Charvel Solid Body Electric Guitars

The Charvel So Cal is the third and final model introduced by the revived Charvel company in 2008. It is basically another version of their famous "hot rod" guitars that spread like wildfire throughout the eighties. They were made with the motto of being customized from the factory with the right high quality parts to avoid endless modding. This particular model was built in the USA and features an alder body, a quartersawn maple neck and fretboard, 22 jumbo frets, a locking Original Floyd Rose system, Grover tuners, and a pair of DiMarzio humbuckers (an EVO in the neck and a Tone Zone in the bridge). These are mounted on a classy black pickguard and wired to a single volume control and a 3 way toggle switch. UTILIZATION The design of this guitar is pretty ergonomic. It's of a medium weight and the strat style design forms very well to the body with its ample contouring. The neck is a true wonder, being that it's a very comfortable thin C profile, and the finish is tung oil on raw quartersawn maple. Can you say fast? It feels EXTREMELY natural and awesome and has fast become my preferred neck configuration, so much so that I order it on custom builds from other companies. The upper fret access is pretty good, but is hindered a bit by the very thick neck plate, which can get in the way, especially if you have larger hands. Getting a good tone out of this guitar is pretty easy. It was optimized for hard rock tones, and the guitar does that very well. I prefer the Seymour Duncans in the San Dimas guitars, but the DiMarzio models in this one do a decent job at getting some cool cleans and rippin' shred tones on the go. SOUNDS This guitar is loaded with the DiMarzio pickups which I believe are a bit hotter than the Duncans in the other guitars. They're a nice choice for the player who wants something a little more modern for some heavier tones, but they still have enough punch for more classic sounds. The EVO in the neck offers some nice punchy clean tones and very fluid drive sounds a-la Steve Vai or John Petrucci, and the TZ bridge pickup has a nice harmonic set, perfect for getting really crunchy tones for rock riffage or some screaming leads. It's a little bit darker than the JB pickup in the San Dimas, but it still has more than enough power to really kick when driven through a tube amp like a Marshall or Boogie. OVERALL OPINION All in all I think the Charvel So Cal is a great buy for anyone looking for an awesome US made superstrat with great parts, excellent workmanship, great tones, and one of the best feeling necks on the planet. They can be had used for about $650 which is a pretty sweet deal considering that it's made in the USA and uses great parts. The DiMarzio pickups in this model might not be to everyone's taste, but I liked them well enough, just not as much as the Seymour Duncans in the other models. Definitely worth checking out!

The Charvel San Dimas Style 1 2H is made in the USA. It features and alder body, JB/'59 pickups, a Korean-made Floyd Rose (that's pretty much just as good as the MIG ones IMO), one volume knob and pickup selector switch, 22 frets, grover tuners, and a gunstock oiled maple neck with the comfiest, profile I've ever played. UTILIZATION The first time I picked up a Charvel, I knew I would eventually own one. I immediately fell in love with the neck profile, which is the perfect amalgamation of a C and D feel. It's thin and speedy, but it has enough mass to grip onto, if you need it. The cutaway gives you just as much access to the upper frets as a regular Strat. It's totally uninhibited until about the 17th fret, and then the neck joint becomes apparent. it's never been an issue with me though. My Charvel weights 7 1/2 pounds. Charvels, and superstrats in general have a stigma attached to them regarding tone. People often say that they don't have a unique character. I totally disagree. Try playing Van Halen, Dokken, or Ratt riffs on a Les Paul. It might sound great, but it won't have that loose-yet-aggressive vibe that only a Charvel-esque guitar can capture. SOUNDS The bridge pickup sounds great for crunchy metal riffing, and searing, cut through butter type lead tones, but it doesn't do a great mid gain, 70s style sound. it's useable, but a bit on the thin side for me. If you're pumping out Ratt riffs all day long, then the JB will bring it without any problems. I really like the '59 in the neck, it has a very loose, airy quality to it that reminds me of neck pickup tones from bands like Opeth and Riverside. Bends are sweet and have a very rounded high end. The mids sound a bit sccoped, but it works well for the music I play. OVERALL OPINION I bought this Charvel for the feel of neck. If you haven't tried a Charvel neck before, run to your nearest store. You'll be ruined for life! There are good, name brand components build into every aspect of this guitar. I tried every Charvel I could get my hands on, and I knew what I was getting into when I bought mine. I'm usually quite wary of buying guitars off the internet (you never really know what you're going to get tonally), but I found that every Charvel I played in stores sounded great. They rung fully acoustically, and sounded fat unplugged. I'd buy another one of these guitars. I'm actually scouting the web for Charvels at the moment, so another should be coming my way very soon!