Guthrie Govan Signature MJ San Dimas

30
GUITARIST SEPTEMBER 2021
Charvel Guthrie Govan Signature MJ San Dimas £2,299
CONTACT Fender Musical Instruments EMEA PHONE [phone] WEB www.charvel.com
JARGON
CRUNCHING
Single-coil simulation
“Guthrie’s signature
includes a ‘single-coil
simulator’, engaged by a
mini-toggle switch. But
whatever you do, don’t
call it a coil-tap! Charvel
Product Development
Manager, Peter Wichers
explains, “Guthrie
expressed the desire
for a single-coil ‘type’
sound without the hum,
while maintaining similar
levels to the humbucking
positions. This is a
unique sound that we
were able to achieve with
the help of our great
engineering team”
FINISH
If you like to see the wood
for the trees, you’ll love
the deep grain of the ash
top, sprayed in a three-
tone sunburst fi nish for
additional class
SWITCHING
An HSH pickup
confi guration plus
fi ve-way switch and
mini-toggle means there
are plenty of switching
options to hand
LUMINLAY
The player-facing fretboard
edge and both control knobs
are decked out with glow-in-
the-dark markers, so you’ll
always be able to fi nd your
way on stage
Gas Supply
Our pick of the month’s most delectable
and wallet-bothering new gear
That’s a serious-looking instrument!
Indeed. Serious technical ability requires an
instrument to match, and this Charvel is the latest
signature model for one of the scariest players on
the planet, Mr Guthrie Govan. This time it comes
out of Charvel’s Japanese facility, cutting the price
of a Guthrie signature model by hundreds, while still
o ering the features we’ve come to know and love
from GG’s collaborations. But before we start throwing
the ‘a ordable’ word around, it’s still a pro-level
instrument with a far-from-cheap price tag.
Where does this sit with the US-made models?
Let’s take a look next to the full-fat version. Basswood
body? Tick. Caramelised maple neck? Present (sans
 ame). HSH pickup con guration with oodles of
switching options? Yes, siree!
All the ingredients are here with only seemingly minor
tweaks to the spec along the way, and production costs
being kept down by its country of origin – which, if
you’re anything like us, you stopped being concerned
about at least one pandemic ago…
What else does it have?
Starting at the top, you get Guthrie’s preference of
headstock shape: a licensed Fender Strat headstock.
That’s loaded with six Gotoh locking tuners, and there’s
a Graph Tech Tusq nut sitting just below. The compound
radius  ngerboard (304.8 to 406.4mm/12 to 16 inches)
is maple, but it’s been heated and dried, producing a
caramelised look, before being  tted with 24 stainless-
steel, extra-jumbo frets.
The front-facing dots are a classy creme, while the
side markers are stage-friendly Luminlay dots, as are
the volume and tone control knobs. That maple neck is
of the Speed Neck variety, comes in a satin  nish and
is home to graphite truss rod, which is conveniently
adjusted at the body end. Further down, you’ll have
spotted the Charvel locking vibrato unit, which has been
recessed, just like Guthrie’s other signature models.
Tell us about the fi nish…
While 80s shred was full of hot  uorescent  nishes, you
may have noticed contemporary face-melters have long
been leaning toward a more discerning – some would
THE
LINEUP
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