Following a record-breaking year for guitar-playing interest in 2020, Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC) continues to lead with player centric and innovative tools tailored to fuel musical creativity across genres-from hard rock and high performance to Americana. As one of the largest musical instrument brands in the world, FMIC instruments are played on more stages and by more diverse artists, who subsequently contribute their feedback to make these innovations a reality. FMIC have announced a slate of new products from its portfolio of owned and licensed brands, including Jackson®, Gretsch® guitars, EVH® and Charvel® via its second online meeting experience for global dealers. The introductions come as a means to support a growing cohort of pandemic players, songwriters, creators on social media, beginners and, of course, loyal professional musicians. New additions include products across categories–from the striking Jackson Artist Signature Series, powerful Gretsch electrics and new artist collaborations to Charvel’s U.K. artist collaborations and EVH’s powerful amps. Dealers can access these products via a private interactive portal to explore executive and product video, as well as other visuals via an easy-to-follow user interface.
Over four days this week, HEAVY will present a comprehensive wrap on each release, today featuring Charvel.
Charvel® guitars are the very embodiment of high-performance tone machines, and discerning players who prize superior sound and feel have turned to the company’s finely crafted guitars as their weapons of choice for more than 40 years. Musician’s musicians worldwide have long relied on Charvel for exceptional guitar design and the company is eager to share its latest artist signature collaborations with U.K.-based guitarists Guthrie Govan and Rick Graham.
Guthrie Govan Signature MJ San Dimas® SD24 CM, Three-Tone Sunburst($2,599.99 USD, £2,299.00,€2,599.00, $4,899 AUD, ¥ 352,000 JPY) – As a pre-eminent modern virtuoso, U.K. guitar master Guthrie Govan dazzles all who hear his playing and experience his artistry. Charvel worked meticulously with Govan on the development of his signature lineup to create superior guitars in distinctive Charvel form, including this all-new Made in Japan model. Harkening back to the late ’80s when Charvel® guitars were manufactured exclusively in Japan, we proudly introduce the all-new Guthrie Govan Signature MJ SanDimas® SD24 CM Exquisite in style, this MJ signature model blends Charvel’s unparalleled legacy of designing high-performance instruments with an assortment of Govan’s preferred top-end features. This 25.5” scale guitar features a San Dimas® basswood body with an ash top and specially contoured heel(sans neck plate) for easy access to the upper reaches of the fingerboard. The bolt-on maple neck has a “caramelized” heat and drying treatment that makes it sound and feel much older, along with graphite reinforcement, satin finish on the back of the neck and a conveniently located heel-mount truss rod adjustment wheel. Most unusual for a San Dimas® model, the 12”-16” compound radius caramelized maple fingerboard features24 jumbo stainless-steel frets, as well as crème dot inlays and Luminlay® side dots. Other premium features include three specially wound Charvel® custom pickups arranged in a versatile HSH configuration with five-way switching for the expansive tonal openness and dynamic sensitivity that Govan demands, along with a two-way mini toggle switch to engage single-coil simulation in bridge and neck humbucker positions. This instrument also comes loaded with two Luminlay® numbered dome control knobs for volume and tone, recessed Charvel® locking tremolo bridge with pop-in tremolo arm and brass block, Gotoh® die-cast locking tuners and Graph Tech® TUSQ® XL nut. The Guthrie Govan Signature MJ San Dimas® SD24 CM is available in a stately Three-Tone Sunburst finish, complete with chrome hardware, brown pickup bobbins and a licensed Fender® Stratocaster® guitar headstock.
Available October 2021.
Rick Graham Signature MJ DK24 2PT CM ($2,699.99 USD, £2,499.00, €2,799.00, $5,199 AUD, ¥ 412,500JPY) – Rick Graham built a rabid fanbase at home and abroad with his stunningly deft chops, which range from delicate chordal passages of gentle beauty to furious onslaughts of overdriven virtuosity and any musical shade in between. From the classical guitar strains of his you that London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama to his imaginative present day solo flights on YouTube to acclaimed guest spots with Polyphia, Plini, Andy James, Jason Richardson and others, Graham’s intense musical mastery has mesmerized many far and wide. Stylishly exquisite in a Celeste finish with chrome hardware, this Made in Japan Rick Graham Signature MJDK24 2PT CM model blends Charvel’s unparalleled legacy of designing high performance instruments with an assortment of Graham’s preferred top-end features. It features a basswood Dinky®body with a scalloped lower back bout and sculpted shredder’s cut heel engineered for comfortable upper fret access. The bolt-on caramelized maple neck has graphite reinforcement for rock solid stability, satin finish on the back for smooth playability and heel mount truss rod adjustment wheel for quick and easy neck relief tweaks. Its 12”-16” compound radius caramelized maple fingerboard ups the ante for both style and stability, with 24 jumbo stainless-steel frets, 4mm crème dot inlays, Luminlay® side dots and Graph Tech® TUSQ® XL nut. The Custom Rick Graham Bare Knuckle HSS pickup set delivers everything from delicate clean tone to potent high-gain delirium, embodying Graham’s incredibly wide-ranging musicality. The Bare Knuckle ceramic humbucking bridge pickup produces a rich midrange with excellent control of lows, with plenty of output and a fantastic split-coil tone. The Bare Knuckle middle and neck pickups deliver authentic vintage output heat with dynamic single-coil snap and headroom. Other premium features include a five-way blade switch, skirted Stratocaster®-guitar style volume and tone controls, a Gotoh® Custom 510recessed tremolo bridge, Gotoh® die-cast locking tuners, bevelled jack and Fender® Stratocaster® guitar headstock.
Available September 2021. For technical specs, additional information on new Charvel products and to find a retail partner near you, visit www.charvel.com. Join the conversation on social media by following @CharvelUSA.
