Charvel

Charvel GuitarsCharvel Guitars
Charvel GuitarsCharvel Guitars

Charvel guitars are the very embodiment of high-performance tone machines, and discerning players who prize superior sound and feel have turned to the company's finely crafted guitars as their weapons of choice for more than 30 years. From metal masters including Warren DeMartini and Jake E Lee to instrumental fusion legends such as Allan Holdsworth and Shawn Lane to modern day virtuosos like Guthrie Govan, musicians worldwide have long relied on the exceptional design and performance of a Charvel.

Items 1-16 of 68

  1. Charvel Jake E Lee Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS HT RW Guitar
    Charvel Jake E Lee Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS HT RW Guitar
    Guitar virtuoso Jake E Lee blazed trails in the 1980s with Ratt and Rough Cutt before landing his legendary gig as Ozzy Osbourne’s lead guitarist. His acclaimed career continued with Badlands and now Red Dragon...
    $1,199.99

    12 Payments of $100.00

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  2. Charvel Marco Sfogli Signature PM SC1 HSS Guitar
    Charvel Marco Sfogli Signature PM SC1 HSS Guitar
    Charvel pays tribute to the guitarist and composer with the introduction of the Marco Sfogli Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR CM QM. Italian guitar phenom Marco Sfogli, of progressive metal bands PFM and...
    $1,359.00 - $1,499.99

    12 Payments of $125.00

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  3. Charvel MJ San Dimas® Style 1 HSH FR PF QM Guitar
    Charvel MJ San Dimas® Style 1 HSH FR PF QM Guitar
    The MJ San Dimas® Style 1 HSH FR PF QM is a brazen new model designed for the progressive guitarist seeking a spectrum of sound beyond the norm. The alder body with quilt maple top is wrapped in either a wicked...
    $1,799.99

    12 Payments of $150.00

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  4. Charvel Warren DeMartini Signature Snake Pro Mod Electric Guitar
    Charvel Warren DeMartini Signature Snake Pro Mod Electric Guitar
    Ready to Ratt-n-Roll! The new Pro-Mod Warren DeMartini Signature Snake was designed and built to Warren’s demanding specifications. Features include a Custom Designed Seymour Duncan humbucker, Seymour Duncan...
    $1,319.00 - $1,449.99

    12 Payments of $120.83

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  5. Charvel MJ San Dimas® Style 1 HSS FR M Guitar
    Charvel MJ San Dimas® Style 1 HSS FR M Guitar
    Ascending the summit of innovative design for the modern artist, the Charvel MJ San Dimas Style 1 HSS FR M features a resonant alder body with a contoured sculpted shredder’s cut heel for maximized playing comfort....
    $1,299.00 - $1,699.99

    12 Payments of $141.67

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  6. Charvel Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas® Style 2 HH E Mahogany Guitar
    Charvel Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas® Style 2 HH E Mahogany Guitar
    French avant-metal quartet Gojira has cemented itself as one of paramount metal acts of the new-millennium. Led by singer, vocalist, and principal songwriter Joe Duplantier, the band has always dealt in extremes...
    $719.95 - $899.99

    12 Payments of $75.00

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  7. Charvel MJ DK24 HSH Flame Maple Guitar with Gig Bag
    Charvel MJ DK24 HSH Flame Maple Guitar with Gig Bag
    The MJ DK24 HSH 2PT W Mahogany with flame maple lies at the intersection of immaculate style and unmatched performance. The mahogany Dinky body with flame maple top finish which shows off the distinguished wood...
    $2,199.99

    12 Payments of $183.33

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  8. Charvel Pro Mod DK24 HH HT E Mahogany Guitar
    Charvel Pro Mod DK24 HH HT E Mahogany Guitar
    Charvel’s Pro-Mod DK24 HH HT E Mahogany with Poplar Burl is a perfect fusion of elegance and high performance, designed for a new breed of player whose musical vision and versatility knows...
    $999.99

    12 Payments of $83.33

  9. Charvel Pro Mod San Dimas Bass JJ V 5-String Guitar
    Charvel Pro Mod San Dimas Bass JJ V 5-String Guitar
    Featuring a sleek alder body shape, the Pro-Mod San Dimas Bass JJ V guitar with the deeper cutaway gives adventurous bassists effortless upper-register access. The super-thin bolt-on maple Charvel speed neck is...
    $999.99

