Charvel Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH E Mahogany Review & Prices

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Charvel Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH E Mahogany Review
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  • From Charvel's 2017 Artist Signature series
  • Joe Duplantier Signature
  • Made in Indonesia
  • 6 strings
  • 25.5"'' scale
  • 12" to 16" Fretboard Radius
  • Mahogany body
  • Mahogany neck
  • Ebony fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: Joe Duplantier Signature DiMarzio Fortitude (Humbucker/Passive)
  • Neck pickup: DiMarzio PAF 36th Anniversary (Humbucker/Passive)
  • 1 volume and 0 tone Dome knobs
  • 3-way Switch
  • Charvel Fully Adjustable Radius Compensated Bridge with Anchored Tailpiece bridge
  • Charvel Speed Bolt-On neck
  • 22 Jumbo frets
  • Charvel-Branded Die-Cast Locking tuners
  • Compare Specs >

Our Scores and Tone Evaluation

Playability 72
Sound 74
Build quality 60
Value for money 74
Overall Score 69
Tone Evaluation
  • Heavy Metal
  • Hard Rock
  • Jazz
  • Blues
  • Funk
  • Country
Strengths & Weaknesses
Charvel Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH E Mahogany
  • Locking Tuners
  • Expensive Wood
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Compound Radius Fretboard
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • Made in Indonesia
  • No High-Quality Nut
  • No Neck-Through Build
  • No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
  • No Weight Relief
  • No Luminescent Inlay
  • No Tremolo
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock

Price Overview

Its average competitor's price is $850, which means that the Charvel Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH E Mahogany costs around 18% more than the competition. It might be due to it having additional features, but know that you can find cheaper similar alternatives. This takes into account all instruments of the same category in our database with 6 strings and Fixed bridge that are made in Indonesia.

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Videos

STRINGS SHOP DEMO : CHARVEL JOE DUPLANTIER SIGNATURE PRO-MOD SAN DIMAS® STYLE 2 HH E MAHOGANY
Unboxing My CHARVEL JOE DUPLANTIER Signature Guitar!
Charvel JOE DUPLANTIER SIGNATURE Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2HH
Clean and Crunch Amp Tones -The Charvel Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH Mah
GOJIRA Signature Guitar | In Depth REVIEW
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Your feedback

Not all instruments are created equally. That's why it's important to have different opinions. Here's what our users who have played this instrument say. If you've played it before, help others by voting below!

Weight

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Tuning stability

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Is it Easy to Play?

The Charvel Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH E Mahogany meets 6 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, which means that it's a good guitar to start with as a complete beginner. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players to get used to.

New Player Friendliness

Charvel Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH E Mahogany
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Locking tuners
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Tall frets
  • Comfortable neck
  • Narrow nut
  • Short scale

Hand Size Comfortability

After taking into account the neck profile, scale size, fretboard radius, and nut width, we can conclude that the Charvel Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH E Mahogany's construction favors people with relatively small hands.

Nevertheless, this comes down in the end to personal preference. Make sure you test this guitar—or another one with similar characteristics—before buying.

Big Hands
Small Hands

Scale Length

Scale length is the distance the strings will span between the bridge and the nut. It can tell you a lot about the overall playability and tone of the instrument. A longer scale length means longer distance between frets, brighter tone and more string tension—which means lower action, but more difficult bending of the strings.

Here's the Charvel Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH E Mahogany's 25.5" scale length compared to other common sizes:

Charvel Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH E Mahogany Scale Length Comparison
Charvel Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH E Mahogany's scale length (at the top) compared to other popular sizes

This is the same scale length used in Stratocaster guitars, and it's one of the main reasons they have such a bright sound. It's considered a long scale when compared to most non-baritone guitars.

Since the distance between bridge and nut is relatively long, you'll need to give the strings more tension to get them in tune. This higher tension will allow for a couple of things. First, you can get a lower action (get the strings closer to the fretboard) because the strings won't 'wiggle' too much when pluck and won't cause fret buzz. This can allow you to use lower tunings without increasing your string gauge, and it will make it easier to press down the strings fast.

However, the frets will also have a wider separation between each other, which can make it harder to play, especially if you got small hands. The higher tension will also make the strings feel stiffer, so bending will require more strength.

More with the same scale length:

Neck Profile

Charvel Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH E Mahogany Neck Profile
Charvel Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH E Mahogany's neck profile

The neck profile tells you the thickness (neck depth) and shape in cross section. Every difference will completely change the feeling and comfortability of the neck. This is a highly subjective thing, but most players indeed prefer certain types of necks (like Cs and Ds) because they feel nice in most hands.

The Charvel Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH E Mahogany's neck thickness is approximately 0.77'' (19.6mm) at the first fret, and 0.83'' (21.1mm) at the twelfth.

These measurements were taken either from the official Charvel website, or, in case this information wasn't provided, by researching multiple online marketplaces and forums where owners of this model have posted their measurements.

