Just got a Cort X700 Duality brand new for 599 Free Shipping - not a Duality II, but the original Duality, Blue Burst. If you haven’t seen one, I highly recommend it. Quality instrument with very high end appointments, and stock JB & Jazz SD pickups.
I have both the Cort X700 Duality (Duncan JB & Jazz) and X700 Duality II (Fishman Fluence Classics). Both are awesome. I generally don't like active pickups. The Fluence Classics are active but they don't sound like it. They have all the warmth & dynamics of great passive pickups. Plus they have 3 distinctly different voices: PAF, Hotrod, and Singlecoil. All sound great. The PAF voicing nails awesome Gibson tones. Hotrod voicing is very similar to JB & 59, but improved where the neck pickup isn't as scooped and boomy as the 59 neck and the bridge pickup is like a JB with more lows & low mids and no nasty high-mid spike. The singlecoil voicing isn't exactly like any traditional singlecoil I've ever used but it's much closer than you get with any split humbucker. The Duality II with Fishman Classics truly provides the sounds of 3 different great guitars. So, try out Fluence Classics if you can. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.
I love 80's rock and always wanted one, I got a 2017 used San Dimas, I liked it because it was like a Stratocaster (Super Strat, I know) but I sold it, I never got used to the neck, that 12"-16" fretboard and the very flat back of the neck I never liked. I also didn't care for the oiled neck but I took care of that spraying poly to make it feel like a Strat neck. Oh, and don't even get me started on the Floyd Rose... I might still get one shredder guitar in the future, I've seen some older Made in Japan Charvels and neck looks better, but the truss rod adjustment requires to remove the neck 🙄
I love my San Dimas guitars. Mine are the hardtail models so tuning stability is solid. Super strat with less moving parts does what I like! I agree about positive experiences with GC🤘🏼
But honestly they all have high and low ends, so you could probably just find a better Jackson series if that's the brand you lean towards. I'm not highly crazy about guitar center although I wouldn't say they're the worst. Not sure exactly what you're going after but you might check out some of these G&Ls which I find to be a refreshingly refined strat that are not necessarily hard to access and usually pretty high quality build including detailed for at work, stable traumelo and nice smooth neck and solid materials.. it's just a thought, but also that I've been as a series are fairly reasonable but also in my opinion pretty well built
I just bought a used refurbished G&L Legacy from musician's friend store on eBay and I feel pretty confident about it so far even includes a 1-year warranty and a steel at 390 with tax and shipping. And professionally refurbished. Kind of feel like that's possibly a better option than even say guitar center if you know what to look for and avoid. Get it from a reputable US dealer with high ratings and reasonable terms like returns etc for example
@@Stephenmichaelsguitar I was just having fun with you. I’m not a professional guitarist just a hobbyist but I love a distortion pick up in the bridge position
Sweetwater is great about returns too. I’ve had great luck there. I was thinking of buying a Charvel. Thanks for your video. I might have to rethink that? I have an Ibanez too. I don’t need a Charvel, but I’ve always loved the beefiness look of them. They look like really good, substantial guitars.
The JB / 59 is the selling point. I don’t mind investing into a guitar to have it up to my expectations, changing a auperswitch is a pain in the ass for me, as I’m not as tech. That said, I think I’m going to still go for it.
@@Stephenmichaelsguitar tbh I'm going through the opposite. I'm 35, used to play Soloist, Horizon bodies etc., now Strats and LPs because I'm oh so sophisticated 😂 Live your truth.
