I own two MiM Charvels. They're the most comfortable guitars I've ever played. There's just something about the neck profile that feels amazing. They both had tuning issues (poorly cut nut and string tree binding) but after those were resolved they stayed in tune. Now, I've noticed nearly every phenomenal guitarist in the last two decades has at some point played Suhr. They all sounded amazing - clearly high quality instruments. That being said, it's worth noting some of those top notch players like Guthrie and Rick Graham moving to Charvel over a Suhr makes you think there must be something to it (other than financial incentive I hope) Never played a Suhr, but I really love my Charvels!
@@miotubo839 Yeah I'm sure that's likely but I feel like Guthrie in particular would care more about the quality of his instrument over the extra incentive. But you can't live off of high quality guitars, something has to pay the bills...
Nope just financial incentive. Same for all the youtubers that are playing Ibanez AZ on their channel rather than the boutique guitars they own. That said you really need to look and see what guitars they actually play. Does Guthrie actually play his MJ sig? Aside from the few videos of him demoing it (undoubtedly part of the deal) whenever I see a video of him playing it's his other Charvels that cost more. Similarly most of the AZ artists will demo anything Ibanez send them but when you watch their youtube channel you generally see the bulk of their daily videos aren't playing the guitar they've spent 15 minutes trying to convince you is brilliant. In that sense if you feel you have to buy and play a guitar that someone else does make sure you are buying a guitar that they actually play rather than one that they made one video telling you about it. Another thing to consider is whether the artist has had significant changes done - and a good example of this is Vai's PIA sig - he doesn't play a stock one - he puts a sustainer pickup in, has the whole fretboard scalloped has a thing on the trem springs that I don't think is on the stock. The bottom line is at one time Vai talked about the idea where he could walk into a guitar store pick up a Jem and play it and it would be his guitar - that's far from the reality when it comes to the PIAs. But, in the flesh the PIAs really do look lovely which Guthrie's MJ doesn't - I don't know why he picked that color scheme or finish. The others are better. In fact there are harley benton guitars that look like Guthrie american made signature which, as a result, look better than this MJ one - undoubtedly they play like crap but when your £2k signature looks worse than a £400 guitar you've made a mistake somewhere.
@@bluestom8342 very true what you also have to consider is 10/15 years ago only suhr where doing these types of guitars. Since then both charvel, Ibanez and others have come up with similar suhr style guitars at different price points.
Completely agree with your take on sending it back. There’s been a trend of expensive instruments coming with lots of issues, its happened to me several times recently, and just as you say, its not that I can’t fix these issues, its that for the price I shouldn’t have to. Spending big money on instruments should be a guarantee that they come with no QC issues. Seems like we’ve just been accepting that big price tag instruments come flawed and that needs to stop.
Great to see this comparison! I have a Suhr GG signature as my no 1 for 13 years now and it's an amazing guitar! And of course I've been curious about these Charvel models so it was nice to at last get this side-to-side comparison. A small corection though, on the Suhr the pull out on the tone knob only splits the neck humbucker. Not the bridge as you could hear. To me this video made it clear that the Charvel is not for me. I totally love Suhrs pickups, the openness and clarity of their humbuckers is amazing. Works great with single coils and splits nicely while still have a great punch and power.
9:15 Agreed - it is useful if you can see what your controls are set to, especially where you can mix pick-up levels, as with Les Paul controls, for example. I fit Fender amplifier ‘cup-cake’ knobs to my guitars. They don’t look fancy but are exceptionally grippy on your finger and have a nice clear pointer to show position.
im also interested on where to buy that kind of dome knobs with numbers... if im not mistaken those numbers are also glow in the dark thats why i like it.
02:45 The problem with a regular push-push switch is you can’t tell which position it is in from feel … You have to play it … Hence the move to push-pull. The exception is the Fender concentric push-push switch where you can tell by feel where it is.
Great vid and I agree with much of what you say. I have gigged my GG MIJ Charvel for around 9-10 months now and agree about the pickups. They’re extremely good once the amp is dialled in and the single coil simulation is very useable. Mine was from one of the first batch into the UK and the nut was cut appallingly bad. The slots were far too shallow leaving the action at the first fret waaay too high. I have the proper tools so cut the nut slots to the correct height but poor show Charvel….and the dealer from which I bought it. Also, the fret ends. Whilst they are slickly polished, cut and dressed extremely well, the fret-end angles are too pronounced/tall and need angling inwards slightly more, away from the edge of the fretboard. They’re not sharp, just in the way. I’m going to file mine back this evening for a slicker feel. But I agree, this should not be necessary at this price point. Overall, though, I love the versatility of this guitar and it’s a keeper.
The Charvels are amazing guitars but their QC leaves something to be desired. I bought the DK24 'budget GG' model and I had to send it back as I couldn't adjust the height of the pickups and the neck bolts weren't tightened up! I got a replacement and it was fine. I then got a slime green So Cal and it was perfect. As much of a Charvel fanboy as I am, I always preferred the tone from the Suhr in Guthries hands. Great video Levi :)
Suhr for the win every day dude. I’m no professional guitarist by any means, but I’ve played a few suhr guitars and there just the best. Sadly I don’t have one yet. Also I love your channel. Great musicianship and no bull s*it
I'm told that John Suhr personally inspects almost every single guitar that goes out and will pull it if there's any defect. A friend of mine had a handwritten letter from him once when his custom had a blemish on it and John refused to send it out. Had it fixed, month delay, took a few quid off. Top quality.
Of course its bullshit. Ridiculously overpriced. You could pay £175 for a plek on a multitude of £1k guitars and get something that sounded and played as well as a Suhr. They're for boomers who want something to sit and look at. Like PRS. Guthrie probably had one of the few in the world that's ever been played and made a decent sound.
Man I am really surprised by that Charvel single coil sound! That sounds really convincing. I still love tradition coil split/tap like in the Suhr--they have a sound all their own. But the Charvel sounds really lifelike
Totally agree with those quality issues. I've bought several high end guitars online, all claiming to be 'professionaly set up before they leave the warehouse' each one has needed work doing before they're playable. Bloody discraceful.
