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Charvel Guthrie Signature available for pre-order...
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JohnnyFavorite



Joined: 01 Jul 2012
Posts: 68

PostPosted: Tue Jan 14, 2014 12:51 pm    Post subject: Charvel Guthrie Signature available for pre-order... Reply with quote

It seems Music Zoo are advertising it:

http://www.themusiczoo.com/blog/2014/pre-order-new-2014-charvels-guthrie-govan-jake-e-lee/
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doctordragon



Joined: 09 Jun 2006
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 14, 2014 11:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I would order one. I wonder if it has the Gotoh trem or the vintage floyd.
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alexkhan



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PostPosted: Wed Jan 15, 2014 12:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Can't wait to get mine - whenever it becomes available and goes into production... I'm pretty certain it'll end up with the vintage Floyd. Guthrie preferred the tuning stability of it. I think they're just working out a few technical details.
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doctordragon



Joined: 09 Jun 2006
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 18, 2014 2:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think I would prefer the Gotoh trem with vintage saddles...the tuning stability is a little bit worse, but it has a better tone IMHO. The new Charvel GG signature is not for me (I hate Floyds), I'll probably stay with my Suhr GG set neck.
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alexkhan



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PostPosted: Sat Jan 18, 2014 8:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You'll definitely get more low-end with the strings feeding through the big steel block. But that can be remedied and/or compensated with the type of body wood you use, a thicker pick, the pickups, and whatever else in the signal chain. Floyd gets a bad rap due to all the bad thin sounds of the 80's but it's actually a good sounding bridge and very well balanced. It just doesn't have as much low end as the vintage style bridges.

It's always a balancing act when choosing components in the guitar or a rig. You go for something specific and you'll most likely have to compromise or even sacrifice in another area. You can't simply get 'em "all" in one guitar or a rig. For instance, the easiest and quickest way to improve the sound of your guitar is to raise the action. You give the strings more room to vibrate and the guitar will just sound bigger, fatter and better. But, then, you'll have to sacrifice the playability to do that.

It's a matter of what's important for what you are trying to do. For Guthrie, the benefits of tuning stability outweighed what perceived tonal benefits the Gotoh bridge had. As often as Guthrie grabs the trem bar and all the Jeff Beck-like acrobatics he likes to do with it, I can see why he finds tuning stability very important. It's a very sinking feeling to know that the guitar is noticeably out of tune in the middle of a song.

I haven't had any quality time with Guthrie's Charvel prototypes to judge the tonal difference between the bridges. First of all, the body wood is completely different but, hearing Guthrie test both guitars through amps (both clean and overdriven), I thought the second prototype with the Basswood/Maple body with the Floyd bridge had more low-end than the Koa body with the Gotoh. Personally, I definitely preferred the sound of the second prototype with the Floyd but that probably has a lot more to do with my preference for the Basswood/Maple body with the Maple neck combination - which is probably my favorite wood combo of all time.
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doctordragon



Joined: 09 Jun 2006
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 19, 2014 2:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

alexkhan wrote:
You'll definitely get more low-end with the strings feeding through the big steel block. But that can be remedied and/or compensated with the type of body wood you use, a thicker pick, the pickups, and whatever else in the signal chain. Floyd gets a bad rap due to all the bad thin sounds of the 80's but it's actually a good sounding bridge and very well balanced. It just doesn't have as much low end as the vintage style bridges.

It's always a balancing act when choosing components in the guitar or a rig. You go for something specific and you'll most likely have to compromise or even sacrifice in another area. You can't simply get 'em "all" in one guitar or a rig. For instance, the easiest and quickest way to improve the sound of your guitar is to raise the action. You give the strings more room to vibrate and the guitar will just sound bigger, fatter and better. But, then, you'll have to sacrifice the playability to do that.

It's a matter of what's important for what you are trying to do. For Guthrie, the benefits of tuning stability outweighed what perceived tonal benefits the Gotoh bridge had. As often as Guthrie grabs the trem bar and all the Jeff Beck-like acrobatics he likes to do with it, I can see why he finds tuning stability very important. It's a very sinking feeling to know that the guitar is noticeably out of tune in the middle of a song.


In Guthrie's hands everything sounds good, In my hands unfortunately not!
I like the low end that the big block gives and I don't use the trem in extreme ways, so tuning stability is not an issue. Furthermore I like how it is easier to change strings on non-floyd trems.

