Charvel Pro-Mod Relic San Dimas

Charvel has been synonymous with high-performance guitars since the late ‘70s, and the Pro-Mod Relic San Dimas is a love letter to those early hot-rodded Super Strats. This axe is built for players who crave speed, power, and effortless playability, but with a well-loved, worn-in aesthetic that makes it feel like an old friend right out of the box. Let’s break it down

First impressions? This thing looks like it’s seen decades of stage abuse—in the best way possible. The Relic treatment is Charvel’s nod to vintage shredders who’ve put their guitars through their paces, with worn-through finishes, dings, and aged hardware that scream “been there, done that, still melting faces.”

Neck

Let’s talk neck. Charvel’s Speed Neck profile is, well…fast. Really fast. It’s slim without being too thin, offering a comfortable grip that encourages fluid movement up and down the fretboard. The 12”-16” compound radius is perfect for both chording and lead work—rounder in the lower frets for comfy rhythm playing, flatter up high for effortless bends and sweeps.

The jumbo frets make bending a dream, and the rolled fingerboard edges give that worn-in, buttery feel you usually only get from years of heavy play. Plus, with a graphite-reinforced neck, stability is a non-issue, even in shifting climates.

Body

The alder body keeps it lightweight and balanced, perfect for long sets or marathon jam sessions. Charvel’s classic San Dimas shape ensures ergonomic comfort, and the contours make upper-fret access a breeze.

The matte-finished maple neck feels insanely smooth, like your favorite pair of broken-in jeans. It’s caramelized (roasted) for added stability and resonance, making it less susceptible to warping. The bolt-on construction keeps things snappy and articulate, delivering the bright attack and sustain that shredders love.

Hardware

A Charvel with a Floyd Rose 1000 Series? Yes, please. Whether you’re pulling off Dimebag squeals, Vai-style flutters, or classic EVH dive bombs, this double-locking tremolo holds tuning like a champ. Even after aggressive whammy action, it snaps back to pitch flawlessly.

The locking nut and Gotoh tuners provide extra insurance against slippage, making this an absolute workhorse for live performance.

Electronics

The control cavity is neatly organized with the wires in a convenient bundle. When it comes to the feel, the stock volume pot and 3-way toggle are of good quality and solid function. It’s a little hard to go wrong with your average output jack. But as long as i was in there, I did perform a quick upgrade to a Pure Tone 1/2′ output jack.

On the pickup side of things, this Charvel comes loaded a fairly typical set of humbuckers. The bridge is a hot rod, while the neck is a more modern take on a classic. Together, they are serviceable enough. Since it arrived, I’ve been using several humbuckers in this guitar. The results are that I’m finding it an excellent platform for most any set that I’m trying. It is clearly a direct-mount, which can offer a few restrictions. But there are plenty of options for an industrious tinkerer.

Specs

Demo

Area Of Opportunity

This shred stick is pretty solid. Feels good. Looks cool. Plays like a champ. The Floyd Rose performs to meet expectations. It comes out of the box from Charvel with a really good setup. If I had to pick one thing that would make this a game changer, it would be pickup rings. What can I say? It’s my preference. LOL!

Some people might not like the finish. I think it’s great, as it’s something I don’t have to baby quite as much as a brand new glossy shine finish. I do have a few Charvels and you can hear and feel the difference of the nitro lacquer finish. I’m liking the tone out of this guitar enough to not care so much about the relic look

Conclusion

The Charvel Pro-Mod Relic San Dimas is a shred-tastic paradise wrapped in a vintage, road-worn aesthetic. It delivers searing high-gain tones, buttery playability, and rock-solid tuning stability, all while looking like it’s been through years of battle on stage.

If you play 80s metal, hard rock, and modern shredding, this guitar is an absolute no-brainer. But thanks to its silky neck and no-nonsense design, it can handle blues, classic rock, and even funk with ease.

For reference, this Charvel Pro-Mod Relic San Dimas evaluation was conducted with the following: Fractal Axe-Fx II XL+ featuring Celestion Impluse Responses and Fractal MFC-101 MIDI Foot Controller.  ADA MP-1 Tube Pre-Amp loaded with Tube Amp Doctor ECC83 Premium Selected tubes, using the ADA MC-1 MIDI Controller. Fryette LX II Stereo Tube Power Amplifier. Physical cabs in use are Marshall 1960B, Mojotone British, and Peavey 6505 cabs loaded with Celestion Classic Series Vintage 30s and Classic Series G12M Greenbacks.

Charvel Guitars Website | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram

7 string 16Ω 59 Airbucker Alnico 2 Alnico 4 Alnico 5 Alnico 8 Bare Knuckle BKP Boot Camp Brown Sound Celestion Ceramic Charvel Custom Shop DiMarzio Dual Resonance EVH Fishman Floyd Rose Fluence Gibson Humbucker Ibanez JB Jimmy Page John Petrucci Les Paul MJ Mojotone P90 PAF Pariah Pickup Satch Schaller Seymour Duncan Singlecoil Single Width Speaker Steve Vai Tech Tip Tremolo Virtual Vintage