Charvel Desolation Single Cutaway 1 Electric Guitar Trans Blue Smear

Comments about Charvel Desolation Single Cutaway 1 Electric Guitar:

I've been researching replacements for my old Gibson Les Paul that was liquidated years earlier to purchase a Gretsch 6120. Anyway, I came across the Charvel Desolation SD-1 and figured I'd take a gamble. My first really pro caliber guitar was a Charvel 3DR, which my dad bought me back in 1991; so, I felt good about the company. Charvel, Jackson, and even Gretsch are now subsidiaries of Fender Inc., and anyone who has played these modern incarnations knows these are some fine instruments.

So, a week ago a went out on a limb and ordered the SD-1 via musiciansfriend. I have been playing guitar for approximately 24 years and have purchased many guitars; however, I have never purchased a guitar online, as I prefer to play the instrument before buying it. The problem was that there were know Charvel dealers within a 150 mile radius of my location; so, I took a chance, and I'm glad I did. The Musiciansfriend representative was very helpful, and when I requested a working coupon code she gave me one, which resulted in a $100 discount….awesome!!!

The guitar arrived a couple of days ago, and I've since had the opportunity to put it through its paces. First, the trim, fit, and smear blue finish are flawless (simply beautiful). The neck is fast, and I really like the natural finish on the back. There was absolutely no fret buzz whatsoever. The intonation is accurate right out of the box, and in fact, it was already in tune out of the box. The nickel plated hardware is sharp. The Seymour Duncan Blackout pickups are excellent, and this guitar has sustain all day long.

I'm a Fender and Gretsch kind-of-guy, but I really wanted something in my arsenal that could cover LP tones when I want or need them. The SD-1 delivers and does so in a way that far exceeds its price point. For well under a grand you get a solid mahogany carved top, neck through design, gorgeous trim, binding, and finish, and superb Seymour Duncan Blackout pickups. What's not to love?

Comments about Charvel Desolation Single Cutaway 1 Electric Guitar:

Since I am a full time guitarist, I always take 3 guitars to a gig. 1 acoustic, 1 strat, and 1 humbucking based guitar. I used to play my '73 LP Custom, but can't tkae it to gigs anymore. So I have a Epi SG w/ Gibson 490 P/U's, an Epi Wilshire, an Epi '57 re-issue LP Jr., a Fender Showmaster Scorpion, and now the DS-1 to choose from. The DS-1 is light but sustains like my old LP. The Seymour P/U's are louder than any of my other guitars. The intruments' "stage presence" is amazing. People are always coming up and asking about the guitar! I might have to store my other guitars for awhile during my honeymoon with the DS-1.

Comments about Charvel Desolation Single Cutaway 1 Electric Guitar:

I must admit I wasn't a big Charvel fan before I played this guitar. I previously owned an LTD EC-1000 that I loved and thought that would be my main axe for years to come. Man, was I wrong. I played this at a local music store and brought it home the same day. It absolutely blew the LTD out of the water! It's got a lighter, more solid feel and the natural neck feels incredible! Even the Blackouts (I was an EMG fanboy) were a surprise. I play everything from pop to metal, and they sound fantastic playing every genre in between. Even clean, they surprised me with how versatile they are. I've owned this for almost a year, and I've yet to find a single flaw with it. I'm now seriously considering picking up another Charvel to add to my collection. This is a no brainer!

Comments about Charvel Desolation Single Cutaway 1 Electric Guitar:

overall its a great buy but it does have some issues with reach beyound the 20th at the bottom cutout. i imagine thats the same with most les pauls but other then that, theres not one imperfection in the entire construction of this beautiful peice and it sounds awesome so far. ive played through multiple amps and everything sounds great. its technically not fantasic because of the cutout but im no perfessional and i dont know many people that really use those frets anyway. im super stoked on this by and i dounbt this will be the last charvel i end up with.
well its fancy lookin, and fancy playing with this beautiful flame carved maple top les paul body. very modern look and feel with the abolony trim and inlays. inlays that ive never seen before either. i own an sg custom and a hellraiser, both with powered emg blackout pickups and i can tell that the powered blackout siemor duncans are nicer clean than the emgs but also compare very well distorted. and the compound radius neck is amazing as stated by everyone else so far.
quality is just as top shape as the epiphone and shecter that i own which are both made here in the usa
i truly feel as if i now own a $1400 guitar.

Comments about Charvel Desolation Single Cutaway 1 Electric Guitar:

The finish on the guitar is just amazing! the back of the neck has a natural finish which is the way I like em ,so that was a pleasant suprise. The active blackout pickups sound amazing! The compound radius fretboard works with a new tail piece that make intonation perfect! It's just an all around exellent guitar! Anybody out there wanting les paul looks with an agressive metal sound,this guitar is deffinately worth your dough!
I got this guitar for about half retail because the neck pickup was cutting out. Once I received the guitar,I was able to track down the problem and fix it. These are really great guitars! I now prefer my Desolation to my Gibson les paul by a wide margin. Charvel really hit it out of the ballpark with these,I couldn't be happier! Thanks to all the people at Musician's Friend that made this great deal possible!
Besides the small short in the neck pickup,the guitar is flawless in every way!
Considering I got it for about half retail,this is a no brainer!

Comments about Charvel Desolation Single Cutaway 1 Electric Guitar:

Overall this guitar sounds great, stays in tune very well, looks great, and has the active seymour duncan blackouts. Like I said earlier would have been nice if it had a case with it, but I was able to get a used Les Paul case that works very well. This is my second Chavel that I have bought and as long as they continue to make guitars of this quality I have no reason to go anywhere else. If you want an awesome Les Paul alternative look no further.
Got this bad boy for christmas, and man it is a sweet guitar. I really like the blackouts this guitar is loaded with. They have tons of growl and seem to have a very high end response for harmonics. only reasin did not give this guitar a 10 was it does not come with a case.
I have only had this a week but the quality seems to be top notch.
This guitar played better then most of the Les Pauls I have tried and is half the price.It is made in China but what isnt no a days.

Comments about Charvel Desolation Single Cutaway 1 Electric Guitar:

I tried one of these guitars out recently while testing amps. I had no intention of buying a guitar but I fell in love with the playability and went back and bought it the next day. I suppose it's the compound radius fretboard but for me, the neck has an amazing feel. Now for the sound...absolutely killer Seymour Duncan active pickups (I personally prefer the sound to my active EMG's) and the guitar is beautiful to boot. Do not be dissuaded by the fact that this guitar is foreign made...For my money you could pay double and not get a better instrument. The only reason I don\t give it a 10 is the access to the 22nd fret and beyond is somewhat limited.

Comments about Charvel Desolation Single Cutaway 1 Electric Guitar:

First off this is a great guitar for the money. All these options for this price is hard to beat escpecially for a neckthrough. The guitar looks really nice and the the abalone inlays are an eyecatcher for sure. From the binding...to the matching headstock...to the carved top eveything is put together very nicely. I love the oiled neck and this was my first guitar that had a compound radius neck (12"-16") and I definitely don't have any complaints about it. However this is a foreign made guitar (obviously from the price) so I wasn't surprised that the frets were not exactly level but still after getting that taken care of the guitar is still worth the price. Also you get name brand pickups! Granted I am not the biggest fan of active pickups but I will say the SD blackouts do have a nice sound and are quite versatile (I was really surprised at the sound of the neck pickup tone especially through a clean channel). Overall great options and from a great brand with a lot history, I think Charvel is now owned by Fender so I assume standards are fairly high from both companies even though made in china (do not let that scare you from buying this guitar).
Hard to beat for all that you get!