Nice comparison of a couple guitars I'm interested in, thanks. Would be useful to have some ABABAB back and forth in the editing, just so it's easier to compare (apologies for being a tad pedantic there). The nut issue is an interesting one... as you, has to be a line on things you're prepared to deal with and I THINK for me personally I would've just sorted the nut as part of the inevitable personal setup, though also appreciating the cosmetic rub caused by the issue. Very cool comparison - think I'd lean towards the Charvel though have always loved the look of the Modern. Either will get the job done no doubt, but to my ears the Charvel was a little sweeter and the dosh left in pocket doesn't hurt either. Good stuff sir!
I got a faulty Friedman and had to fight with guitar center to replace it. They drilled the Floyd anchors at different angles. Always get what you pay for or your money back
Thanks a lot for the comparison ! It is actually helping me choosing my set of pickups at Bareknuckle (VHII VS Polymath). From your review, Bridge sounds more organic and less compressed on the Suhr, but I like the little bit of more bass on Charvel's Neck pickup ! (but sounds also compressed and less dynamic compared to the suhr !) So in the end I am going with Bridge VHII and Neck Polymath ! And yes you were definitely right to send the charvel back !
Nice one Levi, I've recently had 2 Tom Quayle Ibanez's both with terrible nut issues and strings binding and popping in the nut, very surprised at the price. My 2nd one is now fixed and the nut re cut. Very surprised as usually anything I bought out of Japan in the 90's were flawless. Its maybe those oiled Tusq style nuts. Greetings from Dundee :-)
I played one of the the like original guthrie spec/sig suhrs like 2009 to 2011 or something very unassuming guitar at a shop near NYC the one time I visited. Was crazy expensive lol but I still think it might have been the best guitar I've played.
Nice comparison - and great playing - but you missed a few things. First, Suhr actually doesn't Plek their guitars anymore. I think they did around the time that the Govan sig was being made, but sometime in the recent past, they decided that they can get as good (or better) results without the Plek. Two: the fact that the frets on the 2015 Suhr are "still very, very good" should be no surprise, as they are stainless steel (as are the frets on the MIJ Charvel Govan. The frets on both of those guitars should last virtually a lifetime. Three: - and I honestly can't believe that you didn't hear this - the push-pull pot on the Suhr Govan doesn't split the bridge humbucker. It only splits the neck humbucker. Go back and listen when you switch the push-pull pot in the bridge position. There is no change in the sound. I agree that the Suhr is the better guitar, overall. BTW, you CAN spec out a Suhr to be, essentially, a Govan Sig. You can get all of the same features, it just won't actually be a "Guthrie Govan Signature Model."
The other thing to mention is, Suhr customer support is SUPERB!! They went above and beyond for me on a modern that I purchased pre-owned, correcting an issue and costing me nothing. I cant imagine Charvel doing the same, but I have no personal experience with them. Looking at the GG USA model, but still not convinced its worth the cost.
The USA Govan model is worth the cost but only if you can find it marked down. If you can get it for roughly $1,000 off retail, it is a dream to own and play. The pickups are great, the neck is like butter, the fret work is immaculate.. So much versatility. The MIJ model unfortunately just falls short in more ways than one. I own both.
Yes, L2000 is a lot! That said, it is the “cheaper” Charvel, right? Back in the day Charvel was a holy grail guitar. So many choices today! I’ve recently been playing an LsL HSS & it’s one fine instrument! There is something about a Floyd rose that’s so effortless, I’ve had at least one “rose” equipped guitar in the arsenal since the early 90’s but with the advancement in locking tuners stability isn’t the issue anymore, it’s down to that effortless feel. Zalinski guitars claim no volume drop on their push pull pots. I can’t say for sure , never played one. Hey, there’s a topic for a video! Nice comprehensive comparison video! 👍
I have an MIA Charvel GG from the first run, with the birds eye maple top. It cost me $3300 so was in the same price range as the Suhr and it came with the tremel-no. No regrets. It's a nice guitar to play.
@@jassieblue Mine is from the first run. I had to put down my money and wait 6 months. It was $3300. This was a few years ago. Inflation and design updates have happened since then.
@@jassieblue Something like that. I quit counting. It's hanging on the wall in front of me, next to a MIJ Bachhus 5 string bass that is shiny new (to me).
High gain Suhr destroys it. The cleaner Tones are both unique and Id be happy with both. But cranked brown sound Suhr. 100% Not even comparable. Vibrato especially just "Sings" better to my ears. Sick playing btw...love your book, it's a pure mistake corrector and the Scotty Book is amazing cheers!!
Dude you should have made a video how the string pops out of the nut while bending. Because i can not imagine how that is possible other than with the tremolo flatend against the top of the guitar
What would happen if you put a nut on a guitar but you didn’t cut slots for the strings? Now what would happen if you cut slots for those strings but there weren’t even cut as deep as the thickness of the string?
I have the same GG MIJ Charvel, and it has the same problem with high E string that pops out when I bend on the 3rd fret. Have to cut the nut to fix it. Kind of upset with this problem. But other than that, it has the incredible playability.
Fingerboard material for the Charvel? I have a vintage model 6 in storage. H-S-S with on/off switches for each, pretty unique. The burst on the Charvel is gorgeous. Suhr guitars are expensive, for a reason. I'm happy with my electrics but, Suhr would be on my go-to list for a replacement.
When you bend the note on charvel I really can hear the Guthrie’s tone style… maybe cause I listen too much latest guthrie recently… btw good comparison👍
What are your thoughts about those two compared to your red Vigier excalibur in terms of playability and build quality? My Charvel is a really comfortable guitar but I'm also thinking about trading it in for a vigier. Wish I could find somewhere in the UK that stocked them, GuitarGuitar has them on the website but nothing in store
Vigier are shutting shop. Patrice is retiring and doesn’t want to sell the business on to have someone else use his name, so after their current stock of woods are gone, that’s it. In comparison, the Vigier feels more like that “Ibanez” thing. I don’t mean has a thin neck, I mean low action modern shred vibe. It’s a very clinical guitar. I love it very much. It’s not a vintage vibe thing though. At least, not to me.
