Charles Berthoud at Schecter HQ | NAMM 2026

We sent Ryan over to the Schecter studio for a very special interview with Charles Berthoud! Before the interview even started, Charles Berthoud is giving us a groovy remix of the Seinfeld theme. Classic Charles.

While on our side of the pond, we got to talk to Charles about Schecter guitars, Working with Victor Wooten, absorbed all of his legendary bassist wisdom, and learned that Melody is king. It’s a fun interview you won’t want to miss. 

Charles Berthoud and Schecter have been working together for 3 years, and the relationship is only getting stronger. “They’re always calling me up and saying, ‘We should do a USA model!’ And I go, ‘What's a USA model?’” 

When coming up with the signature bass, the design Charles originally had in mind was super wild-looking. What he didn’t know is that it would require tons of exotic woods and put the price point over $4,000! “Ok, maybe down the road we can do crazy stuff. But for now I would like to have something people could actually buy.” It looks great, but more importantly, it sounds great, and it works in pretty much any scenario!

Charles Berthoud got to work with his idol Victor Wooten at a camp in Nashville. You can just see him trying to contain his excitement while talking about his experience. “Victor is my biggest hero on Bass. It was very surreal. It felt like, in a way, my life has been leading to this moment.” It seems to have been a truly electric feeling to work with Wooten.

Charles Berthoud's first day in the Nashville sun was a sweltering 95 degrees. What a way to kick off camp! Charles knew he was performing on his first day of camp, but he thought it was later at night. Victor told him they usually have someone perform during lunchtime. He could never say no to Victor, and then Victor told Charles he was on in 5 minutes. 

“It was a cool but slightly nerve-wracking experience. Victor is the coolest guy ever, really makes you feel at ease.” When you get to the camp, you might be star struck by Victor Wooten, but at the end, you get to call him your friend.

When it comes to practicing, 10,000 hours of bass doesn't happen overnight. Well, yeah, of course you knew that, but you need to make peace with it. Even when Charles Berthoud warms up he needs to be present and in the moment. He plays his warm up slow before he speeds up the tempo.

Don’t be afraid to not know something or need to be corrected. When Charles was learning new techniques, he had to retrain himself to optimize his playing. “I started using much more efficient techniques, and I just did really boring exercises over and over again.” Charles practices a lot, just to retrain using a new technique, he would have to train 1-2 hours a day for the next few months to get it down. “Always remember that people you see who are playing crazy stuff are not superhuman.” 

You can learn to do it just like Charles Berthoud did. Quick Berthoud tip: your fingers barely have to move to play fast. Yep, there’s a technique for everything!

Though Charles surely has plenty of skill and technique to rely on, when it comes to writing, melody always comes first before technique. “I try to hear a melody first, and then I kinda arrange it in a way that uses cool techniques.” Melody is the most important part of his songs, and he tries to preserve it no matter what technique or flair he tries to add.

At the end of the day, when you make music, you do have to think of what someone else would want to listen to. “Anyone who plays quite technical stuff, it’s always very easy to fall into that trap playing the flashiest stuff possible.” Music isn’t supposed to be about the “chops fest,” and Charles says he keeps that in the back of his mind while writing.

While he was super busy with NAMM 2026, he doesn’t have much going on till later in the year. Expect a solo China tour and as much music as he can make until then. He’ll still be posting a bunch on his YouTube channel as well, and so will we on the American Musical Supply YouTube channel — where you can find more Charles Berthoud videos and all your other favorite artists too!

Check out all the great gear Schecter has to offer here at AMS, and don’t forget to subscribe to AMS and Charles Berthoud on YouTube!