Charvel San Dimas Style 1 HH 2025.......... Satin Ferrari Red or Pharaohs Gold ^_^

[The-Kid]

There are a couple new nice colors including a Plus version in Platinum Pink, Scorched Earth and Snow White with matching headstock and other features that look amazing and some "weathered" or relic options that equally look amazing but checking out these two possibly.....




For $899.99 and some change with taxes...... maybe a discount is Charvel still banging out a solid axe in 2025 and well damn how the hell are they doing it. With the recent move of Fender to putting Indonesian Standards to the line..... I mean these MIMs are still the best value in the market it seems vs pretty much anything and hold their value pretty well thanks to the limited runs in colors.



And they are just amazing, already have two San Dimas Style 1 HH in maple and ebony but can't help to possibly add one more ebony to the stable. Especially for these prices and the quality they have to offer IME.



Great necks, solid satin finishes that give that broken in feel like a vintage or relic, compound radius, wheel truss rod at the heel, dual graphite rods in the neck for added tuning stability, rolled fingerboards and decent hardware and pups too...... not bad.....not bad.



Friggin Charvel...... you don't really need another guitar..... but Charvel says you do ^_^

 

[The-Kid]

Hey it's not a Suhr....or a TGM or a Select or Masterbuild.....



But short of that IME especially after checking out some nice stuff at the GC Hollywood location..... it's hard to do better than a solid San Dimas Style 1 HH Pro Mod off the well IMO.



YMMV but these things aren't bad and even Jim Root or other top guys use MIM Charvels and just upgrade the hardware and do little tweaks to them if at all.

 

[Stone]

And deal with the fret sprouts ...

 

[The-Kid]

Honestly the ones I got didn't have fret sprout and one was bought in store at a GC at 850$ for a Burgundy Mist/Ebony and the other through MF Open Box in Snow White/Maple for like 580$.


Haven't played any in store with fret sprout either but in any case it's not a big issue as warranty can cover it on a brand new guitar. Also stuff I've bought online seems to have been better set up than in store stuff on average lately but YMMV.


Not that in store is bad but just what I've noticed lately and either is a good option.

 

[la szum]

I have 3 Charvels. Love them. None of have had fret sprout either.

 

[Stone]

must be only the ones up Here in Quebec cause if i go to Long and Mcwait and i look at the fret jobs on MiM 90% of them have fret sprouts

 

[The-Kid]

must be only the ones up Here in Quebec cause if i go to Long and Mcwait and i look at the fret jobs on MiM 90% of them have fret sprouts

Yeah sometimes I overlook something like fret sprout and if all the other things like tracking, tracing, feel, tone and comfort mark the boxes in general I go for it as warranty covers it.

Once I got a Classic Series 60s Strat with Pau Ferro right before the change to Vintera and guitar was great in every regard minus fret sprout even vs other guitars with no fret sprout. Great body contours and neck........ Took 2-3 weeks for turn around but ended up with a keeper out of trying 4-5 different ones and even got a rolled fingerboard courtesy of the tech at GC. Regarding the San Dimas in store no issues with either that one or the Open Box and the Open Box was actually better set up overall out of the box too.


Maybe the temp swings from the US to Canada play a role there but if the guitar ticks all the boxes otherwise fret sprout is easy to cure and you end up with a top notch axe relative to a lot of other options on the market.


Maybe only other stuff I've tried that comes close for the money is the top tier Cort stuff and Shecter stuff is hard to beat too but something about the way Charvels feel and dial in and build on the basic Strat design just does it for me. I mean really can't go wrong with a top tier import from Shecter and feel these are as nice or nicer than Charvels in some regards but something about the Charvels.




The Jacksons also have that something or elusive MOJO and it's hard to put ones finger on it but they got it.


Shecters and Jacksons are contemporary too and Charvels are too but Charvel seems to be a bit more traditional relative to Shecter/Jackson in that regard in that feel and tone department. Shecter/Jackson is straight up modern for the most part but Charvel is modern but still have those traditional accents of an old school strat.


They are modern and high octane yes but can still deliver that twang and chime Strat dudes love.

 

[The-Kid]

Also some of these come with quarter sawn necks sometimes pretty much..... it doesn't really affect much as one I got is regular and the other is kind of quarter sawn but it's a nice touch if you land one.



Since it's a spec on some of the EVH models that come with quarter sawn necks I figure the ones that don't cut the snuff make it to the Charvel line being good necks otherwise but just not fully meeting the factory specs to be considered a quarter sawn neck 100%.



Both factories are in Mexico so it's not a far stretch of the imagination.

 

[The-Kid]

I have 3 Charvels. Love them. None of have had fret sprout either.

It's always sunny in San Dimas country ^_^

 

[HomespunEffects]

That gold is rad!

 

[JasonE]

Red is always the right answer.

 

[The-Kid]

Satin is a poor mans nitro yes.....




But it feels good *_*

 

[The-Kid]

These ones in Maple look great but really want an Ebony board. But yeah these look fantastic!!!

 

[The-Kid]

These are the Plus versions.....sculpted heels and Caramlized necks.... with matching headstocks..... there are also SoCal versions for those who want a SoCal ^_^

 

[FuzzyAce]

I like red guitars, but that gold looks sweet. The pelham green is cool too.

 

[Stone]

Pink for the Toanz !!

 

[The-Kid]

Pink for the Toanz !!

Sculpted heels and Caramlized necks too >_<

 

[Stone]

Sculpted heels and Caramlized necks too >_<

Yes Unfortunately for me both my Charvels Didn't have much luck with them so I sold them, Now have an Ibanez which is well nearly flawless

 

[The-Kid]

Yes Unfortunately for me both my Charvels Didn't have much luck with them so I sold them, Now have an Ibanez which is well nearly flawless


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Ibanez are pretty solid and yeah one can say a step above Charvels but I feel both have their own character going for them and can't go wrong with either and more on what's comfortable for ones self.



Honestly what turned me to Super Strats were Ibanez imports that are pretty damn amazing especially the top tier ones. Around 2020 I started getting more into the idea of the Super Strat but ended feeling most comfortable with Charvel stuff.


Either way both great and can't go wrong with either I feel.

 

[The-Kid]

Break down of the new Charvel stuff for 2025 including Plus models and new Super Stocks >_<