Charvel is making the best "fast Telecaster" right now

This thing is nuts, but in all the right ways.

While this isn't a guitar I'd particularly own, I do appreciate it for what it is.

Quick specs out of the way first. Carmelized maple neck and fingerboard. 12"-16" compound radius on the neck. Heel-mount truss rod adjustment (easily accessible.) Ash body. Hand rubbed satin urethane finish (meaning silky smooth everywhere.) Fishman Fluence Open Core PRF-COC pickups. Gotoh Custom 510 Tremolo bridge. Die-cast locking tuners. "Luminlay" side marker dots. Ridiculously easy high fret access with "shredder's cut heel."

Like I said, this thing is nuts.

Not cheap, but at the same time not overpriced for what it is.

The worst part of the guitar is the name. Charvel Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 2 24 HH 2PT CM Ash. Yeah, that just rolls right off the tongue. Sounds more like an automotive part number for a Ford F-150.

My favorite part of the guitar is something Charvel doesn't even mention, the output jack. Look at this:

It is ingenious where they put the jack. When standing you can snake the cable with the least amount of stress right over the guitar strap. And again, Charvel doesn't even list this as a feature, even though it is.

Now in addition to all this, the guitar just plain looks good. Charvel, somehow, managed to make a natural finish look great. Usually, the natural finish looks terrible because it causes the guitar to look like a coffee table. But not this one. This, in all honesty, really does look "pro".

Why wouldn't I own it? Too much shreddy stuff for my taste, but then again, that's Charvel's thing, so it's expected.

It pleases me to no end that Charvel made this. They put in all the good stuff but kept the styling classy and subtle.

Color me impressed.

Published 2021 Aug 12