Charvel San Dimas vs So Cal?

[napalmdeath]

Tell me about these? Are they worth a grand?

https://www.americanmusical.com/Item--i ... 14327-LIST
https://www.americanmusical.com/Item--i ... 3-515-LIST

The non-USA Jackson's are not the same quality as the mexi Charvels, nor are the made in the same factory. The Charvels have graphite reinforced necks and the maple used for the neck and headstock are 1 piece. The Jackson's neck have a glue joint due to the angle of the headstock. That said the Charvel is much better

This is strictly YOUR opinion, of course. I couldn't disagree more, (and you're incorrect, the Jacksons have graphite reinforced necks as well). I have an SL2 I got on Ebay for $500, in pristine condition. After a thorough set-up with the area tech, (all ex-Dean Custom Shop employees), it blows away every Mexican Charvel I've owned, (I've had 4). That said, (and you know what they say about opinions), I find the Charvels to be overrated, and I'll never own another. With the exception of the hardtail I had, they were all plagued with quality issues. Maybe they've sorted those out, (Mine were all 2016, 2017's), but I won't waste my money again.

 

[skullfxr]

I would not buy a mexi charvel. Period. I have tried dozens. I have a ton of MIJ Jacksons, a USA SL-2, four MIJ 80's Charvels, and a 08 USA So-Cal. Mexi is a no go for me.

 

[sytharnia1560]

I understand that it takes a little more work/setup for tuning stability.

it really doesn't once you've done one it is super easy to set up

 

[skullfxr]

I understand that it takes a little more work/setup for tuning stability.

it really doesn't once you've done one it is super easy to set up

Concur.

 

[Fiesta Red]

Get a Chubtone

This

And this

 

[skullfxr]

Get a Chubtone

This

And this

Sexy AF.

 

[Fiesta Red]

...damn gorgeous! even that kooky easter egg color

My next build will probably that color. I think it's perfect.

 

[skullfxr]

...damn gorgeous! even that kooky easter egg color

My next build will probably that color. I think it's perfect.

I like it too.

 

[nightlight]

Caparison sounds like a good option if you can swing it. Superb super strat style guitars.





Shameless plug, I'm selling this one on Reverb, but only because I have another Caparison (Horus HGS).

 

[DistortED]

...damn gorgeous! even that kooky easter egg color

My next build will probably that color. I think it's perfect.

I like it too.

Thank you Brothers !!

 

[rstites]

[If I hadn't lucked into a real deal 1984 San Dimas last week I'd have put my deposit down.

You got pics and specs on it to share with the rest of us? I missed the thread if you posted one. I've got my old '84 that was my workhorse back in the day still, and my '87 Jackson-strat (basically a Charvel) still around.


....plus, a couple of parts'o'casters from back in the day. We should start a vintage Charvel thread.

Anyhow, back on topic, I keep looking at these new(ish) Charvels and thinking about them, but all I own are various Superstrats. I'm tempted than wonder what they hell I'd do with yet another Superstrat. If I wanted one and they play even remotely like the old ones, I'd ignore the pickups in them and just swap those when I got it.

 

[skullfxr]

What years are we talking with vintage charvel? I have three mid 1980'a ones I scored in the last month

 

[Racerxrated]

1984 SD #38XX. Got an MCP Angel Dust in the bridge, I disconnected the tone pot which sucked the life out of the tone..much better now. This is the first original Charvel SD I’ve found at a GC in all my yrs of stalking their used section. And the first Kahler that actually stays in tune no matter what I do. Heavy as hell, 10.2 lbs! I’d guess Mahogany? Thick tone. Sweet player too. But, my 09 USA still outplays it by a nudge.
That’s why I always say, lookout for an 08/09 USA. They can be killer.
https://minneapolis.craigslist.org/wsh/ ... 78507.html

Here’s a link. If someone really wants to give me 3k for this, sold. But here’s a pic for you.

 

[rstites]

What years are we talking with vintage charvel? I have three mid 1980'a ones I scored in the last month

I was thinking US built San Dimas Charvels, so up through '85. In '86, the Japanese model series were introduced and all Charvels were imports. Before that, Charvels were all bolt-ons and Jacksons all neck throughs. After that, Charvels were all imports and Jacksons all US built....also, production moved shortly thereafter to Ontario.

Having said that, I'm cool with pics and stories of the Japanese models too. Those have generally been very nice instruments when I've played them. I bought my brother a Japanese Charvel bass years back, and it's still his only instrument.

