New guitars arrive all the time at the Guitar World office in New York City. Late last week, we received one of the new Desolation guitars by Charvel.
There are 10 new guitars in this first wave of Charvel's Desolation series, including four single-cutaway DS models, three double-cutaway DC models and three Skatecaster SK models, which are based on the Charvel Surfcaster of the early 1990s.
All these models feature mahogany bodies and necks, dual humbucking pickups, three-way switching, solid and transparent finishes (with flame maple veneer on trans finishes) and black nickel hardware. Most feature compound-radius (12”-16”) rosewood fingerboards with 24 jumbo frets in a variety of neck-through, set-neck and bolt-on configurations; Charvel bridges specially designed for compound-radius fingerboards (except DS-3 ST Floyd Rose®-equipped models); and three-on-a-side locking Charvel tuners (except DS-3 ST and Floyd Rose®-equipped models, which have non-locking three-on-a-side tuners).
Here's a breakdown of the new models. Be sure to check out the photo gallery below; some of the photos are from Charvel, and some feature GW's Paul Riario checking out one of the guitars after opening up the box at the office.
•DS-1 ST: Carved top, neck-through-body design, bound neck with scalloped heel, abalone position inlays, abalone body and headstock binding, dual Seymour Duncan® Blackout active humbucking pickups, matching headstocks
•DS-1 FR: Carved top, neck-through-body design, bound neck with scalloped heel, abalone position inlays, abalone body and headstock binding, dual Seymour Duncan® Blackout active humbucking pickups, Floyd Rose® double-locking tremolo, matching headstocks
•DS-2 ST: Carved top, bound set neck with scalloped heel, pearloid position inlays, pearloid body and headstock binding, dual Charvel active humbucking pickups
•DS-3 ST: Carved top, bolt-on neck, 12”-radius fingerboard with dot inlays, dual Charvel passive humbucking pickups
•DC-1 ST: Carved top, neck-through-body design, bound neck with scalloped heel, abalone position inlays, abalone body and headstock binding, EMG® 85 (neck) and 81 (bridge) active humbucking pickups, matching headstocks
•DC-1 FR: Carved top, neck-through-body design, bound neck with scalloped heel, abalone position inlays, abalone body and headstock binding, EMG® 85 (neck) and 81 (bridge) active humbucking pickups, matching headstocks, Floyd Rose® double-locking tremolo, matching headstocks
•DC-2 ST: Carved top, bound set neck with scalloped heel, pearloid position inlays, pearloid body and headstock binding, dual Charvel active humbucking pickups
Charvel Desolation “SK” Skatecaster models and features are:
•SK-1 ST: Solid body shape based on early-’90s hollow-body Surfcaster, neck-through-body design, bound neck, abalone “keystone” position inlays, abalone body and headstock binding, EMG® 85 (neck) and 81 (bridge) active humbucking pickups, single control knob (volume), matching headstocks
•SK-1 FR: Solid body shape based on early-’90s hollow-body Surfcaster, neck-through-body design, bound neck, abalone “keystone” position inlays, abalone body and headstock binding, EMG® 85 (neck) and 81 (bridge) active humbucking pickups, single control knob (volume), Floyd Rose® double-locking tremolo, matching headstocks
•SK-3 ST: Solid body shape based on early-’90s hollow-body Surfcaster, bolt-on neck, pearloid “keystone” position inlays, pearloid body and headstock binding, dual Charvel passive humbucking pickups, single control knob (volume)
