Earlier this week, Fender and the brands under its umbrella pulled back the curtains on a dizzying variety of new – and newly-updated – electric guitars, acoustic guitars, bass guitars, guitar amps, and more.
One interesting aspect of the coordinated mass launch was that one of its most prominent products – Jackson's spectacularly-overhauled MJ Series Rhoads – is Japanese-made. It's a sign of commitment to the country that dovetails with the Big F's recent opening of a flagship, four-story store in Tokyo.
Not to be outdone by its FMIC comrade, Charvel has unveiled some new, Japanese-made instruments of its own – a pair of Superstrat-inspired San Dimas models.
The two MJ San Dimas Style 1 HSH FR QM models – to give them their full names – are identical in every respect but for their fretboard options. One comes with a maple fretboard, the other with a pau ferro 'board.
Otherwise, both models are shaped from an alder body with a quilted maple top, with bolt-on, graphite-reinforced maple necks adorned with 12"-16" radius, 25.5" fretboards (with the aforementioned choice of woods) that sport 24 Jumbo frets.
The San Dimas' trio of Seymour Duncan pickups – a Jazz SH-2N humbucker in the neck, Flat Strat SSL-6 single-coil in the middle, and a JB TB-4 'bucker in the bridge – can be tweaked by individual volume and tone controls, and your standard five-way pickup switch. Licensed Strat headstocks, meanwhile, complete the models' '80s-era hot-rod vibe.
A recessed Gotoh GE1996T Series Double-Locking tremolo, Gotoh die-cast tuners, and a Floyd Rose 1000 Series Locking nut, in turn, highlight the hardware.
Both of Charvel's new MJ San Dimas models will be available starting in November for $1,799. The pau ferro version is offered in Midnight Glow and Transparent Green Burst finishes, while the maple version comes exclusively in a rather beach-y Caribbean Burst colorway.
For more info on the models, visit Charvel.