I have used the dk24 pro mod with the hss pickup configuration for over a year now. I agree it felt kinda cheap at first. Mainly because of the light weight combined with making a jangley spring sound from the Floyd. I fixed that by putting surgical tubing over the springs. The fact that it's light weight is actually great because i know now that tone wood theory mainly applies to acoustic guitars in my opinion. The natural neck is very smooth. I would argue that it's actually smoother than a painted neck because your hand will grip against a painted neck unless it's highly polished and your hands are perfectly dry. The model i have has a Seymour Duncan high output in the bridge and two regular type output single coils in the middle and neck. I play cleans in the neck and it sounds absolutely superb. Even though the bridge pup is hot my Epiphone les paul has upgraded les paul buckers and they are more high output. I can tell easily by how the guitar responds with pinch harmonics. Without changing any settings on the amp. So i kinda dont like the bridge pup. I forget the model name. I have another guitar with the sd black winter pups and they are definitely more high output. I set up the dk 24 to my liking and the floyd is holding up great. I rarely ever have to tune even with dumping the bar and prying up. I realize most people dont know how to set up a floyd type bridge so that part is imperative. As time went on i realized that this is the most comfortable playing guitar i have. Maybe not the best pup for metal in the bridge. Overall i am extremely pleased with the purchase. Btw every les paul guitar i have ever played won't stay tuned for shit. Floyd's are superior. String tension has to match the springs tension. Its as simple as that. Always comes back to equilibrium if setup correctly. I will never buy another hardtail. Im sure there are some that stay in tune but i haven't got my hands on one yet that can compare. Charvel pro mod is a fantastic guitar for the money. The only thing i dont like for sure is the fact that it doesn't have stainless steel frets. That is just stupid. I guess they had to save money somewhere.
I think every guitar needs money thrown into it. I liked a lot about the pro mod, but I just didn’t feel like throwing more money into it. The spring sound didn’t particularly bother me, but I did notice it. It’s a good guitar, and one I’m one the fence with.
@@Stephenmichaelsguitar I feel you. I have definitely thrown money in to some. Even though it sounds contradictory because I complained that the bridge pup wasn't what I would consider high output it's not worth swapping out. One of my friends try to convince me that his 700 dollar fender tele sounded better than my pawn shop used Greg Bennett strat that I got for 75 dollars. I simply said they sound different but one thing is for sure , the cheap guitar sounds fine. People don't like to admit that a cheap guitar can sound as good as a high dollar one. I definitely don't like emgs for clean tones. I couldn't adjust the honky sound out with the dials on my amp. But for metal emgs are great. One thing for me is I have to be visually attractive to the look of the guitar. I like that Ibanez you have. Great video btw. I'm hung up on 80s looking guitars. Mainly for metal. I really like that xiphos by Ibanez. I almost got that over the charvel, but it was five hundred more for the seven string model. It's definitely on my list. That and a dime guitar. I just scored a Chinese charvel kinda rare but it's ac good. Kinda crazy. Called a desolation star.
@@Stephenmichaelsguitar that Greg Bennett strat is great. It has those knock off grover tuners. Tuning stability seems fine but they are too close together. That's the only thing about that one. They are like 200 now. I will check out some more of your videos. Thanks for responding and have a good day sir.
I fully Get this video. I bought a Classic Vibe strat that ROCKED a while back- sold it and tried a lil Affinity Squier😮🚫. NO Bueno! Now I did NOT expect much from a $250 guitar but the neck was SO DRY and the frets were NOT Med Jumbo- I honestly wouldnt even recommend it to a beginner haha. Those 80’s Ibanez hold up to this day! Nothin touches the OLD Days of guitars man
Good video. I have a USA Pro Mod and a San Dimas and I love them, but they're not my main gigging guitars. Sometimes it's all about how you bond with a guitar and how it makes you feel and play. And also, the style of music you play (is it a versatile guitar or is it one dimensional?, etc). You did the right thing. Can you post a guitar collection video next? Keep jammin'!
Thanks Rich. I can absolutely do a gear collection video didn’t the road. I appreciate you watching. I still have charvel gas, so I’m sure I’ll find one soon enough.
It's been a long time since I had a Charvel guitar in my hands, used to have Model 1, and I regret selling it every day. No brainer to have this returned, it's not "your" guitar obviously, just the pickups alone are enough to get it returned if you don't like them. I too am very cautious on how I spend my money on gear, I hate to own things that I can't bond with
Does get a bit trying, having to change things out, this and that... I just picked up a dk24 from craigslist. Has the floating gotoh. ( I hate floating anything!) But..m the guy put locking Sperzel tuners on it and bareknuckle Holydiver bridge pup with two Slowhand single coils. It is my reach up and grab guitar. I have to have one with that designation, no case, lives hangin on the wall. The neck!!!! Cant beat 12- 16 radius. If not a Charvel, a used Jackson will do as well. I have both.
I have 3 Charvels. A Guthrie Govan Japanese model, a DK 24 Pro Mod HH, and a DK 24, and a Pro Mod 2 24 HH. 3 of my favorite guitars. Hate that you got a bad one.
