NGD - Charvel DK24 in Satin Black

[weepingminotaur]

This beauty came yesterday. Full Shred and Alnico II Pro pickups. Pretty well-setup and playable out of the box. Strings don't even feel too old.

I was concerned about the amount of treble in the FS, but so far, I'm pleased with the sound. Will probably need to tweak my metal settings to get a bit more of the chug I need, but otherwise, it's fine -- articulate as advertised, crisp without being shrill in the upper end. Lead playing is addictive. The Alnico II Pro sounds remarkably nice on the clean channel (cue ominous acoustic intros to thrash burners!).

The satin neck is 100% my cup of tea. Love how it feels, and how it looks too -- the maple neck against that dark ebony fingerboard.

First guitar I've owned with the combination of a Fender scale and 24 frets, so my fingers are still getting used to things being a touch off from where they are on my other guitars. But that's not really a criticism.

Pretty stoked to own this!

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Needs a Floyd

J/k..to each their own. Looks like a killer axe. Congrats & have fun :bigthumb:

I love my Charvel ..it's probably one of my fastest playing axes along with my Saber's & my Jackson Dk2.

Personally I have'nt really cared for the Full shred in every axe I've tried w/ it. I prefer warmer & rounder tones..

If you think a Fender scale w/ 24 frets feels odd...you should try a Gibson scale w/ 24 frets (my BC Rich Ironbird Pro) :lmao:

 

[weepingminotaur]

Needs a Floyd

J/k..to each their own. Looks like a killer axe. Congrats & have fun :bigthumb:

I love my Charvel ..it's probably one of my fastest playing axes along with my Saber's & my Jackson Dk2.

Personally I have'nt really cared for the Full shred in every axe I've tried w/ it. I prefer warmer & rounder tones..

If you think a Fender scale w/ 24 frets feels odd...you should try a Gibson scale w/ 24 frets (my BC Rich Ironbird Pro) :lmao:

Haha, I am NOT a Floyd Rose fan at all. Much prefer hardtail bridges.

Oh, I know all about 24-fret Gibsons. Got two other guitars with that fret/scale. Then a 22/Fender. Now this 24/Fender Charvel. It is truly amazing how just that little bit of a change makes a difference at first. Muscle memory needs a refresher.

 

[Chistopher]

Interesting choice in pickups, did it come that way from the factory? I'm with you on Floyd Roses, 95% of the time I do a whammy bar noise, there was something better I could have done instead. Not really the best tradeoff when you consider you need a set of hand tools to do any adjustment beyond a slight retune.

 

[weepingminotaur]

Interesting choice in pickups, did it come that way from the factory? I'm with you on Floyd Roses, 95% of the time I do a whammy bar noise, there was something better I could have done instead. Not really the best tradeoff when you consider you need a set of hand tools to do any adjustment beyond a slight retune.

Yep, those are the factory pickups. If I'd had my choice, I would likely have preferred a more standard combo (JB/59, etc.), but so far I am digging these pickups.

I agree with you on whammy bar usage. It's just not my thing. I guess if I were trying to replicate Slayer leads, I'd need one, but I have no interest in that, though I do enjoy playing a lot of Slayer rhythm.

 

[Mincer]

I love Charvel's satin finishes. More companies should do them. Congrats on one mean guitar!

 

[Bill Dennis]

This beauty came yesterday. Full Shred and Alnico II Pro pickups. Pretty well-setup and playable out of the box. Strings don't even feel too old.

I was concerned about the amount of treble in the FS, but so far, I'm pleased with the sound. Will probably need to tweak my metal settings to get a bit more of the chug I need, but otherwise, it's fine -- articulate as advertised, crisp without being shrill in the upper end. Lead playing is addictive. The Alnico II Pro sounds remarkably nice on the clean channel (cue ominous acoustic intros to thrash burners!).

The satin neck is 100% my cup of tea. Love how it feels, and how it looks too -- the maple neck against that dark ebony fingerboard.

First guitar I've owned with the combination of a Fender scale and 24 frets, so my fingers are still getting used to things being a touch off from where they are on my other guitars. But that's not really a criticism.

Pretty stoked to own this!

They didn't include the Series/Parallel switch!! That is one of the best features on my DK24. Still a great guitar but that is such a cool feature...

 

[Securb]

That is beautiful. I love everything about it.

 

[weepingminotaur]

They didn't include the Series/Parallel switch!! That is one of the best features on my DK24. Still a great guitar but that is such a cool feature...

Ah yes, no switch, but this is going to be less of a versatile guitar than others in my inventory, so I don't think I'll miss it much. Will be used mostly for metal and hard rock. Maybe a bit of blues.

