Charvel san dimas, so cal / fender strat

[always SD]

Re: Charvel san dimas, so cal / fender strat

I got myself a SoCal because (1) It is the most similar the most desireble superstrat for my taste, yet bein able to mod at will by changing pickguard (2) I wanted to try the distortion set, I had already tried JB, Jazz, STK-S10n and a few other. (3) I already had a strat that imho had a few weak features that I really wanted to improve with the Charvel.

Playability. the fretboard is slighly wider. This can be a good thing if you have fat and short finger tips like me but it makes hendrix-like thumb on string a bit more dificult, I was not able to do that with my strat anyway. But the most noticible difference is the fret radius and size, Charvel has bigger and flatter frets which allows you for a better grip on the string when bending and avoid string buzz that I would sometimes have with my strat on big bends. Ah, I almost forgot, this is a non-gloss maple neck and fretboard, very comfortable and I always wanted to have a maple freboard, it feels as comfortable as the rosewood fretboard of my strat.

Tone. The distortion set is a killer set! It is absolutely great for those who want to play metal. I compared the sound of my Charvel with the sound of my Strat and definietly it has more power. The distortion set however lacks on versatility, imho the neck is so great for high gain soloing but it is kind od a dark neck tone for clean, similar comment for bridge pcikup, I found myself using the middle position every time I wanted to play clean tone with the Charvel SoCal, not as brigth or sparkly as the JB/Jazz middle position but still nice and very usable for clean tone.

i am agree with you because : the fretboard is wider than a strat : yes!!!
is it a problem ?
i think that it can be because i have not big or fat fingers

these guitars are with sh 1-sh4 or 2 sh6

i tried the 2 guitars

hard to choose but you will have better clean tones with sh1-sh4 or just sh1 and sh4-sh6 are similar (sh6 has just more power)

 

[Lake Placid Blues]

Re: Charvel san dimas, so cal / fender strat

hard to choose but you will have better clean tones with sh1-sh4 or just sh1 and sh4-sh6 are similar (sh6 has just more power)

The Sh-6 has a powerful ceramic magnet. The SH-4 has an alnico 5 magnet. Usually a ceramic magnet gives more power but a more aggressive tone too. Usually, but not always, players like alnico magnets better for cleans.

 

[always SD]

Re: Charvel san dimas, so cal / fender strat

yes
it has a warmer sound with alnico or clean (maybe) because it depends on the guitar too

a good guitar body or fretboard like a san dimas/so cal will have a very good clean sound and i was really surprised about the very good sound of the PRS se floyd too
the clean sound is very bright-clean

i think that if we want power, we must buy a Charvel with EMG

i saw Gary Moore in an old video= a Charvel with a emg 81? +floyd rose and it was good

 

[Lake Placid Blues]

Re: Charvel san dimas, so cal / fender strat

Gary was just a great guitarist. I have gone away from high output pickups for the most part. I like the dynamics and the touch sensitivity of PAF clones and vintage single coils now. I'm fortunte enough to have acquired some rather good amps over the years though.

 

[treyhaislip]

Re: Charvel san dimas, so cal / fender strat

The Sh-6 has a powerful ceramic magnet. The SH-4 has an alnico 5 magnet. Usually a ceramic magnet gives more power but a more aggressive tone too. Usually, but not always, players like alnico magnets better for cleans.

That is a good description. I prefer pickups with ceramic magnets for both clean and distorted–"aggressive" is a good description of what I like about them.

 

[always SD]

Re: Charvel san dimas, so cal / fender strat

hi
hard choice between fender hss deluxe and san dimas/so cal
:22:

 

[Lake Placid Blues]

Re: Charvel san dimas, so cal / fender strat

Indeed. The SoCal is nice cuz of the pick guard. That gives you a lot of flexability. You can have everything from a single Hum to H/S, H/H, HSH, HSS, to SSS as you need. With the San Dimas you have to use H/H. H/H is flexable too, with super switches, or push pulls, and four conductor leads, but not a as flexable as the pickguard.

