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2021 Charvel Pro-Mod San Dimas Bass
- Thread starter P Cheen
- Start date
I'm eager to hear the first reports on the weight-range of the five-string version of this bass.
If I could find one weighing 9lbs. or lighter I would be elated.
If I could find one weighing 9lbs. or lighter I would be elated.
I have the green one coming in probably by end of this week. They were out of stock for quite a while at Sweetwater so I got them to notify me when they had some come in so they emailed me day yesterday and I grabbed one. And today looks like they're back out of stock so the ones they got in obviously sold out during the day. I'll try and post my thoughts on it when it comes in. My reason for buying and being interested in it from the start was it checked all my box preferences in in what I want in my basses. I have been playing mostly an American Deluxe Fender, a Lakland 55-02 and a Sire V7 and V10 so this Charvel is not dissimilar from some of those. I thought it looked cool with the unique color, cream pickups, gold hardware and roasted neck. I have also installed Luminlay side dots on some of my basses so having those come already installed was a plus as well. I also prefer active 3 band eq with a push/pull active/passive volume knob too. It is very different looking from all my others and was a factor that caught my eye from the start. As I said, I'll post a little review when it comes in.
Yeah I got the sweetwater email too, didn't have enough sold yet. Oh well I'll try to have it on hand when the next batch comes in
I preordered mine months ago.. I better be getting a shipped email from sweetwater.. lol
So to update my previous post, I received mine Friday from Sweetwater. Was packaged well, box in a box with bubble wrap and plastic bagging. No issues. Really unique looking bass. Lambo Green Metallic which shows subtle metallic well, not in your face metallic but nice rich looking, nicely applied paint. Cream pickup covers look cool.
Good hardware looks good and all screws were snug as I check them whenever I get a new bass. Comes with an Energizer 9 volt battery which is nice to see rather than the usually off brand whatever battery. Neck relief is almost flat with minimal bow, action is quite low and there is no string/fret buzz anywhere on the neck on any string. I usually prefer setting my action up with around 6/64 on B string up to around 3/64 or 4/64 on G string and this bass is actually a hair lower than that which was surprising so I may leave the action as is or raise a tiny bit as time goes on. Bridge pickup was sitting pretty high and a bit louder than neck pickup so lowered that a tiny bit to balance them. Onboard three band eq is fairly aggressive meaning a little cut or boost is quite noticeable but I usually leave my bass tone knobs fairly flat so not an issue for me.
No hiss or hum or extra noise anywhere in the electronics. Strings were Fender Nickels and since I have used DR Hi Beams or Fat Beams for many years, I changed them right away. Tone is clear, produces the round piano tone I prefer. Volume is balanced across fingerboard and all up the neck. Intonation tweak was needed on two strings but minimal. Roasted neck, or caramelized they call it is very rich looking and extremely smooth sliding up and down. Neck is a little narrower around 44.5 mm at nut and string spacing is I believe 17.5 mm which is a bit narrower than I'm used to compared to my Fender American Deluxe V and Lakland 55-02 but I adapted easily and it doesn't feel cramped in any way. Neck plays fast and comfortably. Fret marker dots on fingerboard are a bit hard to see in certain light conditions but side dots are the Luminlay ones and a quick charging with a led light or more preferably, a uv light has the dots glowing brightly with visible glow still present after 45 minutes, longer glow times will certainly be helped under some stage lighting. As best as I can do using bathroom scale, weight is around 9.8 pounds. Not super accurate but is definitely under 10 pounds and feels lighter than many of my others and balances well on a strap with no neck dive. Will see how tuning keys maintain pitch over time but a couple days now of many hours playing and rehearsal, it is staying in tune and tuners feel stable. I took the cover off plate in back and had a look, wiring is average, a little sloppy but solder looks decent and no visible problem areas. This has the push/pull volume knob for active or passive operation and the little preamp box in the control cavity does have a tiny pot like many other bass onboard preamps have that allow you to adjust the active volume output. From the factory it is set fairly low and there is some obvious volume difference when switching from active to passive but not over the top and would still keep you going playing live if battery or preamp crapped out with only a slight drop in volume. This is a long post, sorry, but wanted to get some initial thoughts out after a few days playing with it. Tone is on par with my other basses through either my TC Electronic RH750 through Barefaced Big Twin T cabinet or Markbass CMD102 combo. All notes ring and are articulate, rehearsal a few hours ago was good with all notes balanced and heard easily over drummer and two guitars. So....my thoughts may very well change pro or con as I spend more time with this bass but I am extremely pleased and somewhat surprised at the build and quality of this fairly inexpensive bass considering the neck treatment, pickups, decent hardware, active eq and quick and comfortable playability. We all have our preferences in feel and tones we chase but this bass is a great addition to anyone's collection and checks off most of the boxes I look for on a new instrument. Would definitely recommend and buy again if lost, stolen or damaged.
Will post again ( not so long!) if I have issues or any items that may be of interest to you that I come across as I get more time
with it.