@@LeviClay Damn that really is a shame to hear. For the past couple years I’ve always thought of vigier as my dream “one day” guitar. Especially the Shawn Lane model. They’re hard enough to find now, let alone with vigier now shutting down. That really is a bummer
I always fancied a Vigier, still do tbh. The set relief thing always put me off tho, like WHERE is it set?? It's one part of setup I'm very sensitive to, I can tell immediately when the relief moves a ball hair.
I really like that Charvel- But i totally agree. Its unacceptable that its not in good order. It doesn't matter that its a "minor" problem. If we begin to accept things like that it will affect the relation between guitar players and guitar builder. They should be ever so eager to take some responsibility - not that its a problem that makes anyone to send it back for repairs- i mean more like a goodwill thing- send a big box of strings or something.
The reason for the charvel bridge being designed to lock is because even with all perfect circumstances, if you bend a fourth or fifth you’re running a good chance of going flat. Guthrie bends insane intervals like that hence why he had the bridge lock. Most people don’t which is why it seems like overkill to you. He’s said before he prefers the tone of the old bent saddles like on the gotoh. I personally bend way too far as well, and have swapped the bridge on my suhr to one of the newer gotoh locking bridges of the same profile shape/space.
I hear what you're saying, but it doesn't add up. The charvel bridge isn't a two point locking system, and the issue with big bends and trem use isn't the bridge, it's the nut.
@@LeviClay locking tuners, so long as the nut is cut right and you’ve got some nut sauce and the strings are properly stretched there should be no friction or slippage. I have the USA flame maple model and no issues, where when I bend real far on non locking bridge guitars there’s some slippage. You’ve brought up some valid concerns for the MIJ version for sure.
How exactly is the emulated single pickup sound on the Charvel made? Is it a humbucker in parallel with a capacitor circuit or partial electronic emulation? Does the Charvel use a 9v battery?
@@LeviClay Thanks. Ok, so capacitor magic ) A humbucker in parallel is close to a single sound and noiseless, so add a high pass filter and you have a good single emulation. Thanks for your excellent channel content and I hope your replacement Charvel is perfect for you.
Thanks for this demo. I had an early birdseye maple Charvel and it was not good. Based on my own experience, Charvel are not making good instruments. Mine had problems with the bridge, the plating cracked making it un stable. The tops are nothing more than veneers, and the tremelno wouldnt lock enough to stop the bridge moving. They're very expensive and in my opinion not worth the very high price! Since then, I had hoped they would have improved, but I guess not!
I also had a Tremolno that wouldn't lock properly on my Caparison. I thought it was so junk, I told my local tech to remove it back to a standard claw. It just wouldn't work as advertised. I ended up giving the Tremolno away for free it annoyed me that much 😂
Suhr, es mucho más caro, pero está en otro nivel completamente diferente. Esa Charvel GG con el standard de Japón parece buena guitarra sin embargo, casi cualquier modelo Modern tanto Plus como Custom la puedes comprar sin haberla probado y te cautivará a los dos segundos de tenerla entre las manos. Definitivamente, Suhr es otra cosa…
I have had the MIJ Charvel for over a year now and it is just fantastic. I have none of the problems you talked about (thankfully). I absolutely love this guitar.
How would that have been fairer? The Charvel would have had an extra 13 years of development time. If you spend enough time making everything “fair” you end up comparing the same thing
Nice guitars, but that “single coil sound” does not sound as bright as an actual single would. It sounds more like parallel. I think they would do better with a Reverend style high pass filter, or a spin-a-split.
This guitar should be priced at $1,799 instead of 2,799.. It would reflect the actual difference in quality between the MIJ and US model more. US model blows this out of the water and even better if you can get it for under 3k.
Wow that's a bad QC by Charvel. I guess I was just always lucky. Bought two MIJ Ibby RGs online and it was perfect. The only setup I did was action and intonate the saddles. I'm sure there are guys out there who bought the same line of guitars like mine and got lemons.
I have a bengal Suhr Standard and love it but I've heard the upper fret access on the Modern isn't that great -the Charvel looks much better in that regard. But the Suhr bengal finish is so beautiful.
I have a Standard and the Modern GG sig and the upper fret access are much better on the modern. nothing in the way to reach the 24th fret. The Standard is great, but it's only 22 fret and still have a squarish heel although slightly angled.
I think if you are willing to swap the tuners with sperzels, get a tremel-no, get a bone nut, and take come #0000 steel wool to the fret edges and maybe have a blower switch installed then the Japanese model would be the one to get. I love Suhr guitars but I've heard one stacked up against a PRS and the PRS beat it in terms of midrange tone presence. I like the pickups alot better in the Charvels. I think the Suhr guitars are definitely prettier and may have more attention to detail but at this point you are paying for looks and all of that extra flashy stuff eats up resonance and tone. I do like how the Japanese model is satin finished and is more of a stratty sounding guitar. Overall I'd go with the Charvel USA model I think and just get the caramelized ash model if I had my pick.
No comparison in terms of quality, craftsmanship, looks, sound and playability: Suhr wins hands down. I’ve tried all the Guthrie Charvel signature models and they feel like an inferior Suhr copy. I own five Suhr guitars.
I'd be very upset if I purchased this online and found the fret ends to be rough. For this price point, the frets should be immaculate. Even my cheap G&L tribute came with smooth fret ends. Would never happen with Suhr, even the Chinese made Rasmus guitars Suhr came out with (which I had) superb craftsmanship.
I bought the mij ,sounds fantastic but agree about the finishing on the frets ,very disappointing given the price ,in fact the non Japanese £700 Charvel I had was better finished .
Not surprised about the charvel tbh, got a Japanese Jackson Misha mansoor SOCAL (fender owned Japanese 3k build) and the 21st fret on the high E Is unusable. Only that fret. Polishing and feel on the rest is great and it hasn’t popped out either it just will not fret the correct note. Frets the 22nd D instead. Shame tbh. Fantastic guitar otherwise. I live w it.
No comparison. I'm sure the Charvel is a nice guitar (problems with nut aside) but Suhrs are known for manufacturing very very high-end instruments. Suhr wins hands down.