 

[always SD]

Re: Charvel san dimas, so cal / fender strat

hi guys
i am going to buy a an Dimas Style 1 HH Pro-Mod Maple Fretboard - Red Burst (i had a promo?, less expensive that the original price)

beautiful guitar: good compromise because i did not find what i want in a ssh deluxe strat (no floyd rose for example)
Sambora's model is perfect but rare and i prefer a hole in the body for the floyd rose

so what do you think about the sound?
and i will need your help to customize ? it

vintage noiseless in the middle or stk or ssl
combinaisons like you said ( a long work !!! to think about this versatile guitar)
piezo?

i really think that the best guitar for me was a EC model with boost +floyd rose + ssh sH4

but it may be complicated, it costs more money too

must i believe that the san dimas can have a really good sound for blues?
or is it a super strat for poor man?lol

 

[always SD]

Re: Charvel san dimas, so cal / fender strat

you said that the san dimas is not as versatile as the hss deluxe?

 

[Lake Placid Blues]

Re: Charvel san dimas, so cal / fender strat

hi guys
i am going to buy a an Dimas Style 1 HH Pro-Mod Maple Fretboard - Red Burst (i had a promo?, less expensive that the original price)

Good. Now that you have made a decision, stop second guessing your self. It's a good choice. Once you spend some time with the stock pickups then you know better their capabilities and limitations, and if you want to add splits, change pickups, a tone knob, or just leave it alone.

 

[treyhaislip]

Re: Charvel san dimas, so cal / fender strat

you said that the san dimas is not as versatile as the hss deluxe?

I would say the guitar is as versatile as you want it to be...Phil Keaggy makes his Olson acoustic sound anywhere between a normal acoustic and a wailing soloist

 

[allbutromeo]

Re: Charvel san dimas, so cal / fender strat

I have a Jackson Adrian Smith SDX with the rosewood fretboard. It's very similar to the SoCals, but it's a basswood body. I threw in a DMZ Gravity Storm in the bridge, Area 67 middle, and Injector in the neck. Every position sounds killer, especially for basswood. I also put a brass block on the floyd, it's top mounted and while I prefer routed it's not that big of a deal, it just doesn't pull up as far. The only thing I don't like on it is it has the Vintage style truss rod, where the adjuster is at the base of the neck, so anytime it needs adjusted I have to take the neck off... PITA

 

[treyhaislip]

Re: Charvel san dimas, so cal / fender strat

I have a Jackson Adrian Smith SDX with the rosewood fretboard. It's very similar to the SoCals, but it's a basswood body. I threw in a DMZ Gravity Storm in the bridge, Area 67 middle, and Injector in the neck. Every position sounds killer, especially for basswood. I also put a brass block on the floyd, it's top mounted and while I prefer routed it's not that big of a deal, it just doesn't pull up as far. The only thing I don't like on it is it has the Vintage style truss rod, where the adjuster is at the base of the neck, so anytime it needs adjusted I have to take the neck off... PITA

I played one at a Guitar Center and was very impressed! I thought the neck was very comfortable.

 

[IMENATOR]

Re: Charvel san dimas, so cal / fender strat

Indeed. The SoCal is nice cuz of the pick guard. That gives you a lot of flexability. You can have everything from a single Hum to H/S, H/H, HSH, HSS, to SSS as you need. With the San Dimas you have to use H/H. H/H is flexable too, with super switches, or push pulls, and four conductor leads, but not a as flexable as the pickguard.

SSS is not that easy for a guitar with a FloydRose bridge. That bridge needs some extra wood that does not leave enough room left for a slanted single coil in the bridge that is the omniprescent SSS pickguard. For that you need a pickguard where the bridge single coil pickup to be non-slanted and use a pickup that does not have that oversized base so the base won't overlap with the wood at the bridge. I am looking to buy myself a custom SSS pickguard and I already know I will use either an SSL-6 or STK-S6 in the bridge.

I had to learn all this the hard way, buying an SSS pickguard that became useless for my FR strat

 

[Lake Placid Blues]

Re: Charvel san dimas, so cal / fender strat

SSS is not that easy for a guitar with a FloydRose bridge. That bridge needs some extra wood that does not leave enough room left for a slanted single coil in the bridge that is the omniprescent SSS pickguard. For that you need a pickguard where the bridge single coil pickup to be non-slanted and use a pickup that does not have that oversized base so the base won't overlap with the wood at the bridge. I am looking to buy myself a custom SSS pickguard and I already know I will use either an SSL-6 or STK-S6 in the bridge.