I played a San Dimas this past weekend that I was hoping would be great but it wasn’t. In other news I did find another SoCal that I’m thinking of picking up.
Good thing you returned it. I think the San dimas would be a better fit for you but you might also prefer the roasted maple neck on the dk24. I was playing my American tele this evening and switched to my San dimas and it just feels way better. My favorite guitar I own
@@Stephenmichaelsguitar ah if only they still made the neon ones. I have the shell pink one, will look extra 80s gaudy when I switch to all gold hardware
I've has 3 Charvels. None of them made it a week. The So-Cal, which was the last one I tried, didn't make it past an hour. How do you forget to put shims under the locking nut? 🤦♂️ No more Charvels for me, unless they're under $500, which should be their starting price.
I much prefer DiMarzio Super Distortions or Tone Zones to the Duncans they load in some Charvels. I lean more towards the classic rock tones of the 70s and the Duncans are just way too 80s for me. Also, I'm just not a fan of locking trems. If I were to use one again (I haven't since 1988) I'd set it flush EVH style. I'm not a fan of metal guitars, and I did own a number of them back in the 80s including a first-generation ESP Horizon. I owned a Holdsworth Charvel that I bought used in '89 for next to nothing. It had a standard trem but stayed in tune great and came with an original handwound JB which is far superior to a modern production JB. I changed it to a Duncan Distortion which I never vibed with before changing it to a Super Distortion. I wish I still had that ax. I'm a big fan of five-way switches and use ither HSS or HS or HSH configurations, and occasionally just an H configuration.
Great stuff. I think I agree. I have some pafs in a partscaster build and that thing gets me where I need to be. I just hated the distortions. Thanks for taking the time to comment. Lot of good stuff here!
you charvel guys missed out i guess,sold my 2017 unplayed neon yellow pro mod for 850 with hard shell on ebay a month ago. you can't find a neon yellow charvel online anywhere for years.
I have bought 6 different charvel guitars recently. A lot of your concerns are warranted. For the price the quality control is 👎. And sadly I think that’s the 5 way super switch out of the fender elite. So there’s that.
Good call to return it. If it's not doing it for you, might as well put the money towards something else. It's cool to throw new pickups in something, but it can't always "save" a guitar. I have one of those Squier Super-Sonics, and I threw some Invaders in it, and changed the pickguard, string trees, and saddles, and it's a MUCH better guitar than it was. I really didn't like it after I played it for a while. If I wasn't trying to learn how to do mods myself at the time, it would have gone back.
I learned it’s best to get out early and not chase a guitar you want to like. That said I do think I’m going to order a San dimas either the JB/59:s. If that disappoints me then that’s the guitar gods telling me something. lol
I have a Charvel San Dimas Pro Mod Style T. It’s a Telecaster body with a Strat headstock, Floyd Rose tremolo and a compound radius finger board. I bought it for around $900 with case on Reverb…the only guitar I’ve ever bought online (and without playing first). I highly recommend these guitars. No quality control issues whatsoever and aside from needing a setup (I always setup my guitars to MY specs) it arrived ready to shred. Love it!❤❤❤❤
They don't make 'em to the level when Wayne Charvel or Grover Jackson ran the company. Save up your money and move up to a Suhr. There is no comparison. And I still have my beloved Charvel Model 1 from high school...
