Charvel Pro Mod SoCal Style 2 - 6 months on.... still worth it? 

Check out more clips of this guitar here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-QVtx07CGsvs.html

It is so refreshing to get to hear everything this Guitar can do. So Damn tired of clean then Metal/Thrash Demos!

Great review! All tones demonstrated

Really great review! Great demos of all the functions and great playing.

This is the first video I have seen that demonstrates the versatility of this particular guitar. I don't have the budget for 90 different guitars, I am looking for a work horse that can do everything. So far this is close to the top of the list. Thank you for the video

Great review on this fantastic instrument! Thank you🙏🏻

As many others have said, what a fantastic review! Thank you for taking the time to put this video together. I’m seriously considering on of these charvels - I love the natural finish and the versatility. Subscribed.

Excellent review! I’ve been looking at this guitar for a while now. I may decide to get it now.

Great sounding guitar and seems very versatile, t5hanks for the overview.

Just discovered your channel after looking for reviews of this guitar. Quality vid Andy. Subscribed 😊

Thanks a lot for this review, so complete!!!

Great review!

Excellent review. Thanks.

One of the best and most informative reviews I have watched. I played one of these yesterday and loved it.

Great video! I've been thinking about getting this guitar. I appreciate the thorough review.

Excellent information. I am currently looking at this model or something similar and it's very useful to see a review that's not metal etc. Good work

Thank you for an awesome and informative video. Great work. Thanks.

You sold me on this! Already seen some straight metal demos and the fact that it pulls off these sounds as well I’m sold!

Great review! I’m almost sold!

Gracias por este vídeo 👍🏻

Love your reviewing style Andy! You've even got me thinking about buying one of these. The versatility is super-impressive. Thanks also, for pointing out the down-side of a floating tremolo. Great playing too. 👍👍👍

Been jonesin for one of these since they came out. You're a great player BTW

Great review Andy, I plan to pick up the blue version in a week, I am more convinced from your review, thank you!

Damn this sis a great review, you definitely sold me on itn

Just got my hands on one like yours because of your amazing review of it! And I’m super happy with it! Thanks 😊

Fantastic review.

Great review! New to guitar playing and looking for my second guitar, thinking of buying this one or a player strat. Cant wait to test them both out.

Great demo, awesome guitar

This review helped me choose this guitar over about 5 guitars I've been studying. This is the best of the bunch. Thank you for your review and honest critique of this instrument.

love ur review brother ..... love it

Awesome playing, dude

I just left a comment on another video of yours saying it was the best one on this guitar. No, this one is. Thanks so much for taking the time. I think I'm going to buy one.

These guitars sell like hotcakes 🥞 I have the black hardtail… just love it. Charvel has been knocking it out of the park. Fret work better then my Gibsons for sure! Playability off the charts. Cheers 🍻

That run around 6:15 was great

I'm modifying a godin radiator with fishman fluence classic humbuckers. I'm psyched to see this charvel with fishmans. Your playing and demo are great! Thanks for the video

I use a guitar nut buster on my Charvel DJ 24 2pot,once strings played in it stays in tune all the time . Great reviews on this Charvel I’m gonna have to get one !

Your quality doesn’t match your subscriber count great job and I’m absolutely in love with the guitar👍🏻

Great review. I have been eyeing this guitar for a while. Still haven’t make a decision to buy or not. I like the versatility of it.

These guitars are underrated. Especially in the rock/metal sphere. Ive found them for as low as $600 usd. An absolute steal

This is all the guitar you will ever need. 👍

Just traded my PRS se and a violin for this Guitar yesterday on Craigslist… let’s just say I found my holy grail guitar. Your videos has brought me up to par with all the spec. Your playing show how versatile this guitar is..Thx bud be safe.

This video made me order this model (in black). Unfortunately, currently out of stock in many stores online. Oh and btw, new subscriber!

I'm a millimeter away from buying one of these. And you sir have tipped me damn near over the edge.

I've just got the hardtail version and I really like it - pickups sound fantastic and tone knob is very responsive in taming highs without losing the definition of the lows. The only thing I need to resolve are the bridge saddles are too long

You can also use a Mag-Lok to keep strings from “bending out of tune”. It’s essentially a magnet system for your springs which allows you to adjust via a magnet when the tremolo “releases”. There are RU-vid videos and you could poke around and probably find one. I have two of these installed on my guitars and they work great and I highly recommend them. That way you don’t have to lock your entire trem system. Good luck

Like your playing! I play country to heavy rock on floating trems. I have always used a Hipshot Tremsetter. Easy to install. I set it stiff and I can still pull the trem up. You can feel a click at times but I like the tone. Chords sound better since even if you strum hard a floating trem moves a bit. There are better systems out there like the Tremol-No. That is what is in the Guthrie Govan signature Charvel. I may get one of those Style 2 Charvels like yours. I primarily play a Tele. Nice tones!

