Hey guys read this! USA PRODUCTION OWNER reviews his new san dimas

[savage]

http://www.seymourduncan.com/forum/s...d.php?t=144683

[Charlz]

Sheesh!!! Very in depth!!

[DHardmanJr]

More "knob hating". Now, I'm really curious to see when mine comes in how bad ne knob really is or if people are just piling on. An easy fix as everyone says, but the comments are so strong about it that it's hard to believe it could be that bad.

Also, on the So Cals, it really doesn't matter if the pickguard and knob are super cheap as most people will replace them, I'd imagine, with something according to their own preference.

Dave

[DHardmanJr]

From the photos of the Floyd it looks like the base plate is thicker and sustain block is fatter on the Korean-made Floyd in the Production Model compared to the OFR.

Dave

[RobRR]

No, theyre the same sizes. I will say though that he is right about the finish on the baseplate, it is kind of dull.

[savage]

No, theyre the same sizes. I will say though that he is right about the finish on the baseplate, it is kind of dull.

sounds to me these are some of the cost cutting things that are not real important anyways
like i dont mind having to do some polishing,restringing,personal adjustments
to save $1000 off the CS ones.
The way i look at it is charvel is paying $1000 to do the finishing work

[psychodave]

While I appreciate his review, he is very nit picky and anal retentive. I am a player, not a collector. My guitars get scratched and dirty during normal use. Sounds like this guy is planning on hanging the guitar up on the wall as a show piece!!

[gregmarmon]

ok i just spent an hour playing my so cal here are my thoughts,

I like the knob-good grip i can actual feel the knob under my finger good grip

pickups are perfectly matched to the guitar tz and evolution kick ass-i have had a tone zone in 2 ibanezes that i had and they don't sound like they way they do in this charvel.

the floyd kicks ass-mine set up perfect bar has jut enough resistance but not
too stiff only mod i will do is drop a tremolno in there so i can lock it into down only
so i do not have to adjust the neck pocket and then i will slap an evh d tuna on
there because my band plays alot of drop d material.

neck is awsome i cannot tell the difference between mine and the warren de martini that i played yesterday at guitar center if there is a difference it is subtle. It took me back to 86 when i was playing this thing. I guess since i sold my old model 2 which i loved-i have never found a guitar that was it's equal no matter the price range that is until now. I never owned a custom shop or a old sd so maybee i do not know what i am talking about, but i know i like it. when my band starts rehearsing again next year for our next record this baby is coming with me.

after i get some extra non dedicated funds i will definatley be buying the tele style for a backup. just in short there is nothing that sucks about this guitar. well except the gig bag- i will be going to guitar center shortley to get a skb strat case for it and a new strap

[XSSIVE]

yeah i went real in depth in the review since i saw a lot of sugar coating and no one ever wants to point out little flaws on their new guitars so i figured i'd be real honest and also slightly opinionated on my hatred of the knob and grovers it's not really fair to compare this budget priced model with several cost cut areas against my TMZ natural and my custom shop but i figured that's what people want to base them on so i did it and was honest about it. is it a cool player guitar...heck yeah. is it perfect...nope, and i never thought it would be. is it on the level of the natural or custom...no and you shouldn't fool yourself into thinking it is or that it even should be. my swirl marks on the black from buffing and the ground wire are obviously isolated incidents that were an easy fix for me and my knob, toggle and tuner stuff is nit picking. again i wanted to be honest and tell what i got out of the box. the only solid so so thing i keep hearing from people is that the frets need at lest a once over with some 0000 steel wool to clean off the oil film...no biggie, every usa maple neck fender has that nightmare layer of poly that needs to be removed from the frets. the oil film is easy to remove and comes off to a nice shine without a fight. the frets are better than most modern gibsons i've come across lately that's for sure!

make sure to keep going down the page because i added other pics and info and thoughts along the way.

oh and i warned you right at the top of that post there would be no sugar coating and there would be some nit picking too i just wanted to be 100% honest about everything and not BS people.

-Mike

[wibble]

Good fair review XSSIVE, also entertaining and very informative. Enjoyed reading it tremendously.

I personally think too many people are getting hung up on the comparisons. Bottom line for me, is are these damn fine players at the price and i think this has been answered positively repeatedly by all that have reviewed these. I don`t think people buy other brands expecting their new guitars to be like this, that or the other specific era guitar unless it is a custom, so it should be no different for these. Not really any different to buying a production ESP, Ibeenhad, Jackson, Gibson etc and we shouldn`t expect any different.

