Charvel Pro Mod San Dimas 1

General

Since the early '80s, the Superstrat has become a staple in contemporary music, and the American Charvel company was one of the pioneers. Now, many years later, Charvel has been taken over by Fender. Just like before, they customise ST-model guitars to make them better suited for heavy music. Meet the Charvel Pro Mod San Dimas HH HT in Satin Orange Blaze. San Dimas indicates the ST-style body, HH stands for its double-humbucker pickup configuration and HT stands for hardtail, referencing its fixed bridge. Other notable features are its compound radius fretboard, direct-mounted Seymour Duncan humbuckers and coil-split function. What's more, as part of Fender, Charvel can now use Fender's No-Load circuit that lets you bypass the tone and volume controls.

Versatile speed freak

At the core of this Charvel lie an alder body with a striking Satin Orange Blaze finish and a maple neck with a clear satin lacquer. The latter is fitted with a rosewood fretboard that adds a warm touch to the overall sound. As the neck features a compound radius that ranges from 12 to 16 inches, the guitar is equally suitable for classic riffs and lightning-quick leads. Furthermore, the San Dimas HH features a Seymour Duncan JB TB-4 humbucker at the bridge, and a '59 at the neck. This combination is versatile enough as it is, but the ability to split both humbuckers into two single-coils expands your tonal palette even further. Finally, there's the fixed bridge that makes the Pro Mod San Dimas great for both tight riffs and alternate tunings.

Charvel

In the '70s, Wayne Charvel made a name for himself by equipping ST-style guitars with high-output humbuckers, more slender necks and tremolo bridges that could better handle intense playing. In doing so, he answered the call for guitars with a comfortable Strat-style body that were fit for the heavier stuff. And thus, the Superstrat was born: a high-gain performance machine with a familiar ST-style body. Many decades later, everything came full-circle when the Charvel brand was taken over by Fender, now delivering high-performance Superstrats that were more authentic than ever before