Charvel Desolation DS-1 ST CHARVEL Desolation DS-1 ST
Charvel offers a tempting alternative for fans of single cutaway guitars…
Words: Tim Slater
US-based guitar legends Charvel is probably best known for its highly souped-up no-holds-barred heavy metal axes that mainly take their cue from the ubiquitous Fender Stratocaster blueprint. The Charvel Desolation series DS demonstrates a marked shift in emphasis as displayed by the striking single cut DS-1 ST model reviewed here.
Construction The Desolation DS-1 ST’s traditional looking single-cutaway mahogany body is capped with a carved maple top. This is no mere Les Paul retread, however. The slim body has a maximum depth of 40mm (1.57-inches) and comfort is further aided by a generous ribcage contour on the back. The deep PRS-style
CHARVEL Desolation DS-1 ST
SRP £586.80
All prices include VAT CONT
ACT
Fender GBI T:
01342 331700 W:
www.charvel.com
scoop on the lower bout also helps overall playability by improving access to the higher reaches of the neck, something that most guitar players will surely appreciate especially as this guitar features 24 frets! The two-octave range is unusual on a single cutaway guitar but then again it does refl ect Charvel’s MO, which is to take an established design and then work on it until it delivers the high performance feel that modern technical rock players can really use to their advantage. In practice, however, the Desolation’s low profi le scalloped neck heel feels like a bit of game of two halves. On one hand the thru-neck design offers excellent access to the upper reaches of the neck but the point where the body’s thick poly fi nish meets the satin neck shaft is poorly fi nished. The paint has been cut away from the neck heel rather clumsily, which spoils the overall effect somewhat. This is a shame because in most other respects the satin fi nish mahogany neck feels and plays really well; Charvel’s compound radius fi ngerboard – which starts at 12-inches, gradually fl attening out to 16-inches beyond the 12th fret – is a real pleasure to play. This, combined with the fairly shallow neck profi le feels nothing like a typical Gibson Les Paul, being far sleeker, less clumpy and altogether
26
www.playmusicpickup.co.uk SHOULD I BUY ONE?
If you’ve always been into the single cut style but for whatever reason it hasn’t met your expectations either from a design or sound perspective this Charvel might change your mind. It defi nitely doesn’t resemble a Gibson Les Paul in its design or feel, although sound-wise the dual humbuckers generally achieve an approximation of the same type of performance.
THE GOOD BITS: THE NOT SO GOOD BITS: Untidy fi nishing at neck joint.
far more forgiving. Despite our slight reservations regarding the poor quality of the neck heel join, this Chinese-made Charvel nevertheless feels like a fun and agile guitar to play.
Sounds The Charvel Desolation packs a very powerful punch thanks to its pair of active Seymour Duncan Blackout active humbuckers. The Blackouts perform in a very similar way to EMGs in that they not only deliver extra power compared to most conventional passive pickups but they also sound very precise, every note jumps out loud and clear. In a hard rock or HM context it’s easy to appreciate why this startling clarity
works so well; the sound never gets sludgy or buried in the mix and the ‘Duncans deliver a really great spread across the frequency spectrum. Active pickups sometimes get a bit
of a bad rep for sounding ‘sterile’ or ‘cold’ but it’s diffi cult to fi nd fault with the SD Blackouts. The low end sounds fat and punchy without degenerating into mush, the mids effortlessly push the guitar way out into the mix and the treble is piercing and quite fi erce; the Desolation has masses of presence and it’s polished almost hi-fi tone makes easy work of rapid-picked sequences, pitched- harmonics, two-handed tapping and any number of squawks and squeals from the rock guitarists trick bag. PM
Compact design, Grover & Seymour Duncan hardware adds value. Big, punchy sounds.
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