 

[Aceman]

The thing just screams ROCK ME HARD!!!!

Awesome.

BTW - what you RELLY want, weepingminotaur, is a Charvel Fusion. Carvel awesome, but Gibson scale.

https://reverb.com/item/78074633-jackson-super-dinky-sdk-fusion-made-in-japan-grover-stars-charvel

That one is stunningly cheap...

 

[weepingminotaur]

The thing just screams ROCK ME HARD!!!!

Awesome.

BTW - what you RELLY want, weepingminotaur, is a Charvel Fusion. Carvel awesome, but Gibson scale.

https://reverb.com/item/78074633-jackson-super-dinky-sdk-fusion-made-in-japan-grover-stars-charvel

That one is stunningly cheap...

That really is absurdly cheap, wow! Good-looking axe. But the Fender scale is a feature not a bug on mine. I specifically went for a 24-fret Fender for the extra room up high on solos that need the full two octaves.

 

[Chistopher]

Each day I get closer and closer to buy a new Charvel.

 

[Mincer]

I played a DK24 when I was beta testing the Hyperswitch, and would own a Charvel in a heartbeat. 22 frets, though.

 

[weepingminotaur]

I played a DK24 when I was beta testing the Hyperswitch, and would own a Charvel in a heartbeat. 22 frets, though.

I remember you saying that you're strictly a 22-fret guy. Totally fair. I don't have a particular preference, except when a solo demands those extra two frets.

 

['59]

Losing some of the bassiness to the neck pickup is a helluva price to pay for two extra notes.

That's a pretty cool instrument though, there is a used one selling near me with a double cream pair of Bluesbucker neck and Super D bridge that I've been debating adoption.

 

[weepingminotaur]

Losing some of the bassiness to the neck pickup is a helluva price to pay for two extra notes.

Depends on where your priorities are, I suppose. I can always dial bass back in through EQ if I need it. And I've honestly not found that the neck pups on my 24-fret guitars lack bass, or to any degree that bothers me. But I will admit that I play mostly on the bridge.

 

[Mincer]

It isn't really the bass of the neck pickup I like...there is a 'throaty' blooming thing with the notes I hear when the neck pickup is in the 'right' place for me. I don't hear it if it is moved 1cm.

 

[kramersteen]

Mint! Love my charvels

 

[Bill Dennis]

Losing some of the bassiness to the neck pickup is a helluva price to pay for two extra notes.

That's a pretty cool instrument though, there is a used one selling near me with a double cream pair of Bluesbucker neck and Super D bridge that I've been debating adoption.

It has plenty of low end

 

[Condemned soul]

For what its worth .... my impressions from reading the responses above.

Among my assorted Gibsons, there are two Charvel Dinky's luirking in the background.

The satin finishes! The names of the colors made me say hell no! Actually seeing the guitars up close was a totally different experience, as the colors including the pink which was more of a shell color were very appealing. As for grey, on a guitar no, when seeing the guitar, I realized there was enough blue in the finish to totally change my opinion.

Te first Charvel is a 24 fret shale grey SSH with SSL6's and the Full Shred. The Full Shred sounded like I turned the bass and mid controls to 2 and the Treble to 10 on the amp. When I got the Full Shred sounding good, the other pickups sounded awful ...... So it got swapped out for an SH5 Custom and all is good now.

The 2nd Charvel is the Gold 22 fret SSS Dinky and it came with SSL6's and a Hot Rails. Never used a Hot Rails before - it works well with the single coil pickups, and the combination works well for me.

Due to hand size and problems, the greatest majority of the usual Fender necks from the past 50 years have been extremely uncomfortable for me to play. So, I have never owned a Fender and maybe two to four hours of life time experience playing Fenders.

Our local mom and pop store started carrying the import Charvels and I ignored them due to their tremolos, shapes, colors, and that they looked life Fenders - kinda. The store started selling the regular line of Charvels. The owner suggested I try one of them. The neck was incredible and I bought the 24 fret Dinky immediately.

Once the 22 fret version was released, I purchased one of them. Being a life long SG and LP user, these guitars were and are an incredible experience. The main point here is that the 24 fret model is comfortable and fast. It felt a bit off at first and I grew accustomed to it. Getting the 22 fret Dinky was an earth shattering experience for me. The two fret difference made me feel instantly at home and it feel like I had been playing it for years. When I play either guitar by itself, I'm 1000% satisfied with it, however, if I play the two Charvels back to back, I'd rather stay with the 22 fret model.

And yes, the necks are really that good, and these guitars are worth every cent.