Charvel San Dimas III F

This guitar is a playground for technical enthusiasts! The standard Dinky, SuperStrat shape will appeal to the strat lover and the Fender-ish neck will make you feel right at home! The mahogany body is HEAVY, like a Les Paul... and rings out like a Les Paul! The quilted maple top is STUNNING. However, this appearance is available on a guitar that costs a fifth of a well cared for Charvel San Dimas III. So, if you buy a guitar for looks alone, spare your cash. You won't find this guitar cheap. The price is the same as it has been for nearly ten years, and it will most likely stay the same. THIS is because of the appeal and quality of the beautiful woods its made of and the foundational credibility of its hardware and electronics. (S)Dimarzio Chopper at the neck! (S)Dimardzio Fast Track in the middle. BOTH are hum cancelling, DUAL RAIL single coils. (H)Dimarzio Tone Zone at the bridge. The Bridge is an Original Floyd Rose and the tuners are Shallers bearing the JACKSON logo.
I have never found a guitar who's neck I've liked better than the Charvel San Dimas III. Birdseye Maple, with a Pao Ferra Fingerboard. Make no mistake. This isn't Rosewood. It doesn't feel like Rosewood, and it doesn't play like Rosewood. Nothing against Rosewood... but Rosewood is NOT Pao Ferra!!
The features are hard to beat! This guitar is LOADED, lacking nothing, and desgined with you in mind to be everything you could ever need it to be. A+

I have been a session guitarist for a small commercial/jingle production company for the last 12 years, and in spite of a fantastic selection of guitars in my collection (including a '68 Gibson Les Paul, a USA made Hamer California, and a custom made Geran Semi-Hallow) I always used my Charvel San Dimas III to establish a tone the producer loved in any style he produced, ranging from Acoustic Rock, to light metal (remember: Commercials), country, and modern popular styles. If you're looking for a guitar that will put you on a Heavy Metal High, this isn't the right guitar for you. If you are interested in a Sophisticated, intelligent sounding guitar that can compliment your deepest imagination, then you may have found what you're looking for in the Charvel San Dimas III. With the San Dimas III you'll have a Strong, Direct tone similar to Tele's and Les Paul's due to the select hardwoods in the body. For a Strat sound, you'd be better off with a Strat. This guitar is not a Strat replica. It's a hybrid of a legendary shape, and legendary materials that combine to create enormous Harmonics with the sustain to let the perfect note define your sound instead of having to find a fresh one.
I use a Line 6 POD XT in the studio, usually on the "Streets have No Name" effects setting with the "Plexi-Variac" amp setting. Using a Heavier, sub-metal distortion tone gives me incredible diversity when I use the guitar's volume control to drive the robust, even tone from clean to dirty. If you are reading this review to determine if the San Dimas III is right for you, remember that this SuperStrat delivers a tone more similar to a Tele or Les Paul than a Strat. For ultra-heavy METAL, this guitar won't let you down, but it'll remind you to back off. For a diverse, popular sound this is a guitar suitable for the Seasoned Professional and will give you a tone that will help you find the right sound in any arrangement.

This is an extremely well crafted instrument. If you're familiar with the elite Anderson, Tyler, Suhr... etc you will know a standard of quality that is not absent in the '95 San Dimas line. Every aspect of this guitar is designed and constructed to serve its player. Nice, low action! Super Smooth neck! One could be made to believe that this guitar is a one of a kind, super high end custom. When the original craftsmen that created the original line of Custom Strats (for clients like Eddie Van Halen) are commissioned to build a series of replicas, they do not disappoint! There is no defect to the design, and there is no mistake in its construction. A+

