Charvel Desolation DS-1 FR

This is Charvels take on a modern shred guitar. This is the Desolation DS-1 FR. Now that Fender owns Charvel they are using them to put out their more modern shred guitars for the metal audience. This is the DS-1 with the tremolo unit. This guitar is made out of mahogany. It has a mahogany neck through neck that is free of any finish. The neck has a 24 fret rosewood fretboard with a compound radius. It has a recessed Floyd Rose with a locking nut. The pickups are a set of active Seymour Duncan Blackouts. The controls are simple with a volume and tone for each pickup and a 3 way toggle.

UTILIZATION

The example I tried out for this model the fretboard was very dry. The fretboard has the super comfortable Jackson/Charvel compound radius system on it. Near the low end of the neck the radius is more round. This is so you can play large chords comfortably. Near the high part of the neck the radius is flatter so your bends dont fret out and you can get a super low action for your lead playing. The recessed Floyd Rose is comfortable on the hand. It feels similar to an Ibanez tremolo. I am not a big tremolo guy but this seems to be a high quality unit. The upper fret access on this guitar isnt great. 24 frets with a 25.5 inch scale on a single cut body does not equal good upper fret access.

SOUNDS

This guitar comes with a set of Seymour Duncan Blackouts. This is a welcome change to putting EMG's in everything. These pickups provide a different sound than what you would expect with EMG's. The biggest complaint with the EMG 81/85 set is that with the 81 in the bridge it has a lot of high end grind but there is not much body to it. With this Blackout set you get all the body you can handle. These pickups have a ton of low end and they are super thick. The bridge pickup has all the top end grind of an 81 but with the body of an 85. I love the sound of these Blackouts. They can make any guitar sound super thick. The neck has all the body but less top end grind so you have a smoother sound for leads.

OVERALL OPINION

I am seeing more of these DS-1 FR guitars. They seem to be the most popular model in the Desolation line of guitars. Not often can you say you paid 600 dollars for a guitar with active pickups. Not often can you say you paid 600 dollars for a Charvel. Fender and Charvel are breaking into a new market with these well priced metal guitars. If you are looking for a mid level metal guitar with active pickups you now have another option to your typical Schecters and ESP LTD guitars.

American brand, but model made in China
Features & Specifications:
LP shape, neck-through unvarnished 24 frets, Seymour Duncan active pickups, Original Floyd Rose bridge, 2 volume, 2 tone, 3 position selector (recessed locations such PRS) beautiful finishes (maple table "transparent black" revealing veins wood, pearl binding way around the table, matching headstock (transparent black + binding), all metal parts in black satin finish.
Very nice guitar, which compares favorably with instruments at double the price ...

UTILIZATION

The handle is offset radius is very comfortable, feel "dry" (gross back, unpainted) very nice.
The guitar was delivered and set given (thank you Toto), nothing frieze, nothing buzzes ...
Strings a little too soft for me (certainly of 009-042), change ...
LP shape, but access to the treble is facilitated by the ergonomic bevel cutaway perfect ...
Floyd is VERY effective and fits perfectly the agreement.
Volumes and tones are reversed from Gibson (acute micro top, micro serious bottom) to help manage the volume button on the little finger for a solo (super)

SOUNDS

The active pickups deliver a sound defined but warm, and allow you to play in different styles (in clean, crunch, and obviously saturated)
For now only used in home studio, or on POD Guitar Rig 5, in addition to my standard SG.
The sound of the Charvel is sharper, less fat than the SG, and very complementary: the cleans sounds are more defined, and leads are more accurate and aggressive.
SG is "Blues / Rock", and the Charvel more "modern" ...
The point that bothers me is the lack of progressive volumes complicate setting slightly sound from the guitar for clean / crunch transition or crunch / saturated or effects of "violoning".
I do not know if it comes potentiometers or microphones ...

OVERALL OPINION

Bought there 15 days to its characteristics, without trying!
I play SG Standard for 40 years (!), I tried and played on many guitars (Gibson, Ibanez, ESP, Jackson, ...)
What I like most: comfort, sounds, finish!
What I like least: lack of progressive pots volume
The price / quality ratio is excellent!
A blind test would be surprising
I would do this choice, I even think I could do it again (the same one with a fixed bridge in sunburst finish to complete!)