I’ll take the Suhr, thanks. Great sounding pickups; Gibson humbucker tones etc. Charvel quality control is pretty shaky. I’m sure the 80s ones were better…
I agree with you completely. Had the guitar been under 1k I would of filed the nut and blah blah. But paying 2.7k? No, there’s no excuse for something like that getting by quality control. I’m hoping Charvel makes a more affordable GG model. Maybe a GG inspired? San Dimas body with a gotoh trem, hsh, and a solid color or a burst color. If they made one for about 1k or almost 2k. I’d buy it for sure. But this MIJ is almost 3k, why not just go with a USA model? Or that’s how my smol brain sees it.
I'm also not a fan of the Floyd bridge on the Charvel, and think that a Gotoh 510 could fill out basically 99% of the use cases that a Floyd rose could and would be fine for almost anyone + more practical. But I think the whole Floyd Bridge thing is an attempt to try to just hit that extra 1%. Whether it works or not I'm not sure, I haven't owned either! But I would imagine there might be some extreme Guthrie-style cases where absolutely hammering the Gotoh might bring up some minor tuning issues, whereas a Floyd rose would remain stable? Otherwise, I just can't see Guthrie being someone who would go out of his way for marketing purposes like that.
The guitar is definitely overpriced..Much better to get a Charvel MJ 2023 or 2024, which sounds great with a locking tremolo which is a MUST. You can always get better pickups if desired and save a ton of money.
Most of the other cheaper Charvels (and even some at a similar price point) don't have SS frets though - and given that you can get guitars from £380 upwards from every other brand with stainless steel frets now it does seem a bit silly to have to pay £2k to Charvel to get them. And similar silly money to fender as well. They really need to give mexicans some better tools and some SS fretwire don't they? Indonesians can do it. But definitely their cheaper stuff is lacking now - at least for me, I'm not even considering a new guitar that doesn't have locking tuners and SS frets whatever price or brand it is. As for this Guthrie's MIJ signature? It's just so ugly. I know that's subjective but I love the wood on the USA version but now they're like £3.5k it is just silly money I'd be more inclined to get 2x £2k MIJ guitars or 3x £800 indonesian guitars with various specs, pickups etc than pay £3.5k for one guitar - but then he brought out the ugliest colour scheme. What I don't understand is why when Harley Benton can make a guitar that looks like Guthrie's USA signature, Charvel made such an ugly MIJ guthrie signature. Presumably Mr Goven thought it was ok though? Or didn't care? I don't understand at all and wish I could have been at that meeting to speak up. By contrast the PIA (which is not specced anything like Vai plays so as a signature guitar feels like a scam) is beautiful. It's the closest I've come to just handing over nearly £3k for a guitar having just clocked it in a store, even the colours that I thought were 'meh' in pictures were great IRL. But I went for a walk around the block and talked myself out of it and although I guess there's an element of if you play a signature then you'll get compared (unfavorably) with the guitarist, the Jem / PIA that just seems more of a thing perhaps because his signature is so striking to look at everyone notices it straight away.
I have 3 Suhrs. 2 modern customs and a standard custom. Suhrs are high quality but their price point is ridiculous in my opinion and they're nothing more than a boutique fender lol. I prefer my Gibson lp's to my suhrs for classic rock/blues and metal tones, playability, feel and looks. Nothing beats a great lp. Nothing... Dream on Suhr. That charvel is 💩💩💩
![แฉกลโกงงานวัด 2024 [ โกงมั้ยครับ ep.106 ] | DOM](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/taC5dpP3HXA/mqdefault.jpg)
That overdriven Suhr tone takes me back to discovering Guthrie like 10 years ago over on Jam track central, instantly recognizable.
He used Ibanez
@@skc1003lol
@@skc1003if y'all are refering to the Larry Carlton like track, it's definitely a suhr, just a different model
@@skc1003completely untrue statement lol.
Absolutely fantastic! What a great idea to compare these models. Thank you for this. You have a great channel!
I own two MiM Charvels. They're the most comfortable guitars I've ever played. There's just something about the neck profile that feels amazing. They both had tuning issues (poorly cut nut and string tree binding) but after those were resolved they stayed in tune. Now, I've noticed nearly every phenomenal guitarist in the last two decades has at some point played Suhr. They all sounded amazing - clearly high quality instruments. That being said, it's worth noting some of those top notch players like Guthrie and Rick Graham moving to Charvel over a Suhr makes you think there must be something to it (other than financial incentive I hope) Never played a Suhr, but I really love my Charvels!
Charvel pays more $$$ in endorsements.
@@miotubo839 Yeah I'm sure that's likely but I feel like Guthrie in particular would care more about the quality of his instrument over the extra incentive. But you can't live off of high quality guitars, something has to pay the bills...
It’s so they can have some kind of retirement after all their hard work
Nope just financial incentive. Same for all the youtubers that are playing Ibanez AZ on their channel rather than the boutique guitars they own. That said you really need to look and see what guitars they actually play. Does Guthrie actually play his MJ sig? Aside from the few videos of him demoing it (undoubtedly part of the deal) whenever I see a video of him playing it's his other Charvels that cost more. Similarly most of the AZ artists will demo anything Ibanez send them but when you watch their youtube channel you generally see the bulk of their daily videos aren't playing the guitar they've spent 15 minutes trying to convince you is brilliant. In that sense if you feel you have to buy and play a guitar that someone else does make sure you are buying a guitar that they actually play rather than one that they made one video telling you about it. Another thing to consider is whether the artist has had significant changes done - and a good example of this is Vai's PIA sig - he doesn't play a stock one - he puts a sustainer pickup in, has the whole fretboard scalloped has a thing on the trem springs that I don't think is on the stock. The bottom line is at one time Vai talked about the idea where he could walk into a guitar store pick up a Jem and play it and it would be his guitar - that's far from the reality when it comes to the PIAs.
But, in the flesh the PIAs really do look lovely which Guthrie's MJ doesn't - I don't know why he picked that color scheme or finish. The others are better. In fact there are harley benton guitars that look like Guthrie american made signature which, as a result, look better than this MJ one - undoubtedly they play like crap but when your £2k signature looks worse than a £400 guitar you've made a mistake somewhere.
Suhr is still another level, but that does come from someone with two suhrs of my own.
