I remember it well. It was 1984 and I was at
one of the hottest concerts of the summer.
There was a big buzz about this band from
Los Angeles that had just exploded onto the
music scene. They were all over MTV and the
radio, and their music was catchy, loud and
just plain rocked. Sure, they looked really cool
and had good songs, but the thing that drew
me to them right away was the guitar playing.
I had just started playing guitar that year, and
there were plenty of guitar heroes to look
up to at that time. This band had two guitar
players, but one was definitely the lead guitar
hero of the group. So there I was in the front
row watching this band rock out, and standing right in front of me was this tall, skinny
guitar player. He was playing notes so fast
that they were a blur! I couldn’t believe the
sounds and tones coming out of this cool-looking guitar. He switched guitars many
times that night, and all of them sounded
great. He had cool paint jobs on every guitar,
and the graphics kept getting better with
each one he played.
The band was Ratt, the guitar player was
Warren DeMartini, and the guitar was a
Charvel. I didn’t really know about Charvel
guitars at the time, but this was the year
that I was introduced to them. (Yes, Eddie
Van Halen played them first, but he had
already switched to Kramers by that time!)
Two of my favorite guitar players that year
were Warren DeMartini and Jake E. Lee from
Ozzy Osbourne’s band. Both guitarists were
from L.A., both played in Ratt (Warren actually replaced Jake) and both had incredibly
innovative styles, not to mention tone. They
both played hot-rodded superstrats and their
guitars of choice were Charvels. I also learned
that year that those cool-looking Jackson
guitars that my ultimate guitar hero Randy
Rhoads played were actually Charvels as well.
The company has gone through a lot of
changes since its inception. I was happy to
hear that Fender had bought Charvel a few
years ago, and the intent was to return to the
high quality American-made guitars that they
were originally known for.
When I heard they were releasing a line of
Warren DeMartini signature guitars, I knew
I had to get my hands on one! The Warren
DeMartini - San Dimas line consists of three
guitars with the same basic platform, but
three different graphics to choose from. The
platform is an Alder body and the bolt-on
neck is one-piece quartersawn maple with a
12˝ – 16˝ compound radius and jumbo frets.
The hardware includes an original black Floyd
Rose tremolo, black Schaller tuners and NOS
Charvel brass strap buttons. It has a signa-
ture, custom-designed Seymour Duncan humbucking pickup controlled by a single volume
knob—just like every guitar Warren plays.
I often pick up new guitars and immediately
think of what I would do to change it to fit
my preferences, whether it is string height,
pickups, the feel of the neck, etc. Fortunately,
this guitar looked and felt great right out
of the box. I was impressed by the overall
craftsmanship of the guitar, with high quality
parts and flawless artwork.
The body is made of alder, so it’s definitely a
resonant, well-rounded tone with incredible
sustain. The DeMartini is available in three different graphics: Crossed Swords, Bomber, and
Skull and Blood. Crossed Swords has always
been my favorite design—probably because
that’s the guitar that I saw Warren use the
most in the early Ratt videos and concerts.
The neck is silky smooth and has a nice feel.
It has the original San Dimas neck shape,
with a medium thickness “D” profile. It’s
slightly wider than I prefer, but overall the
playability is great. You’ll have no problem
shredding some hot licks with this guitar! The
black locking nut and Schaller tuners are a
nice touch, and it’s very pleasing to see the
Charvel logo with “Made in U.S.A.” underneath it! The back of the headstock sports a
removable sticker reminding the player that
the headstock is the registered trademark
of the parent company Fender. It’s nice to
see Charvel guitars can finally and legally
include the Strat headstock like the originals—without having any trademark issues.
The headstock also has Warren’s signature
on the back, but unfortunately it’s only a facsimile. If you want this guitar signed, you’ll
have to track him down yourself and have
him personally autograph it! (The case candy
does include a photo card with a real Warren
signature, however.)
I really like the guitar’s Seymour Duncan
humbucking pickup, which is a custom-designed signature model that can only
be found on these Charvels. It’s a well-rounded tone, definitely chunky with a fat,
full sound. It also provides screaming highs
for a clear, crisp tone, and I love the way it
sustains. This pickup was definitely built for
rocking out, but even when you back down
on the volume with a clean tone, it doesn’t
thin out the sound at all. What this guitar
and pickup configuration may lack in terms
of versatility, it definitely makes up for with
chunky, aggressive tone.
The custom features of this guitar, especially
with the pickup and graphic design, make it
a unique instrument that definitely stands out
among other superstrats. It would have been
interesting to see even more of Warren’s
favorite specs incorporated into this guitar, such as his preference for triangle frets
and “Big Block” tremolo systems [Editor’s
note: see the Big Block on page 188]. Still,
the Charvel DeMartini is a well-built, well-designed, high-quality guitar.
Some may argue that this guitar isn’t worth
the high retail price. They may say that you
can just custom make a replica that can look,
feel and sound as good as this guitar for half
the price. This was also the argument when
Charvel released the Eddie Van Halen Art
Series guitar a few years back. I will agree
that these guitars aren’t for everybody, and
definitely not for the naysayer. This guitar
is aimed at fans and collectors like me, who
have dreamed about owning a guitar like
this since childhood. There is a definite nostalgia factor involved. Just like a lot of other
iconic eighties guitars that are now being
reissued, I’m thankful that I now get the
opportunity to get a guitar I always wanted,
and can now afford! It doesn’t hurt to have
Fender supporting the Charvel brand name
financially, with better manufacturing technology, proper marketing and access to
higher quality materials. Thanks to the acquisition from Fender, Charvel is now regaining
its reputation as one of the true pioneers of
the original hot rod guitar.
Buy If...
You’re a fan of the original Charvels
and/or Warren DeMartini
Skip If...
Nostalgia isn’t your thing or you’re
expecting all of DeMartini’s specs
Rating...
4. 5
ONTHEWeb
Head to premierguitar.com
to hear the Charvel Warren
DeMartini – San Dimas in action
premierguitar.com
Charvel
Street 2400
charvel.com
