Pricing and availability
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Price
Average Price: $2,152
High-end/Boutique
$400
$1001+
Price Tier
Budget
Standard
High-end
Price History
Based on price data from 1 merchant for "Charvel San Dimas". Prices shown reflect NEW condition. Tracking began Apr 19, 2026.
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Description
Experience the blend of classic design and modern playability with the Charvel San Dimas, a solid body electric guitar that's crafted for musicians who crave versatility and precision. This instrument is a testament to Charvel's commitment to quality and innovation, offering a seamless playing experience for both stage and studio settings. At its core, the San Dimas features a compound-radius fretboard, allowing for comfortable chord playing at the nut and effortless soloing at the higher frets.
Equipped with high-output Seymour Duncan pickups, this guitar delivers a rich, articulate tone that can handle anything from clean jazz to high-gain rock. The San Dimas's sleek alder body is paired with a bolt-on maple neck, ensuring a sturdy construction that resonates with clarity. With its smooth and fast neck profile, players can enjoy fluid transitions and a more intuitive playing style.
The San Dimas also comes with a Floyd Rose double-locking tremolo system, which provides stability and precision for those expressive dive bombs and pitch shifts. Whether you're shredding or laying down grooves, every detail of the Charvel San Dimas is designed to enhance your musical expression.
Key Features:
- Solid body electric guitar with sleek alder construction
- Compound-radius fretboard for versatile playing styles
- High-output Seymour Duncan pickups for superior sound quality
- Bolt-on maple neck with a smooth, fast profile
- Floyd Rose double-locking tremolo system for precise tuning stability
- Available in both right and left-handed configurations
Product specs
| Brand | Charvel |
| Model | Custom Shop San Dimas |
| Made In | United States |
| Categories | Solid Body Electric Guitars |
| Body Shape | S-Style |
| Body Type | Solid Body |
| Model Family | Charvel Style 1 |
| Model Sub-Family | Charvel San-Dimas Style 1 |
| Neck Construction | Bolt-On |
| Number of Frets | 22 |
| Number of Strings | 6-String |
| Right / Left Handed | Right Handed |
| Series | Charvel Custom Shop |
FAQs
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What is the neck profile like on the Charvel San Dimas?
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The Charvel San Dimas features a slim, fast neck profile designed for easy playability and quick fretboard access, ideal for shredding and complex solos.
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What kind of pickups does the Charvel San Dimas use?
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The Charvel San Dimas typically comes equipped with Seymour Duncan or DiMarzio pickups, offering a range of tones suitable for rock and metal genres.
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Is the Charvel San Dimas suitable for beginners?
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While the Charvel San Dimas is designed with advanced players in mind due to its high-performance features, its smooth playability can also benefit dedicated beginners looking to invest in a quality instrument.
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What type of music is the Charvel San Dimas best suited for?
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The Charvel San Dimas is versatile but excels in rock and metal genres, thanks to its powerful pickups and fast neck, which accommodate high-gain tones and intricate solos.
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Does the Charvel San Dimas have a bolt-on neck?
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Yes, the Charvel San Dimas features a bolt-on neck construction, which contributes to its bright tone and sustain.
Videos
mastertheguitar
2016 Charvel Pro-mod San Dimas Style 1 in-depth Demo - MasterThatGear!
Reviews
Owner Insights
We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Charvel San Dimas.
Comparisons
User experience
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Despite some QC issues, many owners find the necks on Charvel San Dimas models extremely comfortable, often outperforming necks on higher-end guitars.
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The neck of the Charvel San Dimas is highly rated for comfort, making it favorable for shredding.
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The jumbo frets on the Charvel San Dimas make playing stretch jazz chords easier with less pressure needed.
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Mods and upgrades
Features and functionality
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The Charvel volume knob is designed for easy turning to facilitate fast volume swells, a feature inspired by EVH techniques.
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The Charvel San Dimas is praised for its versatile split-coil functionality, although split humbuckers don't fully replicate the sound of single-coils.