I have used this guitar in many live situations. If you find this guitar with its original SKB case, you should have no issues with transporting it. As for its durability over the years, I have come to expect the guitar to simply stay in its original condition! There has been a small hairline crack in the finish at the cutaway of the body where it meets the neck. I'm not certain how it got there, but since it happened, it hasn't spread and on MY guitar, it's the only blemish. I am picky about my instrument. I keep the body clean, and the fretboard clean. When I'm not playing it, it's in its case. But if you value quality in a guitar, this is a given. Under NORMAL conditions, this guitar will stay in MINT condition through years of daily playing.
If you were to gig with this guitar, take a backup simply because of the Floyd Rose tremolo. I have 2 guitars with Floyds, and both chronically break strings... rarely, but unpredictably.
If you are reading this review as you consider the Charvel San Dimas III, rest assured that the guitar will hold up when it's treated Decently. Mine is 11 years old, played heavily, and is in MINT condition! Indoors, Outdoors, Studio, Stage, Bedrooms, Basements... doesn't matter! Just wipe it down, fix the quirks YOU cause, don't THROW it or SMASH it, and you'll have it forever. It's exceptional.

I bought this guitar used, so it's not under warranty. But honestly, the only thing I've ever had done was a volume pot replacement. $22.00 after installation and tax. In its 11 years, that's all it's ever needed.
So I'm listing this as no opinion simply from my lack of experience. The volume pot was replaced by a tech that doesn't do warranty work for Charvel.
So... no idea!

I have been playing guitar for nearly 20 years. I first saw the Charvel San Dimas series in a catalogue and knew that the San Dimas III was exactly what I wanted from its list of specs and overall style. Instead of ordering the San Dimas, I purchased the Hamer California, USA made, which is a fabulous guitar and I was very happy with it. Next I bought my vintage Les Paul and am still very happy with it. In the meantime I had the opportunity to play other guitars in the Charvel San Dimas line-up and loved it! I held out for the San Dimas III that I dreamed of in the catalogue (which I would have to buy used, cause I missed my chance to buy it new) and bought the first one I found! This review guide is asking me if I would buy another if I lost mine, and I would say yes. If I were to lose my San Dimas, I would have to buy another. In fact, I intend to aquire one model from each category in the Series!
I'm asked to describe my favorite feature and I would have to say that my favorite feature is the tonewoods in conjunction with the quality of its construction. The hardware is top notch, but available on hundreds of inferior models and designs. The guitar seems to have spirit, and personality. I believe that a lot of heart went into its production, and I believe that if you know what you're doing, a lot of heart will come out.

Overall:
These guitars are superior to production lines with the exception of the very most Elite. And amongst them, the Charvel San Dimas is among equals.

Totally handmade in Jackson Custom Shop, Ontario, California, to commemorate the first Charvel guitars that made this brand famous in the early '80s. This axe is build according to the original Charvel specs, except for some modern features, as 24 fret neck (bolt-on), Di Marzio pick ups and a wonderful contoured quilt maple drop top. The bridge is a Floyd rose, p.u. are s/s/h configuration and are Chopper (humbucker stack) to the neck, Fast Track 1 in the middle and Tone Zone to the bridge. 5 way selector and a switch to pass in every moment to the bridge pickup, bypassing tone and volume control. The wood employed for body is mahogany and for neck is employed birds-eye maple, with a slab board bolivian (I think) rosewood fingerboard.

This guitar looks astonishingly and sound as U aspect by an axe with this characteristics. This is a very versatile instrument and has a great comfort and playability. The neck is one of the most comfortable of the world: U have the speed and feel of a USA Jackson, but it's narrower, so U find a more Fenderish feel. The woods are greats and they contributes for a great part to the overall sound. I give it only 9, 'cause, even if the Tone Zone is a very good one, it's not my main pick up; I think that a more balanced one, as, for instance, the Evolution or, if you prefer a more vintage and open sound, a Seymour Duncan '59 could reveal to be a better choice. You can play anything you want, from blues, to pop, to hard rock, to fusion as well, but if your main or only music style is thrash metal and you're are a sort of beast engaging a race with your metronome every time you put the jack in your overcharged old Marshall Plexi, I guess this is not the guitar for you, especially because of woods employed: I guess that a top level ESP or Jackson can suits real better (this is the reason why I've a Jackson Soloist USA graphic, too!).