this video helps lot！

This was a great video. Thank you for putting in the time and effort. My tastes in music are varied to say the least. I play in a church worship band and have been considering this guitar. The tele is my favorite type of guitar and the Fishman pickups seem pretty logical for all the ambient effects associated with modern worship music. I wish you had included some closeups of the body. Curious about the ash wood and the grain. If it is smooth or if you can feel the grain of the wood. No local stores carry these to check them out myself

Excellent, review subscribed. I'm about to buy this exact guitar. But now I'm thinking about TREMELO bridge. I dont know witch one to buy

Your demo of this guitar convinced me, and now really love it. Also felt the need to rein in the trem to stabilize the pitch. Unfortunately, I got a defective Tremel-No, where they did not fully thread the adjustment screws on main carriage, keeping the knobs from screwing in far enough. After 2 unanswered emails, and calling the listed number that leads to an answering machine to mailboxes, am frustrated that Tremel-no won't respond to their manufacuring defects, and I have to try and fix. Seems like a great solution otherwise, but can't recommend.

Perhaps the thicker strings messed with tuning. Great tone!

Almost everything on this guitar is like my dream guitar setup build that will cost a lot of $$$ for a custom shop. Tele body w/ pickguard, reverse headstock, baked maple fretboard, humbuckers, gotoh floating tremolo, locking tuners. I think it's a bonus to get the Fishman Fluence pickup and actual Tele headstock! The only items i should have wanted are chrome hardware and Aqua Seafoam Green paintjob! I got the black one and I'm pretty happy with it!

Great video and analysis Andy! I've been playing this guitar for almost 8 months my self. Same model and color, but I think it is the latest one, the one without the chambering (yes first models had chambering, check under your pickguard!) The body and the neck are fenomenal, some intonation issue on the high E, despite having properly lubricated the nut, the string trees and the saddles. But the great question mark for me is related to its sound, especially of the neck pickup I mean: - the neck PAF voice is fine, but IHMO it has slightly too much bass and less definition than the bridge one (this might depend by setup, the height is stock, the strings are elixir nanoweb 09-46) - the so called neck modern voice (switch down) seems so "nasal" and less trebly. might be perfect for vintage style jazz/blues probably. - the only usage I have for the "modern voice" is in position two (both pickups active), this achieves a nice sonic balance. - single coil is good though. the bridge pickup: - I really dig this one, in all three voices. no bass issues here, even with the bigger 09-46 strings. Final consideration: - it sounds good with my analog setup (rack, heads etc...), while with top notch digital neural dsp vst I struggle a lot to get a decent tone. So as I said so far one day I think "this is awesome", other times not that much :) Curious to read your thoughts on this :) thanks again!

Man,,,,you play realy good

I have three guitars loaded with Fishman Fluence pickups. Two of them have some sort of Fishman rechargeable battery pack (one has the strat spring cover battery, the other the universal). I think the rechargeable battery packs are well worth it, just so that you don't have to keep buying 9V nor have to worry about a battery leak. However, the Fishman pickups don't drain batteries very quickly, nor does the sound quality deteriorate as the battery drains, so I don't find myself charging my guitars very often.

"Nut sauce" 😂 Great review! Thank you

Getting one on Tues! Cannot wait! 😀Thanks for this great video - it's a brilliant run through! 🙂

New subscriber. Great video and wonderful playing. I'm looking at buying a used on now. Charvels are a grade up from Fender for me. The typical 2x4 heel joint on Fender is a big turn off. I have a Charvel DK22 and it is really nice. It's lightweight, stays in-tune as well as anything else I own and the heel joint makes Charvel much easier to play over a Fender. I'm currently on guitar probation but perhaps the Mrs. will relent. Again.

No, I use a right angle jack for my Charvel DK24 (for those who aren't familiar, it's the same sort of thing in an S shape.). I also use a wireless system in lieu of a lead sometimes, which is neither straight nor right angle, but on a hinge, and something in between. Finally, I don't use my string trees at all. I was told that with 0.10 string guage or more...the added string tension will keep the strings in the nut. And so far, yeah, they were right. I've got 0.10's and they haven't come out yet. But other than those fine points, great video. I love my Charvel! ✌️😎

Thank you Andy so much. I am considering this guitar. You addressed my main concern about whether it was suitable for more traditional styles. Sounds great and you play well!

