Summer NAMM 2016: Charvel taps into original-era DNA for flagship USA Select Series guitars

SUMMER NAMM 2016: Charvel has announced the USA Select Series, designed to capture the specs and sounds of its '80s heyday.

Four models - the San Dimas Style 1 HSS FR, San Dimas Style 1 HSS HT, So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR and San Dimas Style 2 HH FR - are available, built to "old-school throwback" specifications for high-performance playability.

So, you can expect '80s-style body perimeters, finely shaped neck profiles, fast compound radius fingerboards with rolled edges, non-recessed Floyd Rose locking vibratos and more, all wrapped up in Pitch Black, Satin Plum, Snow Blind Satin and Torred finishes.

The new models will be available in August, with pricing to be confirmed; here's what we know so far…

Charvel USA Select San Dimas Style 1 HSS FR

• Alder San Dimas Style 1 body
• One-piece quartersawn maple neck with one-way vintage-style bullet truss rod
• 22-fret rosewood (white dot inlay) or maple (black dot inlay) compound radius fingerboard with rolled edges
• DiMarzio DP100F Super Distortion bridge pickup and DiMarzio DP-116 HS2 neck and middle pickups
• Five-way 'super' blade pickup switching: bridge pickup only (position 1), bridge pickup inner coil and middle pickup (position 2), bridge pickup inner coil and neck pickup (position 3), neck and middle pickups (position 4) and neck pickup only (position 5)
• Single control knob (master volume)
• Side-mounted 'football' output jack
• Black hardware
• Floyd Rose Original non-recessed bridge with 37mm block

Charvel USA Select San Dimas Style 1 HSS HT

• Alder San Dimas Style 1 body
• One-piece quarter-sawn maple neck with one-way vintage-style bullet truss rod
• 22-fret rosewood compound radius fingerboard with rolled edges and a bone nut
• DiMarzio DP100 Super Distortion bridge pickup and DiMarzio DP-116 HS2 neck and middle pickups
• Five-way 'super' blade pickup switching: bridge pickup only (position 1), bridge pickup inner coil and middle pickup (position 2), bridge pickup inner coil and neck pickup (position 3), neck and middle pickups (position 4) and neck pickup only (position 5)
• Single control knob (master volume)
• Side-mounted "football" output jack
• Black hardware
• String-through-body bridge

Charvel USA Select So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR

• Alder So-Cal Style 1 body
• Single-ply black pickguard
• One-piece quarter-sawn maple neck with one-way vintage-style bullet truss rod
• 22-fret rosewood (white dot inlay) or maple (black dot inlay) compound radius fingerboard with rolled edges
• DiMarzio DP100F Super Distortion bridge pickup and DiMarzio® DP-116 HS2 neck and middle pickups
• Five-way 'super' blade pickup switching: bridge pickup only (position 1), bridge pickup inner coil and middle pickup (position 2), bridge pickup inner coil and neck pickup (position 3), neck and middle pickups (position 4) and neck pickup only (position 5).
• Single control knob (master volume)
• Top-mounted Strat output jack
• Black hardware
• Floyd Rose Original non-recessed bridge with 37mm block

Charvel USA Select San Dimas Style 2 HH FR

• Alder Style 2 body
• One-piece quarter-sawn maple neck with one-way vintage-style bullet truss rod
• 22-fret rosewood (white dot inlay) or maple (black dot inlay) compound radius fingerboard with rolled edges
• DiMarzio DP100F Super Distortion bridge pickup and DiMarzio® DP-151 PAF PRO neck pickup
• Five-way 'super' blade pickup switching: bridge pickup only (position 1), bridge pickup inner coil (position 2), inner coils of both pickups (position 3), neck pickup outer coil (position 4), neck pickup only (position 5).
• Single control knob (master volume), side-mounted 'football' output jack, black hardware, Floyd Rose Original non-recessed bridge with 37mm block