Absolute After. Nur Suhr is Double expansive as the Charvel MIJ😮
@@bluestom8342 very true what you also have to consider is 10/15 years ago only suhr where doing these types of guitars. Since then both charvel, Ibanez and others have come up with similar suhr style guitars at different price points.
Absolutely agree on sending it back. Poor QC is unacceptable for a £2k instrument.
Completely agree with your take on sending it back. There’s been a trend of expensive instruments coming with lots of issues, its happened to me several times recently, and just as you say, its not that I can’t fix these issues, its that for the price I shouldn’t have to. Spending big money on instruments should be a guarantee that they come with no QC issues. Seems like we’ve just been accepting that big price tag instruments come flawed and that needs to stop.
Great to see this comparison! I have a Suhr GG signature as my no 1 for 13 years now and it's an amazing guitar! And of course I've been curious about these Charvel models so it was nice to at last get this side-to-side comparison. A small corection though, on the Suhr the pull out on the tone knob only splits the neck humbucker. Not the bridge as you could hear. To me this video made it clear that the Charvel is not for me. I totally love Suhrs pickups, the openness and clarity of their humbuckers is amazing. Works great with single coils and splits nicely while still have a great punch and power.
9:15 Agreed - it is useful if you can see what your controls are set to, especially where you can mix pick-up levels, as with Les Paul controls, for example.
I fit Fender amplifier ‘cup-cake’ knobs to my guitars. They don’t look fancy but are exceptionally grippy on your finger and have a nice clear pointer to show position.
im also interested on where to buy that kind of dome knobs with numbers... if im not mistaken those numbers are also glow in the dark thats why i like it.
@9:15 anyone here knows where we can buy this kind of dome knobs with numbers?
The split on the Suhr is only for the neck pickup.
02:45 The problem with a regular push-push switch is you can’t tell which position it is in from feel … You have to play it … Hence the move to push-pull.
The exception is the Fender concentric push-push switch where you can tell by feel where it is.
Nope, the original push push popped up when you engaged it, just like a push pull
Great vid and I agree with much of what you say. I have gigged my GG MIJ Charvel for around 9-10 months now and agree about the pickups. They’re extremely good once the amp is dialled in and the single coil simulation is very useable. Mine was from one of the first batch into the UK and the nut was cut appallingly bad. The slots were far too shallow leaving the action at the first fret waaay too high. I have the proper tools so cut the nut slots to the correct height but poor show Charvel….and the dealer from which I bought it. Also, the fret ends. Whilst they are slickly polished, cut and dressed extremely well, the fret-end angles are too pronounced/tall and need angling inwards slightly more, away from the edge of the fretboard. They’re not sharp, just in the way. I’m going to file mine back this evening for a slicker feel. But I agree, this should not be necessary at this price point. Overall, though, I love the versatility of this guitar and it’s a keeper.
The Charvels are amazing guitars but their QC leaves something to be desired. I bought the DK24 'budget GG' model and I had to send it back as I couldn't adjust the height of the pickups and the neck bolts weren't tightened up! I got a replacement and it was fine. I then got a slime green So Cal and it was perfect. As much of a Charvel fanboy as I am, I always preferred the tone from the Suhr in Guthries hands. Great video Levi :)
Great review and you are absolutely right to send it back!
Let us know what the new one is like 👍
It’s great, but not as good as the Suhr, I think the pickups are a little brittle sounding
Suhr for the win every day dude. I’m no professional guitarist by any means, but I’ve played a few suhr guitars and there just the best. Sadly I don’t have one yet. Also I love your channel. Great musicianship and no bull s*it
I'm told that John Suhr personally inspects almost every single guitar that goes out and will pull it if there's any defect. A friend of mine had a handwritten letter from him once when his custom had a blemish on it and John refused to send it out. Had it fixed, month delay, took a few quid off. Top quality.
I have one if it makes you feel better
Of course its bullshit. Ridiculously overpriced. You could pay £175 for a plek on a multitude of £1k guitars and get something that sounded and played as well as a Suhr. They're for boomers who want something to sit and look at. Like PRS. Guthrie probably had one of the few in the world that's ever been played and made a decent sound.
Man I am really surprised by that Charvel single coil sound! That sounds really convincing. I still love tradition coil split/tap like in the Suhr--they have a sound all their own. But the Charvel sounds really lifelike
Totally agree with those quality issues. I've bought several high end guitars online, all claiming to be 'professionaly set up before they leave the warehouse' each one has needed work doing before they're playable. Bloody discraceful.
I played a made in Japan Charvel Guthrie Govan signature a few weeks ago. It was at a store with lots of high end and it was probably my favorite.
Levi, you are absolutely right about who is responsible to ensure an instrument is correctly manufactured, especially at this price range.
I have the American Charvel version and its killer. I have had a few Suhrs... while they may look great I dont care much for the playablity and sound.
Nice comparison of a couple guitars I'm interested in, thanks. Would be useful to have some ABABAB back and forth in the editing, just so it's easier to compare (apologies for being a tad pedantic there). The nut issue is an interesting one... as you, has to be a line on things you're prepared to deal with and I THINK for me personally I would've just sorted the nut as part of the inevitable personal setup, though also appreciating the cosmetic rub caused by the issue. Very cool comparison - think I'd lean towards the Charvel though have always loved the look of the Modern. Either will get the job done no doubt, but to my ears the Charvel was a little sweeter and the dosh left in pocket doesn't hurt either. Good stuff sir!
I got a faulty Friedman and had to fight with guitar center to replace it. They drilled the Floyd anchors at different angles. Always get what you pay for or your money back
Thanks a lot for the comparison !
It is actually helping me choosing my set of pickups at Bareknuckle (VHII VS Polymath).
From your review, Bridge sounds more organic and less compressed on the Suhr, but I like the little bit of more bass on Charvel's Neck pickup ! (but sounds also compressed and less dynamic compared to the suhr !)
So in the end I am going with Bridge VHII and Neck Polymath !
And yes you were definitely right to send the charvel back !
That’s exactly what I said about the pickups your last video! They sound amazing on one amp and shit on another
Nice one Levi, I've recently had 2 Tom Quayle Ibanez's both with terrible nut issues and strings binding and popping in the nut, very surprised at the price. My 2nd one is now fixed and the nut re cut. Very surprised as usually anything I bought out of Japan in the 90's were flawless. Its maybe those oiled Tusq style nuts. Greetings from Dundee :-)
That’s wild!
