« Another new Charvel model »

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.