I had to learn all this the hard way, buying an SSS pickguard that became useless for my FR strat

Ah good to know.

 

[always SD]

Re: Charvel san dimas, so cal / fender strat

the san dimas model is an amazing guitar : very easy to play
beautiful color
floyd rose original
sh1
sh4
volume
no tone control
no split

neck sound: it can be blues and funk without a split
not as warm as a strat classic player 60's (same price)

middle position: the same middle position

bridge pickup: a lot of output 16k
sh4 is the most famous bridge pickup for rock-hard-metal (with the Emg's
harmonics ok

dynamic is amazing
it's a guitar for shredders or like i read: for ozzy, rat, dio

it's so easy to play fast with this guitar
the neck is not fat : it's very good
but

i would have prefered a sound with more trebles

maybe put some orange drop? other? or it's the sound of this guitar
Charvel wanted to have this kind of sound?not a lot of trebles
not Satriani's model


i noticed that the bridge pickup is at 1mm from the string( when you press the last fret) : i think it must be lower than this

tuning is perfect
intonation is good
price is good lol

are there some users who played with coil tap? split? a third pickup?

 

[scotto10]

Re: Charvel san dimas, so cal / fender strat

SSS is not that easy for a guitar with a FloydRose bridge. That bridge needs some extra wood that does not leave enough room left for a slanted single coil in the bridge that is the omniprescent SSS pickguard. For that you need a pickguard where the bridge single coil pickup to be non-slanted and use a pickup that does not have that oversized base so the base won't overlap with the wood at the bridge. I am looking to buy myself a custom SSS pickguard and I already know I will use either an SSL-6 or STK-S6 in the bridge.

I had to learn all this the hard way, buying an SSS pickguard that became useless for my FR strat

Hi IMENATOR,
I was just looking for a way to do this SSS thing myself. I love the neck on my Charvel SoCal but do not like Fender necks at all. I was hoping to do something like create a Strat out of a SoCal but your post discouraged me a little. Did you ever find a way to make it work - even close?

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: Charvel san dimas, so cal / fender strat

great comment
because i also want the neck sound+ bridge = telecaster

you will need a telecaster for that, for so many reasons.

Honestly, whatever guitar you choose, that is what the guitar will sound like.
Coil taps and switching in a charvel will not give you the sound of a strat.
Split humbuckers do not sound like true single coil pickups.
The quest for versatility in a guitar is almost a waste of time. You end up with a guitar that has a whole lot of options, but no real killer sounds.
There is a lot more to creating the tones of a particular guitar than just pickup switching options.
Just choose the sound you like the best and get the guitar that will deliver that.
If you like the charvel, just get that and enjoy it. Charvel necks are a killer recipe and you can have heaps of fun with a floyd and hot humbuckers. Add coil splits if you want for some extra tones. Just don't expect strat, tele or les paul sounds out of it.

Work on being versatile as a player. It is a much better investment.

 

[Demanic]

Re: Charvel san dimas, so cal / fender strat

A strat can do metal. A metal-only guitar (HH) cannot do strat. But a strat cannot do LP either, and of course the LP is far from doing any strat. IMHO an HSH super strat could be the basis for a very versatile guitar, or maybe HSS with mid and neck being rails. My Aria strat has fast track2/fast track 1/the copper with push/pull for series/parallel in both bridge and neck (needed for switch between metal tone to rock tone), bridge wired to the tone pot (to do this Pink Floyd "shine on you crazy diamond" intro solo), and a toggle on-off switch to add bridge in every position (basically to bring all pups together in parallel or just have bridge and neck together giving this tele-tone). This guitar *is* the most versatile I have. The only thing it cannot do is the LP neck and mid positions (due to scale/geometry I guess).

Triple Shots. With a phase switch for the both on position. A series/parallel for the both on if you want to get serious.