Hi folks, I got a San Dimas SD2 with the Speed Neck a month or so back. I've literally only owned gibsons and ESP before this guitar so quite a different feel. I love it and the stock pickups are already really impressive - to the extent I have no idea what I'd swap them with! Granted this is a lower cost model (I actually don't want whammy bars and all that jazz so this is perfect and clean!), but the quality control at Charvel seems extremely bad though, I had to return two before being happy with this (big chunks out of necks, massive scratches and every guitar has come with all the screws and fittings extremely loose?)
But the neck I find weird. I think I might love it but theres one thing that is living rent free in my head - can people who know better help?
Q: Is it carved unevenly on the back of the neck? As in not just a uniform curve pretty much? Google is kind of forthcoming, but I'm still not sure. I ask as when I'm sighting along the profile of it, I find the optical illusion very hard to decide it's 'flat' like I would to set up my other guitars. Always seems to be curving up at the headstock but measurements are fair. I've set up guitars for about 20 years now so it's really throwing me visually! Maybe it's the fender style headstock too that I'm not used to?
The action seems fine though, it is set just below 1mm at the high E 15th and ringing pretty well across frets and pretty uniform in height variations, so I'd expect that's good action (and relief) for these guitars. The bottom strings I've left the saddles so they are a bit higher as it got fret buzz, but still a touch below 1.5mm, so pretty ok.
Other thing that's surprised me is that I get so much tiredness from this shape neck too, I find I'm cramping especially with chords after about an hour. The ESP LTD U shape is quite thin so I'm surprised by the cramp! Hopefully not too long to adjust to it...