It has a C type neck. C-shaped necks like this have been the most popular for the last years. The reason is that they feel good in most hands. It's generally a thin neck that doesn't get in your way when playing fast, but that also has enough mass to give your hands a comfortable grip for chords if they aren't too big.

Thin necks like this make it easier to move your hand across the neck and it helps when playing fast solos, especially if you like to leave your thumb free while playing high on the fretboard. However, thinner necks are also weaker and will need adjustment more often than a thicker neck.

More for different hand sizes

Fretboard Radius

When it comes to fingerboard radius, personal preference will dictate which one is better for you. However, most people seem to agree that a more curved (lower) radius will make it easier to play chords while a less curved (higher) radius is better for soloing and bending.

Charvel Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH E Mahogany Fretboard Compound Radius
Charvel Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH E Mahogany's Compound Fretboard Radius

The Charvel Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH E Mahogany has a compound fingerboard radius of 12" to 16".

A compound radius is the best you can get because you'll get the best of both worlds. It starts curved at the nut, but it flattens as you get closer to the body. This means that you'll get great comfortability for chords on the first few frets, but also a flatter fretboard for playing solos without problems on the higher frets.

More with the same fretboard radius:

Playability compared to main competitors

25.5'' Scale Length
C Neck Profile
1.688'' Nut Width
Compound Fretboard Radius
24.75'' Scale Length
U Neck Profile
1.654'' Nut Width
13.78'' Fretboard Radius
25.5'' Scale Length
U Neck Profile
1.654'' Nut Width
13.78'' Fretboard Radius
24.75'' Scale Length
U Neck Profile
1.654'' Nut Width
13.78'' Fretboard Radius
25.5'' Scale Length
C Neck Profile
1.693'' Nut Width
13.78'' Fretboard Radius

Nut Width

Charvel Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH E Mahogany Nut Width
Charvel Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH E Mahogany Nut Width

The Charvel Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH E Mahogany has a nut width of 42.9mm (1.688''). This is within the most common range of nut widths for a 6-string guitar. It offers a good balance of string separation at the nut. It's the size that most guitarists prefer as it gives them just enough space to play open chords without muting the strings, but without spreading the strings too wide and making bar chords difficult to perform.

Frets

The Charvel Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH E Mahogany has 22 frets. Even though 24 frets has become really popular, there's still a good reason to get fewer frets; the pickup at the neck position will be further away from the bridge. This makes the neck pickup achieve a warmer tone. You might want this if you're playing Jazz or similar genres.

However, if you don't care about the warmer neck pickup, more frets will always be better. It's always nice to have the option to play higher notes if you want to.

It comes with nickel silver frets, so they won't last as long as stainless steel frets. If you use your instrument a lot, you might need to replace the frets after a few years. But this is unlikely as most people change instruments before this happens.

More with the same amount of frets:

Fret Size

Charvel Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH E Mahogany Fret Size Comparison
Charvel Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH E Mahogany's fret size (in orange) compared to other popular sizes

Finally, let's talk about fret size. Some people prefer tall frets because it's easier to press the strings and perform bends since there's less friction against the fretboard. On the other hand, some people like shorter frets because they like to touch the fretboard when playing, or because they got heavy hands and tend to press too much on the string and alter the of the note pitch accidently.

The Charvel Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH E Mahogany's frets are Jumbo size. This is a tall fret size that is becoming increasingly popular because it makes it easier to press down the strings cleanly. With this fret size, you won't feel the fretboard when playing, so if you press down too hard, you will get the notes out of pitch. However, this is something you can overcome by getting used to the taller size.

More with the same type of frets:

Playability Score

Bending & Vibrato Ease 75
Chord Playability 60
Solo Playability 80
Playability 72

Tone Analysis

Wood will have little influence in the final tone of an electric guitar or bass. Instead, the hardware, especially the pickups, will be the most important thing to look at. Bur first, let's see the quality of the wood.

Wood

Mahogany wood pattern used for guitar building
Mahogany Body, Neck
Ebony wood pattern used for guitar building
Ebony Fretboard

Mahogany Body and Neck: This is the type of wood found in many top-of-the-line guitars, so that's a positive point for the build quality. This red-looking wood Mahogany is found in Africa and Central America and has great sustain and a warm tone due to its high density. The downside about this type of wood is that it's relatively heavy.

Ebony Fretboard: This is one of the most expensive woods there is, which is why it's mostly used for fretboards. It is dense, heavy, highly resistant and comes in a really dark color that gives any guitar a classy touch. Tone wise, it helps the high side of the spectrum and provides good sustain.

More made with the same wood:

Pickups

This guitar comes with pickups from one of the top brands: DiMarzio. So you can expect well built pickups with great sound that shouldn't need an upgrade anytime soon.

These are passive pickups, so you can expect a rounder sound and a moderade level of output.

The Charvel Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH E Mahogany's configuration is HH. With this pickup combination, you'll get warmer tones and more output than using single coils. Humbucker pickups cancel the noise that single-coil suffer from, which also results in a warmer tone. This pickup combination isn't only for high-gain music like Hard Rock or Heavy Metal. Their warmness is also popular for Jazz, Indie, R&B, Blues and more.

