I bought Charvel Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSH FR Blue, very bad quality and has not been set up at all ! High frets. Needs levelling and dressing and frets buzzing - first fret.
I have a DK24 with a Floyd. Mahogany body with the Dark Amber Quilt. I have another Charvel with a Full Shred. You are right in it being a consideration.
I normally can’t stand these type of videos, but you have seriously figured out how to talk to a camera with genuine enthusiasm. I loved it, it felt like my buddy was showing it to me. Subbed bro
Funny how tone is so subjective! I actually LOVE the Full Shred! I always wanted humbucker pickup that clean and bright. The darkness and lack of definition always was my pet peeve with humbucker PUs
I just absolutely love this finish color. And I agree, it gets me every time with how good it looks. This deeper color (vs. some of the pastel or neon colors they typically use) pairs particularly well with the deeper color of the roasted neck, too.
You can lower the treble side of the Full Shred pickup a little And you adjust the pole pieces to alter the pickup to taste. Raising or lowering pole pieces can make a Big difference on any guitar.
Have to agree I have sunburst model DK24 MIM and it's great I did have the sound cut in and out and found the hot output jack wire on Vol pot was not soldered completely. Once fixed that I now think I'll also replace bridge pickup with EVH or another Seymour higher gain, great review!
The full shred can be tamed by installing 3/4 inch fillister screws in place of the hex screws, it costs about 8 bucks, smooths the highs and slightly loosens the bottom, its an amazing difference.
I put a guitar NutBuster on mine and staying in tune while divebombing is no probs guitar is totally stable . Gives more sustain as well. Great guitars love them.
I’m in agreement with you, I don’t totally agree with the video’s statement that it is only For subtle whammy bar use. I tried a used one of these out at the store the other day and found it to be quite stable. Even without the nut is yet you speak of. So yes perhaps it wouldn’t stand up to a full set of Vai like whammy bar work, but I did play parts of the Attitude Song and it held tune quite well. I’m torn whether I want to get one with or without the locking nut.
I’ve learned to like the brightness of the SD Full Shred. Sounds amazing when you tune down pretty low. Replaced it with an EMG 81 & much prefer the Full Shred
I was thinking of doing the same thing - an 81 EMG. Did you only change out one pickup? and if so how does that work when you use other switching positions? ie the middle position that would normally use both pickups?
@@GregoryPearsonMusic i switched them all for EMG 81/SA/SA. I think I’m going to replace the 81 with a 57 or Hetfield bridge, which I prefer. EMG’s doesn’t split.
I adore the SD FULL SHRED. Like any other high gain pup,....it will require some dialing. I have the blue one. I've added F-U Tone brass block, claw and screws noiseless white springs, along with GraphTech Ratio staggered tuners. I truly love the guitar. It's an honest winner for Charvel.
This is a GREAT review. I'm about to pick up the Prashant Aswani. Same deal... for a $1,400 guitar, we should be getting stainless steel frets these days. I agree with needing to swap out the JB bridge pickup on the DK24. I'm hoping that the bridge pickup is more usable on the PA28, but we'll see. I'm also looking forward to the Wilkinson bridge-locking trem, though there's nothing at all wrong with the Gotoh 510.
I have both colors of this DK24 and both needed fret work done due to sprouts After that work was done, this guitar is one of my favorites out of the lot
I feel like mine may need another quick pass of the file on the feet sprout but otherwise awesome instrument! I’m happy to hear that others love it as well!
@@digital360 Yeah man, both mine had pretty severe fret issues aside from the rolled edges, those were okay. Best advise for these is plek them. Trust me, it tops off the playability on these Or change over to stainless straight off, dump a bridge pup in and this can play most everything !
Great video! I definitely understand the issue with the full shred! Thats why I waited, and provided input in Instagram and Facebook to Charvel, to consider the Fishman Fluence Open Core set on a Tele styled guitar. They listened, and the So Cal Style 2 is now available. My dad picked one up in Edmonton last year, and he tends to play Jazz now, but will play the odd the classic rock song. The Open Core are an excellent alternative, however, the So Cal Style 2 is not a Dinky profile. I think for anyone that wants value out of a guitar, I would recommend the So Cal Style 2. The pickups are active in a sense, you have to use batteries, but the versatility and tones, are there! Cheers!
I have the full shred pickups on a different charvel and I agree... it was a bit of a shock at the beginning. After a while I used it with an 80s setup and I have to say, that's the place where it belongs. I got the old school 80s shredding tone that none of my other guitars can get
It definitely does that tone. I may try to back down a few of the pickup poll pieces too just to give a subtle reduction in the full shred treble output.
If I could do over I think I'd get an EVH Wolfgang. The Full-Shred I found had no lower end chug at all, had to replace them with Bare Knuckles and the trem goes out of tune so easily. The neck is delicious though and so comfy and the body itself is an amazingly comfy shape.
@@mikegillespiemusic oh wow thank you. I’ve been wrestling with the tuning on a Les Paul and the last thing I want is to buy another guitar with tuning issues. Mad to think that it should be the bare minimum requirement that a guitar stays in tune.
How are you feeling about it today? I am thinking about ordering one from AMS today or tomorrow. I am a PRS player but I'm looking for something with a thinner neck, a more shreddy guitar. Think this is what I'm looking for? It seems like a great value.
The best option I found for adjusting the bridge pickup was rolling back the tone knob. I've got the purple sunset with floyd but same pickup at bridge
Yeah I do that too. I just prefer to not mess with the tone knob for when I switch to the neck pup. Then it’s too muffled sounding. I’m still considering a different pickup for the bridge eventually. But I agree with you on the tone knob for now.
@@digital360 Yes I was disappointed, it's too hot. I had to make "Charvel" patches on my Helix but even then it doesn't hold up with pitch shifting. Even poly pitch has a nasty warble. I might swap mine out too because like you I love the guitar.
I have the black version of this. I installed weaker humbuckers (Pearly Gates actually) as the ones it comes with were too hot for my rig. I recently took it our for a gig and two things came up during that gig that were not optimal: The dot inlays on the fretboard do not stand out a lot from the baked maple colour - they are sufficient in calm environments, but in the heat of a gig I found myself being a bit insecure on the fretboard 1-2 times. Seems like at least I need a bit darker inlays on a fretboard like this. Next thing, the input jack. When switching guitars, I found myself struggling in finding the input jack fast enough, while my bandmates already had started with the intro to the next song! Now these little "flaws" might be no flaws at all for most people, but for me it created insecure, non-optimal moments on stage that I don't want in that moment. Other than that, it is a splendid, killer guitar for the money.
