $299 shipped from AMS or many others. (of course, I would buy mine from Kev @ Easton or Matt). Try spending your $299 on a jackson import, and see where that gets you.


Just a thought.

[toejam]

Re: Charvel Journeyman Review

Originally posted by KYJoe:
no POS nut locks killing the natural sustain, no POS Floyd Rose trem that needed constant attention just to stay in tune, etc.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Sorry, but that's just not true. A two-point or vintage-type trem takes about the same or more attention to keep in tune. You've still got to stretch the strings properly, and the strings are more likely to slip and go out of tune since they're not locked at either end. Not saying you can't get by, but it still will never compare to a Floyd system.

[2Loud2Old]

Re: Charvel Journeyman Review

Originally posted by Shawn:
You can get a J-man, or a Standard, with a REAL Seymour Duncan Jb, or JB and Jazz(standard) for $299 shipped from AMS or many others. (of course, I would buy mine from Kev @ Easton or Matt). Try spending your $299 on a jackson import, and see where that gets you.


Just a thought.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I did.. I paid $300 for a DXMG with REAL Made in USA EMG-Hz that kick Duncan's ass. Stop assuming the EMG-Hz are inferior, they aren't.


(I've got plenty of Duncans to compare to, from original non-logo JB's to Distortions and Customs.)

EMG-HZ is one of the best passives I've heard in a long time.

Plus I hate vintage trems.

It's just a personal opinion bro, but I still don't see why the "new" Charvels even exist...

Are they tapping into the "San Dimas" vibe? Hell, not with that headstock, or the "import" tag.

They certainly don't appear to be built better than the current Jackson imports. In fact, the 2 RS paint jobs I saw were rather sloppy.

I'm not saying they're bad guitars, they just seem kinda, well.. misfits, they don't take the "vintage" thing far enough... And they don't seem to appeal to the "metal" fans..

Plus I still think the Jackson imports are a *little* better.

It's just a matter of taste I guess.

[ January 02, 2004, 01:37 AM: Message edited by: 2Loud2Old ]

[Shawn]

Re: Charvel Journeyman Review

Ok. You win. EMG-HZ dont blow.

Hell, people are dying to get those HZ's people have pulled out of old DXMG's.

Actually, I didnt say anything about EMG HZ's. What I did say, is that you get a quartersewn maple neck, real SD's, a bone nut, and MOP inlays for $299.

Nothing comes close in Jackson's line. I mean, it's not like I feel like sitting around arguing over lower end guitars (DK2, DXMG, J-man, whatever) , I was just making a factual statement on quality versus price.

The Charvels are being blown out, obviously not a giant seller. But I would think they are a strong consideration in the budget category.


Shawn

[jgcable]

Re: Charvel Journeyman Review

"Shawn, I chose the Jman because I loved the simplicity of it, no POS nut locks killing the natural sustain, no POS Floyd Rose trem that needed constant attention just to stay in tune, etc. I was spending more time fiddling with my other guitar than playing it"

Thats funny bro.. [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] Completely untrue.. but funny.
You don't have to convince me that you like your guitar. Great bang for the buck but I think you are getting a little carried away. Here is a 100% fact. There is no non-locking trem on the planet that will stay in tune better than a Floyd. Explain to me how a "POS nut lock" kills the natural sustain of a guitar. Setting up a Floyd correctly takes minutes if you do it properly.
If you spent more time "fiddling" with your Floyd than you made a smart decision going with a non locking trem. I just don't see any need to bash the locking Floyd which is probably the most used and revered locking trem ever produced. At the end of every great dive bomb you will always find a Floyd or a Kahler or some other locking trem.

[2Loud2Old]

Re: Charvel Journeyman Review

Shawn..

What you are saying, makes sense to me.. taking into account this cheaper pricing.

For the last year or so, the Charvels have been in the $450-500 range, which is really where I base my argument on.

If they can be truely found for $300-$350.. then of course, that makes them much more interesting to me.

[Shawn]

Re: Charvel Journeyman Review

The journeyman or the standard are both widely available for $299 shipped.

Hell, the standard comes with a JB and a Jazz, what is the cost alone for those pups?

[KYJoe]

Re: Charvel Journeyman Review

Hey guys,

I added a review for this guitar for two reasons, some people were interested in it and there wasn't any reviews for it here. No need to bash some one for their opinions, we're all friends here right? [img]graemlins/poke.gif[/img]

Just a few observations though, but don't go blowing a fuse over them [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] ...

The Model 2 and 6 are old school guitars and since Wayne is no longer involved with the production of Charvels those guitars will never come again. I said the Jman has an old school vibe and reminds me of the San Dimas sound if you want to call it that, and it does to me. If it doesn't for you then buy a used Model 2, I wanted a new guitar.

Alot of the natural sustain from a guitar comes from the headstock itself, which is why you can buy clamps that attach to the headstock to increase sustain. The body and the tremelo also provide sustain, but I wasn't referring to the body or the tremelo. When you clamp down the strings at the headstock you cut down on the vibration (or sustain) that comes from the headstock, therefore you reduce the natural sustain of the guitar. Most of the best guitarists ever, past and present still don't use them and it's not because they all play Les Pauls. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] Here's a little experiment: carefully place your headstock against a solid surface and play, with and wthout the nutlock. I did it with both my guitars (one with a nutlock and the Jman) and I hear the difference, do you?

Tuning usually is better with Floyds, which was why I was so surprised how well the Jman stays in tune without one. I prefer using my fingers to bend the strings rather than the tremelo bar most of the time, but properly stretched I can do a dive bomb with the Jman and it returns in tune just as well as a floyd.

But again these are my opinions and you don't have to agree with them. The Jman is the right guitar for me, and for $300 new they are a steal for the quality and workmanship you get. What was it the Gene Simmons said about their CDs? "If you don't like it, don't buy it"

Peace
Joe