Charvel Desolation DC-1 ST

Very recently Charvel has started putting out a new line of models called the Desolation line of guitars. It seems since Fender has purchased Charvel they want to make it more of a competitor to ESP and Schecter in addition to making their old school super strats. This is a pretty smart move from Fender since the old school super strat market is usually for older guitar players who grew up in the 80s. These new Desolation models seemed to be more targeted towards modern players who want something under 1000 bucks but with solid playability and active pickups for heavy metal music. This is one of the new Charvel Desolation models. This is the DC-1 ST. The DC stands for double cut. There is a single cut model similar to this as well. ST stands for stoptail or hardtail. There is a Floyd Rose version as well which has pretty much Identical specs. I grabbed the flat black model off the shelf since it seemed the most metal and I prefer hardtails. The body on thsi guitar is mahogany with neck through construction. The neck is mahogany as well. The fretboard is rosewood with some big fancy abalone inlays. The fretboard has 24 jumbo frets and features the Jackson/Charvel compound radius design. The pickups are the classic 81/85 EMG setup. The controls are simple with a master volume and master tone with a 3 way.

UTILIZATION

The playability on this guitar is great due to the neck construction. The back of the neck is raw and fast. You do not see many unfinished mahogany necks nowadays but it is cool. It has a slightly different feel than maple but it is still fast overall. The fretboard goes along perfectly with it. It has a fast design with the jumbo frets and compound radius fretboard. With the compound radius fretboard near the headstock the radius is 12 inches so you have a more comfortable feeling when you play chords but up by the neck pickup the radius is 16 inches so you can have a lower action up there and really shred. The hardtail bridge means you have great tuning stability and the ability to change tunings whenever you want without headaches.

SOUNDS

Charvel is targeting a market that already has a lot of guitars and players in it and these players know what they want. Charvel is giving these guy was they want in their guitars by using this classic EMG setup. Unlike some companies, the inclusion of these pickups stock mean you dont have to factor in a pickup swap whenever you purchase one of these guitars. The 81/85 set is classic now. The 81 in the bridge is a buzzsaw. It is great for tight chunky rhythms. It has a high end grind that lets you retain clarity under high gain and low tunings. It does not clean up very well or do smooth leads but it wasnt made for that. It was made for head chopping riffage. The 85 in the neck is slightly more versatile and I personally prefer it over the 81 in the bridge as well. In the neck it is great. It has a slightly smoother more fuller tone so it does better for leads and cleans up better although the cleans are not great. If you want better cleans out of both of these pickups you can do the 18v mod which means you run the pickups off off 2 9v batteries instead of 1. This gives you a fuller more organic tone and more headroom in the sound.

OVERALL OPINION

If you are in the market for a midrange metal guitar there are tons of options out there for you. There are dozens and dozens of ESP's and Schecters you can get or even Ibanez guitars with a pickup swap. The problem is these guitars have been on the market for years and everyone has one already. With these new Charvel models they are the fresh thing on the scene. You get the classic name like Charvel in a new market looking to become the big dog. New school design and electronics combined with old school playability and craftsmanship on these Charvels make them something you should check out if you are in the market for a metal guitar.

In what country was she made? (USA, Japan, Mexico, France ...)
Chinese manufacturing (hence the price) and design Charvel USA

What type of bridge (Floyd, Wilkinson ...)?
Fixed Type Tune-O-Matic / locking tuners

What kind of stick / body?
Neck-thru 3-piece mahogany / mahogany body

How many frets, what kind of microphone and their configuration?
24 frets / EMG 81 (bridge) / EMG 85 (neck) / 1 volume, 1 tone, a 3-position selector (no possibility splitter microphones single damage ...)

UTILIZATION

In general, the handle is nice, rather round in the head and more flat amount to treble. However, it is unfortunate that it is not painted, of course, it is more beautiful with this rawness, but is suddenly not so slippery ...

Access to acute is bad enough, what is even more annoying it is a neck-through, the horn is not low enough ... flared

Ergonomics, bah from the problem mentioned above, no worries, the guitar is well balanced, the weight is very light despite mahogany (small body and fixed bridge).

At the sound, let's be clear, the EMG play a very important role in the overall sound reproduction ... in fact, to be honest, I do not hear them. On this guitar, the wood seems to remain silent ... It is rather striking when I play unplugged, it simply sounds hollow, soulless ... nothing to do with my Ibanez S570. So yes, the sound is good, but it is probably not due to Charvel, but rather EMG.

SOUNDS

Yes, it is entirely appropriate to use I booked it, that is to say, the big sound that task!

I plugged in a POD HD500X with a simulation of Mesa or Engl and it rocks! I reserve my Ibanez for more subtle things

OVERALL OPINION

I've had a week. What motivated my purchase: the characteristics (neck-through, EMG), the price and then the brand ... Charvel is, even if it's made in China.

Yes, I play on other brands (Ibanez, Cort, Squier).

The +
Channel crossing
Locking Tuners
The EMG
The weight

The -
Total lack of personality, got her to 99% as of the EMG
Access to acute rendered difficult due to the cutting of the body, strange for a neck-through ....
The handle pretty but will be more fun to play with a varnish

Given the benefits and that it fulfills its role for those who want to send heavy, the price / quality ratio is excellent ... less than € 500 with EMG 81/85, it does not grow on trees, and even less stores guitars, so yes, I do it again this choice without hesitation.