Honestly, I've only returned a guitar that was damaged from S&H. Did it need a shim ? Perhaps, but the level of guitar that I've bought is sub $ 200 MSRP,. I have bought preowned as much as a brand new instrument. They're all good instruments at that level. The preowned guitars I have are the white flags of surrender, the open string strummer that when the high E string broke the guitar sat in a corner & parents said play it or sell it. So too often the preowned I get are near virgin frets without the abuse & neglect for wear & tear. those guitars, most likely were never set up after the factory or if it was set up, it was a hack of a set up that screwed up and instrument that was relatively playable out of the box. Anyway, the Charvel, I think you are done with them. If this didn't bond, your Ibanez seems to be your go to Super Shredder brand. Does a Schecter have a shot even to supplant the Ibanez you prefer as your #1 ? The Vintage guitars I have, none of hem are grail guiitars for the brand, model & color. But after a set up, maybe a neck pocket shim, I'll be darned if they don't play & sound as well as anything I've held costing 100's, even 1,000's more. I won't say my $ 150 Epiphonme > a Gibson Custom Shop or even the $ 25-100 Squier Strats or Monoprice Indio Teles > Fender Custom Shop. But for my accomplishment level as a musician. Anything beyond these price points is a wasted production model or Custom Shop. With the Squier Strats, I know the CV > Bullet/Affinity level Strats, but that needs to be qualified with "not in my hands". I think A Fender MiM Player Series is as much a Fender as I would ever consider going. But honestly, a Bullet/Affinity is a fine instrument. It's the set up being dialed in that makes any guitar a keeper or dog. And any of them can be set up properly. In oher words, the guitar isn't holding me back, it's being a rookie guitar player. To me the only difference is how much rubbing & buffing of a thickness of polyurethane that differentiates the feel. And sound is so close, I don't care about ceramic vs Alnico magnets. Tuners, I have nothing that is locking tuners, an extra wrap of string and bam, no slippage, stays in tune as good as any other guitar with or without locking tuners.
This is why I haven't purchased a nicer guitar because I am afraid I will get junk and be over charged for it..I remember a time when a quality guitar actually had good quality..those days are gone from what I have seen in my research
Yes and no. I bought a classic vibe last year that all I did was change out the pots. Certain guitars are built better. I mean these Charvels are retailing new at 1100 bucks. That’s insane to think there is cheap parts on a guitar that expensive.
A Duncan distortion is not hotter than a JB. They have identical output at 16.6k. I do get where you're comin' from on the bridge and switch feeling cheap.
I had one. It is THE MOST USELESS guitar I have ever played. The biggest problem is the pickups. Those pups have no mids and low mids. The SH-4 JB is trash.
Floyd Rose 1000 is a very bad trem, you can't compare your Ibanez trem to a Floyd 1000!!! I would have resale the pickups and the Floyd for 80% of the new price and buy a set of JB and 59 with a 1996 Gotoh... Just for the fun of customizing my guitar almost for free!!😄
Miss my old charvel model 6s.. had one in cobalt blue and one in electric blue..
Just got a Cort X700 Duality brand new for 599 Free Shipping - not a Duality II, but the original Duality, Blue Burst. If you haven’t seen one, I highly recommend it. Quality instrument with very high end appointments, and stock JB & Jazz SD pickups.
Thank you for the recommendation- I’ll check it out!
I have both the Cort X700 Duality (Duncan JB & Jazz) and X700 Duality II (Fishman Fluence Classics). Both are awesome. I generally don't like active pickups. The Fluence Classics are active but they don't sound like it. They have all the warmth & dynamics of great passive pickups. Plus they have 3 distinctly different voices: PAF, Hotrod, and Singlecoil. All sound great. The PAF voicing nails awesome Gibson tones. Hotrod voicing is very similar to JB & 59, but improved where the neck pickup isn't as scooped and boomy as the 59 neck and the bridge pickup is like a JB with more lows & low mids and no nasty high-mid spike. The singlecoil voicing isn't exactly like any traditional singlecoil I've ever used but it's much closer than you get with any split humbucker. The Duality II with Fishman Classics truly provides the sounds of 3 different great guitars. So, try out Fluence Classics if you can. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.
I love 80's rock and always wanted one, I got a 2017 used San Dimas, I liked it because it was like a Stratocaster (Super Strat, I know) but I sold it, I never got used to the neck, that 12"-16" fretboard and the very flat back of the neck I never liked. I also didn't care for the oiled neck but I took care of that spraying poly to make it feel like a Strat neck. Oh, and don't even get me started on the Floyd Rose... I might still get one shredder guitar in the future, I've seen some older Made in Japan Charvels and neck looks better, but the truss rod adjustment requires to remove the neck 🙄
@@GerryBlue I hate removing the neck to adjust a truss rod. With you there.
I love my San Dimas guitars. Mine are the hardtail models so tuning stability is solid. Super strat with less moving parts does what I like! I agree about positive experiences with GC🤘🏼
That sounds like the way to go.
Nothing about Charvel has ever attracted me for whatever reasons
I think the appeal is the versatility, but it’s just not working for me. I can’t find one I like.