I just got an HSS model in the mail yesterday. High quality, great playing guitar. Needed a real setup out of the gate, and had a finish crack on both sides of the neck pocket but it definitely plays, sounds and feels nice. The neck is the star here. Very smooth and fast satin neck.
@@digital360 I bought it new. Sweetwater gave me $120 back for the cracks. Neck pocket finish cracks rarely affect the actual wood of the guitar so I was fine to keep the guitar, I just didn't want to pay new guitar price for something with obvious flaws.
@@BreadandFaxes oh good call! I would have done the same. Plus you could always have a good luthier repair the finish of you chose. Glad to hear you love the guitar! Charvels are becoming my favorites.
@@digital360 I'm not too worried about the finish. They are barely noticeable since it's a white guitar. But I agree! Definitely a quality instrument. My dad mentioned that they were making Charvels in the Mexican fender factory now and it piqued my interest because I absolutely love the quality of Mexican fenders. I figured that with the specs on this thing it could really be a nice, already upgraded guitar. And I'm glad it is.
I just purchased this one from GC for 729.00. I was on the fence for a while and trying to decide between a PRS custom 24, this guitar or a comparable Strat (price wise). Every person in guitar center, including a guitarist that used to play in Testament (James Murphy) had nothing but outstanding words for this guitar. I do need to get it properly setup to get rid of some string buzz, but this guitar feels so amazing in your hands. And the color grew on me quickly. I would say if you are on the fence, and come across one of these, definitely give a chance!
@@rhamphorhynchusmetal2038 I've bought guitars that cost much, much more than that that had fret buzz lol. It can happen to any guitar. Doesn't necessarily mean it's a dud.🙂
I love that ax. Awesome. I think the pickup combo really works like magic. I tried one of these. I dig the Full Shred, but it excels in instruments that tend towards a muddy low end. The Full Shred cleans it up. In a bright, 25 scale strat with a maple fretboard it can be ice picky. The JB is also very bright. But I find the JB/Jazz combo in my PRS sounds beyond perfect, very sweet, harmonic and crunchy, and the JB SSL6 combo in my Strat also sounds perfect, even though that's a brighter, alder body, maple fretboard ax. I like the input jack placement on this Charvel. Good design. I find that no trem is perfect. The closest you can get to staying in tune is with a flush mounted Floyd. Otherwise, all bets are off, there are simply too many variables.
True, that FS pickup in the right guitar would be perfect. As for the trem, they have their pros and cons. Some days I just grab a stop bridge guitar and work on bends instead. Definitely, the Gotoh bridge can be finicky if you aren't easy on it.
I have the Matte Blue Frost finish, it looks amazing! This guitar instantly became my favourite of all my guitars because of its lightness and playability. I keep the tone pot on 9, if you have it on 10 then that's when it's too bright (I may put a DiMarzio Tone Zone in there one day though).
They all sound good imo. I know that's the cop out phrase, but seriously, I love the parallel (little switch up) of the neck, and I also like series of positions 2 and 4. This guitar to me seems to like the Polyphia type tones. for instance, I don't drop tune this one, nor do I use ultra high gain tones. It's a more refined guitar. if that makes sense.
Just a note about Seymour Duncan pickups; they do offer JB/59 set in white. I looked into in because I have this same guitar in matte blue frost and have a similar opinion on the Full Shred.
But apparently mine are “antique white” which I don’t see offered in any others on the SD website. Plus I really only want to swap out the one pup. For now I’m just leaving the full shred in it.
@@digital360 I got it on deep discount. Japanese made is almost as expensive as USA made. But I hear ya. I’m culling the herd significantly and the extra money is well spent I think.
I have the tele shape with the roasted neck. Has the reversed tele shape head stock which looks sick. The necks feel amazing and the body molding is probably the most comfy body on any guitar i've played. Mine also has the Fishmen open core pick ups with the passive and active voicings, that also does the split coil. So quite the variety of sounds, maybe an option for guys not wanting that full shred treble bridge.
@@bearres The black HT is nice also. I have the hard tail in Purple Phaze that they no longer offer. Check out my other vid if you want to see that one.
@@digital360 ah ok. I was referring to the Tele shaped one. The So-Cal Style 2 24 HH HT. I didn’t know they made a HT of the DK 24 - very nice. Oh and btw, I went and bought the guitar from this video today 😬. Have you and others on YT to thank (blame?) for that!
I have the DK24 HSH Satin Orange Crush. Pros: Love the neck, love the pickups. Sounds killer with the Neural DSP Soldano and Archetype: Tim Hensen amp models. Cons: Resting the palm of my hand on the Gotoh 510 bridge causes the strings to change pitch. It goes out of tune quickly when using the trem even slightly. Sadly, I ended up blocking the trem from pulling back. Just got the Trans Green Burst Pro Mod San Dimas HH Style 1 with a Floyd. Best guitar I've ever owned. Thanks for your review!
Thank you as well. Yes I absolutely love the Neural SLO100 amp too. I ended up putting slitty heavier gauge strings on it (9.5-44) and the bridge is a bit more "stable" and less likely to fluctuate when palming on the bridge. Also, I recommend to everyone to use nut sauce every time you change strings.
I was an Ibanez guy too until I got this. Traded my SoCal for this. Best trade ever. Same feeling about how nice this guitar is made me buy the amber quilted maple version with Floyd Rose. I think the 7 string will be next. Great review, thanks!
Really great review, and nice playing, brother. Funny, I just played this at a local shop and loved how bright that bridge pickups sounds. My biggest problem with bridge HH pups is how dark they generally sound. I've also had SS frets and hated the feel. This could very well be my next guitar purchase.
I have the HSS version of the DK24, which has the same bridge pickup as yours, and I completely agree with you on the EQ on the Full Shread bridge pickup. It's extremely trebly and fatiguing to listen to. Other than that, I also agree with you how nice it's built and all. Thanks for the review!
