So did Charvel drop the ball

[blackba]

So does a single humbucker sound different than 2 humbuckers (more wood, not switch, etc)? Does the neck humbucker get in the way of strumming?

Just trying to understand the reasons someone would just want one humbucker. I have always played guitars with more than 1 pickup.

 

[stratotone]

I think they dropped the ball by discontinuing the series... I love my 4 Charvels, but if they were more like 1700 a pop I wouldn't do it. That's used Tom Anderson territory, or awful close... and I like my Charvels but my TA's are better guitars.

Pete

 

[stratotone]

Friend of mine brought over a custom shop strathead Charvel that was very 'jake e lee' like... and it KILLED my other Charvels. Was an incredible guitar, every bit as nice as my Andersons, but I think it could have been a fluke... Even so, even an average CS Charvel is likely nicer than the production series. I don't mind giving up that extra 15% of performance for half the price though.

Pete

 

[Chubtone]

I think they dropped the ball by discontinuing the series... I love my 4 Charvels, but if they were more like 1700 a pop I wouldn't do it. That's used Tom Anderson territory, or awful close... and I like my Charvels but my TA's are better guitars.

Pete

$1700 is at the very bottom end of Charvel custom shop stuff. I'll take one of those over a Tom Anderson or Suhr. That's just personal though. I can see why others would like the TA and Suhr stuff but the Charvel stuff is just like a wicked sports car or mean old muscle car and the TA and Suhr stuff is like a nice Bentley or Rolls. I do like Grey Poupon though.

 

[Anonymous]

I think the production series are great too, for the price. They still are not built as well as the custom shop MZ ones I had, I just didn't like any of the colors I had,

And God knows that color coordinating your outfits with your guitars is more important...

Steve

 

[Anonymous]

I think they dropped the ball by discontinuing the series... I love my 4 Charvels, but if they were more like 1700 a pop I wouldn't do it. That's used Tom Anderson territory, or awful close... and I like my Charvels but my TA's are better guitars.

Pete

$1700 is at the very bottom end of Charvel custom shop stuff. I'll take one of those over a Tom Anderson or Suhr. That's just personal though. I can see why others would like the TA and Suhr stuff but the Charvel stuff is just like a wicked sports car or mean old muscle car and the TA and Suhr stuff is like a nice Bentley or Rolls. I do like Grey Poupon though.

There are two crazy Dan Lawrence psycho swirl graphic Custom Shops on the 'bay for $1995... Pretty good deals...

Steve

 

[Digital Jams]

I think the production series are great too, for the price. They still are not built as well as the custom shop MZ ones I had, I just didn't like any of the colors I had,

And God knows that color coordinating your outfits with your guitars is more important...

Steve

Your JD charvel matches very well with your black /white jacket in your avatar, not that I noticed this or anything, or pointing anything out, just saying.

 

[Digital Jams]

I think the production series are great too, for the price. They still are not built as well as the custom shop MZ ones I had, I just didn't like any of the colors I had,

And God knows that color coordinating your outfits with your guitars is more important...

Steve

Your JD charvel matches very well with your black /white jacket in your avatar, not that I noticed this or anything, or pointing anything out, just saying.

and the baby blue one matches his....

Miami Vice summer twill jacket.

 

[Anonymous]

I think the production series are great too, for the price. They still are not built as well as the custom shop MZ ones I had, I just didn't like any of the colors I had,

And God knows that color coordinating your outfits with your guitars is more important...

Steve

Your JD charvel matches very well with your black /white jacket in your avatar, not that I noticed this or anything, or pointing anything out, just saying.

Right... like I said color coordinating your outfits is more important. Am I missing something?

Steve

 

[Digital Jams]

I think the production series are great too, for the price. They still are not built as well as the custom shop MZ ones I had, I just didn't like any of the colors I had,

And God knows that color coordinating your outfits with your guitars is more important...

Steve

Your JD charvel matches very well with your black /white jacket in your avatar, not that I noticed this or anything, or pointing anything out, just saying.

Right... like I said color coordinating your outfits is more important. Am I missing something?

Steve

I can't see the shoes.

 

[stratotone]

I think they dropped the ball by discontinuing the series... I love my 4 Charvels, but if they were more like 1700 a pop I wouldn't do it. That's used Tom Anderson territory, or awful close... and I like my Charvels but my TA's are better guitars.

Pete

$1700 is at the very bottom end of Charvel custom shop stuff. I'll take one of those over a Tom Anderson or Suhr. That's just personal though. I can see why others would like the TA and Suhr stuff but the Charvel stuff is just like a wicked sports car or mean old muscle car and the TA and Suhr stuff is like a nice Bentley or Rolls. I do like Grey Poupon though.

