Tag Archives: Charvel Desolation Skatecaster

The Charvel Desolation Skatecaster plays off of the original Charvel Surfcaster legacy from the 1990s. Featuring solid Mahogany everything, a compound radius neck, and a 24 fret fingerboard with abalone inlays.

Charvel Desolation Skatecaster SK-1

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Charvel Desolation Skatecaster
The Charvel Desolation Skatecaster plays off of the original Charvel Surfcaster legacy from the 1990s. Featuring solid Mahogany everything, neck through design.

Musicradar reviewed a Charvel Desolation Skatecaster SK-1 FR and is encouraging metal players to check one out. According to the review, the SK-1′s mahogany body mates well with its pickups, resulting in an excellent tone.

“The Skatecaster’s sheer mass of mahogany helps round off any inherent abrasion from its EMG humbuckers,” said Music Radar. “And we’d suggest it gives a great Kirk Hammett-style scorching lead tone.” The review ends by giving a little background on the model and inviting metal-heads to sample the model. The Desolation series is far removed from the hot-rodded custom S-types for which Charvel is loved historically,” concludes Music Radar. “But we concede that most metal teenagers won’t care too much about that. Try one.”

Desolation Skatecaster SK-1 Key Features and details:

  • Design & Build: The SK-1 models feature a distinct offset mahogany body with a neck-through-body design and a bound mahogany neck.
  • Electronics: Active EMG 81 (bridge) and 85 (neck) pickups are standard, providing high-output, aggressive tones.
  • Hardware: Options include a solid mahogany body and neck-through design (ST) or a Floyd Rose locking tremolo (FR).
  • Fingerboard: 24 jumbo frets on a 12″-16″ compound radius rosewood fingerboard.
  • Legacy: While the original 1990s Surfcaster was designed for surf music with lipstick pickups, the Desolation series (introduced in 2011) was aimed at modern rock/metal players.

The series was generally well-regarded for its value, with many models featuring a gloss finish and a “fast” neck profile. The Desolation Skatecaster SK-1 represents a contemporary interpretation of the iconic Charvel Surfcaster from the early 1990s, featuring a solid mahogany body and a neck-through construction.

Charvel Desolation Skatecaster Neck Comments:

The Charvel Skatecaster boasts a bound mahogany neck, a rosewood fingerboard equipped with 24 jumbo frets and abalone keystone inlays, as well as abalone binding on the body and headstock. In addition, the guitar is outfitted with EMG 85 (neck) and EMG 81 (bridge) active humbucking pickups, which are controlled via a three-way toggle switch and a single volume knob.

Additionally, the Skatecaster includes a specific Charvel bridge specifically designed for compound-radius fingerboards, black nickel hardware, three-on-a-side locking Charvel tuners, and is available in solid and trans finishes with a matching headstock.

John E. Davis is a Texas Rock Guitarist offering FREE guitar lessons videos. Visit TexasRockGuitarist.com for information on Guitar Lessons, Guitar Repair and Live Music Performance.