# Charvel DK24 2PT anyone?



## chinnybob (May 30, 2019)

Does anyone own one of these/have any experience of them? Feels like there was loads of hype last year but I haven't seen many reviews apart from Youtube/Instagram videos which look pretty sponsored and shops in the UK don't seem to have an abundance of stock...

On paper they look like everything I'm looking for and at a price point where I wouldn't mind investing in some upgrades later on, but does anyone have any thoughts about the actual quality of these? Will owning one transform me into a budget Guthrie? How about the sound? How easy is it to coax out that halfway decent impression of a strat that I crave?


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## Konfyouzd (May 30, 2019)

I'm gonna go ahead and ask the token question... Is there a nearby store where you can go try one out?

Also, I've seen some stores that will let you put an instrument on "layaway" so effective you put down some fraction of the money required to buy it and they'll order one in and if youd don't like it you just don't buy it and some will give you back the deposit. Someone else will eventually buy it.

That said, if the DK24 plays anything like the Pro Mod SoCals or better, I'd say go for it. I had a pink Charvel SoCal Pro Mod like 2 years ago and those thing are FAST. The finishing on the frets was really nice on mine and the neck either had a satin finish or none at all which I like a lot. 

Again, I dunno if the DK24's are anywhere near the same. Someone else might be able to comment on that, though.


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## JD27 (May 30, 2019)

I’ve got a DK24 HT and a San Dimas Style 2. I think they both sound and play great and offer a lot for a very reasonable price. That said, they both have some finish flaws and required me dressing the fret ends to cure fret sprout. The DK24 neck is also slightly thinner, both are super comfortable though. If you can try before buying that would be ideal. Overall I’m very happy with them though, I tend to pick those two up more than my others.


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## cheepy91 (May 30, 2019)

I have one! It's one of my favorite guitars. Easily one of my favorite necks I've ever played! Pickups are alright, I'm just a high output pickup kind of guy and these are more of a classic rock kind of vibe. Nothing wrong with them though!


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## yellowv (May 30, 2019)

They are great guitars. The HSS models can get about as close to stratty tones as a 24 fret guitar can. Build quality is great and nothing really needs upgrading. The 510 trem is fantastic the locking tuners do their job, they have graphtech nuts. Basically the pickups are a preference thing. If your going after stratty tones the singles do that as well as pretty much anything else you could want. The Full Shred is a pretty hot pickup. Definitely capable of heavier stuff than classic rock. To me it’s a little bright, but not bad. I thought about swapping it, but it grew on me. IMO right now Charvel is making the best guitars in the price range hands down. I have the DK, a San Dimas, a So Cal and The DK7 Vivaldi Sig and they are all fantastic guitars.


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## Strobe (May 30, 2019)

There is one at the guitar store in my neighborhood. I can confirm, it's a really nice guitar. If you want to sound stratty, better to buy a 22 fret model. @yellowv is absolutely correct that the placement of the neck pickup matters a fair amount in terms of how much it sounds like a strat.


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## Jason B (May 30, 2019)

I’m of the mind that the most recent DK24 series exists to address the concerns that come with the $3,500 GG sig sounding and playing 10% better than a Mexican Charvel being played by someone capable of setting up their own “pro-level” guitar.

I say this as someone who owned and sold a Govan for that very reason (among others detailed in this thread: https://www.sevenstring.org/threads/ngd-charvel-govan-baked-ash.328314/).


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## BlackSG91 (May 31, 2019)

I don't own one or ever played one yet but I've have been intrigued with this guitar since it first came out. I think it's the ultimate Super-Strat guitar I've ever seen. I have a '98 Fender American Standard Strat that I love and have the bridge set to floating. I love how the bridge is set up for floating on the Charvel and with the locking tuners it makes for much easier string change than with a Floyd Rose. 

I love the caramelized maple neck and the rolled edges on the fretboard and very smooth fret ends which is supposed to feel great. I really like where the output jack is located and with a Strat-style jack. And also having Seymour Duncan pickups is another added bonus. I think Charvel hit a home run with this very fine instrument. I'm very attracted to the shell pink which looks yummy.