I have a tremol-no on an Ibanez floaring trem. My .02 on the thing: 1. I recommend getting a professional to set it up, since you will want it to be aligned properly. They come with their own screws, and the holes for the spring plate might not match the ones on your guitar, depending on your current trem system. 2. The device works great, it allows you to have a full floating trem, a dive-only trem, or to just fix it completely. That being said, I think I could've just put a piece of wood in the back, between the bridge and the body of the guitar, because I don't find myself switching between those modes very often.

Great review. I must say. I don't understand that bridge. They put it on everything. Not just most caramelized necks but these are on Ibanez models too. I bought 3 separate Charvel DK 24 Pro Mod guitars with this bridge, I had high hopes but I was warned by a couple people who had these for a short time. I gave them to a trusted luthier that was Larry Carlton's traveling guitar tech and Production Manager for Valley Arts. He spent a ton of time trying to get all 3 of these guitars to stay in tune. From nut work, replacement, set ups, slight shims, leveling you name it. Nothing could keep these in tune. They all went back. 2 things that are a deal breaker for me. 1) Obviously the bridge. Given that Charvel has been renowned for Hot Rodded Strats I don't understand why they don't either put a Floyd Rose on one of these (to satisfy a lot of their core audience) that being said, I am not buying a over 1k axe to modify it because it needs it. If the bridge has issues which many people do with this guitar and the strat style, I am certainly not paying for a Tremolo No, if the bridge needs it then they should either supply it or get another bridge for the production models. It is ridiculous. It is one thing to WANT to do mods but you can't bend without this losing pitch. This is insane to me. The hardtail would be the only choice for me in this version. 2) I do like the pick ups however over the whole battery thing. I can manage but it is one more thing for me to obsess over as I gig. And one last thing, where are the stainless steel frets at this point? I love you Charvel but you can do far better.

Damn. I am sold on this guitar. I need to start saving up. I've been wanting to get a Tele for years, but this scratches the humbucker itch at the same time. And I love that you can bend the tremolo up. Get those Jeff Beck kinds of sounds. I wonder if it would stay in tune better if you just took the string trees off? I don't have them on my Strat and it stays in tune fairly well.

Great review Andy! Is this a heavy or lightweight guitar?

Great video. Great looking guitar and fantastic playing. Thinking about picking one up, but I really like Floyd Rose trems for cheesy tricks. I hate the problems that come with Floyds though. Once you addressed the tuning stability, do think the guitar is capable of some of some heavy 80s metal cheesy antics?

Hey bro, love your playing. You seem like you can kill it in any genre. Also, I bought this same guitar in large part because of these super insightful and helpful videos. I have a question for you though, have you noticed any issues because of the tremol-no? I ordered one and am waiting to install because I’ve heard some people say it makes causes a buzzy sound at times and that you can’t do flutters once installed, even in floating mode. Has any of that been true for you?

Hello! Great video! I happened to pick this guitar up on a Black Friday deal after watching this video and I was wondering which rolling string trees did you get for yours? Thanks again!

Just got mine it’s been 2 weeks now and I love it. Tho I’m not a fan of the tremolo version, I bought it for the ash wood body. I did blocked my tremolo so I can tune down one whole step. It’s amazing so far!

Beautiful playing and love the guitar!! What is the name of the short tune at 7:11? Mostly, I'm a rock style guitarist, but lately in my older years, I find myself being more drawn into this melodic jazz style.

Try wrapping the G-string upwards next time you change strings, works like magic for me.

08/29/2021: 6 Questions: (1) Is the whammy bar pop-in & pop-out, or just screw-in bar? (2) When switching to single coils, does the volume drop a lot? (3) Is the fretboard separate wood or all part of the neck wood? (4) Does the back have a belly cut? (5) Is there a hand comfort cut for the neck joint area? (6) With split single coils can you get a really good Telecaster Twang sound?

Great video ! Can you tell me the dimensions of the neck ? Thickness in the first fret and 12th ??? Thanks in advance !

Great video. I have this model guitar also. Do you find that there is slight neck dive on yours? Mine is slight. I might add a bit of weight on the body side. Thanks.

Thank you for making this video. I'm thinking about getting this guitar as the "one that can do it all". I'm a bit of a minimalist and I like the idea of owning only a few versatile pieces of gear (HX Stomp allowed me to stop worrying about pedals). I have one question though. I've noticed that you use HX effects, and you're doing a fair bit of direct recording. In your experience, are those Fishman Fluence pickups more or less noisy than regular pickups? I'm not just talking about the interference (which, active pickups should be better at eliminating presumably) but the noise floor in general? I'd also ask about the weight/ergonomics, but I'll probably get the hardtail version which is made out of different wood, so that will differ a bit. Anyway, thanks in advance for the answer!

Have you taken the pick guard off to see if it's chambered - I have one on order from sweetwater US - hope it's chambered seems some are and some not - great review

Can you provide some more of your experience with the bridge pickup in a single coil selection? How twangy does the guitar sound compared to a regular Tele with single coils?