Had the HSS version for a bit and actually loved the full shred which is weird because I typically don’t like Duncans, it was great for 80’s hair metal tones and synthwave stuff. Sold it to finance something else and still want another one.
I try to never sell any of my gear if I can avoid it but I totally understand the need sometimes. Hopefully you get another Charvel in the future brother!
I have the 22 fret version. Seymour JB in the bridge is fantastic. Splittable too. I replaced the APH1 in the neck with a Seymour 59. It’s nearly as good as my $3500 custom shop axe.
Great video man, i must compliment you on your accurate use specifically with two words- et cetera, and rigidity. I cant stand when people say "eck- setra" or "ridgity". hahahahah
Man, I tried a blue DK, that neck... I have gone up and down many websites to see if there was a caramelized neck with a FR but no. The only one I found was upwards of $3K. I am not a musician nor do gigs, I just play a little guitar to heal the soul and ease the pain (Badlands). Wish they had THIS exact guitar with a FR. Never had one and (as a mechanic inclined person please spare me) and I will like to have one. Honestly This guitar was a surprise. I currently and for the last 20 years own an SG studio. So looking to expand bridge action. Great review, love the guitar.
Well a Floyd Rose bridge would get you more dive bombs but this bridge does the trick for me as long as you are easy with it and don't try to do the EVH type stuff. I just got an SG Studio which I will be reviewing shortly. Happy Holidays!
@@digital360 looking forward to the SG review and man I got the DK HH Blue. Sweet guitar. Will check your other content to make a decision in the near future to get me a FR and expand even further. Thank you Sir!
Have one that I love but like you the bridge pickup is way to bright and I can never EQ enough of the tremble out! Replacing it with a different Seymore Duncan that's a little tamer!
Great vid brodda! I own the Chorine blue model. lol. those string trees drove me insane as well..hah It was pinging, and pangin' and everything. To make this short, I got some staggered hipshot locking tuners, and got rid of both trees. It's pure fire now. Could not believe it? I did all the hardware in gold also haha, omg that was fun. Cheers bro
I want this guitar , I have the deep metallic purple charvel San dimas already and love it but I want another without the floyd rose too... plus I like that little switch on this one.
Yeah that particular Floyd bridge just sticks up too high imo. If they could use a more recessed one that would be great. The Gotoh bridge is awesome, just cant do the big dives on it.
Seymour Ducan says the Full Shred also works in the Neck position. Maybe swap pickups? I had an 80's Kramer Nightswan (back in the day), which had a Full Shred in the Bridge. I loved it..at least running through my ADA MP1, and Carvin power amp/cabinet.
Phil, you know I actually considered that. It would save me a ton of money and time. The only problem, is that the Full Shred is actually twice the output of the Alnico II Pro so the volumes would be way off when switching back and forth. I wish I could do that though. Good idea!
I got the DK24 Maple and swapped the bridge Full Shred for a JB after a few months. Just needed a solid humbucking pup that grunted more than the stock. A great guitar though.
Thanks for the info. I checked it out but I don't believe they offer an aged white version such as the SD pickup. It does have the tone profile that I am looking for as well as the same style pole pieces. I am seriously considering it now...
Just got a pharohs gold with the 3 single coil, the bridge mini HB is awesome, great playing guitar, definitely worth the money, a poor mans Suhr I say lol
Great review, very thorough. Can I ask, did you want/have to lower the action when you got it? I got a DK24 HSH mahogany and I'm finding it a bit high. If so, did you lower the saddles or the whole bridge? It's about The low E on the 12th fret is 1.5mm of the fets and the high E is almost 2mm (sorry for not using your US measurements!) Ideally I'd like it aboy 1mm on each. Any thoughts appreciated.
Thanks! Yeah so I did lower the action immediately. I always do as I like it as low as possible with only a TINY amount of string buzz on the 3 bass strings. The bridge looked so even on both ends that I only used the saddles to make the adjustments. I currently have it at 1.5mm on the low E and 1mm on the high E. If I could go lower I would but then too much buzz comes into play.
Also I would mention that I like the neck very straight with only an almost imperceptible amount o f neck relief so a small truss rod adjustment was necessary. I check the truss rod and action on all my guitars every couple of months. It never ends. lol
I just bought one used HSH version $750 I’d say never played.. Your right incredible guitar So about the pickup in the bridge… I think it depends on the amp you use ….also that’s why they put a tone knob on the guitar … It works for me , if it gets to bright Oho and it will .. my friends only play through vintage fenders So bright takes on new meaning When y play through one of these. I’ll tone it down ,.. I’m not gonna get to picky here … works perfectly…. I’m not gonna mess with this one Leave it as is ,..it’s great 👍 Thx for your vid ….peace
I want one. I'm left handed and my choices are slim. What you say about the Full Shred PU scares me. Thanks for the info. Nothing has everything I want, but plenty of right handed guitars do. Kinda pisses me off.
Oddly enough I’m a lefty who plays right handed. Yeah the full shred is not terrible and if you are someone who doesn’t mind using the tone knob to dial back the treble a tad it’s fine.
Nice review. Nice guitar. The Full Shred tone isn’t for me. I wish Charvel would offer the Fishman Fluences in the Dinky and San Dimas lines. Currently only in the SoCal Type 2.
Thanks for the kind words my man! Yes I would absolutely love if they offered Fishmans in this guitar. I want to put those in one of my other guitars soon.
Yeah the bridge is bright, but I can get around it with EQing the amp, and one if my amps is pretty dark anyways so it pairs well. But just a thought, have you considered swapping the no load tone pot for a regular pot? Even on 10, a regular pot will still have some resistance and ground off a little bit of highs whereas the no load is pretty much as open and bright as you can get - figured it'd be a cheaper mod to try before swapping a pickup. And my only complaint is where every model I've owned and tried has fret sprout. On a $1k guitar, they need to get that baking process right on the neck
Such a great guitar! Totaly want one - even though I just bought a San Dimas than I'm absolutely in love with! I really like the JB45 on my guitar, the only thing I'm not crazy about with your DK24 is the color haha. I think they made it in a matte orange that I loved. Great playing too!