Quote:
I haven't had any quality time with Guthrie's Charvel prototypes to judge the tonal difference between the bridges. First of all, the body wood is completely different but, hearing Guthrie test both guitars through amps (both clean and overdriven), I thought the second prototype with the Basswood/Maple body with the Floyd bridge had more low-end than the Koa body with the Gotoh. Personally, I definitely preferred the sound of the second prototype with the Floyd but that probably has a lot more to do with my preference for the Basswood/Maple body with the Maple neck combination - which is probably my favorite wood combo of all time.


It would be interesting to try the second and third prototype (both basswood-maple, different bridges IIRC) to find the differences. Smile
So...if Guthrie is not using the Gotoh trem Charvels anymore...can I have 'em? Laughing
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alexkhan



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PostPosted: Tue Jan 21, 2014 2:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

What makes a huge difference in sound is the pick you use. It's where the tone starts after all. I had been using the Red Bear Big Jazzer heavy gauge without the speed bevel because I wanted the pointy tip for maximum speed but Guthrie told me that the Big Jazzer with the speed bevel sounds much beefier. I also think that he's using the extra heavy gauge.

Anyway, so I got what he's using and I could not believe the difference it made. As Guthrie told me, it made a "huge" difference - much more so than typical component swaps on the guitar. I'm a believer now in the Red Bear picks with the speed bevel that Guthrie uses. It sounds so much bigger and fuller without losing definition.
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doctordragon



Joined: 09 Jun 2006
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 21, 2014 10:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I agree with you Ed! I have some RB picks myself in different thicknesses and bevels and they make a big difference over cheap plastic picks. I also bought a few sheets of the material RB use to make their picks ans started to make my own picks. Smile
My other favourite (and cheap) picks are the Dunlop Gator 2mm that I customize with a sharper tip and speed bevel Wink
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JohnnyFavorite



Joined: 01 Jul 2012
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PostPosted: Sun May 04, 2014 8:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have to say, I prefer the bevels, too.

alexkhan wrote:
I also think that he's using the extra heavy gauge.


The Red Bear site says that he's using heavy as opposed to extra heavy:

"Our Style 'Big Jazzer' Flatpick. This is by far our most popular pick for electric guitar. Guthrie Govan uses a heavy gauge one with grips and right-hand bevel."

Maybe they're not up-to-date.
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alexkhan



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PostPosted: Sun May 04, 2014 8:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

JohnnyFavorite wrote:
I have to say, I prefer the bevels, too.

alexkhan wrote:
I also think that he's using the extra heavy gauge.


The Red Bear site says that he's using heavy as opposed to extra heavy:

"Our Style 'Big Jazzer' Flatpick. This is by far our most popular pick for electric guitar. Guthrie Govan uses a heavy gauge one with grips and right-hand bevel."

Maybe they're not up-to-date.


He's been trying some new prototypes (one of which I have) and they're at 2.0mm. So that's definitely "extra heavy". I prefer it over the heavy gauge which is more like 1.6mm. It's got the right-hand bevel. I think it sounds bigger and fatter.
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JohnnyFavorite



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PostPosted: Mon May 05, 2014 7:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the info, Ed.

Are these the ones with a groove cut in, for sliding up the stings to reach higher notes?
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alexkhan



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PostPosted: Mon May 05, 2014 2:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

JohnnyFavorite wrote:
Thanks for the info, Ed.

Are these the ones with a groove cut in, for sliding up the stings to reach higher notes?


I guess you're talking about making scraping noises and such that Guthrie likes to do every now and then? Wink
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JohnnyFavorite



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PostPosted: Tue May 06, 2014 9:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm sure I read something where Guthrie said, for many years he'd filed a groove into the top of the pick to allow him to use is a kind of a slide to reach notes beyond the 24th fret.
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JohnnyFavorite



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PostPosted: Tue May 06, 2014 10:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

This where I read it.
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alexkhan



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PostPosted: Wed May 07, 2014 4:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Cool. Yeah, he does use those grooves in the pick for various effects. He's definitely more into getting various sounds and effects out of his hands than relying on pedals and stuff like that. The signature pick is right around the corner as evidenced by what's on Red Bear's site:

http://www.redbeartrading.com
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