;>)/


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## Adieu (May 31, 2019)

Keep Maple Blonde


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## Jason B (May 31, 2019)

Adieu said:


> Keep Maple Blonde



The fad will fade in the direction of poplar burl veneer, eventually - But I hate waiting for it.

I don’t even dislike roasted maple, but knowing that production demands dictate that brands go with any gimmick that promises 1% stability improvement over taking the time to properly dry quartersawn maple always lowers my expectations. None of my roasted guitars go more than a season without requiring a truss adjustment (Cue posters with stable, year-round climates not acknowledging that other people exist).


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## chinnybob (May 31, 2019)

All good info so far, keep it coming! Interesting thoughts on the pickups, versatility is key for me as I can only really justify one guitar at the moment so if it could do a little bit of everything that would be great. Doesn't have to be the honkiest strat sound, or the djentiest metal tone, so long as I'm in the ballpark I'm happy. I'm definitely no tone hound, if I want to play some metal it's bridge humbucker into a 5150, if it's jazz then neck humbucker with the tone rolled off...

What do people think of the neck? I have pretty small hands so something fairly narrow is great, but I also don't want anything too flat as I find it uncomfortable for playing chords. 



Konfyouzd said:


> I'm gonna go ahead and ask the token question... Is there a nearby store where you can go try one out?



Valid question, unfortunately not.


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## pfizer (Jun 1, 2019)

I own a Charvel San Dimas Pro Mod HT and I really like the neck on it; I don't have huge hands either and it feels just right -- not razor-thin like an Ibanez but plenty thin enough for shredding, and still has a nice amount of chunkiness for chords. 

From what I can gather, the new DK24 models have a flatter, thinner neck shape than the earlier Pro Mod models but have a rounder feel than Ibanez necks.


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## yellowv (Jun 1, 2019)

My DK24 neck is actually very slightly thicker and less flat on the back than my So Cal and San Dimas. They are super comfortable necks.


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## JD27 (Jun 1, 2019)

pfizer said:


> From what I can gather, the new DK24 models have a flatter, thinner neck shape than the earlier Pro Mod models but have a rounder feel than Ibanez necks.



They are just slightly thinner. Definitely not like an Ibanez neck, I can’t play those without my hands cramping, which sucks because there is a few I like a lot.


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## Seabeast2000 (Jun 1, 2019)

JD27 said:


> They are just slightly thinner. Definitely not like an Ibanez neck, I can’t play those without my hands cramping, which sucks because there is a few I like a lot.


A few Ibanezes...or Charvels?


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## JD27 (Jun 1, 2019)

The906 said:


> A few Ibanezes...or Charvels?



Ibanez necks. Only ones I’ve ever been able to play comfortably were the SZ Prestige necks. They were thicker.


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## JD27 (Jun 1, 2019)

yellowv said:


> My DK24 neck is actually very slightly thicker and less flat on the back than my So Cal and San Dimas. They are super comfortable necks.



Interesting, maybe it’s the carve that is fooling me. I measured them at 20.76mm 1st fret and 21.48mm 12th fret on the DK24 and 20.42mm 1st fret and 21.54mm 12th fret on the San Dimas Style 2.


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## yellowv (Jun 1, 2019)

I didn’t measure that’s just how they feel to me. I think the necks on all of the Charvels I have are fantastic.


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## Shask (Jun 1, 2019)

chinnybob said:


> All good info so far, keep it coming! Interesting thoughts on the pickups, versatility is key for me as I can only really justify one guitar at the moment so if it could do a little bit of everything that would be great. Doesn't have to be the honkiest strat sound, or the djentiest metal tone, so long as I'm in the ballpark I'm happy. I'm definitely no tone hound, if I want to play some metal it's bridge humbucker into a 5150, if it's jazz then neck humbucker with the tone rolled off...
> 
> What do people think of the neck? I have pretty small hands so something fairly narrow is great, but I also don't want anything too flat as I find it uncomfortable for playing chords.
> 
> ...