Strange, I have a Ibanez AZn prestige and it’s by far my best guitar, super playability
@valebliz yeah I was a little surprised but definitely nut issues.
I had the same problem when I bought my AZ, I had to return it and they sent it to me fixed.
@srviyol same with me 2nd one all sorted now. Would have loved to have kept the first one as it had a killer top but that also had a loose trem arm 😬
Are you still there? Bridge humbuckers don't seem to split
I played one of the the like original guthrie spec/sig suhrs like 2009 to 2011 or something very unassuming guitar at a shop near NYC the one time I visited. Was crazy expensive lol but I still think it might have been the best guitar I've played.
Nice comparison - and great playing - but you missed a few things. First, Suhr actually doesn't Plek their guitars anymore. I think they did around the time that the Govan sig was being made, but sometime in the recent past, they decided that they can get as good (or better) results without the Plek. Two: the fact that the frets on the 2015 Suhr are "still very, very good" should be no surprise, as they are stainless steel (as are the frets on the MIJ Charvel Govan. The frets on both of those guitars should last virtually a lifetime. Three: - and I honestly can't believe that you didn't hear this - the push-pull pot on the Suhr Govan doesn't split the bridge humbucker. It only splits the neck humbucker. Go back and listen when you switch the push-pull pot in the bridge position. There is no change in the sound.
I agree that the Suhr is the better guitar, overall. BTW, you CAN spec out a Suhr to be, essentially, a Govan Sig. You can get all of the same features, it just won't actually be a "Guthrie Govan Signature Model."
I prefer the Charvel, looks wise. The Suhr is probably the nicer instrument, but I like the Charvel best.
nice prs...I got a 91 C24 Whale blue birds.
I prefer the USA solid swamp ash version, then the Suhr, then the basswood USA Charvel., then the MIJ basswood Charvel.
My friend and guitar teacher had both signatures. Eventually sold the Charvel!
The other thing to mention is, Suhr customer support is SUPERB!! They went above and beyond for me on a modern that I purchased pre-owned, correcting an issue and costing me nothing. I cant imagine Charvel doing the same, but I have no personal experience with them. Looking at the GG USA model, but still not convinced its worth the cost.
The USA Govan model is worth the cost but only if you can find it marked down. If you can get it for roughly $1,000 off retail, it is a dream to own and play. The pickups are great, the neck is like butter, the fret work is immaculate.. So much versatility. The MIJ model unfortunately just falls short in more ways than one. I own both.
Yes, L2000 is a lot! That said, it is the “cheaper” Charvel, right? Back in the day Charvel was a holy grail guitar. So many choices today! I’ve recently been playing an LsL HSS & it’s one fine instrument!
There is something about a Floyd rose that’s so effortless, I’ve had at least one “rose” equipped guitar in the arsenal since the early 90’s but with the advancement in locking tuners stability isn’t the issue anymore, it’s down to that effortless feel. Zalinski guitars claim no volume drop on their push pull pots. I can’t say for sure , never played one. Hey, there’s a topic for a video!
Nice comprehensive comparison video! 👍
Yeah, does seem like the Floyd Rose is overkill!
Amazing video thanks!
I have an MIA Charvel GG from the first run, with the birds eye maple top. It cost me $3300 so was in the same price range as the Suhr and it came with the tremel-no. No regrets. It's a nice guitar to play.
Yeah, the comparison may have not been quite fair? Of course for $2200 (estimated exchange rate) you wouldn’t expect the issues Levi mentioned
3300 won't get you a GG. I believe they would be around 5500.
@@jassieblue Mine is from the first run. I had to put down my money and wait 6 months. It was $3300. This was a few years ago. Inflation and design updates have happened since then.
@@davidjohnston4240 a few years ago? Probably about 14 years ago then, okay.
@@jassieblue Something like that. I quit counting. It's hanging on the wall in front of me, next to a MIJ Bachhus 5 string bass that is shiny new (to me).
I'll probably have to see the re-run, but nonetheless, looking forward to this!
THank you so very much for this, I was definitely wondering which one was better. I only have the chance to get either one or the other.
High gain Suhr destroys it.
The cleaner Tones are both unique and Id be happy with both.
But cranked brown sound Suhr.
100% Not even comparable.
Vibrato especially just "Sings" better to my ears.
Sick playing btw...love your book, it's a pure mistake corrector and the Scotty Book is amazing cheers!!
Holy shit! Suhr blows Carvel away on build quality on sight!!! Wow
Dude you should have made a video how the string pops out of the nut while bending. Because i can not imagine how that is possible other than with the tremolo flatend against the top of the guitar
What would happen if you put a nut on a guitar but you didn’t cut slots for the strings? Now what would happen if you cut slots for those strings but there weren’t even cut as deep as the thickness of the string?
I think guthrie said on the suhr, the push pull only affect the neck. Its only for splitting the neck, iirc
I have the same GG MIJ Charvel, and it has the same problem with high E string that pops out when I bend on the 3rd fret. Have to cut the nut to fix it. Kind of upset with this problem. But other than that, it has the incredible playability.
Fingerboard material for the Charvel?
I have a vintage model 6 in storage. H-S-S with on/off switches for each, pretty unique.
The burst on the Charvel is gorgeous. Suhr guitars are expensive, for a reason. I'm happy with my electrics but, Suhr would be on my go-to list for a replacement.
roasted maple
The Suhr sounds much better to my ears, but as you said that split function on the Charvel sounds amazing!
Same. Suhr sounds like you would expect a guitar to sound. Ideal EQ curve. Really surprised by this test.
When you bend the note on charvel I really can hear the Guthrie’s tone style… maybe cause I listen too much latest guthrie recently… btw good comparison👍
I don’t know if I like having more than one guitar. It takes time to readjust when I switch
I think the Suhr sounds better. I like the look of the Charvel more.