The San Dimas are really nice looking too. I would love to get my hands on that orange Dinky. Yea I definitely understand with the color. It is highly subjective and not for everyone. I seem to like guitar colors that remind me of how BMX bikes used to look back in the 80's when I used to ride and do freestyle. lol
I bought one recently but I'm going to return it. Mine will not stay in tune after I did all the recommended fixes I could find online. The drastic volume difference between the series and parallel wiring is also kind of annoying. I have guitars that have the volume remain consistent regardless of what position or splitting/tapping the coil (such as the Charvel Guthrie Govan or the Schecter California Classic), and it's just one less thing you have to constantly adjust while playing/recording.
Do the modern Charvel guitars still have the "Rolled Edge" Fingerboard? And the Wider 2 1/8 in. Neck? And the perceived (Classical Guitar) Flatness Contour on the back of the neck? This is what I remember about Charvel and why I want one.
So both of my Charvels have the rolled fingerboard which is super comfortable, and yes, 2 and 1/8” neck width at the twelfth fret. The neck contour is a modern C shape with the slightest little bit of flat on the back. It’s almost imperceptible though. I love these necks! My Ibanez guitars are slightly wider and flatter thin necks in comparison.
@@digital360 I agree its very sweet , smooth sounding...but to agree again IT DOES NOT GO WITH THE SHRED ... I love the guitar but I the shred is to trebily but does shred Wich sucks wen u go to the bridge for a solo...lol it goes from chaos to pretty Wich is not what im trying to do in a chaotic heavy song... At the same time i do many genes and i do get lots of diffrent sounds from the guitar... Everthing u said was dead on :)
I own the quilted Maple ámbar and I agarre with you, that bridge pickup has a Lot of treble but with a proper EQ You can balance the tone, btw I have another charvel with caramelized Maple neck and start feeling the edges of the frets any thoughts on how to solve it?
Yesh@, Excellent review! This review convinced me to get one of these new, DK24's! I well disagree we ith you on the DUNCAN Full SHRED Bridge - that is a killer,, multi-talented, piece of KIT! IF I want to "CHUGG LIKE OLA! (Englund!)- I'll unsheath my SCHECTER HELLRSISER C-7! Meantime, to hit Van Halen tone, ♥️ 😎, this puppy is the Cat's Ass! Cheers, & Great work, Bud!
![[#2024MAMA] G-DRAGON - 무제(Untitled, 2014)+POWER+HOME SWEET HOME+뱅뱅뱅+FANTASTIC BABY | Mnet 241123 방송](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Ox29z5Nf1Uk/mqdefault.jpg)
Review begins at 1:52 with sound sample scattered throughout the video. What are your thoughts on this Charvel?
I bought Charvel Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSH FR Blue, very bad quality and has not been set up at all ! High frets. Needs levelling and dressing and frets buzzing - first fret.
Buying
Would you buy it again??
Yes indeed. 👍🎸😁
I have a DK24 with a Floyd. Mahogany body with the Dark Amber Quilt. I have another Charvel with a Full Shred. You are right in it being a consideration.
I normally can’t stand these type of videos, but you have seriously figured out how to talk to a camera with genuine enthusiasm. I loved it, it felt like my buddy was showing it to me. Subbed bro
Thank you so much! I’m still new to this whole thing so it’s a work in progress. Happy 2023 my man!
Funny how tone is so subjective! I actually LOVE the Full Shred! I always wanted humbucker pickup that clean and bright. The darkness and lack of definition always was my pet peeve with humbucker PUs
True. And of course it depends on what amp(s) each person plays through too. I have a darker sounding Mesa cab that these sound good through.
It's an 80's rock machine. Love it.
The clarity of the Full Shred pickup gives you great note definition with gain, adjusting the treble, mid and bass to taste, of course...
I just absolutely love this finish color. And I agree, it gets me every time with how good it looks. This deeper color (vs. some of the pastel or neon colors they typically use) pairs particularly well with the deeper color of the roasted neck, too.
Excellent demo and nice playing!! Rare to get such a thorough, thoughtful and professional review! Kudos
Thank you!
I have the blue frost and I love it! I only changed the knobs to gold bass knobs and it looks even more stunning
#jealous! That blue is really nice too.
I picked up the blue frost today. I LOVE IT!
You can lower the treble side of the Full Shred pickup a little And you adjust the pole pieces to alter the pickup to taste. Raising or lowering pole pieces can make a Big difference on any guitar.
Have to agree I have sunburst model DK24 MIM and it's great I did have the sound cut in and out and found the hot output jack wire on Vol pot was not soldered completely. Once fixed that I now think I'll also replace bridge pickup with EVH or another Seymour higher gain, great review!
The full shred can be tamed by installing 3/4 inch fillister screws in place of the hex screws, it costs about 8 bucks, smooths the highs and slightly loosens the bottom, its an amazing difference.
I put a guitar NutBuster on mine and staying in tune while divebombing is no probs guitar is totally stable . Gives more sustain as well. Great guitars love them.
I’m in agreement with you, I don’t totally agree with the video’s statement that it is only
For subtle whammy bar use. I tried a used one of these out at the store the other day and found it to be quite stable. Even without the nut is yet you speak of. So yes perhaps it wouldn’t stand up to a full set of Vai like whammy bar work, but I did play parts of the Attitude Song and it held tune quite well. I’m torn whether I want to get one with or without the locking nut.
I’ve learned to like the brightness of the SD Full Shred. Sounds amazing when you tune down pretty low. Replaced it with an EMG 81 & much prefer the Full Shred
I was thinking of doing the same thing - an 81 EMG. Did you only change out one pickup? and if so how does that work when you use other switching positions? ie the middle position that would normally use both pickups?
@@GregoryPearsonMusic i switched them all for EMG 81/SA/SA. I think I’m going to replace the 81 with a 57 or Hetfield bridge, which I prefer. EMG’s doesn’t split.
Great honest review. i ordered one yesterday and you covered pretty much all the reasons I did. Looking forward to adding it to the arsenal.
I adore the SD FULL SHRED. Like any other high gain pup,....it will require some dialing. I have the blue one. I've added F-U Tone brass block, claw and screws noiseless white springs, along with GraphTech Ratio staggered tuners. I truly love the guitar. It's an honest winner for Charvel.
