Charvel Pro-Mod DK24 HSH 2PT CM Mahogany
first play
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AUGUST 2021 GUITARIST
CHARVEL PRO-MOD DK24 HSH 2PT CM MAHOGANY
XL impregnated with PTFE for friction
reduction. As set, it offers just under a tone
up-bend on the top E and major 3rd on the
G; the down-bend is generous, although if
you really want to dump the strings it’s less
of what this is about. But for smooth Beck-
style manoeuvres or beautiful Bigsby-like
shimmers, it feels great and stays in tune.
Even if you’re unsure of what’s happening
on that pickup selector, the five selections
are quite distinct. At either end we have
each full humbucker, while positions 2
and 4 introduce the centre single coil to the
neck-facing single coils of each humbucker.
The middle position then links both inner
single coils of those ’buckers and creates
some useful Strat and Tele-esque sounds.
The neck humbucker certainly isn’t
overblown, almost the opposite when
switching direct from the clout of the
bridge, and there’s good clarity for quite a
vintage-y vibe. The Full Shred at the bridge
doesn’t leap too much in power, though it
is the hottest sound here and has an almost
cocked wah tonality that adds considerable
character and isn’t a million miles away
from the throaty roar of a Les Paul Junior.
It’s a good choice for this mahogany
platform and another example of a pickup
that’s deceptively named.
The volume control has a very good taper
and we’d encourage you to use it, as well as,
the No-Load tone, which does its job very
well, despite a pronounced notch at the top
of its travel where it’s bypassed. As ever,
with a guitar like this there’s a lot more to it
than its primary gained purpose.
CHARVEL PRO-MOD
DK24 HSH 2PT CM
MAHOGANY
PRICE: £1,059
ORIGIN: Mexico
TYPE: Double-cutaway solidbody
electric guitar
BODY: Mahogany
NECK: Slab-sawn caramelised maple,
graphite reinforcement and Luminlay
side dots, bolt-on
SCALE LENGTH: 648mm (25.5”)
NUT/WIDTH: Graph Tech Tusq XL/
43.3mm
FINGERBOARD: Caramelised maple
with rolled edges and small dot inlays,
305-406mm (12-16”) radius
FRETS: 24, jumbo
HARDWARE: Recessed Gotoh
Custom 510 6-saddle floating bridge
with screw-in arm, Charvel diecast
locking tuners – gold-plated
STRING SPACING, BRIDGE: 53mm
ELECTRICS: Seymour Duncan Full
Shred SH-10B humbucker (bridge),
Custom Flat Strat SSL-6 single coil
(middle), Custom Alnico II Pro APH-1N
humbucker (neck), master volume,
No-Load master tone, 5-way pickup
selector lever switch
WEIGHT (kg/lb): 3.31/7.3
RANGE OPTIONS: In Mystic Blue at
the same price; made-in-Japan MJ
DK24 HSH 2PT E Mahogany is £2,039
LEFT HANDERS: No
FINISH: Natural satin to body; hand-
rubbed urethane to neck
Fender Musical Instruments EMEA
01342 331700
www.charvel.com
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PROS Tidy build; neck stability;
pickups and hardware; stripped-
down vibe; fast setup and playability
CONS: Not everyone will enjoy the
thin-depth neck; a gigbag would
re ect its meant-to-be-gigged style
The elephant in the room is the neck. In
depth, it’s actually very slightly thinner than
the Charvel Henrik Danhage we looked at
back in issue 468, measuring 18.9mm at the
1st fret and 21.2mm at the 12th. Compare
that with the 21.1mm to 23.6mm of Fender’s
American Pro II HSS Strat and you see
our dilemma. However, the back is nicely
curved, certainly not a flat-centred ‘D’, and
it’s very stable and hard to flex, thanks to
those graphite rods. With a low, fast action,
it actually feels a little delicate, encouraging
a lighter touch.
Verdict
Specification rarely tells the whole story
and although that neck shape won’t be for
everyone (and you can’t help but think a
slightly fuller shape would dramatically
broaden the appeal), this recipe is worth a
try. With a very tidy build, this is stripped
down and bare bones with quality hardware
and pickups that are well suited to the
lightweight, purposely functional build.
It just wants to be thrown into a gigbag –
which isn’t supplied, by the way – and
gigged relentlessly. An effortless player with
little to get in the way, there’s power on tap
if you need but a vintage-y, rootsy heart.
Greasy raw power, indeed!
The lack of scratchplate adds
to the stripped-down vibe
and shows o the two-piece
mahogany body perfectly
Specifi cation rarely
tells the whole story…
there’s power on tap
plus a rootsy heart
GIT474.rev_charvel.indd 25GIT474.rev_charvel.indd 25 10/06/2021 07:1010/06/2021 07:10