What are your thoughts about those two compared to your red Vigier excalibur in terms of playability and build quality? My Charvel is a really comfortable guitar but I'm also thinking about trading it in for a vigier. Wish I could find somewhere in the UK that stocked them, GuitarGuitar has them on the website but nothing in store
Vigier are shutting shop. Patrice is retiring and doesn’t want to sell the business on to have someone else use his name, so after their current stock of woods are gone, that’s it.
In comparison, the Vigier feels more like that “Ibanez” thing. I don’t mean has a thin neck, I mean low action modern shred vibe. It’s a very clinical guitar. I love it very much. It’s not a vintage vibe thing though. At least, not to me.
@@LeviClay Real shame vigier make some beautiful beautiful guitars. Also great review really useful and provided insight most don't.
@@LeviClay Damn that really is a shame to hear. For the past couple years I’ve always thought of vigier as my dream “one day” guitar. Especially the Shawn Lane model. They’re hard enough to find now, let alone with vigier now shutting down. That really is a bummer
I always fancied a Vigier, still do tbh. The set relief thing always put me off tho, like WHERE is it set?? It's one part of setup I'm very sensitive to, I can tell immediately when the relief moves a ball hair.
@@emcg.9655 it’s set straight
that Floyd bridge is Guthrie's favourite, I believe he wants it on there.
I really like that Charvel- But i totally agree. Its unacceptable that its not in good order. It doesn't matter that its a "minor" problem. If we begin to accept things like that it will affect the relation between guitar players and guitar builder. They should be ever so eager to take some responsibility - not that its a problem that makes anyone to send it back for repairs- i mean more like a goodwill thing- send a big box of strings or something.
The reason for the charvel bridge being designed to lock is because even with all perfect circumstances, if you bend a fourth or fifth you’re running a good chance of going flat. Guthrie bends insane intervals like that hence why he had the bridge lock. Most people don’t which is why it seems like overkill to you. He’s said before he prefers the tone of the old bent saddles like on the gotoh. I personally bend way too far as well, and have swapped the bridge on my suhr to one of the newer gotoh locking bridges of the same profile shape/space.
I hear what you're saying, but it doesn't add up. The charvel bridge isn't a two point locking system, and the issue with big bends and trem use isn't the bridge, it's the nut.
@@LeviClay locking tuners, so long as the nut is cut right and you’ve got some nut sauce and the strings are properly stretched there should be no friction or slippage. I have the USA flame maple model and no issues, where when I bend real far on non locking bridge guitars there’s some slippage. You’ve brought up some valid concerns for the MIJ version for sure.
I just got my Charvel Gurthie MIJ and have my high E popping out. Mine is second hand, but still annoying.
How exactly is the emulated single pickup sound on the Charvel made? Is it a humbucker in parallel with a capacitor circuit or partial electronic emulation? Does the Charvel use a 9v battery?
I believe it’s a high pass filter
@@LeviClay Thanks. Ok, so capacitor magic )
A humbucker in parallel is close to a single sound and noiseless, so add a high pass filter and you have a good single emulation.
Thanks for your excellent channel content and I hope your replacement Charvel is perfect for you.
Levi, tangential question here. 🙂 You mentioned liking bridges with easier string-changing. Do you do the top-load bridge on a tele?
I don’t find the string through method an inconvenience in any way tbh
The Suhr hands down for me!
Thanks for this demo. I had an early birdseye maple Charvel and it was not good. Based on my own experience, Charvel are not making good instruments. Mine had problems with the bridge, the plating cracked making it un stable. The tops are nothing more than veneers, and the tremelno wouldnt lock enough to stop the bridge moving. They're very expensive and in my opinion not worth the very high price! Since then, I had hoped they would have improved, but I guess not!
Likewise … I was not impressed with my Charvel and did not keep it for long.
I also had a Tremolno that wouldn't lock properly on my Caparison. I thought it was so junk, I told my local tech to remove it back to a standard claw. It just wouldn't work as advertised. I ended up giving the Tremolno away for free it annoyed me that much 😂
Have both, Suhr WON hands down. Especially the Neck Shaping of the Charvel is really strange and completely different to the Suhr.
Suhr, es mucho más caro, pero está en otro nivel completamente diferente. Esa Charvel GG con el standard de Japón parece buena guitarra sin embargo, casi cualquier modelo Modern tanto Plus como Custom la puedes comprar sin haberla probado y te cautivará a los dos segundos de tenerla entre las manos. Definitivamente, Suhr es otra cosa…
I have had the MIJ Charvel for over a year now and it is just fantastic. I have none of the problems you talked about (thankfully). I absolutely love this guitar.
Fairer comparison would be one of the US made GG Charvel models and the Suhr surely?
How would that have been fairer? The Charvel would have had an extra 13 years of development time.
If you spend enough time making everything “fair” you end up comparing the same thing
Nice guitars, but that “single coil sound” does not sound as bright as an actual single would. It sounds more like parallel. I think they would do better with a Reverend style high pass filter, or a spin-a-split.
This guitar should be priced at $1,799 instead of 2,799.. It would reflect the actual difference in quality between the MIJ and US model more. US model blows this out of the water and even better if you can get it for under 3k.
Wow that's a bad QC by Charvel. I guess I was just always lucky. Bought two MIJ Ibby RGs online and it was perfect. The only setup I did was action and intonate the saddles. I'm sure there are guys out there who bought the same line of guitars like mine and got lemons.
I have a bengal Suhr Standard and love it but I've heard the upper fret access on the Modern isn't that great -the Charvel looks much better in that regard. But the Suhr bengal finish is so beautiful.
I have a Standard and the Modern GG sig and the upper fret access are much better on the modern. nothing in the way to reach the 24th fret. The Standard is great, but it's only 22 fret and still have a squarish heel although slightly angled.
It a lot of brand name compañías they cheaping out on QC.i had a harley bento just like rhat and i had to do the nut work on it myself..
I think if you are willing to swap the tuners with sperzels, get a tremel-no, get a bone nut, and take come #0000 steel wool to the fret edges and maybe have a blower switch installed then the Japanese model would be the one to get. I love Suhr guitars but I've heard one stacked up against a PRS and the PRS beat it in terms of midrange tone presence. I like the pickups alot better in the Charvels. I think the Suhr guitars are definitely prettier and may have more attention to detail but at this point you are paying for looks and all of that extra flashy stuff eats up resonance and tone. I do like how the Japanese model is satin finished and is more of a stratty sounding guitar. Overall I'd go with the Charvel USA model I think and just get the caramelized ash model if I had my pick.
