Charvels vs GMW's

[Toby]

Re: Charvels vs GMW\'s

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Hey Toby, just out of curiocity, have you ever played an old San Dimas Charvel or one of the newer GMWs?

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I don't own a real San Dimas Charvels. But of course, I already played some real San Dimas Charvels. A friend of mine owns one. My custom shop replica is very close to the real San Dimas, and the neck is very authentic to the neck of my friends real San Dimas Charvel.

I never played a GMW. They are not available here in Europe.

[dinkyjacksonman]

Re: Charvels vs GMW\'s

Jesus,
So this topic started from a guy who hasn't never tried a GMW and telling some of us that we shouldn't recommend GMW to Charvel enthusiasts?
Maybe you were VERY lucky to have your Strathead Ontario custom shop but try one of GMWs and tell us what you think of and speak your own words from your experience instead.

[RR05xx]

Re: Charvels vs GMW\'s

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Jesus,
So this topic started from a guy who hasn't never tried a GMW and telling some of us that we shouldn't recommend GMW to Charvel enthusiasts?
Maybe you were VERY lucky to have your Strathead Ontario custom shop but try one of GMWs and tell us what you think of and speak your own words from your experience instead.

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[Birdzeyeee]

Re: Charvels vs GMW\'s

<font color="blue"> </font> Wayne Charvel offers everything San Dimas lovers like, except the deformed swan neck headstock &amp; old bottle opener headstock (like a strat head with a chunk of wood taken out to avoid lawsuits from Fender). Plus its well known that there were some known quality control issues. GMW was the perfect alternative - better value and a strathead wasn't a problem until now. True, GMW could "innovate" a headstock to avoid legal troubles from Fender - but its still not a strathead! [img]/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img] F'ing Fender is getting all Lars on us! OK, Maybee Lee could paint the body, I could attach the starthead neck provided by GMW, Lee could finish off everything, and everybody would legally be OK with Fender? [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] The strat head looks best on a strat body, with other designs being a distant second. I also want my Charvel strathead to have a black finish with small gold logo like the EVH VH2 guitar (which I would have to do the logo part after the guitar was finished of course). Black capped pointies are cool, but have durability /damage potential drawbacks. Funny how a lot of people got tired of the pointy copy headstock, but the strat heads never seem to grow old on people. Fender isn't making any early Charvel lovers happy with their new litigious rules to GMW and others who dare use "their" design. I'm sure Lee isn't happy, but has to comply within the law. Its an F'ing shame! [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]

[Markus]

Re: Charvels vs GMW\'s

"Wayne Charvel offers everything San Dimas lovers like, except the deformed swan neck headstock &amp; old bottle opener headstock (like a strat head with a chunk of wood taken out to avoid lawsuits from Fender)."

Can you still get a bottle opener headstock, or is the only option the deformed swan neck (good description)?

[Toby]

Re: Charvels vs GMW\'s

[ QUOTE ]
Jesus,
So this topic started from a guy who hasn't never tried a GMW and telling some of us that we shouldn't recommend GMW to Charvel enthusiasts?
Maybe you were VERY lucky to have your Strathead Ontario custom shop but try one of GMWs and tell us what you think of and speak your own words from your experience instead.

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Did you really read my initial post?

[dinkyjacksonman]

Re: Charvels vs GMW\'s

Yes I did and you go ahead and read what people have said about what you said in the first place.

People have choices and let them decide whatever they want to have.
If you want to post your statement,at least you better come up with something better than what you said.

Since you are just talking all these not from your own experience,I'd rather want to hear from someone else who knows what he is talking about.

[JDouglee]

Re: Charvels vs GMW\'s

My first question would be, who has the better wood sources? If the new Charvels are using Fender wood (cost cutting as they tend to be) I would highly consider GMW. Part of the reason Charvel came to fame, as EVH once put it, it's a fender strat design, but with "nicer wood".

------------------
www.hurljam.com

[Toby]

Re: Charvels vs GMW\'s

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Part of the reason Charvel came to fame, as EVH once put it

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The main reason why Charvels are famous is the craftsmanshop, the playability, the philosophy ... EVH is only one aof many famous Charvel players.

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it's a fender strat design, but with "nicer wood".

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It's not completely a Fender design. Only the body style is from Fender, but Charvel advanced it, the rest is Charvel. Charvels are not only better wood, it's also better craftsmanship, better playability, better sound, advanced conceptions, graphics, and the philosphy.

[tmdiamond]

Re: Charvels vs GMW\'s

Regarding your initial post....I think a LOT of Charvel enthusiasts, myself included, consider a GMW strathead to be a real Charvel strathead. Obviously, I don't mean that in the lliteral sense. But for all intents and purposes, they ARE the same guitar. And I would bet that if you took a GMW made with 22 year old pots, wiring, etc, that there may only be a handful of people here that could tell the difference between the GMW and a Charvel strathead. That group of enthusuasts numbers probably about 10 people here, that's my guess anyway.