Hugely looking forward to getting mine and i think Charvel have done a great job here on a true players guitar.

New poll on Charvel site, do they have something else in the pipeline?

[XSSIVE]

thanks for taking the time to read ALL of that...i know it was crazy long.

i just wrote this on that thread and i feel it does sum it up well.

bottom line, if the buyer is a guy who owns import charvels from the past (model series) and import jacksons and usa or mij or mim fenders or schecters he will LOVE this and it's on par with the best of those. if the buyer owns custom shop charvels and jacksons or usa jacksons or suhrs and andersons and PRS usa made guitars he will need to put some time in on the frets and set-up and then be happy with it. if you're used to those high end guitars don't fool yourself into thinking this is on that level, it's just not and it's not meant to be. again, it's not meant to be but people keep trying to compare it to them so i did the same...but HONESTLY. it's a darn good guitar and a real player that i'm happy to have in the heard!

i didn't want to blow smoke here and was dead honest about everything and even gave the screw counters some eye candy of the parts and cavities.

i wasn't going to compare them to the TMZ or custom at all but EVERYONE seems to be doing that so i felt i had to to make it a complete review. yet i had to do it and be honest about it. those cost more for a reason and are worth the up charge...ok, ok, the customs are a bit overpriced that's for sure but i still love mine!!

-Mike

[savage]

Your review was uh Let's say BRUTALLY honest and i appreciate that but i noticed some other owners are quite happy with theirs without SOME of the things you mentioned on yours?
are these going to to be hit and miss?
I for one hope not!

[MountainDog]

While I appreciate his review, he is very nit picky and anal retentive. I am a player, not a collector. My guitars get scratched and dirty during normal use. Sounds like this guy is planning on hanging the guitar up on the wall as a show piece!!

I don't see it that way at all. Anyone that works in manufacturing knows that shortcuts have to be taken to meet certain price points. I own a Charvel TMZ natural Mahogany, a Custom shop Dweezil green, CloneGuitars #004, and a GMW strathead. By owning one of Mike's Clone guitars, I can attest to the workmanship and quality of it, which is on a par with the Charvel custom shop & GMW ones Mike refers to.

The new models look to me like great guitars at great prices. I believe the point of the review was to both give great detail so people know what they're getting and to offer a counter to people that were saying these were equivalent to $2300+ Charvel guitars.

[savage]

The new models look to me like great guitars at great prices. I believe the point of the review was to both give great detail so people know what they're getting and to offer a counter to people that were saying these were equivalent to $2300+ Charvel guitars.

I am a realistic person and I KNEW before even ordering mine that i was not going to be getting a "EQUAL" to a $1,600 CS san dimas
that is a absurd thing to think but i do know that i am getting a whole hell of a lot of CHARVEL for the brand new $999 street price

[XSSIVE]

savage...yeah i wanted to be real honest and not blow smoke up everyone ass saying they are the best guitars ever blah blah. hit and miss, my guess is yes but odds are more hits than misses. there were variations between the two black ones i got to pick from in fret work, fingerboard roll, and weight (that's a given on any guitar though). set ups were about the same on the two, ok i guess you could call it, playable if you're not picky needs work if you want the best from your guitar...but that's ANY guitar. every guitar out there needs to be set up for each player. i can't play 9s (way too thin) so a string change at a minimum was a must for me. i think these will end up like a typical USA made strat. go into a shop pick 5 up and you'll see several variations in neck shapes, fingerboard roll, fret work, finish and all that...they are production line guitars and that's what you get when you do things fast, it's a given. when you pay thousands more for a custom you get the attention to detail on the frets and fingerboard roll and neck shape and finish and all that along with the higher quality hardware.

MountainDog...glad you're still enjoying Clone #004 my niece was upset when she realized pinky was gone hahaha. i kept it on the DL and never told her hahaha.

oh and NO this isn't in a case on display, it's covered in fingerprints and pick dust already and it's being played like mad. my custom shop is in the case above the couch on display hahaha...




hence why i bought this one, to play the snot out of it and not worry about it. but i did want to start with a nice clean swirl free guitar out of the box and add my own scars to it, not factory ones....i don't think that's too much to ask for.

-Mike