    12 Payments of $83.33

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  10. Charvel Pro Mod San Dimas Bass PJ V 5-String Bass Guitar
    Charvel Pro Mod San Dimas Bass PJ V 5-String Bass Guitar
    Combining modern appointments with throwback Charvel DNA, the Pro-Mod San Dimas® Bass PJ V meets the needs of seasoned players who defy the status quo and demand more from a high-performance hot rod...
    $799.95 - $999.99

    12 Payments of $75.00

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  11. Charvel Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HH FR Maple Fingerboard Guitar
    Charvel Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HH FR Maple Fingerboard Guitar
    Outstanding feel and hot-rodded for scorching sound!Hot-rodded for unparalleled performance, versatile sound and outstanding playing feel, this instrument hosts a high-output Seymour Duncan® TB-6 Distortion™...
    $849.95 - $899.99

    12 Payments of $75.00

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  12. Charvel Henrik Danhage Ltd Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HS FR M Guitar
    Charvel Henrik Danhage Ltd Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HS FR M Guitar
    It's Back! As if it’s been through 20 years of touring, the Henrik Danhage Limited Edition Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 sports a heavy White Relic finish topped with a 3-ply white pickguard, reverse...
    $1,599.99

    12 Payments of $133.33

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  13. Charvel MJ San Dimas® Style 1 HSS FR Ebony Fingerboard Guitar
    Charvel MJ San Dimas® Style 1 HSS FR Ebony Fingerboard Guitar
    Classic Charvel hot-rod style gets a brooding makeover with the MJ San Dimas® Style 1 HSS FR E in Satin Black with gold hardware. The alder body features a sculpted shredder’s cut heel that makes upper fret...
    $1,699.99

    12 Payments of $141.67

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  14. Charvel LTD Super Stock SD1 H 2PT M Guitar with Gig Bag
    Charvel LTD Super Stock SD1 H 2PT M Guitar with Gig Bag
    This limited edition Charvel Super-Stock SD1 H 2PT M comes with a menacing silver bengal finish fashioned from alder. The bolt-on maple “speed” neck has graphite reinforcement, a silky-smooth hand-rubbed urethane...
    $1,499.99

    12 Payments of $125.00

  15. Charvel Pro-Mod San Dimas® Bass PJ IV 4-String Guitar
    Charvel Pro-Mod San Dimas® Bass PJ IV 4-String Guitar
    The sleek alder body shape is a familiar one—straight from the original Charvel San Dimas basses of late 1970s, with the deeper cutaway that gave adventurous bassists effortless upper-register access. For the...
    $739.95 - $849.95

    6 Payments of $141.66

    No Credit Check

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  16. Charvel Phil Sgrosso Signature Pro Mod SC1 Guitar
    Charvel Phil Sgrosso Signature Pro Mod SC1 Guitar
    In his honor, Charvel presents the Phil Sgrosso Signature Pro-Mod which is a brutally modern take on a classic design. As I Lay Dying principal songwriter and guitarist Phil Sgrosso is a formidable creative force...
    $1,449.99

    12 Payments of $120.83

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American Musical Supply is excited to be your stop for Charvel electric guitars! We offer True 0% interest payment plans – applying is easy. Use your own debit or credit card, enjoy fast and free shipping, and add Charvel instruments to your creative setup. 

We make buying Charvel products quick and easy - in-stock items that are ordered before 5PM will ship out the same day! (see our Shipping Information Page for more details) Do you have questions about Charvel gear and want to know which items would be best for you? Give us a call at 800-319-9043 - our experts are standing by. 

Charvel electric guitars are high-octane axes that are sure to make some serious noise! Channeling the energy of their legendary models from the late 1970s and 1980s, modern Charvels are bold, bright, and take charge on the performance stage. You’re getting a relaxed, well-balanced guitar that is comfortable to play. With their rock-solid bolt-on necks, fantastic color palette of finishes that go well beyond the basics, plus hardware and components that have been carefully selected for maximum stability and sonic presence, a Charvel is ready to rock and will make a wonderful addition to any musical setup. 

