Just to show that I put my money where my mouth is, after enthusing about this American-made Strat type guitar allegedly made from
DiMarzio parts for the 1984 NAMM show, I did actually go ahead and buy it.
However, the colour was a surprise. In my
previous post about this guitar back in March, I dubbed it the "red beauty", and indeed in the photos it
did look very red.
I feel the picture I have included here to the left here gives a better representation of the colour, although I still can't decide what colour it actually
is as it seems to change in different lighting conditions. Sometimes it looks orange, sometimes salmon pink, other times - usually in dim or artificial light - it does look red. Actually, it looks almost fluorescent. I wonder if this was the only brightly coloured guitar on the DiMarzio stand at the 1984 NAMM show? Perhaps there were fluorescent green and fluorescent yellow sisters to this guitar. I'd love to know.
Despite the all-pervading colour on this guitar - not just the body but the whole of the neck and the fingerboard - the finish is actually see-through and you can see the wood grain beneath quite nicely. The body appears to be a 3-piece affair.
The seller had mentioned "
Charvel San Dimas era", so I'd like to do a little research and find out if Charvel ever built guitar bodies and necks for the DiMarzio brand.
Given its age, the guitar is in very good nick. With only a quick glance, you'd be forgiven for thinking it was built recently, although a closer inspection reveals one or two minor knocks and dints. This guitar doesn't appear to have been played very much at all, which is unusual seeing that it's 24 years old. You may be able to make out in the photo an area where the finish has worn away on the headstock, and also the pink has worn away on the pink-coloured machine heads.
What is the sound like? Well, very authentic Fender Strat, I'd say, although I've not yet been able to test her at volume.
Did I really need another Strat? (This is my 5th). Well, no I didn't, but something about this guitar really appealed to me and I just had to add it to the collection.
UPDATE: I think I'm on the right track. According to the
USA Charvels website, "
...in 1978 Grover Jackson put a deal together with DiMarzio which allowed Charvel Manufacturing to make guitar and bass bodies for DiMarzio."
Futhermore,
sandimascharvel.com tells us that Charvel's "
Strat necks are most commonly oiled...", but goes on to add that "
Some are 100% lacquered or painted to match the body."
If you've been following the coverage of the Summer NAMM 2008 show (for example, over at Modern Guitars Magazine), you'll have seen the rather bizarre Helmet Guitars which are styled after American football helmets and are available in a wide range of colours so as to match your favourite team, if indeed you have a favourite as such.