I think a dinky is a 7/8 size body. So it’s more than 1/8 smaller. And I like that.
Don't think I didn't notice....
"Revolution Calling!" 😉 👍
First one to catch that! :)
This is a GREAT review. I'm about to pick up the Prashant Aswani. Same deal... for a $1,400 guitar, we should be getting stainless steel frets these days. I agree with needing to swap out the JB bridge pickup on the DK24. I'm hoping that the bridge pickup is more usable on the PA28, but we'll see. I'm also looking forward to the Wilkinson bridge-locking trem, though there's nothing at all wrong with the Gotoh 510.
I added a parchment Suhr Aldrich. Matches perfectly.
I was not aware that Suhr made pickups but I will definitely check those out. Thank you for the suggestion!
I have both colors of this DK24 and both needed fret work done due to sprouts
After that work was done, this guitar is one of my favorites out of the lot
I feel like mine may need another quick pass of the file on the feet sprout but otherwise awesome instrument! I’m happy to hear that others love it as well!
@@digital360 Yeah man, both mine had pretty severe fret issues aside from the rolled edges, those were okay.
Best advise for these is plek them. Trust me, it tops off the playability on these
Or change over to stainless straight off, dump a bridge pup in and this can play most everything !
@@PetePaulIII No plek machines in my region that I’m aware of. 😕Would love to have that done on one or two guitars someday however.
Got mine yesterday. Love it like you love yours !! Outstanding review. Thanks !!
Glad to hear that, and thanks watching!
Charvel convert here too. Never got to play one . Then my local guitar shop had one and let’s just say I have 3 now in less than a year . 😆🤘🏻🤘🏻
LOL thats funny. Yeah they are a bit "addictive" I'd say. Enjoy 'em!
Great video! I definitely understand the issue with the full shred! Thats why I waited, and provided input in Instagram and Facebook to Charvel, to consider the Fishman Fluence Open Core set on a Tele styled guitar. They listened, and the So Cal Style 2 is now available. My dad picked one up in Edmonton last year, and he tends to play Jazz now, but will play the odd the classic rock song. The Open Core are an excellent alternative, however, the So Cal Style 2 is not a Dinky profile. I think for anyone that wants value out of a guitar, I would recommend the So Cal Style 2. The pickups are active in a sense, you have to use batteries, but the versatility and tones, are there! Cheers!
I would love to see a set of Fishmans in the Dinky style. Maybe in the future who knows....
As for the Shred bridge pickup, you can change the height on either side and/or change the height of the screws.
I have the full shred pickups on a different charvel and I agree... it was a bit of a shock at the beginning. After a while I used it with an 80s setup and I have to say, that's the place where it belongs. I got the old school 80s shredding tone that none of my other guitars can get
It definitely does that tone. I may try to back down a few of the pickup poll pieces too just to give a subtle reduction in the full shred treble output.
If I could do over I think I'd get an EVH Wolfgang. The Full-Shred I found had no lower end chug at all, had to replace them with Bare Knuckles and the trem goes out of tune so easily. The neck is delicious though and so comfy and the body itself is an amazingly comfy shape.
Which BKP's did you go with?
I went with the Boot Camp "Brute force" model. Cheaper than the normal range but wanted to try something different than dimarzio or SD.
@@tsafanyoh Thanks. I may have to look into those.
@@digital360 I think BKP Holy Divers would be up your alley.
@@stroopwafel6141 Considering those too!
This was such a fun yet detailed review! Definitely next on my list of axes
I own one. Con: fret sprout and tuning. Pro: light, great neck, diverse sounds
Yes I had a bit of fret sprout as well. I bought some files from stewmac and took care of it myself. Otherwise, I love this thing. Enjoy yours!
What are the tuning issues that you’ve experienced?
B and G string going out after bends or trem bar. Overall tuning bounces around on all strings after use
@@mikegillespiemusic oh wow thank you. I’ve been wrestling with the tuning on a Les Paul and the last thing I want is to buy another guitar with tuning issues. Mad to think that it should be the bare minimum requirement that a guitar stays in tune.
Have you gotten it professionally set up by a quality luthier?
Great review! Nice style and format. I just got a DK24. Owner for 20-hours. Breaking it in. So far so good.
Appreciate the comment! Hope you love your Charvel as much as I do mine. Rock on bruh!
How are you feeling about it today? I am thinking about ordering one from AMS today or tomorrow. I am a PRS player but I'm looking for something with a thinner neck, a more shreddy guitar. Think this is what I'm looking for? It seems like a great value.
@@Lovell93 I’m that case you will definitely love this guitar. It’s still one of my absolute favs to this day. Good luck with the purchase.
The best option I found for adjusting the bridge pickup was rolling back the tone knob. I've got the purple sunset with floyd but same pickup at bridge
Yeah I do that too. I just prefer to not mess with the tone knob for when I switch to the neck pup. Then it’s too muffled sounding. I’m still considering a different pickup for the bridge eventually. But I agree with you on the tone knob for now.
@@digital360 Yes I was disappointed, it's too hot. I had to make "Charvel" patches on my Helix but even then it doesn't hold up with pitch shifting. Even poly pitch has a nasty warble. I might swap mine out too because like you I love the guitar.
I have the black version of this. I installed weaker humbuckers (Pearly Gates actually) as the ones it comes with were too hot for my rig. I recently took it our for a gig and two things came up during that gig that were not optimal: The dot inlays on the fretboard do not stand out a lot from the baked maple colour - they are sufficient in calm environments, but in the heat of a gig I found myself being a bit insecure on the fretboard 1-2 times. Seems like at least I need a bit darker inlays on a fretboard like this. Next thing, the input jack. When switching guitars, I found myself struggling in finding the input jack fast enough, while my bandmates already had started with the intro to the next song! Now these little "flaws" might be no flaws at all for most people, but for me it created insecure, non-optimal moments on stage that I don't want in that moment. Other than that, it is a splendid, killer guitar for the money.
Such minor complaints really which says a lot about this guitar. So close to getting one.
I just got an HSS model in the mail yesterday. High quality, great playing guitar. Needed a real setup out of the gate, and had a finish crack on both sides of the neck pocket but it definitely plays, sounds and feels nice. The neck is the star here. Very smooth and fast satin neck.