Personally I really like G&L's possibly the most, and Gibsons are pretty good but also find Ibanez to often be better than expected
But honestly they all have high and low ends, so you could probably just find a better Jackson series if that's the brand you lean towards. I'm not highly crazy about guitar center although I wouldn't say they're the worst. Not sure exactly what you're going after but you might check out some of these G&Ls which I find to be a refreshingly refined strat that are not necessarily hard to access and usually pretty high quality build including detailed for at work, stable traumelo and nice smooth neck and solid materials.. it's just a thought, but also that I've been as a series are fairly reasonable but also in my opinion pretty well built
I just bought a used refurbished G&L Legacy from musician's friend store on eBay and I feel pretty confident about it so far even includes a 1-year warranty and a steel at 390 with tax and shipping. And professionally refurbished. Kind of feel like that's possibly a better option than even say guitar center if you know what to look for and avoid. Get it from a reputable US dealer with high ratings and reasonable terms like returns etc for example
Getting rid of a guitar with a set of distortion pick ups is equal to telling your wife you’re ready to get neutered 😂
I’ve been married for 20 yesrs, so you might be onto sonething. But honestly, I haaaaaaate hot hot hate distortion pickups.
@@Stephenmichaelsguitar I was just having fun with you. I’m not a professional guitarist just a hobbyist but I love a distortion pick up in the bridge position
@@gwhiz3708 it’s all good. Trust me, being married can sometimes inspire being neutered.
JB/59 👍
@@GuitarNoize111 100 percent
Sweetwater is great about returns too. I’ve had great luck there. I was thinking of buying a Charvel. Thanks for your video. I might have to rethink that? I have an Ibanez too. I don’t need a Charvel, but I’ve always loved the beefiness look of them. They look like really good, substantial guitars.
I couldn’t agree more. This is more a ‘want’ than a need. I’m holding off for now on the Charvel.
I've been looking at those San Dimas Pro Mods, thanks for this video, going to rethink what I want to do.
The JB / 59 is the selling point. I don’t mind investing into a guitar to have it up to my expectations, changing a auperswitch is a pain in the ass for me, as I’m not as tech. That said, I think I’m going to still go for it.
I have MJ w/ Gotoh bridge and normal pickups. Pretty nice. Also a normal body, but it looks like you like ultra-shredder metal bodies.
Just a few of them. Most of my guitars are Fenders and Gibson. But I’m going thru an old man crisis. lol
@@Stephenmichaelsguitar tbh I'm going through the opposite. I'm 35, used to play Soloist, Horizon bodies etc., now Strats and LPs because I'm oh so sophisticated 😂
Live your truth.
I have used the dk24 pro mod with the hss pickup configuration for over a year now. I agree it felt kinda cheap at first. Mainly because of the light weight combined with making a jangley spring sound from the Floyd. I fixed that by putting surgical tubing over the springs. The fact that it's light weight is actually great because i know now that tone wood theory mainly applies to acoustic guitars in my opinion. The natural neck is very smooth. I would argue that it's actually smoother than a painted neck because your hand will grip against a painted neck unless it's highly polished and your hands are perfectly dry. The model i have has a Seymour Duncan high output in the bridge and two regular type output single coils in the middle and neck. I play cleans in the neck and it sounds absolutely superb. Even though the bridge pup is hot my Epiphone les paul has upgraded les paul buckers and they are more high output. I can tell easily by how the guitar responds with pinch harmonics. Without changing any settings on the amp. So i kinda dont like the bridge pup. I forget the model name. I have another guitar with the sd black winter pups and they are definitely more high output. I set up the dk 24 to my liking and the floyd is holding up great. I rarely ever have to tune even with dumping the bar and prying up. I realize most people dont know how to set up a floyd type bridge so that part is imperative. As time went on i realized that this is the most comfortable playing guitar i have. Maybe not the best pup for metal in the bridge. Overall i am extremely pleased with the purchase. Btw every les paul guitar i have ever played won't stay tuned for shit. Floyd's are superior. String tension has to match the springs tension. Its as simple as that. Always comes back to equilibrium if setup correctly. I will never buy another hardtail. Im sure there are some that stay in tune but i haven't got my hands on one yet that can compare. Charvel pro mod is a fantastic guitar for the money. The only thing i dont like for sure is the fact that it doesn't have stainless steel frets. That is just stupid. I guess they had to save money somewhere.
