CHARVELS

[Detroit1973]

Ok Guys, I need some Direction. Which Charvels are the Good Ones? The Mexican ones? The Made in Japan ones? I'm looking to Purchase a Hardtail Charvel with Rosewood Board in the Next few Months & i'm trying to be ahead of the curve if i'm able.

 

[atrox]

This probably won't help you much, but for me, it's the truth. Below is a pic of what I have (3 USA's, 2MIM and 1 80's Japanese).

I like and enjoy playing them all equally. I can point out differences however.

They all have the same compound radius. The 80's MIJ Model 2 has 2-3/16” Heel while the others have 2-1/4" width

The MIM maple neck is a two piece neck. Obviously so are the rosewood and ebony. The USA's are all quatersawn 1 piece.

The USA and Japanese are quartersawn necks and stable. The MIM are not quartersawn, but are carbon reinforced and are more stable than the USA and Japanese necks (I have never had to adjust them).

Weight seems to be a luck of the draw. The MIJ is basswood and light. The USA's are all over the place. My Tangerine is one of the heaviest guitars i own. The Plum is very light. The Black is between. Both MIM's seems to be in the heavier side.

The tone of them all are similar. The Plum and the Basswood probably being the most aggressive sounding.

Playability of them are equal. They all play amazingly after initial setups.

I hope that helps a tad. It's only MY personal experience with MY guitars, but... yeah.

 

[MrDowntown]

my understanding, in this order

4. Mx = good, some better than others. some people love them, some think they are meh...some say crap. i had one 2013 model...it was good, not great, not crap...just good. sold after a few years, felt like it lacked sustain.
3. Jpn = better, (some say, if the right one is found, it's) arguably as good as US made
2. USA = best, (some say, if the right one is found, it's) arguably as good as CS
1. USA CS = the pinnacle of Charvels... but ref #2 above

ETA: regardless of country of origin...i don't think you can go wrong, especially if you find one that sounds/plays good to you. and also...the older white san dimas, with the worn brass micro-tuners...ya'll know what im talking about... still, IMO, some of the sexiest guits alive.

 

[thisguy]

I haven't played any of the new ones but there won't be many options with those specs from the US and Japan runs. There does seem to be a number of the wildcard 6 around. I'd probably go for one of those first.

 

[maddnotez]

I've only had a few. 2009, 2005 and 2018. The 2005 was the best because the neck felt slightly better. Maybe could have been slightly thinner.

Had that and the MIM side by side. The MIM was good but like already stated the MIJ was slightly better. The difference was small enough to wear a really good setup could make the difference but at the time I opted to keep the 2005 MIJ and sell the other.

I have however heard some people getting a lucky 2009 Socal that played better then some custom shops so ymmv.

 

[Bronco]

Don't discount the idea of a Chubtone either. Charvel CS quality at a ridiculous value.

 

[charvelstrat81]

USA made ones are overall the best to me.
The Demartini pro mod which is MIM are very good as well.
To be honest you will find sweet ones and bad ones regardless of where the guitar is made. that goes for all brands unless you are talking luxxtone or surh.
I had a MIJ so cal charvel that was stellar and i still have a 2009 USA san dimas that is as good as a Custom shop one.

 

[charvelstrat81]

Don't discount the idea of a Chubtone either. Charvel CS quality at a ridiculous value.

I second this. If you dont mind a bit of a wait this is your best option for the $$$

 

[Racerxrated]

my understanding, in this order

4. Mx = good, some better than others. some people love them, some think they are meh...some say crap. i had one 2013 model...it was good, not great, not crap...just good. sold after a few years, felt like it lacked sustain.
3. Jpn = better, (some say, if the right one is found, it's) arguably as good as US made
2. USA = best, (some say, if the right one is found, it's) arguably as good as CS
1. USA CS = the pinnacle of Charvels... but ref #2 above

ETA: regardless of country of origin...i don't think you can go wrong, especially if you find one that sounds/plays good to you. and also...the older white san dimas, with the worn brass micro-tuners...ya'll know what im talking about... still, IMO, some of the sexiest guits alive.

This. Period.

And, yes the Chubtone is as good or better than Charvel Customs. I’ve had over 20 USA 08/09s and a few 2010 MIJs in there as well. 3 original 83-85 USAs also, and still have one.
But my 09 USA plum is pure magic. Nothing touches it for playability. Nothing. I’ve also had 3 customs.

MiM versions; the early ones I’d stay away from. They were almost cheap copies of a real Charvel. I’ve heard good things about the newer ones though.
My USAs have always been 8lbs or more..my plum is 9 lbs. My 84 is 10.5! Heavier than most LPs. The SoCal seems to have better tone than the SD, maybe because more wood is left with the pick guard route vs the electronic cavity route?

