Charvel has made a big play to assert its dominance in the budget-mid-priced guitar market by introducing the all-new Standard Series, promising “San Dimas performance at an unbeatable value.”
Priced at $569/£509/€599, the first one off the shelf is the catchily named Standard Series Style 2 SD2 HH HT, a Tele-style electric guitar that Charvel reckons will “blow your mind”.
Why? Well, all the charm of Charvel's San Dimas guitars has been brought down to a humble price point, resulting in a slick, streamlined instrument steeped in “Charvel DNA and pro-level playability.”
Making the guitar as affordable as this means some expenses have to be spared, and so nyatoh, a mahogany alternative and extremely lightweight Asian hardwood, makes its first appearance in the current Charvel roster, and that carries through to its bolt-on speed neck, which is reinforced with graphite, oiled, and coupled with an amaranth fingerboard with rolled edges. It is fitted with 22 jumbo frets and a heel-mounted truss rod wheel for easy action tweaks.
Own-brand pickups are a given considering the context, but there's the promise that players can coax “crushing” sounds from its twin high-output Charvel Custom humbuckers. There's no Tone knob, leaving a simple setup of a Master Volume and three-way switch to do the dirty work. Die-cast locking tuners are a big plus, and a string-through-body hardtail nods to Telecaster heritage.
Gloss Black and Satin Gray finishes accentuate the guitar's no-nonsense genetics, and though it doesn't get DiMarzio or Fishman pickups like other Charvel Teles, such as the Select San Dimas Style 2 HH FR ($2,499) or Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 2 24 HH HT CM ($999), it comes at just a fraction of those outlays.
Consider too that its 12”-16” compound fingerboard is the same radius that features on those two higher-priced electric guitars, and cut with all the same cosy contours, it's easy to see why this makes for a serious proposition in the circa-$500 price range.
“The all-new Charvel Standard Series delivers legendary San Dimas performance at an incredible price point that'll blow your mind,” says Charvel. “This isn't just another budget guitar – it's a high-performance shred machine that proves you don't need to empty your wallet to sound like a pro.”
The Charvel Standard Series Style 2 SD2 HH HT is now available for $569, with additional models to the family expected in due course.
See Charvel for more.
