Charvel Journeyman

I think I got this guitar in 2003. I bought it as a new demo from Eastman Guitars. One volume control, one tone control, coil splitter switch. One Seymour Duncan JB bridge pickup(not the crappy duncan designed). It has a vintage gotoh style tremelo, generic tuners, black hardware. I think the body is alder and the neck is quartersawn maple with a rosewood fretboard. Color is metallic blue.

I play metal and this guitar really delivers the goods. The duncan jb pickup is my favorite and it suits this guitar really well. I play through a rocktron chameleon 2000 going direct into my computer. I live in an apartment so no amps for me. The neck is really fast for playing leads and the guitar is very comfortable.

It came setup from Eastman Guitars pretty good but I lowered the action just a little. The things I don't like on the guitar is the vintage tremelo which goes out of tune when used and I'm not doing dive bombs with it. Also, the volume pot had to be replaced and the tuners pretty much suck. I paid $288.00 for the guitar so overall, I'm very happy with it. I'm thinking of installing a real gotoh for it but maybe not.

The guitar seems to be made well and I would use it live without a backup. As long as I don't use the tremelo, it stays in tune well. Pretty solid guitar.

I've been playing for over ten years and have had some really nice higher end guitars(Peavey Wolfgang USA, Ernie Ball Axis, ESP's, etc.)This Charvel is not as nice as those guitars but is pretty damn close and for the price, it's definately a keeper.

- This guitar is a modified Journeyman (Japanese body and USA neck). The neck came from the mid-80s and is a nice addition to the guitar. It also has Sperzel non-locking tuners which are an absolute awesome addition. They keep the guitar in tune so well.

- Everyone is probably familiar with everything else on the guitar.

- I absolutely love the sound of this guitar! I had never owned a guitar with a Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge until now and I am hooked. I really like the tone of the JB with this particular guitar.

- I have a Splawn modded Marshall JCM 800 2203X and a PODXT, and I play through both often. The Charvel sounds fantastic through both, especially the Marshall. I was playing with a Gibson Les Paul faded before and the difference is like night and day. The Charvel is a perfect match with the Marshall.

- It has been a long time since I have been so happy with a guitar that I have played it for hours on end. Tonight I could barely put it down.

- Clean sounds are best obtained by lowering the volume knob. I think the guitar does a good job of that. The one pickup configuration does not bother me at all.

- I have owned Jackson, Gibson, Fender, and several other companies and this is one of the best sounding guitars I have ever played. It just fits my sound.

- The guitar came to me setup pretty well. The volume knob is a little loose and there is some crackling with the electronics, but nothing major. The setup is just the way I like it.

- The guitar seems pretty solid. The finish seems like it is on there really good. The Japanese are very good with guitar building so I think the body will hold up nicely. The USA neck is a collectors item and it goes without saying that it will hold up.

- Don't know alot about this area. Huge company so probably hard to get feedback from them. If I have any issues I'll take it to a local dealer, etc.

- At $400, this guitar was an absolute steal and probably one of the best purchases I'v ever made. The USA neck and Sperzel tuners alone would cost alot, then you add the Seymour Duncan JB and the Japanese made body and it is just a great deal. $400 does not get you much in the guitar world so I really made out with this one.

I bought this beast used, so I really don't know exactly when it was made. Unlike the others mentioned, mine has the quartersawn maple fretboard to go with the maple neck. The only pickup is one Seymour Duncan JB model, and that's all it needs. neck pickups are for sissies. LOL. The control layout is very simple, volume, tone, and a coil tap. The coil tap is my only gripe, the JB sounds really thin and pretty useless when you tap it. I have been looking for a long time for a straight up one humbucker guitar, it was a treat to finally find one without a floyd. The only thing I would change would be to offer a model with a string thru hardtail bridge. I blocked the trem, but it ain't the same thing.

I play Americana, roots rock, and country rock, and althought the guit doesn't really look the part, it sounds fantastic. I play through a 60 watt tube head and a 4X12 cab, with two tube screamers, and this guitar just thumps. Good tight lows, well pronounced mids, and the highs are nice and present without being harsh. Most folks would think a one pick-up guitar is not versatile, not so. Much like a tele or an esquire, the tone knob is the secret weapon on this piece, you can use it to coax out a bigger variety of tones than I would have thought possible.

The paint itself is flawless, I have never seen anything this nice. The guitar is not without issues though, I had to shim under the butt end of the neck to get the proper angle for an ideal set up, no big deal, I've done it to plenty of fenders. The 22nd fret was a little on the high side, I had to bring it down a hair because it was fretting out on big bends in the upper register. Also, the nut has a minor issue, it looks like somebody started to cut the d-string slot, realized they were in the wrong place, and then moved over a hair and cut it for real. Purley cosmetic, but for an axe of this quality, I would think you would just start over with a fresh nut. The pick-up was set a tad high, but I'll attribute that to the previous owner, probably a metal player looking for more output.