You might consider exchanging it for one without the cracks in the finish, unless you bought it used. These are my favorite necks by far.
@@digital360 I bought it new. Sweetwater gave me $120 back for the cracks. Neck pocket finish cracks rarely affect the actual wood of the guitar so I was fine to keep the guitar, I just didn't want to pay new guitar price for something with obvious flaws.
@@BreadandFaxes oh good call! I would have done the same. Plus you could always have a good luthier repair the finish of you chose. Glad to hear you love the guitar! Charvels are becoming my favorites.
@@digital360 I'm not too worried about the finish. They are barely noticeable since it's a white guitar. But I agree! Definitely a quality instrument. My dad mentioned that they were making Charvels in the Mexican fender factory now and it piqued my interest because I absolutely love the quality of Mexican fenders. I figured that with the specs on this thing it could really be a nice, already upgraded guitar. And I'm glad it is.
I just purchased this one from GC for 729.00. I was on the fence for a while and trying to decide between a PRS custom 24, this guitar or a comparable Strat (price wise). Every person in guitar center, including a guitarist that used to play in Testament (James Murphy) had nothing but outstanding words for this guitar. I do need to get it properly setup to get rid of some string buzz, but this guitar feels so amazing in your hands. And the color grew on me quickly. I would say if you are on the fence, and come across one of these, definitely give a chance!
Nice! Glad you love it as much as I do. These Charvels offer a huge bang for your buck. Also, that's cool that you ran into James Murphy!!
Fret buzz in a 1000$ guitar? Not good
@@rhamphorhynchusmetal2038 I've bought guitars that cost much, much more than that that had fret buzz lol. It can happen to any guitar. Doesn't necessarily mean it's a dud.🙂
I just bought one 😊 Thanks for this Excellent review. Cheers from Switzerland 🇨🇭!
Great choice my man! Hope you love it!
Great reviewer and even better player.
I love that ax. Awesome. I think the pickup combo really works like magic. I tried one of these. I dig the Full Shred, but it excels in instruments that tend towards a muddy low end. The Full Shred cleans it up. In a bright, 25 scale strat with a maple fretboard it can be ice picky. The JB is also very bright. But I find the JB/Jazz combo in my PRS sounds beyond perfect, very sweet, harmonic and crunchy, and the JB SSL6 combo in my Strat also sounds perfect, even though that's a brighter, alder body, maple fretboard ax. I like the input jack placement on this Charvel. Good design. I find that no trem is perfect. The closest you can get to staying in tune is with a flush mounted Floyd. Otherwise, all bets are off, there are simply too many variables.
True, that FS pickup in the right guitar would be perfect. As for the trem, they have their pros and cons. Some days I just grab a stop bridge guitar and work on bends instead. Definitely, the Gotoh bridge can be finicky if you aren't easy on it.
played one when they came out... was one of the best guitars I'd ever touched. Incredible that they are sub-1k$
Awesome guitars!
I have the Matte Blue Frost finish, it looks amazing! This guitar instantly became my favourite of all my guitars because of its lightness and playability. I keep the tone pot on 9, if you have it on 10 then that's when it's too bright (I may put a DiMarzio Tone Zone in there one day though).
I have your finish also. Just love this guitar, does everything I need it to do.
What pickup position do you like besides bridge? Like one of the serial combos for example.
Great channel
They all sound good imo. I know that's the cop out phrase, but seriously, I love the parallel (little switch up) of the neck, and I also like series of positions 2 and 4. This guitar to me seems to like the Polyphia type tones. for instance, I don't drop tune this one, nor do I use ultra high gain tones. It's a more refined guitar. if that makes sense.
Just a note about Seymour Duncan pickups; they do offer JB/59 set in white. I looked into in because I have this same guitar in matte blue frost and have a similar opinion on the Full Shred.
But apparently mine are “antique white” which I don’t see offered in any others on the SD website. Plus I really only want to swap out the one pup. For now I’m just leaving the full shred in it.
Disagree re the Full Shred pickup. I don't feel it's particularly trebly. However, like you, I love mine. Perfect.
Wow! It actually is Thursday today. :)
I have many of them and I love them all. I just ordered the Rick Graham DK24. It has bare knuckle pups. I’ll be interested to see how they compare.
Jeez I feel like that rick graham is so expensive just for ss frets and different pups. Im sure it plays great through! Enjoy the collection!
@@digital360 I got it on deep discount. Japanese made is almost as expensive as USA made. But I hear ya. I’m culling the herd significantly and the extra money is well spent I think.
I have the tele shape with the roasted neck. Has the reversed tele shape head stock which looks sick. The necks feel amazing and the body molding is probably the most comfy body on any guitar i've played. Mine also has the Fishmen open core pick ups with the passive and active voicings, that also does the split coil. So quite the variety of sounds, maybe an option for guys not wanting that full shred treble bridge.
I need to look into that one as well!
I have that one, too. Black body, but the hard tail version.
But I’m eyeing this exact model and color as well. These Charvels are really grabbing me.
@@bearres The black HT is nice also. I have the hard tail in Purple Phaze that they no longer offer. Check out my other vid if you want to see that one.
@@digital360 ah ok. I was referring to the Tele shaped one. The So-Cal Style 2 24 HH HT. I didn’t know they made a HT of the DK 24 - very nice.
Oh and btw, I went and bought the guitar from this video today 😬. Have you and others on YT to thank (blame?) for that!
@@bearres Yes! lol. I hope you enjoy it. Charvels rock.
I have the DK24 HSH Satin Orange Crush. Pros: Love the neck, love the pickups. Sounds killer with the Neural DSP Soldano and Archetype: Tim Hensen amp models. Cons: Resting the palm of my hand on the Gotoh 510 bridge causes the strings to change pitch. It goes out of tune quickly when using the trem even slightly. Sadly, I ended up blocking the trem from pulling back. Just got the Trans Green Burst Pro Mod San Dimas HH Style 1 with a Floyd. Best guitar I've ever owned. Thanks for your review!
Thank you as well. Yes I absolutely love the Neural SLO100 amp too. I ended up putting slitty heavier gauge strings on it (9.5-44) and the bridge is a bit more "stable" and less likely to fluctuate when palming on the bridge. Also, I recommend to everyone to use nut sauce every time you change strings.
