Charvel Guthrie Govan Signature MJ San Dimas SD24 CM review

One of our favorite signature guitars from one of our favorite guitar players gets a more affordable Japanese makeover. How does it stack up?

Charvel Guthrie Govan Signature MJ San Dimas SD24 CM
(Image: © Future)

Guitar World Verdict

For the performing musician or studying musician who doesn’t want to limit the sounds they can produce from one guitar, it’s hard to fault.

Pros

  • +

    Very fit-for-purpose working guitar.

  • +

    Faultless build.

  • +

    Very stable in terms of tuning.

  • +

    Widely diverse sounds.

  • +

    Fully hum-cancelling.

Cons

  • -

    As good as it is, the GG faces some stiff competition.

  • -

    Some different colors might broaden the appeal.

You can trust Guitar World Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing guitar products so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.

Charvel has been owned by Fender Musical Instruments Corporation since 2002 and it’s been a good fit, sitting between the more-rock aimed Jackson line and the modern fringes of Fender, such as the Ultra range. 

In fact, if you simply consider Charvel to be the ‘modern’ Fender, you’re just about there. Another way to view the brand, particularly this latest Guthrie Govan signature guitar, is a souped-up and pimped version of what once may have been a Stratocaster

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Dave Burrluck
Gear Reviews Editor, Guitarist

Dave Burrluck is one of the world’s most experienced guitar journalists, who started writing back in the '80s for International Musician and Recording World, co-founded The Guitar Magazine and has been the Gear Reviews Editor of Guitarist magazine for the past two decades. Along the way, Dave has been the sole author of The PRS Guitar Book and The Player's Guide to Guitar Maintenance as well as contributing to numerous other books on the electric guitar. Dave is an active gigging and recording musician and still finds time to make, repair and mod guitars, not least for Guitarist’s The Mod Squad.