Steve Farris

Back in the mid 80's on back, Charvel was a CUSTOM builder of guitars, and their main model was called the "San Dimas" - after their home time (San Dimas California). Back then, the San Dimas was not a actual set model, and most performing artists had their own custom versions of said guitars - Steve Farris, a session guy, and lead guitarist for Mr. Mister - was no exception.

Steve's model of Charvel San Dimas was an ash bodied vintage-style Stratocaster with a "strat-head" maple neck, Floyd Rose locking Vibrato, rails style humbuckers in the neck and middle positions, and a Humbucker at the bridge. Little is known about these guitars. These were what he appeared to used through most of his time in Mr. Mister. He had at least 2 of these, one in more of a transparent blonde color, and the other in Sienna Sunburst.

Steve can be seen with this guitar in this picture on his Facebook page.

In a video interview hosted by Tone-Talk titled "Ep. 45 - Steve Farris of Mr. Mister on Tone-Talk! Interview! Kiss, Van Halen, Whitesnake!", guitarist Steve Farris confirms his use of a 1959 Fender Stratocaster at the 3:11 timestamp.

In this Guitar World interview published January 5th 2024 Steve was asked,

What were the first solos and riffs you learned?

“Solos came later and riffs came first. I had a cheap little Kay guitar that was my mother’s, and probably cost $5! This thing had strings like the size of telephone cables and about an inch off the fretboard, so I had trouble playing them.

“I started lessons a few years after I saw The Beatles, so in fourth grade, that's where I learned my first songs. It would have been whatever was on the radio. One tune I recall was called Stick Shift by The Duals, and I also learned the beginning of Secret Agent Man by Johnny Rivers.”

In a 2010 YouTube video by Andrew Rozario titled "Steve Farris - Aqua Strat," Steve Farris can be seen holding a Valley Arts Custom Pro Guitar with an aqua finish. This provides evidence of his use of this specific guitar model.

In a YouTube video by Andrew Rozario titled "Steve Farris - Black Strat," Steve Farris is shown using a Valley Arts Custom Pro guitar. He explicitly mentions that it is a "custom pro guitar" at the beginning of the video, and it features a black finish with a white pickguard.