This is a great live guitar, I regularly use it on gigs without incident, I rarely carry a backup. The hardware seems fine, I like the bridge alot, seems alot sturdier than the standard fender fare. Some here have had issues with the tuners, and I'll agree, I've seen better, but I block the trem, and I have had zero tuning issues. The strap buttons are solid, and nice and big, I can use it confidently with no strap locks, even while bouncing around like a lunatic.

No warranty, I bought it slightly used, I'm not really worried about it. As far as charvel/jackson's customer service, I don't know about now, but I worked for dealer several years ago and their customer support was the best.

I have been playing for twenty years, and own a lot of nice gear. I bought this as a back up for my custome made piece, and I searched along time for somthing that had a neck like this. It's so nice, it has become one of my main two gigging and recording guitars. If it were stolen, I would hunt the thief down and beat him to death with a mic stand.

features?? who needs features? this guitar only does one thing. It F***in' rocks!!

its got one humbucker in the bridge position which is a semour duncan trembucker with a coil tap (but you hardly notice it), it has a regular bridge nuthin fancy. My favorite part though is the neck, its pretty thin, has a rosewood fretboard and is really fast, great for shredin'.

Oh and it looks the sh*t too with the rising sun finish.

this was built for hard rock and metal, its at it's happiest goin through a LOUD amp with the gain all the way up. I use it with a JD wah and a boss DS-1 in to my black and gold(marshall). It fits my sound perfectly. For some people the lack of a neck pickup will be a problem but this guitar dosent need it

only thing wrong is a crackly pot but thats easily fixed. everythin else - exellent.

theres basically nuthin that can go wrong with this thing it looks like it could take a fair amount of punishment. it'll probably last longer than i will! i would gig without backup no problem.

wouln't know

ive been playin for 3 years. my other guitars are a fender strat and a kirk hammett signature ESP and i use marshall amps.

I love the whole stripped down vibe of this guitar and i cant say enough, it f**kin' rocks so hard! if it were stolen or lost i'd cry, then search the world for a replacement.

just bought it made in 2002 i n japan 24 frets alder body a volume tone and a tap switch and a double hmbucker which is a seymour duncan great neck awesome has a great tune o matic bridge

i play alot of classic rock hard rock and of course metal the guiotar suits everthing i put t it i use a boss mt 2 pedal through a kustom k65 amp which is great has a nice rich full sound love it nice fas t neck

great action what else can i say...great neck nice and fast,,

play this guitar live all the time in my band (BANdit)great finish i have a black one great dependable guitar

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i also play a fender usa texas special fat strat which i paid 1600.00 cad for i would have to say the charvel is as good as the fender when it comes to distortion but with the blues nothing touches a fender well all i can say it is a great guitar i see them listed in the web for 539 us plus taxes and here in a store in canada for 729 cad well if you have the opportunity to buy the axe go grab it ..well worth the money i hVE BEEN PLAYING FOR 16 YEARS AND I HAD ALOT OF GUITARS FROM FENDER STRATS TO BC RICH CUSTOM SHOP TO GIBSON LES PAUL'S AND I WOULD RATE THIS GUITAR TO THE HIGH END FOR FEEL AND SOUND QUALITY FPOR HALF THE PRICE I SOON WILL BE BUYING A DILLON AS WELL SO I HOPE THEY PLAY WELL 2 LOL

Charvel Model made in Japan (got the rising sun model). It has 24 frets. The body is made of alder and is strat-shaped. One volume, one tone. One screaming Duncan JB Humbucker w/coiltap. I really like that the neck is unfinished, doesn't stick like gloss. The bridge is simple strat-style, I wish it could've had locking. The tuners are also non-locking. The only accessory included is the whammy bar (bummer). BTW, electronics are outstanding, and the hardware doesn't feel cheap like Mexican strat.

It fits my musical style pretty well (progressive rock). I use it with my Flextone II HD. I kinda wish it had a better clean sound, though (like a ToneZone). Not noisy, even with the single coil on I didn't notice much noise. The single coil gives it a real bright sound; the humbucker gives it a very thick sound that is good for gain, but a little too thick for me on clean. For a guitar with only a single humbucker, this thing can crank out a wide variety of tones (thanks to the coiltap). I'm very pleased with my purchase, though the company could've maybe included a couple of different humbucker models with this instrument (DiMarzio anyone?).

The action is excellent. The guitar didn't feel like an import when I first played it. They set it up perfectly!!! This is typical with guitars from Japan, versus not so typical with Korea (except Tribute). The pickup sounded great. Had it been a stock Charvel, that may have been different. This Duncan gives 100% great output. I can't even pick up my s-series ibanez anymore. This guitar has absolutely no finish flaws, no nut problems, the controls are almost perfect (my volumes beginning to slip after a year of use). One thing I would change is to have the guitar made of mahogany. I like the sustain better with mahogany-bodied guitars, but hey, who doesn't?

