FMIC Charvel guys: Custom Shop v. "Master Built"?

[cardinal]

Is there some difference in quality between a guitar advertised as Charvel Custom Shop versus a Charvel Masterbuilt? If so, what is the difference?

I can't figure this stuff out.

 

[Chubtone]

There is no difference. All Charvels are masterbuilt. Red Dave makes every one of them and Make Shannon hand shapes the necks. It doesn't get more masterbuilt than that. Of course if you want to specify a "Mike Shannon" built Charvel, they will be happy to upcharge you $500 for it.

 

[neilli]

Um, not all Charvels are Masterbuilt - there's a bunch of production garbage (Desolation or whatever) and then there's the pro-mods or whatever they're calling the import line nowadays..

Custom Shop vs MB is different: As yet, there's not a Custom Select / MB divide with Charvel, so as I understand it, CS is the same as MB for at least the next couple of weeks...

 

[cardinal]

Ok, so every custom shop Charvel is "master built" by either Red Dave or Mike Shannon. What could change in the next few weeks?

Are these the same quality as the Fender Masterbuilt stuff? I've played a handful of Masterbuilt Strats and was seriously impressed. I think they feel and play better than stuff from Suhr and Anderson. More "mojo."

I've played a bunch of their regular custom shop guitars and Jackson's USA Select stuff, and both left me thinking "eh."

 

[the rossness]

Ok, so every custom shop Charvel is "master built" by either Red Dave or Mike Shannon. What could change in the next few weeks?

Are these the same quality as the Fender Masterbuilt stuff? I've played a handful of Masterbuilt Strats and was seriously impressed. I think they feel and play better than stuff from Suhr and Anderson. More "mojo."

I've played a bunch of their regular custom shop guitars and Jackson's USA Select stuff, and both left me thinking "eh."

I've played a few J/C turds too. Most however, are fantastic guitars.

 

[neilli]

Ok, so every custom shop Charvel is "master built" by either Red Dave or Mike Shannon....I've played a bunch of their regular custom shop guitars and Jackson's USA Select stuff, and both left me thinking "eh."

Unless I'm missing something, there's a contradiction in here - "custom shop Charvel" and "regular custom shop" guitars are the same. So if you found the "regular custom shop guitars" to be "eh", you've already tried a MB guitar.

What might change in the next couple of weeks is there are rumours of Charvel doing a 'custom select' range as per Jackson. Which is basically a more limited range of options, quicker delivery, cheaper price point.

 

[cardinal]

Ok, so every custom shop Charvel is "master built" by either Red Dave or Mike Shannon....I've played a bunch of their regular custom shop guitars and Jackson's USA Select stuff, and both left me thinking "eh."

Unless I'm missing something, there's a contradiction in here - "custom shop Charvel" and "regular custom shop" guitars are the same. So if you found the "regular custom shop guitars" to be "eh", you've already tried a MB guitar.

What might change in the next couple of weeks is there are rumours of Charvel doing a 'custom select' range as per Jackson. Which is basically a more limited range of options, quicker delivery, cheaper price point.

Sorry, I meant Fender's "regular" custom guitars (non-Masterbuilt). Those and the Jackson USA Select stuff leaves me with a hit or miss impression. But the Fender Masterbuilt guitars I've played all were very nice. Thing is, those are different guys than Red Dave.

EDIT: apparently Red Dave was with the Fender Custom Shop until 2005 but didn't become a "master builder" until 2006, according to his bio on the Charvel website.

I guess what I'm getting at is price: I've played Fender Masterbuilt guitars from various builders and thought they all were awesome. But those are $5-6k guitars. You guys are saying all Charvel Customs are "Masterbuilt," but they don't cost anywhere near that much. The Chavel pricing is much closer to the more common non-Masterbuilt Fender Custom Shop guitars. I've played those and some where absolute dogs.

 

[AndyK]

What might change in the next couple of weeks is there are rumours of Charvel doing a 'custom select' range as per Jackson. Which is basically a more limited range of options, quicker delivery, cheaper price point.

THIS would be cool! Hopefully non-recessed 80's San Dimas looking Charvels!

