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...