Basswood is probably because it’s what available in Japan. All the Japanese guitars I’ve seen have basswood bodies.
They should added a thicker top that helps the tone on the MJ
No comparison in terms of quality, craftsmanship, looks, sound and playability: Suhr wins hands down. I’ve tried all the Guthrie Charvel signature models and they feel like an inferior Suhr copy. I own five Suhr guitars.
I'd be very upset if I purchased this online and found the fret ends to be rough. For this price point, the frets should be immaculate. Even my cheap G&L tribute came with smooth fret ends. Would never happen with Suhr, even the Chinese made Rasmus guitars Suhr came out with (which I had) superb craftsmanship.
Nice licks
With just an EQ PEDAL you have this SINGLE COIL simulation ..
I bought the mij ,sounds fantastic but agree about the finishing on the frets ,very disappointing given the price ,in fact the non Japanese £700 Charvel I had was better finished .
I have played Suhr guitars and play a charnel, price is better and it’s a fantastic rig
The Suhr is nice but the Charvel sounds much better. Just my opinion.
The suhr sounded better for me, maybe hotter pickups? Sounds beefier.
Not surprised about the charvel tbh, got a Japanese Jackson Misha mansoor SOCAL (fender owned Japanese 3k build) and the 21st fret on the high E Is unusable. Only that fret. Polishing and feel on the rest is great and it hasn’t popped out either it just will not fret the correct note. Frets the 22nd D instead. Shame tbh. Fantastic guitar otherwise. I live w it.
suhr is one of the most beatufil guitars ever
Guthrie's fingers are looking a suspect ;-)
Suhr every time ❤
No comparison. I'm sure the Charvel is a nice guitar (problems with nut aside) but Suhrs are known for manufacturing very very high-end instruments. Suhr wins hands down.
Eric steckel please please please
I’ll take the Suhr, thanks. Great sounding pickups; Gibson humbucker tones etc. Charvel quality control is pretty shaky. I’m sure the 80s ones were better…
Suhr is king. It’s the only guitar for a true Guthrie fan.
Charvel for me. Just sounds better.
The tone of Suhr its better for me.
I like the Suhr better
I agree with you completely. Had the guitar been under 1k I would of filed the nut and blah blah. But paying 2.7k? No, there’s no excuse for something like that getting by quality control.
I’m hoping Charvel makes a more affordable GG model. Maybe a GG inspired? San Dimas body with a gotoh trem, hsh, and a solid color or a burst color. If they made one for about 1k or almost 2k. I’d buy it for sure.
But this MIJ is almost 3k, why not just go with a USA model? Or that’s how my smol brain sees it.
everything with a satin finish looks just cheap
Absolutely Suhr wins....
Just pre-cut your strings in advance in case you break one.
Massive tuning issues on the mij charvel 🤦
Is that meat boy in your arm?
it is
* little
Charvel sounds more natural
I'm also not a fan of the Floyd bridge on the Charvel, and think that a Gotoh 510 could fill out basically 99% of the use cases that a Floyd rose could and would be fine for almost anyone + more practical. But I think the whole Floyd Bridge thing is an attempt to try to just hit that extra 1%. Whether it works or not I'm not sure, I haven't owned either! But I would imagine there might be some extreme Guthrie-style cases where absolutely hammering the Gotoh might bring up some minor tuning issues, whereas a Floyd rose would remain stable? Otherwise, I just can't see Guthrie being someone who would go out of his way for marketing purposes like that.
you are not comparing USA made to USA made, I'm out.
What does that matter?
The guitar is definitely overpriced..Much better to get a Charvel MJ 2023 or 2024, which sounds great with a locking tremolo which is a MUST. You can always get better pickups if desired and save a ton of money.
It’s a must? How is it Guthrie doesn’t use them then and his bends are nuts?
Most of the other cheaper Charvels (and even some at a similar price point) don't have SS frets though - and given that you can get guitars from £380 upwards from every other brand with stainless steel frets now it does seem a bit silly to have to pay £2k to Charvel to get them. And similar silly money to fender as well. They really need to give mexicans some better tools and some SS fretwire don't they? Indonesians can do it.
But definitely their cheaper stuff is lacking now - at least for me, I'm not even considering a new guitar that doesn't have locking tuners and SS frets whatever price or brand it is. As for this Guthrie's MIJ signature? It's just so ugly. I know that's subjective but I love the wood on the USA version but now they're like £3.5k it is just silly money I'd be more inclined to get 2x £2k MIJ guitars or 3x £800 indonesian guitars with various specs, pickups etc than pay £3.5k for one guitar - but then he brought out the ugliest colour scheme.
What I don't understand is why when Harley Benton can make a guitar that looks like Guthrie's USA signature, Charvel made such an ugly MIJ guthrie signature. Presumably Mr Goven thought it was ok though? Or didn't care? I don't understand at all and wish I could have been at that meeting to speak up.
By contrast the PIA (which is not specced anything like Vai plays so as a signature guitar feels like a scam) is beautiful. It's the closest I've come to just handing over nearly £3k for a guitar having just clocked it in a store, even the colours that I thought were 'meh' in pictures were great IRL. But I went for a walk around the block and talked myself out of it and although I guess there's an element of if you play a signature then you'll get compared (unfavorably) with the guitarist, the Jem / PIA that just seems more of a thing perhaps because his signature is so striking to look at everyone notices it straight away.
Charvel cannot get a single guitar with good fret work. No matter the price class.
But the fretwork on this is great
My USA model has immaculate fretwork
@@LeviClay That guitar is obviously married then
I have 3 Suhrs. 2 modern customs and a standard custom. Suhrs are high quality but their price point is ridiculous in my opinion and they're nothing more than a boutique fender lol. I prefer my Gibson lp's to my suhrs for classic rock/blues and metal tones, playability, feel and looks. Nothing beats a great lp. Nothing... Dream on Suhr.
That charvel is 💩💩💩
may I ask, why have you bought three of them then?
Terribly overpriced Charvel !