Charvel MJ San Dimas Style 1 HSH FR PF QM Electric Guitar - Midnight Glow Reviews

I wanted something different than the DK24 guitars I have. This one looked great and for the price for made in Japan was reasonable. I would agree with the other reviewer, sure would love the stainless-steel frets and a hard-shell case. I have bought guitars direct from another company about a decade ago where the base model was in this price range, it has stainless-steel frets as an option to select in their guitar builder. Once you get all of the features selected, you had to settle on the case as they charge you for that too. Once that is all said and done, you are not paying for over $3k. To be honest, the build quality and feel of the Mexican made Charvel guitars in the pro-mod lineup with the Floyd Rose or Gotoh bridge was just as good at a more reasonable price point. I did compare some of the guitars made by Charvel to find those that do have stainless-steel frets, not many and they generally run much more in cost. The fret wire they are using now is of good quality even if it is nickel silver. I have had my Pro-mod DK24 guitars for quite some time, they get heavy use. Any one of them are the go-to first guitars. Not only for looks or features, more so for comfort and performance.

I gave this a 5-star rating based on the value in this price range. I have spent more and got far less in terms of comfort, features, playability, build quality. It is a great price for this caliber of instrument. I would rate the other Charvel guitars about the same.

The MJ San Dimas was a new venture for me. I liked the features available. Feels like an old friend and plays as good as the other Charvel guitars. The Pau Ferro fretboard is very smooth and properly surfaced. Fret wire is properly finished and crowned, smooth as glass. I feel the jumbo frets are a bit larger than the other Charvel guitars I have but still plays as good if not better. What also drew me in was this is a 24 fret San Dimas. There are not many with 24 frets as most are 22 frets. That just adds to the wow factor. I am so used to 24 fret instruments; it is what I usually go for.

The bridge is a bit different. I feel Gotoh made some improvements in design that are worth mentioning. The tremolo studs or posts have a stop screw inside, this does two things, prevents any unwanted vibration and retains the stud height if you have to remove the bridge. Fine tuners are at a different angle, more perpendicular to the lock screws. The tremolo arm is a screw in type and has a tension adjustment on the receiving collar. No need to replace the tremolo arm on this axe. No wobbles or free play. Everything else is just like the Floyd Rose so no issue there.

Pickups are also great. I have used this combination of JB and Jazz pickups a long time ago, it was nice to revisit them again. the SSL-6 flat and the 5-way switch combine the pickups in a noiseless arrangement. I can still get that Strat sound I like with the DK24 HH models in positions 2 and 4 but this sounds better as it combines the middle pickup. There is not one thing about the pickups or the guitar in general that I am not happy with. I did not expect the pickups to be high output, but they are. They sound great wide open, and with a slight adjustment on the tone control I can get a different sound and character. Nice, this setup fits my playing style very well. I believe the tone pot is a no-load as it has that same feel as the other Charvel guitars that feature it. As for the volume control, it is very smooth, but not as frictionless as the EVH volume pot used on the Mexican models. I would not say it is a tight control as it moves with ease, but it will not change position if you bump it by accident. From a clean channel to high distortion, this axe delivers the goods with fine detail. Great balance in tone from the bridge and neck or any combination of the pickups. If you feel it is too much, dial back on the volume or tone control and you will find amazing sounds. I usually play the full range of music from classic rock to heavy metal, finger picking clean to blues. I have explored everything I could think of and found myself playing new riffs. I get more creative if I like what I am hearing and how the guitar feels.

Some other unexpected features. The neck joint has a common design to it as you would find with the pro-mod DK series. A contoured neck heel. I became fond of that feature. Most San Dimas or So-Cal have the neck plate. It does not matter much to me but it does help to get into the higher frets but I can manage even with the neck plate. What I wanted to point out was the tremolo-spring cover and control cover. They are both made from anodized aluminum. That helps with blocking RF and other external sources that may interfere with your enjoyment.

As for the soft case, it is actually better than I expected it to be. It is not a gig bag but more of a lightweight fabric casing with some frame support built into the foam inserts. I will make use of it. I have some Fender and Charvel cases I can use of for storage or transport, depends on what I am transporting it with. I do not gig so it will not be taken far if I do travel with it. Just think of it this way, when the guitar comes with a case, you are paying for it anyways. Weather you buy it separate or it is included, they are not free of charge as it will be bundled in the price. Sure, it will not be at full retail price as the manufacturer wants to keep the price attractive.

Thanks again Jimmy Hart, for your support and help on this purchase.

I've played guitar for nearly 40 years. I have always been partial to Strats and Prestige series Ibanez. These days, I feel that the wizard neck is just too thin for me. So, I wanted a Japanese quality replacement for a prestige S series. This guitar is it. The neck is very comfortable. Thicker than a wizard neck, rolled edges and the fret edge treatment you expect from Japanese manufacturing. Easy to chord and play lead.

The Seymour Duncan Jazz and JB pairing is a well known combination. Very balanced tone. The middle pickup is only there to pair up with the inner coils of the bridge and neck in positions 2 and 4. Position 3 is the neck and bridge together, which is way more usable than most position 3 settings (especially if it's just a single coil). There is no coil splitting, but the tone knob has a no load position. I can say that positions 2 and 4 do not have as much "quack" to them as strat players might look for, but still plenty of brightness and character.

It came out of the box perfectly set up. Everyone loves the quilted maple top. Truss rod adjustment at the heal is a plus. It comes with a case (not a hard shell but not a gig bag either). Shout out to Nick for hooking me up with this guitar.

Gave it 4 1/2 stars...a hard shell case would be nice. Stainless frets and Luminous fret side markers would also be nice. But, for Japanese quality at this price, I'll take the trade offs. Totally recommend it!