I've already played live with it, and it rocks. Dropped it a time or two, and it holds up great. The volume and tone knob are going to need replaced soon, but the bridge hasn't given me any trouble. The finish is beautiful and hasn't shown any sign of aging (yet). The strap buttons are solid, don't think they're going anywhere. I'm gonna keep this guitar until it rots.

Haven't had to call the company. Never needed to get it repaired. Came w/ one year warranty.

Been playing for around five years. I own an Ibanez S370 and a Line6 Flextone II HD. If this guitar were stolen, I would prolly replace it with a new charvel. I love the look (I have the rising sun). I kinda hate the lack of versatility while using just the humbucker. I compared it to a couple of jacksons, but this was japanese-made (thus felt better). I kinda wish it had a ToneZone.

Err.. what features does the Journeyman have? A volume knob and a humbucker.. thats all Eddie Van Halen needed, right?

Well we get a couple of extra things too:
Rosewood fingerboard, 24 frets, vintage style tremelo, pretty crap tuners, Seymour Duncan JB humbucker, coil tap switch.

But I didnt want any more features when I bought it, and still don't.

The body contours on the guitar fit me perfectly. And there is easy access all the way up the neck.

Well there's only one humbucker (in the bridge), and the sound is perfect for rockin guitar solos. Harmonics are easy with the JB pickup. This humbucker has gotten a lot of bad reviews, but on the Journeyman, it sounds great!

The sound suits metal. I wouldn't suggest it for a rhythm guitarist for obvious reasons.

When i tap the coil, the sound is thinner, better for playing a lot of rhythm parts, but in general I like to use the whole humbucker!

GuitarXpress.com set up the guitar for me quite well, the only thing I did was raise the pickup height because i like my harmonics!

The finish is beautiful, not a single defect at all! I bought the electric blue finish (a lighter blue with sparkle), because I decided this guitar was going to look like an 80s child, heh and it looks perfect. The only thing I don't like is the tuners, I will most likely replace with Sperzels or similar.

I don't see why it shouldn't withstand live playing. It is of solid construction. Because there's so few 'features', there isn't really anything to break off. Of course, I wouldn't use any instrument without a backup.

Haven't dealt with Jackson/Charvel, but guitarXpress.com ARE AMAZING TO DEAL WITH. They promptly answered all my emails and as soon as they received payment they set up my instrument for me and sent it _all the way to australia_. As of this writing, you can't buy Charvel's in Australia, so they were my only chance really.

This guitar is everything I wanted. I really wanted a guitar in the shape of the old Kramer Barettas (for example the famous 'Monsters Of Rock' guitar), but I didn't want the Floyd Rose. I was contemplating building my own guitar with parts from Warmoth, but when I saw this beauty, my mind was made up!

2001 model. Made in Japan. Solid Alder body with a clear gloss finish. Maple neck,rosewood fingerboard with jumbo frets. The neck is amazing. I can't stress enough how well it plays. It Has 1 Duncan JB pickup,a volume,a tone knob and a coil splitter switch. And a dual fulcrum tremolo. This guitar is excellent for what it is meant to do. It's a great guitar for just about any style of rock music. I think any more "features" would take away from that.

I like to play alot of blues,etc. I wanted a guitar to feed my Van Halen (and other rock) jones. This guitar was the perfect fit,because I really didn't want to mess with a Floyd Rose. It's a great compliment to my Strat. The sound is chunky,fat and has a decent amount of bite. I play it through a Peavey Classic 50 and it gets good harmonics and great classic rock tones. I played it through a Marshall DSL50 and a 4x12 and it kicked ass. It was a monster. The Journeyman does what it does very well.

The action is pretty good. I will set it up to my liking,but that's not to say that the factory setup is bad. I setup all my guitars to my taste. I really didn't find any flaws. The fretwork is very good and the attention to detail is there.

I would have no problems relying on this guitar in any situation. Although things happen that are beyond control,I really think this guitar is well made and can take gigging without any problems.

Never dealt with them so I can't comment.

I've been playing for 15 years and have owned a couple of everything. I love the simplicity and effectiveness of it. It sounds great,plays great,and looks great. I don't hate anything about it,because I don't expect to be anything but what it is. I've tried for years to get 1 guitar to do everything,and that's never going to happen. I bought this guitar because I played it and it was exactly what i wanted. I wasn't really looking at the time;but I felt like I needed it after I played it. If it was stolen I would definitely buy another.

It's got an alder body, quatersawn maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, Seymour Duncan TB4, and vintage trem.

Sounds good for metal, probably because of the Duncan JB. Has great harmonics. When I got it I didn't care if it only had one hum. Now I wish it had a neck hum.

Love the neck. It's the best neck I have ever played. Very fast and slim. Sounded awesome right from the start. Fits very good just like any other strat type body. Tuners kinda suck. I'm gonna replace them with Sperzels.

I would never play without a backup. I think it could hold up live. Just needs locking tuners to keep it in tune.

Ive been playing for while and this is the only guitar I own right now. Use it with a Boss MT-2 and it sounds great. I really love it for the neck. Go and try one