Charvel vs Jackson

[FourT6and2]

I'm thinking about adding another guitar to my arsenal. I want something different than my LP Customs. Something a little brighter. A little tighter. A little more focused. Not necessarily a shredder, but something for raunchy high gain. Not "brootal" de-tuned stuff, mostly '90s hard rock to modern metal in the realm of Drop D. Must have a hardtail. No trems allowed!

I don't really know the history between Jackson and Charvel. But it seems like they have a lot of crossover? Is there a reason to go with one vs the other, given similar guitars? Wish I could play these, but nobody near me carries them. Anybody have any experience? I have a cheap Jackson Dinky of some sort I got a few years ago for $200 that actually plays better than I thought. I just use it as a beater guitar for practice and shit.

Charvel is a little easier to sift through as they really only have one model that piques my interest: San Dimas Pro Mod Style 1 HH, HT in snow white. And it's $850, comes with Duncan JB/59 and locking tuners. Pretty no-frills, down to business. I am also thinking about trying Suhr Aldrich pickup. But coming with a JB is fine. I also have a set of BKP Nailboms laying around. Alder body, maple neck/fretboard. 25.5" scale, 22 frets:

I wasn't planning on dropping more than $800 or so on a new guitar. But... I did come across this. Is it worth it, considering it's basically the same thing as the above, just a fancier package? Misha/Periphery/Bulb sig Juggernaut HT6. I'm not a fan of "artist" signature guitars. But this one at least doesn't have someone's name all over it. I dig the color. And it has all the options I might want (except the pickups, I'd probably swap those). But man... I can't see myself dropping $2,700 on a Jackson made of basswood. Maybe if it plays really well. Just wish I could try it out.

 

[Gadzz]

I got the Neon Pink Charvel with the FR it's fantastic! Needed a set up out of the box but otherwise it's really nice smooth frets etc... I can only speak to this one not sure if the quality is across the board though

 

[alan67]

Got mine from Sweetwater.....and I love it. Needed a little bit of a setup, but then again what guitar doesn't....the QC on this one was excellent and it sounds really good...great guitar for the money IMHO

 

[chadprsman]

I got one, plays and sounds fantastic. No quality issues.

 

[AndyK]

Find a used one and save on the depreciation in case you end up selling it!

 

[MrDowntown]

ive got a pro mod, from a couple of years ago...floating bridge, blue burst, etc. Here are my thoughts.

A couple of pros: Mine never needed a setup, out of the box. The neck and frets are really nice. Out of the box, The frets were dressed, the tuning and intonation were on point, but obvious setup and adjustments with season change, string change etc are needed. For the money, an awesome looking and playing guitar. The neck is really thin/flat (this could be a pro or con).

A couple of cons: The stock pup in the bridge, IMO, was not good at all (the bridge pup may be different in the newer models). Swapped it for an EVH wolfgang, then that for an EVH Franky. The franky seems to be better than the WG in that guitar, for my taste. The guitar does lack a little life, and sustain. I'm not sure if its the lack of wood where the floating bridge is, or the type of wood. It is a very light guitar in comparison to my other two guitars (PV Wolfgang and MeanStreet 78 Legend). I've read that FU brass blocks make the difference for more sustain...IDK, haven't tried it.

Maybe someone here has swapped the block on a floater and can speak to the effects and/or benefits.

 

[Racerxrated]

After playing/owning 08/09 USA pro mods, 10/11 MIJ pro mods and playing 2 or 3 MIM versions I do believe there's a difference in feel/neck/tone between all 3. The MIJ are close to the USA, but still give the nod to USA. They both leave the MIM behind though. I don't think the wood they use now is as good. IMO. MiM are still good guitars though, I just rank the previous builds higher.

 

[the rossness]

I've had 9 pro mods and still have MIJ ones (Red socal and Grey primer San Dimas). Great guitars. My recommendation would be to buy the Warren DeMartini model.

 

[Rockinloud]

I have several of all three (US, MIJ & MIM). The US models seem to have the best feel and tone but to me it's not a huge difference. Just got one of the new MIM models and it's very very close to the US models IMO. For the money I think they're a very good deal. Really like the truss rod adjustment on these new models, much faster than taking the neck off to adjust. As far as the FU brass blocks I really like them. They add a nice even punch to the tone, just gives the guitar a fuller sound. All of mine have trems except for one MIM hardtail. I did put graphtech saddles on it (the stock bridge is pretty basic) but these new models look like they have a better quality bridge now. Digging the white one and the blue quilt.

 

[mystixboi]

I have the neon yellow one. It's great but I sadly have to sell it. Stupid taxes!!!

 

[FourT6and2]

Oh, guys... I should emphasize I'm looking at the one with hardtail. I hate trems. So that sort of eliminates a lot of the other models. For this type of guitar I don't think spending over $1k is a smart idea. So the Warren D model ain't gonna happen.

But yeah, there are similar guitars from Jackson too. Any experience with those?