For reference I’ve played 2 Suhrs and 1 Tom Anderson, great guitars in their own right but Charvels just have IT for me.

 

[the rossness]

I had 8 or 9 of the USA production models, 3 of the MIJ Pro mods, a CS Star, a made in china desolation star. I've played a bunch of the MIM pro mods.

IMO, The MIJ models were the best. I still own one and I never plan on selling it. It better than a lot of the CS guitars I've played. I've played one chubtone and the neck feels very similar to the MIJ model. The USA guitars are good, but eh MIJ models are better. The mexi models... most of them are meh. I've played 20 or so of them as various Sam Ash's/ GC's and they all sucked. I played a few at Matt's Music near Boston and they all played great.

 

[sloppy fingers]

I'll throw in my 2 cents worth, I tried a butt load of Charvels when I was looking for mine and ended up with MIJ SoCal. They are all pretty similar but mine just seemed a little better than the rest I tried. I've recently tried a couple of CS versions and they didn't really seem significantly better.
Consistently good guitars with some real gems out there if you try enough of them. If you're looking for a hardtail, you'll probably need to try and track down one of the wildcards, or one of the new Mexican models.

 

[mooncobra]

usa custom shop are epic

 

[PeteLaramee]

I've been thinking hard about a so cal. I love strat heads. I fucking love the look of this

 

[ClintN667]

How much do chubtones typically run? I want a super strat and I would love a charvel but I want something with stainless frets

 

[Goat]

This probably won't help you much, but for me, it's the truth. Below is a pic of what I have (3 USA's, 2MIM and 1 80's Japanese).

I like and enjoy playing them all equally. I can point out differences however.

They all have the same compound radius. The 80's MIJ Model 2 has 2-3/16” Heel while the others have 2-1/4" width

The MIM maple neck is a two piece neck. Obviously so are the rosewood and ebony. The USA's are all quatersawn 1 piece.

The USA and Japanese are quartersawn necks and stable. The MIM are not quartersawn, but are carbon reinforced and are more stable than the USA and Japanese necks (I have never had to adjust them).

Weight seems to be a luck of the draw. The MIJ is basswood and light. The USA's are all over the place. My Tangerine is one of the heaviest guitars i own. The Plum is very light. The Black is between. Both MIM's seems to be in the heavier side.

The tone of them all are similar. The Plum and the Basswood probably being the most aggressive sounding.

Playability of them are equal. They all play amazingly after initial setups.

I hope that helps a tad. It's only MY personal experience with MY guitars, but... yeah.

None of my Wayne Charvel built "Charvel" guitars were fitted with a compound radius neck, nor were either of my Jackson strats. Why is Fender fitting Charvel guitars with a CR neck?

 

[Valtyr]

I only own 1 Charvel, a Guthrie Govan with the flamed maple top. I don't know about the the other Charvels, but I haven't even been tempted to get another guitar since I got mine about 14 months ago.

 

[paulyc]

How much do chubtones typically run? I want a super strat and I would love a charvel but I want something with stainless frets

Roughly 1500. SS frets May push it a bit higher, right around 6 month wait. I’m waiting on my fourth now. Hands down best guitars I own.

 

[romanianreaper]

I had a 2008 USA Charvel San Dimas in Slime Green that I bought from Chubtone and that is one guitar I'll always regret selling. It sounded and played phenomenal and it was back when they were really cheap and before the transfer to Mexico.

I have a USA DeMartini "Frenchie" in black. Cool guitar but to be honest, I liked the USA DeMartini I previously had in the "Blood and Skulls" design. I like the San Dimas shape better than the "Frenchie".

I played a Japanese Charvel a few years ago and didn't jive with it but probably just needed to be setup. Like others have said, sometimes it is hit or miss. I played one Mexican one that was noisy and just ok, then played another one a few weeks later and played like a USA model.

 

[Rock Bodom]

I've never had a bad CS Charvel, they are extremely consistent and I've had a couple dozen over the years.

Of the modern era productions models, pretty much everything that has been stated above, there are good ones and bad ones. The best one I had was a USA model, it was a slime green 08 as well (I'm with you Romanianreaper, just said my sad farewells to it last year, it is certainly missed!). But had the exact same guitar in taxi cab yellow, very dull sounding. I've had a few of the MIM's as well, not bad.

My best is still my original 84, just has a resonance that can't be beat.

 

[atrox]

None of my Wayne Charvel built "Charvel" guitars were fitted with a compound radius neck, nor were either of my Jackson strats. Why is Fender fitting Charvel guitars with a CR neck?

I have no idea about those. My '88 non-Fender era Model 2 has a compound radius as well. The Compound radius is one of my favorite things about Charvel necks