Awesome guitar. Thanks for the great demonstration! I like it a lot.
Super hot. Charvel is such a powerful name in history. 👍
Great guitar I bought one used for $700, and Im okay with the pickups , great honest review by the way
Just bought one same color (yes, sick) because of the jumbo frets and the 5 star reviews. Paid $600 used on 3-22-2024.
In matter of fact, I had to polish my Charvel's frets and they are smooth as Stainless Steel.
I was an Ibanez guy too until I got this. Traded my SoCal for this. Best trade ever. Same feeling about how nice this guitar is made me buy the amber quilted maple version with Floyd Rose. I think the 7 string will be next. Great review, thanks!
You nailed it .Great Review.Every you saying is on point.Ive got one and I love it
Thanks brother. I really appreciate that! Charvels rock.
Had mine since 1987...Still awesome...m
Great review
Thanks brother!
Great review! Probably gonna pick one of these up!
Really great review, and nice playing, brother. Funny, I just played this at a local shop and loved how bright that bridge pickups sounds. My biggest problem with bridge HH pups is how dark they generally sound. I've also had SS frets and hated the feel. This could very well be my next guitar purchase.
Good luck with it if you go for it. Humbuckers can sound a little dark, but not these. lol
I have the HSS version of the DK24, which has the same bridge pickup as yours, and I completely agree with you on the EQ on the Full Shread bridge pickup. It's extremely trebly and fatiguing to listen to. Other than that, I also agree with you how nice it's built and all. Thanks for the review!
Good review. Great guitar. I've played one before and I like them a lot.
I put wilkinson wls130 locking saddles on mine and it was a game changer😮😮 This is now one of the best guitar I have!!
Had the HSS version for a bit and actually loved the full shred which is weird because I typically don’t like Duncans, it was great for 80’s hair metal tones and synthwave stuff. Sold it to finance something else and still want another one.
I try to never sell any of my gear if I can avoid it but I totally understand the need sometimes. Hopefully you get another Charvel in the future brother!
I have the 22 fret version. Seymour JB in the bridge is fantastic. Splittable too. I replaced the APH1 in the neck with a Seymour 59. It’s nearly as good as my $3500 custom shop axe.
I have heard from others that the JB sounds pretty good. I haven't yet gotten around to replacing the FS but will soon. Just way too much high end.
Really great review! You covered everything! Gotta get one now!
Thank you Chris! Rock on brother!
Very nice review ! I have the same model lefty . The only difference is that it has only one string tree for B and E strings .
Great video man, i must compliment you on your accurate use specifically with two words- et cetera, and rigidity. I cant stand when people say "eck- setra" or "ridgity". hahahahah
As for finding another seymore duncan pickup that looks the same the duncan custom shop can make any of their pickups look like that
Mine will be here next week
Good choice! 👍
Man, I tried a blue DK, that neck... I have gone up and down many websites to see if there was a caramelized neck with a FR but no. The only one I found was upwards of $3K. I am not a musician nor do gigs, I just play a little guitar to heal the soul and ease the pain (Badlands). Wish they had THIS exact guitar with a FR. Never had one and (as a mechanic inclined person please spare me) and I will like to have one. Honestly This guitar was a surprise. I currently and for the last 20 years own an SG studio. So looking to expand bridge action. Great review, love the guitar.
Well a Floyd Rose bridge would get you more dive bombs but this bridge does the trick for me as long as you are easy with it and don't try to do the EVH type stuff. I just got an SG Studio which I will be reviewing shortly. Happy Holidays!
@@digital360 looking forward to the SG review and man I got the DK HH Blue. Sweet guitar. Will check your other content to make a decision in the near future to get me a FR and expand even further. Thank you Sir!
@@wildz0634 Nice! Enjoy it!
Have one that I love but like you the bridge pickup is way to bright and I can never EQ enough of the tremble out! Replacing it with a different Seymore Duncan that's a little tamer!
great review 💪
Only decisions are color and pickup configurations and switching options
the blue is sick too id like to have one of these rose burgundy ones too! Charvel is making some good wood lol
Great video, thanks buddy
i got a lefty and love it
Great vid brodda! I own the Chorine blue model. lol. those string trees drove me insane as well..hah It was pinging, and pangin' and everything. To make this short, I got some staggered hipshot locking tuners, and got rid of both trees. It's pure fire now. Could not believe it? I did all the hardware in gold also haha, omg that was fun. Cheers bro
Thx for being honest. I think JB comes in white but probably normal screw tops.
I have this guitar, it taught me to shred
thanks for the review! very informative, I watched the whole thing.
Much appreciated Uri!
I agree with the rollers, last 2-3 string breaks I had happened on the saddle and wish I had rollers.
I also don't remember that well cause I use 13's and D'Addario 13's last like a year with no rust.
I want this guitar , I have the deep metallic purple charvel San dimas already and love it but I want another without the floyd rose too... plus I like that little switch on this one.
Yeah that particular Floyd bridge just sticks up too high imo. If they could use a more recessed one that would be great. The Gotoh bridge is awesome, just cant do the big dives on it.
Seymour Ducan says the Full Shred also works in the Neck position. Maybe swap pickups? I had an 80's Kramer Nightswan (back in the day), which had a Full Shred in the Bridge. I loved it..at least running through my ADA MP1, and Carvin power amp/cabinet.
Phil, you know I actually considered that. It would save me a ton of money and time. The only problem, is that the Full Shred is actually twice the output of the Alnico II Pro so the volumes would be way off when switching back and forth. I wish I could do that though. Good idea!
I got the DK24 Maple and swapped the bridge Full Shred for a JB after a few months. Just needed a solid humbucking pup that grunted more than the stock. A great guitar though.
Dimarzio offers the super distortion on thier website in the configuration and color you need buddy
Thanks for the info. I checked it out but I don't believe they offer an aged white version such as the SD pickup. It does have the tone profile that I am looking for as well as the same style pole pieces. I am seriously considering it now...