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The Charvel San Dimas has Seymour Duncan Custom Flat Strat SSL-6 single-coils and a JB TB-4 bridge humbucker, with coil splitting via a push-pull volume control.
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The Charvel San Dimas neck joint allows for superior upper fret access compared to traditional Stratocasters.
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Setup and maintenance
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The bridge pickup height can be difficult to adjust due to tight seating, potentially requiring sanding of the cavity for easier modification.
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Some users experience neck pocket friction issues leading to tuning instability, which can be mitigated by sanding the finish inside the neck heel for better grip.
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Owners report persistent fret sprout issues, especially in dry winter climates, requiring frequent filing to maintain comfortable playability.
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Using a T-shirt in the bridge cavity can help keep the Floyd Rose bridge level during maintenance tasks.
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Build quality
Critic Reviews
5.0 out of 5
Based on 1 Review and 3 Ratings
360
I have a few of these
They are my favourite 80's guitars. I own 2 Charvel Model 2's from Japan, mid-late 80's and a taxi yellow San Dimas from the USA mid 2000's. I have also owned a few others, Candy Tangerine USA, black Japanese, a few wildcards and other similar models but the 1 and 2 pickup San Dimas and Model 2 are my favourites. Especially the USA necks from the pro mods. I tried some of the new Mexican product and the necks do not feel nearly the as good to my hands.
Artist usage
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David Gilmour used a Charvel San Dimas equipped with an EMG pickup in the bridge position during the New York performance of the "Delicate Sound of Thunder" tour in 1987. This information is documented by Bjorn on Gilmourish, a reputable source for details on Gilmour's gear.
In this very rare video, Eddie Van Halen can be seen playing "Amsterdam" in 1985 with customized Charvel San Dimas.
He used a Charvel San Dimas very briefly during Pantera's glam era, seen in this video at 2:43.
In this Guitar World article Gary talks about when he came across Charvel's saying "I use the Hamer guitars to the same extent, simply because I find them really good. A few years after I discovered the Charvels, it was a great experience getting acquainted with Hamer guitars. I wrote the album Run For Cover with these guitars, for example. They're based on the same principle as the old Les Paul Junior."
In a live performance at Rock in Vienna 2015, Wes Borland is seen playing a Charvel San Dimas guitar, as captured in the YouTube video by ALBERTG87.
In the Wasted Years music video, you can clearly spot Adrian playing a black Charvel San Dimas style guitar with a Floyd Rose tremolo system and a single humbucker at the bridge position (likely a DiMarzio Super Distortion).
"I also brought out of retirement my old my old San Dimas Charvel ... the guitar really needed to be re-setup so I thought that would be a good opportunity to throw a Bare Knuckles in there, so that’s what we put the Van Halen pickup in."
In this Promo photo for times of grace adam can be seen with a charvel san dimas guitar
According to Guitar Geek's rig diagram, DeMartini uses Charvel San Dimas (2 of them and they're custom painted).
In August 2022 edition of the Guitar World, DeMartini mentioned the relationship with Charvel:
That was part of the revolution Ed started, where you could put together your own guitar. A friend of ours happened to get a job at Charvel, and for a little while we could buy guitars and necks that were seconds – the stuff Grover wanted to throw away. You could get a guitar or a neck for cheap, so that's what I did; then I'd buy hardware and pickups and that kind of thing. Skip ahead a few years and I got a message from a friend who was a graphic artist at Charvel: "Grover Jackson wants to see you." I immediately thought, "Oh man, he wants me to rat out whoever was selling me these seconds." Robbin and I drove out to Charvel, and Grover said, "You guys are obviously Charvel fans. I'll build you the best guitars I can, and we'll work something out when you can afford it." Which was awesome. That's right around the time when the "crossed swords" guitar was built.
Album Usage
The Charvel San Dimas has been featured on the following albums:
Genre Usage
Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.
Used With
Based on how musicians on Equipboard use Charvel San Dimas, it is most commonly used with the following gear.
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