More with the same pickups

22 Frets
Fixed Bridge
Joe Duplantier Signature DiMarzio Fortitude Bridge Pickup
DiMarzio PAF 36th Anniversary Neck Pickup
24 Frets
Lo-Pro Edge Bridge
DiMarzio The Tone Zone Bridge Pickup
DiMarzio PAF 36th Anniversary Neck Pickup
22 Frets
Tremolo Bridge
DiMarzio Super Distortion DP100 Bridge Pickup
DiMarzio PAF 36th Anniversary Neck Pickup

Versatility

It comes with the popular 3-way switch that is present in most guitars. For more versatility, players tend to prefer a 5-way switch, although it all depends on what you want to use your guitar for.

Unfortunately, it doesn't come with more options for coil split or coil tapping. This makes it less versatile than some competitors.

Diagram

Charvel Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH E Mahogany pickups switch and push knobs diagram
Charvel Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH E Mahogany's switch options

What music genre is it good for?

As a 6 strings, Solid Body guitar with HH configuration and Passive pickups, we'd recommend it for genres like Hard Rock or similar. However, you can use almost any guitar for any genre. This is just the typical type of music for this particular one.

Sound Score

Pickups 90
Sustain 80
Versatility 52
Tuning Stability 75
Sound 74

Build Quality Analysis

Country of Origin

Knowing where the instrument is produced is a good way to know how well it's built. Some manufacturing countries are known for having higher quality standards. For example, most expensive instruments are made in the US or Japan, but there are some exceptionally great countries—like South Korea—that are building a good reputation.

The Charvel Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH E Mahogany is made in Indonesia. Many people prefer the quality of an Indonesian guitar over a Chinese. Respectable brands like Epiphone, Ibanez and Schecter are building in this country because of the great quality and lower price. Some people like to compare them to the ones built in Japan during the 80s, when Japanese guitar makers made a name for themselves.

Bridge

Charvel Fully Adjustable Radius Compensated Bridge with Anchored Tailpiece: The advantage of fixed bridges is that they don't require any kind of set-up. This makes it extremely easy when changing strings because you don't need to adjust anything besides tuning the guitar. Also, the fact that the bridge is directly attached to the body will help to increase sustain. The disadvantage is the lack of versatility since you can't create the same vibrato effects as with tremolo bridges.

More with the same type of bridge:

Tuners

The Charvel Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH E Mahogany comes with locking tuners, which helps with tuning stability and makes changing strings a lot faster and easier. As long as they're high quality, these are the best tuning machines you can have. The only disadvantage is that they are a bit heavier than normal tuners.

Nut Material

Another important thing to analyze is the nut material, as it's one of the most important aspects that can affect the sound and playability of your guitar. A well-cut nut will make sure it stays in tune and will make it more comfortable to play.

In this case, the Charvel Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH E Mahogany has a Plastic nut. This is a low-quality nut that you might want to consider upgrading soon. Bone and TUSQ nuts are the best for guitars with a fixed or simple tremolo bridge.

Neck Joint

The neck joint is the part where the neck of the guitar meets the body. There are three main techniques to attach both parts together: Set-In, Bolt-On and Neck-Through. The latter two provide different advantages, although neck-throughs are the most expensive.

This guitar has a Bolt-On neck joint. Even though this type of neck was looked down upon for a long time, nowadays bolt-on necks are well built and provide just as much sustain as any other join method. First of all, it's cheap to make because it consists of simply 4 bolts that attach the neck to the body. And you can travel with the guitar more easily, swap out the neck if you damage it, or upgrade to a more comfortable neck later on.

More with the same build:

Build Quality Score

Quality of materials 41
Features 70
Quality Control 70
Build Quality 60

All Specs

Charvel Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH E Mahogany
General
Brand: Charvel
Year: 2017
Configuration: HH
Strings: 6
Made in: Indonesia
Series: Artist Signature
Colors: Natural
Left-Handed Version: No
Body
Type: Solid Body
Body Material: Mahogany
Bridge: Charvel Fully Adjustable Radius Compensated Bridge with Anchored Tailpiece
Neck
Neck Joint: Bolt-On
Tuners: Charvel-Branded Die-Cast Locking
Fretboard: Ebony
Neck Material: Mahogany
Decoration: Pearloid Big Block
Scale Size: 25.5"
Shape: Charvel Speed
Thickness: 1st Fret: 0.77'' (19.6mm) - 12th Fret: 0.83'' (21.1mm)
Frets: 22 Jumbo
Fretboard Radius: 12" to 16"
Nut: Plastic
Nut Width: 42.9mm (1.688'')
Electronics
Switch: 3 Way
Knobs: Dome
Volume Controls: 1
Tone Controls: 0
Bridge Pickup: Joe Duplantier Signature DiMarzio Fortitude (Humbucker / Passive)
Neck Pickup: DiMarzio PAF 36th Anniversary (Humbucker / Passive)

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