California in 1974 was a flurry of musical activity and a serious epicenter for guitar talent. It was at this time that Wayne Charvel opened his repair shop in Azusa, California. He may have not known it then, but Charvel’s Guitar Repair would quickly become a driving force in kickstarting aftermarket builds, hot-rodded instruments, and free-thinking experimentation when it came to both the visual and sonic elements of electric guitar. During this era, Fender, Gibson, and many of the other big names weren’t doing any of their own custom guitar work for the general public. Instead, they directed those requests to a select number of independent luthiers and technicians. Charvel’s background as a sign painter, electrical engineer, and creative designer, along with his overall enthusiasm for guitar all culminated into his shop getting these opportunities. 

After a year in Azusa, Charvel moved its operations to nearby San Dimas. The town lived and breathed rock and heavy metal guitar, and the new shop became a hugely popular gathering space for technicians, collaborators, and up-and-coming musicians. Even when the company would change locations years down the road, San Dimas would always be close by and remain at the heart of the brand. When doing modifications, Charvel often incorporated bodies and parts from the newly formed Schecter Guitar Research, pickups from DiMarzio, and other aftermarket manufacturers of components. The list of hard-working musicians looking to upgrade their axes included a young Eddie Van Halen, who was a frequent visitor of the space. The very first of Van Halen’s iconic striped ‘Frankenstein’ guitars was built using a spare body, neck, and parts from Charvel’s shop along with cans of spray paint. This was the first step in a journey that included an eventual striped custom-made Charvel all the way to his own lineup of EVH Striped Series electric guitars. 

Starting to see a trend here with Charvel’s relationship to some familiar and well-known names? Schecter. DiMarzio. EVH. These are some serious brands! And last but not least, you also have Jackson. 

Wayne Charvel also was introduced to Grover Jackson (yes, the eventual founder of Jackson Guitars), a budding luthier who had plenty of new business ideas. The two became partners and realized there was potential in building and selling their own guitars, and that repairs and modifications weren’t enough to keep things moving forward financially. Charvel had already begun exploring guitar building prior to meeting Jackson, but things had hit a snag up to that point. The two men strategized and moved forward with their plans, but over the course of the next year it become clear that they each had differing opinions on future operations and weren’t able to come to a compromise. In 1978, Jackson bought out Charvel’s interest in the company, took charge, and pushed forward.

Even though Wayne Charvel was no longer part of the company, it was during Jackson’s time in charge that the Charvel name exploded in popularity. They first got to work hiring eager builders, engineers, and staff, transitioning from making instruments from third-party parts to crafting their own necks and bodies. Charvel ‘Superstrats’ debuted in 1979, sporting compound radius fingerboards, modern tremolo systems, and exemplary paint work. In addition to the ‘Superstrat,’ Charvel built models based off the Telecaster and Explorer, and also started offering guitars made from more lightweight woods. 

In 1980 Grover Jackson met with Randy Rhoads, who at the time was in the middle of touring with Ozzy Osbourne, to discuss building a new guitar. Rhoads insisted on going with an intense offset V shape, which was quite a radical design. Concerned that the instrument might alienate purists and their expectations of the Charvel line, Jackson put his own name on the new Rhoads guitar and Jackson Guitars was officially born. Throughout the 80s, both Charvel and Jackson instruments were marketed alongside each other, both enjoying immense popularity and success. This was a true boom period for Charvel - their instruments were being used by megastars on tours and were the de facto guitar of choice for hordes of rockers. Their expansion and critical acclaim led them to research new ideas, refine their build processes, and hire more experts into the fold. This required immense amounts of capital and ultimately the decision was made to seek additional outside investors.

Ultimately, the differing strategies from investors and management would lead Jackson to divest from the company in 1989 so he could pursue other projects. The 1990s and early 2000s saw the mainstream scenes shift away from over-the-top arena rock, glam, and bombastic shredding styles. And for awhile Charvel faded deep into the background, the name being primarily mentioned only in the expanding vintage markets. 

Recognizing just how much of a historic and cultural significance the Charvel name provided, Fender bought the brand in 2002 and went about reintroducing their designs to a new generation of rockers. New genres of guitar music, renewed interest in 80s culture, and the rise of social media have led to a serious resurgence in popularity. With a full and ever-expanding lineup of guitars available, there is a Charvel with the right look and style just waiting for you! 

Charvel is fully embracing the designs, builds, and styles that made them a behemoth in the 1980s. American Musical Supply is excited to carry their instruments - when you pick up one and plug it in, you’ll be inspired to start making music right away!

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