 

[rstites]

1984 SD #38XX. Got an MCP Angel Dust in the bridge, I disconnected the tone pot which sucked the life out of the tone..much better now. This is the first original Charvel SD I’ve found at a GC in all my yrs of stalking their used section. And the first Kahler that actually stays in tune no matter what I do. Heavy as hell, 10.2 lbs! I’d guess Mahogany? Thick tone. Sweet player too. But, my 09 USA still outplays it by a nudge.
That’s why I always say, lookout for an 08/09 USA. They can be killer.
https://minneapolis.craigslist.org/wsh/ ... 78507.html

Here’s a link. If someone really wants to give me 3k for this, sold. But here’s a pic for you.

My '84 is H/H, originally with a volume and tone. I rewired it so each pickup has its own volume. I'd make the bridge volume the close one and the neck volume the further control. Live, I'd leave the bridge volume all the way up most of the time, but keep the neck volume dialed way down. Then I could just use the pickup selector to go from crunchy distortion to roll-off clean on the Marshall 2203 I played back then. It worked really well. I'd also stomp on an OD (SD-1 mostly) to juice the front end even more.

Lots of those guitars were poplar which sounds more like alder, but weights more like mahogany. I've owned a couple of those over the years that were noticeably heavy for a strat-style guitar. That's a Kahler Pro which was the top-end Kahler. I had one on a Robin in the 80's that kept in tune very well, too. I never had any issues with it. I think it was the Kahler Flyer that was a step down. I had that on a Gibson at the time, and while it was ok, it was noticeably worse. There was an upgrade kit you buy to move between them. Without locking the ball-end of the strings it's reasonable to assume they aren't great at holding tune, but I don't recall having a big issue.

Having said that, I always prefer the Floyd. My '84 started life with a vintage brass trem and was factory converted to a Floyd later. It has the best neck of any guitar I've ever played. Both of mine were retrofitted, so no back route under the trem, but the Floyd is up off the body, like a vintage strat trem: just a little bit of pull up possible.

Hey, I didn't realize you were in Minneapolis. I live up there 12 years at one point: longer than I've lived anywhere else by a couple of years.

 

[Trajan117ce]

There's no difference between them except the pickups so it comes down to aesthetics.

I've only noticed the difference between a fender strat and a charvel SD if we talk about the resonance due to pickguard and top routing.

Direct mount pickups and more wood. There is a difference

Absolutely, and the difference isn't something you have to listen really hard to hear. Mounting them to the pickguard and having them just kind of float in the cavity tends to thin the tone, especially in the bridge, it's one of the factors that makes the bridge pickup in a Strat sound so different from a Tele.
I modified a Strat to sound closer to a Tele. Adding a steel base plate to the bottom of the pickup definitely fattened it's tone considerably, but mounting the pickup to the body also had a noticable effect.

 

[Racerxrated]

There's no difference between them except the pickups so it comes down to aesthetics.

I've only noticed the difference between a fender strat and a charvel SD if we talk about the resonance due to pickguard and top routing.

Direct mount pickups and more wood. There is a difference

Absolutely, and the difference isn't something you have to listen really hard to hear. Mounting them to the pickguard and having them just kind of float in the cavity tends to thin the tone, especially in the bridge, it's one of the factors that makes the bridge pickup in a Strat sound so different from a Tele.
I modified a Strat to sound closer to a Tele. Adding a steel base plate to the bottom of the pickup definitely fattened it's tone considerably, but mounting the pickup to the body also had a noticable effect.

I'm going to disagree with this based on my experience with multiple USA SD, SoCals and the direct mount MiJ run. I've had multiple versions of each and I can say from my experience that the USA SoCal has the best tone of any of the models, thicker and just sweeter. The SD Candy Blue I have is a toneful guitar but not as full sounding as the SoCal. The MiJ direct mount SDs I had were nice guitars but all 3 paled in tone and just a bit in playability to my USAs. I believe the wood selection is just better all around with the 08-09 USAs. Now, if any of the USAs were direct mount I could compare those? But I've never owned one to see. I can imagine direct mount SHOULD sound better but that wasn't my experience at all when it came to the MiJ series.

 

[SFW]

I've owned both the SoCAl and the San Dimas. Both sounds and feel great. Pickups are cheap. You could probably snag a JB off eBay for $50. If you don't already have one in a drawer at your house...lol! THey will have the same neck.

 

[Speeddemon]

I found the ToneZone too bassy/loose as well in my MIJ SoCal (white, black pickguard) and after a few swaps (including a Duncan Distortion and a Super Distortion), I settled on the Norton. It's basically a tighter improved JB; less icepicky, still crazy harmonics and it splits beautifully.
If the JB is in the right guitar, it can be gorgeous, but it can be lacklustre too.

Another option, although less harmonics and less 'scream', would be the Duncan SH-14 Custom 5. Almost a more behaved, but burly JB-esque. Big, but tight low-end, more balanced mids and highs. I put that one in my ESP Horizon NT-II, which came stock with a JB. The JB was nice in that guitar, but I wanted more beef.