 

[RJF]

The way Jackson is doing the custom shop these days is pretty sweet IMHO. Custom Select is basically a USA Select guitar, with some limited custom options that can be changed up during the build. Since most people that order CS guitars are really only looking for a production model that is tweaked to their liking, this is a great way to go that is slightly cheaper and most importantly, delivery is under 6 months.

A "Master Built" CS Jackson has an initial $1700 up charge, but you get more of the work done by hand by guys like Mike Shannon, and obviously the sky is the limit at that point on what you want them to actually build you and are not bound by a set "perimeter" of options like with CS select.

 

[cardinal]

Problem with Custom Select is that apparently adding a string forces you to master built pricing.

 

[neilli]

I've heard that 7 strings MIGHT (big might) be offered under custom select eventually.

 

[Shawn Lutz]

Custom shop and Master Built = same thing

If you get a CS Chavel it is overseen/built by original Charvel guys.

Not to be confused with USA production or their low end import desolations models

 

[cardinal]

^ the Charvel page lists only three guys. Mike Shannon, Pat McGarry, and Red Dave. Only Mike and Pat would be original Charvel guys. Pat is listed as a "custom" builder, whatever that means. Red Dave, who seems to do most of the advertised master building, joined only in 2005.

 

[Qweklain]

I've never dabbled much in Custom-shop or master-built stuff except my Jackson (only dealt with one-man luthiers for custom builds), but my assumption was always Custom Shop was a small number of certain individuals would have there hand in building it, while the specification of "Master-Built" would be ground-up constructed by only one of a very select certified individuals (Mike Shannon as an example).

 

[Anonymous]

^ the Charvel page lists only three guys. Mike Shannon, Pat McGarry, and Red Dave. Only Mike and Pat would be original Charvel guys. Pat is listed as a "custom" builder, whatever that means. Red Dave, who seems to do most of the advertised master building, joined only in 2005.

Red Dave is an original Charvel guy as well...

Steve

 

[cardinal]

^ the Charvel page lists only three guys. Mike Shannon, Pat McGarry, and Red Dave. Only Mike and Pat would be original Charvel guys. Pat is listed as a "custom" builder, whatever that means. Red Dave, who seems to do most of the advertised master building, joined only in 2005.

Red Dave is an original Charvel guy as well...

Steve

I'm not well versed in Charvel history, so I know only what's on their website. It says Red Dave spent 16 years at Fender then joined Jackson in 2005 and became a master builder in 2006.

But really the question I have is for anyone that's played both a Masterbuilt Fender and a Charvel Custom Shop: are they equivalent instruments?

 

[JackTripper]

^ the Charvel page lists only three guys. Mike Shannon, Pat McGarry, and Red Dave. Only Mike and Pat would be original Charvel guys. Pat is listed as a "custom" builder, whatever that means. Red Dave, who seems to do most of the advertised master building, joined only in 2005.

Red Dave is an original Charvel guy as well...

Steve

I'm not well versed in Charvel history, so I know only what's on their website. It says Red Dave spent 16 years at Fender then joined Jackson in 2005 and became a master builder in 2006.

But really the question I have is for anyone that's played both a Masterbuilt Fender and a Charvel Custom Shop: are they equivalent instruments?

I never played a Fender Masterbuilt. I have played tons of Mike Shannon made guitars, including Charvel Custom shops, "employee guitars" and GMW strats. Mike Shannon was also a master builder in the Fender custom shop FWIW at one point as well. His work is top notch in my opinion. He also did the blood drip Charvel Legacy run a few years ago. This run was not really successful because of the graphic, I've seen a lot of guys pick these guitars up used for around $1200 and then refinish them (they were like $5k new). They are great playing guitars that can be had cheap.

 

[cardinal]

Official word from Charvel is that some guitars are masterbuilt by hand by a single person and other custom shop guitars are team built in the factory.

 

[Anonymous]

Official word from Charvel is that some guitars are masterbuilt by hand by a single person and other custom shop guitars are team built in the factory.

Sure, but the "team" is only three guys - Mike, Pat and Red Dave...

Steve

 

[cardinal]

There still is a difference, apparently. How much it amounts to, I have no idea. I still find this confusing.