[kickaxeguitars]

Re: Charvels vs GMW\'s

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Part of the reason Charvel came to fame, as EVH once put it, it's a fender strat design, but with "nicer wood".


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Let's not take that statement out of context.. For all intensive purposes, American Alder is American alder and Northern maple is Norhtern maple etc..

I think what Eddie was saying is that Charvel in the ealry days was trying to hit a new market by offering exotic woods whereas Fender offered their usual run of Ash or alder.(epsecillay in the 70's where Fender's were about the junkiest guitars they had ever produced in their history(thanks CBS!)
If you look at the earliest Charvel brocures, they are totally pimping exotic woods and this was minly due to Lynn Ellsworth-Not Wayne Charvel.

Getting back to the subject at hand.. TOBY, you missed the boat on one very important fact about new "Charvels" THey are not Charvels anymore. They are Fenders with a Charvel logo on them. They are now Fender and Fender is a cookie cutter guitar company and you can bet your ass they are spittin out these new "Charvels" in cookie cutter fascion, regardless of what they try to tell you. Does Anyone think the new anniversary guitar necks feel like an old Charvel S-head neck? Hell no.. cus they don't! I wasn't impressed with the new stuff at NAMM either. I don't care what it says on the headstock.. You cannont make a new guitar play like an old guitar. For value, hand-built quality and overall satisafaction, a GMW crushes the new Charvel stuff-PERIOD

My generalized review of vintage Charvels versus GMW: I've owned SEVERAL of both companies guitars and I find them to be on par with each other.The neck shapes are identical and the build quality is top notch.
Lee is OVERATED and a pompous ass to deal with but he spits out a good guitar.(mainly due to to the guys who back him up-(MS DL NM, NOT LEE himself)

I think what seperates the two has to be the mysterious "Mo-Jo" factor. Guys who have been fortunate enough to land an orignal S-Head Charvel that hasn't been totally basterdized can tell you it's the same feeling as when you were a kid and opened your Christmas presents to find that ONE present you had waited on for 2-3 years and you can still remember it to this day.
Part of it is the fact that 90% of players who get their hands on a nice Charvel have high expectaions from their impeccable reputation. The other part is knowing not only do you own a great playing guitar, it's worth a nice piece of change and has the potential to be worth a REALLY nice piece of change in the future.

On the other hand, you pay the going rate on a GMW ($800-$1200 used) and it's the same great playing guitar but it will never rival a Charvel as an ivestment piece and it lacks a little mojo.

Perhaps you guys should open you minds a little and get over the whole" I'm gona make a ton someday attitude" and buy a guitar that has a quality build and plays like a mutha.
Many companies literally stole Charvels great features and exact neck specs and all!
A couple guitars that come to mind are:
1)BC RICH Gunslinger.
Let's review:
single humbucker/single volume knob
Oiled,raw maple neck
2 1/4 neck pocket width
Floyd Rose trem
JUMBO frets
High output humbucker
Folks if you never played a Gunslinger then you missed a real treat. If you're into the pointy head charvel necks then you wouldn't know the difference if you picked up a Gunslinger.

2)Ibanez proline series circa 1988
raw oiled maple neck
Floyd Rose tremolo
many different body layouts etc
1/4" neck pocket

3) Roscoe
These I KNOW were modeled after Charvels as i had a conversation with Keith Roscoe and he basically told me he bought a pointy head back in the day and took it apart to copy the specs of a Charvel then added a little "flavor" to make it it's own uniqe character.
Ever wish Charvel had made a 24 fret neck? Roscoe did and it plays JUST LIKE a Pointy head charvel.
Raw oiled neck
Floyd knockoff
High output pickups
GREAT Custom graphics

That's 3 companies that come to mind right off the top of my head that ripped off Charvel but did a fine job in the process of making a nice Chrvel-like guitar.

If S-Heads are your thing, lets not foget the early Boogie Bodies, Stars guitars and Dimarzio guitars. THey are all one in the same..

[kickinsomeaxe]

Re: Charvels vs GMW\'s

to me there is NOTHING like a '81 or '82 charvel strathead! [img]/images/graemlins/headbang.gif[/img]

[kickaxeguitars]

Re: Charvels vs GMW\'s

NOTE: "kickinsomeaxe" is NOT my son, brother, uncle, granfather. father,cousin or any other form of relative to the one and only "kickaxeguitars" [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[kickinsomeaxe]

Re: Charvels vs GMW\'s

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NOTE: "kickinsomeaxe" is NOT my son, brother, uncle, granfather. father,cousin or any other form of relative to the one and only "kickaxeguitars" [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

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[img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[Chameleonfong]

Re: Charvels vs GMW\'s

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NOTE: "kickinsomeaxe" is NOT my son, brother, uncle, granfather. father,cousin or any other form of relative to the one and only "kickaxeguitars" [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

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Ok, he's not your my son, brother, uncle, granfather, father,cousin or any other form of relative. But you didn't mention anything he/her being your OTHER personality. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

Anyways, did you received my PM?

Fong