Good hardware looks good and all screws were snug as I check them whenever I get a new bass. Comes with an Energizer 9 volt battery which is nice to see rather than the usually off brand whatever battery. Neck relief is almost flat with minimal bow, action is quite low and there is no string/fret buzz anywhere on the neck on any string. I usually prefer setting my action up with around 6/64 on B string up to around 3/64 or 4/64 on G string and this bass is actually a hair lower than that which was surprising so I may leave the action as is or raise a tiny bit as time goes on. Bridge pickup was sitting pretty high and a bit louder than neck pickup so lowered that a tiny bit to balance them. Onboard three band eq is fairly aggressive meaning a little cut or boost is quite noticeable but I usually leave my bass tone knobs fairly flat so not an issue for me.
No hiss or hum or extra noise anywhere in the electronics. Strings were Fender Nickels and since I have used DR Hi Beams or Fat Beams for many years, I changed them right away. Tone is clear, produces the round piano tone I prefer. Volume is balanced across fingerboard and all up the neck. Intonation tweak was needed on two strings but minimal. Roasted neck, or caramelized they call it is very rich looking and extremely smooth sliding up and down. Neck is a little narrower around 44.5 mm at nut and string spacing is I believe 17.5 mm which is a bit narrower than I'm used to compared to my Fender American Deluxe V and Lakland 55-02 but I adapted easily and it doesn't feel cramped in any way. Neck plays fast and comfortably. Fret marker dots on fingerboard are a bit hard to see in certain light conditions but side dots are the Luminlay ones and a quick charging with a led light or more preferably, a uv light has the dots glowing brightly with visible glow still present after 45 minutes, longer glow times will certainly be helped under some stage lighting. As best as I can do using bathroom scale, weight is around 9.8 pounds. Not super accurate but is definitely under 10 pounds and feels lighter than many of my others and balances well on a strap with no neck dive. Will see how tuning keys maintain pitch over time but a couple days now of many hours playing and rehearsal, it is staying in tune and tuners feel stable. I took the cover off plate in back and had a look, wiring is average, a little sloppy but solder looks decent and no visible problem areas. This has the push/pull volume knob for active or passive operation and the little preamp box in the control cavity does have a tiny pot like many other bass onboard preamps have that allow you to adjust the active volume output. From the factory it is set fairly low and there is some obvious volume difference when switching from active to passive but not over the top and would still keep you going playing live if battery or preamp crapped out with only a slight drop in volume. This is a long post, sorry, but wanted to get some initial thoughts out after a few days playing with it. Tone is on par with my other basses through either my TC Electronic RH750 through Barefaced Big Twin T cabinet or Markbass CMD102 combo. All notes ring and are articulate, rehearsal a few hours ago was good with all notes balanced and heard easily over drummer and two guitars. So....my thoughts may very well change pro or con as I spend more time with this bass but I am extremely pleased and somewhat surprised at the build and quality of this fairly inexpensive bass considering the neck treatment, pickups, decent hardware, active eq and quick and comfortable playability. We all have our preferences in feel and tones we chase but this bass is a great addition to anyone's collection and checks off most of the boxes I look for on a new instrument. Would definitely recommend and buy again if lost, stolen or damaged.
Will post again ( not so long!) if I have issues or any items that may be of interest to you that I come across as I get more time
with it.
My gut tells me this line of basses will be heavy boat anchors like many Fender 5's being built now and in the past.
Hopefully i'm proven wrong
Hopefully i'm proven wrong
I hope I can swing one when they restock, sounds like the first ones are stellar and weigh just right for a fiver
I took my bass guitar from the post office today! the experience is great! sound-wow, I didn't expect it, it sounds really cool.
Preamp allows you to get a different sound, tone; the sound is quite dense.
The guitar looks-wow, great. the neck is comfortable, slightly outweighs the guitar if you let go of your hands. The weight is medium, not heavy, but not light either (my ibanez sr30th4ii is slightly lighter, but it's semi-acoustic).
Guitar pegs spin pretty tight, maybe lubricate them?
Everything is done well. The frets on the side are felt if you run your hand along the neck on the side - this is something I can find fault with.
Preamp allows you to get a different sound, tone; the sound is quite dense.
The guitar looks-wow, great. the neck is comfortable, slightly outweighs the guitar if you let go of your hands. The weight is medium, not heavy, but not light either (my ibanez sr30th4ii is slightly lighter, but it's semi-acoustic).
Guitar pegs spin pretty tight, maybe lubricate them?
Everything is done well. The frets on the side are felt if you run your hand along the neck on the side - this is something I can find fault with.
Great! I feel so happy for you, that everything now went fine for you!
I have got the PJ now as well and wow...it's a Monster and so versatile. Funny thing you mention the tight pegs. My PJ has "normal" pegs, but the ones on my JJ are also quite tight.
Also I felt the fret endings a bit on my JJ, but after a few days, as the bass settled on the conditions at my home, the wood relaxed a bit and the fret endings went away.
May it bring you joy and creativity!
Thank you! I'm as happy as you are!
I don't know what to do with tight pegs, maybe I should leave them as they are.
Thank you so much for your support! Have a great day!
Just a short follow up to my long post previously. After several gigs, both with PA support at large outdoor shows and smaller indoor gigs without PA need, the bass is performing very well. I'm good with the tuning keys, they're keeping in tune just fine, running onboard eq almost flat with only a small need to cut highs and all notes clear and cutting through. Zero issues so far and has exceeded my expectations and has become one of my favorites to play.
By the way, the neck of the bass guitar has a very pleasant caramel smell, Am I the only one who noticed this? 
Of course. 18.5mm on the bridge, 10mm on the nut.