Yes, I know that my vote to the sound was "only" 9, but I give this guitar 10, because of its comfort, top level construction (as good as the best Tom Anderson drop top, and even better than any old Schecter) and overall sophisticated sound: well, the Tone Zone is a question of taste, I don't like so much a lot of Di Marzio pick ups, but they are well build and are a good choice if you want a well focused sound, so, considering this axe in an objective way, for its price it beats all the concurrency! The same level guitars costs at least a third more, so this is the best choice on the ground of q/p ratio; unfortunately (or luckily, I don't know yet) the production was limited in time, so U can find this guitar only on Used market.

-Hand Made in the USA at the San Dimas Jackson Plant in 1995? -24 Fret Bolt-On neck. -5 way selector with Master Volume and Tone. Also has a mini toggle that switches on the lead pickup bypassed of the tone and volume. -S/S/H configuration. -Bridge: DiMarzio Tone Zone. -Middle: DiMarzio Fast Track. -Neck : DiMarzio Chopper. -Woods: Body: Mahogony with Quilt maple Drop Top (1/4 inch) Neck: Birdseye Maple with Rosewood Fingerboard. -Finish: Body: Transparent Green top with Natural back and sides. Neck: Unbound, oiled finish with Abalone dot inlays. Hardware: Black. -Body Style: Modern "Super Strat" with Soloist-styled cutaways. -Bridge: Original Floyd Rose double-locking system. -Tuners: Gotoh tuners. -Neck: 25.5 scale, "Traditonal Charvel" neck. -Case: Standard Charvel/Jackson Case.

-Style: Hard Rock/NeoClassical Metal Suitablility: Very good for all but the hardest of metal. -Amps: Peavy Studio (single 12" speaker) -Effects: Dunlop CryBaby Wah, Digitech RP-6 -Noise: Far quieter than other guitar's I've owned. -Tone: Very full and warm with lots of sustain. The maple top gives it brilliant highs and harmonics. -Sounds: Very flexible but too-warm for the seriously heavy stuff. The mini toggle allows the use of the bridge pickup with the other two at various settings. -Likes: Flexibility and richness. -Dislikes: Haven't managed to find how to make it harsh enough for the seriously heavy stuff.

This guitar was hand-built to exacting standards and completely blew everything that was in the store away in quality. No observable flaws whatsoever. Action was low and fast (so low that I had to raise the bridge to tune to Drop D) I have not had to adjust anything else. The only low is that the neck is very sensative to seasonal changes.

-Live Durability: This guitar has been my main stage guitar since I bought it almost a year ago. It has held up beautifully. -Hardware Durability: Excellent, but I worry about the lightness of the Floyd Rose unit. I'm afraid I'll bend the string locking bolts if I pull back too hard. -Finish: Excellent and thick. No problems here. -Strap Buttons: Very Solid. -Dependability: Stays in tune better than anything else I've ever owned. Aside from broken strings, totally dependable. -Backup?: With any floating bridge, one broken string can ruin your whole day. This is the only reason I have a backup.

I've never had to deal directly with Charvel/Jackson. The local dealer who sold the guitar to me handles all the warrenty work and all other repairs except finish repairs. He is excellent in both his ability and being able to deal with. Limeted lifetime factory warrenty I believe.

-How Long Playing: 16 years. -Other Guitars: Jackson Rhodes EX -Questions: None. -Buy Again?: I've gotten rather tired of playing "Super Strats", I would buy another USA Jackson for sure, and when my budget permitted, buy another. -Love: Tone and Sustain. Floyd Rose. -Hate: Cutaways are too small for my big hands. (Anything with horn is) Weight, It's a heavy sucker. -Comparison: I played several guitars by Jackson, Ibanez, ESP and others. The quality level is far above any production guitar and it feels "custom made" -Improvements: I wish the neck had Ivory binding, hard to see where you are on stage. Narrow and tall frets would help my fingers fit into the upper frets. Neck Thru construction would also improve it's playability for me -Other Comments: I was a dedicated Ibanez player up until the time I played this guitar, now I don't own anything that's non-Charvel/Jackson. The tone alone blows any basswood-bodied guitar from the water. For the price, it's hard to find anything that can top it.