“We can do anything with Charvel. Nothing is out of bounds. It is kind of sacrilegious to put a Floyd on a Strat, but that’s second nature on a Charvel. We take the guidelines and throw them out the window and do what we want. We glue funky woods together. We do awesome crazy graphics. The trends have changed over the years, of course, and we’re always changing with them. Lately we’re seeing a lot of cooked woods and natural finishes.” – Master Builder “Red” Dave Nichols
True to his words, the Charvel Master Built creations he revealed at the Custom Shop NAMM Show event were replete with Southern California quirkiness, hot-rod style and a solid dose of roasted woods. Here’s a quick look at 6 of his wonderful and whacky finished pieces …
Charvel San Dimas® Style 2 Cooked Ash
Elegance personified.
That’s the first thing that crosses the mind when you see this Charvel San Dimas® Style 2 Cooked Ash in all of its Natural wonder. The roasted ash body is paired with a caramelized flame maple neck, topped with an ebony fingerboard that plays as smooth as a coastal cruise along Highway 1.
An EVH® Wolfgang® humbucking bridge pickup combines with a Mojotone “Quiet Coil™” neck pickup for crisp, stinging tone. Other features of this raw beauty include a gold EverTune® bridge, matching headstock, heel-mount truss rod adjustment wheel, Gotoh® tuners, black hardware and more.
Charvel San Dimas® Style 1 Sassafras Koa
Hello gorgeous!
Stained in a Root Beer Burst finish, the flamed sassafras body of the Charvel Custom San Dimas® Style 1 Sassafras Koa rocks a koa center with purpleheart rails for a distinct look. The bolt-on koa neck features an ebony fingerboard with 22 jumbo frets and pearl dot inlays.
Red Dave loaded this stunner with Seymour Duncan® JB TB-4 bridge and Seymour Duncan ’59 SH-1N neck pickups for tones as rich and pristine as the axe they belong to. A Charvel hardtail bridge, Legacy Brass Crown head tuners and gold hardware completes the package.
Charvel San Dimas® Style 1 Exotic
Oh holy timber!
Exotic woods come together to form this exquisite custom San Dimas Style 1 Exotic. A chambered body is topped with lightly figured mahogany while 5A flame maple lines the sides and back of the guitar. The multi-lam construction of the neck features a maple, walnut, flame maple, walnut to maple pattern and hosts a beautifully marbled pale moon ebony fingerboard.
A DiMarzio® Super Distortion humbucking bridge pickup and DiMarzio DP110 Flat Strat middle and neck pickups handle everything from ultra-high overdrive to snappy vintage tone. Other premium features include a recessed Floyd Rose® Original tremolo bridge and gold hardware.
Charvel Dinky™ Carbon Fiber
Bring on the Hard Frost!
The Charvel Dinky™ Carbon Fiber is at the forefront of axe technology. Sporting an alder body with a slick Matte Blue Frost finish, this pioneering model is ready to kick ass and take names with DiMarzio® humbucking pickups. The Tone Zone bridge pickup adds definition to your low-mid and bass notes, while the PAF Pro® slices through the heaviest gain with ease.
Contoured beveling around the butt and an expanded carbon fiber pickguard with cutouts for the volume and tone controls are a first for Charvel and give this axe added futuristic attitude.
Charvel San Dimas® Style 1 Purple Ash
Ready to have a blast? The Charvel San Dimas Style 1 Purple Ash punches unparalleled style with its cooked ash body and sandblasted Purple finish. Topped with violet purple bobbins, Bare Knuckle Holydiver 6 pickups deliver well-rounded, show-stopping harmonics.
Other fine goodies this axe has to offer include an oversized 3/4″ body radius on the back, bolt-on wenge neck, 12″-16″ compound radius wenge fingerboard with 22 jumbo frets and mother of pearl dot inlays, 7-ply cream body binding, Floyd Rose® Original tremolo system, Gotoh® tuners and black hareware.
Charvel San Dimas® Style 2
You Sexy Thang!
This Charvel San Dimas Style 2 in classic Black with a scarlet red pickguard as well as matching red body binding and red Charvel headstock logo is in a league all its own. An instant attention drawer, this sexy axe features an alder body, bolt-on quartersawn maple neck, ebony fingerboard, Bare Knuckle Aftermath humbucking pickups, Hipshot Tele-style bridge and black hardware.