 

[charvelstrat81]

After playing/owning 08/09 USA pro mods, 10/11 MIJ pro mods and playing 2 or 3 MIM versions I do believe there's a difference in feel/neck/tone between all 3. The MIJ are close to the USA, but still give the nod to USA. They both leave the MIM behind though. I don't think the wood they use now is as good. IMO. MiM are still good guitars though, I just rank the previous builds higher.

as a owner of all of the them also i totally agree with this answer

 

[mniel8195]

I have owned the jackson and i have had a chavel pro mod in the past. The jackson is cool and the pickups are really unique. You will have a hard time getting vintage tones out of those pickups and rolling the volume down does not work as well as other pickups i have used. The charvel is a chavel no surprises. I don't care for 12-16" guitars. The jackson has a super flat radius and the neck is thinner than a suhr modern. I also did not care for the head stock tilt on the jackon i guess im just not use to it. If you want in between get a suhr modern. You can find great deals on modern frosts if you like solid colors. I traded my Jackson for a suhr modern frost and it is a much better guitar.

 

[FourT6and2]

I have owned the jackson and i have had a chavel pro mod in the past. The jackson is cool and the pickups are really unique. You will have a hard time getting vintage tones out of those pickups and rolling the volume down does not work as well as other pickups i have used. The charvel is a chavel no surprises. I don't care for 12-16" guitars. The jackson has a super flat radius and the neck is thinner than a suhr modern. I also did not care for the head stock tilt on the jackon i guess im just not use to it. If you want in between get a suhr modern. You can find great deals on modern frosts if you like solid colors. I traded my Jackson for a suhr modern frost and it is a much better guitar.

Yeah, I guess the Juggernaut HT6 is certainly geared to a specific style.

I'll look into Suhr. But last I checked, they don't have hardtail models and they are more than the price of the Jackson...

EDIT:
Actually, no I was wrong, I can probably get a Modern Frost for the same discounted price. But still... I hate trems.

 

[ibzprestige]

I had that same exact white hardtail 2016 San Dimas, couldnt sell it fast enough. Sharp fret ends, set up horribly, and a very cheap feel to it. Just my opinion though.

 

[FourT6and2]

I had that same exact white hardtail 2016 San Dimas, couldnt sell it fast enough. Sharp fret ends, set up horribly, and a very cheap feel to it. Just my opinion though.

Oooh thanks! This is the kind of info I'm looking for. Subjective stuff like the sound of the pickups and whatnot is great, but I want to know if the guitars I'm looking at are made well. I can always return the guitar (shops have a short grace period). But I don't wanna even bother if there are quality control issues.

 

[Tone Zone]

Oh, guys... I should emphasize I'm looking at the one with hardtail. I hate trems. So that sort of eliminates a lot of the other models. For this type of guitar I don't think spending over $1k is a smart idea. So the Warren D model ain't gonna happen.

But yeah, there are similar guitars from Jackson too. Any experience with those?

You might consider a Kiesel Aries build....if you're into the body shape that is. People seem to dig it or hate it, not much in the middle. I like it myself and had one built. Not too long after, one came up used for a good price, so I picked up another one. Both of mine are hardtail and play great. The Kiesel pickups are decent too. First Carvin/Kiesel pickups that I've had where I didn't feel compelled to change them. You might take a look at them anyway: http://www.kieselguitars.com/catalog/guitars/a6

 

[RedPlated]

I really wanted to like a new MIM Charvel. They have all the features I'm looking for in a super strat.

I went and played a new 2016 SoCal HH with a Floyd (same as San Dimas with a pick guard). I could only find one in stock anywhere. They had ONE at Sam Ash. It was a huge let down. Felt really cheap to me and didn't sound great IMO. The fret ends were like a cheese grater. Really bad and rough/ sharp. The neck was not impressive at all. Maybe it was just a lemon but it totally turned me off to them...

If I could find another one local to try, I'd give it another shot. But these days it's all about having to order online because NO ONE stocks these anywhere. And I live in LA. Sad.

 

[Racerxrated]

I really wanted to like a new MIM Charvel. They have all the features I'm looking for in a super strat.

I went and played a new 2016 SoCal HH with a Floyd (same as San Dimas with a pick guard). I could only find one in stock anywhere. They had ONE at Sam Ash. It was a huge let down. Felt really cheap to me and didn't sound great IMO. The fret ends were like a cheese grater. Really bad and rough/ sharp. The neck was not impressive at all. Maybe it was just a lemon but it totally turned me off to them...

If I could find another one local to try, I'd give it another shot. But these days it's all about having to order online because NO ONE stocks these anywhere. And I live in LA. Sad.

Yeah...if you want Charvel go used USA or MIJ, or go custom shop. And I don't mean the model series from the 80s..there is a difference. If you are patient you can find a clean used one for a good price. MUCH cheaper than a used Suhr from what I've seen. Custom shops are on par, maybe a little less expensive than a used Suhr.

 

[ElectricVoodoo]

Played a 2016 charvel this morning for the first time at a local shop here. Not that impressed and as others have said, the fret edges were indeed sharp and disheartening to feel. The evh series were a little better, still could feel the edges..

The winner that I decided to choose close to that price range was a MIM deluxe strat in blue with maple neck. Smooth edges, 12' radius and felt/played great.
Didnt want the one all scratched up on the hanger, so I asked them to order one. Great feeling, playing guitar.

Kind of bummed that the charvel felt that way. My production series san dimas from a few years back was ten times better imo. Sold it and regret it.