I think every guitar needs money thrown into it. I liked a lot about the pro mod, but I just didn’t feel like throwing more money into it. The spring sound didn’t particularly bother me, but I did notice it. It’s a good guitar, and one I’m one the fence with.
@@Stephenmichaelsguitar I feel you. I have definitely thrown money in to some. Even though it sounds contradictory because I complained that the bridge pup wasn't what I would consider high output it's not worth swapping out. One of my friends try to convince me that his 700 dollar fender tele sounded better than my pawn shop used Greg Bennett strat that I got for 75 dollars. I simply said they sound different but one thing is for sure , the cheap guitar sounds fine. People don't like to admit that a cheap guitar can sound as good as a high dollar one. I definitely don't like emgs for clean tones. I couldn't adjust the honky sound out with the dials on my amp. But for metal emgs are great. One thing for me is I have to be visually attractive to the look of the guitar. I like that Ibanez you have. Great video btw. I'm hung up on 80s looking guitars. Mainly for metal. I really like that xiphos by Ibanez. I almost got that over the charvel, but it was five hundred more for the seven string model. It's definitely on my list. That and a dime guitar. I just scored a Chinese charvel kinda rare but it's ac good. Kinda crazy. Called a desolation star.
@@jeremyshirah8293 I remember those. Cheap guitars can be good. I have a classic vibe that I really dig with everything stock.
@@Stephenmichaelsguitar that Greg Bennett strat is great. It has those knock off grover tuners. Tuning stability seems fine but they are too close together. That's the only thing about that one. They are like 200 now. I will check out some more of your videos. Thanks for responding and have a good day sir.
@@jeremyshirah8293 appreciate you watching! Cheers
I fully Get this video. I bought a Classic Vibe strat that ROCKED a while back- sold it and tried a lil Affinity Squier😮🚫. NO Bueno! Now I did NOT expect much from a $250 guitar but the neck was SO DRY and the frets were NOT Med Jumbo- I honestly wouldnt even recommend it to a beginner haha.
Those 80’s Ibanez hold up to this day! Nothin touches the OLD Days of guitars man
You didn't expect much and got what you expected.......Ok. Different than expecting much and not getting much.
I think every guitar is hit or miss. I guess. lol
Good video. I have a USA Pro Mod and a San Dimas and I love them, but they're not my main gigging guitars. Sometimes it's all about how you bond with a guitar and how it makes you feel and play. And also, the style of music you play (is it a versatile guitar or is it one dimensional?, etc). You did the right thing. Can you post a guitar collection video next? Keep jammin'!
Thanks Rich. I can absolutely do a gear collection video didn’t the road. I appreciate you watching. I still have charvel gas, so I’m sure I’ll find one soon enough.
It's been a long time since I had a Charvel guitar in my hands, used to have Model 1, and I regret selling it every day. No brainer to have this returned, it's not "your" guitar obviously, just the pickups alone are enough to get it returned if you don't like them. I too am very cautious on how I spend my money on gear, I hate to own things that I can't bond with
100 percent… I miss my model 1. It was simple but very lethal.
A weak and cheap feeling five way switch is a deal killer. Good call.
I just didn’t feel line further investing money into changing stuff out. Thanks for watching!
Does get a bit trying, having to change things out, this and that...
I just picked up a dk24 from craigslist. Has the floating gotoh. ( I hate floating anything!)
But..m the guy put locking Sperzel tuners on it and bareknuckle Holydiver bridge pup with two Slowhand single coils.
It is my reach up and grab guitar.
I have to have one with that designation, no case, lives hangin on the wall.
The neck!!!!
Cant beat 12- 16 radius.
If not a Charvel, a used Jackson will do as well.
I have both.
@@saltpeter7429 I love me a great guitar, but I hate trying to change everything to make that what I want it to be.
@@Stephenmichaelsguitar I hear ya, and agree. I went to a guitar shop yesterday and was surprised I didnt like a single one in there! That is rare.
I have 3 Charvels. A Guthrie Govan Japanese model, a DK 24 Pro Mod HH, and a DK 24, and a Pro Mod 2 24 HH. 3 of my favorite guitars. Hate that you got a bad one.