I got to play one of the pink ones with a PRS MT15 several months ago. I loved it, and have been wanting to grab a green one. I just wish they had some different colors, and HH pickups. I own a MIJ So-Cal from 2009 or so, and I felt this DK felt slinkier overall (the Floyd on the So-Cal tends to add more string tension), the whole thing was lighter and more sleek (DK body vs. Strat body), and I thought the neck felt a little rounder on the back. The So-Cal can have a D-shaped neck feel, so it can mess me up since I have tiny hands/fingers, and D-shaped necks can feel wider than what they really are.


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## Shask (Jun 1, 2019)

yellowv said:


> My DK24 neck is actually very slightly thicker and less flat on the back than my So Cal and San Dimas. They are super comfortable necks.





JD27 said:


> Interesting, maybe it’s the carve that is fooling me. I measured them at 20.76mm 1st fret and 21.48mm 12th fret on the DK24 and 20.42mm 1st fret and 21.54mm 12th fret on the San Dimas Style 2.



As I mentioned in the last post, I have a 2009 MIJ So-Cal. I like the guitar, but always found the neck to be right on the edge of C-shaped vs. D-shaped. I have small hands, so D-shaped necks mess with me, and make me feel like it is a struggle to reach the top string. That is why I can't do Jackson guitars. The So-Cal is right at the border, where I notice this, but it is on the edge of tolerable, to the point where I like the guitar. I have always been on the verge of selling it for this reason.

When I tried a DK24 2PT in the store, I definitely noticed that the neck felt more round on the back of the neck profile. It is not night and day, but there was a slight bit of roundness that helped me feel like I wasn't struggling to reach that top string. I don't own one, but have wanted to buy one for this reason. I also noticed the strings were more slinky than my So-Cal. I think the Floyd really brings up the tension on the strings, and it feels stiffer to play than other guitars for some reason.


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## dasuchin (Jun 5, 2019)

Shask said:


> I got to play one of the pink ones with a PRS MT15 several months ago. I loved it, and have been wanting to grab a green one. I just wish they had some different colors, and HH pickups. I own a MIJ So-Cal from 2009 or so, and I felt this DK felt slinkier overall (the Floyd on the So-Cal tends to add more string tension), the whole thing was lighter and more sleek (DK body vs. Strat body), and I thought the neck felt a little rounder on the back. The So-Cal can have a D-shaped neck feel, so it can mess me up since I have tiny hands/fingers, and D-shaped necks can feel wider than what they really are.


Seriously, if they made this in HH with better colors, I'd already own one. The orange HSH I played was fantastic, but I just don't want a middle pickup, and wasn't a fan of the bright orange or the green.


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## sakeido (Jun 5, 2019)

Local store has a few of these new DK24s in. I've only played one but it's the best guitar I've played in a store in years - at any price. That it happened to come in just under $1,100cad was ridiculous.

Buy one


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## pfizer (Jun 6, 2019)

Shask said:


> I got to play one of the pink ones with a PRS MT15 several months ago. I loved it, and have been wanting to grab a green one. I just wish they had some different colors, and HH pickups. I own a MIJ So-Cal from 2009 or so, and I felt this DK felt slinkier overall (the Floyd on the So-Cal tends to add more string tension), the whole thing was lighter and more sleek (DK body vs. Strat body), and I thought the neck felt a little rounder on the back. The So-Cal can have a D-shaped neck feel, so it can mess me up since I have tiny hands/fingers, and D-shaped necks can feel wider than what they really are.





dasuchin said:


> Seriously, if they made this in HH with better colors, I'd already own one. The orange HSH I played was fantastic, but I just don't want a middle pickup, and wasn't a fan of the bright orange or the green.



Same TBH -- I was excited when they actually announced the HH DK24 models but then they turned out to cost over $3000. I actually have an Angel Vivaldi sig coming in and if they release a 6-string version of that thing with some new finishes, I just might get one.


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