Hi Andy. What other guitars did you compare this against and what made you choose the Charvel (certainly no shortage of great features). Thanks again

I’m really interested in buying this but I’m not so sure about the active pickups, what’s your opinion? And should I get the one with the fixed bridge or the tremelo... many choices.

I really enjoyed your video. I own a Charvel pro mod dk24 myself. Would you mind telling me where you purchased the roller string trees? I bought some but they don’t have the anti swivel peg.

I purchased a hardtail in September 2021. By January 2022 the frets have sprouted out the sides pretty significantly and I am going to have to file down all the fret ends on both sides of the neck. So much for the "stability" of roasted maple. :(

Great summary. I am concerned at your comment that if one string is bent the others go out of tune. Can you clarify please?

Hi, I have this guitar too. I like the fretboard a lot, but I found some very unpleasent issue with the tremolo tuning. Do you found the same problems? Is there some trick to solve that? Another thing I found is that when you use the mid position pickups the volume became lower and the sound seems to become like a little radio speaker. Did you noticed that?

Hey Andy, thank you for the review of this guitar. I have a question. Well, actually 2 questions: 1- does the guitar nose dive? I have 2 telecasters that use locking tuners, and their headstocks were always too heavy for the body. I had to replace the runners for not locking ones. 2- How good is the fretboard? I tried a cheaper shredding Charvel, and the fret's endings were horrible. Very sharp, they could easily cut the palm of my left hand. Looking forward to your feedback.

Looking for help here: I use my So Cal thru an EVH Iconic and for the bridge pickup, I have to push the tone knob and high tone Wayyyyyyy down just so it doesn't sound like it's screaming in my high e string. Thoughts? Cherrs

Which string trees did you buy? Did they fit right in? I am looking to do this mod. Thanks!

Hey Andy. I've got a hardtail on order and wondering what type of battery are you using to get 5 months out of it? I've got a couple of rechargeable NiMh 250mAh in the house but noticed that the Fishman rechargeable add-on system that you mentioned is lithium-ion.

Where u been? I just subscribed

Many thanks for this! I'm loving this series of video's. I don't like the reverse head at all or the colours but this guitar seems to be huge value for the money. How is the neck for small hands? Also, is the action nice stock from the factory on your guitar or did you need to adjust it? I have read varying reports on the fretwork as well. Some great and some not so good. I'm guessing you were happy with the fretwork though. I should mention that I'm interested in the fixed bridge version.

Was the tuning stability not good before you changed to 10-46? I just got one of these guitars, and the tuning stability is really good.

Hi Andy. Just bought one of these. Can I ask you about the trem arm? The gotoh 510 instructions say that you use the internal trem arm thread when winding the arm on as there is an Allen screw on the barrel that it winds onto. (I'm not talking about the little grub screw on the side to take up the slack). I've found that my arm will not screw on in order to lower the trem arm height, because it looks like the hole in the arm is slightly too small. Are you using the internal thread I'm talking about?

Oh Lord, I haaate it! Each to their own, but damn, that's just all types of unnecessary ugly! Im a fan of the S types...DK24/22 for me.

I really hope to ask you whether this guitar can also play rock and metal in addition to retro styles such as jazz and blues?

Hi Andy, do you have an opinion on how well this guitar sustains compared to a full fat Les Paul style guitar? I have a Schecter Solo-II Custom on back order, but this has really caught my eye and is objectively more versatile...

anyone know what specific string tree rollers he got? I've always had trouble finding quality ones

Hi Andy. Your tone is so round and full spectrum. I'm playing the same guitar into a Mesa Express 5/50, and it is so bright and clear, but the lower end of the spectrum is pretty empty. Do you play with the tone mostly rolled off, or make significant notches with an external equalizer? I haven't been able to nail what I'm going for with only my amp's bass, mid, treble and contour. Advance thanks for any advice.

Locking tuners dont have any impact on tuning stability they only allow faster string changing and a nicer finished look on the headstock. Still worth it imo but it won't do anything for stability that still lies in the bridge and nut.

How do you like the reverse headset? Better with the longer e string length/. Does that feel better?

Anyone using this with a wireless system? I am curious to see if it works ok with this style of output jack

uhm..... I got to say I wasnt a fan of the moder voice my self....... and if i get one I would go for the hard tail bridge one and if at the end I don´t like the active pickups I might end up changing them for some old school PAF pickups tho, I would also change the strings like you did....... I think the guitar is badass indeed........ do you know if changing the pickups for passive ones is possible without any issues? cause it seems like the electronics are very modern.

Many-many thanks for demonstrating so many tones and genres - Charvels and Fluences typically get demonstrated in high gain environment, only