the new Charvels MIM vs MIJ

[copperheadroads]

I'm getting ready to put some money down on one of these but I'm a little confused of what to buy .
I'm leaning towards a So Cal MIJ it comes with a case Dimarzio tone zone & evolution & Grover tuners .
the other is a pro mod which has Seymour Duncan® SH-6N Distortion (neck) and T6-6 Distortion (bridge) humbucking pickups
Charvel® Branded Die-Cast tuners .
Is the hardware better on the MIJ Charvels ?
& how about the quality of the MIJ compared to MIM
I owned a model 4 & a 475 special in the past great guitars .

[Iceberg794]

It would be great if you can test both out before you buy.

[copperheadroads]

No chance as there is no dealer around here .Id be ordering online

[Nuithari]

There are some differences.

MIJ: DiMarzios, top mounted floyd, satin finished neck, more rolled fretboard edges, skb case.
MIM: Duncans, recessed floyd, unfinished/oiled neck, less rolled fretboard edges, no case/no bag.

Played both, both feel very very nice. I'm going for the MIJ though, mainly because of the top mounted floyd.

[Matt_B]

There are some differences.

MIJ: DiMarzios, top mounted floyd, satin finished neck, more rolled fretboard edges, skb case.

uh.... I never saw nor heard of a MIJ Promod with anything other than an oil finished neck.

[copperheadroads]

in the specs for the MIJ Bridge: Recessed Floyd Rose® FRT-O2000 Double-Locking Tremolo
is this a typo says the trem is recessed

[Matt_B]

That's a typo.

Personally I'd hold out and get a U.S. Production model but then again I think any Charvel not made in the U.S. is an abomination.

[copperheadroads]

I think any Charvel not made in the U.S. is an abomination.

So why are you hanging out the in the import section of this forum ?

[Matt_B]

So why are you hanging out the in the import section of this forum ?

I look at all the new posts, regardless of which sub forum they're in so I don't "hang out" in any specific sub forum.

Besides, I don't let my personal opinion prevent me from helping others.

[d4rin]

uh.... I never saw nor heard of a MIJ Promod with anything other than an oil finished neck.

He is correct, The fretboard on the MIJ is a darker finish which is likely a satin finish, I owned one.

[d4rin]

I'm getting ready to put some money down on one of these but I'm a little confused of what to buy .
I'm leaning towards a So Cal MIJ it comes with a case Dimarzio tone zone & evolution & Grover tuners .
the other is a pro mod which has Seymour Duncan® SH-6N Distortion (neck) and T6-6 Distortion (bridge) humbucking pickups
Charvel® Branded Die-Cast tuners .
Is the hardware better on the MIJ Charvels ?
& how about the quality of the MIJ compared to MIM
I owned a model 4 & a 475 special in the past great guitars .

The MIJ has grover tuners and a top-mounted floyd, which brings it closer the the real charvel era. The recessed floyds in a Charvel is just stupid!

The MIJ has Grover tuners, MIM has Charvel branded tuners. The MIJ has a darker finish on the neck.

I had a MIJ and now I have a MIM. The neck on the MIJ felt better for sure, Anything made in Japan is usually going to go head-to-head with anything USA makes.

[Matt_B]

He is correct, The fretboard on the MIJ is a darker finish which is likely a satin finish, I owned one.

It's darker because they used a tinted oil. When one refers to a "satin finish" I think of a poly or nitro based finish, not oil. I've seen a couple of MIJ Pro Mods in person and they had oil finished necks and they were darker in color than the US Production of the MIMs.

Here's an old thread on the subject: Pro Mod Neck Finish

[d4rin]

It's darker because they used a tinted oil. When one refers to a "satin finish" I think of a poly or nitro based finish, not oil. I've seen a couple of MIJ Pro Mods in person and they had oil finished necks and they were darker in color than the US Production of the MIMs.

Here's an old thread on the subject: Pro Mod Neck Finish

I wonder why they did that? I didn't like the darker finish as much.

[Matt_B]

I for one have no idea why they went with a darker oil. I don't recall anyone around here complaining about the standard color but we are a small subset of their consumers.

[shreddermon]

Most likely because they heard a few complaints about how "light" and "pale" the maple necks looked on the newer Charvels, relative to the SD originals. Some statements were even made that this was a reflection of how much better the wood was back then. Of course, little or no weight was given to the fact that those SD necks had the benefit of aging for 20 or 30 years. And, oh yeah, maple darkens as it ages.

...I wonder if people will be oooh'ing and ahhh'ing over today's necks 20 or 30 years from now. Probably not. LOL