Just got a pharohs gold with the 3 single coil, the bridge mini HB is awesome, great playing guitar, definitely worth the money, a poor mans Suhr I say lol
Great review, very thorough. Can I ask, did you want/have to lower the action when you got it? I got a DK24 HSH mahogany and I'm finding it a bit high. If so, did you lower the saddles or the whole bridge? It's about The low E on the 12th fret is 1.5mm of the fets and the high E is almost 2mm (sorry for not using your US measurements!) Ideally I'd like it aboy 1mm on each. Any thoughts appreciated.
Thanks! Yeah so I did lower the action immediately. I always do as I like it as low as possible with only a TINY amount of string buzz on the 3 bass strings. The bridge looked so even on both ends that I only used the saddles to make the adjustments. I currently have it at 1.5mm on the low E and 1mm on the high E. If I could go lower I would but then too much buzz comes into play.
Also I would mention that I like the neck very straight with only an almost imperceptible amount o f neck relief so a small truss rod adjustment was necessary. I check the truss rod and action on all my guitars every couple of months. It never ends. lol
@@digital360 Thanks so much for the fast reply. Really appreciate you taking the time to answer and the helpful advice.
What rocks even more than the guitar is the liquor supply in the background.
Yeah man! Love a good drink on the weekends! Cheers!!
I personally love the dark amber on gold one.
I love that color too.
I would not buy another but I am happy with mine.
I just bought one used HSH version
$750 I’d say never played..
Your right incredible guitar
So about the pickup in the bridge…
I think it depends on the amp you use ….also that’s why they put a tone knob on the guitar …
It works for me , if it gets to bright
Oho and it will .. my friends only play through vintage fenders
So bright takes on new meaning
When y play through one of these.
I’ll tone it down ,.. I’m not gonna get to picky here …
works perfectly….
I’m not gonna mess with this one
Leave it as is ,..it’s great 👍
Thx for your vid ….peace
Thanks for the comment as well. Happy to see people getting these and loving them!
I wish they did that colour in HSS .
I want one. I'm left handed and my choices are slim. What you say about the Full Shred PU scares me. Thanks for the info. Nothing has everything I want, but plenty of right handed guitars do. Kinda pisses me off.
Oddly enough I’m a lefty who plays right handed. Yeah the full shred is not terrible and if you are someone who doesn’t mind using the tone knob to dial back the treble a tad it’s fine.
Nice review. Nice guitar. The Full Shred tone isn’t for me. I wish Charvel would offer the Fishman Fluences in the Dinky and San Dimas lines. Currently only in the SoCal Type 2.
Thanks for the kind words my man! Yes I would absolutely love if they offered Fishmans in this guitar. I want to put those in one of my other guitars soon.
Yeah the bridge is bright, but I can get around it with EQing the amp, and one if my amps is pretty dark anyways so it pairs well. But just a thought, have you considered swapping the no load tone pot for a regular pot? Even on 10, a regular pot will still have some resistance and ground off a little bit of highs whereas the no load is pretty much as open and bright as you can get - figured it'd be a cheaper mod to try before swapping a pickup.
And my only complaint is where every model I've owned and tried has fret sprout. On a $1k guitar, they need to get that baking process right on the neck
That’s actually a great idea that I hadn’t considered - a normal tone pot. Thanks for the suggestion I’m going to do just that!
Such a great guitar! Totaly want one - even though I just bought a San Dimas than I'm absolutely in love with! I really like the JB45 on my guitar, the only thing I'm not crazy about with your DK24 is the color haha. I think they made it in a matte orange that I loved. Great playing too!
The San Dimas are really nice looking too. I would love to get my hands on that orange Dinky. Yea I definitely understand with the color. It is highly subjective and not for everyone. I seem to like guitar colors that remind me of how BMX bikes used to look back in the 80's when I used to ride and do freestyle. lol
I bought one recently but I'm going to return it. Mine will not stay in tune after I did all the recommended fixes I could find online. The drastic volume difference between the series and parallel wiring is also kind of annoying. I have guitars that have the volume remain consistent regardless of what position or splitting/tapping the coil (such as the Charvel Guthrie Govan or the Schecter California Classic), and it's just one less thing you have to constantly adjust while playing/recording.
Hey did you ever replace that pick up!? And if you , lets see it and hear now! 🤘
No I didn't replace it yet. I am still deciding if I want to or not. For now Im just dialing back the treble on my amps when I play it.
Do the modern Charvel guitars still have the "Rolled Edge" Fingerboard? And the Wider 2 1/8 in. Neck? And the perceived (Classical Guitar) Flatness Contour on the back of the neck? This is what I remember about Charvel and why I want one.
So both of my Charvels have the rolled fingerboard which is super comfortable, and yes, 2 and 1/8” neck width at the twelfth fret. The neck contour is a modern C shape with the slightest little bit of flat on the back. It’s almost imperceptible though. I love these necks! My Ibanez guitars are slightly wider and flatter thin necks in comparison.
@@digital360 Thank you!
I got the orange 1... Its insane nice
But I gotta say , everything you said good and bad is dead on.
Do you like the alcino???
So for me the alnico II is nice with a warm but not muddy mid gain tone. Great for more of a classic rock vibe imo.
@@digital360 I agree its very sweet , smooth sounding...but to agree again IT DOES NOT GO WITH THE SHRED ... I love the guitar but I the shred is to trebily but does shred Wich sucks wen u go to the bridge for a solo...lol it goes from chaos to pretty Wich is not what im trying to do in a chaotic heavy song...
At the same time i do many genes and i do get lots of diffrent sounds from the guitar... Everthing u said was dead on :)
I own the quilted Maple ámbar and I agarre with you, that bridge pickup has a Lot of treble but with a proper EQ You can balance the tone, btw I have another charvel with caramelized Maple neck and start feeling the edges of the frets any thoughts on how to solve it?
I use a file that I purchased from Stewmac website which is specifically made for filing frets. I may do a video on that process very soon!
Your right on about this guitar.. it's great except that bridge pickup..
Yesh@, Excellent review! This review convinced me to get one of these new, DK24's! I well disagree we ith you on the DUNCAN Full SHRED Bridge - that is a killer,, multi-talented, piece of KIT! IF I want to "CHUGG LIKE OLA! (Englund!)- I'll unsheath my SCHECTER HELLRSISER C-7! Meantime, to hit Van Halen tone, ♥️ 😎, this puppy is the Cat's Ass! Cheers, & Great work, Bud!