Charvel Pro-mod DK24 HSS

first play
15
August 2019 guitArist
CHARVEL PRO-MOD DK24 HSH & DK24 HSS
Verdict
Some of you might find it hard to see
beyond the lairy finishes and Charvel’s
widdly backstory. That’s a shame, because
these guitars are not quite as niche as they
appear. The beautiful caramelised necks
are fast without being too thin; the bodies
are lightweight and balance beautifully on
a strap. Then there’s the Gotoh 510 vibrato
that offers almost all the performance of a
locking Floyd without faffing around with
Allen keys. Tuning stability is excellent on
both guitars.
We can’t conclude without mentioning
that their build quality and attention to
detail places these DK24s above much of
the competition. We would like to have
seen a case or gigbag included in the price,
but at a touch under a grand, these guitars
still offer excellent value for money.
“It’s still a shred guitar,” we hear you
cry. Actually, spec-wise, the DK24s aren’t
a million miles away from something like
a Suhr Modern. Okay, the HSH model’s
eye-popping rind might alienate some.
Deserters can enlist the cool Matt Army
Drab finish option instead.
The message? Give them a chance.
Who knows? Once you get a grip of those
caramel-coloured necks, you might not be
so toffee-nosed about what we reckon are
a couple of modern classics.
CHARVEL PRO-MOD
DK24 HSH
PRICE: £939
ORIGIN: Mexico
TYPE: Offset solidbody electric
BODY: Alder
NECK: 2-piece caramelised maple
with hand rubbed urethane finish
and graphite reinforcement, bolt-on
SCALE LENGTH: 648mm (25.5”)
NUT/WIDTH: Graph Tech TUSQ
XL/42.86mm
FINGERBOARD: Caramelised maple
with small dot inlays, 305-406mm
(12-16”) radius
FRETS: 24, jumbo
HARDWARE: Chrome Gotoh Custom
510 6-saddle floating bridge with
screw-in arm, Charvel die-cast
locking tuners
STRING SPACING, BRIDGE: 53mm
ELECTRICS: Direct-mount Seymour
Duncan SH-10B Custom Full Shred
humbucker (bridge), SSL-6 Custom
Flat Strat single coil (middle), APH-1N
Alnico II Pro ’bucker (neck), 500k
EVH Bourns Low-Friction master
volume, No-Load master tone, 5-way
pickup selector lever switch
WEIGHT (kg/lb): 3.5/7.12
OPTIONS: Hard case (£108.99);
padded gigbag (£43.99)
RANGE OPTIONS: Pro Mods with
Floyd Rose vibratos: DK24 HH FR
twin-humbucker with alder body
and quilted maple top (£949);
DK24 HH FR twin -humbucker
with alder body (£889); DK24 HH
FR twin-humbucker with okoume
body (£889)
LEFT HANDERS: No
FINISHES: Satin Orange Crush
(as reviewed), Matt Army Drab
CHARVEL PRO-MOD
DK24 HSS
PRICE: £939
ORIGIN: Mexico
TYPE: Offset solidbody electric
BODY: Alder
NECK: 2-piece caramelised maple
with hand rubbed urethane finish
and graphite reinforcement, bolt-on
SCALE LENGTH: 648mm (25.5”)
NUT/WIDTH: Graph Tech TUSQ
XL/42.86mm
FINGERBOARD: Caramelised maple
with small dot inlays, 305-406mm
(12-16”) radius
FRETS: 24, jumbo
HARDWARE: Chrome Gotoh Custom
510 6-saddle floating bridge with
screw-in arm, Charvel die-cast
locking tuners
STRING SPACING, BRIDGE: 53mm
ELECTRICS: Direct-mount Seymour
Duncan SH-10B Custom Full Shred
humbucker (bridge), SSL-6 Custom
Flat Strat single coil (middle), SSL-6
Custom Flat Strat RWRP single coil
(neck), 500k EVH Bourns Low-Friction
master volume, No-Load master tone,
5-way pickup selector lever switch
WEIGHT (kg/lb): 3.4/7.9
OPTIONS: As Pro-Mod DK24 HSH
RANGE OPTIONS: See HSH. There
are two Pro-Mod DK24 hardtails:
HH HT twin-humbucker with alder
body and quilted maple top, and
with ash body (both £889)
LEFT HANDERS: No
FINISHES: Primer Gray
(as reviewed), Satin Shell Pink
Fender Musical Instruments EMEA
01342 331700
www.charvel.com
PROS A machine stripped down
to its absolute basics; awesome
playability and tone make the
HSH irresistible
CONS Something to carry it around
in would have been nice
PROS Beautifully realised and
way more versatile than you might
expect; think you don’t like rock
guitars – get a load of this
CONS Again, the only niggle is the
missing case
9
9
7. The HSS shares the
same bridge and
neck pickups as the
HSH. The difference
here is the additional
neck-mounted SSL-6
single coil. This
version is the RWRP
model that hum-
cancels when used
in conjunction with
another pickup
7
GIT448.rev_charvel.indd 15 6/13/19 1:35 PM