I used that figure just as a 'if Charvel did the production stuff at that pricepoint' thing. While my Charvels are all nice (and especially that blue flame you sold me, it's friggin' awesome!) the fretwork is better on my TAs, the Andersons are Feitenized and have stainless frets. Also I like the Anderson pickups better.

But the Charvels were guitars I drooled over when I was a kid (started playing guitar when I was 13 in '83). There's some powerful mojo lurking in the types of guitars your heros played when you were growing up IMHO.

Pete

 

[thiswaythatway]

Of course they dropped the ball! They should have included a strand of Ralph's wavy hair in each gig bag. And why not a free can of hair spray with each guitar? Other than that..............black hardware sucks balls.

 

[thiswaythatway]

I think they dropped the ball by discontinuing the series... I love my 4 Charvels, but if they were more like 1700 a pop I wouldn't do it. That's used Tom Anderson territory, or awful close... and I like my Charvels but my TA's are better guitars.

Pete

$1700 is at the very bottom end of Charvel custom shop stuff. I'll take one of those over a Tom Anderson or Suhr. That's just personal though. I can see why others would like the TA and Suhr stuff but the Charvel stuff is just like a wicked sports car or mean old muscle car and the TA and Suhr stuff is like a nice Bentley or Rolls. I do like Grey Poupon though.

For me, i finally realized there's something about Anderson's i just like. They sound like i feel a guitar should sound. My Drop Top sounds less like a strat and more like a Les Paul, it's got balls. Most of the Suhr's i have played are more in the straty neighborhood, but i haven't played a modern.
After trying 2 Suhr's and not liking either one i won't bother with another one.

These Charvels are a good buy because they're cheap, and you can rip them apart as far as pickups and hardware. I probably should have raped the one i had but i just didn't feel like it at the time. Since the Ernie balls now cost close to $2000 i can't see another guitar in the $1000 range that beats the Charvels.

FWIW, i played some Ibanez guitars yesterday One was a Satriani for close to $1900, what a piece of garbage. Played like poo and didn't sound good. I played an Epiphone that smoked it tonewise, pretty sad.

 

[Anonymous]

I think the production series are great too, for the price. They still are not built as well as the custom shop MZ ones I had, I just didn't like any of the colors I had,

And God knows that color coordinating your outfits with your guitars is more important...

Steve

Your JD charvel matches very well with your black /white jacket in your avatar, not that I noticed this or anything, or pointing anything out, just saying.

Right... like I said color coordinating your outfits is more important. Am I missing something?

Steve

I can't see the shoes.

Little black healed boots... Super cute!

Steve

 

[rupe]

I've probably played between 15-20 of the FMIC custom shop Charvels...very nice guitars but not remotely in the same league as an Anderson. The QC issues have been well documented for several years now...you just don't see that with Anderson or Suhr.
Also, an Anderson Pro-Am is every bit the "hot rod" that any Charvel is...they're not all "Bentleys"

 

[halford]

I've probably played between 15-20 of the FMIC custom shop Charvels...very nice guitars but not remotely in the same league as an Anderson. The QC issues have been well documented for several years now...you just don't see that with Anderson or Suhr.
Also, an Anderson Pro-Am is every bit the "hot rod" that any Charvel is...they're not all "Bentleys"

Hey rupe what guitars are they in your Profile Pic?

Hammers ?


Halford

 

[Chubtone]

I'm in LA. I've been playing Tom Anderson's work for about 25 years and I can't in any way say anything negative about his stuff. It's top notch. I have to say the same about Suhr. I owned these two beauties fairly recently:

I picked them up in person from the Suhr factory and each time I hung out while John set them up exactly how I wanted them. Handing them to me over and over again. Super nice guy! Amazing guitars and just drop dead beautiful. Again there is nothing negative i can say about them. It's just for me, from a feeling in my hands, seat of my pants, hit you in the gut, catching a vibe sort of way the Charvel to me is this:

The others are this:

There's nothing wrong with either. I have heard guys rip on Andersons and Suhrs. Heck, even Bentley (actually Audi ) built this and won the 24 hours of LeMans.

It's just that Porsche has won it 16 times.

 

[Chubtone]

you are getting better then mentoneman with that weird analogy shit

Weird or eerily accurate? Better than Pat at weird analogies? Wow! That's like telling DigiScott that he's getting better than Vai.

I should qualify the point that the Suhr's and Anderson's just don't quite hit the mark for me by admitting that I am not an orthodontist.

 

[SFW]

My only complaint about the Charvel production guitars is a lack of recessed trem. Other than that, I think they are great guitars. However, I chose to go with this instead...

 

[Badronald]

My only complaint about the Charvel production guitars is a lack of recessed trem. Other than that, I think they are great guitars. However, I chose to go with this instead...

I agree. I love my Charvel, but these are my babies.