tjon901 « Mahogany super strat »
Published on 09/09/11 at 19:04Charvel is one of the original super strat makers back in the day. These guitars are super hot rodded strat style guitars with locking trems and hot humbuckers with wide and flat necks. This guitar is the modern version of those classic shred guitars and this one has the advantage of a mahogany body which is very rare on a strat style guitar. This guitar is a shred machine. Mahogany body, maple neck, chrome Floyd Rose, two Seymour Duncan humbuckers, single volume knob and 3-way toggle switch. All you need to rock out. The color layout on this guitar although it is pretty simple Charvel still seemed to have some problems with it. The hardware on this guitar seems to be random bits of chrome and gold. The Floyd rose and output jack are chrome while the knob and strap buttons are brass.
UTILIZATION
The playability on these Charvels is great. The factory setup is pretty much perfect. This is important because this guitar is so old school it does not have an easy truss rod adjustment. You have to take the neck off to adjust the truss rod on this bad boy. The body is pretty heavy because it is mahogany. It is a lot more body heavy than a normal Stratocaster. The neck plays like butter. The compound radius means down at the low end it is super comfortable for chords and up in the high notes the action is super low and flat. The guitar is a bolt on so it has a 4 bolt plate on the back. I wish Charvel would cut a bit of the bolt away for a more comfortable feel up top but it isnt bad.
SOUNDS
The Seymour Duncans in this guitar are pretty screaming. I dont know what models they are but they have a very 80s tone. 80s pickups in these types of guitars were usually pretty low output and very PAF like. The mahogany body in this guitar gives the guitar a super thick tone and kind of eases back on the high end that can sometimes sound shrill on guitars like these. This guitars could do great metal today. A mahogany body is a great base for any metal guitar. If you are looking to play heavy music you want a mahogany body with some heavy pickups.
OVERALL OPINION
This is a great all around guitar. You get the great playability of a super strat. You also get the time tested ergonomics and comfort of a Stratocaster. Combine all this with the thick tone you get from a mahogany body and you get a great guitar all around. Charvel is doing cool things with their models nowadays and these guitars are great values as well.
UTILIZATION
The playability on these Charvels is great. The factory setup is pretty much perfect. This is important because this guitar is so old school it does not have an easy truss rod adjustment. You have to take the neck off to adjust the truss rod on this bad boy. The body is pretty heavy because it is mahogany. It is a lot more body heavy than a normal Stratocaster. The neck plays like butter. The compound radius means down at the low end it is super comfortable for chords and up in the high notes the action is super low and flat. The guitar is a bolt on so it has a 4 bolt plate on the back. I wish Charvel would cut a bit of the bolt away for a more comfortable feel up top but it isnt bad.
SOUNDS
The Seymour Duncans in this guitar are pretty screaming. I dont know what models they are but they have a very 80s tone. 80s pickups in these types of guitars were usually pretty low output and very PAF like. The mahogany body in this guitar gives the guitar a super thick tone and kind of eases back on the high end that can sometimes sound shrill on guitars like these. This guitars could do great metal today. A mahogany body is a great base for any metal guitar. If you are looking to play heavy music you want a mahogany body with some heavy pickups.
OVERALL OPINION
This is a great all around guitar. You get the great playability of a super strat. You also get the time tested ergonomics and comfort of a Stratocaster. Combine all this with the thick tone you get from a mahogany body and you get a great guitar all around. Charvel is doing cool things with their models nowadays and these guitars are great values as well.