I played a San Dimas this past weekend that I was hoping would be great but it wasn’t. In other news I did find another SoCal that I’m thinking of picking up.
Good thing you returned it. I think the San dimas would be a better fit for you but you might also prefer the roasted maple neck on the dk24. I was playing my American tele this evening and switched to my San dimas and it just feels way better. My favorite guitar I own
I tried the dk’s and to me they feel small. I’m a big guy 6’3… I’m gassing for the San dikas.
@@Stephenmichaelsguitar ah if only they still made the neon ones. I have the shell pink one, will look extra 80s gaudy when I switch to all gold hardware
@@drinksandsnacks8761 yesss!!
I've has 3 Charvels. None of them made it a week. The So-Cal, which was the last one I tried, didn't make it past an hour. How do you forget to put shims under the locking nut? 🤦♂️ No more Charvels for me, unless they're under $500, which should be their starting price.
Agree. I can’t find a good one.
I much prefer DiMarzio Super Distortions or Tone Zones to the Duncans they load in some Charvels. I lean more towards the classic rock tones of the 70s and the Duncans are just way too 80s for me. Also, I'm just not a fan of locking trems. If I were to use one again (I haven't since 1988) I'd set it flush EVH style. I'm not a fan of metal guitars, and I did own a number of them back in the 80s including a first-generation ESP Horizon. I owned a Holdsworth Charvel that I bought used in '89 for next to nothing. It had a standard trem but stayed in tune great and came with an original handwound JB which is far superior to a modern production JB. I changed it to a Duncan Distortion which I never vibed with before changing it to a Super Distortion. I wish I still had that ax. I'm a big fan of five-way switches and use ither HSS or HS or HSH configurations, and occasionally just an H configuration.
Great stuff. I think I agree. I have some pafs in a partscaster build and that thing gets me where I need to be. I just hated the distortions. Thanks for taking the time to comment. Lot of good stuff here!
you charvel guys missed out i guess,sold my 2017 unplayed neon yellow pro mod for 850 with hard shell on ebay a month ago. you can't find a neon yellow charvel online anywhere for years.
I have a desert yellow rg550, it might be jealous. lol
I have bought 6 different charvel guitars recently. A lot of your concerns are warranted. For the price the quality control is 👎. And sadly I think that’s the 5 way super switch out of the fender elite. So there’s that.
Good call to return it. If it's not doing it for you, might as well put the money towards something else. It's cool to throw new pickups in something, but it can't always "save" a guitar. I have one of those Squier Super-Sonics, and I threw some Invaders in it, and changed the pickguard, string trees, and saddles, and it's a MUCH better guitar than it was. I really didn't like it after I played it for a while. If I wasn't trying to learn how to do mods myself at the time, it would have gone back.
I learned it’s best to get out early and not chase a guitar you want to like. That said I do think I’m going to order a San dimas either the JB/59:s. If that disappoints me then that’s the guitar gods telling me something. lol
@@Stephenmichaelsguitar haha, I’ll be looking forward to that video!
@@GamerPastHisPrime lol. We’ll see how this one goes. Cross my fingers… lol
My first guitar I bought was a San Dimas in 1986 ($1069)
I did the inlay and fretting (two of us did it) in 1985-1986, before they moved to Ontario. How did it play? I was just a kid.
I have a Charvel San Dimas Pro Mod Style T. It’s a Telecaster body with a Strat headstock, Floyd Rose tremolo and a compound radius finger board. I bought it for around $900 with case on Reverb…the only guitar I’ve ever bought online (and without playing first). I highly recommend these guitars. No quality control issues whatsoever and aside from needing a setup (I always setup my guitars to MY specs) it arrived ready to shred. Love it!❤❤❤❤
I’m definitely out of my comfort zone ordering guitars online. lol
Mine is pretty awesome but like my Schecter solo ii custom more.
Sweet.. I bet it’s killer.
Ibanez for life!!
Yessir
They don't make 'em to the level when Wayne Charvel or Grover Jackson ran the company.
Save up your money and move up to a Suhr. There is no comparison.
And I still have my beloved Charvel Model 1 from high school...
I think you are right. Suhr might be the way to go.
