I spent well over a decade gigging on the wedding band circuit, and I did it all with one guitar – a Cort G290 Superstrat. Its HSS – humbucker, single coil, single coil – pickup configuration gave me the versatility to handle anything that might come up in the set, from Nile Rodgers funk to EVH leads. But if I did it all again, I’d get something a little more classic. And maybe a little more… glam.
And that’s why I think this Charvel San Dimas is an absolute steal, with $400 shredded off its price tag at Sweetwater for Prime Day.
Crucially, it’s also got a coil-split for the bridge ’bucker, plus a Reverse Wound, Reverse Polarity neck pickup to reduce hum.
Naturally, the neck is built for speed, with a hand-rubbed urethane finish, plus a compound-radius fingerboard with rolled edges – and trust me, you’ll want that to prevent hand cramp during Message in a Bottle.
There’s a Floyd Rose locking tremolo as well, which will keep your divebombs in tune, while the whole thing is wrapped up in an Aqua Flake finish that screams ‘partaaaay’. A licensed Fender Strat headstock, meanwhile, classes up the package.
Trust me, that pickup configuration can tackle anything you can throw at it. But if hair-metal is more your thing, this will do that, too. Maybe even some Turnstile hardcore.
Basically, it’s a top-spec Superstrat for under $1,000 – Sweetwater’s $400 discount takes it to $999, which is a bargain. I’ve yet to play a Charvel I didn’t like, so I would not hesitate in recommending this speed machine before it sells out.
For more deals that are actually worth your time and money this year, head over to our Prime Day guitar deals hub page, where my GW colleagues have rounded up the offers that actually count. (And seriously, that Electro-Harmonix Lizard Queen deal is nuts.)
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