Got the Charvel today, and it is a fantastic guitar to play. The neck is extremely comfy; definitely a bit slim but not flat like a Wizard. It has enough chunk to keep my hands from cramping but I can just runt up and down the neck with little resistance. I managed to pop the high e string on the JT-6 trem :facepalm: It's been a minute since I fuckered with a FR and the JT-6 was just different enough to throw me for a bit of a loop. I had it back up and running in short order though.
It is all around a comfy guitar to play. The body is light, it sits nicely on the body like a good strat body should and it has a really nice balance to it. I find myself shifting the guitars position a lot more for different playing styles, and my shoulders aren't hurting yet.
Unplugged it sounds pretty much how a strat should, it's resonant with a nice bright spank to it. The jT-6 is definitely a lot brighter than the FRs I have played around with before. Kind of a brassy balls behind it. Plugged in, it sounds nothing like a strat.
The bridge pickup could definitely be a bit meatier. It is definitely a tinny-stock-pup humbucker, but it is quiet and pretty hot. It doesn't shine with the cleaner side of the Tron amp, but it a bit more gain pushing the clean channel it does fill out a bit more. The crunchy side of the Tron definitely pushes it a bit more and it is all sorts of mid-to-high-gain goodness. It has the classic metal sound to it, and with a beefier bucker and a higher gain amp (the crunchy side of the Tron is SLO-esque, but not a high-gain beast you would hear in modern metal recordings) it could easily bring teh brootz.
Overall me likey the Japanese Charvels, and if you can snag one they are a fucking deal at between $200 and $400. Mine cost $350 on the nose, and it plays like a much more expensive guitar. The neck reminds me of the Jap Strat, but the finish has been worn down and the neck is much thinner so it slick an fast to play on. Shit if you can just snag a neck and slap it on a decent strat body you would have the makings of a fine guitar.
A mini-review: I also got the Vox Time Machine Delay and it is a great and super flexible delay. I highly suggest trying one if you get the chance.
I'll plug it in here shortly and record a quick revision of that metal tune I slapped out for teh toanes.