The switch is the Oak Grigsby Super switch ,best quality one available .The fine tuners are steel .
I dunno. They feel cheap to me.
Steve Brown Sound is the answer bro
Steve is a friend. Im definitely up for trying his gear.
Honestly, I've only returned a guitar that was damaged from S&H. Did it need a shim ? Perhaps, but the level of guitar that I've bought is sub $ 200 MSRP,. I have bought preowned as much as a brand new instrument. They're all good instruments at that level. The preowned guitars I have are the white flags of surrender, the open string strummer that when the high E string broke the guitar sat in a corner & parents said play it or sell it. So too often the preowned I get are near virgin frets without the abuse & neglect for wear & tear. those guitars, most likely were never set up after the factory or if it was set up, it was a hack of a set up that screwed up and instrument that was relatively playable out of the box. Anyway, the Charvel, I think you are done with them. If this didn't bond, your Ibanez seems to be your go to Super Shredder brand. Does a Schecter have a shot even to supplant the Ibanez you prefer as your #1 ? The Vintage guitars I have, none of hem are grail guiitars for the brand, model & color. But after a set up, maybe a neck pocket shim, I'll be darned if they don't play & sound as well as anything I've held costing 100's, even 1,000's more. I won't say my $ 150 Epiphonme > a Gibson Custom Shop or even the $ 25-100 Squier Strats or Monoprice Indio Teles > Fender Custom Shop. But for my accomplishment level as a musician. Anything beyond these price points is a wasted production model or Custom Shop. With the Squier Strats, I know the CV > Bullet/Affinity level Strats, but that needs to be qualified with "not in my hands". I think A Fender MiM Player Series is as much a Fender as I would ever consider going. But honestly, a Bullet/Affinity is a fine instrument. It's the set up being dialed in that makes any guitar a keeper or dog. And any of them can be set up properly. In oher words, the guitar isn't holding me back, it's being a rookie guitar player. To me the only difference is how much rubbing & buffing of a thickness of polyurethane that differentiates the feel. And sound is so close, I don't care about ceramic vs Alnico magnets. Tuners, I have nothing that is locking tuners, an extra wrap of string and bam, no slippage, stays in tune as good as any other guitar with or without locking tuners.
This is why I haven't purchased a nicer guitar because I am afraid I will get junk and be over charged for it..I remember a time when a quality guitar actually had good quality..those days are gone from what I have seen in my research
Buy a harly benton...nice guitars
today for good quality you need 2000$
I mean, yes and no. I bought a Classic Vibe for 300 bucks that I would put up QC vs. the Charvel..
It felt cheap because today 700 is cheap
Yes and no. I bought a classic vibe last year that all I did was change out the pots. Certain guitars are built better. I mean these Charvels are retailing new at 1100 bucks. That’s insane to think there is cheap parts on a guitar that expensive.
Try a Firefly FFST. You won't find a better value ($159).
The humbuckers are trash!!! With nickel frets more trash!!!
I certainly don’t love them. lol
A Duncan distortion is not hotter than a JB. They have identical output at 16.6k. I do get where you're comin' from on the bridge and switch feeling cheap.
You aren’t incorrect.. one is ceramic and the other is alnico. Leading to a hotter sound.
@@Stephenmichaelsguitar Maybe just a different sound. I get that. I have some Invaders and I don't like those. But...I also don't care for a JB.
@@RobSchauland1911 I think at the end of the day I’m a PAF kinda guy.
Lol!
Evh.
I had one. It is THE MOST USELESS guitar I have ever played. The biggest problem is the pickups. Those pups have no mids and low mids. The SH-4 JB is trash.
Nope!! Not a high output pickup guy either...
UM....
?
I would not be expecting a top of the line guitar in today's economy for 700$. More like 1500-2000$ if you want attention to detail.
You are correct , but keep in mind this guitar retails for $1100 currently.
Floyd Rose 1000 is a very bad trem, you can't compare your Ibanez trem to a Floyd 1000!!! I would have resale the pickups and the Floyd for 80% of the new price and buy a set of JB and 59 with a 1996 Gotoh... Just for the fun of customizing my guitar almost for free!!😄
I’m just getting a San dimas .. lol we’ll see how that ivee we goes!!! Thanks for watching